“That’s it, Juliet,” he coaxed.
Unable to play her game any longer, Patrick broke free from the imaginary shackles she’d put him in and brought his hands to her breasts. He cupped and shaped, squeezed and caressed those lovely mounds, taking pleasure every time one of his probing fingers grazed her nipple and her breath hitched. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples, both at the same time.
She bit her lip, the color heightening in her face. Inspired, Patrick gently pinched the points of her breasts, sending her over the edge. Red heat crept up her face, and her inner muscles tightened around him. As her body slowed almost to a stop, Patrick took charge and gripped her hips. He wanted her. Now. No more teasing with chaste kisses, deliberate slowness, or bringing him nearly to the brink as he watched her find her completion. He was ready to join her in that wonderful state.
In one swift movement, he flipped her over, not breaking their intimate connection. With an intense kiss filled with longing, urgency, and need, he began moving. Breaking their kiss, he supported himself on his forearms, and bent his head to catch a glimpse of her bouncing breasts as he moved atop her. Heat began pooling in his mid-section, and the muscles of his abdomen and thighs tensing. Climax was close, very close, just a bit more. He kissed her cheek, and thrust once more, then abruptly pulled out and spent himself on the counterpane.
“I’ll be right back. Lie still,” Patrick panted. He stood and walked over to get a fresh handkerchief from his bureau. After he cleaned himself, he grabbed a towel and walked back to the bed, cursing himself under his breath. He shouldn’t have been so careless, but it was too late now. He’d just have to show a bit more control in the future, that’s all. He cleared his throat. Now wasn’t the time to worry about the consequences of his deed. He shook the towel to get it unfolded, then used a corner and patted the coverlet. “Hold still, Juliet, or you’ll get it on your robe.”
“Get what on my robe?”
Chapter 25
Juliet sat straight up in bed, heedless to what she’d be getting on her robe by doing so. She reached over and groped for her spectacles. Without them she was utterly useless. Pushing them up her nose, she blinked. Drake stood in front of her with a towel in his hand patting the coverlet. That wasn’t a surprise. She knew he was doing that. She’d felt him. She blinked again. Why was he patting the coverlet with a towel? What was there he was trying to clean up? Her eyes shot to the towel. She couldn’t see anything. She glanced down to the coverlet. She didn’t see anything there, either. Moving her eyes up to look at his face and ask him what was going on, her attention caught on the edge of her crimson silk robe. There wasn’t actually something on it, exactly. But it looked as if there had been some sort of liquid on it recently. Her heart lurched. What was it Caroline and Emma had said about some phantom mess she’d never had to clean up?
“Wh-what is that?” Juliet asked, pointing to the towel.
Drake swallowed. “What do you think it is?”
She glared at him. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just treat me like a child, and instead, you’re going to explain yourself right now.”
“Explain what?”
“Explain what you’ve been doing.”
Drake dropped the towel and crossed his arms. Even naked he gave off an air of authority when he took that stance. “I don’t believe I have anything to explain.”
“Yes, you do.” Juliet scooted down the bed and climbed down over the side to avoid the sticky mess. She shed her current dressing robe and grabbed another. “Explain the mess.”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry, Juliet. That’s just what happens.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she countered with a shake of her head. “And don’t you dare say it does. We’ve made―had relations dozens of times and I know without a doubt you’ve never had a need to wipe the counterpane with a towel before.”
He shrugged again. “So?”
“So where did the liquid come from?” she asked
He chuckled. “From the end of my―”
“I know which body part,” she snapped, uncertainty and annoyance quickly giving way to agitation. “I want to know why it suddenly appeared when normally it doesn’t.”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes.” What was he hiding from her, and more importantly, why?
An odd shadow crossed his face, but in less than a second it was gone. “I didn’t realize it was such a problem for you to see such a thing, Juliet. I’ll be more mindful of your sensibilities in the future.” The low, solemn tone of his voice would have given her pause if she wasn’t so blasted confused about what was going on at the moment.