Simon dragged his eyes to hers. He was nearly unrecognizable—no longer the cool, collected man who had escorted her these last several weeks. Instead of his usual cheeky grin, his face was all hard planes and angles and his eyes were dark and severe as emeralds. Georgiana swallowed hard at the ravenous look in them. This Simon was completely foreign to her. There was no doubt in her mind that this Simon was primitive.
“You’re more beautiful than I ever imagined,” he whispered reverently. “You’re glorious.”
“I thought you wanted—” she started softly, feeling beyond embarrassed. “You said you were short on control,” she blurted accusingly. “You don’t seem out of control.”
“Georgie,” he said with a hint of amusement, his eyes heavily lidded. “Kindly shut up now. You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of this particular opportunity. I’d like to savor the moment, if that’s all right with you.”
Before she could tell him that he was not being very nice, Simon reached out and stroked her ankle. Georgiana forgot about her complaint, and instead gasped at the gentle contact. He caressed her, running his fingertips up her shin, across her knee, her thigh. She shivered at the feather-light touch, biting her lip against the little sob that wanted to escape.
“Your skin is perfect,” he murmured, more to himself than to her. “So soft. Like the finest satin.”
He seemed content to let his hand wander lazily over her, stroking her skin and watching her reaction. If Georgiana hadn’t felt so light-headed from his touch she would have chastised him for staring. Instead, it was all she could do to keep her body still under his tender ministrations. It was too much and yet not nearly enough.
His fingers wandered higher, caressing the hollow of her hip, the flat expanse of her stomach. She felt a small tremble and couldn’t decide if it was her or him. She glanced up at him nervously but Simon seemed absolutely absorbed in the act of touching her.
His fingers skated along her ribs to the underside of her breast, tracing the heavy mound with a soft stroke that made her breath catch. He ran a knuckle over her nipple and Georgiana closed her eyes. Her blood seemed to have turned to liquid fire, coursing through her and setting flame to her very soul. She had never been so aware of her body; it was as though she were discovering her own form for the first time in her life.
He ran the back of his hand over her breast again, this time catching the nipple between his knuckles and tugging just a little. Georgiana barely bit back the sound that came from her throat. Her back arched involuntarily, she offered herself helplessly, begging for more. She knew she should feel embarrassed but somehow she was unable or unwilling to muster the proper indignation.
Simon leaned over and kissed the inside of her knee. She inhaled sharply, surprised by the rush of longing pooling in her loins. When he caressed her leg, just slightly more firmly than before, more determined, Georgiana felt as boneless as jelly. He planted a kiss on her thigh then slowly ran his lips higher to nip her hip. This time she couldn’t completely stifle her shriek.
She felt his breath on the sensitive skin of her stomach, and Georgiana shuddered. As he sketched a path between her breasts, first with his hand and then with his lips, her breath came out on a sob. Simon licked her breast and before she could protest the indecency of it, he took the peak into his mouth and she heard a whimper in her throat. He sucked and licked and tormented the sensitive bud until she thought she might lose her senses completely. He did the same with the other breast until she was writhing and moaning in pleasure.
She felt a delicious, frantic pressure mounting inside her, as though she were a spring, tightening too much. The more he tormented her, the more desperate she felt. When she could no longer take any more teasing she blindly tugged at his shirt, caught by an overwhelming need to feel his flesh against her own.
Simon stopped her, infuriating man that he was, and began feathering kisses along her jaw, her ear, her cheek. His hands traced the fullness of her breasts, which were feeling oddly heavy under his ministrations. At last he brought his lips to her mouth and Georgiana kissed him with all the heat and passion he had aroused.
For a brief, wondrous moment he kissed her with such abandon that her pulse was roaring in her ears. He pulled back, however, and shook his head.
“Apologies, Princess,” he said hoarsely. He nuzzled her throat with his mouth, licking the column of her neck. His hands were floating over her still, caressing, stroking, teasing in their gentleness. “But my wedding night involves exploring every single curve of my wife’s body. I want to know everything about you.”
