Page 88 of Last Night with the Duke
“Is that what you wanted?”
She nodded.
“Now, will you kiss me?”
Letting her shawl drop to the floor, she rose up on her toes to palm each side of his face with her hands and kissed his lips, the tip of his nose, each cheek, and his closed eyelids before resting flat on her feet again.
She smiled. “Is that what you wanted?”
“It’s a start, but I want more.”
Griffin caught her up in his arms and captured her open lips with his. Esmeralda gloried in a passionate, desperate kiss. Their tongues swirled in each other’s mouths while their bodies strained to get closer. Griffin’s hands moved up her ribcage to fondle her breasts with eager yet soothing, titillating strokes.
She moaned softly. His fingers found her nipples hidden beneath the layers of her clothing. At his touch, ripples of desire flooded her. Pleasure swept down her body and settled into her most womanly part.
Reluctantly, leaning away from him, she looked up into his eyes and said, “Josephine is asleep now, but she could awaken and leave her bed. Will you come with me into my room? I can lock the door.”
Surprise glinted in his eyes. “I want nothing more than to go with you, but I’m not asking this from you tonight, my love.”
My love.Oh, such endearing words that made her heart soar. From the first day she’d met him, he’d said things to make her feel as if she belonged to only him.
Esmeralda knew there could be life-altering consequences for what she wanted. Griffin could walk out her door and never see her again. Their night together could leave her in the family way. She knew the risks. Perhaps she should, but right now she didn’t want to contemplate either of those possibilities. He had made it clear he desired her. He had said he couldn’t touch her because she was in his employ. Now, she no longer was. And she wanted to have this night with him.
“I know. I’m askingyou.” Entwining her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, smiled shyly, and said, “But I won’t force you. I will never force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
He chuckled softly, attractively. “You have a bad habit of using my own words against me. You will not ever have to force me to do this.”
He swooped down and covered her mouth with his in a ravishing kiss that stole her breath. Esmeralda knew no matter the consequences, no matter the future, she’d made the right decision for tonight. Their kissing continued and she started walking backward, toward her room while pulling the tail of his shirt from the waistband of his trousers. It seemed natural to want to feel his skin beneath her hands. When her back hit the door, he reached around her, opened it just enough for them to enter, then closed and locked it behind them.
Light from a shadowed moon shone through a window. “The room is small,” she whispered against his lips. “And so is the bed.”
“All I need is you.”
All I need is you.
Yes, he knew exactly what she wanted to hear.
Griffin shrugged out of his coat while Esmeralda untied his neckcloth, wound it from around his neck, and tossed it away. He yanked the rest of his shirt out of his trousers and pulled it over his head, sending it the way of the neckcloth. Her breaths quickened at the sight of the strong chest and broad shoulders before her. In the dim light, she wished for more to better see his beauty. She would make do with just touching him. It was a glorious feeling to feather her hands up his rippled ribs and across the smooth, firm skin of his chest and shoulders.
Taking her into his arms again, Griffin hissed with pleasure at her caresses and claimed her lips with a searing kiss while his hands worked the laces at the back of her bodice. It fell away from her shoulders, and he helped slip it off her arms and over her head. He reached around her and untied her skirt, letting it drop to the floor. Quickly they made short work of removing her stays, shift, drawers, and the rest of his clothing and boots too.
When they both stood bare before each other, Griffin brushed his fingertips softly down her cheek to her breast before pulling her into his arms. Cool, soft breasts met warm, strong chest. It was the most heavenly feeling Esmeralda could imagine experiencing. His confident hands moved across her shoulders all the way down her back and over her buttocks. Her untutored hands explored down the length of his chest, his midriff, his lean narrow hips, and around to his manhood.
“Yes,” he murmured into her mouth, and then hooked his arm under her legs, picked her up, and carried her over to the bed to lay her down.
Griffin stretched his lean body beside her and rose over her to look into her eyes for a long moment before his gaze drifted down her face and lingered over her breasts, her body, before sweeping back up to her eyes again.
“You’re beautiful,” he said huskily.
She smiled. “It’s too dark in here. You can’t see me.”
He grunted a short laugh. “If it makes you feel better to think that, go ahead. My eyes have adjusted to the light. I can see you.”
What he said was true. She saw his desire for her in his eyes.
“Do you know what to expect?” he asked.
“Not entirely, but I’ve found with you that nature and instinct have a way of taking over.
