The Countess Page 0,43

as he gently pinched the nipple he'd revealed.

"Oh Richard!" she cried dutiful y, fingernails digging into his shoulders. "Oh please."

"Yes," he muttered and suddenly his mouth was replacing his hand at her breast.

His lips closed around the nipple, tongue swirling across it briefly before he began suckling, drawing on it and pul ing little mewls of pleasure from her. Christiana was vaguely aware of his hand moving on her bottom, squeezing it and using his hold to rub her against his hardness as she'd wanted to do, but she was so overwhelmed with al the sensations attacking her that they were al melting into one raging storm of desire and a mil ion wants. She wanted him to kiss her again, but didn't want him to stop the lovely things he was doing to her breast to do it, and she wanted him to do the same to her other breast at the same time, and she wanted free of her nightgown so that she could feel him against her more ful y, and she wanted . . . she didn't know what, but she wanted something to end this sweet torture and yet didn't want it ever to end at the same time. Desperate to ease one of the wants raging inside her, Christiana raised one leg, half wrapping it around his hip in an effort to get closer to the hardness rubbing so excitingly against her. She then groaned with pleasure at the increased pressure. He was rubbing against the very center of her now, the cloth of her nightgown the only barrier and it only added to the pleasant friction. Richard groaned in response, the sound vibrating across the flesh of her breast.

He then raised his mouth to claim her lips once more. Christiana closed her eyes and kissed him back the best she could, opening for him and then instinctively sucking on his tongue as it invaded her. She felt his hands shifting their position on her, but grunted in surprise when he suddenly grasped her by the waist and lifted her. She instinctively wrapped her other leg around him then, holding on by hooking her ankles together behind his back as the room suddenly spun around them, a whirl of color, light and shadow.

Christiana was vaguely aware that he was carrying her across the room, but this new position opened her to the caress of his hardness and had her hardpressed to compose much in the way of thought. She was very disappointed when he paused after only two steps and set her careful y back on her feet.

"What - ?" she began uncertainly, but paused when Richard bent to untangle the knee breeches that she hadn't ful y removed and had gathered about his ankles.

Understanding struck her then, and her next thought was the strawberry. Leaning forward, she managed a quick peek before he shifted position and started to rise.

Christiana straightened at once, but she was pretty sure she'd seen a red mark on his behind. She had married Richard Fairgrave, the Earl of Radnor, not his brother.

He wasn't an imposter, which was a good thing since she was quite positive the marriage was about to be properly consummated. Now she just had to worry that it would be a bearable marriage bed she'd somehow made for herself in trying to spot the birthmark. Or she could flee the house right now, head to Robert to arrange for a doctor's exam and have the marriage annul ed, Christiana reminded herself. She was nibbling away at her lip, trying to decide what to do, when Richard finished with his task and straightened. A slow smile spread his lips when he saw what she was doing, and he suddenly cupped her face, his voice a husky growl as he said, "Every time I see you do that, it makes me want to nibble your lips too."

"It does?" she asked faintly.

"Mmm hmm," he murmured, proceeding to do just that.

Christiana's eyes drifted closed as he nipped and licked at the swol en flesh of her mouth, and then his lips moved to her ear and he nipped playful y at her lobe as he added, "Your lips and everything else."

"Everything?" she asked in a breathy voice.

"Everything," he assured her, one hand sliding down to press her nightgown between her thighs. Christiana moaned and trembled as he found the core of her through the cloth.

When his mouth suddenly covered hers again, she opened wil ingly to him, her kiss