Tonight or Never (15 page)

Chloe's arms twined around his strong neck as she leaned into the kiss, giving it depth.
Should she live to be a hundred, she doubted she would take his kisses for granted. They were simply too special. Evocative and alluring, they seemed to satisfy while beckoning for more.

It was an expertise Chloe doubted could be learned.

This is John.

No wonder the women of the ton found him so irresistible. One taste and she was craving more.
Delectable… so very luscious.

While she cataloged his attributes, the edge of her little finger skimmed along his earlobe.

She blinked.

His lobe was so incredibly soft—like downy velvet.
What a fabulous discovery
! She immediately began to nibble at his ear.

"Chloe, stop!
We need to be—"

"No, really, John, I need to check something here."

He chuckled, but when she stopped nibbling to tease his ear with the tip of her tongue, he put a stop to her play by pulling back.

"I'm serious; I don't want to injure you. We need to rest.
You
need to rest."

"If you insist."
She sighed mournfully.

"I do." He kissed the top of her head. "I want you well rested for what I have in mind for tomorrow."

"If you insist," she repeated in a dull voice, exhaling a gust of air. "We wouldn't want to have you overdo it your first day," she said grouchily.

Smiling, he tugged playfully on her earlobe. "No, we wouldn't want that."

"Very well."
She sighed dramatically, snuggling in to go to sleep. "But I expect a better showing tomorrow."

"Oh, you shall have it," he drawled sexily.

"Promises, promises…"

"
Mmm
."
His broad palm cupped the back of her head as he gathered her closer in his embrace.

"Although you do make a very nice pillow."
She yawned.

Already she sounded sleepy; he was glad he had called a halt. Well, not all of him was glad. He shifted his position slightly, trying to relieve a burdensome pressure.

It wasn't very long before gentle puffs of air drifted across his chest. She was fast asleep. He looked down at her lying in his arms.
Sweet, sweet Chloe.
How had he ever deserved this?

When he had discovered she hadn't been with another man, he had felt something close to gratitude well up in him. He had no right having such feelings. Not with his past.

This was more complex than he first thought.

He examined the dainty profile that he could probably draw in the dark. It had been etched into his psyche when he was sixteen. That very day—the day he met her—he began worrying about her.

And he was still doing it!

Briefly, he wondered if, once you took it up, it became a lifetime position: Chloe's Official Worrier. He snorted.

Tonight she had been more than any man could ever hope for—responsive, giving, warm, and… trusting.

It was the trusting part that bothered him.

Why did she trust him so? He had told her time and again she must never trust any man in this area. Of course he didn't mean
him
—he'd never deceive her; he couldn't.

Still, she should have more sense. Gingerly, he felt the bump on the back of his head, his eyes narrowing. Then again, when he gave her that advice, he never thought he'd be in a position to—

Just what did you think?

That was precisely the dilemma. He had never stopped to think about the future, hers or his.

Now the future was here; they were wed and there were certain terms he would be expected to abide by.
The terms of their agreement.
He was to share his sexual knowledge with her so she could lead the same life he did.

So she could seek out other men to
… !

A masculine, territorial, possessive, heretofore unheard voice within him seethed.

Why should I allow that?

Well, he
had
given her his word.

So what if he did? An astute man could always find an alternative interpretation to an agreement.

Could he get away with it? Chloe was extremely sharp. He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes.
Exactly what kind of a bargain have I made here
?

The kind that spells trouble, he acknowledged prosaically.

Feminine lips teased his collarbone.

"Chloe…" he murmured sleepily, eyes still closed.

"How did you know it was me?" she teased him.

He smiled, opening his eyes.
"Lucky guess."

"You scapegrace."
She nipped him sharply on the nose.

He laughed heartily, white teeth flashing. "No, I'd know those lips anywhere."

Chloe fell for the bait.
"Really?
How?"
She rubbed his nose with her own.

"Nibble
nibble
, pause to examine the situation, nibble
nibble
…"

"You are shameless!" She pinched a vulnerable spot between his arm and chest.

Two dimples curved his cheeks. "Besides, who else would sleep all night with her arms around my neck and her pinkie cuddling my earlobe?" He snickered at the Chloe oddity.

She blushed. "It is so soft, John; it feels just like velvet."

The lids of his eyes instantly lowered. "It does, does it? Would you like to feel something else just as soft?"

John's voice had changed from amused to seductive in the blink of an eye.
Very good
.

Matching his tone, she peeked up at him through her lashes. "What would that be?"

"This." His hand covered hers. Entwining their fingers together, he lifted their hands from his chest and placed them on her breast.

Under the command of his, their two hands stroked the soft underside.

"Like satin, sweet," he said on a breath.

Chloe stared at him, watching his pupils dilate to the tactile sensation he created for both of them. She had always known he was a sensuous man.

"And this…" He skimmed their entwined hands down her torso to barely sweep at the curls at her juncture.

