Taming Ivy (The Taming Series Book 1)

by April Moran

  Clasping both of his hands around her hips, Sebastian braced again to remove her from the tantalizing position. But he seemed incapable of forcing his body to obey the commands of his own mind when she rocked her hips forward.

  "Bloody hell,” he groaned, his body jerking to awareness as the underside of his erection slipped through the curls between her thighs.

  It was not penetration, just a maddening glide through silky wet heat.

  Ivy was caught off guard by the sensation. She thought it might feel similar to when he used his hands and fingers to stoke her passion, but this was altogether more exciting. This was something else, something electrifying and provocative. Quivering with the need to do it again, she slid down a second time. Then a third time. A fourth, her arousal creating a slick, easy slide. It was all wicked and wonderful and irresistible. And she could not stop. She would not stop…

  Sebastian fought for control, for sanity, for a reason to haul Ivy off him; to put an end to this glorious torture. Every time she floated up, then down, he burned to bury inside her, to plunge into her heat until he was so deep within her soul she would never escape. He gripped her with the desperation of a drowning man, feeling the trembling of her body as though it were his own. Every gasp of breath she exhaled burned him as if somehow, they passed through his lungs first.

  If she did not cease, he would explode.

  "Ivy, we must stop. I cannot…we can’t…I don't want to make love to you here, for chrissakes. It should be in my bed, where I can lay you out. I want to kiss you all over, caress every inch of you. Kiss you everywhere." His words came in a heated, jumbled, incoherent mess while she ignored him, sliding up and down. Again and again.

  Until finally, Sebastian gripped her hips tight, holding her in position to prevent a downward stroke. Held open by the muscled width of his thighs, the entrance to her body bare and ready for him, she was undaunted by his callousness.

  “Damn it, Ivy.” The words were a growl. “I said we are not doing this here.”

  With a flash of something dangerous in her eyes, Ivy reached up to her shoulder. “We aren’t?” She dragged the blanket away.

  Sebastian choked. And cursed.

  Damn her. For all her innocence, she knew precisely how to tip the scales in her favor, to drive him past the point of no return. The abrupt exposure of his countess, riding him with the supreme confidence of a beautiful pagan goddess, backlit by the firelight’s glow, hair streaming in dark waves over her shoulders, curling around her breasts, tumbling to the small of her back, after she just wrapped her lips around his cock, was too much. He was only a man after all, and he had wanted her for too long to reject what she so sweetly offered now.

  He was lost.

  "Make me yours, Sebastian. Now. I don't care where we are…do it now. Now.” She kissed him, her tongue swirling to touch his.

  His groan was one of defeat. He could not fight the power of Ivy’s arousal for it fueled his own to dizzying, scorching heights. His blood sizzled with the need to claim, to possess, to conquer. She was his. Every sweet inch of her.

  "Except her heart.” Came a sly voice inside his head. "She has yet to give you her heart and probably never will again.”

  Sebastian ignored that voice to focus on the exquisite creature in his arms. Now, he held her steady, guiding her down upon him and every heartbeat brought him closer to pulsating warmth, the silky tightness of her body almost more than he could stand, more than he thought it possible to bear. Once he was fully inside her, they both became motionless as Ivy adjusted to the full, burning pressure of his possession. Sebastian felt unaccountably dizzy, his body acclimating to the feeling of her holding him deep within her. He could not breathe. He gripped her with almost hurtful fingers attempting to keep her still upon him because her buttocks resting atop his thighs was both heaven and hell.

  "What do I do now?" She whispered mischievously in his ear and he grinned.

  "Little hellion. Now you ride.”

  Chapter 31

  Ivy grasped the carved wood top of the divan and using it for leverage, her hips began a slow, tantalizing rise and fall. The sensations were exquisite, although there was an intense compulsion to rotate against Sebastian. She had no control over her body. It instinctively knew what to do to create immense pleasure for them both.

  He did not object. His hands roamed over her curved rear, then gripping her waist before drifting further upward. He rubbed tantalizing circles over her sensitive nipples then cupped her breasts, the weight of them filling his palms. Wherever his fingers trailed, tingling explosions of sensations burst until Ivy thought she might actually go up in flames.

