Dangerous (Reformed Rakes Novella, #2)

by Amy Sandas

  Urged by the passion he felt flowing through her body, he took control of the kiss, extending his tongue past the seam of her lips to taste her. She met the plunging, heated stroke with an encouraging swirl of her tongue, as though she’d been waiting for his invasion.

  She made another one of those rough sounds in her throat before she circled her arms around his neck and moved her tongue recklessly against his. Her actions were awkward and a bit frantic, as though she couldn’t figure out the best way to get what she wanted out of their embrace. Curling her fingers into the hair at his nape, she gave a harsh tug.

  The brief flare of discomfort released a heady groan from between his lips as lust and aching need speared through his bones.

  She wanted more.

  No. She needed more.

  He deepened the kiss and grasped her buttocks in his hands to lift her against him so they could both feel the friction of her body against his. He wished there were no clothes between them. He’d never wanted anything as badly as he wanted this woman naked and open to him. He pressed his leg firmly between hers, parting her thighs around him. Then he rocked her core along the hardness of his thigh.

  Her body trembled.

  He trembled.

  He’d never felt so much at once. The swift ferocity of his desire made him feel weak, yet that weakness fueled him as his need grew steadily higher. His brain clouded with one thought only—the relentless desperation to thrust his aching length into the core of her as she arched back in ecstasy.

  His arms tightened at the thought.

  She withdrew her mouth from his to gasp a breath, then pressed her parted lips to the side of his throat. His blood pumped furiously through his veins and filled his cock with aching need. He could barely think. Every sense was filled with her.

  The kiss had gone way too far already, yet he wanted more.

  He turned his head to murmur against her temple, “Tesoro...what are you doing to me?”

  “Do you feel as I do?” she asked in a husky breath against his skin.

  “How do you feel?” he asked as he grasped her hips to bring her firmly to his groin.

  Her sigh tumbled into a moan. Her head fell back and her eyes closed. She rocked against him in an elemental need to get closer. Leander clenched his teeth as her insistent little movements made him burn for more.

  He bent over her to press his lips to a delicate spot below her ear. “Tell me,” he demanded, his voice thick and raw. Then he took her soft earlobe between his lips and gave a gentle suck that had her gasping and arching in his arms. “Tell me,” he said again, more roughly this time as he felt himself losing what control he still had.

  Her lashes fluttered and she opened her eyes to meet his desirous gaze. Heat and hunger swirled heavily through the dark depths. When she licked her lips in preparation to speak, Leander groaned and clutched her skirts in tights fists.

  At his obvious distress, her gaze became shadowed with concern and she tenderly lifted her hand to the side of his face. Her skin was soft and warm. He resisted the urge to turn and press his lips to her palm.

  “Is this too much for you?” she asked.

  Her earnest tone drew a choking laugh from his throat. “Asks the virgin of the rake,” he noted wryly, though his voice was shockingly unsteady.

  A slight furrow formed between her brows. “Does the depth of one’s desire depend upon their level of experience?”

  “I might have thought so once,” Leander replied honestly, then he lowered his mouth to within a breath of hers. “But I’ve never felt anything like this from a mere kiss.”

  “Is that true?” she asked.

  At her words, the tightness inside him became suddenly concentrated. He met her desirous but still steady gaze as she waited for him to answer. Everything in him seemed to coalesce to a spot just behind his sternum. “I am undone, tesoro,” he murmured.

  The hand she held against his jaw slid back around his nape. Pulling him to her, she touched her tongue lightly to the corner of his mouth. His sight grew hazy. His heart battered against his ribs and his hardened cock surged.

  “Let’s fall apart together.”

  The low, husky richness of her voice slid like raw silk through his senses and his entire body tensed. Lust and need raged like a storm, like the winds sweeping over the moors.

