Julia London 4 Book Bundle (11 page)

“You are trembling, Lilliana,” he murmured and, with his fingers, lightly rubbed her neck. Oh, she was trembling all right. And if she didn’t get this over and done with soon, she might very weir faint. He leaned down. “Don’t be frightened,” he whispered, his breath tickling her skin. But when his lips touched her neck, she jumped like a scared rabbit, and the top of her head collided with his chin. “Oh! I’m sorry,” she hastily muttered.

He gave her a strange look as he rubbed the offended
chin. “It’s quite all right.” Even though he did not sound so very reassuring, he resumed his caress, his hands sliding slowly over her shoulders and down her arms. She tried not to squirm. “Relax, Lilliana, or we’ll never get through this,” he murmured, and touched his lips to her neck again. He was right, they would never get through this, she thought as he nuzzled her neck and caressed her arms.

But then something started to happen. Her whole body seemed to pulsate with each gentle touch of his fingers. She felt his hands grip her arms, felt herself rising to her feet. Slipping his arms around her waist, he pulled her into his chest. The silk dressing gown she wore was so thin, she could feel the hard wall of his chest against her back. His lips were on her cheek now, so soft and warm on her skin, and he smelled so … well,
masculine.

He pulled her away from the table, forced her to turn in his arms, then gave her a half-smile as he artfully released her hair from its braid. “Beautiful hair,” he muttered as his lips descended to her mouth.

Lilliana’s breath froze in her lungs as his lips slowly slid across hers. The sensation was paralyzing; she stood rigid as he carefully and artfully moved his lips on hers, shaping them to match his own. The sweetness of the kiss began to flow through her like molten rock. His hold tightened around her, coaxing her closer to him by caressing her spine. It was not supposed to be like this! She had the sensation of drifting as he continued his gentle assault with his mouth and hands—

He lifted his head and looked down at her, frowning slightly. He grasped her hands, which she realized were fisted tautly at her sides, and draped them loosely around his waist. “That’s better,” he murmured. Yes, it
was
better. At least she would not crumple to the floor. She could actually feel his breath in his chest as he slipped a finger under her chin and tilted it upward. “Now,” he murmured as his head slowly descended to hers, “open your mouth.”

“Pardon?” she whispered into the fog, and his tongue slid between her lips.

The room suddenly pitched as he stroked her with his tongue. His sweet breath mingled with hers, filling her with awe and a longing that was indescribable. Her body began to tingle in a most unusual way, starting somewhere in her belly and unfurling throughout her limbs. Through no will of her own she felt herself leaning into him. Oh, Lord, his body was lean; his waist slender, and his hips rock hard. Vaguely aware that her hands had begun a journey of their own, she was conscious of the feel of his spine, the muscles in his back, the ripple of flesh in his shoulders. At the same time, he caressed her shoulders, her arms, and the curve of her waist into her hips. Just when she thought she might possibly be in heaven after all, his hand swept up and cupped her breast.

Lilliana unwittingly gasped against his mouth, and he plunged farther into her recesses. He filled the palm of his hand with her breast, and instantly feeling faint, she unthinkingly clutched at his arms as his hand moved the silk of her gown across the rigid peak of her breast. He hardly touched her at all, yet a furious desire was pooling deep in her belly.

Adrian dragged his mouth to her ear as his hand continued its seductive dance on her breast, “Put your arms around my neck,” he whispered, and caught her earlobe between his teeth. Shaking like a leaf, Lilliana tentatively ran her hands up his chest and around his neck. He dropped his hand from her breast then, and wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing her against the hardness of his frame, his thighs … and oh
God
. The unmistakable hardness between them, the full length pressed against her abdomen was
him.
Her inexperience burned her neck and face.

And then he began to move. Heaven help her, she was going to die of shame or longing or both! He moved almost imperceptibly at first, a slow, grinding movement against her as he toyed with her lobe. She tensed, uncertain
what to make of it, uncertain what to do in response, and all the while feeling the unimaginable heat building in her. Suddenly his hands came between them, searching for the tie to her wrapper. Fear shook her to consciousness, and she grabbed his hand.

