Page 35 of The Gilded Heiress

Why hadn’t any other man cared this much?

I couldn’t think about that now. My body was on fire, desire like flames under my skin, behind my clitoris. My patience had

worn out.

I needed every bit of him—and I needed it now .

“Touch me,” he whispered against my mouth as he removed his fingers from inside me. “Put me inside you.”

I was too far gone to complain. Anything to move this along. Besides, I was dying to touch him again. The sleigh hadn’t been

nearly enough.

I moved my hand between us and squeezed his shaft, hard. His big body shuddered, his eyes slamming closed. “Damn, but you’re a fast learner.”

I took this as a good sign. I gave him a rough stroke, making sure to maintain the pressure. He gasped and threw his head

back. Then he reached down to clutch my wrist. “No more, or this will end too soon.”

“I like teasing you.” I gave him another squeeze. “You’re usually so calm. It’s nice to see you lose your head now and then.”

“Except I want to take my time with you.” He shifted on his knees and together we aimed his tip toward my entrance. “So hot,

so wet,” he murmured into my throat.

He nudged my opening with his crown, dragging it through the slick gathered there. Before I could order him to hurry, he pushed

inside. We both sucked in a sharp breath and I clutched his shoulder. No pain, but I did feel an intense pressure. All my

attention and sensation became centered in the spot where we were joined.

He paused. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” I appreciated his concern, but I was desperate for him. Angling up slightly, I caught his lips with mine, kissing him

to let him know without words that I was with him in this.

His muscles relaxed, then his hips began rocking, bringing him deeper with each tiny movement. Little ripples of pleasure

stole through me and I widened my thighs, urging him on, as our mouths continued to sweep and meld together.

Finally, his hips met mine, the entire length of him seated inside me. It was... a lot. I panted, waiting for my body to

adjust.

Then he withdrew entirely.

My eyes flew open as my fingers dug into the smooth muscle of his back. “Don’t stop.”

He was studying my face. “There’s no rush. I want you to be comfortable.”

“I’m fine.”

“Sweetheart, you’re wincing.”

“You’re a lot to take.”

A spot of color hit his cheeks. “Which is why we don’t need to—”

“Oh, you’re such a man. Never listening to a woman and making decisions for her.” I shoved at his shoulder, annoyed.

He surprised me by rolling us over, so he was on the bottom. I stared down at him and pushed errant strands of hair off my

face. “Are we stopping?”

“We can, if you like. But some women find being on top is easier. You can control how much or little you take.”

Me, on top? I wouldn’t have the first idea what to do.

But I also wasn’t one to give up easily.

“All right,” I said. “Show me.”

The edge of his mouth hitched, his bright eyes glittering up at me. “Just straddle my hips, sit up, and slide down on my shaft.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

I adjusted my legs and braced myself on my knees. Then I used his hard chest to push up and balance myself. I felt... exposed.

On display. No man had seen me fully naked before.

I started to cover my breasts with my hands, but Leo caught my wrist. “Please, don’t. I fear I’ll cry if you hide them from

me.”

That made me smile. “You’ll cry?”

“Like a baby.” He threaded our fingers together. “You are beautiful, Josie. Every bit.”

My heart turned over, warmth spreading through my veins. If I wasn’t careful, I could become used to this. Worse, I could

fall in love with him.

“Raise up,” he said, patting my thigh.

I lifted on my knees and Leo angled his shaft between my legs.

When I started to lower myself, the crown slipped inside my entrance again, easier this time.

He kept his hand between my legs, his thumb brushing over my clitoris to send pulses of heat through my core.

I kept at it, sinking down, slow and steady, with Leo rubbing me the whole time.

His other hand cupped one of my breasts and molded it, squeezing.

“Look at you,” he crooned, watching between my legs, “taking me so well. Fuck, that is a sight.”

That helped too. I liked when he talked to me.

I kept working lower, letting him fill me up. He was right, this was easier. The tiny circles he gave the bud atop my sex

distracted me, and I let my eyelids fall closed, sensation guiding me. Soon our hips met once again. This was pure pleasure,

no discomfort.

When I looked at him, a muscle was jumping in his jaw, his eyes screwed tight. His chest rose and fell like he’d run a race,

his hand falling away from my body. “Are you all right?” I asked.

“I will be,” he said from behind clenched teeth. “Just don’t move for a moment.”

“Why?”

A pained sound escaped his lips. “Josie, I’m hanging on by a thread here.”

Oh . “Well, can you keep rubbing between my legs while you’re hanging on?” I wanted those little shocks again, especially now

that he was inside me.

He smiled, one of his genuine, full-mouth grins, the kind he rarely gave, right before his fingers found my intimate flesh

once more. “You need me, sweetheart?”

I jerked as pleasure streaked through me. “Yes,” I breathed.

“Then start rolling your hips. Work yourself on me.”

I began with small movements, trying to find what felt best. Leo’s free hand cupped my hip to guide me, his encouraging grunts

picking up when I found a rhythm. His thick shaft dragged along my sensitive walls as I worked, his pubic bone hitting the

perfect spot with every down stroke.

Leaning up, he wrapped an arm around my back to bring me closer, then sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. These were long draws of his lips that echoed directly between my legs. I moaned and rocked faster, needing more.

I lost track of time. We were two sweaty bodies working together, straining and grasping, frenzied in our movements. His hands

were everywhere, his lips alternating between my breast and my mouth, and I was lost in a haze of intense bliss.

