Bridgerton Collection, Volume 2 - Julia Quinn Page 0,102

of him was pressing her into the mattress, squeezing the air from her lungs. His mouth moved to her ear, then to her throat, and Penelope felt herself arching beneath him, as if she could somehow curve her body closer to his.

She didn’t know what she was supposed to do, but she knew she had to move. Her mother had already conducted her “little talk,” as she’d put it, and she’d told Penelope that she must lie still beneath her husband and allow him his pleasures.

But there was no way she could have remained motionless, no way she could have stopped her hips from pressing up against him, nor her legs from wrapping around his. And she didn’t want to allow him his pleasures—she wanted to encourage them, to share them.

And she wanted them for herself as well. Whatever this was, building inside of her—this tension, this desire—it needed release, and Penelope couldn’t imagine that that moment, that those feelings wouldn’t be the most exquisite of her life.

“Tell me what to do,” she said, urgency making her voice hoarse.

Colin spread her legs wide, running his hands along her sides until they reached her thighs and squeezed. “Let me do everything,” he said, breathing hard.

She grabbed at his buttocks, pulling him closer. “No,” she insisted. “Tell me.”

He stopped moving for the barest of moments, looking at her in surprise. “Touch me,” he said.

“Where?”

“Anywhere.”

Her hands on his bottom relaxed slightly, and she smiled. “I am touching you.”

“Move,” he groaned. “Move them.”

She let her fingers drift to his thighs, swirling gently as she felt the soft springiness of hair. “Like this?”

He nodded jerkily.

Her hands slid forward, until they were dangerously close to his member. “Like this?”

Abruptly, he covered one of her hands with his. “Not now,” he said harshly.

She looked at him in confusion.

“You’ll understand later,” he grunted, spreading her legs even wider before sliding his hand between their bodies and touching her most intimate place.

“Colin!” she gasped.

He smiled devilishly. “Did you think I wouldn’t touch you like this?” As if to illustrate his point, one of his fingers began to dance across her sensitive flesh, causing her to arch off the bed, her hips actually lifting them both before sagging back down as she shuddered with desire.

His lips found her ear. “There’s much more,” he whispered.

Penelope didn’t dare ask what. This was already an awful lot more than her mother had mentioned.

He slid one finger inside her, causing her to gasp again (which caused him to laugh with delight), then began to stroke her slowly.

“Oh, my God,” Penelope moaned.

“You’re almost ready for me,” he said, his breath coming faster now. “So wet, but so tight.”

“Colin, what are you—”

He slid another finger inside, effectively ending any chance she had for intelligent speech.

She felt stretched wide, and yet she loved it. She must be very wicked, a wanton at heart, because all she wanted was to spread her legs wider and wider until she was completely open to him. As far as she was concerned, he could do anything to her, touch her in any way he pleased.

Just as long as he didn’t stop.

“I can’t wait much longer,” he gasped.

“Don’t wait.”

“I need you.”

She reached up and grasped his face, forcing him to look at her. “I need you, too.”

And then his fingers were gone. Penelope felt oddly hollow and empty, but only for a second, because then there was something else at her entrance, something hard and hot, and very, very demanding.

“This may hurt,” Colin said, gritting his teeth as if he expected pain himself.

“I don’t care.”

He had to make this good for her. He had to. “I’ll be gentle,” he said, although his desire was now so fierce he had no idea how he could possibly keep such a promise.

“I want you,” she said. “I want you and I need something and I don’t know what.”

He pushed forward, just an inch or so, but it felt like she was swallowing him whole.

She went silent beneath him, her only sound her breath running raggedly across her lips.

Another inch, another step closer to heaven. “Oh, Penelope,” he moaned, using his arms to hold himself above her so as not to crush her with his weight. “Please tell me this feels good. Please.”

Because if she said otherwise, it was going to kill him to pull out.

She nodded, but said, “I need a moment.”

He swallowed, forcing his breath through his nose in short bursts. It was the only way he could concentrate on holding back. She probably