James tucked another cherry between her lips, then grabbed a handful of the warm, ripe fruit and gently spread it over her chest. Cupping her breasts, he lifted them to his mouth and licked the juice from her nipples, first one, then the other, flicking them with his tongue and nibbling them with his teeth as though he were gorging at a banquet, while Kate strained upward to offer him more.
He brought his hand between her thighs, lightly tracing the tangle of curls that covered her mons. He slipped two fingers inside her. Kate moaned and writhed against him, arching her hips against his hand. She was slick and hot, her thighs damp with desire. The scent of her arousal perfumed the air.
He withdrew his fingers from inside her and brought them to her lips. “Taste,” he said. “So delicious.”
Kate’s eyes widened. She hesitated for a moment, then the tip of her tongue darted out to brush his fingertips. His fingers were sticky with cherry juice and brandy and her own sweet sex. She gave a small, surprised smile, then went back for more. She sucked the taste off his fingers, then licked her lips. James’s erection, already rock-hard, throbbed against his belly. He took a deep breath, steadying himself to continue.
“Now it’s my turn,” he said, guiding her hand between her legs. He bit back a groan as he watched her slide her fingers into her sex, drawing them in and out as though mimicking the deep, driving thrust of his cock. She withdrew her hand and brought it to his lips, allowing him to lick the slick, salty-sweet fluid from her fingers. Her eyes glowed with catlike pleasure as she watched him.
Desperately needing more than just a taste of her, he grabbed her hips and positioned her at the edge of his bed, spread her thighs, then knelt before her. He brought his mouth to the entrance to her sex and flicked his tongue over the swollen pink nub. Kate bucked and cried out, dragging her fingers through his hair.
“You like this?” he asked, turning slightly to press a kiss against the inside of her thigh. His fingers parted the slick pink folds of her sex as his thumb lightly grazed her clit.
“Yes,” Kate panted. She braced herself on her elbows, her head thrown back, her nipples erect and pointed skyward. “Yes.”
“Tell me what you like,” he commanded.
“All of it,” she breathed. “Your tongue on my quim. The stubble on your chin scraping the inside of my thigh. The way your hands grab my bottom. So good.”
“Yes, it is good.” James smiled. “It’s very, very good.”
He licked and teased her sex, alternately probing and caressing her with his tongue and fingers until Kate tensed above him. She wrapped her thighs around his shoulders and locked her ankles behind his back, instinctively pushing herself against him. He curved his hands under her bottom, cupping and kneading her ass, drawing her closer to his mouth.
He circled her delicate folds of her sex with his tongue as she writhed above him, her breath coming in sharp, hot gasps. Then a shudder tore through her and she gasped her release, crying out his name as she came.
James rose above her, trailing a line of kisses up her thigh, her belly, her ribs, her breast. He gathered her in his arms, cradling her against him. Her breath, coming hard and fast, slowed to a deep, steady rhythm. His linens would hold the scent of her, he thought with pleasure, absently drawing his hand up her thigh.
After a moment she tilted her head back to look at him. Her cheeks were flushed, her skin glowed with a fine sheen of perspiration. “Is that something you like?” she asked.
“Yes. I liked it very much.”
“No, I meant...” she hesitated, then her hand trailed down his chest. She felt the bulge of his erection straining against his trousers. She brushed her palm over his erect sex. “Is that something I can do for you?”
James’s heart drummed faster. His penis, already stiff, seemed to swell in anticipation of her touch. “Yes, men like that.”
She drew her brows together. “Not men,” she insisted. “You. Would you like that?”
“Yes,” he managed, his voice husky with desire. “I would like that very much.”
“You’ll have to tell me what to do...” she began. Wearing the expression of an earnest student, she coaxed him back he was propped up against the headboard. She removed his boots, his pants, his shirt, and his drawers, leaving him entirely spread-eagle and naked upon his bed. Her gaze raked hungrily over his form as a satisfied smile curved her lips.