His knuckles skimmed her cleft. Chloe sucked in her breath.

"And
this
."
He brought her closer to him so their hands brushed the tip of his erection.

While still gripping her, John maneuvered his thumb and forefinger around her forefinger, straightening it out to point. Holding her this way, he moved his hand in a circular motion so that the pad of her finger caressed the tip of him.

He was downy velvet there too.
So soft, yet so hard.

"You feel so exquisite," she whispered, awed by his magnificence.

"Men are not exquisite, Chloe-
keet
." He pressed a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

"You are." She turned her head, capturing his mouth.

He ardently returned her kiss.

Taking her hand, he trailed it down the length of his staff, allowing her finger to make the long slide on the underside of him. An appreciative purr reverberated in his throat.

Since he liked it so much, Chloe decided to take over the motion, running her finger up and down the thick shaft and around the blunt tip.

"Yes, oh yes," he affirmed in a hint of voice. He suckled on her lower lip, drawing it delicately into his mouth.

Releasing her hand, he trailed his own forefinger down the curve of her belly, running the pad around and around the rim of her navel, and then down again into her nether curls.

Mirroring her action, he inserted his finger in her dewy softness, circling and stroking up and down the damp cleft. Concurrently, his agile tongue delved deeply into her mouth, stroking and sliding in a matching rhythm.

The sensations he created were overpowering. Chloe stopped her own motions for a second, overcome by what he was doing to her. Perhaps this needed an opinion?

"Don't
stop,
my beautiful wife. Not now."

My beautiful wife
.
With that encouragement, Chloe grasped his member in her hand and massaged its entire length. Impossibly, he seemed to grow even larger and firmer within her grip.

Chloe marveled at what she had done; there was a feeling of genuine accomplishment.
Just look at the size of it
! His manhood jerked in her palm, reminding her that it wanted more.

She gave more.

Rolling the head around the center of her palm, she sheathed him with her other hand, massaging gently. An exclamation of sheer bliss followed the tremor that shook him.

A matching tingle skipped through her from the place where he was playing so skillfully.

His lips captured the peak of her breast to suckle.

Chloe shuddered at the augmented sensation. John was very, very good at this.

"
I want to come inside you, Lady Sexton
."

His enticing suggestion, uttered in a drawling half whisper, added to her arousal.

Chloe nodded, nuzzling her cheek across the edge of his sensual mouth.

He clasped her knee and lifted it over his hip as they lay on their sides. The position brought them in perfect alignment.

"Bring me to you," he coaxed, his hot breath fanning her lips.

She looked at him and knew what he wanted. Grasping him firmly, she brought the head of his manhood to her woman's portal.

John watched her. "Now guide me home, love."'

Chloe moved forward and down on him, bringing him slowly inside. Inch by inch he sank into her, filling her to the hilt. They both moaned.

When she could go no farther, he placed his hands on her hips and drove into her that little bit more.

Chloe could not hold back her opinion on this.
"
Ohhh
."

"Are you all right?" He stilled, speaking raggedly in her ear. "No discomfort?"

"N-no, just incredible pleasure."

"Ah…"

Her small hands cupped his face. "Let's stay like this forever."

He drew in a sharp breath.
Have mercy
. Where did she ever learn to ignite a man like that? "Chloe… when you say something like that, I—"

He didn't finish, just melded his mouth to hers. Chloe moaned at the rich, fiery dampness of him.

"When you're ready… move. Do whatever feels comfortable." His tongue teased at the small dimples at the corners of her mouth.

Cautiously, she began moving against him. They both felt every nuance of the motion; they both relished the sensitive experience.

Soon her novice motions picked up speed and ingenuity. She changed the pace. She writhed; she slid; she moved in an altogether sinuous way.

John maintained his stationary position, his mouth playing with her throat, her ear, her collarbone—once even biting her shoulder when she ground against him hard.

The Lord of Sex let her find her own way, patiently allowing her to take
him
.

After a time, his palms came down to cup her derriere. His hands began to guide her on him in a different way. Bringing her up tight and close, he rotated her upon his shaft with an expertise seldom seen.

She moved but could not control the style of motion. He stayed immobile, but controlled the strength and depth of her thrusts.

It was an incredibly erotic experience for them both.

In this way—with his strong, knowledgeable hands guiding her energetic movements—he brought them both to a shattering, masterful culmination.

It was not an end, however.

Chloe soon learned that John was only beginning. She barely had time to catch her breath before he began anew, showing her yet another variation of the same technique.

Throughout the day and long into the night he made good on his promise. In fact, his performance was outstanding. She wasted no time in telling him so.

The viscount's rich, deep laughter resonated in the bedchamber. "I'm glad you approve, madam."

He winked at her rakishly.

And continued to thrust.

Chapter Seven

Zambeau
Ensconces

A pounding on the bedroom door awoke them.

"Don't answer it." John burrowed back into the curve of her shoulder.