Once Upon a Rake (15 page)

He drew in a sharp breath.
He had never seen a woman so willowy. He had tended to go for curvaceous women,
even sometimes plump. Why had he never considered such a woman until Ellie? She
had the most beautiful breasts he had ever seen. The corsets she wore likely
did a fine job of pushing them up as they were not as bountiful as he might
have thought, but he put a hand over one and found it filled his hand
perfectly. And the colour of her nipples... Pink and dusky and as tempting as
her lips. He had no choice but to bend down and taste one.

Lucian didn’t spend long
there, though he promised himself he would soon. He had to take in the rest of
her once more. She shuddered and arched into his touch as he skimmed a hand
down the delicate indent of her waist and eyed her long limbs. Why had he never
imagined what it would be like to bed a woman with such long legs? They went on
forever and images of them wrapped around his hips rocked him.

“Definitely...would...not
choose my horse,” he grated out.

Grasping her hip, he dug his
fingers into her flesh and drew her close to press his arousal against her.
Ellie sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his
head at the feel of her soft and pliant against him. She might be slender but
she was warm and feminine.

Ellie remained stiff for a
while until he rocked into her, then she melted like butter in his arms, giving
herself up to his kisses. Her mouth moved eagerly against his and the tempest
swept them up once more. Desperate hands came between them and set to work
tugging at the remainder of his clothes. He kissed her as he fought to slip his
feet out of his shoes. He
tried
to kiss her as he tugged off his
trousers. To break away while he tore off his trousers and drawers almost
killed him.

A gasp echoed about the room
and he vaguely wondered if she’d finally registered the ugliness of his scars
but, when a cool hand came to cup him as he straightened, any thoughts of any
kind flew from his mind. He groaned and thrust his fingers into her hair to
tilt her head back and claim the arch of her throat. Her touch spoke of
inexperience—strange for a widow, but then had he not figured out her husband
neglected her?—yet it was a bold, inquisitive touch, and one that had him
reeling. Heat licked through his body and consumed him in every way.

Ellie consumed him in every
way.

Fearing his knees might give
way, he hooked a hand under her legs and swung her into his arms. One of the
many benefits of having such a lithe creature in his arms, he thought to
himself. She was so easy to manoeuvre. He could have a great deal of fun
showing her all sorts of positions.

But for now, the bed would
do. He cursed when he nearly tripped on his shoes and spilled her onto the bed.
She giggled and buried her head against his neck, her soft curls teasing his
skin. In all his years of pursuing women, he did not think, firstly, he had
ever been such a blundering fool, and secondly, that he had ever felt the urge
to laugh and grin whilst making love.

Her giggles where infectious
as he too laughed as he dropped her to the bed, making her bounce against the
purple bedding.

Lucian crawled over her and
paused to rest on both hands so he could view her. Mirth still twinkled in her
grey eyes—eyes that drew him in and made him forget all reason.

“Do you laugh at me, Ellie?”

“Just a little,” she
admitted.

“Many men would be greatly
offended.”

“You are not many men.”

He resisted the urge to puff
out his chest. “That is true. Little Ellie, you have such a way with words.”

Disappointment shuttered her
gaze and he slipped a leg between hers to bring them closer together before
dropping a kiss to her nose. “What is it? Is this not what you wish?”

If she said no, it would
kill him. He held his breath and awaited her answer.

“You still see me as little
Ellie.”

Ah. Lucian eased back enough
to prop himself on one elbow, his leg still twined with hers. “Old habits die
hard and I speak only with fondness.” He skimmed a hand down her side and back
up to cup her breast. She instinctively arched into his touch, an age-old
movement that made blood roar in his ears. “Here, on this bed, naked and
wanting, I see you only as a beautiful woman with needs.”

“Beautiful?” she whispered,
disbelief tingeing her voice.

“Yes, beautiful.” He leaned
over her once more to kiss a path down her neck to the hollow of her breasts.
“Now are you to keep me talking all night or am I to make use of this beautiful
naked body?”

Ellie gasped in delight as
he sealed his mouth around one nipple and drew it into his mouth. “Oh, make use
of me. Please.”

Her breathy plea was the
undoing of him. There would not be many more words, he suspected. Just touches
and cries.

Using his teeth to nibble
lightly at her nipples, he concentrated on them until she was writhing beneath
him. He then kissed his way down the delicate span of her waist and even
stopped to kiss her hips. When he drew apart her thighs, her scent greeted him
and if possible, he grew harder. He touched the nest of brown curls and she
jolted towards his fingers.

Lucian grinned. She might
not be little Ellie in body or mind anymore, but she was in soul. She demanded
pleasure and was not shy about it. The Ellie he had known had taken delight in
every moment. Until his foolish behaviour that was. It relieved him to see that
woman remained, even if tucked away.

