Page 21 of The Viscount Needs a Wife (All for Love #2)

A nnis watched him remove his neckcloth, jacket, and boots, then his waistcoat and shirt.

He left his breeches on, which was a courtesy typical of him.

Her heart skipped and thudded hard. Oh, how you tempt me, Emrys!

He even tempted her to believe he meant the words he spoke so emphatically.

But they were driven by passion, surely?

By desire. Could she trust such words, such promises?

On the other hand, does it really matter?

she wondered. I’m ruined anyway. Her life—her old life—was over.

She couldn’t go back to being the duke’s governess after this.

She was a murderess confessed in intent of not in deed.

And the viscount couldn’t mean to make her his wife after that.

I won’t let him, anyway. He and his precious, darling children deserve better.

She would leave in the morning before he woke, saving him the embarrassment and awkwardness of retracting his offer. But for now? Now I will seize this one moment of happiness and pleasure that he offers me, for when will I ever get the chance again?

This dear, gorgeous man. Her eyes ran over his bare chest appreciatively.

He cut a good figure out of his ill-fitting clothes, which did nothing to enhance his appearance.

And she didn’t fail to note the bulge in his breeches.

She had no doubt at all of his intent as he approached the bed, after a quick wash of his face and upper body and a snuffing out of all the candles, bar the ones beside the bed.

He pulled back the covers and slid into the bed beside her. He drew her into his arms, pulling her against his chest and kissing her hair. “Annis,” he murmured, “you must be so tired.”

“I am,” she admitted.

He pushed her chin up. “Can you stay awake long enough for a little pleasure?”

She felt herself blushing and nodded.

He smiled, and the softened expression in his eyes made her heart turn over. He lowered his head and kissed her, bearing her back into the pillows, his thigh coming down between hers, half his weight pressing her into the soft mattress.

His mouth on hers elicited all that hot tingling pleasure between her thighs again as he kissed her with determined, deliberate, slow passion.

Breaking the kiss and diving back in for more, his tongue moved in delicious exploration, his lips a soft caress and nibbling pleasure.

His touch so gentle, yet passionate, filled her with warm yearning. Oh, to have this forever...

He moved to her neck, pressing soft kisses on her flesh to the line of her nightgown’s high collar. He touched the ribbon tying it closed and said, “May I?”

She nodded, her heart beating a tattoo in her breast as he pulled the ribbon, parting the neck of her gown to expose the base of her throat and upper part of her bosom.

He uttered a soft groan and nuzzled into her neck, tracing damp kisses over her skin. She felt powerful and desired for the first time in her life. It was a heady mix.

“You know,” he said, raspy voiced, “it was your breasts that had me fascinated first. I couldn’t take my eyes off them, and I couldn’t sleep for wondering what they looked like under your so-proper gowns, what they felt like.

” He buried his face in her cleavage and cupped each breast in his hands, uttering a soft growl.

“Really?” she said breathlessly, trying to work out when he had noticed.

“Hm,” he kissed across the tops of her breasts and then squeezing the soft flesh in his hands, fondled and scraped his thumbs over her nipples, making her jump and gasp at the jolt of pleasure his touch caused.

He lowered his head and suckled on one through the fabric of her gown.

She hitched a breath and moved her legs restlessly; the heat and suction of his mouth was arrowing straight to the place between her legs.

Despite her best efforts to suppress it, a whimper escaped her, and he said, all growly again, “You like that?”

“Hm, yes!” She gasped as he did it again to the other breast. His hands ran over her belly, massaging her through her gown, squeezing her waist and hips. “Do—do you want to take it off?” she asked as he blew on the damp fabric making her nipples tighten even further.

“No, I want to save that for our wedding night,” he said, sucking again on a nipple and making her back arch. “If you’ll have me?” he added with an arched eyebrow and wistful expression that quite broke her heart.

“Oh!” an exclamation of pleasure and shock at his words. “You can’t still want to marry me, Emrys!” she said, panting.

He lifted his head and stared down at her with a frown. “I can, and I do!” He insisted, in low tone that she found entrancingly erotic. He was devasting her with desire.

“Oh,” It was very hard to think clearly when he was touching her like that. She wanted so much to believe him, but it seemed like a fairytale, and she had been taught by her mother not to believe in fairytales. Even when you found your true love, a happily ever after didn’t always ensue.

But she lost the thread of that thought and whimpered as his hand moved lower, pushing up her gown.

He splayed his hand over her lower belly.

The muscles pulled taut under his touch, and she fought the impulse in her hips to buck.

She could never recall feeling like this before.

Such pulsing longing between her legs, such damp heat.

“May I touch you between your legs?” he asked between kisses through the fabric on her belly.

“Yes!” she gasped. Oh, the relief! Something to assuage the tingling longing.

He pushed the bed covers down a bit and moved her gown up her legs with both hands, sliding up her thighs to her hips and revealing the patch of hair at the apex of her thighs.

