Page 73 of The Paid Companion

She was not certain what he meant by that. But before she could query him on the subject, he released the other bar behind her head and picked her up, holding her snugly against his chest. The skirts of her partially unfastened gown spilled over his arms and brushed against the back of a chair.

He carried her swiftly across the room and put her down on the carpet in front of the fire. Before she could reorient herself to this new position, he lowered himself alongside her.

Cradling her in his left arm, he seized a fistful of her skirts in his other hand and crumpled the soft fabric all the way up past her thighs. She stopped breathing when she realized that she was exposed to him in the firelight.

A woman of the world would no doubt find this quite normal, she reminded herself. And it was certainly exciting to feel the heat of the flames on her bare skin.

She closed her eyes very tightly against the bright, shivery thrills that were tripping through her. His hand left her thigh. She realized that he was fumbling with the opening of his trousers.

A moment later she felt the firm thrust of his erection pushing against her bare hip. Curious, she opened her eyes just far enough to take a quick peek. She had seen aroused farm animals but she had never seen a man in such a condition.

The sight of his fully erect body rendered her nearly speechless.

“Good heavens,” she gasped before she could stop herself. He was big, much bigger than she had expected. And so verymale.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, bending his head to kiss her throat. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

She shut her eyes again very quickly. She wanted to ask him if such size was normal, but she feared that the question might disturb his current mood. She certainly did not want him to think that she was another Juliana, terrified of his lovemaking. She would have to be subtle about this, she thought.

Before she could summon the right words for such a delicate inquiry, she got another jolt when he casually removed a linen handkerchief from a pocket and placed it to one side. Did he expect to sneeze in the middle of this business? she wondered.

But before she could ask about the handkerchief or the matter of size, his fingers threaded their way through the nest of hair that concealed her most private parts.

And then he was touching her in the most intimate fashion, setting off a delicious aching sensation. She twisted against him, seeking something more, something she could not describe.

“You are ready for me, are you not?” he said against her mouth. “So moist and plump and soft.”

“Yes,yes.” She had no notion of what he meant by those words, but she could give no other answer other thanyesto him tonight.

He rolled on top of her, separating her thighs with a deliberate pressure of his own. She was aware of his erection probing the damp, throbbing entrance of her body and wondered if it was too late to discuss the question of size.

It was too late. Much too late. He was already easing himself into her body, pushing steadily, filling her until she thought she would burst.

A sharp, unexpected pain splashed through her. Startled, she cried out softly and dug her nails into his back.

“Hell’s teeth.”

Her eyes snapped open. She found herself looking up into his fierce gaze.

“Elenora.”His face was taut with an emotion that might have been anger. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” She wriggled a bit, aware that her body was already adjusting to his. It was a very tight fit, she concluded, but he did fit. Barely. That was the important thing.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were a virgin?” he said through his teeth.

“Because it wasn’t important.”

“I consider it important.”

“I don’t.”

“Damnation, I took you to be a lady of some experience in this sort of thing.”

She smiled up at him. “I have good news, sir. As of this instant, I am, indeed, a lady of some experience.”

“Do not taunt me,” he warned. “I am exceedingly annoyed with you.”