The Duke and the Dressmaker (The St. James Series) (11 page)

He kissed her cheek and a path down her jaw. “Then I must make you forget your nerves. We will not do anything you don’t want to do.” His hand trailed a slow path from the side of her knee up her thigh, rotating slow circles by her hip before finally cupping her breast.

“You are absolutely beautiful, Sara. Every inch of you is meant for a man’s hands
— my hands.” Philip leaned down and covered her mouth with his, kissing her with a growing urgency. Moving lower, he found her nipple and she cried out, arching her back, pressing into him.

How could she know it was supposed to feel good to have a man’s hands on her body?
His soft caresses, his warm breath, his hard muscles… she wanted more. Touching his coarse chest hairs, she teased her hands down his rippled abdomen until she found what she was searching for. She wanted Philip with a frenzy she could not comprehend.

He pulled her hand away
. “Not yet, love. You will make me embarrass myself like a schoolboy.” The heat in his eyes warmed her belly, pooled in her thighs. She smiled inwardly, hoping she had made the right decision to share such intimacies with this man.

His lips found hers again, and she opened willingly for his tongue to explore the wet caverns of her mouth
. Tangling his hands in her hair, he tugged her closer as if he couldn’t get enough of her. A loud moan broke into her thoughts, and she couldn’t believe it had come from herself. She wrapped her hand around his arm, digging her nails into his bicep, relishing the hardness, the power she found there.

What was happening to her?

He rained kisses down her neck and across her collarbone until he found her nipple once more. He teased each velvety tip until they reached hard, taut peaks, as if begging for more.

Pulling his head from her breast, he whispered into her neck, “Sara, you are so beautiful
. You have no idea how much I want you.” Her lashes fluttered open in time to see the raw passion in his eyes, turning the color to a deep dark blue. A low, husky groan erupted from his throat before he took her mouth again, thrusting and plundering her with sweet torture.

Returning to her nipple, he pulled hard on the tip, then ran his teeth across the tender apex, his breath rasping against her skin until she wanted to scream. Why was this so different with Philip? Sex had never been satisfying, in fact it had bordered on painful for her. Duncan had been so rough. Would Philip hurt her when he came inside her? But how could he? She had never wanted Duncan inside her, not like she wanted Philip now.

He ran kisses down her belly as she watched, clinging to him. His tongue ran down the inside o
f each thigh on her tender skin, his hands reached her tangle of curls, teasing her with a roughness she reveled in. Her breath grew ragged, she panted at each further touch of his tongue. When his tongue touched her nub, she screamed.

Her hand clutched his hair. “Philip, I don’t understand. Philip. What are you doing to me?” Confusion etched her brow as she viewed his head between her legs.
She couldn’t believe what he was doing, yet she was powerless to ask him to stop. His tongue probed her most tender parts at the juncture of her thighs until she cried out in sweet surrender, pleasure rippling through her senses.

He rose up to his knees and gazed at her.
“Sweetness, you drive me to madness. I cannot wait any longer.”

Lowering himself over her, h
e settled his broad frame between her knees and teased her entrance. Touching her with his hands, he inserted his finger inside her slickness.

“Oh, sweetheart, you do want me. You are so hot and wet for me.”

He removed his finger and entered her swiftly. She cried out.

“Philip, oh my heavens, what are you doing to me?”

She relished the feel of him filling her, shocked it did not hurt the way it had with her husband.

“
Relax, sweetness. Let it come. It is meant to be,” he whispered in her ear.

What? What was meant to be? She lost all coherent thought and strained her hips
toward him, trying to take him in further, fighting for every inch of him. She stared at the glistening sweat covering the perfection of his body, grasping at his hips to urge him deeper, faster.

“Philip, please.” She wanted him to thrust faster,
harder, she was totally powerless against the demands of her body at that moment. Her back arched just as she tumbled over the edge.

“Philip
,” she screamed. “Oh my God, Philip.” Her world turned upside down, inside out. She gasped as wave after wave of pleasure rippled through her. Philip groaned as he pumped harder into her.