  With a low growl, he grasped her about her waist, lifting her against him as he turned and took the necessary steps to reach her softly worn sofa. He laid her down and eased his body atop hers. He pressed his thigh firmly between her legs and reveled in the way she rolled her hips beneath him, seeking deeper contact. Propping himself on an elbow, he reached for the buttons running down the front of her gown.

  At the same time, she slid her hands beneath the edges of his coat, pushing it off his shoulders. By the time she freed him of the outer garment, he had her dress opened down to her navel. The sight of her breasts covered in nothing more than an unadorned cotton chemise nearly made him groan as he reached to cover one soft mound with the heavy palm of his hand. She immediately arched her spine. Her fingers curled tightly over his biceps. “Thank god I don’t bother with a corset on my walks,” she muttered breathlessly when he rubbed an insistent, possessive circle over her hardening nipple.

  Her response was beautiful and maddening.

  Leander’s body ached and shuddered with the desire to dive beneath her skirts and explore her heated core with his fingers and lips and tongue.

  Grasping her face in his hands, he took her mouth in a deep, drugging kiss that left them both breathless and flushed. As he delved into her sweet mouth with his tongue, she explored the contours of his back. He could feel her questing fingers and warm palms through the thin lawn of his shirt, and when she reached down to firmly grasp his buttocks while lifting her hips to him, he clenched his teeth to maintain control.

  “I need you naked,” he said in a roughened voice that sounded foreign to his ears. “Now.”

  “Yes,” she gasped. “You, too.”

  As soon as he lifted himself off her to sit back in the corner of her sofa, she rushed to her feet. They watched each other as she tugged her dress down and he shed his waistcoat and released the fastenings of his shirt enough to pull it off over his head, then kicked off his boots.

  Within a few desperate moments, her dress, her woolen stockings, her cotton underclothes had all been tossed aside and the woman stood bared and beautiful before him.

  The sight of her, so unselfconscious, so bold and hungry for him, had a stunning effect on him. His breath seemed to stop violently in his lungs while his heart leapt to fill his throat.

  He’d ever felt less worthy. Nor so desperate to be so.

  Leander lowered himself to his knees in front of her. Sitting back on his heels, he smoothed his hands up the curves of her calves and the backs of her lovely thighs.

  Her fingers gently threaded through his hair as her eyes drifted closed in response to his caresses.

  Reaching the full mounds of her buttocks, he kneaded and shaped them with his strong fingers before continuing his exploration, wanting more of the soft, catching sounds she made as he passed over a particularly sensitive spot. His fingers teased up the length of her spine before smoothing around to her breasts.

  Small, pink-tipped, and perfect.

  He circled the peaks with the barest brush of his fingertips, inspiring a lovely gasp and the rise of goose bumps on her skin. Then he covered her with his hands, gently molding her softness.

  He’d seen ecstasy on a lover’s face countless times before, but never had anything touched him so deeply—so intrinsically—as the sight of Desdemona’s awakening pleasure.

  With heavy-lidded eyes, she lowered her chin to look down at him, watching him as intently as he stared at her.

  Rising up on his knees, Leander shifted his hands to frame her rib cage. Propping his thumbs beneath her breasts, he lifted them one at a time to his mouth, where he suckled the tips past his lips to swirl the pe
bbled peaks with his tongue.

  The small sounds she made sent spears of lightning-bright desire through him, making his cock ache and throb to be inside her. The anticipation was astounding and gorgeous and more intense than any he’d ever felt. He was desperate to prolong it as he slid his palms down to the flare of her hips, brushing his thumbs over her soft belly.

  His mouth followed. He ran his tongue past her sternum, twirling it in her navel before pressing a kiss to the thatch of curls between her thighs.

  Her fingers fisted gently in his hair, just enough to tug deliciously at his scalp. Leander looked up along the length of her flushed and trembling body to see her lips parted and glistening—her eyes dark...and knowing...and wanting.

  “Put your mouth on me.”

  Her thick muttered command filled Leander with a hot rush of craving so strong he could barely contain it. His body felt engulfed in flames as he quickly and eagerly did as she demanded.

