Page 71 of A Scandal at Stonecliffe

“Trust me, I won’t go far.” He leaned over, bracing one arm on the back of the couch and ran his hand slowly down her body, caressing her breasts and stomach.

His hand went to the ties of her dress, undoing them and shoving back the bodice. Her nipples were dark beneath the thin cotton of her chemise. He trailed his thumb over each one, then bent to suckle them through the cloth. Nathan lifted his head and gazed down at Verity’s breasts, the cloth now wet and transparent, clinging to her pointed nipples.

“Nathan...” Verity moved her hips beneath him. “Aren’t you going to do more than look?”

“Oh, yes, a great deal more. When I’ve had my fill of looking.”

Nathan unfastened the bows of her chemise and pulled the loosened cloth down so that it cupped her breasts. He trailed his forefinger down the hard center line of her chest until it met the cloth.

“You should have ties all down the front of this, as well.”

“You could just tear it apart.”

Heat surged in him at her words, and he clenched his hand on the back of the couch, fighting down the demand of his hunger. “I think not. This is a very nice view.”

He ran his finger slowly over her breasts, circling the nipples, then gently squeezed them. He laid a soft kiss on each one before he straightened. Shoving her skirts up to her waist, he grasped her underpants and pulled them off, leaving her legs clad in her stockings and garters. And that, he thought, was a very nice view, as well.

He was hard as a rock, his erection straining against his breeches, but still he took his time, caressing her legs, sliding close to the juncture of her legs, but not quite touching. Verity said his name again, urgency in her voice.

“Patience, love, patience.”

Verity let out a low growl that made him smile, and he went down on his knees beside the sofa, his hand moving up at last to caress the soft and vulnerable flesh between her legs. His fingers roamed the hot wet core of her desire, first exploring, then stroking with sure rhythmic movements. She moved beneath his touch, the tension mounting in her.

“I want you inside me,” she whispered, her voice thin with the strain of control.

“Not just yet, love.” He pulled his hand away.

Verity shot him a fierce look. “I will get you for this.”

He chuckled softly. “I hope so.”

Nathan slipped his fingers inside her, his thumb sliding over the slick nub. He could see the climax building in her—the tightened cords of her neck, the short sharp breaths as she pushed up against him. Then it burst upon her, a blush sliding up her chest and neck, her back arching, face taut as the wave of pleasure rippled up her body. She was glorious, so beautiful it made his heart clench, and he was torn between the joy of watching her and the ache of the desire to be inside her.

She let out a long groaning sigh and went limp, every part of her soft and yielding in a way Verity almost never was. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and she opened her eyes to look up at him, her gaze glowing and a little dazed. She was, he thought, the very vision of a woman well pleasured.

Nathan positioned himself between her legs, his hands on her thighs, sliding slowly up to touch her hipbones with his thumbs, then back down, as he gazed at her. He bent to kiss her lips softly and murmured, “Are you satisfied?”

Verity shook her head slowly, her smile full of sensual promise, and her fingers teased lightly over his hands and arms.

“Ah, well, we shall have to see what we can do about that.” Nathan’s thumbs slipped between her legs, opening her more fully to him, and he leaned down to kiss her in that most intimate place.

Verity let out a little yelp of surprise and delight, and her fingers slid into his hair. “Nathan...”

After that, she uttered no more words, as his mouth worked on her, emitting only little sounds that pushed his own arousal into a searing mixture of pain and pleasure. She came quickly, and he eased back, caressing her with long, lazy strokes, then drove her to the heights again.

Nathan straightened and looked down at her, taking in the glow that radiated from her. He buried his face against her chest. “Sweet heaven, but you are beautiful.”

His arms went around her and he rolled onto the floor, taking her with him. His fingers fumbled with the buttons of his breeches, but Verity sat up, straddling him, and pulled his hands away. “No, no, no,” she said, her voice light and teasing. “Now it’s my turn. I intend to have my way with you.”

Verity smiled wickedly as she settled in, wriggling a little. Nathan had thought he could feel no fuller or hotter, but he found his limits went far beyond that.

She shoved the sides of his jacket down to his elbows, then untied his neckcloth and draped it around her own neck, the cloth skimming over her breasts, tantalizingly concealing and revealing the points of her nipples with her movements. It looked, he decided, infinitely better on her.

After unfastening the buttons of his waistcoat, she pushed the cloth aside and went to work on the ties of his shirt. The second one knotted, defying her efforts, and she simply ripped it apart, and the sound went all through him, nearly shattering his control.

Baring his chest, she was true to her word, kissing and stroking every bit of his exposed skin, pausing to nibble his flat nipples into life. Nathan felt as if a volcano was building in him, and he throbbed with hunger, aching to plunge into her and find his release, but he clamped down on his control, wanting even more to feel the full extent of Verity’s sensual revenge.

She sat up, lightly dragging her nails down his chest, provoking such a shot of desire through him that he bucked beneath her. Verity smiled, tightening the grip of her legs around him, which immediately inflamed his senses even more.