“A . . . a bit, yes,” she stuttered. “But I’ll be fine.”
He frowned. “Did you get a splinter in your leg? These floors are rough. If you caught a splinter, we should get it out.” He leaned down, bringing the candle with him. “Let me see.” He began to carefully lift up her hem.
Shocked, Vivien clutched the fabric tightly around her knees. “It wasn’t my knee or my leg that got hurt,” she blurted out.
He frowned. “You made a hell of a thump when you fell. Where exactly
do
you hurt?”
She stifled a groan. “Never mind,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’ll be fine.”
He stared blankly for a second, then amused understanding lit up his eyes. “I see. Do you want me to rub it for you?”
Her mouth dropped open at the scandalous suggestion. Even more scandalous, the notion darted into her head that she might very well like Aden to, ah, soothe her bottom.
“I hardly think that would be proper,” she said in a breathless voice.
“Well, if you’re sure,” he said.
Blast him.
She could hear the laugh in his voice. “Quite, thank you.” There. Not even her old governess could have sounded as prim.
“Well, then, back to bed with you.”
He slid his big hands under her calves and eased her legs under the covers. Then he tucked the bedding around her before smoothing back the hair that had escaped from her braid. The infinite tenderness of the gesture brought tears rushing back to her eyes.
“Hush. Don’t cry,” he murmured. “All will be well. I promise.”
She blinked hard, annoyed with her weakness. Crying rarely solved anything, as she had learned after her father died.
“What do you need?” he asked. “Tell me, and I’ll get it for you.”
She stared up at him, the candlelight flickering in a soft, dancing blur and outlining his broad shoulders in its gentle glow. Her awareness contracted, focusing solely on him. A fierce longing rushed through her and swept away all her worries about the days ahead.
There was only tonight, and only Aden.
Vivien grasped the soft linen of his shirt where it gapped open across his chest and pulled herself up to a sitting position. He flinched a bit, eyes widening with surprise, but he didn’t pull away.
“I need
you,
” she whispered. “I need your body against mine, with nothing between us.”
Shock flashed across his features. Not that she blamed him given what she’d just said, but the circumstances demanded swift and decisive action. Already, she could feel him mentally pulling away.
“Vivien, you don’t know what you’re saying,” he rasped in a hoarse voice.
In answer, she stretched up and pressed her trembling mouth to his lips. She tasted him, using the tip of her tongue to gently probe the seam of his mouth. When she slipped in a fraction, he groaned low in his throat. His heartbeat accelerated under her palms and hers leapt in response.
For a few seconds, he allowed her clumsy caress, opening briefly and sucking her tongue into the hot cavern of his mouth. She whimpered and clutched at him, relishing the feel of his hard muscles under her fingertips.
Then he broke away on a gasp, retreating even as Vivien kept a firm grasp on his shirt.
“Christ,” he rasped. “You’re killing me. Do you have any idea how foolish this is?”
Stung by the harsh note in his voice, she let go. They stared at each other, both panting, his eyes glittering back at her with naked passion.
Then he seemed to clamp down on himself, struggling for the impassive detachment he so carefully cultivated.
It only made her determination flare like a torch.
With deliberate movements, she unlaced the ribbons on her night rail and let the fabric whisper open on her chest. Aden straightened up as a rush of color darkened his cheekbones.
“What are you doing?” he asked in a tight voice.
She forced herself not to roll her eyes. Either Aden was particularly dense when it came to this sort of thing, or she was very bad at it.
“I’m getting what I need.” Her voice came out low and husky even to her inexperienced ears.
“I don’t think . . .”
His voice died when she eased first one sleeve off her shoulder then the other, shrugging the soft cotton from her arms and letting it slither down to her waist. She pulled her hands from the sleeves, fully exposing her bare breasts to Aden’s stunned gaze. He stood stock still. But at least he wasn’t moving away, so she assumed she was making progress.
Of course, her heart was pounding so hard she just might faint, which would certainly be a humiliating way to end her first attempt at seduction.
She sucked in a deep, unsteady breath. Aden let out a quiet hiss, his eyes narrowing to an obsidian gleam as he took a step closer. Feeling both triumphant and terrified, Vivien reached behind her and began unravelling her braid with shaking fingers. That lifted her breasts up even higher.
