His Christmas Match (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time) (35 page)

Rosalind’s
breasts tightened and ached as need pulsed at the junction of her thighs.
 

She
had never experienced the likes of it before and wasn’t sure what would come
from it at the end.
 
Was this desire?
Passion? Would it go away, or would she remain in this state forever? Such
would surely drive her mad.

* * *

Noah
slid his hand higher and cupped her breast. The fullness overflowed, and the
nipple tightened begging for attention.
 
Noah groaned as Rosalind moaned.
 
One taste, and then he would leave her. He pushed her wrap aside, but
her thin night dress still kept her skin from his.
 
It was all he could do not to rip the thin
material from her body and make Rosalind his once and for all. The delicate
ribbon fell between her breasts, and he gave it one quick pull undoing the neat
bow.
 
The bodice loosened, and he shoved
the gown down her shoulders until her breasts were bared to him.
 
Perfection.
 
The creamy skin was accented by the deep coral, and he bent taking a tip
into his mouth and gently sucking then teasing with his teeth.
 
Rosalind groaned once again, and the lower
portion of her body squirmed on the bed. Her desire was burning as hotly as his.
 
Noah moved his thigh between hers and pushed
against her womanhood as he turned his attention to her other breast.
 

Rosalind
pressed against him and arched her back.
 
All he had to do was lift her gown, free himself, and they would be
one.
 

She
loved him and he loved her more than he thought it possible. They had a future,
and they could be like this every night forever. All he needed to do was marry
her, and nothing could tear them apart.

He
caressed her thigh bunching her nightdress until he touched the silkiness of
her skin.
 

Patience,
he reminded himself.
 
She was a virgin,
and to do this too quickly would bring Rosalind no pleasure.

He
shifted, kissing her neck as he pulled the gown up further, until it was over
her hips and ran his fingers across her flat belly.
 
She jerked, and Noah bit back a smile at her
sensitivity.
 
The curls tickled the back
of his fingers, and he delved deeper coming to her folds. She was already damp
waiting for him.

He
groaned and took her lips.
 
He sank
deeper teasing and rubbing as she swelled beneath his fingertips.
 
Rosalind broke from the kiss; her breaths
were in short pants.
 
She arched against
his hand as her fingernails dug into his shoulders

She
was close, so very close, and with one flick, she spasmed biting down on her
bottom lip as she arched her head back into the pillow.
 
Noah had never seen anything more beautiful
in his life.

He
slowed his touch and fell on the bed beside her.
 
As much as he wished to make love to Rosalind
at this moment, he would not.
 
The pain
and need that ached may be with him for days, but he could not take what was
not yet his.

Thirty

Rosalind
blinked at the ceiling trying to catch her breath. What had just happened? She
slowly turned her head to look at Noah. He lay on his side, a self-satisfied
grin on his face, and she couldn’t help herself and chuckled.

“That
was…” How did she describe what had just happened?
 
Goodness, she would never be the same.

“Yes,
I know,” he said and gave her a peck on the lips.

Was
this all there was? Surely there was more.
 
Noah was still clothed and despite the blinding explosion within her
womb she just experienced, she still ached as if something was missing.

“I
should return you to your room.”

Rosalind
blinked at him. Just like that. He shows her incredible pleasure and is now
going to send her away.
 
She wasn’t
ready. “Why?”

“Because
if I lay here much longer, I am not sure I can keep myself from making love to
you.”

Heat
washed through her body at his words. “What if I wish you to?” Where had such
boldness come from?
 

“You
are not my wife yet and as much as it pains me to part from you, it is the
right thing to do.”

Rosalind
didn’t care about right and wrong at the moment. She needed him. She wasn’t
quite certain what her body craved, but she was not leaving this room until she
discovered what it was.
 
Her hands went
about his head, and she pulled his mouth to hers.
 
Rolling, she brought her body against
his.
 
All of him was hard especially the
part that pushed against her lower abdomen. She knew this is where they would
join, and her ache for him deepened.
 

She
moved her thigh over his hip to bring him closer.

Noah
groaned. “Don’t.”

Rosalind
knew he was trying to be honorable, but she was already ruined for anyone else.
And she wanted this and wanted it now.

She
trailed a hand down his chest and to the flat plains of his stomach.
 
Noah hissed in a breath.
 
She continued until she grasped the rigid
length of him through his pants.
 
He
groaned and thrust against her hand.
 

“This
is wrong,” he bit out.

“Not
when we both want it,” she argued.

“Rosalind
you can’t know what you are doing, or what will happen.”

She
tightened her hold and rubbed her hand up and down.
 
“No, I don’t,” she admitted. “But I want to
know, now, with you.”

Noah
blew out a breath and rolled away from her. Panic surged.

He
wasn’t leaving was he? Had her boldness disgusted him?
 
As he sat, Noah ripped the shirt over his
head and stood. Turning, he faced her and began unfastening his trousers. His
eyes bore into hers. “There will be no turning back.”

Her
mouth went dry at the sight of his chiseled chest and the way his muscles
tightened across his abdomen. Were all gentlemen so finely sculpted?

