“But last night you knew exactly what to do.”
The red from his cheeks traveled down his neck. “I’m not entirely inexperienced, but I’ve never… bedded a woman.”
Thomas was a virile, attractive man. She’d seen the way the maids had eyed him. He’d had countless opportunities. Of that she had no doubt. “Why not?”
His rare smile made a bittersweet longing swell in her chest. “Don’t you know?”
“Because of me?” The slight creak in her voice was a sign of her rising emotion.
For years, she’d assumed her feelings for Thomas were unrequited. Their kiss had renewed her infatuation, but two long years had passed without an overture from him. Her dreams had felt out of reach, and if not for this unexpected turn of events, she might never have had him in her grasp.
“Of course because of you.”
She swallowed back a lump of tears. Turning into a watering pot might put him off. No, it wouldn’t. She smiled through a haze of tears, wrapped her hand around his nape, and pulled him down for a kiss.
“We’ll figure it out together. I’ve read quite a bit more than I should have on the subject. If you would like me to share.”
“Yes, I know about your sojourns to the bookshops and what you bought.”
“I was wondering why you didn’t comment on my attire and the padding.” Her forays were well thought out and perfectly executed. Even her parents were none the wiser. “How long have you known?”
“Since the beginning. Your father tasked me with keeping your safe. I made it my business to know what you were up to. Your disguise was quite good, but not good enough to fool me.”
“You didn’t tell Father.”
“Make no mistake, I would have if I thought you were endangering yourself, but I understand how restricting you find your role since your debut. It has pained me to watch your natural curiosity stifled by conventions.”
He understood. She didn’t need to hide her true self from him. It was like a too-tight set of stays had been loosened. And knowing they were on equal footing in bed made her even bolder.
“Speaking of my natural curiosity.” She ran her hands down his back to the hard muscles of his buttocks and dug her fingers in. “You have very much aroused it.”
He tugged the ribbon and pulled her chemise off her shoulders, not stopping until her breast were exposed to his gaze. There was nowhere to hide with the morning sun offering illumination, so she didn’t try. Instead, she arched her back in invitation.
He accepted with gusto. He lathed her nipple with his tongue before pulling the peak inside his mouth for a hard suck. Pinpricks rushed through her and made her squirm. She pulled his shirt from his breeches and rucked it up his chest, needing him as naked and vulnerable as she was. He grabbed hold of the back and pulled it over his head. She ran her hands up his chest and pushed him away a few inches in order to see what he’d unwrapped.
Before she had the chance to make a thorough examination, he switched their positions in a show of strength that made her weak in the knees. He ended up half sitting against the pillows, with her straddling him, and his cock pressed between her legs. A blush started in her cheeks and couldn’t be contained. Pink raced across her breasts.
“Are you embarrassed?” he asked with a quirk of his brows.
“I’m embarrassed and aroused and desperate and scared and about a thousand other things I can’t explain.”
“Concentrate on the pleasure. The rest we will figure out together.”
Yes, together. She took a deep breath. His gaze fixed on her chest, and his hands followed. He cupped her breasts and thrummed her nipples with his thumbs. She pitched forward and braced her hands on his chest. The muscles shifted and dark hair tickled her palms. She forgot about her embarrassment.
She ran her hands over his shoulders and back over the planes of his chest. Multiple scars traced their way over his skin. She hurt to think of him hurt. How close had he come to death?
She touched a recent one with her finger. “What happened here?”
He shifted and looked down at where she pointed. “Got into a fight with a stick while I took cover in a stream.”
A disbelieving laugh burst out of her. She had expected a harrowing tale involving stilettos and evil Frenchmen.
“Oh, you laugh, but it hurt like the devil, and I had to keep quiet or risk getting caught.” His grin was as close to boyish as she’d ever seen on his face.
She leaned in to kiss his smiling lips. “Whether a stick or a dagger, I never want to see you on the pointy end.”
“A sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. Do you have any scars to discover?” Before she realized what he was about, he had her chemise up and over her head and tossed it on top of his discarded shirt.
She was entirely naked. His face lost any boyishness, and he grew taut everywhere, but most especially between her legs. Her hips rolled in response, and a small moan slipped out. She touched the waist of his breeches. He nodded but didn’t make a move to continue her earlier work. She shifted backward and attacked the buttons with shaking hands. Her fumbling only heightened the tension.
Once the fastenings were loosened, Victoria tugged. He took control, bucking her off and kicking off his breeches. He knelt on the bed, one leg between hers, and pushed her to lie back.
She stared at the appendage jutting from a nest of dark hair between his legs. She’d seen statues of naked men. She’d even seen sketches in the courtesan’s diary, but neither had prepared her for the reality. Slowly, as if it were an easily spooked animal, she reached out and touched him.
“Go on,” he said in a rumbly voice. “It won’t bite.”
She shot him a smile and grasped him. He twitched in her hand, and she drew in a quick breath. His cock was hard, but the skin covering him was soft. A slit in the head glistened with fluid, and she explored the spear-shaped tip, running a thumb along the slit and gathering the slippery fluid.
Thomas gripped her thighs and pushed them apart. He stared between her legs with the same fascination she felt regarding his cock. Like the previous evening, he stroked and toyed with her until she was squirming with urgency.
She surrendered even as she mounted a weak protest. “Wait. You’re supposed to enter me.”
“I will, but this will make things easier for you.” His voice was strained. “I hope.”
The ominous qualifier barely registered before her climax took hold. This time his fingers drove deep within her, pumping hard through her bliss, extending it. His fingers retreated, and she raised her head to complain, but he had shifted to kneel between her legs.
He gripped his shaft and rubbed the head of his cock through her wetness until he was pressed at her entrance. “Are you ready?”
“Yes. And very willing,” she answered breathlessly.
He pushed inside of her, one slow inch at a time. A sheen of sweat broke over his brow. “Am I hurting you?” he asked between clenched teeth.
“No.” She was lying. Her body burned as it stretched to accommodate his length and girth.
He pushed until his hips were seated against hers, pinning her legs wide. “It will get easier.”
“How do you know?” She bit her lip.
His laugh edged closer to a groan. “I don’t. Do you want me to stop?”