She reached behind her, and with an ease born of practice, tugged free the ribbons of her corset and stripped it off, leaving herself entirely bare except for her black, thigh-high stockings.
She climbed over him, positioning herself so she was straddling his thighs. “I can do whatever I want?”
“Yes,” he grit out, desperate for her touch, and equally afraid he would spill his seed the moment she laid a hand on him.
“Lovely,” she purred. Slowly she reached for his cock. James sucked in his breath as she drew one finger from the tip of his penis to the underside of his balls. She wrapped her palm around him. He couldn’t resist pumping against her hand until she tightened her grip, firmly holding his cock in her dainty fist.
“You like this?” she said softly, drawing her fist up and down his length, her thumb brushing the broad head of his cock.
“Yes.” James clenched his jaw, allowing the word to escape in a low hiss.
Kate smiled and licked her lips. “So do I.”
She gave his cock a gentle squeeze and then released him. She lifted her hips and positioned herself above him, brushing the damp curls of her sex over his length, making him slick and maddeningly hard. He thrust his hips toward her entrance but she pulled back before he could reach her. Instead she leaned forward, her ass in the air as she rubbed her heavy, pendulous breasts against his cock, shaking them back and forth over his arousal, her erect pink nipples sliding over his shaft. She parted her breasts, wrapping James’s cock between them, trapping him within her cleavage.
James bit back a groan and clenched his fists. He thrust upward, sliding between her ample breasts, the tip of his penis brushing against her chin as he moved in and out. Just as he was about to spend, Kate slipped away again.
Resuming her position atop his thighs, she lightly brushed her tongue along the length of his cock, then took the tip of his penis into her mouth. A jolt of scorching pleasure shot up James’s spine. She licked the sensitive underside of his cock, then twirled her tongue around his member. He sucked in his breath and arched his hips, instinctively driving more of his penis into the hot, wet cavity of her mouth. She opened her mouth wider as she gained confidence, stroking him with her tongue and her hand.
The sensation was better than he’d ever imagined. For a moment he lost himself in the pure bliss of her lips and tongue on his cock. But it was too much. He couldn’t control himself if she continued, and today was about Kate’s pleasure. He wouldn’t come—not until he could bring her to orgasm with him.
It took every ounce of willpower James possessed to ease himself away from her. Guiding her hips, he turned her so that she was kneeling, facing away from him. He reached around her from behind, his fingers gently stroking and massaging her swollen clitoris with one hand, her breasts with the other. He toyed with her nipples, pressed hungry kisses against the column of her throat. She gasped and writhed against him, wriggling her ass against his groin. Her quim felt hot and damp against his thighs. She was ready.
His fingers splayed open along her spine, he bent her forward so she was on her hands and knees. He entered her from behind, driving into her hot, slick channel with a slow, steady stroke, his balls grinding against the soft curve of her ass.
“Yes,” Kate moaned. Her breath hitched, then released one long, slow breath. “Oh, yes.” She arched her back, spreading her knees slightly to better receive him. Her blond hair spilled over her shoulders and cascaded down her back. Slick with perspiration, the long golden strands clung to her skin.
James gripped her hips as his strokes increased in speed. Her inner muscles
clenched around him as he pulled out and drove back in, each stroke harder and deeper than the last. His muscles bunched, his groin tightened and he felt his orgasm building, until at last it broke over him like a wave crashing against a rock. A rough moan of ecstasy escaped his lips as he poured his seed into her, gripping her hips as he came.
Kate found her release seconds later. She cried out as her climax swept over her and her sheath tightened around him. Once she spent, he drew her back against him, collapsing together on the tangled linens of his bed. He stroked her hair, pulling the slick strands away from her face. Loathe to break contact, he kissed her jaw, the smooth column of her throat, the sloping curve of her shoulder.