His
thumbs hooked into the top of his pants, and he pushed them down over his hips
before kicking them away. When he straightened, Rosalind saw for the first time
what she had been caressing through his clothing. His firm manhood jutted
out.
 
Tentatively, she reached out to
touch him.
 
She ran her fingers over the
length amazed at the soft skin above the solid strength.
 
Noah pushed his hips forward, and she grasped
her hand around the length of him. How did one give a man pleasure as he had
done for her?

His
hips jutted back and forth, and Rosalind moved with and against him. He grew
thicker and harder as moisture beaded at the end. She smoothed it across the
tip with her thumb.

“Rosalind,
I can’t take this,” he ground out before bending and pushing her back on the
bed.
 
He paused only long enough to yank
the night dress, twisted about her waist, up and over her head so that she was
as naked as he.

She
swallowed at the mixture of fear and excitement that coursed through her body.

He
came down upon her. His hips cradled between her thighs and braced himself
above her. Noah looked in to her eyes. “Are you certain?”

Rosalind
couldn’t speak and simply nodded. He lowered his mouth to hers as his manhood
nudged against her womanhood.

* * *

Noah
knew he should not take her. He should have never laid her on the bed, but it
was too late to turn back now. He needed her, and if he did not possess
Rosalind at this moment, he might very well perish.
 

Yes,
it was melodramatic, and he would survive but be miserable. He nudged her
thighs further apart and brushed the spot that brought her pleasure. Shifting,
he touched her with the tips of his fingers rubbing until she moved beneath
him. Her hips rose and within moments she arched and shattered.
 
Noah didn’t give her a chance to recover this
time and pushed inside.
 
Her moist heat
enveloped him, and it was all Noah could do to keep from coming at that
moment.
 
Slowly he stretched her making
her virgin body as ready as it could ever be.
  
What he was about to do could never be undone.

Pulling
back, he lowered his mouth to hers and thrust forward.
 
Rosalind stiffened beneath him, and he
stopped moving waiting for her to become accustomed to his body.
 
Her warm, damp walls pulsated around him, and
Noah gritted his teeth keeping a tight rein on control.
 

When
her body relaxed, he moved slowly not wishing to hurt her any more than he
already had. Slowly, she began to move with him. Her breaths were panting
again, and her body tightened, held, and pushed. He lifted her hips, and
Rosalind’s legs went about him drawing him even deeper into her body.

He
let his head fall to the side of hers against the pillow and thrust over and
over. She met and retreated moving with him as if they were made for each
other.
 
Her fingernail clawed into his
shoulder as her moans became louder.
 
Noah kissed her as his tongue mimicked the movements of his body.
 
Her body tightened, squeezing, as she cried
out into this mouth, and Noah lost all control and released his seed deep
inside her womb.

He
lay there a moment as the power of his release slowly abated, and her legs
dropped back to the bed.
 
Noah fell to
his side drawing Rosalind close.
 

He
would never be the same again.

Rosalind
snuggled against him, and Noah drew the covers over their bodies as he kissed
her temple.
 
His heart had still not
returned to a normal rhythm, and perhaps it never would.
 

“I
want to be wed before Christmas,” he announced.
 
Hell, he wanted to be married now so that he never had to be parted from
her again.

Rosalind
tilted her head back and looked at him. “Perhaps you should ask your family
first.”

“What
do they have to do with this?”
 
Surely
she knew they all liked her, and there would be no issue with Rosalind becoming
his bride.
 

“They
deserve the truth.”
 

Perhaps
she was correct. One day the history may be learned, and his family would need
to be prepared.

“They
may object to you marrying the likes of me.”

Noah
sat up and looked down at her. “Do not ever refer to yourself as if you are not
worthy of those around you.” He kissed her gently. “My family will support you,
and they will weather any storm if Society decides to embrace the potential
scandal.”

“Is
it fair, though?” she argued. “Three of your sisters have not wed.”

He
hadn’t considered those consequences. “It won’t matter.”

She
swallowed and bit her lip staring up at him.
 
“I will marry you only if they have no objection.”

“You
will marry me because I want you to.”

“Not
if it will harm them.”

“What
about what we have just done. There could be consequences.”

She
sighed. “We will address that if and when the time comes.”

“As
we celebrate our marriage.”

Rosalind
narrowed her eyes at him. “Not until your family has all the facts.”

Noah
sighed and fell back on the bed. Clearly Rosalind was going to be stubborn, but
he was confident his family would embrace her as a new sister regardless of her
birth. She just needed to see the proof. As they would arrive at his home
tomorrow, he could wait until then before calling on Vicar Grant and requesting
her hand.

Rosalind
rolled to her side and laid her head on his shoulder. The tip of her finger
circled his nipple. If she continued to caress him, he would make love to her
again which would be unfair because she was probably tender.
 
He covered her hand with his stilling it.

“We
still need to deal with Lady Jillian.”

Noah
groaned. Why did Rosalind have to mention her at a time like this? “Once we are
at the estate, I intend to enlist my sisters, step-mother, and Sandlin in
helping me rid myself of her without bringing destruction to your family.”

Rosalind
lifted herself up on an elbow and looked down at him.
 
“The Sandlins are at your estate now?”

“Yes,
I sent word before we left. They will probably arrive before we do.”