Climaxing with a roar, h
e buried himself into her as far as he could before uttering one last groan, his senses clouded beyond repair.

Afterward, h
e fought to hold himself on his elbows, to keep his weight from crushing the tiny creature beneath him bathed in satiety. Kissing her brow, he smiled at her, watching the newfound wonder spread through her, rejoicing that he had been the one to put such a look on her face.

As his breathing started to slow, he rolled
onto his back, pulling her with him. He nestled her under his arm, with her head on his chest. His hands continued to caress her back and her arms. She noticed the sweat beaded on his chest, licked a drop and smiled at his saltiness.

“I had no idea,” Sara finally whispered when she was able to speak.

“Was that your first orgasm?” Philip tipped her chin up so he could see her green eyes.

“Yes,
and it was wonderful, Philip. I thought only men enjoyed sex.” She ran her finger over his flat belly and circled his navel.

“Ah, sweetness.
That is your husband’s loss. He had no idea what a treasure you are.” He kissed the top of her head.

Her head lifted and she
searched his eyes. “Treasure? I do not understand you.”

“It is up to the man to pull all the passion from his lover. I knew from the beginning you were filled with passion. You have a goldmine of loving inside you
, Sara.”

Sara peered at him curiously,
confusion etched in her features.

“I promise to show you, if you will
allow me,” he whispered.

She leaned her head back on his chest, not knowing what to answer to that. Would she let him? What did she want from him? He certainly would never offer her marriage, would he? She didn’t know. She just didn’t have enough knowledge of men and how they worked, or the way society worked. Life was very cruel.

But she wouldn’t think of that right now.

Chapter Sixteen

Philip rolled out of bed and held his hand out to her.

“Come, Sara, I need to relax you even more.”

Placing
her hand in his, she followed him into the adjoining room.

He didn’t have to look at her to know she was blushing as she trailed behind him. Why did women hide their nudity so?

Sara gasped when she entered the next room. He turned to catch her expression when she noted her surroundings. In the middle sat a huge porcelain tub filled with steaming water. There were racks of thick towels in the room. Next to the tub sat a small table filled with two glasses of wine and a platter of cheese and fruit.

“I had this made special. Do you like it? Come
. Climb in. You need to relax your strained body. Your life is way too stressful, Lady Downey.” Philip stood in front of her, holding his hand out to help her into the tub.

“
This is wonderful, Philip.” She stuck a toe in the water, and then moaned as she climbed into the warmth.

“Move over, sweetness. It is big enough for two
. I am joining you.”

Sara squealed as he climbed into the tub and sat down. She giggled uncontrollably as water lapped over the sides onto thick towels. He situated himself so he was facing her and handed her a glass of wine.
He settled himself with his own glass of wine and his other arm wrapped around her long legs.

Sara leaned her head back against the tub. “Oh, Philip, this is heavenly.” As she moved, she brushed up against his leg and giggled. “And you have very hairy legs.”

“Oh, do I now? And do you want to see what else I have that is very hairy?” He grabbed her hand but she pulled back screaming.

“Stop, stop!” Sara’s laughter echoed in the room. What a beautiful sound it was to him. He didn’t think he had ever heard her laugh before. What a sin
. She was even more beautiful when she laughed. He had only seen her smile, and that had been a private smile for the Ardleigh infant.

He set her back and returned her wine to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes,
enjoying each other’s presence, sipping their wine.

“Sara?”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

“Your marriage to Duncan.
Why you know so little about sex? I think maybe I shocked you a few times? Maybe you would feel better if you talked about it?” His eyes bored into hers. He stroked her leg as he talked, hoping to calm her down.

Sara
stared at the water for a few moments. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, raspy. He could tell she fought back tears.

“What do you want me to say? That my husband was no lover? Well, clearly he was not. But I had nothing to judge him by. I was a virgin when I married
, and my father had protected me from boys. I never kissed anyone but my husband. In fact, I really had no idea what took place between husband and wife. My father said it was my husband’s job to teach me.”