“Wouldn’t you like me to take my hair down?” she asked in a quavering voice.
He moved then, coming down on her so swiftly she almost did faint from the shock. He grasped her wrists and pulled them up over her head, capturing her beneath his hard body.
“Later,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’ll take it down later.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Vivien’s trepidation was quickly transformed into spiralling excitement as Aden pressed her into the mattress. The wooden frame of the old bed creaked beneath their combined weights. He was big and solid, and she loved the way his body covered hers. Instinctively, she’d parted her legs when he came down on her, and he was now wedged between her hips, his thick erection nudging her mound and belly. She couldn’t help wriggling, catching her breath as she cradled him between her thighs.
His dark eyes went to half-mast when she moved, gleaming with sensual pleasure. His lips parted and he breathed out a sigh before lowering his head those final few inches to kiss her.
But he barely touched her lips—more a gentle brush, the prelude to a question. “Are you sure, Vivien? Be very sure, because there’s no turning back from this.”
She frowned. “Did you forget that I’m the one who just took off my nightgown? Was that not a clear enough indication of what I want?”
He stared at her for a long moment before letting out a strangled laugh. “Forgive me. I’m only a thick-headed male, and when it comes to sex we can sometimes get confused.”
“How a man can get confused when a woman bares her breasts to him is beyond me,” she muttered, now starting to feel embarrassed. An awful thought struck her. “You do want to do this, don’t you? Oh, God, tell me you want it as much as I do.”
Then she bit her lip, aghast at what she’d just revealed. Good Lord, she’d practically thrown herself at the poor man. She
had
thrown herself at him. What if he was only obliging her out of some misguided sense of pity or compassion?
Aden’s half smile slid into a full-out grin. “I’d rather show you what I want. Let’s start with your breasts, since you raised the subject first. Would that be acceptable to you?”
Cautiously, she nodded her head.
“Good.” He inched down a bit, the movement dragging the length of his erection over the intimately sensitive spot between her thighs. Vivien arched into him, moaning with surprise as a gentle spasm contracted her inner flesh.
“Now, now,” Aden murmured in a teasing voice. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. I said we’d start with your breasts.”
But then he flexed his hips, nudging her again in that perfect spot. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and closed her eyes, enjoying the tight sensation between her thighs. He was so big and hard.
Everywhere.
And she couldn’t wait to feel him everywhere, too.
“Open your eyes, darling,” he said.
Reluctantly, she dragged them open. As much as she wanted to look at him, with her eyes closed she could concentrate entirely on her burgeoning responses to his body.
Not that looking at him wasn’t very pleasurable, too.
“Good girl,” he murmured. “If only you were as obedient outside the bedroom.”
Scowling, she pinched his shoulder. It was like pinching a block of wood. “That was a beastly thing to say, Aden. I always do what you tell me to do.”
He braced himself on his forearms, gazing at her with an ironic lift to his eyebrows.
“Well, within reason,” she amended.
“Let’s get back to your breasts,” he said dryly.
She had to repress the mad urge to giggle. “Yes, let’s.”
His gaze lowered to take them in, the nipples already flushed and starting to harden. She hated to admit it, but she tended to feel self-conscious about her breasts. They were rather small and the fact that she was so unfashionably slender didn’t help much, either. Her stays did plump them up a bit—nothing like some of the other women in the
ton
who leaked over the tops of their bodices—but without them she knew they looked rather . . . lacking.
As Aden inspected her, Vivien started to get nervous. “Is something wrong?” she finally blurted out.
His gaze snapped up to her face. “What could possibly be wrong?”
She bit back a groan. Would she never learn to hold her tongue?
“My sweet.” He dipped down and captured her mouth, gently sucking on her lower lip. Vivien wrapped her arms around his neck and opened to him, taking comfort from the soft tangle of their tongues.
Too soon, he broke away. “Are you feeling shy?”
She attempted a casual shrug, which wasn’t easy when pinned beneath a dominating male.
“Tell me,” he gently ordered. “I won’t do anything else until you do.”
“This is ridiculous,” she grumbled as a hot flush climbed up her cheeks.