  Chapter Ten

  His tongue touched her first.

  A hot, wet, decadent lick of fire against the very apex of her sex.

  Light burst behind her eyelids, flames swirled heavy in her low belly, and her thigh muscles clenched tight.

  With his hands braced beneath her buttocks, he urged her legs apart. Just a few more inches to allow for him to take her sensitive flesh in a full, open-mouthed kiss.

  She’d read about this act, had seen it described in various vague and flowery euphemisms countless times, but none of that had prepared her for how deeply carnal it would feel. Needing to see what was happening as much as she wanted to feel it, Desdemona forced her eyes to open and focus on the man kneeling before her.

  With a gasp of shock, she realized that she was clutching his hair in tight fists as she held him to her core. She forced herself to relax her fingers, embarrassed by her loss of control.

  As soon as she released him, he looked up at her. Holding her gaze intently, he growled a sound of frustration. His stormy gaze flashed with light and fire as he thrust his tongue, full and thick, past her entrance. Once, twice. Then a velvety stroke along the full length of her sex before he covered the swollen flesh of her clitoris and suckled harshly.

  Against her will, her fingers curled tight once again, trapping his head in her hands.

  His response was to issue another sound, one of deep, rumbling pleasure as his eyes fell closed and his mouth worked furiously against her.

  Desdemona realized in astonishment that he enjoyed her hold on him. The tighter she gripped, the wilder and hungrier he seemed to become. As the pleasure built inside her, she tried to retain her focus on the moment, the sensations, the experience in all its details, but it quickly became impossible. By the time her pleasure reached its peak in a blinding, consuming explosion of sensation that spread to every nerve, she’d lost touch with reality altogether.

  Her awareness did not return until the glorious ripples of pleasure slowly began to recede, leaving her muscles trembling with sudden weakness, causing her legs to give way beneath her.

  But she didn’t fall.

  Leander gathered her in his arms, drawing her close against him. She straddled his hard thighs with his arms doubled around her waist, her breasts flattened to his chest, and her belly pressed to his bare abdomen.

  Opening her eyes, she was instantly caught in his tumultuous gaze. A storm of desire was still building and rolling within him. He had brought her to the finest height of pleasure with the expert attention of his mouth while he remained poised on the knife-edge of his own release.

  Leaning forward, she kissed him boldly, drawing his lower lip into her mouth before thrusting her tongue along his in a velvet glide of heat and hunger.

  She was ready for more.

  With a sharp nip of her teeth on his lip, she murmured harshly, “Will you claim me completely?”

  His answer was a ragged groan as he tilted his head to suckle hard on the crest of her shoulder. The scrape of his teeth sent chills racing over her skin.

  “You must, Leander,” she moaned with a roll of her hips. “I need to feel you inside me.”

  His response was another harsh sound as he grasped her waist and lifted her off his lap, but only so he could access the fastening of his breeches. Within seconds, he freed his erection and she became breathless at the sight of his full length pulsing between them.

  On instinct, she reached for him, grasping him firmly around the base.

  He sucked a swift breath between his teeth and roughly grasped her hips in his hands as though he needed to anchor himself.

  His jaw was tight and his eyes blazed. “You destroy me,” he murmured hotly.

  The words—so raw and unrestrained—triggered a rush of power intertwined with a deep emotion unlike anything she could have expected.

  Then with his eyes locked on hers, he brought her forward until her sex—still sensitive from the pleasure he’d already given her—pressed firmly against him. The smooth heat of his erection made her gasp and tremble. He dipped his head to claim the pulse at the side of her throat in an open, suckling kiss as they moved together with panting breath and suspended moans.

  She rocked her pelvis, craving the deep satisfaction of his hardness gliding along her opening. But it didn’t help to ease the hollow ache inside, which seemed to intensify with every spark of renewed pleasure.

  Her heart raced. Sweat beaded on her skin. One thought repeated through her mind like an obsession.

  I need to feel him deep inside.

