Page 55 of Gone With the Rogue
Through their kisses they shared short breaths, sensual gasps, and long satisfying sighs. There was nipping, hovering, and deep kisses that bound them together in the sweet ecstasy of joining their bodies as one again. Their coming together was more passionate each time. Quick intakes of breath turned into soft sighs of wanting as his lips closed over her breast. Sensations of pleasure tumbled, swirled and rotated inside her. She savored each movement, each sensation. As if understanding her blissful torment, Garrett lingered and fed her hunger of wanting to be touched and adored, pleasing her all the more.
His embrace was at times gentle and possessive, and at all times persuasive that she was the one he wanted and treasured.
At first their lovemaking had been controlled and leisurely as their lips brushed, their hands clasped. Their bodies melded together smoothly, firmly, perfectly. His touch was magical, ethereal, and heady, sending waves of euphoria searing through her.
But all too soon, once more came the urgency. The abandonment of precious moments and reverence for spinning, mindless flashes of blatant, selfish pleasure.Once again she was filled with extraordinary sensations that ended in delights too gratifying to be put into words. Julia welcomed them all. So did Garrett. The tremor of his muscles, the depths of his breathing, the intensity of his gasps as he whispered her name told her all she needed to know about how he felt.
Even as they rested, Garrett continued to softly kiss her lips, her cheeks, and the hollow of her throat. It was comforting and complemented the perfect contentment that had settled over her.
The afterglow of their coming together bathed Julia in a sweet feeling of contentment as Garret shifted his body and once again lay on his side. He cuddled her into the circle of his arms. She smiled, harboring no regrets for being with him again. Time with him was glorious.
She sensed he felt as she did.
They lay in silence filled with languor and memories of what passed between them. But now came the reality of how she felt and what Garrett meant to her. She’d told Brina she didn’t know if she loved him. Now she knew she did. But would they ever be together again after today? Would she defeat the duke so she could be free? Would Garrett set sail again soon?
“Was Kitson a good husband?” he asked as his hand softly caressed her upper arm and shoulder.
Julia hadn’t expected those to be the first words to pass between them after their love-making. His question didn’t shock or dismay her. She actually understood his reason for asking. Curiosity was one of life’s riches and was generally bestowed on everyone. Though some more than others. Since he had broached the subject, it gave her the opportunity to ask him aquestion that she had been pondering since they first met.
“Was the sea a good mistress?”
He chuckled, and said, “You made your point, my lady.”
Without knowing why, she added, “I can’t say I was in love with Kitson when I married him, but I feel no dishonor in that. We knew we didn’t love each other, but to us our marriage seemed almost necessary. It gave us both what we wanted. I was free of the older viscount and he had defied his father. As happened, Kitson and I ended up being well suited, with neither of us demanding much from the other. And even though the duke never believed me, I properly mourned his son.”
“Why would he doubt you?”
“Why wouldn’t he? His second wife left him when Kitson was about seven because she could no longer abide his stringent command of her. I think because he didn’t choose me for Kitson, he has always felt I’d one day run away, too. But I would never leave my son.”
“That I know. It should have always been your decision who you married.”
That’s what Julia wanted. To make her own decisions. She kissed Garrett’s lips and then smiled. “Were you and the sea a love match?”
He hugged her tighter. “The sea, no. The adventure, yes. It was a good life. I accomplished what I set out to do, what my father couldn’t do.”
“You can buy the house your father couldn’t.”
“Yes. It symbolizes a past, and a way of life I want to tear down. That a man can be a tradesman and a gentleman.”
It didn’t matter that he’d just given her an exquisite glimpse of heaven on earth once again or that he now held her cherishingly; Julia’s heart constricted. She squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of him leaving London after he gained possession of the house. She remembered he’d told her he came back to see his friend get married and to buy that house. Now that he had breached the barrier of her defenses, she wanted him to remain in London.
Garrett kissed the top of her head a couple of times, and then she heard a chuckle rumble in his chest.
Julia’s brows rose and she propped herself on her elbows. She gave him a teasing glare, and said, “I don’t think this is the time for laughing, Mr. Stockton.”
He shoved his arm under his head, and he stared right back at her with amusement handsomely displayed in the width of his smile and sparkle in his eyes.
“It is your fault.”
“Mine? Whatever have I said to make you laugh after—after—well, while I’m lying here with you like this?”
“My apologies.” He reached over and pushed her hair to the back of her shoulders. “I just kissed your hair and it tasted like flour.”
Julia laughed, too. “You are a horrible man to remind me of that.”
“You are beautiful. Your spirit of loving is beautiful. Even with flour in your hair and—”
She pushed at his chest and laughed again. “You are a beast. I should toss you out of the bed onto your rump.”