“Tell me anyway.”
He seemed determined—and she knew just how determined Aden could be—so she gave in.
“My breasts. They’re . . .” she trailed off, her cheeks blazing hot with embarrassment.
“They’re what?” He looked confused.
“They’re too small,” she said through clenched teeth. “My modiste says I should have extra padding.”
“Your modiste is an idiot,” he scoffed. “And you’re insane. You have the most beautiful breasts I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?” Lord, she hated feeling so unsure of herself.
He shifted, keeping one long leg between her thighs but lifting his weight off her chest. “I’m telling you the truth, silly girl. But I do intend to make you feel better, too.” He slid a hand over to capture her right breast, plumping it up between his long fingers. “Your tits are perfect, in fact. I could suck on them all night and still want more.”
The deliberately crude words lanced through her like a bolt of electricity, pulling a startled gasp from her lips. But they made everything inside go soft, too. So did the sight of his tanned fingers on her pale skin as he softly stroked her breast.
“They’re the perfect size,” he murmured. “Just right for my hand and even better for my mouth. And I love your nipples. So pink, and look how hard they get when I squeeze them.”
He pinched her nipple between the tips of his fingers, tugging softly. Vivien gasped, writhing as sensation streaked from the rigid tip to her core. Unconsciously, she lifted her hips, nudging her mound into his thigh.
“Sensitive, too, I see,” he said. “And the stiffer they get, the more you’ll feel. You’re all cream and pink berries, my love. I can’t wait to taste you.”
Vivien writhed as he stroked and played with her flesh. Her body tightened with frustration, needing more than the light, teasing stroke of his fingers and the soft, wicked murmur of his words.
“Do all men talk so much while they’re doing this?” she gasped.
Aden chuckled, ignoring her silly question, then gave her nipple a teasing pinch. If his leg hadn’t been pinning her down, Vivien would have shot off the bed.
“You want more, I take it. Trust me, I’m happy to oblige.”
Vivien sucked in a breath to scold him, but before she could utter a word, he bent and fastened his lips around her nipple. He pulled her into his mouth, sucking and drawing on the stiff tip. She shivered as he tasted and played, using lips, tongue, and even his teeth. When he nipped the tight, burning peak, she grabbed his hips and rocked against him, seeking relief from the tension pulling tight in her womb.
“Oh, oh, oh,” she gasped, lifting into him as little ripples started pulsing deep inside.
With a hard suck, Aden pulled away. Vivien arched after him, desperate for the contact of his mouth. Gently, he pushed her down.
“Not so fast, sweetheart. I want you to enjoy this.”
“I am enjoying it,” she gritted out. “I’d like to keep on enjoying it, which I can’t do if you stop.”
His eyes glittered with seductive heat as he loomed over her. “I have no intention of stopping. But I would like to get the rest of your clothes off, and mine too, come to think of it.”
“Oh, well. That makes sense, now that you mention it.”
He made to shift off the bed, but then paused and leaned over to kiss her other breast. “I apologize for neglecting this one, but I promise I’ll get to it shortly. And I trust we’ve answered the question of how I feel about your breasts.”
Vivien gave a quick nod, blushing even hotter when he let out a quiet laugh.
“Good.” He rolled off the bed and swiftly pulled his shirt over his head. A moment later, his breeches hit the floor. When he left his smalls on, Vivien let out a tiny sigh of relief. As exciting as all this was, it was rather intimidating, too. Aden had a powerful body, large, broad-shouldered, and layered with heavy muscle. His erection seemed to match the rest of his dimensions, by the looks of things. The linen obscured the details but not the size, clearly outlined through the fabric.
“And now for you,” he murmured, gently tugging her night rail down her hips.
Feeling clumsy, Vivien helped him, trying not to flinch as he slowly drew the delicate cambric down her legs. He moved with great deliberation, his gaze devouring her and his mouth drawn into a hard, tense line.
“Christ,” he said, almost prayerfully.
He tossed her garment in the direction of a nearby chair then brushed his hand down her stomach, stopping just above the golden thatch of hair at the apex of her thighs. His fingertips traced the pale blue veins running faintly underneath her skin, and Vivien trembled in response.
