Merry Misrule - St. Clair, Ellie Page 0,53

him just as much as he did her. “I don’t think I am quite warm enough, however.”

“No?”

“No,” she said, leaning back slightly and lifting her arms overhead. He accepted her invitation, reaching down and finding the hem of her chemise before lifting it overhead. He stopped then, unable to do anything more then to sit back and stare at the woman in front of him.

Joanna, stripped of any clothing, any ornament, any pretense.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathed, and she smiled hesitantly.

“Thank you,” she said tremulously, and as he pulled her toward him, she reached down and began unfastening his breeches, and he thought he might lose his breath altogether.

She seemed expert at it, and for a moment he wondered why until he remembered her profession.

When she had finished her task, she stopped suddenly, as though entirely unsure of what to do next.

That, he could help her with. He stood and shucked his breeches, standing proud before her, and he grinned when her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Is this a joke?” she practically whispered, and he laughed as he shook his head and returned to his knees before her.

“It will be fine,” he promised. “I’ll make sure of it.”

He interlaced his fingers with hers for a moment, before trailing the tips of them up the inside of her wrist, her forearm, then over her shoulders until he reached her neck. He lifted her hair to the side, trailing kisses over the long expanse of skin, and she moaned so quietly he nearly didn’t hear it.

Unable to take it any longer, he wrapped one arm underneath her knees, the other around her shoulders, and then lifted her and lay her gently on the bed beside them. He reached back to the floor for a blanket, then billowed it behind him and lay back above her on the bed, the blanket covering them together, and he dearly hoped that his heat was enough for both of them.

“Are you warming at all, love?” he asked, and her eyes widened at the endearment he hadn’t even realized he had used, but she swallowed and nodded.

“I am certainly much warmer than I was before you arrived,” she said before her lips curled impishly.

“Let me make you burn,” he said, and she nodded, although she seemed slightly nervous, as though she didn’t know entirely what to expect.

“Eli?”

“Yes?” He lifted his head from where he was just about to explore her breasts.

“Will you show me what to do?”

His heart nearly stopped at her request. “Absolutely. The first thing you need to do, however, is just relax.”

He then began his exploration, beginning with her neck, then down her collarbone to where her breasts began to blossom. He took one nipple in his mouth, first slowly surrounding it with his tongue until he gave it one quick pull. He paid attention to the other before making his way down her stomach.

He skipped over where she was beginning to arch toward him, tracing his hands down her legs instead. His mouth followed, as he kissed every part of her like he would never have this opportunity again.

Except that he now vowed this would not be the last time. She knew the worst of him. She knew what an ass he could be, she knew what faculties he lacked, and still she seemed to want him anyway. He couldn’t ask for anything more.

He began to return upward, and suddenly she stilled underneath him when he neared the juncture of her thighs.

“What are you… you’re not… that is—”

“Stop thinking, Joanna,” he scolded, although without any malice. “Just enjoy.”

When he brought his lips to the very center of her, she jerked, her hands in his hair, and he wasn’t sure if she was trying to lift him up or keep him there — she likely didn’t know herself. He pulled back for a moment, leaving her, testing and teasing her in the same breath.

She didn’t seem to appreciate it overly much.

“Where are you going?” she demanded, and he chuckled, returning to his caresses until she was moving against him, and he could tell she was nearing her release. He lifted his head, and she scowled down toward him, making him laugh. She was more temptress than she likely even realized.

He replaced his mouth with his hand, slowly sliding one finger inside of her, loving how ready she was for him and his exploration. She closed her eyes and threw her head back, as he began to thrust in and out as he rubbed his thumb