“You bring out the best—or the worst—in me, Inspector.” Fanny could hardly think enough to form words, so she gave up talking. Instead, she moved up and down his shaft, slowly to savor the exquisite feeling of him filling her, hitting every sensitive point she possessed, and it was the most amazing thing she’d ever done.
“Hold unless you wish for this to be over as quickly as the last.” Before she could reply, he tumbled her to the sofa, breaking their intimate connection, but then he eased his body over hers and settled between her bent knees. The weight of him was pleasant and comforting, and she craved him all the more. With one hand cradling the back of her head, he eased the other beneath her twisted skirting.
Fanny trembled. She held her breath as he glided his fingers between her thighs and found the dampness of her arousal. When he slipped two fingers into her channel, she gasped, for this part of foreplay was different than he’d done before. “What are you… oh!” He gently pumped his fingers into her body, and each time he did so, he worried the swollen nubbin at her center with his thumb. “That’s… oh yes, just there.” Heated pleasure slammed into her, and she shook from it. “More.” Well past embarrassment, she pressed a hand to his, guiding him, telling him exactly what she wanted.
Shock reflected in his eyes. “Where has this self-confident woman come from?”
The laugh that escaped her was a throaty, smoky affair she wanted to harness for the future. “It must be the company I keep.” Then she was lost to the magic of his fingers until she bumped her hips against his hand. Need and pressure coiled tight in her lower belly, and with the insistent pass of his fingers, she shattered. As she bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming, she curled one hand into his lapel while the other clenched on top of his. “William!” She arched her back and let the wave take her.
William withdrew his hand as he settled his body between her thighs. As contractions continued to flutter in her core, he fit the head of his shaft to her opening, and with a powerful flex of his hips, he buried himself deep, so very deep, irrevocably joining them.
Her moan blended with his, and they were once again one entity.
“Never let anyone tell you that you aren’t worthy. You’re an incredible woman, Francesca, and you will turn the world—the ton—on its head.”
She lost another piece of her heart to him.
As he claimed her lips, he moved with forceful yet languid strokes she felt all the way to her soul. It was exquisite, that slow, deliberate coupling, where each long thrust brought shuddering sensation through every nerve ending. It was much different than how they’d last come together. Fanny matched his rhythm as if they’d been doing this together all their lives. In this type of dancing, she had no trouble gliding—escaping. It was a sort of freedom she’d always craved but never could grasp in a ballroom.
Not until William had come along.
He paused, still joined tightly with her, merely to look into her face. “Thank you for everything you’ve done this past week or so. Truly, you’re a marvel and I’m realizing that more with each passing day.” Remarkably, there were tears in his eyes.
“As are you, William.” She clung to his shoulders and urged him down more snugly over her, wanting to go ever closer to him, to feel him against every part of her. He shifted positions, and the new angle hit her passage differently. Raw need shivered through her, further quickening her response.
Then the rhythm changed as urgency made itself known. Through it all, he held her gaze. Desire and pleasure reflected in those stormy depths, along with admiration, but as she peered closer, new emotions formed in those pools that stole her breath. Was he even aware of the fact he’d let down his guard? It was truly amazing to see love burgeon and watch his true feelings reveal themselves. Hope bloomed in her chest, and it took very little for her to fall down, down, down that slope toward the same end.
Soon, soon, soon she’d become hopelessly lost in him like a silly widgeon.
And in that brief glimpse, she spied his soul, touched it with hers, and pieces of her were exchanged with pieces of him until they were indeed made up of each other. It was all too much and went so deep that her body reacted before her mind could.
Fanny broke from the wonder of it, fractured, disappeared into a vortex of swirling white light that vaulted her through endless joy that could only be found with this man. When she would have cried out in ecstasy, he kissed her, took the sound as a part of him, and he thrust into her quivering channel again and again and again until he found his own bliss. Witnessing that joy on his face sent her over that edge once more, and she surrendered, falling, tumbling, pinwheeling with him.
His shaft pulsed and jumped, sending hot seed deep into her core. Then he collapsed on top of her, his weight pleasing and solid and oh so comforting. “You, my darling girl, were made to be loved,” he whispered against the shell of her ear. “Next time we do this, I’m going to have patience enough to see you naked so I can explore every inch of your body.”
“Oh, William.” Tears of happiness welled. Fanny sobbed, caught up in emotions so great she pressed her face into the crook of his neck to muffle the sound.
Immediately concerned, he lifted his head. “Did I hurt you? Cause some sort of offense?”
“No, I’m merely overcome with so many emotions I can’t hold them inside.” She lifted a hand to caress the side of his face. “This was—is—such a gift. I had no idea…” Confused, she kissed the strong column of his neck and then giggled when she hiccupped. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Only you can say.” He edged off her body. Immediately, she missed that intimate, soul-binding connection. Pleasant lethargy weighted her limbs, which made her sink into a soft, cotton cloud of exhaustion.
From beneath drooping eyelids, she watched him put his clothing to rights, but that glow on his face, those emotions in his eyes were still in evidence, and she reeled with the wonder of them. “I need you, William, need you in my life…”
“I know, but for now, you should rest. You’ve had quite the day.” With gentle hands, he tugged up her bodice, smoothed his fingers over her hopelessly crushed and wrinkled gown, arranged her skirting properly about her legs. Then he covered her with a lightweight wool lap blanket, and she sank further into that cloud, where everything was right with the world and he was there beside her, looking at her with love.
“You are much more of a gentleman than Lord Wainwright, and so handsome with such impressive equipage,” she murmured, content to dream about them having intercourse all over again. “I haven’t seen it nearly enough. Next time I want to handle it…”
William snorted. “Sleep well, love. I’ll call on you tomorrow.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She nodded. “I hope you do, for the viscount means to ask for my hand, and I don’t want to accept if there’s a chance I can have you.” Her grin felt rather cheeky as her eyelids fluttered. “I rather enjoyed being claimed by a Storme…” Then the cloud rose and cocooned her in its comforting warmth where everything smelled like bay and citrus and spices, and the sound of the inspector’s voice soothed her frazzled nerves.