Page 93 of The Botanist’s Improper Bride

She undid his belt and pulled his trousers down, followed by his drawers, then couldn’t resist running her hands over his thick, muscled thighs and lean calves. He was built more ruggedly than anyone would guess, and she loved that about him.

His shaft had plumped from the attention, and she wrapped her hand around it and milked it the way he’d shown her during a long, languorous night of lovemaking. It hardened against her palm, and she didn’t stop until a bead of liquid appeared at the top of the head.

“You’re making my legs weak,” he gasped. “Need something to hold onto.”

She shifted back, and he repositioned himself so that he was leaning against the desk, allowing it to support him. Once again in front of him, she licked the bead of liquid.

Salty. Strange, but not unpleasant.

Encircling the base of his shaft with her fingers, she licked along the length of him with the flat of her tongue. His hips jerked, and his breath hitched. She glanced up to make sure she hadn’t hurt him. His dark eyes burned into hers with all the intensity he usually kept under wraps.

She shivered and did it again, then teased the small V beneath the head, paying attention to the way his breathing changed and to the tensing of his muscles. Growing bolder, she explored him more thoroughly, learning the shape and flavor of him before taking his weight on her tongue and leaning forward, slowly sucking him into her mouth.

He cursed and cupped the back of her head. “More. Please.”

Curious how deep she could take him, she inched forward until he bumped the back of her throat, then released him on a cough before sliding him back into her mouth and trying again, careful this time not to go too far. A groan tore from him, and his hips stuttered in aborted movements that made heat pool in her lower abdomen.

She grinned around her mouthful, thrilled to elicit such a strong response. Tentatively, she swirled her tongue around him, teasing the part just below the head that she’d learned was especially sensitive.

He rocked into her, and his grip on her head firmed. She allowed him to guide her into a rhythm, ignoring the slight ache in her jaw because his open-mouthed expression of utter bliss was worth any mild discomfort.

Desire pooled between her legs. There was little that excited her more than witnessing her tightly wound husband come undone and knowing that she was the one making him lose control. She squeezed her thighs together, moaning as pleasure rippled through her.

Trevor encouraged her to go faster, and she sped up. He thickened and pulsed on her tongue before he cried out and spilled into her. She held his seed in her mouth for a moment, curious about the taste, and then swallowed. He gasped and clutched her hair, then pulled her off him and helped her up to her feet.

Eyes closed, he dropped a soft, sweet kiss onto her lips and then held her to him. She relaxed into the embrace, relishing the strength of his chest beneath her cheek and finding a sense of calm in the rhythmic beat of his heart, even though other parts of her body were decidedly not calm.

Eventually, he drew back, wearing the most addled smile she’d ever seen. “You’ve been reading again, haven’t you?”

Her lips curved slyly. “Perhaps.”

“I approve.” He kissed each corner of her mouth and then her nose, laughing when she pouted because she’d hoped for another kiss on the lips. “I take it this means you like the laboratory.”

“I love it. I don’t think you have any idea how much this means to me. The fact that you’d do it and that your parents allowed it… You’re all amazing, and I’m so lucky.” She blinked rapidly because now wasn’t the time for tears—even happy ones.

“I’m the fortunate one. Now, why don’t you have a look around, and when you’re done, you can sit on the chair behind the desk.” He lowered his voice, his mouth near her ear. “Then pull your skirt up, and I’ll show you exactly how lucky I think I am, and how much I love being the subject of your experiments.”

Yes, please.

“All right, but only this once. After I start using the solvents and other chemicals, it’s too risky to bare any skin in here.”

“I love your practical mind.” He gave her a little push and gestured toward the cabinet full of glassware. “Go and look. I’ll think about how I can make this memorable, since we’ll only be doing it once.”

Grinning widely and unable to contain it even a little, Seraphina bounced away from him and bent to examine the supplies. He’d thought of everything, which really shouldn’t have surprised her but somehow still did.

Honesty, life with this man was one pleasant surprise after another, and even though others might raise their aristocratic eyebrows at them, she couldn’t be happier.

Before this year, she’d never imagined marrying Trevor, but thank God he hadn’t been as blind as her or else she might have missed out on a lifetime of shared discoveries, fascinating conversation, and earth-shattering sex.

That most private part of her throbbed, eager to finish what they’d started earlier, and she side-eyed the chair, which looked more comfortable than she might have expected. Sauntering over, she sent her husband a naughty glance from beneath her eyelashes and lowered herself onto the seat, then reached for her skirt and lifted it slowly, revealing one inch of her stocking-covered legs at a time.

He watched her with dark eyes, and when she stopped just shy of her sex and beckoned him over, she had to bite her lip against a wave of arousal as he positioned himself between her knees.

“You have the best ideas,” she whispered, his fingertips trailing up her thighs.

He grinned wickedly and nudged her skirt the rest of the way up to her waist.

Yes, he was definitely cleverer than her.