She should feel embarrassed to be so naked to him like this, but she didn’t.

She felt brazen and wanton. She wanted him to touch her so much she ached with it. “Please...” she breathed.

“Oh Annis!” Her name was a prayer and a groan, and she realized with a jolt how much he must be longing for her, too, to sound like that.

To inspire such need in a man. In him..

. He touched her gently with a fingertip, sliding it between her nether lips.

“You’re so wet,” he whispered and found her mouth with his in a deep exploratory kiss.

Raising his head, he nuzzled her face with his nose and traced kisses along her jaw, while his fingers wreaked havoc between her legs.

The tingling heat was so sharp it almost hurt.

She gasped as his fingertips found a spot so intensely pleasurable it made her feel faint.

“Oh! Oh!” she moaned, her hips bucking and her body shivering.

“Have you ever climaxed, Annis?” he asked gravelly and low.

“O-only in my sleep!” she gasped, her face flushing.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he groaned. “You’ve never done this to yourself?”

“No! I was taught it was a sin...” She gasped again as his fingers continued to trace a scalding path between her lips.

“You’ve never had anything inside you?” he asked raspy, growly, deep. “No fingers, candlesticks, tongues, or cocks !” He made the last sound so absolutely filthy she blushed fiery red.

“Candlesticks?” she gasped, bewildered.

He chuckled. “Some girls use them as dildos sweetheart. A substitute for a man’s cock”

“I never have—not anything!”

“Can I put my fingers inside you, Annis?” he whispered, nibbling on her ear lobe.

“Yes, yes, anything...” she almost sobbed. His sliding, slippery touch was driving her to madness.

“Just fingers for tonight, darling,” he murmured. “The rest will keep.”

“Oh!” She subsided back against the pillows, then jerked up again with a whimpering moan as he slid a finger inside her.

“An aroused woman likes the feeling of something long and hard inside her,” he said low and rumbly. “Conversely, if she’s not aroused, it isn’t pleasant.”

“Ah huh!” she nodded, panting, as his finger slid in and out in a mesmerizing rhythm. His thumb stroked that sensitive spot again, and she almost leaped off the bed. She clutched the sheets, her hips bucking, and she wailed, “Emrys!”

“Yes, sweet Annis, that’s it, let go and fly. It will feel so good, sweetheart. Just let it happen,” he murmured, finding a nipple and sucking hard.

A bolt of pleasure jolted through her as his thumb traced round and round, and he added a second finger to the first inside her, increasing the pace and sending the pleasure spiraling upward to an impossible peak.

“Ah!” A sound between a groan and a gasp escaped her as the pleasure exploded and sent a thousand rainbow tingles through her body in a pulsing wave of bliss, flowing outward from the place where his hand was weaving magic.

“Oh, oh, oh.” She cascaded down the slope and collapsed in a limp heap on the mattress.

He withdrew his fingers and cupped her gently, pressing a kiss against her neck. “You’re so beautiful when you come apart,” he murmured.

She blinked, gazing at him dazedly.

“Sleep,” he said softly.

“But don’t you want to . . .”

“You need sleep,” he said gently and tucked her in against his chest. And truth to tell she was too relaxed and weary to argue. She nuzzled into him, and she was soon asleep.

*

Emrys lay beside her listening to her breathing as she slipped over the border into slumber.

His groin was hot and achy, but he ignored it until he was sure she was fast asleep.

Then he unbuttoned his falls and released his rigid, throbbing cock.

Fuck! He swore under his breath with relief, the last hour had been an exquisite form of torture.

He spat on his palm and took himself in hand, stroking firmly, stifling the groans that rose in his throat, trying to keep his body as still as possible so as not to wake her.

His mind ran back over everything he had done to her and the exquisite touch, taste, and smell of her.

Her innocent reactions, the feel of her soft round breasts in his hands, her jutting nipples, the wetness between her legs.

It took all of a few minutes to reach his peak and he gasped softly, his mouth gaping in a silent groan, his head flung back into the pillow as pleasure flooded his body and his seed spurted all over his belly.

He used the sheet to clean himself up and then rearranged the bedclothes round them, snuggling into her warm body.

She felt very different to Caro, who had been tiny.

He’d always felt clumsy and big beside her, afraid of hurting her or breaking her; afraid of overwhelming her with his passion, if he was really honest. He’d worshipped her, but he’d been afraid of letting loose the really earthy side of himself in front of her.

He kept that to his imagination and solo sessions with his hand.

He had the feeling that he wouldn’t need to do that with Annis, provided she’d consent to be his wife.

Once he got her accustomed to the full deed, Annis, he thought with satisfaction, might like his wolfish side.

He was certainly looking forward to educating her in all the ways a man and woman could pleasure each other.

He closed his eyes, snugging her close, breathing in her lovely scent. All the worrying things she had told him tonight seemed to matter very little in the face of the physical comfort of her body. For the first time in months, possibly in years—he realized with a shock—he didn’t feel lonely.