Page 92 of How the Belle Stole Christmas

Ten minutes later, Will and Catriona held hands as they ran up the stairs. Catriona opened a door that proved to be her bedchamber.

Will could not believe this was happening. Since he had inherited his uncle’s viscountcy, he had come around to the notion that he would marry, perhaps soon.

But he had never imagined that he would find someone like Catriona, who felt like his partner in every sense of the word.

Catriona crossed to the fire and threw a few bricks of peat onto the glowing embers. She jabbed at it perfunctorily with the poker, then wheeled to face him.

The next thing he knew, Will was being tackled onto her bed and kissed soundly. Not that he had any objections. Quite the opposite, in fact.

After a moment, Catriona raised her head. “Have ye done this before?”

“Never. You?”

“Can’t say that I have. I hadnae even kissed a man until a few hours ago.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Will said with a confidence he did not entirely feel. He was familiar with the basic mechanics of what they were about to do.

But when it came to making sure the act was enjoyable for Catriona, he was thoroughly at sea.

“I’ve been thinking about it lately.” Catriona rolled off him and began searching through a pile of books on her bedside table. “I found this book belonging to my brother, Duff, ye see.”

“Oh?” Will said, trying to sound politely interested. But really, who cared about a book when they were about to…

She removed a large book from the stack and flipped it open to a random page. Will’s thoughts scrambled.

Oh. So it was that kind of book.

He shifted uncomfortably on the bed. His cock had already been as hard as a poker at the thought of what he was about to do with Catriona.

But staring at the image before him, which depicted a woman kneeling before a man in order to pleasure him with her mouth…

he had known from the start that he was not going to last very long.

He was completely untried sexually and did not delude himself that he was going to comport himself with sophistication or aplomb.

Catriona nudged him with her shoulder. “Ye like that, don’t ye?”

“I…” His breath had gone ragged, and a sheen of sweat had broken out over his face in spite of the coldness of the room. “Yes.”

Her fingers went to the buttons of his falls. To his utter delight, she started undoing them. Her voice was full of mischief as she said, “Let’s try it, shall we?”

His cock gave a pulse of approval at this suggestion, which caused Catriona to giggle. He lifted his hips to help her as she pushed open his trousers.

She made a sound of wonder as she took his cock in hand. And—Oh, God—her hand was so soft, and she was stroking him! She was touching his cock, and it felt so good, and—

He gave a strangled cry as his seed pulsed out of him, spilling over her hand and on the placket of his open trousers.

He chanced a glance at Catriona and found her looking amused. “Dinnae even bother telling me ye didnae like that.”

He kissed her, then used his shirt to clean her hand. “I wouldn’t. I think it was obvious that I liked it very much.” He paused, studying her face. Her cheeks were flushed. “How did you like it?”

“I liked it, too,” she said breathlessly. “The look on yer face when ye…”

“When I came,” he supplied.

Her hips squirmed against the bed. “It made me feel… Made me want…” She gave a frustrated sound, as if she could not find the words to explain.

But Will thought he understood. “Let’s see if we can make you feel just as good.”

They kissed and fondled one another as they removed each other’s clothes.

Will’s cock was already hard again, as if he were a boy of fifteen, when his cock had demanded to be stroked to completion multiple times a day.

Everything felt like a miracle. The sight of Catriona in her snow-white shift.

The moment she bared her breasts to him, then seized his hands and placed them on her.

The soft fullness of her filling his palms, and the throaty sounds she made as he fondled her there.

The sight of her tumbled naked before him on the bed.

The feeling when he lay beside her, and every inch of her naked skin came into contact with his, causing them both to moan.

Will didn’t really know what he was doing.

But he’d overheard enough stray comments over the years to understand that her first time would likely hurt, and that she ought to be wet between her legs in order to minimize her discomfort.

So, he kissed her and touched her all over, doing his best to pay attention to her responses.

She seemed to like being kissed and fondled on her breasts, which wasn’t exactly a chore for him, either.

He couldn’t get enough of them. They were so full and so round, with large nipples the color of peaches, and he loved the way she shuddered when he licked and suckled her there.

Finally, she gasped, “Will! I need…”

He lifted his head eagerly. “Yes?”

She rolled onto her back, opening her legs. “I… I think I’m ready.”

He placed his hand on the inside of her thigh and drew it up toward the place he was so eager to be. She was, indeed, slick with moisture. “If you’re sure…”

She tugged him down on top of her, not that he made the slightest effort to resist. “I am,” she said firmly.

Oh, God. This was it. After twenty-seven years, he was finally going to divest himself of his virginity.

He lined his cock up with her entrance and slowly pushed forward. He had intended to go slowly, but to his surprise, he didn’t meet much resistance and slid inside her with ease.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped. “Did that hurt?”

“No.” Catriona was frowning, but it was a thoughtful sort of frown.

Will’s pulse was flying, because for him, she felt like a dream—slick and snug around him, and gorgeous perfection beneath him.

