Page 45 of Soaring Sweethearts

The sweet ache that had held her in its thrall for the past three days sharpened into an insatiable hunger. All the things she’d thought about asking for in the middle of the night when she was alone and tormented by desire came bubbling up to her lips. This was wonderful, and she loved kissing him. But it wasn’t nearly enough. Every nerve in her body begged for more, more, more.

“More?” he asked, pulling away for a moment.

Oh no. She must have said it out loud. It was too late to deny it now, so she nodded slowly.

His smoldering eyes turned molten, and his breathing rasped. “I want to give you more. You can’t even imagine all the ways I want to give you more. But tonight, I need you to be very specific. I don’t ever want to take things further than you’re comfortable with, so I need to know exactly what ‘more’ means to you.”

Oh sugar. He was going to make her say it out loud. Did she dare? But he’d asked her to. Surely, he wouldn’t judge her. “I…I want you to touch me.”

His sharp intake of breath made her think for a moment she’d said something wrong, but he just said, “Touch you where?”

She chewed her lip, trying to make herself name the forbidden places where she wanted his hands.

“If you don’t want to say it out loud, take my hand and put it where you want it.”

That, she could do. She took one of his hands and placed it on her breast. He brushed his thumb over her nipple making her gasp.

“Only here?” he asked as he continued to tease her nipple.

She shook her head. “Also, here.” She took his other hand and slid it between her legs, hardly daring to raise her eyes to meet his gaze.

He made a rumbling noise in his throat as he began to stroke her through her knickers, but it wasn’t enough. She needed his fingers on her bare flesh, teasing and tantalizing.

“Maybe I should take off my knickers,” she said as he petted her into a frenzy. As she started to pull away to slide them off, he stopped her.

“Let me.” With infinite care, he slid off her shoes, then ran his hands up the backs of her legs and unfastened her garters. His teasing touch was almost unbearable as he rolled down one stocking and then the other, laying them aside. When he reached up to slide off her satin, lace-trimmed knickers, she could only breathe in little panting breaths.

“Lie back,” he said, setting aside her undergarments, slipping off his shoes and stretching out facing her. “I’ll take good care of you, sweet girl. Don’t you worry. And if at any time you want me to stop, just say the word.”

“I don’t want you to stop. I want you everywhere.” Feeling daring and drunk on desire, she ran her leg up his, hooking it over his hip.

He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in through his teeth.

“Did I say something wrong?” She had no experience with any of this. Maybe she was too eager.

“Not at all. Just be careful what you wish for because I want things that I know you aren’t ready for yet.”

“Like what?” She truly didn’t know how any of this worked.

“Did your mother explain anything about men and women and…?” His ears turned flaming red.

That made her laugh. “She said something confusing about a hand in a mitten and how they fit together, but I didn’t really understand it. She did warn me that it could make a baby. Are you worried that what we’re doing will make a baby?” That didn’t seem possible with just touching, but what did she know?

He chuckled. “No, sweetheart. I wouldn’t take a risk like that with you, not until we’re married.”

What did he just say? “Until we’re married? You don’t mean you want to marry me, do you?”

“Well, what do you want?” There was a playful twinkle in his eyes.

“Maybe someday.” She tried to sound nonchalant but wasn’t at all sure she succeeded.

“Well, maybe someday I might want to marry you too. But for tonight, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Deal?”

“Deal.” They had plenty of time to work it all out when they were ready.

“Now where were we?” He reached down and slid his finger through her curls, which were now, much to her embarrassment, dripping with moisture. She was about to apologize for it when he found the spot where she’d pressed the other night, and suddenly she couldn’t form words or even thoughts.

“Oh Christ, you’re so wet for me.” He made it sound like a good thing, something that excited him, and with his finger stroking her, she couldn’t bring herself to worry anymore.