“Lucian,” she breathed when
he split those curls with his fingers and brushed her sensitive skin to find
her wet and wanting.

He dropped lower to bring
his lips to the inside of her thigh. Soft skin met his mouth and the fragrance
of her intoxicated him. He had to have a taste.

Keeping her parted for him
with a hand on either thigh, he lapped his tongue up towards his prize. She
uttered a surprised sound but surrendered instantly when he pressed his tongue
into her. With long strokes, he pleasured her until she was squirming beneath
him. He took the opportunity to suck and nibble her pearl while she clawed at
his back. The noises she made would flatter any man’s ego. He only hoped the
walls of the hotel were thick.

Her thighs locked around him
and her hands winnowed into his hair. He had little choice but to bring her to
her peak—though not even wild horses could have dragged him away. When he felt
tiny tremors wrack her body and her thighs tighten around him further, he
thrust one finger up into her and circled her nub rapidly with his tongue. It
took only moments for her to burst apart beneath him and he savoured her
trembling orgasm while lapping gently until she collapsed.

Swiping the back of a hand
across his mouth, he rose up and slid beside her. He kept a possessive hand on
her breast and eyed her. “I hope you’re not done,” he said with a grin.

She turned her head to eye
him and echoed his grin. In fact, it was likely more wicked than any grin he
had ever bestowed upon a woman. A hand pressed him back and she came over to
straddle him. What had he done? He had unleashed a beast. Lucian dropped his
head back and surrendered to her. What else could he do but enjoy the ride?

Along for the Ride

Emboldened by his drooped eyelids and the way his chest rose
and fell rapidly when she straddled him, Ellie skimmed her fingers down his
chest to trace the ripples of his stomach. She sighed. So perfectly built.

She had read of this
position in a naughty book—an instruction manual of a kind, she supposed—but had
never tried it. The times Edward had bedded her had been quick and perfunctory.
And even then he had struggled to find her attractive.

But Lucian did not, it
seemed. His manhood remained firm, large...impressive. Even at the sight of her
on top of him. Remarkably, she did not seem to repulse him. She had no idea
why, but she didn’t care. Little Ellie Browning had one of the most eligible,
attractive men in England between her thighs and she refused to question that.

She looked her fill, using
her fingers and her gaze to trace him. He stared up at her, his green eyes dark
and intense. That wry smile sat on his lips but she did not believe he was
being sardonic. Perhaps her boldness amused him, but either way, she had one
chance with Lucian and she was going to use it to fulfil everything she had
been dreaming of for so many years.

Marvelling at the way his
muscles contracted under her fingers, she dropped her hand down to curl around
his arousal. The heat and strength of him made her body tighten and desire
pooled low in her belly.

So beautiful. Even with the
rough skin on his arm, he was almost too beautiful to look at. His dark hair
was ruffled with a curl falling across his forehead. His full lips begged for
kisses. In fact, the damage to his arm only made him more attractive if
possible. It added a dangerous air—or perhaps increased his dangerous air.
There had never been anything safe about Lucian. He’d always been a rogue.

Lucian reached to cup her
breasts and she batted his hand away. An eyebrow rose and she grinned. “Do not
distract me.”

“Distract you? What of me?
How am I to suffer you touching me when you will not allow me to touch you? You
are like a tempting morsel, just out of reach.”

“Poor Lucian, such a
tortured soul.”

“Oh I am, my love. I am.”

Love. The endearment rang in
her ears and nearly turned her to mush. It meant nothing—a mere throwaway
comment—but it warmed her chest. She certainly preferred it to ‘little Ellie.’

She leaned over him and
flattened her aching breasts to his chest. His breath rasped in his throat and
his shaft pulsed against her. Ellie mimicked his early attentions, kissing her
way down his chest, lapping her tongue over his nipples and kissing his torso.
He stiffened when she tried to kiss his scarred arm so she switched her
attention to his firm thighs. Perhaps his scars affected him more than she
realised. It was astonishing to think Lucian, Viscount of Rushbourne, had a
weakness.

With her tongue, she licked
up his thigh, inhaling the musky scent of him. He groaned and pressed his
fingers into her hair.

“Ellie, don’t you dare,” he
warned.

Grinning, she licked higher.

“Ellie.”

She even heard his teeth
clench together when she darted her tongue over the smooth head of him. He
tasted tangy and slightly salty. She wanted more. Never in her married life had
she ever been able to do such a thing, yet her travels had afforded her much
more knowledge than many gently bred ladies.

Strong hands wrapped around
her arms as he rose up and dragged her back up.

Wide-eyed, she found herself
sprawled atop him and staring into his eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”

“You do everything very
right and any other time, I might have let you continue...”

“You mean I can do that
again?”

