The Unforgettable Hero(27)

When she made it to the side of his bed, she held up the candle to see him quietly contemplating her. “What are you doing here, Cecelia?”

There was no use prevaricating. “Kiss me,” she said.

He pushed up to his elbows and blinked at her. She set the candle onto the table next to the bed and slid onto the mattress beside him. It was warm and soft. It smelled like him.

“Kiss you?” he whispered back, and she could tell he was considering it. “But we—”

That was it. She’d have to convince him the only way she knew how. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his mouth.

The kiss was scorching. Adam’s mouth opened, and he immediately took control of the kiss. He pulled her into his arms, his tongue owning her. Their mouths clashed, met, clashed again. Their tongues played in an epic battle until they were both shaking. Finally, he yanked his mouth from hers and rested his forehead against hers.

He carefully pulled her arms down from around his neck. He was still breathing heavily, but he managed to push himself away from her. “Cecelia,” he whispered. “You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know what this means.”

“Yes, I do. I know exactly what this means. Please, kiss me again. Make love to me, Adam.” She didn’t wait for his reaction but pulled her night rail over her head and tossed it on the floor.

Adam’s breath left his body in a solid whoosh. The perfection of Cecelia’s body was nearly too much to bear. He’d been hard before but now he was painfully so. He couldn’t make love to her, couldn’t take the virginity of a lady who had been through all that she’d been through in the last few days. That would make him the worst louse in the history of louses. No. He couldn’t make love to her. But he could make her feel good. She was spread out naked on his bed, her glorious dark hair spilling over her shoulders, teasing against her nipple. His mouth watered.

“Take me,” she whispered.

God, it was tempting.

He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the mouth, then he covered her body with his. He kissed her temple, her cheek, her mouth. He nuzzled her neck. She squirmed beneath him. She tried to reach for his member, but he held his hips away. “No,” he said. “This is for you.”

“I want it to be for both of us,” she murmured, her eyes closed as his lips nipped at her breast.

“Just let me touch you,” he whispered.

Cece kept her eyes squeezed shut and allowed herself to simply feel. Adam’s mouth on her nipple was driving her slowly insane. His lips tugged at her, nipped at her. While his other hand played with the opposite nipple. Zings of pleasure arched from her breasts to the spot between her legs that cried out for his touch. She lifted her hips, desperately wanting his hand there.

He did not disappoint. His strong, warm hand gradually skimmed down her belly, leisurely making its way between her thighs. She moaned. His finger slowly slipped between her legs and nudged at the delicate spot that ached for his touch. Her mouth fell open, panting. She wanted to call his name. Instead she bit the inside of her cheek. Hard.

Then he began to stroke, and Cecelia forgot her own name. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she clutched at his strong upper arms for support. He touched her, over and over, stroking her so softly, so perfectly, her legs tensed and wetness flooded between her thighs. She bit her lip. Then he began to circle that tiny nub of pleasure using only his finger. She tossed her head on the pillow from side to side. A pressure built within her, an unbearable pressure. She didn’t know how it would end. Adam moved his head down and nipped at her belly, then his hand moved away, and his mouth covered her most intimate spot. She froze, not allowing herself to breathe. Praying that he wouldn’t stop. Then his tongue replaced his finger, nudging at her so gently, then lightly sucking, then circling. Cecelia’s hands tangled in the bedsheets, they tangled in Adam’s dark hair, trying to pull him closer to her body, never wanting it to end.

One last perfect nudge with his hot tongue and she cried out as the pieces of her world splintered into pleasure she’d never known before. “Adam!”





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE



The next morning, Adam paced in front of the fireplace in one of the drawing rooms. What the hell had he been thinking last night? He hadn’t made love to Cecelia but he’d come damn close. The fact that she’d sneaked into his room and climbed into bed with him was not the point. He’d held her in his arms silently afterward, whispering to her that everything would be all right. But how it would be all right? He had no bloody idea. He had no clue as to what her troubles were. He still didn’t even know if she was in danger.