“But he didn’t really, did he? He taught you the hard way.”

Philip’s hand fisted under the water.

“On our wedding night, he just told me to lay there and shut up. And when I cried when he ripped
through my virginity, he slapped me. So I never spoke another word to him in the bedroom.”

Philip fought to maintain control. A few more minutes passed in silence. He continued to massage her legs. Sara had covered her breasts with her arms. That small movement angered Philip.

“Your husband did not appreciate your beauty, did he, sweetness?”

Sara gulped her wine as she shook her head.

“Do you know what I think?” Philip asked as he reached for her, setting their wine glasses down first. “I think your husband insulted you to tear apart your self-regard.”

As he
spoke, he gently eased her toward him. “I think your husband ridiculed you so he would have complete control over you. He tried to guarantee you would always stay with him and do what he ordered you to do. He wanted to be sure you would never challenge him.”

Sara was confused by his words but trusted Philip. He reached for the soap and a small cloth. He rubbed them together until it was lathered in suds. He ran his hand up the underside of her
arm and held her sensitive skin as he ran the cloth down her arm. She trembled in his hands as she watched him, not knowing what to expect.

As he w
ashed her arms, he whispered to her, “You have the slender, graceful beauty of a noble woman. You have what so many women try to attain, but can never have. You have class. Your body and your blood overflow with elegance. I cannot imagine the things he must have told you to try to kill your poise.”

He placed his hand behind her knee and gathered
her bent leg to his lips. “Don’t let him win. Do not let him attack your loveliness, your refinement. It is in your soul because it is meant to be. Your mother probably gave it to you. Fight his wickedness. Get his words out of your head.”

Sara reached out and grabbed his arms as the tears flowed down her cheeks. “But I am not
beaut…”

“Yes, you are. You have the most gorgeous set of legs I have ever seen. Your breasts are the kind men dream about at night. The skin on your body is flawless.” He washed her shoulders and her breasts.
She leaned toward him and dropped her head to his shoulder as the tears continued.

“Tell me that you realize how stunning your face is
.” He soaped her back and then held her. Quiet sobs racked her slender body.

“Tell me, sweetness.”
He grasped her chin and held her head up. He gazed at her tear stained face. “Tell me that you are beautiful. Please,” he implored.

Sara’s voice broke as she gazed into his blue eyes. “I am…beautiful.” She kissed him hard on the mouth,
then retreated to stare in his eyes again.

“Yes, you are. Do you believe me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you believe yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me you won’t let him win.”

“I won’t let him win.”

“Louder.”

“I won’t let him win.”

“Louder.”

Sara shouted. “I won’t let him win!”

“That’s better.” He drew her close
and held her until her tears subsided.

“Now, I think the water is getting a bit cold
, and I have a chore for you.” Philip stood and helped her to stand. He took a thick towel and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Dry off, and then I will ask something of you.” He helped her dry herself
, and step out of the tub. She gave him a sweet smile.

“Yes? What is it?”
she asked innocently.

He took hold of her hand and placed a cloth in hers. “Now, you can wash me.” He st
ared at her to gauge her reaction.

Sara smothered a gasp at what he asked her to do, but decided it was a fair request. Though his body frightened her, she was also curious.
Her husband had never allowed her to touch him. She glanced quickly down at his maleness, but didn’t think it looked as big as it did before.

He reached for her chin, pulling it up.
“Start with my chest, sweetness.”

Sara ran the soapy cloth over his chest and discovered that she like
d his coarse dark hairs. She ran her fingers through his hair and lowered the direction of the cloth.

“Careful,
honey.” He winked at her.

She was surprised to see that his hair was thinner near his waist and ran the cloth
toward his pubic hair.

“Oh!” she remarked as her eyes averted back to his face.

Philip chuckled. “See what you do to me? I tried to warn you. Look again, I don’t mind.”

Sara marveled as his member grew. She stared at it, wide-eyed in delight.

“Can I touch you?” she gazed at Philip with a quirky smile.

“Please do. Believe me, I will enjoy it.”

