Page 17 of Not His Usual Style (Diamonds of London #10)
“Ah!” She dug her fingernails into his shoulders but eased her grip shortly after.
“That is indeed the word.” How would she survive this?
Then, with a bit of whimsy, she caught his earlobe between her lips and then lightly bit the flesh.
“I regret this being our only time, but it must.” For anything over and above this was dangerous to her peace of mind.
I can’t fall for this man who isn’t free.
“No more thinking.” He withdrew merely to thrust back inside. As they both moaned in appreciation, he grinned. As he stroked into her, teasing them both, ramping the desire between them, he kissed her, and in that embrace, he drew out the pleasure.
It was an otherworldly experience, and each time he stroked into her body, shivers of need sailed through her blood.
When Tori opened her eyes and found his gaze, she sighed in surrender.
There was something about this man that made her shed every inhibition she’d ever had.
In an ordinary day, she would never contemplate something so scandalous, even with a man she knew well, yet here she was, after meeting him last night, letting him do such delicious things to her body.
Pure madness, but pure joy. She slid a hand over his shoulder, up the side of his neck, and as she cupped his cheek, she glided the pad of her thumb along his bottom lip, leaned upward and pressed her mouth to his.
“I want more. Make it a good one, hmm?”
Grey didn’t answer in words. Instead, he shifted his position slightly, and as she tightened her legs around his waist, he dug his fingers into her thigh and hip.
Over and over, he thrust into her, and this time he wasn’t gentle.
Perhaps he, too, realized their time was rapidly coming to an end and he wished to give her the best of him.
The tactile glide of his shaft through her passage coupled with his grunts and moans of enjoyment helped to tug her beneath the overwhelming tide smacking into her.
On the heels of a growl, he leaned over her.
The friction on her button from the base of his shaft made her catch her breath, for it was so different than before.
Whimpering cries escaped her throat, and she hoped it wouldn’t draw the servants.
Each time he pushed, her breasts bounced.
Oh, why wasn’t there more time, for she wanted to feel his mouth and fingers on her nipples again.
“Grey…” Dear God, she might perish right here in her father’s drawing room.
Deeper and deeper he drove. Tori clung to his shoulders in a bid to be closer to him.
Faster and faster his hips worked. She pressed her lips to the side of his neck.
Harder and harder his strokes rocked her, kept her trapped between him and the sofa, never wanting to escape.
Then she was done for. The dam inside broke.
Exquisite pleasure flooded her. Then her body stiffened.
Tears rolled down her cheeks for this was beyond anything she’d ever experienced, and when he slipped a hand between them to worry her sensitized nubbin, she shattered again.
He took her cries into himself with a hard kiss while the rapid flutter of contractions kept his length inside her.
He thrust once, twice more before he, too, went over the edge into bliss. “God, Victoria…” With a moan, he ground his hips into hers while his member pulsed and jerked. For a few seconds, he collapsed on top of her, and as she wrapped her arms about him, he released a shuddering sigh.
When she murmured words that made no sense, he rolled to his side, took her with him, and tucked her backside against his front. “Was this all you’d hoped it would be?” The whispered inquiry sounded overly loud in the sudden silence.
“I have no words.” She laid her hands over his beneath her breasts as tears fell unchecked to her cheeks, for it was over far too soon. “It was beyond expectations. Simply beautiful.”
“I’m glad it was remarkable.”
“It was.” A wad of emotion lodged in her throat.
And she would always remember him because he was the first man she’d been with in that way.
If a pregnancy resulted from this coupling, it would leave her in scandal and shame, but she wouldn’t care, because that babe would be a result of this joining.
A memento of this wonderful man who she knew nothing about but suspected, if they lived different lives, he would be her everything.
When he pulled away and then left the sofa, she nearly sobbed, for it was far too confusing to wade through her thoughts, but she’d known going in that this wasn’t forever. It wasn’t even temporary; they’d only been allotted an hour together.
He wasn’t free.
“I suppose you are going home?”
“In a bit. There is tea to partake in, after all,” he said with a grin as he tugged on his breeches and tucked his semi-flaccid shaft into the garment.
That was too bad, for she would have liked to explore that part of him, but that grin sent a tremble through her heart she hadn’t known since Louis asked for her hand.
“There is that.” With a sigh, Tori left the sofa—how could she ever look at that piece of furniture again without remembering both times with him?
—and she grabbed up her abandoned shift.
“My father had too much work from clients today, so he didn’t take the diamonds with him. ”
“Understandable, but bear in mind, the longer the delay, the more likely the noose will tighten.”
“I know.” After she donned her petticoat, she took her stays in hand, but before she could manipulate them herself, the earl was there, helping her into the clothing.
When he tightened the laces, his fingers lingered on her back long after he’d tied them, and a shiver went down her spine.
They didn’t speak, just stood there, she with her eyes closed to savor the remainder of the moments and him with his hands at her waist, waiting for something that could never come.
After a bit, he pulled her backward against him then pressed his lips to the top of her head. Seconds later, he released her, and they both completed their rushed toilettes in silence.
What did people do after a coupling not only had separated one from reality but had also managed to touch a soul?
Tori didn’t know, but her chest was tight, and her heart shivered as if it had just come alive after far too many years of being dormant.
Once she collapsed into a chair, she poured out a cup of tea for herself with a shaky hand.
When she took a sip, she couldn’t help but grin, for the liquid was lukewarm at best; they had been preoccupied for quite a while.
A pleasant lethargy went through her limbs, and it was just another reminder of what she’d shared with the earl.
“I hope you’ll come to call one last time before your nuptials. ”
“Of course,” he said as he strode across the room then opened the door. “I want to be kept abreast of developments regarding your find.”
“Right.” She poured out a cup of tea for him and offered it to him as soon as he settled on the low sofa near her location.
“Well, I appreciate your visit today as well as your attention to detail.” Deliberately keeping her words generic but with a double-entendre for him in the event a servant was wandering the halls, she gave him a smile.
“You are quite welcome, Miss Amherst.” When he grinned back, trembles enveloped her heart, and for another few moments, all was well and she could forget that their time together had run its course. He’d helped her escape Lord Dawson’s home with the jewels.
That was all.
Wasn’t it?