Baron

by Joanna Shupe

  Settling deeper into the mattress, he devoted his attention to Ava’s sex, nibbling and licking, sucking and biting. He hadn’t been able to wait—certainly not the eternity it would take to undress her—before tasting her. And the experience thus far substantially outweighed his imaginings.

  Her heavy breaths soon turned into moans, and those quickly transformed into cries. He relished each one, using his mouth to drive her higher and his fingers to increase her pleasure. His erection throbbed between his abdomen and the mattress, and he briefly worried he’d spill in his trousers. But he would not stop, not when her thighs began to shake and her muscles drew taut.

  She tasted sweet and spicy, a flavor all her own, and he lapped the wetness like the most delicious delicacy. Caviar, oysters, champagne . . . all of them paled in comparison to the arousal on Ava’s skin. A few minutes later, she let loose a string of husky, incoherent words and the thin hold on his control began to unravel.

  His cock screamed for friction, and Will tried to resist, he truly did. But when the walls of her cleft tightened, her fingers knotting in his hair to hold him in place, he lost the battle. Instinct took over—that and the fear he’d finish in his clothing.

  He shot up to his knees and began struggling with the fastenings at his waistband. “Damn it.” His dashed fingers would not work properly.

  “Hurry, Will.”

  A button flew off and landed on the coverlet. The buttons to his combination were next, and he’d never cursed the modern fashion sensibilities before now.

  Finally he reached in and withdrew himself, positioned the blunt head of his erection at the slick entrance to her body, and pushed. Tight, wet heat gripped him, and he slid in only about a quarter of the way before he felt her flinch. He gritted his teeth and froze. “I beg your pardon. I should have been more careful.”

  “Give me a moment. I . . . It has been a while.” Discomfort had replaced desire in her expression, her lids now screwed tight.

  An uncomfortable feeling settled throughout him, one he did not experience often. Yet, he recognized the slight nausea in his stomach from his childhood. Shame. He’d assumed . . . well, she hadn’t been a virgin . . . so he’d thought . . .

  Goddamn it. He fought the urge to thrust, to bury himself inside her. Instead, he withdrew, perspiration breaking out on his brow.

  “Wait, I’m all right.” Ava tried to grab at him, but Will held up a hand.

  “I’m rushing. I want you to enjoy this, not endure it. Now, let me undress you.”

  Instead of listening, she propped up on an elbow and reached toward him with the other. He didn’t guess her intent until her fist wrapped around his erection. He hissed through his teeth. “Stop, Ava. I cannot—” She stroked him firmly, base to tip, and Will’s hips flew forward. “No, please. I want to prepare you.”

  “So prepare me,” she breathed. “And I’ll prepare you.”

  A dry chuckle escaped his throat—which turned into a groan as she tugged on his cock once more. “I’m quite prepared, thank you.”

  “Still so polite,” she murmured. “That must mean you can stand for a bit more preparation, I believe.”

  He should have known she would argue with him. The two of them were born to be at odds. Strangely, he did not mind it at the moment.

  She dragged her thumb over the sensitive spot on the underside of his penis, and his eyes nearly crossed. “Oh, Christ.”

  “I think you mean, ‘Oh, Ava.’”

  “Yes, that too.” He trailed a finger around the entrance to her body. Her skin glistened with arousal. Gently he pushed one digit inside her. Jesus, so tight. Her hips rose up a bit to meet him, her breath hitching. He pumped a few times, then added a second finger. She bit her lip, her grip on his erection constricting. Then a third.

  “Oh, God,” she said, her back arching.

  “I think you mean, ‘Oh, Will.’”

  Lids heavy, she glanced at him, a wide smile overtaking her beautiful face. Something in Will’s chest expanded, lightened, like he’d been filled with steam. A buoyancy of emotion, one he didn’t quite understand. One he wasn’t sure he liked.

  She distracted him by working his erection once more. “You are already unbearably arrogant. I’ll give my praise to a deity instead.”

  A challenge. Now this was familiar territory.

  He withdrew his fingers, momentarily bemoaning the loss of that lush, narrow passage, and quickly yanked his suspenders down. Without bothering to remove any more clothing, he fitted himself to her opening and angled his hips.

  She threw her head back, arms splayed uselessly on the mattress, and he continued to press forward. She was snug, but not impenetrable, so with shallow, steady thrusts, he sank until fully seated. He paused for a long moment, enjoying the first superlative feel of her slick walls surrounding him. Absolute heaven.

  He folded over her, rested his weight on his elbows, and put his mouth near her ear. “I’ll have you calling my name before the afternoon is over, Ava. Even if I kill myself trying.” He pulled his hips back and then snapped forward.

  She sucked in a breath. Her hands found his shoulders and held on. “I suppose we’ll see who wins out, then.”

  He started to laugh, but she rocked her hips, pulling him deeper, and pleasure surged along his shaft and up his spine. He smothered a growl. He’d never felt so out of control in his life.

  He dropped his head and kissed her hard. She met his tongue with her own, not holding back, and he began to move in earnest. Reaching down, he lifted one of her legs and wrapped it around his waist. She followed with the other leg, her body now cradling him, the angle allowing him to fill her completely. Her hand slid under his shirt, over the fabric of his underclothes, and he suddenly craved her touch on his bare skin. He broke off from her mouth and lifted his shirt over his head. Then he unbuttoned his combination, pulled his arms free, and pushed the garment down to his hips. She rewarded him by running her fingers over every inch of his torso.

  “I wish you were naked,” he murmured into her throat as he pumped into her. “I want to see every inch of you.” Especially her breasts. They were full and round, and he knew they would be soft in his hands with pink, hard nipples.... The image caused him to surge forward, his cock driving into her channel with deliberate force. White-hot charges erupted along his spine, the back of his knees, and nothing mattered more than being inside her right now.

  His entire world was Ava. The sounds she was making in the back of her throat, the nails digging into the skin of his shoulders. The hot breath that fanned across his cheek. The warm clasp of her body and the tightening of her legs around his waist. Her responses propelled him higher, until he was fighting off his release.

  Just when he thought he’d finish first, her thighs began trembling. He adjusted slightly, hitting higher inside, then grinding against her on the downstroke, until he found the right combination. Once, twice—and she tensed underneath him. Her face went slack, and she cried out.

  “Say my name,” he growled, riding through her release and trying to hold off his own. Ava didn’t answer, merely shuddered, her limbs pulling taut as she came. Stubborn woman.

  Such was the last coherent thought he had before his own orgasm overtook him. It started all the way down at his toes and raced up the back of his legs and through his balls. He jerked out of her, the cold air a shock to his overheated erection, and used his hand to quickly bring himself to completion, finishing on the bedclothes. Tiny shocks went through his limbs, the orgasm drawing out until he turned sensitive.

  Panting, he dropped next to her on the mattress. “You are amazing.”

  “You did all the work, railroad man,” she said through heaving breaths. “But if you’d like to give me credit, I’ll accept it.”

  The side of his mouth hitched. “Fine. You may shower me with gratitude, then.”

  “I’d rather run naked through the lobby downstairs.”

  Had he thought bedding her would turn her sweet and
pliable? If so, he should damn well have known better. When was the last time he’d found himself laughing in bed with a woman? Yet he laughed now as he rolled to face her. She appeared deliciously disheveled, a well-sated woman—well sated and, unfortunately, still clothed. “I would pay money to see that.”

  Ava turned on her side as well, their faces close on the pillow. “I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for the private version.”

  * * *

  Gray eyes flashed in appreciation of that suggestion. This side of him—the relaxed, playful, normal side—appealed to Ava. A lot. His laugh . . . his smile . . . the serene set of his lips . . . He appeared more his age, like a young, carefree, handsome man.

  She openly admired his trim, bare torso, with its valleys of bone and ridges of muscle. Strong arms and wide shoulders. Dark blond hair dusted his sternum, down his flat stomach to the opening in his trousers. He’d already tucked his shaft back into his combination.

  “When?” he asked.

  She had already forgotten what they were discussing. She glanced up. “When, what?”

  “The private version. When may I see it?” He lifted a hand and swept the hair off her forehead. “Now?”

  Now? “I assumed . . . That is, aren’t we finished for the day?”

  He chuckled as his fingers found the tiny buttons at the top of her shirtwaist. Flicked one open. Then another. “I told you there would be no limit to the pleasure I would give you this afternoon. Or did you forget?”

  “You did give me pleasure.” He continued working the buttons with one hand, a feat that impressed her. Were most men this adept at women’s clothing? Before she could let that question ruin her mood, she continued. “Quite a lot of it, actually.”

  “If you thought I would race out the door as soon as we finished, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’ve been fantasizing about you for days and now that I finally have you here, I shall not waste the opportunity.”

  He had fantasized about her? Ava didn’t know what to make of that, or the idea they were not nearly done. Her mind raced with possibilities. “Are you going to undress me?”

  Buttons undone, he slid her shirtwaist over one shoulder. “Yes, and then I will finish undressing myself. Once that’s accomplished, I’ll return to your pleasure.” He helped slip her arm out of the sleeve, then turned his attention to her corset cover.

  Stephen, her one and only lover, had been more of the one-and-done variety. There hadn’t been a concerted effort for Ava to enjoy their coupling. Now that she’d experienced otherwise, she could see Stephen had been a selfish man—and not only in the bedroom.

  “You are not what I expected.”

  His fingers kept at their task though his gaze found hers. “And what is it you expected?”

  She bit her lip, debating how to best put it. “Less,” she finally settled on.

  Her corset cover came off next. “Less,” he repeated with a frown. “You do not have a high opinion of me, but I do hope to change that today. On your stomach.”

  Ava turned to lie face down on the bed. Her boots were removed, then Will unfastened her outer skirt and petticoat, pulled the pieces down her legs. When he plucked at the strings of her corset, loosening it, she was able to draw in deeper breaths and think a bit more clearly. “I expected you to be, I don’t know, more reserved.”

  He leaned over and put his lips near her ear. “Perhaps you bring out the worst in me.”

  She didn’t have time to wonder over such a statement before he shifted her to her back and deftly unhooked her corset. Before she could blink the heavy edges fell to her sides, leaving her only in a thin chemise, drawers, and stockings.

  He paused, his hands cupping her breasts through her chemise. The fleshy mounds more than filled his big palms, and he stared at her chest in avid fascination as he caressed her. “And if we are being honest with each other, you are much more than I expected.”

  “You mean my bosom?”

  His gaze locked with hers, his expression serious. “No. More beautiful. More responsive. More bold. More passionate than I imagined—and I spent quite a lot of time imagining you.”

  She swallowed, the compliments disconcerting her. It was much easier to be at odds with this man. “Thank you,” she said softly, not wanting him to think she did not appreciate his candor.

  “Yet you’re squirming. Have I discomforted you?”

  Yes. Less talking was preferable. No risk of tender emotions that way. Reaching, she pulled him down as she rose up to kiss him. She tasted the surprise on his lips, but only for a second, until he moved his mouth over hers. He settled on his elbows and angled his head, slipping his tongue past her lips, and she sighed into his mouth.

  After a moment, he broke off and bent to kiss the skin above the edge of her chemise. At the same time, he lifted the hem and began sliding it over her hips, stomach and head, until she was bare from the waist up.

  “My God, you are lovely.” His hand palmed her right breast while his tongue swirled around her left nipple, teasing. She writhed as the ache built, her back bowing in a silent plea. He took his time, nibbling, his teeth sinking playfully into the soft skin and avoiding giving her what she craved. With her fingers in his hair, she tried to urge his mouth to her nipple. “Will.”

  She felt him smile before his mouth closed over the tip and he drew deep, sucking hard. A sharp sizzle raced down her spine and settled between her legs. Oh, heaven above. His mouth was magical. She’d suspected his extraordinary talents when he’d licked between her legs, and this confirmed it.

