He did not wear a glove, and so she felt the callouses in his fingertips as he stroked her cheek and along her jaw. His touch was very gentle, and she was surprised to feel her head moving deeper into his caress. Before long he was cupping her jaw as his mouth descended. The caress of his lips was exquisite this time, and she leaned into it despite her plan to keep the kiss light. Not only that, but she opened her mouth to his.
He drew back, though his hand remained on her cheek. She noted that he breathed quickly, as did she. And her grip on the branch had loosened, though she pulled strongly on it now to keep herself from swaying into him.
“How far do you want to go with this?” he rasped. “I would like to use my tongue now.”
She swallowed and nodded but worry had her pulling back. “What do I do when you…?”
“How about this? I shall go slow and you can test what you like. That way you can do nothing at all or whatever you want?”
That was not a good scientific method. Clear tests with beginnings and endings were her general preference, but she appreciated the efficiency of his suggestion. Not to mention that her mind was a bit unfocused right then. She didn’t much care for clear delineation in his kisses. She knew only that she wanted more.
But instead of proceeding, he reached up and gently disentangled her hand from the branch. And when she started to ask, he coaxed her deeper into the shadows.
“This way you can touch me if you want,” he said. “And if you lean back against the tree trunk—”
“I won’t worry about my balance.”
He nodded. “I was going to say you would be more comfortable, but I suppose it is one and the same.”
She agreed and she happily rested her spine along the tree trunk. “Where can I touch you?”
His smile was wide as he answered. “Wherever you want.”
“But—”
He drew her hand up to his lips, kissing the tips of her fingers. “Wherever you want,” he repeated. “And may I…” He swallowed, then shook his head. “I will keep my caresses to your face.”
“You want to touch more,” she said. She was not completely ignorant. Aunt Isabelle had described the sexual act in detail. The lady had claimed that certain areas of the body were very sensitive to stimulation.
He blew out a breath. “I want to do everything with you.” His voice was heavy, and he kneaded her palm where he still held her hand. She felt the strength in his grip, and it added to the sizzle in her blood.
Suddenly, she realized that she wanted it. She wanted to try these things with him. She wanted to feel his hands everywhere and to let his organ penetrate her. All those things that Aunt Isabelle had described held far more interest, now that she thought of Lord Sayres as the man who would do those things to her. With her. She was dizzy with the thoughts that spun through her mind.
“I will not,” he rasped. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you, I swear.”
She smiled. Was this the first time he hadn’t read her thoughts? “I’m not afraid.” Then she took a moment to truly process that thought. She wasn’t cringing away from him. She wasn’t measuring her actions while constantly watching to see if he reacted badly. “You have never laughed at me.” Odd how freeing that statement was. “You and Lilah are the only two.”
He frowned. “Surely the rest of your family has been kind.”
She shrugged. “Children are often cruel, brothers and sisters especially.”
“Well, yes. I suppose I was terrible to my sisters at times.”
“They haven’t been mean to me in years.”
“And your parents?”
“They love me, and my father was more tolerant of my oddities than anyone else. But Mama especially has tried to teach me how to go on in society. It has made our relationship difficult.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Thank you,” she responded. “But my life is much easier than most. And they all love me, so I have found contentment.” Or she had, until his kisses had set her to wanting more. She tilted her face up to his. And now that the tree supported her, she could touch his face as he had hers. She explored the rough texture of his cheek, the hard cut of his jaw, and she rolled her thumb over his lips. The texture was uneven, the shape interesting. Then he abruptly caught her thumb between his teeth and bit lightly down before his tongue teased the pad of her thumb.
She gasped in surprise, but she did not draw back. Indeed, he pursed his lips and sucked gently while her belly clenched in reaction.
“I think I would like you to touch more than my face.”
He licked her thumb one last time before releasing it. And then he leaned in close, with one arm braced above her head. “I will stop whenever you want. You have only to say so.”