  He splayed his hands below her shoulder blades, his mouth locking on a peach crested breast, her nipple sucked and twirled into scorching heat. Ivy gasped as he raked the bud with his teeth, flicking it repeatedly with his tongue until it puckered. Her breath quickened, her skin warming by degrees until she was a burning flame beneath his palms. When he lavished the same care to her other breast, Ivy abandoned her hold on the divan. Her head fell back until her hair brushed against the tops of his thighs and she realized with a dazed sort of bemusement that he still wore his breeches, the garment pushed down to accommodate her naked body straddling him.

  Sebastian held her hips, helping her rise up and down upon his body. Ivy braced her hands against his broad chest, trembling at the sensation of being filled so completely. When she moaned, his hand pressed against her lips to stifle the sounds of her mounting pleasure. Without a second thought, Ivy took his fingers into her mouth, twirling her tongue around them as her body stiffened.

  “Damnit, Ivy,” Sebastian choked, captivated by the sight of her lips wrapped about his fingers. And Ivy knew...he was thinking of his erection in her mouth. Because she was thinking of it too.

  The pleasure was too piercing, too great to bear. It overwhelmed her, sucking her into a dark whirlpool. Nothing kept her from drowning in the depths of obsession as she struggled to breathe, to comprehend the tidal wave of feelings flooding her. When she bit him, it was sheer reflex, a primal way of balancing out the intense pleasure when the climax shattered her. Sebastian grunted as her sharp teeth scored his index finger.

  The flurry of her body tightening around him, the pulsating intensity of the tremors and her high, restrained sob of satisfaction sent his lust spiking to summits never before reached. Ripping his hand away, he pulled her down, hard, forcefully, until he exploded inside her with a muffled shout.

  As Ivy quivered, still riding her own wave of pleasure, Sebastian crushed her to him, devouring her mouth with fierce kisses, silently telling her she belonged to him and no one else. He kissed her until she was soft and compliant in his arms; until she kissed him back so gently, it made him aware just how tightly he held her.

  His grip loosened slightly. Ivy sighed, burrowing into his chest. Pressing languid kisses to his neck and the tops of his shoulders, she huddled close while Sebastian exhaled slowly, catching his breath. They dozed off to sleep while he was still buried deep within her, Ivy’s soft breath fanning his jaw.

  Sebastian roused himself from a surprisingly comfortable position. An overwhelming giddiness permeated his entire being. He lay prone on the settee, arms folded about Ivy’s waist, his head against her temple. She sprawled over him like an imperious kitten. Half aroused, his erection waited inside her, twitching in response to the feminine scent and heat surrounding him.

  For God’s sake, he still wore his breeches and boots. Biting back a rueful grin, Sebastian slid her from his lap, using his shirt to wipe the stickiness from her thighs and from herself. When he drew the blanket over her, Ivy mumbled in her sleep, curling her legs on the settee while trying to wrap her arms around his neck.

  “Sweetness, we must go up to bed. It would not do for the servants to discover us here in the morning.” He smiled when she frowned in drowsy disagreement.

  “Mmmm, lock the door.”

  “A brilliant idea, my love, but
I did that before. Come now. I’ll help you dress.”

  Sebastian fastened his breeches, fingers fumbling as he gazed down at her curled on the cranberry colored velvet. The fire burned low, making it difficult to make out her features, but he knew every sweet curve and angle of her face. Tracing the pertness of her nose with a forefinger, he slipped an arm beneath her to pull her upright.

  Ivy’s eyes never opened as he slipped her nightgown over her head and pulled her arms into the matching wrapper. “It’s inside out,” she murmured, swaying in drowsy acceptance of his assistance.

  “That doesn’t matter, love.” He located her slippers under the divan.

  “For a countess it does,” Ivy yawned.

  When the slippers were on her delicate feet and the robe wrapped securely, Sebastian stepped away to make sure the fire was properly banked. Once that was done, he twisted about to find Ivy slumped back onto the seat of the divan, her hands curved beneath under her cheek.

