she thrashed. And just as the waves subsided, he pushed her legs wider, stood to his full height and slid his cock into her to the hilt.
She gasped and the ripples of her release increased. She milked him as he thrust, devouring her mouth as he had devoured her sex. All the mattered in that moment was the joining of their bodies, the mingling of their sweat, the way she dug her nails into his shoulders as she came in a gasping, gripping crescendo.
It was too much for him. It was everything. He shut his eyes, focusing only on the feel of her around him, the tightening of his balls as he neared release.
When it overtook him, he withdrew from her, sucking her tongue so he wouldn’t declare his love for her as he came between them and then collapsed over her.
He waited for her to speak. Emily always had something to say. But she didn’t. She just curled herself into him, letting him wrap his arms around her as she settled her head into his shoulder.
“Don’t let me stay too long,” she whispered into his neck.
He nodded. “I’ll stay awake,” he promised.
And he meant it. There would be no way he’d sleep now as he held her, a fantasy come true. He didn’t want to sleep. This was the dream and he was living it. He would take it as long as he could.
So as she drifted off to sleep, her hand fisted against his heart, he pressed a kiss to her temple and reveled in this moment. He could only hope there would be more of them. And that this new year would mean a new beginning for them together.
Chapter 10
Seven Swans A-Swimming
Emily stood on the bridge overlooking the lake and smiled at her party in the distance. They were ice skating today, gliding over the frozen waters and occasionally startling the swans that represented their seventh day of Christmas.
It was the perfect moment, something out of a painting. And yet she did not feel at ease. Cav had woken her just before dawn from a sleep better than any she’d had since Andrew’s death. He’d made love to her slowly and gently and then sent her on her way. She’d paced her room the rest of the morning, reliving every touch, every moment they’d shared.
And hating herself for wanting more and more and more of those moments. She glanced down. Her gloves were so fitted, she could see the circle of her ring beneath the leather.
She flinched and brushed the raised ridge with her thumb as she found Cav in the crowd. His greatcoat flapped around his toned calves as he managed an awkward spin that made the rest of the group clap and whoop with support. He was smiling, and she found herself doing the same.
“Might I join you, Lady Rutledge?”
Emily started. Over and over again she lost herself staring at a man she’d considered a friend and declared a temporary lover. It was unseemly and she had to force a smile for Lady Hickson as she glided off the ice and awkwardly walked on her skates to stand on the bridge beside Emily.
“You are quite good, Virginia,” Emily said. “I saw you doing pirouettes that would have put anyone to shame.”
“I’ve always enjoyed skating,” Virginia said. “My father has a lake on his country estate and he would drag me out there all winter long every year while he…well, he had things to entertain him there. And I would skate and skate and skate forever.”
There was something troubled in Virginia’s tone, and while Emily considered them friendly acquaintances, she didn’t know the woman well enough to pry. Nor did Virginia seem open to sharing more.
They both turned their attention to the ice again, and Emily smiled as Cav glided around. Her smile fell when Lady Abigail approached him. She, unlike Virginia, was not an expert on skates, and Cav caught her as she slid and slipped. They were both laughing. A twinge of jealousy she ought not feel made Emily grip the wooden edge of the bridge harder.
“You and Cavendish seem close as ever,” Virginia said softly.
Emily jerked her face toward her and saw Virginia was watching her watch Cav. She blushed and wished she hadn’t. “He’s an old friend,” she said.
Virginia nodded slowly. “That is always the best match, it seems.”
Emily winced. Here she had been operating under the assumption it was rakes and wallflowers that were the best match. Now she wasn’t certain