“You already do,” she complained, her voice husky.
Georgiana shuddered as he swirled his finger over her nipple again. “See there,” he said patiently. “I had no idea you would do that if I touched you here.” He squeezed her nipple gently and she arched against him, squeaking a little with surprised pleasure. “Or that your eyes turn as dark as midnight when I do that. I’m afraid there’s just so much I haven’t learned yet. This is going to take quite a lot of patience, my dear.”
True to his word, Simon explored her body with an intimacy, a sense of ownership that should have annoyed her. Instead, Georgiana found herself breathless and smoldering and tingly in places she didn’t even know existed. Simon sprinkled light kisses over her face and neck, and Georgiana tried to get him to kiss her deeply.
He finally claimed her mouth, and as he did, he parted her thighs with his hand. She felt a fingertip brush against the slippery heat of her womanhood. Her entire body shuddered at the soft stroke and she felt her hips hitch involuntarily, straining upward, begging him to deepen the contact. He petted her and played with her, circling her tight nub.
When he slowly, deliberately, slipped a finger into her Georgiana nearly exploded in shock and pleasure.
“You want me as much I want you, don’t you?” he marveled against her mouth as another finger slid easily inside her.
Simon’s ragged breath sluiced over her cheeks, her lips, as he watched her. He stroked within her, patient, persistent, and Georgiana’s eyelids fluttered shut. His finger withdrew and fondled her, then nudged inside her again. He did it again, and the thick tension coiled even tighter in her stomach. She realized without embarrassment that her hips were moving against Simon’s hand.
Simon continued stroking her as he set his mouth to the same path his hands had already learned. When he placed a soft kiss on her most intimate, most sensitive place, she heard her own voice sobbing his name, pleading with him to end the torment. Instead of heeding her desperate cries, she felt his tongue sweep over her sex in long, languorous strokes, pushing her farther toward the brink. She could no longer think, no longer cared to think—the only thing that mattered was Simon and his wicked mouth.
As if knowing she was close to bursting, he released her and sat up. Never taking his eyes from hers, he pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the ground. Georgiana raised herself unsteadily on shaking elbows and let her glazed eyes feast on the beautiful muscles of his shoulders and arms. She greedily took in the smooth planes of his naked chest, the sinewy bands of muscle that corded his abdomen. She bit her lower lip ad Simon lifted his hips to practically tear his breeches off.
Overcome by curiosity, Georgiana glanced down and then back up into his eyes. She had seen naked men before, at least in paintings and sculpture, but Simon seemed a bit larger than she’d been led to believe. Impossibly big.
She shook her head slightly. “Um, Simon,” she said a bit nervously, “I don’t think this is going to work.”
“Trust me?” he asked, his lips quirking up at the corners. He leaned over her and cupped her cheek with his hand.
Georgiana nodded.
Simon eased her back down and Georgiana felt herself relax a little. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, haltingly at first. His hand skated ove
r her curves, and Georgiana pressed herself against him, thrilling at the feel of his naked skin against her own. Her sensitized breasts against his warm skin brought another moan to her lips. She kissed him harder, opening her mouth to him, pressing her own demands, and Simon’s entire body seemed to shiver over her.
Simon’s excitement made her utterly reckless. She laced her fingers around the back of his head and pulled him closer, kissing him eagerly, boldly meeting his tongue with her own and relishing the feel of her softness against his hardness. Simon made a noise in his throat and gripped her tightly to him. She wriggled her hips, savoring the heat and the smooth slide of his body.
His mouth savaged hers, hungry and fierce and possessive. A large hand pressed insistently against her knee, and without thought she let her legs fall apart. She kissed his neck, licked his throat ruthlessly, growing frantic for his touch. Simon readjusted his weight and a moment later she felt something large and hard and male pressing against her, into her, stretching her. Georgiana had trouble breathing as he filled her, slowly, inch by delicious inch.
