When Lord Warrington opened the door, Alice wasted no time slipping inside. Ignoring his shocked exclamation, Alice turned in the centre of the finely decorated room and removed her shawl, allowing it to drop from her face even as she offered him a devilish grin.
Looking quite stunned, the earl kicked the door shut with the heel of his boot and stared at her. "Alice, what are you doing here?"
Alice?It was the first time that she'd heard her name from his lips. It caused her to tremble the moment she did.
"I could not wait to see you any longer," she admitted. Stepping toward him. She knew there was only one thing that could wash away the awkwardness of the rest of her night, one thing that could wash away the taint that Mr Gouldsmith had left upon her during their conversation.
Instinctively, Alice reached behind her and began to pull on the lacings of her gown. Lord Warrington raised an eyebrow. "Alice, what are you…"
"We are in this because of lust, are we not, Thomas?" she told him, taking a step forward. Undone, her gown began to slip off her shoulders, giving the Earl a good view of the mounds of flesh that were being pushed up by her stays.
"Alice…"
She could not bear to hear the uncertainty in his tone and so Alice raised her hands to his face and pushed herself onto her tiptoes. She kissed him with such passion that it made her head spin, pleased when she felt him kiss her back.
"This is our last and only night together," she pointed out, breathing the words against his lips. The knowledge clawed at her stomach like an angry bear, and she wanted to deny that it was true. "I wish to make the most of it."
She had spent so long being the good lady, the good daughter, and the easy-going friend. Now she wanted something for herself, something nobody else ever need know about.
"This does not have to mean marriage, does it?" she whispered and felt Thomas tense against her. Then he shook his head, the tip of his nose brushing hers before he began to kiss her.
Relief washed over her. His hands yanked on her gown causing it to fall the rest of the way to the floor, leaving her wearing nothing but her stays and her stockings. All too exposed, Alice panicked for just a moment, wondering whether this was truly what she wanted.
Then Thomas' hands gripped hers and he placed her palms against his chest. He leaned into her and kissed her cheek before whispering into her ear, "I will give you whatever you want."
In that moment, Alice could think of only one thing that she wanted. Him.
Her fingers began to work quickly at the buttons on his shirt and she realised that he must have been undressing when she arrived at his room because his dinner jacket had already found its way onto the back of a chair on the other side of the room.
Together, they made quick work of his clothes. Alice's fingers tore at the material, relieved when they felt bare flesh. His skin was warm, almost feverish beneath her palms as they travelled down his torso. Feeling every inch of muscle, Alice's head began to spin.
It threatened to burst with surprise when her palm came up against the rock-hard member at his groin. Even without looking, Alice could feel the sheer size of him. Again, alarm slammed through her, but it was quickly replaced with delight. Thomas hooked her up into his arms, his hands cupping her bare buttocks. He carried her to the four-poster bed.
Even as he laid her down, Alice tried not to think ahead, tried to think only of what was happening in the moment. Yet a small lump had begun to gather in the back of her throat, knowing that after tonight, after she had given herself to him, she might never see him again. There was no promise, no understanding between them. This was it.
Resigning herself to it, Alice opened her legs to him, determined to at least know the pleasure he could offer her. She was surprised when he did not immediately enter her as she had all but expected. Having been a debutante for some years now, her mother had prepared her well for what came next. Yet this was nothing like how her mother had warned her it would be.
Thomas kissed her lips, then her neck and finally travelled down to her breasts. His tongue lapped gently at each nipple before he took them into his mouth and sucked until she cried out with pleasure.
His mouth travelled lower, coming up between her thighs. Alice bit back an exclamation, feeling his lips kiss her most sensitive area several times before he dipped his tongue deep inside her. A pleasure-filled moan suggested that he liked the taste of her, and Alice's insides twisted up until she believed she could handle no more.
Just when she thought she might have to urge him to stop, Thomas did. Though he did not stop in giving her pleasure, his hand brushed between her thighs even as he came to kneel between her legs. And the moment his hand disappeared, she felt the tip of his member rubbing against her lips.
The gasp caught in her throat when Thomas eased himself gently inside her. He leaned down with his elbows on either side of her, his hands cupping her face as he kissed her, holding her there beneath him even as he began to thrust.
So, this is what it is like to make love,Alice thought, quickly dismissing the idea. This was not love. This was lust. That was all it could be. She resigned herself to it, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. Just when she thought she might not be able to keep quiet any longer, she felt Thomas' hand cup her mouth and nose, keeping her quiet as he urged her body on and on.
Her stomach clenched to the point of pain and just when she thought she needed him to stop, she felt pleasure exploding from deep inside her. It soaked into every limb, making her tremble with delight. She screamed into the palm of his hands, feeling tears prick the corners of her eyes. One rolled down her cheek as he urged her on and on, causing her to climax again and again.
Just when she believed she might not be able to take any more, Thomas pulled back. He left her so suddenly that for a moment she wanted to ask what was wrong. Then he groaned, a sound filled with such a mixture of pleasure and pain that Alice could only watch as his body convulsed, and he reached down to cup the tip of his manhood.
Leaning on one hand for several moments, the Earl's shoulder quivered with the effort. Alice dared not move or speak, merely watching and marvelling at the tension in his muscular upper body.
When he finally moved, he reached for an item of clothing that had been dropped on the floor beside the bed and wiped his hands. Dropping down onto the bed beside her, Thomas urged her onto his chest. She did not protest, enjoying the sound of his heart beating fast beneath her ear.
Neither of them made a sound, save for their breathing. Alice knew that soon she would have to climb from the bed and sneak back to her own room but for the moment all she wanted was to lie there and imagine what it might be like if she did not have to. She closed her eyes and allowed her fingers to trail through the small amount of dark hair on the earl's chest, determined not to think on the fact that in the morning they would depart from Kendall Hall with no idea as to when or if they might ever see each other again.
What have I done?Alice thought, her stomach clenching. She had hoped that giving herself over to the earl might have eased her need to be close to him. Yet lying there on his chest, she was certain that it had quite the opposite effect. The way he lay there stroking the golden hair at the back of her head made her want to purr and stretch and rub herself against him like a feline in heat.
Again, she asked herself,what have I done?But the more important question was,Where do we go from here?