  “Oh, for the love of…” He bit off the remainder of a bemused curse then scooped his exhausted wife up into his arms.

  With a fervent hope no insomniac servant roamed the halls, he carried her through the darkened mansion. Upon reaching their bedchamber, he laid her gently on the bed then tended the fire until it burned merrily in the hearth. Hastily stripping off his breeches and boots, Sebastian climbed between the sheets and Ivy immediately gravitated to him, curving against his side, her legs twining with his.

  Sebastian pondered Ivy’s surrender, the willingness to make their marriage a true one. Did she truly believe he would not survive a duel with Basford? Or, had she finally accepted the inevitability of being his?

  Whatever it was, Sebastian decided, settling back against the pillows and pulling her closer, he was grateful.

  Chapter 32

  Sebastian gently pushed the hair from her face and a faint smile lifted Ivy’s lips. Resisting the urge to stretch, images from the library flashed in her mind, awakening her body in ways she never thought possible.

  “What are you thinking, Ivy Cain? Some new way to shock me?" Sebastian's bemused voice was low and husky as she nestled her cheek into the palm of his hand.

  It was close to dawn, the light dim, the fire long ago reduced to embers. She had a vague memory of Sebastian carrying her upstairs while she clung to him. Swallowing a laugh, Ivy wondered what might have happened if a servant crossed their path.

  "If you must know, I thought the whole experience amazing.” Her gaze didn't waver as Sebastian’s brow rose in astonishment. “And I wonder, if there are other places we could…”

  "Your recent change of heart intrigues me,” Sebastian murmured, caressing her soft cheek before sliding his hand along her jawline. His fingers eventually ended in her tangled mass of hair.

  Ivy could not fully explain this sudden willingness to be in his arms, and the justification of providing a Ravenswood heir was not the sole reason. Only she was too cowardly, and maybe too prideful, to admit it.

  "I'm not complaining, mind you.” His soft laugh was wicked. "Maybe I like being surprised. Now, it’s my turn.”

  "What do you mean?" Rational thought was difficult with this gorgeous man wrapped so completely around her. When he rolled over her, Ivy’s legs parted with distressing eagerness.

  "Let me show you.” His lips pressed against the curve of her neck. Nibbling his way up until he reached her lips, Sebastian coaxed her mouth open. When she obeyed, his tongue slipped inside to begin long, languid sweeps, encouraging Ivy to kiss him in the same manner. It was an unhurried, persistent assault.

  Ivy became caught in that kiss, aware he was slowly edging her nightgown higher. The fabric bunched at her waist, at her breasts then, in a fluid movement, was whipped over her head. Bare at last, with only heat between them.

  Sebastian held there. Unmoving and silent. Just stillness, two bodies molded together, legs tangled, skin burning, hearts pounding in an effort to find a common beat. Ivy’s eyes widened as her body slowed to accommodate his and Sebastian's accelerated for hers until one steady thump existed between them.

  "I've dreamt of this since the first time I saw you, warding off your damn Pack, steadfastly ignoring me. I wanted you then - wanted to press myself against you. To imprint myself on your soul as you have imprinted on mine.” His lips pressed to her temple. “Do you feel our hearts beating as if it were one, Ivy? Do you feel me waiting to come inside you? My sweet, sweet little butterfly. I won't ever let you go again; you are too precious to me. I love you. Too damn much.”

  Ivy did not say anything, frightened by the power he held over her. She could not risk laying bare her heart so easily and so soon after having it trampled and broken.

  No. She could not say the words yet.

  If her silence angered or upset him, Sebastian did not reveal it. His lips were gentle when he kissed her, his hands smoothing over her skin in reverence. He made love to her so tenderly and so expertly that by the end, when she sobbed his name in release, Ivy miserably suspected it was only a matter of time before all of her was completely and utterly his once more.

  Including her treacherous heart, which he just proved he could easily control.

  Damnit, what steps must I take to ensure no one disturbs us in the mornings?

  Sprawled against his side, one leg hiked and riding his thigh, Ivy’s arm lay carelessly thrown across his waist. Her cheek rested on the muscles of his bicep; her hair was a wild, tangled mess streaming away on the silk pillows. They made love as dawn broke then fell asleep. It was well past morning now.