He opened his mouth to say that he could wait in the same instant she said, “Why dinnae ye try moving?”

Will found this suggestion extremely agreeable. He withdrew a few inches, then pushed forward again, and lud, if that wasn’t the best feeling in the world. He was fairly certain his eyes crossed from the pleasure.

Thank God Catriona had stroked him to completion just moments earlier. It was the only reason he lasted three entire minutes. He heard himself babbling nonsense as he passed the point of no return. Seconds later, his cock pulsed as he spilled his seed inside her.

As soon as the room stopped spinning, he lifted his head to study her. Her expression was curiously blank.

“That was wonderful,” he began. “For me.”

She didn’t meet his gaze. “I’m glad.” He could hear the sincerity in her voice, but also a twinge of… disappointment.

He stroked a lock of hair back from her damp forehead. “But I take it you did not find the same pleasure I did.”

She blew out a frustrated huff. “’Tis all right. I think it’s common. For a woman to be frigid.”

“You’re not frigid.” Not that Will had any great expertise on the subject. But he found he was convinced of it. He thought of the flush on her cheeks, her ragged breath, the slickness between her thighs as he fondled her breasts.

No. Catriona McCallister was not frigid.

The fault lay with him.

For the first time, she seemed hesitant to talk to him. “I believe it’s typical for a woman to feel pain during her first time,” he offered.

“But that’s the thing—I didnae feel any pain! I didnae feel…” She trailed off, as if too embarrassed to continue.

He stroked her cheek. “What didn’t you feel, Catriona?”

Her eyes were fixed on the far side of the room as she muttered, “To tell the truth, I didnae feel much of anything when you were… ye know. Thrusting in and out.”

He nodded. This was good information to have. “And yet, you enjoyed it when I was touching your breasts earlier.”

“Aye.”

He reached for the book, which lay open on the edge of the bed. “And you feel something when you look at these prints.”

Her breath quickened as she glanced at the image of the man receiving pleasure from his partner’s mouth. “Aye,” she said, her voice going husky.

Will flipped through a few pages. He knew these books were designed primarily with men in mind, and indeed, most of the acts shown seemed focused on the man’s pleasure.

But then, he came to a page that made him pause.

This time, it was the man who knelt before her lady love, who leaned back against a tree.

She’d drawn her skirts up above her waist and had popped her breasts out of her bodice so she could pinch her own nipples.

Her lover knelt before her, his cock tenting the falls of his trousers, unheeded.

He had hooked one of her legs over his shoulder so he could kiss her between her legs.

This time, it was the woman’s face that wore an expression of pure, unadulterated bliss.

He glanced at Catriona and found that her eyes, which were fixed upon the image, had gone glassy.

“I think we should try this one,” Will said.

“I think…” Catriona swallowed thickly. “That place where he’s kissing her…”

Will was already positioning himself between her thighs. “Yes?”

“That’s the place that throbs,” she said in a rush. “When I look at these prints. And when ye were kissing my breasts earlier.”

Throbs seemed promising. “Can you show me exactly where?” he asked.

She squeezed her eyes shut, cheeks aflame.

But she nodded, bringing her hand to the juncture of her thighs.

“Let’s see. It’s just… here,” she said, feeling around.

Her eyes flew open, then softened as she rubbed a little nub just above her opening.

“Oh!” Her gaze turned unfocused. “That does feel good!”

“Please, let me do that.” Will was all but salivating, seeing her this way. Not just the sight of her pussy, which had his poor, hitherto neglected cock stiffening for the third time in twenty minutes.

But it was the expression on her face that he loved most of all. He adored seeing the pleasure on her face, seeing her eyes go hazy with bliss. He wanted more than anything to make her come.

Recalling that, according to the picture, he ought to be using his mouth, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss against that spot. Catriona gave a startled laugh in response. Encouraged, Will began flicking the little bud with his tongue.

The change was instantaneous. “Oh! That’s… That’s very…” She shifted around on the bed, then stiffened. “That’s the spot! That’s the spot, right there. Oh, Will! That feels so good! Some-something’s happening! I’m… I’m going to…” Her body tensed. Her thighs began to tremble.

And then, spasms of pleasure shot through her. It was the most beautiful sight Will had ever beheld, his bride, his best friend, his Catriona, taking her pleasure in the firelight.

He crawled up and took her in his arms as the tremors slowed. He was gratified by the way she snuggled into his chest. “Thank you,” she said, her voice full of emotion.

He brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “Of course.”

She gave a watery laugh. “I suppose I’m nae frigid after all.”

He laughed, too. “No. I didn’t think you were.” He cupped her chin to get her to look at him. “The problem lies with me. I haven’t the faintest clue what I’m doing. But we’re partners now. We’re going to figure this out together.”

She smiled. “Partners, eh?” Wrapping her arms around him, she settled against his chest. “I rather like the sound of that.”

As the first streaks of dawn broke through the window, they fell asleep in one another’s arms.