His hands upon her rendered her almost incapable of rational thought. Where had all her calm and poise fled? She could barely think as his hands travelled over her body.
As his hands stroked along her back, she began to melt. "Yes, I give you leave," she whispered.
The floodgates opened then, and his lips were upon the back of her neck, sending sensual licking kisses down her shivering spine.
She gasped but stepped backwards into the close circle of his embrace.
Blake moved his lips up to the delicate hollow between her jaw and neck in a long, lingering kiss as he stroked both hands down her belly, noting as he did so the blush of desire suffusing her breasts, and her nipples peeping through the gown.
"Oh my," she murmured. "I don't understand."
"But do you like it? That's the question."
"It's lovely, lovely," she said in wonder, nuzzlling against him. "But you and I have never-"
He now moved to kiss the other side of her throat, nibbling delicately at first. As she began to move more tightly against his chest and loins, he kissed harder, determined to leave marks of his possession upon her.
"Mmm, this is lovely," she said again, reaching behind her with one hand to stroke his hair. The movement lifted her breast upwards so enticingly that he ran his hand right up her body and cupped it fully in his lean hard hand.
She gasped and the room spun. Her breath began to come in short, desperate pants.
Now his other hand roved up to caress her other breast and she groaned. He lightened the pressure so that that she could step away if she wished, but when she made no move to leave he murmured, "Did I hurt you?"
"No, no, it feels wonderful. Just what I've longed for. I knew this paradise existed. I was sure of it."
"How did you know?" he whispered.
"I felt it once before, this soaring sensation, but then I lost it. Yet now here it is again, and it's so marvellous."
He almost laughed in triumph at her awed tone. "Tell me, love, tell me what it feels like."
"Hot, wet, trembling," she moaned.
"It's how men and women fit together, darling. The wetness eases the loving. Makes it more pleasurable."
"Marvellous," she said again. "It's lovely."
They stood frozen in time in the flickering firelight until she moved her left hand around her back to touch one rock hard thigh.
"Is it the same for you too?" she asked innocently, nearly unmanning him.
"Oh, my love, you have no idea."
"But I want to know. I need to know," she whispered, closing her eyes and turning her head now to move her mouth up to his.
He kissed her full on, his lips and tongue questing, probing. Her every nerve ending went on fire as he continued to fondle her breasts. She turned into his arms then, pressing full length against him at last, and Blake knew he was lost.
His mouth slanted across hers, and his tongue thrust deeply into her mouth in an act of possession that left her clinging to his shoulders weakly, with little doubt of what was going to happen next.
One hand grasped her bottom as he ground his hips against her, his rigid manhood pressing into the tender flesh of her belly.
How we fit together, she thought, fascinated by the thrilling contact.
"That's what it's like for me, my lovely Arabella," he murmured against her ear. "What you do to me. I burn for you too. Only your delicate moistness can quench that fire."
"I had no idea it could be so, so magnificent, thrilling."
"It can be with the right person. Please don't hate me for this. You feel it too. The fire, the yearning."
"Yes, now I do, with you like this. It's like I've found Heaven at last."
"And this is just the beginning." Blake kissed her again, tightening his hold on her and vowing to himself that though he would be damned for this by many, he could never let anything separate them again.
Arabella rubbed her hand down his chest.
He had to snatch at her wrist before he lost control. "Darling, there's so much more."
"Will you, will you show me more?" she asked softly.
Her delicate fingers began to creep into the fastenings of his shirt and she fitted herself to him even more tightly. She felt as if she were dreaming, with the sensations washing over her until she was nearly prostrate with desire.
He backed her onto the low sofa in front of the fire, all thoughts of anything other than Arabella in his arms fleeing in the face of his overwhelming passion and need.
"May I touch you more?" he whispered urgently.
"Yes, oh, yes, please."