Page 72 of Falling for the Knight

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Hannah knew what she needed to do as soon as she heard his voice. And then he said everything she needed to hear. He truly respected her and saw her as a partner, which was all she’d ever wanted in a man.

Hannah grabbed Tristan’s arms as they fell to his sides.

“Nay,” she said quickly, not wanting him to misunderstand. “I don’t want to wait to marry. We will find Caroline and Allie.” They were here.She felt it in her bones.“But I love you, Tristan, and I want to marry you right away.”

The look of mingled relief and passion in his eyes was her undoing. When he kissed her, it was not the soft, sweet touch from before. This one was hard, demanding. She opened to him immediately, and their tongues dueled in a dance of pent-up desire.

His hands were everywhere at once, and she welcomed the onslaught. Hannah did her best to return the favor, pulling up on the surcoat that ended just above his knees. They lifted it over his head together, and then Tristan disposed of his linen shirt so quickly that Hannah hardly had time to appreciate what was underneath before he pulled her toward him once again.

“I need you, Hannah,” he said between kisses, his hands tugging at the sides of her gown. His ability to unfasten the laces while ravishing her with his mouth was something Hannah would take the time to appreciate later.

“I’ve thought of this so many times,” she said when he stepped back to lift the sleeveless overgown above her head.

Tristan looked down at her chemise and smiled. A slow, sly smile that promised neither of them would reconsider. Without protection, there could only be one ultimate outcome here, and Hannah was more than prepared for it. Indeed, she welcomed it.

The sole torch flickered behind Tristan as he began to remove the belt that held his wool chausses. Hannah couldn’t look away. “Sometimes,” he said, the frantic pace from earlier replaced by a more deliberate one, “I thought of you lying in my bed, naked, waiting for my touch.”

His belt came undone.

“Others, I imagined you above me, in control.”

And just like that, Tristan was completely, gloriously, nude. And one hundred percent ready. Dear Lord . . .

“Once”—he reached for her chemise—“I woke with the feel of you beneath my hands so real that I was convinced you were with me.”

When he pulled the last remaining barrier over her head and tossed it aside, Hannah lifted her chin. If only she’d gone to the gym like she’d been promising herself for the last six months.

“You are perfect.”

Had he read her mind?

She certainly wouldn’t argue with him. Hannah stepped toward him, pressing every inch of her body against him. Finally. Skin to skin, she kept moving, walking, until the bed was just behind him. In a single, graceful movement, Tristan turned her around, lifted her, and tossed her onto the bed. He kissed her everywhere, his mouth beginning at her neck and ending firmly on her breast. His tongue flicked against her as she tried to pull him even closer.

“Now,” she said, not willing to wait any longer. After weeks of frustrating desire, the wait was finally over. She needed to feel him inside her.

“Hmmm,” he murmured against her, and with a final soft breath that hardened an already taut nipple, Tristan positioned himself above her. But instead of listening to her plea, he inched his way down, kissing between her breasts and then the top of her stomach.

“I can’t take much more,” she said, the sight of him positioned above her driving her completely mad. She’d never been a patient person in her private life, even though she could be so professionally, and this was no exception.

“You’ll have to try,” he said, the deep penetrating tone making her sex clench in anticipation.

He moved lower still, not stopping until his warm breath fluttered her dark curls. Hannah thought she knew what he was about, but he stopped before he reached her apex.

Tristan laid both hands on her upper thighs, staring up at her with a knowing grin that promised the torment would continue. He moved his fingers ever so slightly toward her hips, all the while watching her as she watched him.

What was he doing?

“Close your eyes,” he said, moving his hands closer and closer to their goal.

Or at least she hoped it was their goal.

With one last glance at the beautiful sight below her, Hannah did his bidding. “Best not to become accustomed to that outside the bedchamber,” she said. “I’m not a fan of taking orders.”

Suddenly, his hands were gone and she could feel his breath moving down . . . getting closer. And then he stopped.

“Hannah . . .”