Page 61 of The Favourite

This was dreadful. It was indecent. His finger just slid up right inside her! She started to shake her head when his thumb pushed up firmly against something that caused pleasure to zip right through her loins, robbing her of breath altogether.

“Thought you might like that,” he murmured. “What do you think?” Jane beheld him speechlessly. “Shall I do it again?” Without waiting for her reply, which was just as well, his thumb pressed down again and Jane’s whole body jolted. She managed a shaken exclamation this time, squeezing her eyes shut against the overwhelming sensation. “Oh!” She tried to turn her hot face away from his.

“Now, now,” he tutted, “you must not try to prevent my view.” Her eyes sprang open. Of her face? Her gaze sought his. He was staring down at her intently, a smile playing about his lips. “Very nice, Jane,” he said approvingly. “But this time you have to ask for it.”

Every pass of his fingers seemed to turn her hotter and wetter. Jane sobbed and twisted against them. She did not know how or what to ask for. She just needed.

“Such a good girl,” Alisander practically purred. “That’s it, you can do it.”

Every time she tried to catch her breath, he sent shocks of pleasure streaking through her body that robbed it from her lungs again. Her whole body was shaking. She felt like she was coming apart at the seams. “Please!” she burst out.

“So impatient,” he chided in a whisper, “but you should know by now how much I like teasing you, Jane. Don’t you know, it just tempts me to draw it out even longer?”

Her eyes flew open. She was aghast. He was laughing! No, that wasn’t right. His eyes were alight with something, but it wasn’t quite laughter. “I did tell you, did I not, that I wanted to see you burst?” he said, his voice somehow tender and rough at the same time. “Open your legs wider.”

She was beyond hesitation by this point. He shifted down the bed as she struggled to free herself of the nightgown, tangled around her legs and impeding her efforts. Suddenly, he was helping her, shoving the skirts up around her waist as she let her legs fall apart.

He drew in a deep breath, gazing between them, his eyes gleaming. “Jane, I have done you a grave disservice,” he said thickly. “You, my darling, are absolutely breathtaking.”

Jane only had the chance to glance uncertainly down at the wet blonde curls between her legs before he had lowered his face between them. Feeling his breath against her most private of places, Jane sucked in a breath, her mind turned mercifully blank.

Then he applied himself, with an utter abandon that had her covering her hand with her mouth to muffle her sobs. By the time he lifted his face to rest his cheek against her stomach, he was panting, and she had completely collapsed.

“Fuck, Jane,” he groaned, his chest heaving. “That was too good.” With part of her mind, she marveled that she was just lying on her back, legs spread while he breathed heavily against her most private of places. He sighed. “I need to put a clean sheet on the bed.”

She swiped at her embarrassingly teary eyes, struggling up onto her elbows. “What? Why?” She surely had not been that wet.

He levered himself off the bed gingerly. “Because you, my dear, are far too exciting,” he said casting a rueful look down at the bed. He crossed the room to the basin and splashed around in it a while as Jane struggled back into her shift.

By the time she was sat up, looking rumpled, but hopefully decently covered, he had donned a clean pair of braies and collected some clean bedding from one of the trunks. “Hop down and I’ll put the bed to rights,” he recommended. “I’ve poured clean water for you.”

Jane slipped out of the bed and across the room to the ewer and basin. She hoped to goodness she had not been too loud. What if she had roused anyone else from sleep? Her face burned as she took a hurried wash, and by the time she had finished, he had efficiently stripped the sheet off the bed and replaced it with a clean one. “Come back under the covers,” he recommended, glancing at the dwindling fire.

Jane scurried back into the bed, drawing the covers up to her chin before she dared to venture a glance in his direction. He was now climbing into the bed, looking completely at his ease. “Oh, my gods, that was so”—he settled down beside her, his gaze lingering on her face—lovely,” he concluded with a faint air of bafflement. “I can think of no other word.”

Jane cleared her throat. “Well … good,” she said lamely, unsure what else she could say.

“I can’t believe I spilled all over the sheets,” he added without shame. “Remarkable really. This was something like what I wanted with you,” he continued conversationally, “on our wedding night, but it was too soon. I did not want you to be afraid of me, as you were that first night in Kinnerton.” When she made no response, he carried on apologetically. “After you realized what had happened in the wood, I mean. The timing was … unfortunate to say the least.”

“That dead robber, you mean,” she answered, feeling some reluctance for speech, especially on that topic. Why was he so keen to talk right now? She felt languorous and falling asleep seemed a far more sensible course of action. “In any case, I was not afraid,” she felt compelled to add for the hundredth time.

He sent her a dry look. “We both know if I had indulged myself in your charms that night, you would have gone into a state of shock.”

Well, that was probably true. “I’m still a little shocked,” she admitted, darting a glance at his face and then away again.

“I know.” She could hear the smile in his voice, but it was not remotely mocking this time. He was pleased with her, she thought, because she had given him free rein over her body.

“I’ve never actually done that before, you know,” he said conversationally, turning his head on the pillow toward her.

“Done what?” Jane was startled.

“With my tongue,” he admitted. Seeing her expression, he elaborated, “Between a woman’s legs, I mean.” At her obvious shock, he shrugged. “I’ve just never cared enough about a partner’s enjoyment before, I suppose. I did tell you; I was selfish.”

“Why did you do it to me, then?” Jane asked in failing tones.

“I couldn’t resist.”

“You …. you enjoyed it?” Jane asked and was promptly appalled at herself.