A Bluestocking Christmas (17 page)

Quickly the rhythm of her strokes matched his as he plunged in and out of her. With each stroke, he pulled her to a higher peak. This was what he’d longed from the moment they’d first met—this intense pleasure. The strength of it tugged him into a wild frenzy as his body pumped into hers with a pounding need that consumed him. Beneath him, she sobbed her pleasure as he drove into her one last time. With a guttural cry he throbbed inside her, while her body clenched his cock with an intensity that stunned him.
 

~~~~

The sensations pouring over her skin were like a blazing fire as it cooled and became glowing embers. His face buried in the side of her neck, Simon’s breathing was as ragged as hers. Eyes closed, she savored the warm, heavy feel of him on top of her. Bergamot, mixed with the musky scent of hot skin and subsiding desired, teased her senses.
 

Ivy stroked the ridge of his shoulder, her fingers lazily tracing a path downward along his arm. As she reached his wrist, Simon entwined his fingers with hers and rolled onto his side with her hand in his. Silver eyes stared at their clasped hands with an intensity that puzzled her.
 

The silence stretched between them for several long peaceful moments all the while Simon studied their entwined fingers. Content to lie next to him in silence, she studied his preoccupied look. It was as if he were contemplating a weighty dilemma. When his gaze drifted to hers he arched his eyebrow at her. A wicked gleam of amusement glittered in his eyes, and she frowned.
 

“Something amuses you, my lord?”

“My lord?” Simon chuckled softly as he released her hand to gently tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I think we’re beyond such formality, Ivy. After all, as I promised you, I made you cry out my name quite loudly.”

“I’m delighted I amuse you,” she snapped as the realization of what had actually happened sank in. She’d allowed a man she barely knew to bed her. And in the library of all places. Ivy winced at the thought.
 

“I’m not laughing at you, Ivy.” A strong hand cupped the side of her face. “I was thinking about something Oscar Wilde said in the club the other day.”
 

“I see.” She eyed him with skepticism. “And what did the esteemed man say?"

“He said he could resist everything except temptation, and I have to agree on one point. You’re the one temptation I couldn’t resist, Ivy Beecham.”

She wasn’t certain how to reply. This was new territory to her. Whitby had been a brief encounter, but Simon was her lover. A lover she couldn’t afford to lose her heart to. Pushing the thought aside, she rested her hand against his hard chest. Beneath her palm, she could feel the steady beat of his heart.

“Perhaps we should take heed of another of Mr. Wilde’s observations on temptation. The only way to rid oneself of temptation is to yield to it. ” She glanced away from him as she spoke. “Since we’ve yielded to desire, I think it might be best if we free ourselves of its entanglements after tonight.”

Warm fingers caught her chin in a firm grip as he forced her to look at him. Assessment narrowed his steel-gray eyes as he studied her intently. Dear lord, what in heaven’s name had possessed her to say anything. In all likelihood, the man would think she was attempting to obtain a commitment from him. Under Simon’s intent scrutiny, Ivy averted her gaze.
 

The sudden movement of his head swooping downward caught her by surprise as he captured her mouth in a hard kiss. With skill, he teased her lips apart until his tongue tangled with hers in a swirl of heated passion. Seconds later, he lifted his head, his expression one of resolute determination.

“If you think to rid yourself of me, Ivy, think again. Tonight is only the beginning of temptation. Something I intend to make you yield to over and over again.” Simon’s silvery gaze locked with hers as his hand cupped her breast. The touch tugged at her body and she arched up into his hand. Passion flared in his eyes as her nipple hardened beneath his thumb. His swiftly growing erection pressed into her thigh, and her stomach lurched as she gave herself up to the pleasure of his touch once more.

~~~~
 

Soft thunder echoed in Ivy’s ear as she stirred from sleep. It was a soothing sound, and it took her a moment to comprehend where she was. The strong arm wrapped around her waist and keeping her backside snug against a hard, muscular body reminded her. A wild happiness streaked through her veins as he stirred slightly to press his body more tightly against hers. The coal stove in the corner of the room had apparently died as a slight chill filled the room.
 

She didn’t mind. Between the heat of Simon’s hard flesh and the furs that covered them, Ivy was quite warm, even a bit drowsy. She could easily grow accustom to the sensation. The thought made her heart skip a beat, but she didn’t have time to consider it any further as Simon’s mouth caressed the back of her neck.
 

“Did you enjoy your nap?” he murmured. With a smile, Ivy pulled herself out of his arms to sit up and glance at him over her shoulder.
 

“Yes, quite.”

“Good, because I don’t intend on letting you sleep. I’ve not had my fill of you yet.”

She reached for the glass of wine he’d poured her earlier. Goblet in hand, she pulled up one of the furs to cover herself. A second later, Simon tugged it off her.

“No, I like looking at you,” he said arrogantly.
 

“And I’m cold.” Ivy scowled at him as she pulled the fur blanket around her.

“I more than capable of correcting that problem.” His voice was soft as he slid his hand under the blanket to caress her leg.

Ivy shivered as his fingers slid upward to stroke her inner thigh. The suddenness with which her body responded to his touch alarmed her, and she quickly pushed his hand away then wrapped the fur tightly around her body.
 

“Behave,” she scolded.

“I am behaving,” he said with a wicked grin. “I’m behaving exactly as any man would when looking at your beautiful body.”

“You’re impossible.” She laughed as he pulled her back into his arms until she cuddled up against him. Gently pressing her finger into his chest she met his amused gaze. “I think you enjoy being wicked.”

“I do.” He shrugged as his smile widened to a grin. “Even as a child I managed to get into more trouble than my sister ever did, and Abigail was always in trouble.”

