Page 52 of Pride, Prejudice & Wicked Pleasure

But judging her to be a little overwhelmed, he forced a rein upon his desire and trailed lighter kisses down her neck. His lust was bested by a greater desire to satisfy her. His own vanity demanded that he provide her an unforgettable experience. Placing a hand at the small of her back, he fitted her closer to him. His cock lengthened in response. He would grind her into his groin but deemed the action too coarse for the second lesson. Wrapping his other hand around the back of her neck, he massaged her there, his fingers rimming the edge of her scalp. She relaxed into his arms, a slight murmur of contentment escaping her lips.

“What do you seek in your lesson tonight, mademoiselle?” he whispered in her ear.

“What are my options and what would you recommend?”

The trust she was placing in him was no small responsibility. He answered, “We ought continue the exploration of your body. There are many possible points of pleasure upon a woman’s body. Shall we attempt to find them all?”

She inhaled sharply. He himself had found it difficult to speak fluidly of his own suggestion.

“Yes,” she pronounced.

God have mercy, he silently blasphemed. Gathering every ounce of restraint, he caressed her ear with his mouth with a gentle tug at the lobe, then flicked his tongue into the opening.

“Ahh,” she gasped.

He nuzzled the area behind her ear and planted hot, wet kisses down the side of her neck. She moaned her approval. He cupped her chin with both hands, titled her mouth up to his, and paid homage to her lips with deliberation and tenderness. If he did not desire her more, he would be content to kiss her for an eternity. When he felt her lips moving with his, he slid his tongue at hers. She jumped a little in surprise but quickly acclimated to his intrusion. With more experience, she could participate in the dance of a kiss, but he was content to do the sampling and the leading, careful not to shove his tongue too deep but keeping it light and teasing. When he lifted his head to give her a chance to catch her breath, she seemed almost disappointed that he had stopped.

Dropping his hands down to her shoulders, he ran his thumbs along her collarbone. He pushed aside the fichu to expose the décolletage. With the knuckle of his forefinger, he traced the swell of one breast. Her bosom lifted with her breath.

“I will undress you—completely,” he informed her.

She nodded.

How easy she could have made his life if she would refuse! The steadiness of his hand surprised him as he unpinned her fichu. Turning her away from him, he began to unbutton her bodice with a measure that belied an exhilaration he wished did not exist.

“If at any time you wish me to desist…”

“Is there a purpose to your drawn pace?”

“Prolonging the anticipation can intensify the excitement.”

He slid the garment from her, baring her arms. He liked the look of them: healthy and with feminine suppleness. There was substance to her, not like some of the young women who appeared as if they were wasting away before one’s eyes or whose thinness made them as a scrawny as a shriveling old woman. He felt it when they kissed, and in the hold of their hands as they danced. He was certainly not partial to the women who felt as if they had as much solidity as porridge or who might melt away if he kissed too ardently. Miss Elizabeth and his student had presence.

He unpinned her skirt next, then untied her petticoats until she was clad similar to the first lesson. His heart began to pound as he saw the colour of her garters through the thin shift. Being a man, he was not always indifferent to the physical charms of his pupils. Nor did any sense of attraction disturb him. But this was different. This was excruciating.

“Is something the matter? Or is this part and parcel of anticipation?” she asked after he had stood too long in awe of what he beheld.

“Merely admiring the sight,” he answered hoarsely.

Coercing his mind to task, he reached for her corset and methodically loosened the laces. When he had freed her from its confines and dropped the article atop her other apparel, he paused once more. A last article of clothing and she would be stripped to the buff save for her garters, stockings and mask. Notwithstanding the disquiet he felt, his cock was fully erect and visibly stretching the tightness of his breeches.

He grasped her shoulders and kissed the nape of her neck. He caressed the area with his lips till he heard her soft moan. He grasped a breast in each hand and kneaded the thick, full orbs. Her moan grew louder. He lightly pinched and pulled at the already hardened nipples. She arched herself deeper into his hands. With one hand, he rolled the little nub between his thumb and forefinger, while his other hand dropped down to cup her womanhood.

Though her shift remained between them, there was not a part of her that did not feel exquisite beneath his hands. The blood coursed strongly through his body, causing his erection to throb. He wondered if he had enough control to last the lesson.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Lizzy shivered as if from cold despite the warmth from the fire. When she sensed herself growing abashed, she would focus upon the dancing shadows cast by its flames. She was not accustomed to being naked before anyone, and he was still very much a stranger despite their first lesson together. The arousal she felt from his kisses surprised her. Did it prove that the carnal was a force of its own, apart from emotion or reason? Or might she be attracted to this man? Abby had alluded to students commonly forming feelings for their instructors, a natural consequence of the dynamics of the relationship, but Lizzy had thought herself above schoolroom sensibilities.

Then how did this man cause such flutters in her stomach and the warmth to surge in her loins? How was it his touch could persevere through her awkwardness, which had not dissipated, perhaps because she sensed a peculiar difference in him this night.

But the effect of his caresses was unchanged. As his hands roamed her body, she submitted to the pleasure, enjoying the feel of her soft flesh beneath his masculine grip upon her breasts, ribs, waist, abdomen, hips, and thighs. One hand slid between and rubbed her shift against the dampness there. His other arm circled around her and, clasping her to him, reached for the far breast and toyed with the nipple. She writhed in his grasp as the torturous delight built within her.

He pulled her shift down till it fell to her ankles. She barely had time to think of her nakedness, though, for he resumed his fondling. Pleasure shot from the nipple down to her womanhood, where his fingers grazed her clitoris over and over again, her wetness allowing him to glide effortlessly along her flesh. My God, she thought to herself as her body succumbed all too easily. He increased his assault. Her legs weakened and just when she thought they might give way, the pressure within her burst into a hundred shards of pleasure, making her convulse as they tore through her body.

He caught her around the waist as she jerked and shuddered. As he eased his stroking, she felt the last waves of her paroxysm move through her before she crumbled to the ground in the wrap of his embrace.

Her head upon his shoulder, she gathered her breath as the echo of her heartbeat receded. With patience, he waited for her to collect herself. Though grateful he had caught her, she found too much intimacy in the way he held her and disentangled herself to return to her feet.