She was still trying to adjust to the sensation when he stopped abruptly and looked down at her. He swore before accusing, “You’re a virgin?”
Georgiana nodded. She could read anger and desire flaring in his eyes. There was something else in them, too, something possessive...or triumphant. Whatever those green depths held made her entire body rejoice.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded in a tight voice.
“Would it have made a difference?” she asked softly. “Would you have even believed me?”
“Yes and yes,” he said adamantly.
“Most people would scoff at the notion that the most infamous Jezebel on three continents is still a virgin,” Georgiana noted.
“I’m not most people, Georgiana,” he said hoarsely. “And it makes a difference to me. I’m not in the habit of taking a young lady’s innocence.”
Georgiana couldn’t fathom his frustration. “I think we can agree I’m far from innocent, Simon,” she said lightly. She hitched her hips a little, drawing a pained growl from him. “I have the reputation. I may as well have the fun.”
“So I’m just for fun, eh?” he asked irritably, his tone strained. “I know dozens of men who would be more than happy to do the job. Why me?”
She opened her mouth to make a scathing retort—surely he deserved it—but she read the doubt in his eye, the uncertainty in his tone, and she suddenly understood that he needed her honesty.
Stroking his cheek, Georgiana met his eye and answered truthfully, “Because you’re the only man I’ve ever wanted.”
Simon’s eyelids fluttered shut and his face relaxed. His body, however, thrummed above her. He swallowed hard. “Are you absolutely certain about this, Princess?” he asked. “This is not something I want you to regret.”
Georgiana waited until he opened his eyes. The vulnerability she saw in them shredded any reservations she might have had. “I want this,” she said softly. “I want you.”
“Thank God,” he muttered. Simon withdrew and kissed her hungrily before thrusting hard into her and catching her shocked scream with his mouth. As soon as her body tensed, he froze, buried to the hilt. He gently brushed his lips against hers. “Sorry, love,” he mumbled in a hoarse voice. “I thought it best to get it done quickly.”
It took a moment to get over the foreignness of his invasion, but once the shock subsided, Georgiana was completely intoxicated by the sensation of their bodies joining. He fit perfectly despite her earlier doubts. His chest rose and fell against hers, and she could feel Simon’s heart beating a wild staccato. Georgiana resisted the urge to hitch her hips against his, uncertain what that would do.
Simon was on his elbows over her, his body still and tense, as though awaiting some sign from her. Once again, Georgiana felt utterly sheepish at her lack of knowledge. Taking the bull by the horns, she asked quietly, “So, is that it?”
Whatever she had expected from him, it wasn’t laughter. But he was laughing. He dropped his head into the lee of her neck and Georgiana felt him quaking with mirth. “No, love,” he chuckled against her throat. “That’s not it.”
“I’m gratified you find my ignorance amusing,” she muttered dryly.
“I’m sorry,” he said, overtaken by amusement. “It’s just hard to believe that you’re such a...a virgin.”
Georgiana made to push him away, bracing her feet and lifting her hips in the process. Whatever she had just done felt so good that her toes curled. She gasped at the unexpected sensation and repeated it, checking to see if it felt as good as it had the first time. It was glorious. She groaned as a wave of pleasure washed over her.
Simon had stopped laughing and had grown preternaturally still. His erection throbbed within her and she tightened around him in answer. Simon made a guttural noise at that, and Georgiana would have smirked in triumph if she’d had any control over her senses.
* * *
Simon propped himself up on an elbow again and looked down at Georgiana. He hadn’t expected that from a virgin. In truth, he hadn’t expected her to be a virgin. Leave it to Georgiana to push him toward madness, he mused. She gazed at him from under heavily lidded eyes and tightened around him again, drawing another gasp from him. Her eyes glittered; she clearly considered herself very clever—which she was. She did it a third time, and her eyes rolled back. Simon very nearly lost control.