  The knock came again, a bit more insistent, and this time Ivy did stir. Her brow pulled into a disapproving frown and rolling away from him, she burrowed beneath the covers. With a grunt of annoyance, Sebastian rose from the bed and threw on a robe. "Whoever is beating my door at such an ungodly hour, there’d best be a goddamn good reason for it.” He jerked open the door.

  "I’ve obviously committed a grave error this morning. Or I should say, afternoon. It is, after all, the noon hour. Do you and milady plan to stay abed all day?" Gabriel stood in the doorway, holding the usual tray loaded with coffee and teapots, along with a plateful of sugar biscuits and a vase containing a single cream-colored rose.

  Sebastian glared at the man before taking the platter. "You would do well to remember our agreement. Return when I ring for you. In the meantime, have Chef prepare a light lunch.”

  "Very well. I thought you may be interested to hear our friend did indeed vacate his manor this morning. He is en route to Bristol to catch the next ship leaving for France. And milady’s gift arrived this very morning.” Gabriel laughed as Sebastian nodded, and using his foot since he now held the platter, unceremoniously shut the door in his face.

  Placing the tray next to the bed, Sebastian poured coffee for himself and a cup of tea for Ivy. Almost gingerly, he sat on the edge of the bed to awaken his wife.

  She turned to him with drowsy eyes when he shook her shoulder. Staring at each other, each remembered the events from the night past. And that morning.

  "Good morning, love,” he said, as Ivy smiled and pulled herself to a sitting position.

  Clutching the coverlet to her naked body with one hand, she accepted the teacup. "Is it still morning?"

  "Truthfully, it’s noon and there is no rush to jump from bed. I vow that's the best sleep I've had in months.”

  Ivy's aqua eyes smoldered with a mischievous light. "And I as well. Do you think lovemaking to be the cause for our perfect slumber?"

  Sebastian chuckled, his gaze dropping to where she held the covers to her bosom. With her sparkling eyes and that wild tumbling hair cascading over creamy bare shoulders, she looked sinfully delicious. "I've no doubt that’s true, and on that subject, would you care to undertake a little experiment this morning?"

  "Afternoon.” Ivy automatically corrected, her voice high with nervous excitement. “What do you have in mind, my lord?”

  Taking the teacup from her, Sebastian set i
t on the tray. Slowly, inch by inch, he tugged the covers from her grasp until she was bare. Ivy shivered, but let him gaze his fill in the soft light. “Have you wondered if that tub is big enough for two?” he murmured, reaching out to brush her hair back from one soft shoulder.

  “I have.” Ivy did not look away from the possessive light in his eyes. “And is it?”

  “I’ll let you determine that”

  Chapter 33

  That same afternoon, Sebastian led Ivy to the stables. Samuel, the stable master, met them in the entranceway, his smile warm with welcome before making an excuse to disappear quite abruptly.

  Ivy gave Sebastian a quizzical glance at the man’s odd behavior just as he reemerged from one of the aisles, leading a dappled grey mare. The horse’s polished hooves danced a delicate tattoo on the cobblestones, her head high as the stable master grinned with pride. Ivy’s eyes lit up, a longing on her features that could not be concealed.

  “Her name is Spring,” Sebastian said, taking the lead rope from Samuel. The horse gazed at them with dark, sweet eyes then butted a finely molded head against Ivy’s shoulder in curiosity.

  Ivy ran a hand down the sleek neck. "She's perfect. And so beautiful.”

  “No denying that,” Sebastian agreed. “She’s one of Raven's get. I bred him to one of Bentley’s finest mares before I left England and to our surprise, that mare threw twin foals. Alan gifted the filly over to me and kept the colt.” He ran his hand over the mare’s flank, pleased when she did not nervously dance away. She was a good mount for Ivy; spirited and gentle. "She's yours, if you would like her.” Smoothing his hand over Spring’s rump, he gave it a light, affectionate slap. “Or, if you rather, you may have your choice of any horse in our stables. We can even journey to Tattersall’s…I will purchase whatever horse you…”