He let go of the knot and lifted one hand to her temple, tenderly brushing the hair from her brow. “There is nothing to be afraid of. I would never willingly hurt you.” Those seductive words ignited a burn in her all over again. He kissed her, and this time she did not try to stop him as he effortlessly untied the very secure knot she had made earlier. The silk wrapper slid from her shoulders; with a soft sigh, he put his hands on her bare skin and bent to kiss the curve of her neck into her shoulders. His hands slipped down and under her breasts, carefully lifting them in his palms. They swelled in his hands, Lilliana numbly realized, and her head fell backward as he traced a warm path from her shoulder to the hollow of her throat. His lips were intoxicating, his touch making her completely mindless. When her knees started to buckle, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, never breaking the kiss.

When her feet touched the carpet, her knees did give way, and Adrian caught her with a firm arm around her waist as he bent to douse the candle at her bedside. In the pale light of the hearth he turned to face her, allowing his gaze to peruse her before reaching to push the thin straps of her silk sleeping gown from her shoulders. A rush of shameful alarm filled her as the thin fabric slipped down her arms and breasts. She clutched his arm, her fingers spanning muscle that rippled beneath her touch. He did not seem to notice her death grip; his hazel eyes were focused on her breasts. Completely exposed to him, they stood swollen, the tips protruding from what he had done to her. Lilliana frantically caught the thin silk before it fell to the floor and held it tightly at her waist, mesmerized by the strange dark light in his eyes.

“My God,” he murmured, and with his knuckles
traced lightly across the top of her breasts and the valley between them.

Lilliana shivered, with fear or great anticipation, she did not know. She felt exposed and raw, as if she would shatter into a thousand pieces at the slightest touch. Adrian did not notice; he was suddenly kissing her senseless again, and the next thing she knew she was lying on the bed, his body stretched beside her. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and inhaled it, then lowered his head to hers again, feathering her face and neck with light kisses, moving lower until his breath fanned her breasts.

She sucked in a sharp breath at the stark sensuality, but she almost came up off the bed when his tongue flicked across her nipple. Adrian very smoothly anchored her with one hand on her abdomen, then began a painstaking exploration of her breasts with his lips and tongue, tugging, sucking, and nipping lightly until she thought she would go mad. The desire awakening deep inside frightened her—it was building to a sinful pitch, turning hot and moist between her legs. When he pushed the silk gown from her waist and over her hips, she could hardly catch her breath. Oh, God, she was going to suffocate!

When Adrian paused momentarily to shrug out of his dressing gown, Lilliana felt the incredible length of his manhood slide against her bare thigh and pulse against her flesh. And she was gulping desperately for air. Adrian grasped her hand and bent to kiss her.
“Touch me,”
he murmured against her lips.

And he guided her to feel his passion.

Lilliana recoiled in horror at the feel of his engorged member. He chuckled low and deep as his hand flitted across the level plane of her belly. “It will be all right,” he muttered, but that was a lie—it was bloody
impossible
, she thought, and was once again struggling for air as his fingers traced a line down one thigh.

“You must trust me, Lillie,” he murmured, and nipped the rigid peak of her breast between his teeth as his knuckles brushed the blond curls at the apex of her
thighs. The endearing use of her childhood nickname and the shock of being touched in the most forbidden place of all suddenly vanquished all thoughts from her head. Her body seized with panic as he fingered the curls there, his knuckles brushing the silken mound dangerously low. When his fingers slipped between her legs and touched the very core of her, Lilliana strangled on her breath and pushed deep into the feather mattress, alarmed by the erotic sensation and exquisite feeling of lightness. But Adrian shamelessly stroked her, urging her thighs open with little effort. He buried his face in her breasts, suckling them while his shaft brushed her abdomen and thigh, its heat burning her skin. She clutched frantically at the bedcovers as he slowly slipped one finger inside her, then two, and gently forced her body to open. But when he moved over her, pushing her legs apart with his knee and leaning over her until his manhood brushed against the swell of her own sex, her body seized again, and she unthinkingly tried to close her legs.