She touched him gingerly, then ran her finger down his length. “Oh, Philip! You are so soft.”

“Promise me never to repeat those words to anyone
but me. Men do not like to hear they are soft.”

“Well, you are very hard, but the skin is so soft, like velvet.”
A wicked smile crossed her lips.

Philip groaned as she wrapped her hand around him.

Snatching her hand back, she looked up at him. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, you did not hurt me.
Do it again.”

Sara smiled and wrapped her hand around him, sliding it up and down on him.

He groaned again and stilled her hand. “Stop before you unman me, woman.” He gave her a playful shove and said, “Into bed with you, you have tortured me enough.”

She flew into the room
, and he followed her. When he caught her, he lifted her up into the air from behind and pulled her in close to him.

Her whole body tensed. “No, no, Philip, please don’t spank me.
Please, no.”

Philip let go of her instantly. “Spank you, what? Oh
, is that what he liked to do?”

Sara flew over to the wall, cringing as she stared at him.

“Sara, look at me.” He pointed to his flaccid penis. “I do not get pleasure from hurting women. See how fast it went down. I will never hurt you.”

Sara
studied him a moment. He was right. His penis had been hard and erect; now it was soft. Not Duncan’s. With Duncan, the more he hit her, the more she screamed, the harder he got. They were different. Oh, glory be, they were different. She ran to Philip and threw her arms around him. “I am sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“It’s all right.” He held her tight. “In fact, we are going to do this differently.”

She pulled back. “What do you mean?”

“You are going to make love to me. I want you in control. I want you to see how passionate you are.” He kissed her neck. “I want you to understand that I don’t have to be in control. You decide what we do.”

He led her to the large chair.

“I don’t understand, Philip.”

“You will. Be patient, and you will.”

One towel still
lay on the chair so he spread it out and sat, tugging her closer. “I want you to straddle me, one knee on either side of my legs.”

Sara settled herself and
looked into Philip’s eyes. “Now what do I do?”

“Ah, sweetness, that is the beauty of this position. We will do whatever you want to do. You are in control. I think you will surprise yourself.”
He ran his hands over the perfect globes of her bottom.

She decided to kiss him. He had already done so much for her. If she wasn’t careful, she would find herself falling in love with him. The way he had held her when she cried,
the way he’d caressed her skin certainly told her what kind of man he was. She didn’t think he would enjoy hurting her either. She actually was elated at all she had discovered in such a short time.

She kissed him tentatively on the mouth. Pulling back, she ran her tongue along his bottom lip. He opened his mouth and pulled her in close. He kissed her hard, possessing her. Gazing into her eyes again, he let her know how much he wanted her.

“Sorry, you are in charge. I lost myself.” Philip appeared chagrined as he peeked at her.

Sara giggled and decided to tease him. Her tongue traced his jaw, down the side of his neck
, and traveled to his ear. Her thumbs found his nipples before her tongue trailed a path from his collarbone to each hard point. Her teeth scraped his right nipple as he groaned. She smiled at the power she felt over him.

“I think I would like you to touch me
.” She glanced at him furtively.

“Oh, would you like that? And where would you like me to touch you?”

He ran his hands up the backs of her legs, caressing her buttocks.

“Oh!” she started
at the intimate caress. “I like that, but I think I will have you start on my breasts.” She reached back and strategically placed his hands on her breasts. “I think you will know what to do.”

She smiled at him, wiggled her bottom over him
, and continued her tongue tease.

Philip ran his tongue
over her nipple. A small moan escaped her throat. She went with her feelings and sat up to give him better access to her breasts. Her hands grasped his head and pulled him in closer.

“Ah, you like this?” He suck
ed hard, and she threw her head back as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her hand made its way down his back, around his front and through his chest hair. She pinched his nipples as she moved against him. His hardness stroked her cleft. He groaned as he caught her other breast and ravaged her nipple. She responded by rubbing herself along the length of him between her legs.

Ecstatic and shocked at the feelings she had again, she spread her legs wider, giving him access to her entrance.