Page 15 of Don’t Wake a Sleeping Lyon (The Lyon’s Den Connected)

A da’s body thrummed as Alfred held her as a bride he’d carry over the threshold and walked up the staircase toward his bedroom. He pushed the door open with his shoulder, not letting her down. He twisted the knob on a small lamp and the room brightened with an orange glow. They stepped further inside and he kicked away some books laying open on his bed.

“What were you reading?” Ada asked, her arms wrapped around his neck.

“Children’s diseases. Cures, ailments, and behavior.” He was perfect, the handsome Jewish doctor who specialized in the littlest of patients. Oh, how bitter life would be once she had to say goodbye to him. The prospect pained her, but she forced the fear aside to focus on the magic of the moment.

“The usual then,” Ada jested to lighten the tension between them.

“The usual—but not tonight.”

He placed her gingerly on the bed. Ada relaxed. A soft cover cushioned the hard mattress. Ada adjusted her posture on the covers. It was a cozy bed, like the one she’d had as a child. The wooden posts creaked, but the frame was solid. An oasis of comfort and dreamy bliss in a room shielding her from the tragedies and lurking dangers of the morning hours.

Alfred’s hands trailed to the back of her legs down to her feet. His light touches still required timid validation that Ada gave willingly. She watched him take off her slippers and then he reached under her skirts. Scandalous. Ada was nervous but curious. She bit her cheek.

“Is this your tell?” Alfred asked when he reached the top of her stockings and rolled them down slowly. He held her gaze as he moved on to the other ankle. Then he stroked her legs slowly and deliberately. His touch enchanted Ada. “I couldn’t figure you out at The Lyon’s Den.”

“You are doing a splendid job now.” Ada propped herself on her elbows to see him hovering over her. He kissed one leg from her ankle to her knee. Then the other. His hands found a spot just beneath her shins where he was stroking her gently as his lips trailed a path up, up, up over her thigh.

Ada inhaled sharply when his hand touched her secret place. He rested his palm against her with gentle, reassuring pressure. “Nobody has touched you here before?”

“Never,” Ada forced the words as a deep, inner eagerness met his hand. Her reaction seemed to please him because he surveyed her body the way he’d looked at the display of pastries in Marylebone.

Without moving his hand, Alfred climbed over her. He was large and strong. Everything about him made her feel whole. In every respect, he was right. Then his hand gave way to his knee, and he grabbed her waist. “You are the perfect woman. Do you know that, Ada?”

“I fear you know what you are speaking of.”

There was that jealousy again. Not because he saw his patients undressed, but because of his other experiences. She wished he could be all hers but then remembered that he would never be. Twelve days… probably less…

Ada forced the thoughts aside and focused on Alfred. He kissed her decolletage, her neck, the edge of her face, her temples. Then he dropped his forehead on hers and closed his eyes.

“I know, Ada. It’s true. But none of that matters now.” He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “You eclipse all my memories. I am hungry for new ones with you. I want you so badly, Ada.”

“I want to be all yours.” The double meaning hurt, but Alfred understood. Ada didn’t only want to be his tonight, but forever.

He pushed himself off the bed and unbuttoned his breeches. Ada sat up and untied his cravat. Ada’s fingers trembled as she worked on unbuttoning his coat. Their eyes met just as she finished it, and for a single, intense moment, they shared an unspoken understanding. Ada pressed her lips together and focused on the task at hand, peeling off his waistcoat with single-minded determination. Soon, she was eagerly grabbing his shirt and feeling his taut chest. His skin was hot and smooth, oozing strength that made her insides leap. She made quick work of his shirt then and hooked her hands into his waistband. To her surprise, he helped her, and together, they pushed down his garments until they were nothing more than a mess on the floor. Her heart pounding in her chest, Ada desperately wanted to lose herself in the moment but knew better than to give in to temptation. Not yet, at least.

“That’s all of me,” he said with finality as if he were handing his heart and soul over.

In the nude, he was even more magnificent than Ada could have imagined. His upper body was muscular, chiseled, and evenly toned. He flexed his chest muscles for her, arms crossed, and she burst into giggles when he quirked a brow and his dimples appeared just before that boyish white smile followed. He was irresistibly handsome.

But when she straightened and walked around him, letting her hands trail over his chest and back, his breathing changed. With a hooded gaze, he seemed to contemplate just how to disrobe her. When Ada completed another circle, Alfred reached into her cleavage. His other hand tugged at the buttons on the back. He let out a frustrated breath and tore Ada’s blue dress open.

“That’s my only one!”

He stood slack-jawed as she had fallen out of her garments rather completely. “I prefer you without.”

Alfred had no regard for the layers of undergarments and finished undressing Ada with reverence, cupping her breasts and bending to kiss them. He suckled one of her nipples and did something scandalous to the other with his fingers. Her knees nearly gave way as sensation flooded her. Then he brought his mouth back to hers, gently stroking her upper lip, and she granted him access.

This time, his kiss was hotter. Vigorous. Possessive.

Ada’s body quivered low, and he knew, for he stepped with one leg between hers. Tall as he was, her fiery center rubbed against his thigh. His hands trailed over her back, and he wrapped himself completely around her. She felt for him, eager to explore his manhood. When her hand reached his shaft, it twitched in her hand. Alfred pressed himself against her with all the affection the night promised.