Page 23 of Hot and Bothered in July
As the tremors eventually began to subside, he removed his hand from beneath her skirts. “I think it is true,” she murmured wondrously.
“What?” he rasped.
“I think I just died.”
His eyes warmed, but she could tell by the tight set of his mouth that he was not comfortable.
“Do you require a… release too?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I think that would be too much instruction for one day.”
“But—”
“I will be well soon enough,” he said firmly.
Something disappointing must have shown on her face because he said, “Very well.”
He gently moved her to the side as he began to unfasten his trousers. She could clearly see the outline of his member, but she had not been prepared for the length and girth when it was bared to the naked eye. “It is… remarkable,” she breathed.
He gave a light snort and then wrapped his hand around the shaft and began to move up and down in a similar rhythm. She reached out and laid her hand lightly over his. “Allow me.”
She saw him visibly swallow. “Sariah?—”
Rather than argue with him, she peeled his hand away and replaced it with hers. She marveled at how hard he was, and yet, at the same time almost velvety soft. Mimicking the same actions, she began to stroke him.
He groaned, but she could tell by his expression he was in pleasure and not pain. “Faster,” he commanded.
She complied without complaint and watched as the muscles in his neck bunched with the restraint that he was keeping in check, until he finally expelled his breath and he erupted, his erect cock ejecting a steady stream of his seed. It was a milky white substance that he quickly wiped away with a handkerchief from his vest pocket.
Before she had time to inspect him further, or ask any direct questions, he quickly righted himself just as she heard her mother calling out her name in the gardens.
“Mama!” she gasped in alarm.
“Indeed,” Reed noted with a side grin. “How fortunate she did not intercede a few seconds earlier. She would have demanded I escort you to the altar today, if so.”
Sariah did not doubt that, and was glad that they had been spared any censure.
He extended his arm to her and they left the gazebo just as Lady Foxworth rounded a corner and spied them.
“There you are,” she said, her knowing gaze taking in their slightly disheveled appearances. Sariah told herself not to blush, but she was afraid that she was failing miserably by the way her face heated by degrees. “I thought you would like to know that Ladies Margaret and Ava have arrived.”
“How lovely!” Sariah was glad that her voice sounded almost normal, with just the right amount of inflection to prove she was truly excited to see her friends again.
Her mother did not look as convinced as she shot a glare at Reed, but then returned to settle her focus on her daughter. “The rest of the guests are starting to arrive as well. Everyone is gathering in the parlor.”
“Of course,” Reed interjected smoothly. “I apologize if we got too caught up in the beauty of nature.”
Lady Foxworth’s mouth pursed together. “Indeed.”
Sariah waited until her mother turned around and then she slid a side glance at Reed, who offered her a scandalous wink in return. “Nature, is it?” she whispered with a teasing vein to her tone.
“How can you doubt it?” He gave a shrug that wasn’t entirely innocent. “I certainly witnessed a breathtaking phenomenon.”
As Reed kept watch of Sariah from the corner of his eye in Harville’s main parlor, he realized that her smile had yet to fade from her lovely mouth. She flitted about the room like a social butterfly with her charming friends by her side. They had acknowledged him as gracious as ever, but he had the feeling that Lady Margaret was a bit wiser to the world than Sariah or Ava. Most definitely the latter, as she was the typical English rose, perfectly naïve and desired by many in attendance.He had noticed more than one interested glance shot in her direction.
Most of all, they seemed to give him their approval, which he knew was important when it came to female confidences. He might be able to use their influence if something drastic happened at the end of this farce engagement.
A light frown marred his brow and Lord Abbvie asked him if something was amiss. They had been discussing horseflesh of all things. It was not a topic of interest to Reed, who did not even stable one single gelding, but he knew it was something of a hobby for most noblemen, to house a stable full of mighty steeds. “Not at all. I merely recalled something that Lord Carterfield asked of me earlier. If you will excuse me?”
