Page 41 of Snowed In with the Runaway Bride

Still pressed against the door as though he might flee at any moment, his hands reached out and unhooked her dress. She took a deep breath, and turned to face him.

Penny knew she ought to feel shy, or modest, or maidenly, but she did not. She felt brazen and sultry seeing the look in Hugo's eyes, the way his face went taut with hunger when she slid the dress from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor.

She did not know what to do once she was unclothed—she scarcely understood what she wanted at all—but she knew she wanted to be close to him. As close as two people could be. And he would be able to show her how.

"Penny," he breathed. "Don't tease me."

"Why not?" Her hands shaking only a little, she pulled the laces of her short stays loose and let them fall to the floor as well, leaving her clad only in the thin chemise.

He shook his head as though to clear it even as he stared. "You don't know what you want."

"I do. I want you."

He closed his eyes when she moved closer.

"You're too innocent. You have no idea what you’re asking."

"I am innocent." Daring, she reached out and took hold of his wrist. His hand clenched into a fist as she lifted his arm. "I've never wanted any man to touch me. Not until you."

She guided his hand to her, hovering it just over her breast. He held his breath for one long moment and then, with a sigh, he surrendered to her.

His arm slid around her waist, and his mouth found hers in the semi-darkness. She surrendered gladly, following his lead while his lips and tongue made magic, sending sparks all along her spine and down each limb. She unbuttoned first his coat and then his waistcoat, wanting nothing more than to be as close to him as possible, pressing herself against him, feeling the heat of him through the thin fabric of his shirt.

“Penny, wait.” She could feel his laughter between their bodies. “Wait. No need to rush.”

“Yes, there is,” she said, and pressed her lips to his again, pulling his head down and teasing his upper lip with her tongue until he groaned and kissed her hard before pulling back, panting.

Firelight limned his features, caressing the planes of his face like a lover. Like she longed to do.

“Go sit on the bed,” he said, his voice rough, and she sprang to obey, sitting on the edge of the mattress to watch him pull the shirt over his head. He was lean, but muscles rippled and shifted beneath his skin as he folded the shirt and lay it on the clothespress. She stared in wonder at the mat of lighter brown hair that covered his chest before tapering down to his belly, where it began to spread out again before it disappeared beneath the waistband of his trousers.

The hair looked fluffy but sleek, like an animal’s pelt, and her fingers itched to run through it.

Instead, she watched his hands go to the buttons of the fall at the front of his trousers. He stopped and looked at her, his expression more serious than she had ever seen it.

“Listen to me, Penny. I have no wish to curtail any of the choices you have already made, or limit your future choices. Tonight would ruin you socially if it became known, but I will not compound that ruin by doing anything that could leave you with child. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she said, though she didn’t. Not really. But she trusted Hugo to protect her, even in this.

“Last chance, Penny.” His eyes burned into hers. “After this, there will be no turning back for us.”

She swallowed hard and nodded. And before she could think better of it, she reached for the hem of her chemise and pulled it over her head, leaving her naked in front of him. She tossed her head and put her chin up proudly to cover her sudden rush of anxiety. What if he refused her, even now?

In a single motion, Hugo shoved down his trousers and sprang onto the bed, bearing her backwards as she giggled, relieved at his loss of control. She wrapped herself around him, needing to feel his bare skin on hers after the nights of only a few layers between them.

They wrestled playfully across the bed, ending with Penny on top, still laughing while she pinned his wrists to the mattress, legs splayed across his torso. “I have you caught now.”

“More than you know.” His expression was open to her like she had never seen it before, both tense with desire and soft with another emotion that made her heart skip a beat.

She sat up a little further, looming over him while she kept his hands pinned, watching his eyes darken as she moved, her bare breasts swaying over him.

She gasped as he leaned up and took one nipple in his mouth, teasing it with his lips and tongue and the barest edge of his teeth before he suckled hard, drawing a wild cry from her lips. Her hands loosened on his wrists and he moved his hands to her ribs, holding her in place above him while he played with her, teasing and suckling and nipping. He supported her effortlessly, and she relaxed into his grip, giving herself over to him

Then his hands slid down to her hips and urged her toward the head of the bed, spreading her knees with his shoulders while his wicked mouth slid down her body.

“What…” His mouth skimmed along the inside of her thigh, his face dangerously close to a place she barely had a name for. The slight roughness of his calloused fingers skimmed upwards and he cupped her bottom with his palms.

“Hold onto the headboard, Penny.”