Page 30 of Hot and Bothered in July
When Sariah remained silent, he began to feel the first sensations of doubt.
Before he could say anything, she turned her back to him. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she untied her cloak. “I daresay I was not expecting something so glamorous, Mr. Carrington, but you have outdone yourself. I am quite impressed.”
She allowed the cloak to slide to the floor in a forgotten puddle of dark velvet. However, it was the sight that was revealed once it was gone that stole his ability to think—to breathe properly.
Standing there in nothing more than a flimsy cotton chemise that left nothing to the imagination, Sariah lifted her lips in an enticing smile. Reed’s mouth went dry while his cock pressed urgently against his trousers. He ripped off his shirt, and tossed it aside, leaving him bare chested.
He moved toward her and gathered her into his arms, taking her mouth in a kiss that soon had them both urgently wanting more.
Sariah hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from Reed, but it thrilled her to know that he did not hesitate to act. This is what she wanted, hadalwaysbeen what she wantedfrom him. His kiss, his touch, his fiery embrace—it was all she’d dreamed of from the moment she’d spied him that fateful day at the Pond. She had tried to convince herself that it was temporary, that it was lust guiding her to this moment, but she knew that wasn’t true.
She might have been attracted to any gentleman, but it was Reed who stirred her heart, who made her blood race, who made her want to give up her oath to never marry and spend a lifetime with him. She wanted to bear his children, to set up a household, to look at him every morning across the dining table, to linger in bed every night.
Emotion welled up inside of her, because she didn’t know if that could ever be a possibility after July was over, or if he intended to keep things temporary between them. Whatever the outcome, she did not want to leave without knowing what it was like to love fully, to embrace the carnal delights she could share in his arms.
She laid her hands on his warm chest, feeling the strong heartbeat beneath her right palm. She was eager to remove all the remaining barriers still between them—both metaphorically and physically.
When they parted, she wound her arms around his neck as he nuzzled the exposed area of her collarbone. “You know, all of this wasn’t necessary,” she murmured. “I would have been pleased with just you.”
He lifted her into his arms. “You deserve this and so much more,” he countered firmly. He laid her down on the cushioned seat and allowed his gaze to shamelessly roam over her from head to toe. “You are exquisite, Sariah.”
She was surprised to find that she wasn’t embarrassed by his regard. On the contrary, she was excited by it. She raised her arms over her head and stretched in a languid manner,like a kitten perched on a windowsill. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
A low growl emanated from his throat as he climbed over her. He lowered his head and caught the tip of one of her nipples between his teeth. She gave a sharp inhale, her entire body fluttering with pleasure. “Again,” she commanded. He readily complied, his mouth moving back and forth between her breasts and molding the flesh between his hands. He quickly untied the lacings of her chemise, exposing her to his hungry gaze. This time, when he enveloped her, she lifted her hips, restless and eager to assuage the ache pulsing inside of her. “More. I want… more,” she gasped.
“You’re a fiery one,” he murmured huskily, biting the tender lobe of her ear. She wound her arms around his back, enjoying the feel of her naked flesh against his. The warmth that flared between them was hotter than any flame. It burned with the power of the sun. She no longer cared if she got burned. She just wanted everything he had to give her.
She took his hand and slid it between them, helping to guide him to where she yearned for him the most. “I want the little death,” she whispered.
He said nothing, but began to make his way down her body. She made a sound of frustration, thinking that he was leaving, but when his head disappeared beneath her chemise, the outline of his dark blonde head visible through the thin fabric, she realized his intentions. She had witnessed this image in the volume in her father’s library, but she never imagined it would ever happen to her.
Thank God it was.
The first slide of his tongue along her core made her cry out. It was so intimate, so…wicked, that her legs were soon shaking with the intense passion flowing through her body. Herheart was pounding fiercely, every nerve ending focused on his movements at the apex of her thighs.
The dam burst and she exploded. Her head fell back as wave after wave of pleasure shot through her limbs, drowning her in the sheer ecstasy. It was so consuming that she could not comprehend where earth ended and heaven began. She was soaring among the clouds, the waning sun bathing her in an ethereal glow of orange and pink. Combined with the aromatic scents of the floral petals, it was like nothing she’d ever dreamed of before.
As she continued to enjoy the languid aftermath, she saw Reed’s face return to her line of vision. Her chemise was still bunched up around her waist and she could feel his stiff cock prodding at her entrance. “Sariah, if you do not want this, now is the time to?—"
She allowed her legs to fall slack. Grabbing on to his back, she dug her nails into his skin. “Make me yours, Reed.”
That was all he had been needing to hear, and as he slowly slid into her body, she enjoyed the sense of completeness that filled her. She felt a slight pang of discomfort when he breached her barrier, but it did not last long, the sense of being one with him overcoming all else. Her heart was bursting with joy—and love.
Reed had promised a night that Sariah would not forget, but it was steadily turning into one that would not leave his mind so easily either. How was it possible to be so consumed by another person? He dare not call it fate or some other such nonsense, but surely there was a higher force at work propelling him further to Sariah’s side?
He had to grit his teeth as he pushed deeper into her enticing body. He had never had his control tested to this extent before. But it was a struggle to keep himself in check now, to not completely lose himself. He kept the thought that she was untried and he could not rush this moment. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, to make this an unwanted experience.
But when she kept making those seductive commands and looking at him with those mesmerizing, amber eyes, he had trouble focusing.
With a firm thrust, he paused, allowing her to get used to the intrusion, before he began to retreat and then moving forward again.
“Faster…”
He closed his eyes, praying for strength as he obeyed. He could not deny himself any more than he could deny her, even if his arms were starting to tremble from the control.
“Harder…”
Bloody hell, she was going to be the death of him. Sariah was turning out to be more eager than he’d thought possible. For an innocent, she certainly knew every way to drive him mad with longing.