“God, Leo,” I gasped. “It’s so good.”

“Fuck, I know. Can I get on top?”

I nodded and before I knew it, I was on my back, Leo hovering over me. He parted my thighs and reentered me, his long thickness

filling all the emptiness inside me.

He withdrew slightly, then slammed his hips into mine—and my eyes nearly rolled back in my head. “Oh! God, yes. Please, more.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” He did it again. “I’m never going to stop.”

I grabbed onto him, holding him close, as he rode between my thighs, his body driving into mine. We kissed occasionally, but

mostly we breathed each other in as we both panted like wild beasts. I hadn’t felt closer to another person in my life. We

were our own world, a perfect little haven of ecstasy, and I never wanted it to end.

“You feel so good,” he whispered. “So hot and tight. I want to stay inside you for days.”

“You feel good, too. I’m so full of you.”

“Shit.” He hissed through his teeth and froze, his cock buried inside me. “I’m too close.”

“No, don’t stop.” I clawed at his skin, writhing beneath him. “Leo, please .”

“Oh god. Wait—”

“I can’t. I’m burning up.”

“Fuck,” he groaned, then his hips began pumping. “Fuck, fuck, fuck !”

Abruptly, he pulled out and rose on his knees. His hand flew over his shaft, stroking, his muscles taut, then warm jets of fluid shot out onto my belly, my sex, my chest. It went on and on, his body trembling, his head thrown back as the tendons in his neck strained. Lord, he was beautiful.

By the time he finally sagged, spent, I was already rubbing between my legs. “That was unbelievably arousing,” I told him.

“Yeah?” The side of his mouth hitched as he focused on my hand. “I like watching you pet yourself.”

“You do?”

“God, yes. You look so perfect, using your hand and covered in my come.”

He slipped two fingers inside me, and the added stimulation caused my back to arch, my muscles to tighten. It was so good,

so easy between us. How was he so in tune with what I needed? We were like a perfect melody paired with the perfect lyrics.

My fingers circled faster. “Oh god. Leo. I’m so close.”

He sucked my nipple into his mouth, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. The pleasure crested and I started to orgasm, my

body squeezing around his fingers. I never wanted it to end. I wanted to stay here, in bed with Leo, enjoying his touch and

kisses, for the rest of my life.

When I finally came down to earth, Leo kissed my temple and stretched out next to me, pulling me close. I bit my lip to hold

back a grin. Holy Christmas, what an experience. Lotta would be disappointed in me. Melvin as well.

But it was hard to regret getting into bed with Leo when my body was swimming in a blissful haze.

I hadn’t imagined anything of the sort before. Sleeping with Leo had been intimate, wonderful. Revolutionary, as if he’d shown

me something I’d been missing my whole life. Like he’d turned me inside out and upside down.

I should feel self-conscious, unclothed here with a man, his spend drying on my stomach. But I didn’t. Leo always found a way to make me feel comfortable, to believe in myself. His confidence was beginning to rub off on me.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, rubbing my back.

“I’m thinking how good that was.”

“Yeah, it was.” His lips twitched. “Not sure it was a wise idea, but I don’t regret it.”

“Neither do I.”

Shifting, he rolled onto his side to face me. He drew a fingertip through the drying remains of his orgasm on my breast. “I’m

pleased to hear it, because I plan on doing that again. Soon.”

“You didn’t finish inside me.”

“Of course not. We didn’t have a method to prevent any consequences.” His expression darkened as he leaned back to better

see my face. “Are you saying those other men did?”

Yes, they had. I thought that was the way of it. “Never mind. I was only making an observation.”

Leo shook his head and blew out a long, exasperated breath. “I want names, Josie.”

“Names?”

“The men you were with before me. Because coming inside you was reckless, unless we are trying to conceive a child. So yes,

I want their names.”

I didn’t wish to discuss those others. It was clear my well-being hadn’t mattered in the least to either previous lover. “They

aren’t important.”

“That is where you are wrong. They are important to me—very important. I need to have a long chat with both when I return

to Boston.”

His choice in words was not lost on me. When he returned—not when we returned.

Oh.

Indeed, that cleared things up nicely. We are temporary to each other.

It shouldn’t have surprised me. Leo’s family was in Boston, while my future was here in New York City. Then maybe London or Paris. Who knew where my voice and Melvin’s connections would take me?

He’s not a man who sticks. He’s interested in Leo, nothing more.

So, how long would he stay? Until the first big bank draft? The second? I had no idea when he would decide to leave me.

Precisely why I couldn’t allow myself to get attached.

The warmth in my chest cooled considerably, my senses returning. I was better off looking out for myself, like always. I didn’t

need a man. Pippa was all the family I needed. And just as soon as I had my own place here, I’d send for her.

Leo was a temporary diversion, a bit of fun to pass the time. Nothing more.

I swallowed hard and studied the ceiling, unsure why my chest felt so hollow. I was used to being alone and Leo hadn’t made

any promises beyond my singing career.

“Let’s go and take a bath.”

I looked over at him, shoving aside my dark thoughts. “A bath? Together?”

He slid off the mattress and reached for my hand. “Yes. Plus, getting clean means we’ll be able to come back here and get

dirty again.”

Temporary, Josie.

All the more reason to enjoy him while he was still here.

I placed my hand in his and let him pull me to my feet. “Sure, sounds like a good idea.”