“You’re like a fairy princess. So damn sweet and beautiful,” he said, his voice falling to a husky rumble.
He stood by the bed, his expression registering a complicated mix of emotions. Something seemed to be holding him back, keeping him apart from her. The evidence of his body told her that he still wanted her, but his brow had darkened.
Vivien sat up, feeling shy but determined to prevent him from sounding the retreat. Not this time. “No one’s ever called me a fairy princess before. I hope that pleases you.”
Startled, his eyes darted to her face. “Pleases?” He placed a hand on his lightly furred chest. “Vivien, you stop my heart.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound good,” she replied with a nervous chuckle.
As their gazes held, any impulse to laugh died on her tongue. Passion arced between them, desire rising on a hot tide. Succumbing to a need so much stronger than any she’d ever felt, Vivien lay back on the pillows. She drew her legs up, opening herself completely to him. His eyes narrowed to slits of dark intent, hawklike, as if sighting his prey.
His very willing prey, she might add.
“What are you doing all the way up there?” she whispered, holding out her arms.
Aden’s lips parted in a heady smile. “Just enjoying the view, my sweet. It’s an exceptionally fine one.”
He reached out and slid his hands under her bottom, dragging her toward him. She yelped with surprise when he pulled her right to the edge of the high mattress. He spread her legs wide as they dangled, keeping her open by planting a hand on the inside of each thigh. In that position, she was even more exposed than before. It made her feel both vulnerable and confused.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a squeaky voice.
Another lascivious grin. “You’ll see,” he purred.
Mystification turned to astonishment when he dropped to his knees before her, cupped the globes of her bottom, and tilted her up. Then, while one big hand held her steady, the other spread wide her secret flesh, opening her to him even more.
It dimly occurred to Vivien that she should protest such outrageous manhandling, but any words she might have uttered strangled to death in her throat. It was the most intensely shocking and exciting moment of her life, which was saying a great deal, given the events of the last few weeks.
And then he gently parted her inner lips and came down on her with his mouth. The jolt of sensation that rocked through her lifted her straight off the bed. If Aden hadn’t been holding on to her, she likely would have wound up on the floor.
“Oh, my God.”
He pulled back. “Quiet, love. You’ll wake the neighbors.” He didn’t bother to conceal the laughter in his voice.
Groaning, Vivien dropped back onto her elbows as Aden moved in, slowly dragging the flat of his tongue across the wildly sensitive knot hidden in her blond curls. She felt the vibration in every nerve ending in her body, but especially deep in her womb. When he did it again, licking and then gently probing her with his tongue, she instinctively clamped her thighs against his shoulders as if trying to keep herself from falling apart.
His head came up and he watched her with glittering eyes, clearly enjoying himself. “Do you like it?” he asked as his finger gently rubbed through her damp folds.
When she didn’t answer—likely because her brain was leaking out of her ears—he leaned forward and blew on her sensitive bud. Her muscles tightened another notch.
“Yes. God, yes,” she gasped.
“I’m so glad.” Then he spread her wide with his fingers again, leaning in to taste her once more.
Devour her, more like it. He licked her tender flesh, slicking his tongue into her sheath, then pulling back to fasten his mouth on her tight bud, sucking gently. As she moaned, writhing beneath him, he deepened the intensely intimate kiss. Pressure spiralled in a tight coil deep inside, then pulsed out in tiny, shivering spasms. She had, of course, been vaguely aware of the pleasures deep within her own body, but nothing she’d ever felt before came remotely close to this.
When he pressed his tongue hard against her stiff bud, Vivien almost jolted off the bed. Without lifting his mouth from her, Aden braced her legs over his shoulders and held her steady. She arched her back, throwing her arms wide and digging her fingers into the bedclothes to keep from flying apart.
“Oh, no,” she sobbed, as the delicious pressure built to unbearable levels. “Stop, stop.”
When Aden growled against her, she felt the vibration deep inside. “Like hell,” he rasped. “You started this, Vivien, but I’m finishing it.”
She wriggled beneath him, too excited to respond. But then his head came up.
“Unless you really want me to stop, that is,” he said, sounding a little uncertain.