  Pressing her hands on his smooth, muscled shoulders, she promised herself she’d explore the intriguing, masculine details of his form another time. Right now, she was too impatient, too desperate and nearly delirious with desire. She lifted her weight off his thighs until she could feel the smooth, rounded tip of him nudging at her entrance.

  Grasping his face in her hands, she tipped his head back until he met her gaze. “Now, Leander.”

  “Yes,” he groaned. “Now.”

  Wrapping his arms secure around her hips and waist, he lifted and turned, laying her back on the faded antique rug. His hips pressed between her spread thighs and his mouth found hers. He distracted with his skillful lips and tongue as he surged forward.

  The first press of his body into hers caused the muscles of her thighs to tense and squeeze around him. A short withdrawal, then another slow thrust bowed her spine in a deep arch.

  It was deep pressure, a fierce possession. A passionate joining. It was exactly what she craved. The physical intensity and mindless instinct allowed for the needs of her body to overrule any discomfort.

  And then he was deep inside her. Throbbing. Hot. Filling the ache and building anticipation with each lush stroke. She smoothed her hands down his strong back until she could grasp his firm buttocks.

  Curving his spine, he propped himself on one elbow so he could use his other hand to hold her breast. First one rosy-hued nipple then the other enjoyed his favor as he licked and nipped and sucked with drugging attention.

  Her senses descended once again into a swirling whirl of pleasure. The rhythmic thrust of his erection inside her while his pelvic bone ground with expert precision against her swollen bud urged her ever higher.

  Their gazes met and held. A swift inhale caught in her chest as the pleasure broke over her suddenly, catching her unaware in a rush of sensation that sent pulsing waves throughout her body.

  Ensnared in her release, she still managed to observe the moment he achieved the same. His jaw clenched tight and his heavy eyelids flickered over his gaze, though he did not look away. Then a guttural sound rose from his chest and every muscle in his body tensed. The only movement was the pulse of his member inside her as he finally succumbed to his own pleasure.

  As the pulsing receded and his tense body began to soften, he took a few gulping breaths, then hung his head, resting his forehead to hers as a shudder rolled through him.

  To keep from collapsing on her, he eased himself out of her, then rolled heavi
ly to the side, ending up splayed on his back with one arm thrown over his head.

  Desdemona rolled to her side and propped her head in her hand so she could better observe him.

  His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell harshly as he caught his breath. The part of him that had been so hard and generous inside her was slowly softening, though it remained impressive and beautiful.

  He was impressive and beautiful as a whole.

  His handsomeness extended well beyond his face. His legs were well-formed and dusted with dark hair. Though she couldn’t see them now, she knew his buttocks to be firm and his back strong. His abdomen rippled with muscle and his chest, shoulders, and arms were thick and well-defined. His hands were large and his fingers were blunt but elegant. Even his feet were handsome.

  He peeked his eyes open to see her staring at him and a sensual smile curled the corners of his mouth.

  Desdemona’s belly performed a swirling dip.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked in his usual smooth tone.

  “I’m thinking about how...” she began, then paused to find the right word, “...enlightening that was.”

  His smile widened and lightning flashed in his eyes as he scooped his arm around her waist and tumbled her down over his chest so he could reach her mouth for a kiss. She ended up half-sprawled across him and when the kiss ended with a few tender nips at her lower lip, she stayed where she was, resting her hand beneath her chin as she looked at him.

  “I think I understand now why you’ve had so many lovers,” she said thoughtfully.

  His expression darkened for a moment and the hand resting on the upper curve of her buttock tensed. “Do you?” he asked. A heavy note had entered in his voice.

  “Making love with someone is a very intense way of communicating, isn’t it?” she continued, trying to arrange her scattered impressions into a coherent explanation. “It’s quite...instinctive and beautiful. Though I don’t actually know anything more about you as a person”—she paused, hoping her next words would not somehow come out wrong—“I feel like I know you in a way that goes deeper than words.”