He rolled his eyes. “I
swear, you will be the death of me.” She waited for an answer. “Yes, you can do
it again. Just not now. I shall disgrace myself.”

“I do not think that
possible.”

“It is very possible when I
see your beautiful lips touching me... Where in the devil did you learn such things?”

There it was again.
Beautiful. It was impossible to believe yet Lucian had never been one for false
compliments. Quite the opposite, as she well knew.

“Books,” she replied,
dropping a kiss to his lips. “All from books.”

“I think,” he said, skimming
his hands up and down her back, and grasping her rear, “I should take much more
time to read.” She moved against him and saw the cords in his neck stand out.
“Or not.”

His fingers dug into her
flesh and he coaxed her to rock her hips so her damp folds rubbed up and down
his shaft. Bursts of pleasure shot through her and she dug her nails into his
chest.

Jaw tight, he lined her up
with him, never taking his gaze from her. Ellie reached between them and
grasped his arousal to guide him into her. The urge to sink sharply down onto
him drove her wild but he must have sensed her eagerness as his hands pressed
to her hips stopped her.

“Slowly.”

He was right of course. It
had been a long time and even then, she had never been with a man like Lucian.
She inched down, the pace almost unbearable, but his grip remained firm on her.
Ellie felt her eyes go wide as he entered her and that dry smile of his
dropped. Lucian’s expression grew serious and made her chest tighten.

“Bloody hell,” he pressed
through clenched teeth when she could go no further.

Tempted to echo those words,
she pressed her lips together and moved experimentally. The tightness eased
quickly and instant gratification simmered through her veins. She rose and fell
again, unable to prevent a cry spilling from her lips.

Something snapped, maybe
inside her, perhaps inside him. Any restraint she had disappeared with the one
movement and she repeated the movement quickly at the urging of his hands. The
sensation of him so deep inside her was unbelievable and the sight of him so
handsome and serious was almost unbearable. She needed to close her eyes to it
but could not.

Lucian’s grip tightened on
her hips and he lifted his own to work deep inside her while she rode him with
an increasing pace. Her hair tickled her back and likely spilled all about her
but she did not care. All she cared for was more.

Nails scraping across his
chest, frantic sounds escaped her every time he rammed up into her. Her body
grew tight, every muscle clenched in anticipation. A tingle of perspiration
tickled down her back and she noted Lucian’s muscles had grown slick.

“Lucian, Lucian, oh God...”

“That’s it, my love.” He
rested his thumb at the juncture of her thighs and her movements meant her
sensitive nub worked against that coarse thumb.

Those words and his touch
spurred her to the edge. She closed her eyes then and may well have screamed
loud enough that the whole of England heard her, but sounds were muted. Only
his rasping breaths registered. Stars burst behind her lids and she sucked in a
sharp breath to hold it while her body shuddered of its own accord. Warmth
flooded her veins.

When she finally drew in
another breath, Lucian gave her little time to catch it. He rolled her over,
disengaging only long enough to settle between her legs and hook them around
his hips. He lunged into her with ferocious savagery.

Ellie buried her head
against his shoulder as she accepted his lovemaking. His muscles tensed under
her hands and his breathing grew erratic. Through the haze of her orgasm, she
relished every breath and tremor of his strong body. Never in her wildest
dreams had she thought of Lucian like this—desperate and vulnerable in her
arms.

His strong body shuddered
and he released a strangled noise that sounded remarkably like her name. He
withdrew and hot seed touched her thighs. Ellie lifted her head to see his
crumpled expression and her heart stretched impossibly wide. Unable to stop
herself, she stroked a hand over his hair as if he were a child. When he opened
his eyes, she feared she might have ruined everything, that this was it, they
were done and he had no more use for her.

But a smile broke across his
face and he dropped a kiss to her lips before moving away and reaching for a
washcloth.

Ellie stretched her arms and
took the moment to enjoy the sight of his firm bottom while he dipped the cloth
in the washbowl and came back to clean her up. Heat surged into her cheeks at
the thought of him touching her so intimately. It did not matter that he had
just been buried inside her or that he had kissed her there...

Oh Lord, he had kissed her
there.

But that was different. She
had been swept aside by lust. Though desire still lingered very strongly, she
didn’t have that warm haze surrounding her anymore. Now she recalled that she
was a bony thing and her hair was likely in disarray and her rouge would be
gone. She reached for the sheets to draw them over her, but Lucian gripped her
wrist and flung aside the washcloth.

“I don’t think so.”

“What?”

“I’m not done with you yet.”

“Already?”

Lucian chuckled and drew her
to him. “Not quite. But give me a few moments to enjoy you and it will not take
long.”

Ellie was powerless to do
anything but accept his kisses and enjoy the swirl of excitement in her stomach
at the thought of more Lucian.