Page 85 of A Gentleman's Wager

“Ah!” He fumbled with the fastenings of her dress. “But do you think I’ll manage to satisfy you all alone?”

“It was not a problem before.”

“Aye, but that was before you understood what was possible.”

“Lucerne.” She gripped tight his flanks and drew him close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. “It’s you I want, not him.”

When he kissed her, tongue sliding between her lips to dance with her own, Bella fought to get her hands under his clothing. Alas, they were too well fitted to allow much room for her fingertips. Thankfully, after a moment of fruitless fumbling, he came to her rescue, tearing open the fastenings of his waistcoat and breeches. Bella’s hands immediately fell to his loins. One crept under the edge of his lawn shirt and closed around the base of his cock.

Lucerne looked her deep in the eyes, breathing hard as his prick slid through her curled fingers. “Oh God, that’s good.”

He trembled. Bella ran her free hand through his thick blond hair and watched pleasure light his face. Lucerne never tried to mask his pleasure in the way Vaughan did. He expressed his enjoyment, revelled in it. She pushed her fingers into his mouth, and he began to suck and nip at them with growing excitement.

“I thought I was supposed to be pleasuring you,” he managed to gasp, as she continued to work his shaft, her hand ringed around him.

“Silly. You are.”

How did one explain that to give pleasure was akin to receiving it? That when he let her stroke him like this, it made her feel invincible, and flushed thoughts of discord, of Vaughan, and the promises to her brother—which she’d betrayed—into insignificance. She could put fears and boredom, worries about tomorrow aside and exist purely in the moment with him, purely for pleasure.

He began to tease her ear with his tongue. It sent shivers through her body. “Lucerne?”

“Mmm,mon amour.”

“Should we find somewhere more comfortable?”

“What’s wrong with this alcove? Do you not like its aspect? I’ll admit it would perhaps benefit from a potted plant or two. A nice fern, or a zebra plant.”

“A what?”

“They’re striped like a zebra. You have heard of zebra in the North Riding, haven’t you?”

“Don’t be mean,” she mock punched him.

“Never. Wouldn’t dream of it. They’re like horses.”

“I know that.”

He wrestled both her hands before her and held them trapped around the wrists in one of his. Slowly, he dragged them upwards over her head, and held them pinned. Meanwhile, he nuzzled against her neck, pretending to devour her, pouring all his attention into kissing her throat. He hit on a particularly sensitive spot at the juncture of her neck and collarbone, and all the tension drained from Bella’s body. Damn, she wanted him to kiss her there, like that, for eternity, and even if she hadn’t wanted that, she couldn’t move. He’d robbed her of the ability.

“Oh, my! Oh, I say.”

Charles. He looked so staggered by what he was seeing, it was impossible to be annoyed by him.

“I didn’t think. I didn’t know. You’ll excuse me, of course.”

He hurried into the Salon as if a pack of hungry wolves were at his heels. Bella snorted, then dissolved into a fit of giggles against Lucerne’s shoulder. He too was shaking. “Perhaps this alcove isn’t quite the spot after all.”

“A little too exposed?”

“Hm,” he agreed, given that his cock was out and still hard against her hip. Just then Pennerley glanced into the corridor. He caught her eye and scowled before turning his back in disgust. Bella laughed all the harder.

“It would appear the drawing room is empty.”

Lucerne kissed her brow, then pushed her to arm’s length. “Perhaps we’d better rejoin the others.”

“But…?”

She watched him force his erection back into his clothing. Even once he’d pulled his waistcoat straight the bulge of it remained apparent. “If Louisa sees that, she’ll probably faint.” She drew a finger along its ridge.