The King's Bride By Arrangement - Annie West Page 0,26
the gloom he appreciated the feminine allure of her silhouette, the deepened dip to her waist and the sweet curve up to her hips.
Paul’s throat dried. ‘Making sure we have protection.’
In this light he didn’t see her move but he’d swear she stiffened.
‘Aren’t you taking a lot for granted?’
But, when her gaze turned from the table to him, he heard her indrawn breath as she surveyed his bare torso.
Paul wasn’t vain but he knew his wide-shouldered frame, kept trim by his love of sport, drew female attention. Now, as he felt Eva’s gaze track from his ribs to his belt, he bit back a smile.
He sat beside her, one hand planted on the bed beyond her hip.
‘What, you were going to take your pleasure from me then just walk away?’
She shifted, wriggling up the bed towards the pillows. In the process he felt the brush of her legs and inhaled again the heady scent of warm woman and sex. His trousers tightened against his groin but he didn’t move.
‘You’ve already...taken your pleasure.’
Was that embarrassment he heard? Surely not from the woman who’d thrust her hand into his pants!
He shuddered at the memory of her soft palm sliding along his length, her fingers encircling him. She’d been a little clumsy but that had only added to the piquancy, proof that she was too eager for finesse.
Paul laughed, the sound rusty with barely suppressed desire. ‘That was just a start, Eva.’ He had plans for the rest of the night and they didn’t include sleep. ‘When a man’s fiancée shows she’s eager for sex—’
‘I’m not your fiancée.’
Paul refused to touch that one. He had more pressing things on his mind than another argument.
He lifted his hand to trail his fingers down her satin-clad thigh. ‘But you want me, don’t you, lover?’
Her breath hissed in and he felt her tremble. Yet he made himself stop, his fingertips barely touching the place where satin met smooth, enticing flesh. It was surprising how difficult it was not to caress her. Once he’d touched her and tasted her, he wanted so much more.
‘You want to have sex?’
Once more he found her tone difficult to read. That almost sounded like doubt in her voice. As if he’d left any doubts about his desire for her!
‘Absolutely.’ He swallowed hard. ‘I suspect we’ll be phenomenal together.’
When still she said nothing, Paul frowned and made himself lift his hand away.
After what they’d done downstairs it seemed impossible but perhaps, after all, he’d read Eva wrong and she didn’t want...
A slim hand grabbed his and settled it palm-down on her bare thigh.
Paul’s heart leapt high in his throat, the throb in his groin pulsing even harder.
He splayed his fingers, sliding them round her silky skin, and she shifted, parting her legs a little to give him better access.
Doubt vanished in a flash, replaced by excitement.
Eva’s heartbeat quickened as Paul caressed her leg in long, deliberate strokes. They were as easy and regular as waves rippling in to shore, but with each slide of his hand her pulse pounded harder and she became more aware of that aching spot between her thighs.
He reached down to circle her ankles and calves, pausing to massage her soles, and a blissful sigh escaped. She tried to tell herself it was because she’d worn high heels for hours but even a woman as innocent as she knew the difference between relaxation and arousal.
By the time Paul worked his way back up her other leg to the hem of her dress, she was twitching and eager for so much more.
‘I want to see all of you, Eva.’ His low voice burred across her skin as he pushed the material up her thighs in slow, breath-stealing increments.
It was what she wanted. Yet the thought of lying naked before him, like some carnal offering, made her supremely uneasy. She’d never been naked for any man. She wanted Paul, wanted to be possessed by him, but, despite what they’d just done to each other, shyness rose in a baffling wave.
How could she be shy after that scene in the kitchen?
Yet it was true. More, she feared revealing her inexperience. This was her only chance to make love with Paul. She was under no illusions that sex would alter his decision to call off their wedding. She’d take tonight gladly, though, and give him no reason to back off.
‘You first.’ Her tight vocal cords turned the words into a throaty command instead of a tentative suggestion.
Paul didn’t seem to mind. He