She gave a kitten-like purr and rolled over in his arms. Her lips were swollen, her cheeks flushed, and there was only one word to describe the expression that glowed in her rich hazel eyes.
James looked at her and froze.
The light of absolute love blazed in Kate’s eyes.
Chapter Ten
Kate was just finishing her morning rounds when she bumped into Dr. Michaelson. Literally. Bumped into him hard enough to knock a tray of surgical instruments from his hands and scatter them along the hospital corridor. In her giddy rush to see James, she’d been heedless of her direction. She gave a helpless laugh and bent to help him gather the scattered instruments.
“I’m so sorry, Doctor. I can’t imagine what I was thinking.”
“Quite all right, Nurse Riley. As a matter of fact, I was hoping to see you today.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. It’s about your brothers.”
Her hands stilled. “Bertie and George? What have they done now?”
Michaelson laughed. “It’s nothing that dire.” He studied her for a moment, his expression sobering. “But perhaps it would be better if we spoke in my office.”
He ushered her into a modest room which consisted of little more than a simple oak desk and a pair of chairs. Packing boxes were stacked up on the floor. He held out a chair for her, then began without preamble, “I’ll be leaving for the Crimea first thing Saturday morning. I had hoped to resolve matters with your brothers before I left.”
Kate swallowed hard. “If this is about the fifty pounds you loaned Bertie to cover his debt—”
“No,” Dr. Michaelson said, waving that away. “Well, not entirely.” He stroked his beard, then continued, “Your father and I were fairly close in our younger days. When I came to this hospital and learned that his sons were in financial difficulty, naturally I wanted to help.”
“And we were most grateful—”
“You had nothing to do with it,” Michaelson interrupted. “You are one of the most hardworking, talented nurses I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. Your brothers, however, are a different story. I have come to observe that their problem is one of character, not competency.”
Shame stole over Kate. She looked away, unable to meet the physician’s eyes.
“I repeat, the fault is not yours,” he said gently. “And money is not the issue here. Particularly not insofar as you are concerned. I will deal with your brothers directly on that issue. But if I may be so bold as to say, I believe I know what kind of men your father would want them to be. To that end, I think it would benefit them tremendously were they to accompany me to the Crimea. A few months of hard work without detrimental diversions. I thought, perhaps, if you have any influence over them at all—”
“I wish that I did.”
Michaelson released a troubled sigh. “Well, I suppose that’s that.” He rose to his feet, indicating their interview was at an end. He sent Kate a reassuring smile. “At least you and I succeeded, did we not?”
Kate rose as well. “You mean Mr. Lancaster’s treatment? Yes, he’s recovering quite rapidly, isn’t he?”
“A remarkable man. In fact, a colleague of mine at the War Office just informed me Mr. Lancaster has accepted a post abroad. He’s leaving in a few days. A fortuitous ending for all involved, I would say.”
Kate blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
He studied her for a moment, then reached for her arm. “Are you quite all right, Nurse?”
Kate felt as though the room was darkening around her. She licked her suddenly parched lips, forcing herself to respond. “Of course,” she managed. “I simply didn’t know. That’s...wonderful. Truly.”
“Are you certain you’re all right?”
She nodded wordlessly and drifted toward the door. There she hesitated and turned back to Dr. Michaelson. “Tell me more about the assistance you need in the Crimea.”
Kate entered her small garret kitchen and poured herself a cup of tea. Yesterday had passed in a fog, and last night sleep had eluded her. Trying to force her body to relax had only left her more agitated.
In the end she determined to abandon the pretense altogether and went about the task of setting her bedchamber to rights. She gathered her things, somewhat embarrassed at how meager they were. A few gowns, undergarments, books, and the like. The sum of her earthly possessions comfortably packed into two sturdy trunks. That was all she would take with her when she left.
She sipped her tea, watching as the light of the rising sun slowly filtered into the room. How different her life would be by next week’s sunrise.