“Were you that reprehensible?”

“Not as bad as that, but I did make our nanny quite frustrated at times.” A reflective look on his face, he stared up at the ceiling.
 

“What about your parents? I suppose they despaired of you on a regular basis?” Her words made him stiffen slightly.
 

“My mother died when Abigail and I were young.”

“Oh,” she gasped softly as she realized she’d caused him pain. “I’m sorry Simon.”
 

“It was a long time ago,” he said quietly.

“And your father?” At her gentle question, his mouth became a thin, harsh line of contempt.

“My father was a bastard.”
 

The cold, brutal statement made Ivy’s heart ache at the pain lying beneath the ferocity of his response. Whatever had happened between him and his father had left Simon angry and bitter. They were emotions she understood only too well. A warm hand swept a lock of hair off her face.

“And what of your childhood, Ivy? Did you misbehave?”

“Sometimes,” she murmured.
 

When her parents were alive, whatever her minor transgression, she’d been scolded and nothing more. It wasn’t until she’d gone to live with her aunt and uncle that she’d learned how cruel people could be. Her independent nature had earned her more than one slap in the face. It had taken only a few missteps for her to learn that defiance or a simple mistake always came at a price.
 

The physical punishments, while painful, had never compared to the cold, icy rejection her aunt and uncle had shown her. The painful memories tightened her throat, and she struggled to breathe. They’d punished an innocent child for her mother’s sin of marrying a commoner.

“And what criminal offenses did you commit?” he teased. She forced a smile.

“The usual transgressions,” she said with a shrug. “Caroline and I were always into something we shouldn’t have been.”

“Caroline? I didn’t realize you had a sibling.”
 

“I don’t. Caroline is my cousin.” Her short, impassive response made Simon shift his position until he was up on one elbow staring down at her.

“Do you ever see her?”

“No, I’ve not seen her since…” Ivy’s voice trailed off. She’d not seen Caroline since the day her cousin had left on her honeymoon. A knot welled up inside her until she was ready to choke on the pain and sorrow.

“Tell me what happened.”

“It was long ago and a story hardly worth telling,” she lied with a small shrug. The back of his hand swept its way gently down the side of her face.

“And yet it sounds as though you cared deeply for her.” The quiet statement ripped her heart open as she nodded.

“Yes, very much,” she whispered fighting to hold back the tears suddenly threatening to spill down her cheeks. “She made life with my aunt and uncle bearable.”

From the moment Ivy had arrived at Parkland Manor, Caroline had become the sister she’d never had. The two of them had been inseparable. On more than one occasion, her cousin had been her staunchest of champions. It was one of the things that had made Caroline’s betrayal so painful. Ivy had given her heart and body to Whitby, and Caroline had known that. It had made the sight of her cousin in his arms all the more devastating.
 

The old pain welled from deep inside her to pound away at every inch of her body. Ivy had not had the strength to confront her cousin. Instead, she’d locked herself in her bedroom for two days, refusing to allow anyone to enter. Not even her aunt’s imperious demands for entry had moved Ivy to open the door.
 

A dim memory of Caroline sobbing softly outside Ivy’s door in the middle of the night rose up to haunt her. Her cousin had never been prone to crying, and at the time, she thought it the sound of guilt. She remembered little of her cousin embraced in Whitby’s arms except for the agony it had sent spiking through her. It was the first time she’d ever considered the possibility her cousin might have been not as willing as Ivy had thought. She quickly dismissed the thought.

“Bearable?” Puzzlement echoed in Simon’s voice. “We’re you unhappy there?”

“It was…Caroline was the only one who loved me. My aunt and uncle…”
 

“They were unkind to you.” There was a fierce anger in his voice that made her heart skip. Like Caroline always had, he seemed ready to take on those who’d hurt her. The thought warmed her heart.

“Yes.”

“Family is important, Ivy. Without them you’re alone,” he said quietly.
 

There was an emphatic note in his voice that stressed how deeply he believed his affirmation. He almost had her believing she could put the past behind her where Caroline was concerned. Ivy’s heart skipped a beat. She’d revealed too much to him, which was a dangerous thing to do.

Unwilling to bare her soul to him any further, Ivy pushed against him until he was on his back and she was saddled across his hard thighs. She leaned forward to press her lips against his breastbone. Lifting her head, Ivy smiled at the crystal flame that sparked in his eyes. Almost instantly, his erection pressed hard against the apex of her thighs.

“I thought tonight was about surrendering to temptation?” she said in a husky voice.

“No,” he rasped. “It was about me teaching you the arts of pleasure.”

“You seem to have forgotten, I’ve read
The Golden Lotus.
”

She smiled as she shifted her hips and rubbed her sex over the tip of him. The sharp breath he sucked in filled her with satisfaction. He was not the only one who could incite desire. In a leisurely gesture, she circled the tip of his nipple with her finger then lowered her head to bite gently down on his flesh. With another hiss of breath, he quickly grasped her hips, but she held him at bay as she tugged his hands off her body and pushed them down into the fur beneath.

“You’re far too eager, my lord,” she said with a smile as she shifted her body against him once more.

“Christ Jesus,” he choked out as she shifted her body against him once more. “How much of that bloody book did you read?”

“I’m afraid I was incredibly wicked and read the entire volume.” She reached behind her and stroked the sacs at the base of his erection. The dark growl in his chest reverberated beneath her fingers. “Tell me what you want, my lord.”

“You.”
 

The word was little more than a guttural sound rolling out of his throat. It swept its way through the air to skim across her skin like a hot summer breeze. His erection jumped against her as she positioned her sex against the tip of him then quickly sheathed herself over him. The heat of him pulsed its way into every fiber of her being.