Page 64 of Last Night with the Duke
Instinctively she parted her lips. His strong, firm arms pulled her more solidly to his wide chest and wrapped tighter around her back as if in fear someone would rip her from his grasp. His lips moved over hers in a hungry, greedy way that caused a tightening in her breasts, a quickening in the depths of her abdomen and between her legs. Somehow she knew he wanted her to open her mouth and, when she did, his tongue slipped inside. She heard him swallow small gasps of pleasure as he explored the depths of her mouth.
Their kisses ebbed and flowed. At times they kissed long, hard, and generous. Some kisses were soft and quick. Their breaths, moans, and sighs mingled quietly and eagerly together, becoming one passionate sound.
Esmeralda lifted her arms and circled his neck, allowing him to press her closer to his hard, muscular body. Her hands cupped the back of his head and her fingers tangled in the rich thickness of his hair before exploring the width of his shoulders.
Griffin’s lips left hers and he kissed her cheek, her chin, and down to the crook of her neck before searching out her lips once again. With an urgent touch, his hand raked across her breast to her waist, her hip, and around to her buttocks, lifting her tightly against him before finding her breast again.
“You are a beautifully shaped woman, Esmeralda,” he whispered against her lips. “You should never be hidden behind gray cloth.”
“It is best for me,” she answered quickly before her breaths were once again claimed by his kisses.
His caresses were eager yet tender and sure. She gasped from the onslaught of all the different sensations mounting inside her as he breathed deeper, faster.
Griffin raised his head long enough to look into her eyes and whisper, “Not nearly enough,” before claiming her lips once more.
Her body trembled, but so did his.
His kisses moved from her lips to her cheeks, her chin, and her eyelids, leaving no place on her face or neck untouched. Holding her close, his caresses were confident, commanding as he molded her breast in his palm with one hand and pressed her backside against him with the other. Esmeralda felt a hard bulge beneath his trousers. Her breaths quickened again. She had never felt anything like the sensations exploding inside her and, without really knowing why or how, she met his ardor with a surprising fervency of her own, pressing near him, clinging to him, and encouraging his touch.
With a long, desperate-sounding breath, Griffin suddenly turned her loose. He expelled a short, humorless laugh and stepped away from her.
Dismayed by the abrupt end to their passion and slightly dizzy from her still-reeling senses, Esmeralda moistened her lips and swallowed. She had no idea that kissing would feel so amazingly wonderful and so satisfying, and yet leave her wanting so much more. Surely Griffin couldn’t deny that he’d been enjoying her kisses as much as she’d relished his. She’d clearly felt his desire for her through their clothing.
What would happen now? He’d said he couldn’t kiss her as long as she was in his employ. But now he had. Fear started mounting inside her.
“I swear to you I didn’t expect to kiss you when I asked you to come in here.”
“I know. It was an afterthought.”
“That doesn’t do justice to what I was feeling, Esmeralda.” He grunted. “I wanted to be angry with you, but…” He paused.
Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Frustration etched his handsome features. “But?”
“When I saw you standing in here in the shadows, all I could think was, dear God, I want to kiss her right now. To hell with my honor, to hell with what was right and proper. To hell with what was best for you. I just wanted to kiss you and I could no longer deny myself the taste of you. I have wanted you in my arms almost from the moment I saw you.”
That admission sent her heartbeat spinning again. She’d wanted that too, but she was too vulnerable at the moment to confess it out loud as he had.
If not for Griffin, how could she have ever known that such stirring sensations existed inside the body, waiting to be brought so vividly to life? She’d dreamed about being gathered gently in his arms, about sharing a soft kiss or two, but her thoughts hadn’t prepared her for the consuming desire that had seeped into her soul, satisfying her so intimately she ached for the wonderful feelings to never end. And even now she couldn’t wait to experience them again.
“Is what you told Lady Norwood true?” he asked, his breath sounding calmer. “The current Viscount Mayeforth is your cousin?”
Esmeralda hadn’t talked about her past since she’d applied for a position with the agency. Miss Fortescue had listened to her story about her mother and deemed Esmeralda acceptable, so there was never a reason to talk about it again.
“Yes. I suppose you think it was wrong of me not to tell you.”
“I would have rather heard it from you, yes.”
“You’re upset with me.”
“No, but I want you to explain why you kept this information a secret from me.”
From a habit she’d developed when challenged, she lifted her chin. “I didn’t tell you about my mother’s family because they have no merit concerning my life.”
“That puzzles me.” He sighed heavily as he raked a hand through his hair. “Maybe I am upset with you. You and Josephine are granddaughters of a viscount. And yet, you earn a living by working at an employment agency. You led me to believe you were a—”
“Commoner,” Esmeralda said, suddenly defensive. “Not worthy.”
His eyes and forehead narrowed into a frown. “That’s not what I was going to say. Nor is it fair of you to suggest it was.”