After a few minutes, the sound of clumsy footfalls in the stairwell alerted her to the return of Bertie and George. Back from another late night. She listened to them wrestle their key in the lock, then watched as they stumbled inside.
They came up short, blinking at the room in almost comical confusion, as though uncertain they’d come to the right place. “Was’ is?” George slurred.
“Well,” Bertie said, striding into the room. “Looks like Kate finally came to her senses and took care of things around here. I told you she would. About time, too.”
So they had been aware of the shambles they’d made of the place. The absolute disarray in which they’d been living. She’d wondered about that. After their confrontation weeks ago, Kate had steadfastly refused to act the part of maid-of-all-work, hoping her brothers would pitch in and share the burden. They hadn’t. The chores had piled up, along with the dishes and the laundry and the refuse. It had been a petty war with no winners, and the battle had left her drained and exhausted.
“You’re right,” she said softly. “Kate finally has come to her senses.”
Bertie and George spun about to look at her.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it.” Bertie strode to the kitchen table and sat down. “Two eggs, Kate. And mind they’re not too runny.”
George followed him. “Tea and toast with the eggs,” he said. “And don’t bang the pots about while you’re at it. My head’s killing me.”
Kate lifted her cup and sipped her tea, regarding them steadily.
Bertie frowned at her, then his gaze fell on the two trunks just outside the door to her bedchamber. “What’s all this? You’re not thinking of jaunting off on some foolish holiday, are you? Absolutely not. I forbid it. We’ve seen where that sort of thinking leads.”
A pang of wistful reminiscence made her chest ache. It seemed a lifetime ago that she had dreamed of accompanying the widows McBrayer on their holiday to Paris. “I’m not leaving on a holiday,” she said. “I’m simply leaving.”
Bertie blinked. George, who had been slumped at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, slowly straightened and stared at her. “Leaving?” he said. “Leaving where?”
“As you may be aware, my position with Dr. Michaelson was for four weeks. This afternoon marks our final session with Mr. Lancaster.”
“So?” Bertie interrupted. “What does that have to do with your leaving?”
“Dr. Michaelson’s treatment has been so successful, he intends to continue his work in the hospitals in the Crimea. I have decided to accompany him there. While he trains field surgeons in its applications, I will train the nursing staff.”
“Shipping off to a war zone?” Bertie scoffed. “
That’s too dangerous for a female.”
Knowing full well he was far more concerned with his own comfort than her welfare, Kate replied, “Miss Nightingale has paved the way quite admirably. There are dozens of nurses like me serving the army abroad. We are needed there.”
George gave her words a preemptive wave. “You’re needed here. Tell Michaelson you can’t do it.”
“I’ve already accepted the position.”
“What? Without asking our permission?” Bertie demanded, his brows arched in disapproval.
Kate lifted her chin. “Yes.”
“Well, I forbid it,” he said, his chest swelling with pompous indignation.
If only he knew how rooster-like he looked when he assumed that pose, Kate thought. How old beyond his years. Aloud she simply said, “Then I’ll leave without your blessing. But I will leave.”
Silence simmered between the three of them. “So that’s the way it is.” George glared at her. “After all we’ve done for you, you’re just going to run out on us.” He gestured around the room. “How do you expect us to manage here?”
“I expect you to manage like the grown men you are,” she replied calmly. “I won’t spend the rest of my life cleaning up after you. I won’t pay off your drinking tabs and your gaming debts. I won’t make excuses for you at the hospital when you can’t show up for your shift. I won’t—” Her voice faltered. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, striving for composure. “I won’t pretend things will be different just because I want them to be.”
That was particularly true for James Lancaster. Much as she longed for some sign from him that he wished to continue their relationship, he’d given her no indication to that effect. In fact, just the opposite was true. He’d accepted a position that would take him out of the country—and he hadn’t bothered to tell her. His intentions regarding her couldn’t be clearer.
Out Of Her League, An Erotic Romance Page 11