Chapter Fifteen
Having her back in his arms felt better than it should have. So much so that his concentration on the story he read wavered. Quickly closing the book, Finn tossed it in the direction of the table nearby, not caring that it thudded to the floor. “Of course, they lived happily ever after and every problem they’ve ever encountered melted away as if by magic,” he said in a low voice while brushing his lips along the side of Jane’s neck.
“Were you tired of the story?” She turned her head in the attempt to look at him. A small frown had taken possession of her mouth.
“I was not, but I did find something more pressing to take my attention.”
“Oh?” A shiver racked her body, and he grinned.
“See if you can guess what.” As she settled against him once more, Finn caressed his fingers up and down her left arm. Her skin was as soft as satin, and her orange blossom perfume filled the air around him, reminding him of summer days when there wasn’t a care in the world. She murmured something unintelligible, and he shifted, raising her arm so that he could draw the fingers of his other hand up and down the inside of that limb. “This is highly illicit, you know.”
“How so?” Her eyes had fluttered closed as he transferred his attentions to her other arm.
“You’ve already had an admirer who’s come before me today.”
“Ah.”
Hot jealousy lanced through his chest, but he strove to keep his emotions in check. “I should bow out and let Ballantrae win you uncontested.” The duke was the best choice for her. Was he being a cad for continuing to hang about?
“Please don’t. I am a woman grown. Why can I not make a decision for myself?”
Finn frowned at the budding panic rising in her voice. “Perhaps I’m not the right choice.” But then, they hadn’t discussed a future between them, nor had they spoken of anything permanent. He certainly hadn’t declared himself. What would he say? That he thought he could fall for her but didn’t know yet? That even if he did, how could he expect her to throw away her life on him?
She laid her hand on his left knee. Damn, but he wished he could feel that touch. “I know my own mind, Finn. Please don’t ruin that with a lecture on what I should do.”
“Very well.” For the moment, desire overrode his common sense. There was something about Jane that he craved, wanted—needed—for his continued existence, but if there came a time when it was clear Ballantrae wanted her more, he would give her up if it meant seeing her happy.
If he couldn’t give her that.
When she nestled her head into his chest and against his cheek, the warmth of her scattered his tortured thoughts. He applied himself to the task of arousing her, for that had been the driving force that had pried him from his own home to make a social call when he’d never done such before.
Daring much, Finn drew his fingers along the bodice of her gown. The filmy tulle that trimmed the garment tickled his palm but made it all too easy to slip his hand inside and brush a nipple with a finger. At her quick inhalation, he grinned. “Are you in great need yet, my lady?” he whispered against the shell of her ear.
“I soon will be.” She tightened her hand on his knee.
“Good. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman flushed with desire and lost in release.” The realization struck him as if he’d been given a blow. Pleasuring a woman didn’t hinge on a man’s ability to use his prick. It was how he made her feel and his aptitude in wrapping her in a web of sensation, to employ his attention to her body, mind, and spirit.
He withdrew his hand to tug the bodice down and easily free her breasts from the fabric. The second Finn took those full globes into his hands, she uttered a shuddering sigh as if she’d wanted him to do that very thing for a long time. Gently, he squeezed them, smashed them together while the dusky nipples hardened. He rolled those pebbled buds, first at their base, and when she softly moaned her pleasure, he applied more pressure to the tips.
“Oh, Finn.” Her breathless whisper encouraged him to continue his play, and with each new touch, every caress and stroke of his fingers on her quivering flesh, she arched her back, her legs bending at the knees. “You make me feel…” She didn’t finish the thought, for he flicked his thumbs over her nipples, teasing them with varying levels of friction.
“Mmhmm.” He grinned as she shivered. Oh, there was so much he wanted to do to her, hours he could fill by sending her close to the edge with his fingers and mouth. He nuzzled beneath her jaw, nipping, and nibbling the satiny skin there while he slipped his hands down her body, and as he licked the side of her neck, kissed that fragrant flesh, he drew up her skirts, finding his way through the yards of fabric until he could skim his fingers over the silky skin of her thighs.
He explored the ribboned garters that held up her embroidered white stockings, wished their positions were reversed so he could kiss and nip every inch of her legs, but he would save that treat for another time. Jane’s soft moans of approval urged him onward, and he grinned. She was so responsive to his touch. It both flattered and humbled him. When he brushed his fingers through the red curls hiding her sex and she spread open her thighs, she trembled in his hold.
“Please say you wish to put on your cock ring,” she said in an urgent whisper. “I want you so much.”
“Not just yet.” He lightly bit her earlobe then sucked and soothed that fleshy bit. “But I will use something else you gave me.” As she tried to twist around to see him, he tsked his tongue. “No peeking.” After giving one of her nipples a pinch that had her gasping, he delved his hand into the interior pocket of his jacket. Seconds later he withdrew the wooden phallus that was sheathed in a thin covering of supple leather that didn’t compromise the shape of the shaft nor change the integrity of the tool’s stones.
He rubbed the leather over a nipple so she could see what he intended, then drew the object down her torso, over the fabric of her skirting, and rested it on her mons. “Are you certain you wish for me to employ this? It’s not conventional and—”
“I want whatever you’ll give me.” She guided his free hand back to her breast. “Please.”
The word broke through the last of his reserve. “Imagine it’s me, moving inside you,” he whispered into her ear. “But mind you don’t become too loud. Somehow I don’t think your butler would appear pleased to see you splayed out like this.”
Finn circled the phallus tip around her hidden button and then slid it down, resting it at her entrance. “God, you’re so beautiful.” Making certain he held it in a firm grip by the wooden stones, with a flick of his hand, he penetrated her as deep as he could go. “How does that feel? If it’s uncomfortable, we’ll stop.” He had no idea what such a device would feel like on sensitive flesh, but if she enjoyed it—
“Please continue.” She touched a hand to his, pressing it against her body, holding the toy inside her. “It’s not as soft as a man, but it’s… nice.”