“Relax,” he muttered, and guided the velvet tip to brush her sheath. She wrenched her body beneath him, instinctively looking for an escape from the invasion. With his hands, he pushed her thighs farther apart.
“Relax”
he whispered again, and slowly, gently, he entered her, pushing a little farther, and then a little farther again, before settling down around her to begin a delicate movement inside her. He kissed her tenderly, catching her bottom lip between his teeth, swirling his tongue inside her mouth as he continued his exquisite assault. Her body opened to receive him so naturally, so instinctively, that she was astounded both physically and emotionally by nature’s joining of a man and woman. He lowered himself to her completely and buried his face in her neck as he carefully slid deeper into her.

And then he paused, his own breathing as ragged as hers. His hand stretched out to where hers clutched the bedcovers, and covered it. With a soft groan, he lifted his hips and suddenly thrust forward.

The sharpness of the pain caught her by surprise, and she unconsciously cried out as her whole body tensed in anticipation of more pain. She heard Adrian’s hiss of breath, felt his grip on her shoulder tighten as he stilled inside her. “God, I’m sorry, Lillie. I’m so sorry,” he murmured, and with the back of his hand, caressed her cheek. “Rest easy, don’t move, all right?”

Lilliana barely heard him; she had no idea what to expect. Even though the initial pain was slowly subsiding, she feared what he might do next. “Please don’t hurt me,” she muttered unthinkingly.

Adrian groaned. “No, never again. I promise you,” he said, then gently kissed her eyes and mouth. “We’ll stop at any time you want. You just tell me, and we’ll stop.” His fingers traced a gentle path from her temple to her chin, and Lilliana felt the tingle beneath her skin. “Don’t be afraid, Lillie … the worst is over.”

She shifted beneath him, felt the mound of her sex brush against the hair that covered his groin. His lips brushed across hers; his tongue slipped into her mouth and began to tangle with hers. Carefully, he withdrew then stroked into her depths again, until Lilliana was arching beneath him as the unbearably sweet pressure began to mount again. She whimpered, and his hand tightened around her wrist in response. “Easy, easy,” he breathed into her neck, and repeated the torturous movement, pushing her toward an anticipation of ecstasy she was certain would destroy her.

But what
magnificent
destruction! It felt as if she were lifting, floating almost above them as he continued his even course of stroking her with his body, lengthening inside her. She began to squirm beneath him, seeking the release her body suddenly craved. When his hand slipped between their joined bodies and began to stroke her, Lilliana choked on a cry of pleasure. Every fiber tingled with great anticipation, every muscle strained to surround him. His strokes took on a new urgency, at once leaving her and filling her so violently that the
heavy sacs of his life’s blood met her body with a fierceness that was, incredibly, not fierce enough.

“Hold me,” he whispered roughly. With her hands, she eagerly sought the corded muscles in his shoulders and back as he held himself above her. Her legs, too, came up of their own accord and circled his hips, urging him deeper into her.

Then suddenly, it happened. Without warning, she was all at once soaring high above herself as overlapping waves of pleasure spilled over her. Yet the erotic assault continued, building to another frightening climax, and when she thought she could bear no more, her body released itself again. Dizzy with the unearthly sensation, she only vaguely heard his low grown as he thrust into her the last time.

They lay in each other’s arms, each fighting for breath, his heart beating rapidly against her breast.
That
had been the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced, she thought dreamily. It was nothing as her mother had described, but almost preternatural, a release of her soul into the night. It was the intimate act of freedom, and she reveled in its glow.

After several moments Adrian lifted his head. “Are you all right? Do you still hurt?”

All right? She was
ecstatic.
She had dreaded this thing, never knowing that it could be so liberating. “I am deliriously happy,” she said with a broad smile.

He looked at her for a long moment as his breathing returned to normal, his eyes quietly roaming her face, seemingly memorizing her features. But then he kissed her lightly and rolled onto his back, propping one arm behind his head. One hand tangled with hers, stroking her palm and twining with her fingers. He said nothing, but looked toward the fire. Lilliana rolled into his side, nuzzling her face in his neck, but after what seemed like only a few moments he gripped her hand. “You should try and get some rest now.” He shoved up and kissed her shoulder before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing.