What the Stubborn Viscount Desires

by Sandra Sookoo

  The longer he soaked in the mineral pool, the more his aches and pains faded. Whatever fortified the water should be bottled up and sold, hawked on the streets of London. There was a fortune to be made there, he’d wager.

  But that was for another time.

  When he scooted himself across the pool on the opposite side of what Sophia occupied, he settled his bum on an outcropped boulder with his arms stretched on the pool lip. The water lapped at his upper chest. “You’re right. Staying here for a while would be a decent holiday… if we had food.”

  The throaty sound of her laughter echoed through the cavern. His member twitched. “Yes, food is essential. Perhaps the Duke of Rathesborne should caution his agents into being better prepared when in the field.”

  He snorted. “We never anticipate finding ourselves in these situations.”

  “Mayhap you should.” Slowly, she drifted closer to his position. “Jonathan?”

  “Yes?” His pulse pounded loud in his ears. Would she initiate relations or would she wait for him to make the opening overture?

  When she reached him, she pressed against his side, went so far as to knead his shoulder. She had a knack of finding the places he carried tension and working out those knots. “Thank you for insisting I accompany you on this mission. You could have left me behind at any point along the way.”

  “You’re welcome.” He met her gaze. Those big blue eyes with the multitude of emotions shadowing their depths pulled him into her web. “Without you, I’d still be in Madrid, cursing myself in that first library.” When he chuckled, she answered with a soft grin.

  “That I do not doubt. You’re terrible at research.”

  Having Sophia along, assisting, listening, counseling him had proved more valuable than he’d ever thought possible. She constantly surprised him, made him think differently about her and women in general. Somehow, she anticipated his needs and he calmed her fears.

  “You are quite different than I imagined you’d be before I met you,” he finally admitted. He wanted to touch her, needed to put his hands on her lush body, but he refrained, for once he did, there’d be no stopping until they were both tired and sated and wrung out with pleasure.

  “Is that a good thing?” She followed the whispered question with brushing her lips against his.

  Desire flared. His cock hardened to the point of pain. He fisted his hands and fought his instincts. “In all honesty, it’s been a delightful discovery.”

  “For me as well.” She drifted a hand along his torso. Every inch she traversed, his muscles went taut with tension and anticipation. “I’ve seen the man you truly are, the one you hide from the world, and I’m championing him.”

  “Why?” The word was pulled from a tight throat. No one had seen into his soul like she had; no one had believed in him before they had that chance.

  Downward she caressed, over his abdomen, and with a throaty chuckle, she cupped his equipage in a firm grip that had him sucking in a breath. “There is no one in your life who expects great things from you. Why not me?” She held his gaze, waiting, but for what?

  He didn’t know, but the sensation of falling surrounded him. With very little effort, he’d drown in those eyes, and be quite happy to do so. “I hope I never disappoint you. I’m an expert at that.” And just one reason he had to set her free once the mission concluded. He couldn’t bear to have that fear confirmed.

  “So far you’ve surpassed my expectations. Keep doing that.” Then she claimed his mouth with all the boldness he’d come to expect from her.

  Bloody hell. Jonathan groaned. The last vestiges of his resistance shattered. He grabbed her hips and hauled her bodily into his lap in an effort to better kiss her senseless.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sophia resituated herself on his lap so that she straddled Jonathan’s waist. She held his face between her palms, reveled in the rasp of his stubble against her skin and still she kissed him. She mimicked his movements and then set to work in her bid to seduce him.

  The press of his hardened member along her bum spurred her onward. Whatever game Lord Basselton played with them would come to a head soon, which meant Jonathan’s mission was nearly over. Despite the potential for a broken heart when he left her in England, she wanted this man, needed to feel the slide of his body against hers, had to know he felt something beyond friendship for her if only for a moment.

  After wrenching away, she nibbled the sensitive spot beneath his jaw. The scratch of his whiskers heightened her need as did his moan of approval. She loved how strong and solid he was beneath her hands, the way he held her, touched her, how he made her feel protected, safe—desired. Heat flowed through her veins to replace her blood, and she nipped and licked a path to his ear. When she gained the lobe, she gave it a light bite. The rapid intake of his breath made her grin.

  “Shall I take you in hand, or would you prefer I take you into my mouth?” she whispered as she pulled away long enough to hold his gaze.

  His eyes had darkened to deep green and reflected the eerie glow in the pool. “You are too bold for you own good.” But the corners of his mouth tipped up with the beginnings of a smile that promised wicked, highly enjoyable things.

  She wriggled on his lap, being certain to brush against his erection, and he moaned in apparent pleasure. He should do that more often—smile. It made him devastatingly handsome and caused her heart to do queer little thumps. “What do you plan to do about that?”

  “Teach you exactly why you shouldn’t play with fire.” He bent his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth.

  It was Sophia’s turn to gasp as hot yearning circled through her lower belly. The viscount teased the sensitive bud despite the thin shift covering it, nipping, sucking, flicking the pebbled tip with his tongue. She panted and arched her back. “So far, this does not feel like punishment.” His hands and mouth on her body was but a delicious treat.

  A growl left his throat. “My girl, the point is to torture and arouse you, not to punish.” He claimed her lips in a searing kiss that left her reeling. “Gentlemen do not seek to use intercourse against a lady, and if they do, they are dastards of the first order.”

  When she assumed he’d kiss her again, he cupped her breasts, rubbed his thumbs over her nipples and then he buried a hand into the wet mass of her hair. He tugged on the strands, tipping her head back, and then he pressed kisses to the exposed expanse of her throat. His teeth grazed her skin and the rough handling sent thrills of need down her spine to lodge deep into her core. “This is…” She swallowed hard. “I rather enjoy this side of you,” she said with breathless anticipation.

  “Good.” He rolled her nipple the same time he licked a path beneath her jawline. “I’m merely attempting to rise to the mark you’ve set for me, since you expect great things.”

  Drat the man for twisting her words. “There is always room for improvement, Trewellain.”

  “Minx, I’ll show you improvement.” Jonathan gave her hair another tug and then kissed her so hard that their teeth knocked together. He plunged his tongue into her mouth over and over, tangling with hers, intent on bossing her, showing her that he was in command of this coupling.

  The man was very much mistaken if he thought she’d back down. She thrust and parried, routed him at every turn until they were both breathing heavily. When she gave his bottom lip a light bite, he growled low in his throat and pinched her nipple. She squealed. Pure desire lanced through her and embedded between her thighs. Her whole body throbbed with anticipation. Oh, how she wanted him. He brought excitement and danger with him, and she fed from his energy as her own built and threatened to consume her.

  “Jonathan, stop,” she entreated in a low voice. Soon she’d shatter merely from his touch.

  He released her hair and stared at her with passion-dark eyes. His chest heaved as much as hers. “If you wish to cry off, do it now. My control is rapidly slipping.”

  “I do not.” Sophia sat up straighter and tugged t
he shift up and over her head. Finally, she was as naked as he. When she tossed it to the cave floor, she dug her fingers into his shoulders. “Go ahead and lose your control, my lord.” She kissed him as roughly as he’d done to her. Some of her bravado wavered in the face of this very real moment, but she continued anyway. “I want to see you in all your glory and feel your body against mine with no obstruction.”

  Show me how you might love me if I truly belonged to you, if our fates weren’t star-crossed.

  He held her gaze, searching intently for something, while his roiled with need and raw desire and admiration. “Damnation, Sophia, you vex me in all the best ways,” he murmured and he worked a hand between their bodies.

  “Yes, do that.” She pressed hers on top of his and guided him to where she needed him the most. Just as he’d done that first night aboard the ship, he found the swollen button at her center and strummed his fingers over it. Shuddering sensation engulfed her with every pass, and all she could do was close her eyes. A moan escaped her, echoing in the cavern.

  In this one perfect moment, he was hers.

  “Look at me,” he commanded in a voice graveled with passion. When she popped open her eyes and met his gaze, he continued. “I want to see your face when you spend.”

  Already, the pressure coiling inside tremored its imminent break. “Why?” she finally managed to force out, for it required all of her concentration not to shatter too soon.

  “You are beautiful when gripped with high emotion.” He captured her mouth in a kiss that was as tender and gentle as the previous one was rough and forceful. All the while, he kept steady pressure on her nubbin, never ceasing in his quest to send her over.

  Sophia twined her arms about his shoulders and the coarse hair on his chest rasped over her sensitive nipples. She moaned against his lips. Need quickened through her lower body and she gasped. “Jonathan, harder. I’m nearly there.”

  “Then let me help you over that hurdle.” His increased the friction, torturing the bud with sure fingers, circling it with his thumb. He put his lips to the shell of her ear. “The sooner you find release the sooner I can claim your delicious body. I want to move in you, hear the sounds of your pleasure until this whole cavern rings with them, knowing I sent you into bliss.”

  The man certainly knew how to charm. She couldn’t deny his logic either. A shiver of need coursed down her spine and she relaxed. That was all it took. The pressure inside broke. Pleasure welled through her being. Sophia cried out in surprise, for this wasn’t the intense wave she’d experienced from him before. Instead, contractions fluttered in her core. She teetered over the edge, and buried her face into the space where his shoulder met his neck.

  When she came back to herself, she pulled away in order to peer into his face. “That wasn’t well done of you, my lord.”

  Rich laughter spilled from him. He cupped her breasts, gave them both a light squeeze. “Ah, I didn’t meet your expectations?”

  She sent him a matching smile. “You fell far short of the mark I’m afraid.” It was so easy with him, this bantering. Once he’d stopped drawing the veil of the grouchy, wounded bear over himself, he was magnificent.

  “Allow me to rectify the situation as well as my reputation.” Jonathan gripped her hips and slightly lifted her. The head of his member grazed her opening. He met her gaze. The need there was staggering, but she couldn’t quite interpret the underlying emotions darkening those depths. “Ready?”

  For everything he wished to bestow. “Yes.” She nodded and curled her fingers through the wet hair at his nape.

  He didn’t give her warning, merely thrust upward with his hips. The rigid length of him impaled her so snug and so quickly that she gasped at the exquisite bliss of it. “Perhaps I shall redeem myself now.”

  Did he mean for such a weak release or for everything that had come to pass on the mission? Sophia didn’t know, didn’t wish to waste precious time puzzling it out. She gave herself into his care and shuddered when he thrust again. “This is a brilliant start,” she managed to gasp out.

  “Ha. Now who’s the cheeky one?” The viscount tensed beneath her. “Hold on tight. I’m going to try and relocate.” When she held onto his shoulders, he heaved upward to stand on his one leg. In a bid to remain connected with him, Sophia wrapped her legs about his waist and locked her ankles. “I need greater traction to make that impression you desire.”

  She shivered as the cool air hit her wet skin without the benefit of the thermal springs cocooning her, but when he turned them around, moved slightly to his right and pressed her back against the smooth, sloping side of the pool, he planted one hand on her bum, and a different kind of heat threaded through her. “Your method of delivery doesn’t interest me. I just want you.” It was the baldest truth she’d ever said to him and she gasped at the slip.

  The viscount said nothing. He flexed his hips and buried himself deeper. When she moaned and canted herself at a better angle, she wriggled in encouragement. “I’ll give you what you need.” Jonathan glanced his fingers along the crease of her bottom, and as she frowned with confusion, he winked and pressed his forefinger to her puckered rosette.

  “What are you— Oh!” Sophia couldn’t take breaths fast enough when he slipped the tip of his finger inside that dark entrance. It was strange, this breaching sensation, but as he continued to slowly work his finger inside, wriggling it, testing her boundaries, stretching her, as his member continued to stretch her core, restless heat built and stacked low in her belly. Merciful heavens, what did he mean to do to her? “Jonathan?”