  Fingers toyed with the nipple not currently being worshipped with his mouth, and slickness built between her legs once more, a tingling in her sex as if she hadn’t just climaxed minutes earlier. What was happening to her? Will Sloane—the proper, reserved, snobbish man she’d bickered with for the last few weeks—was turning her into a pile of sensual mush.

  She dragged her hands over his shoulders, enjoying the lean muscle and solid bones, then explored his chest. Firm pectoral muscles and crisp hair. Her nail grazed his nipple—and he gasped, his mouth releasing her.

  He slid his nose over her cheekbone while grinding his obvious erection against her hip. “I want you again,” he growled.

  Yes, please. She did not voice the words, however. Her body was primed to take him once more, but she longed to see him undone. There had been glimpses earlier, but she needed to torment this man. To give and take more in one afternoon than either of them had experienced in a lifetime. Perhaps then she could walk away without regrets.

  Pushing on his shoulder, she forced him to his back. He went easily, bringing her atop to straddle his hips. The position exposed the full, pale globes of her breasts to his heavy-lidded, hungry gaze. “I’ve died and gone to heaven,” he murmured, before cupping both mounds, using thumbs and forefingers on her nipples to drive her crazy.

  She rolled her hips down the long ridge in his clothing—and he groaned. His answer was to pinch the sensitive tips between his fingers—and she groaned in response. Equally matched, neither one of them backing down . . . How could she have expected anything less?

  Scooting down his thighs, she edged out of his reach. His arms dropped to the mattress as she unfastened the rest of his trousers buttons and tugged the garment off his legs. This left him in just a tight combination, which clung to his sharp hipbones, thick erection, and the long muscles in his thighs. The undergarment made him appear unbelievably virile. Rugged, like the frontiersmen they talked about.

  As appealing the view, however, she was dying to see underneath.

  She removed the last of his clothing, taking his socks along with the undergarment, and then Will was completely bare. Sand-colored hair covered his legs and groin. His heavy erection and balls rested between muscular thighs. Her fingers itched to touch him, to map his body and learn everything that comprised this complicated man.

  “Do I meet with your approval?” he asked when the silence stretched.

  A wave of sel
f-consciousness went through her. She’d been caught admiring him. Lusting after him, even. The man’s sense of self-worth would never deflate at this rate.

  “Actually, I was expecting more flash underneath it all. Diamonds—or at least emeralds. Decorative gold leaf, perhaps.” She grasped his erection and gave him a swift stroke. “Turns out, though, that you’re just a man.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Yes, Will was a man like any other . . . and he reacted to her ministrations as any man in his right mind would. He panted and trembled as Ava worked him with an eagerness that made up for any lack of skill. And when she touched her tongue to the tip of his cock, he thought he’d lose his ever-loving mind.

  Encouraged, she slipped the head into the lush heat of her mouth. “Christ, Ava. You don’t need to do that.” Not every woman liked a man’s arousal in her mouth, though Will had long dreamed of seeing Ava’s plump lips wrapped around his shaft. Happily, the reality far exceeded his expectations, and if she ceased he very well might cry.

  She released him with a wet pop. “Do you want me to stop? I thought most men . . .”

  “Yes, we do,” he finished quickly. “But you don’t need to do anything today that you’re uncomfort—”

  Her mouth engulfed his penis once more, cutting off whatever he’d been saying, and his eyes rolled back in his head. The tight suction . . . the flutters of her tongue. Dear God, he’d come in minutes if she didn’t let up.

  Yet he didn’t halt her. His gaze bounced between her mouth and the gently swaying, naked breasts on full, tantalizing display. He’d never seen a more erotically charged sight than the one of Ava, naked on her knees, pleasuring him. His balls ached, a familiar tightening that signaled an impending orgasm. No, no, no. Not yet.

  Levering up, he lifted her off his cock. Confusion wrinkled her brow, so he told her, “I want to be inside you again. Not finish in your mouth.” He rapidly untied her drawers and worked them down her hips. She helped, pushing the garments and her stockings down her legs. Finally he had her completely naked.