Before she could do it again, he managed to distract her with kisses. He counted to thirty and reined in his desire. Despite her natural sensuality, she was new to the act of lovemaking, he reminded himself. She should be introduced to pleasure slowly, sweetly. It would better for both of them if he could practice a little restraint.
So instead of driving into her, which his entire body screamed for him to do, he kissed her tenderly and withdrew slowly before letting himself sink back into the hottest, tightest, sweetest experience he had ever known. He did so again, slowly, forcing himself to a restraint he certainly did not feel. The knowledge that he was with Georgiana, his princess, rocked him to his very soul. His body shuddered involuntarily at every hiss of pleasure she made, and he knew without question that he would spend the rest of his life listening for that sound.
She arched against him, and Simon counted again. He nuzzled a spot on her neck that had made her whimper earlier and she did just that. He licked the column of her throat, biting gently into the soft skin at the juncture of her shoulder. Georgiana writhed under him and hooked a leg around his, causing his next thrust to go deeper than intended. She sobbed his name beautifully, making it nearly impossible to wrestle back any semblance of control.
He withdrew again and slid back into her, stroking her breast. Georgiana rose to meet him. Simon’s mind went completely blank. Instead of controlled and steady as planned, he kissed her with all the hunger, all the yearning, he’d bottled up for weeks. Years. He grabbed her hips roughly and thrust into her, claiming her, making her his. Georgiana clung blindly to his shoulders, moaning her assent as he pushed her to find that exquisite release he knew no other had ever given her.
Simon wasn’t certain how much longer he could last. His fingers bit into her hips as he pounded into her again and again, praying he could hold on. At last he heard a surprised gasp. He lifted her hips just slightly and drove into her, rolling his hips, and Georgiana broke on a fractured moan. He held himself still, waiting for the last spasm as he counted again, feeling her pleasure spread through him. Then and only then did he let himself go, pushing into her one last time and barking his own harsh pleasure into her shoulder.
He collapsed onto her, panting, his head resting in the lee of her shoulder. He took a moment as he gasped for breath then rolled to his side, keeping Georgiana with him. They lay together for a long time, a tangle of arms and legs and mingled breath, and Simon had such a powerful se
nse of fulfillment, of rightness, that he wished he could stay in the small hut with her forever.
Something fierce and possessive rose within him at the knowledge that no other man had ever touched her. She was his, and he hers. He grudgingly shifted away from her to snuff out the flame from the diya, then returned to the mat and pulled Georgiana back into his arms, unwilling to let her go.
“So,” she said into the blackness, and Simon couldn’t stop his lips from curving into a slight smile.
“So?” he asked.
“I prefer your version of a wedding night,” Georgiana sighed with dreamy satisfaction. “Though I’m quite certain I won’t be able to look at you tomorrow without blushing.”
“If you blush, I’ll know you’re thinking lurid thoughts. Wicked thoughts of us naked,” Simon warned, bussing her on the nose.
In answer, Georgiana kissed him soundly on the lips. Simon felt the faint stirring of passion and wondered at his great good luck. Without breaking the kiss, he rolled onto his back and dragged her on top of him. “Perhaps,” he murmured against her lips as he pushed her legs apart, “I might demonstrate the kind of lurid deeds that might cause such a blush.”
Georgiana denied him nothing, for which Simon was eternally grateful. To express his gratitude, he brought her to completion again and again, and then again a final time before letting himself experience the most soul-shattering glory he had ever known. Exhausted and satiated, Simon smiled languidly at his sleeping princess nestled snugly in his arms. As he dozed off, he knew with the entirety of his soul that he had fallen in love with Miss Georgiana Phillips.
Chapter Eleven
Georgiana awoke to find herself sprawled partially atop a large male body. It was an enjoyable sensation, she mused. She had never felt so warm and safe and complete. Outside the rain had started coming down in hard, pounding sheets, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.
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