“You like this?”
“I’ve never felt anything soooo good,” she moaned.
He chuckled against her skin. “Challenge accepted.”
He dragged his mouth lower and continued to slowly divest her of her chemise until the light fabric slithered down her legs and over the edge of the bed to oblivion. His skilled hands positioned her, massaging her rear and parting her thighs. Her nerve endings stretched taut with delicious anticipation, remembering the pleasure that came at his hands.
Lower he moved, leaving her exposed to the soft glow of the candles and the bright moon outside their window.
She arched, the tension in her body too strong to remain still.
“Please,” she begged him.
“With pleasure,” he answered as he kissed her inner thighs, toying with the soft curls with his thumbs and probing her private depths.
Cassie was open to him, vulnerable in a way she’d never experienced before, but this was Sidney, and she trusted him implicitly. She peeked at him, and he wove his fingers through her private curls and teased her delicate flesh. Every sensation set off fireworks in her body until she was wound so tight, she could no longer take full breaths.
“Sidney, damn you, I can’t bear it.”
He growled against her, and then his tongue laved her sensitive flesh. Cassie shivered, biting her lip to keep from crying out.
He toyed with her, trading light and heavy strokes, swirls and tickles until she thought she’d go mad. She had clumps of fur between her fingers, and yet, she felt like she could fall off the bed at any moment. Then release gripped her, sweet and heavy, anchoring her in heaven. Tingles of pleasure filled her limbs as her eyes closed, and she tried to catch her breath.
But Sidney wasn’t done. His fingers entered her, first one, sliding, soothing her tight passage, then easing in a second. This was a brand-new sensation for her, sharp and filling. She cracked her eyes open, and he sat between her legs, watching his hand massage her tender flesh with a burning intensity in his gaze that made her hot all over.
She licked her lips and tried to lift her head, but her body had melted into the blankets beneath her. She wanted to move, to do something to him. He was far too clothed for her liking. He pulled his hand away and licked his fingers. Then he slowly stood and began to remove his clothing.
Cassie stared, mesmerized as he removed each article, watching her watch him.
Her body grew hungry again, wet and agitated in the soft places he’d touched her, empty of him, and oh-so needy. She pushed up onto her elbows.
At last, he reached his breeches, his last vestige of civility. Slowly he lowered his trousers to the floor, and the firm length of his arousal harnessed her attention. She held her breath. She’d never seen a man’s appendage before but this… This was not what she’d imagined. Her closest reference were images of art she was scarcely supposed to glance at, and all those men had been…flaccid.
He strode forward confidently, the muscles of his thighs shifting, the strength and grace of his body so beautiful her mouth went dry.
He went to her side of the bed and lifted the furs. Cassie wiggled underneath and he joined her. The touch of his body, skin to skin, was her new favorite sensation. She snuggled closer, relishing every texture of his body. His smooth chest, the crinkly hair on his legs, everything was bliss.
His hands roamed her body, and she returned the action. Was she dreaming? She could hardly believe that she was naked in a bed with Sidney. But her dreams had never felt this real. Even fantasy could not compare with the real man. The sensitive tips of her breasts brushed against his chest. A delight to her senses. He held her close, and the tenderness in his touch, the passionate grip of his hands was enough to undo her. Tears pricked her eyes, but she would not let them fall. He would think her upset or afraid, but she was far from those emotions. She was flying high on pleasure and love, tossed in a sea of bliss and passion. Cassie never wanted to come down, she never wanted this to end, and suddenly she understood. Had they been at her home, in her room, in the family wing of the house, would she have felt this free?
Would she have been able to face her family over the breakfast table after a night of carnal delights with Sidney? It would have been terribly embarrassing.
But now she was here with him, right where she always imagined herself to be. But her wildest imaginations had not prepared her. Her mother had made vague reference to bodies and duties last night, but this was so much more…consuming.
Sidney hitched her leg over his hip, and the rounded tip of his manhood brushed her slippery flesh. The sensation made her squirm wantonly. She moved against him, using the slickness of her body to glide along his firm staff, discovering new sensations and ways to increase her own pleasure.
He nudged her onto her back, his hips cradled within hers, and probed her with his fingers, parting her folds, and pressing the smooth hot head of his arousal into her.
Cassie stiffened, but in his eyes, she saw only love, patience, and his burning desire for her. She arched her hips to his, begging him with her body. He slowly thrust, steadily, through the tender resistance of her muscles, eased by the slickness of her own arousal. He stretched her, the sting mixing with the pleasure of his groin against hers.
Cassie arched, and he took her breast into his mouth. At once the pain was gone, and pleasure ravaged her from head to toe. Her body took over, moving with him on instinct as he thrust inside her over and over, sucking her nipple, holding her tightly against him.
Another release crashed through her, leaving her breathless and senseless as he growled her name, his hips pumping faster and harder until he stiffened, holding himself above her, hips and hearts locked together.
His eyes were closed as his body eased, and they cuddled in the firs, quiet, the only sound in the room their breathing. Cassie stared at the flicking candles until her eyes grew heavy, but then her stomach rumbled.
Sidney kissed her shoulder. “I’d almost forgotten about the food. It may be cold now.”
She liked the sleepy satisfaction in his voice and hated to move out of his arms, but her stomach wanted sustenance.
“Can we eat in bed?”
“I like that plan. Wait here where it’s warm, and I’ll make us a plate.”
She boldly watched him as he strutted naked from the bed and busied himself with preparing a plate. He was the perfect man—handsome, muscular and lean, kind—and he filled half the plate with sweets. How had she gotten so lucky?
She peeked up at the mistletoe above them, framing the windows. Perhaps the legends were true. The Mistletoe Masquerade held magic, and those who kissed under its leaves were destined to fall in love.
Cassie had fallen in love with Sidney years ago, but it took a scandal to bring about the wedding and land her the man of her dreams.
Chapter 12
Sidney woke before first light. He didn’t know what woke him, but he couldn’t feel his left arm or see a damn thing. His faculties slowly came back to him as his vision adjusted, and light slowly grew from the windows. He turned his head to the side and watched the pearly purple light of dawn wash over Cassie’s face. Her pale red hair sprawled over the pillow under her head, silky and beckoning for him to run his fingers through it. She was the reason he couldn’t feel his arm, it was under her shoulders, and she was fast sleep. The slow deep slumber of a soul truly at rest.