  “Enjoy, my dear,” he whispered and he pulled halfway out of her passage only to stroke back in. His movements, coupled with what he did with his finger, sent urgent need lancing through her body, now magnified by the feeling of being stuffed full.

  Of him. The man she loved even though there was no hope or future with him.

  “I don’t understand why—” Her words were cut off by his kiss, and he worked her mouth with the same careful precision that he gave with his length and finger. Then she didn’t care as delicious sensations assaulted her from all angles.

  Horrible, terrible, wonderful pressure built and stacked in bands throughout her whole body as he thrust, filling her, loving her with literally everything that he was. Her breath came in labored pants. Every movement on her part or his set off new tingling and a rush of white-hot need. Water sloshed and slapped her. Eventually, she gave up trying to meet his pushes and just let this new form of intercourse carry her away.

  “Sophia, please, look at me. I want to watch you.” He wrapped his free arm around her waist and held her closer to him. When she met his gaze, he nodded. “Don’t break that connection as I send you over.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “I have to know…” His statement trailed away as his rhythm changed and his thrusts grew more forceful, went deeper in time to his finger penetration.

  “Know what?” She could barely keep her wits as pleasure swamped her from all directions. This moment was bigger than her, more than she’d ever known before; it would soon consume her. How could she survive?

  Jonathan didn’t answer, but his eyes darkened with emotions she’d not seen from him. They both scared and terrified her but gave her hope at the same time. She dared not attempt to identify what he was thinking for fear she’d be wrong. He kissed her, caught her lips in a searing embrace that added fuel to the inferno burning inside her. Every thrust of his tongue echoed his strokes in and out of her core. Each time he sucked on her bottom lip, he pushed and retreated with his finger, further stretching her back entrance.

  This, this was truly and completely being ruined in every sense of the word. And she delighted in it, wished these drowning sensations would never end. Sophia broke the kiss in order to once more hold his gaze. The building need fractured. “I’m going to break.” Dear God, she’d do more than that. She would dissolve into the white light that teased the edges of her vision.

  �
��I want only your pleasure.” Jonathan increased his pace. Over and over he drilled into her—deeper, harder, faster—so that her body lay plastered between the hard wall of his chest and the pool’s sloping edge. He continued to thrust his finger into her back passage, working in tandem with every stroke.

  Need and pleasure chased each other until they caught her in their dual, churning vortexes. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, struggled to suck in enough breath while holding his gaze. For the space of a heartbeat, they stared at each other, communing on a different level than the physical. In that one tiny moment they were perfectly aligned, offered each other glimpses of souls laid bare, broken and vulnerable—hopeful. Her heart trembled, shook from the truth she spied deep in his eyes, and then the bands holding back bliss broke and she shattered, exploded, fell into the swirling storm of pleasure pulling at her.

  Sophia didn’t hold back as release swept through her in engulfing, pulsing waves. Her keening cry echoed through the cavern, bounced off the walls and blended with Jonathan’s shout of completion. He continued to thrust while his length throbbed and the warm jet of his seed released. The contractions rocking her frame went on and on, both through her core and her backside, and their combined tremors sent her over the edge once more.

  “You are simply breathtaking,” he whispered as he gently removed his finger, and with his free hand, held her close to his chest. His breathing was as heavy as her own.

  She clung to him as tears poured down her cheeks. Of all the silly ninnies in the world, she had to be one who cried after lovemaking. Embarrassed heat infused her cheeks. Whatever would he think? Residual tingles played up and down her spine, and she pressed a barrage of baby-fine kisses into the side of his neck. Salty sweat came away on her tongue and she gave into an exhausted laugh. “I don’t quite know what to say. What you did… what we shared…” Her words were breathless. Admiration didn’t seem good enough for what he’d given her. Boneless, her strength rapidly fading, she held onto him as if he would vanish into the air.