down,” he said. Tightening his grip on her bottom, he carried her to the bed and laid her on it. He moved away and stripped his clothes off. Naked, he looked somehow taller, leaner, his shoulders and chest wider, his hips narrower. As he approached the bed, his face was all angles and hardness in the waning light that filtered in through the curtains.
“Where’d you learn something like that—like what we just did?” she asked, watching as he reached under his pillow and pulled out a linen towel.
He sat beside her and began wiping his seed off her belly and where it had rolled down the front of her thighs and mons. “You don’t really want to know.”
His light teasing tone practically begged her response. “Yes, I do.”
He grinned and a devilish light entered his eyes, making him look positively boyish. Then he shook his head and folded the towel over to a new, dry side and wiped her upper thighs.
“Are you going to tell me?” she demanded impatiently.
He traced circles over her stomach with a fingertip. “From a Russian princess, years ago when I was not much younger than you. She liked to play games, too.”
“Princess? Ha, she was not!”
“Well, now, she said she was…if she wanted to be a princess to me, who was I to gainsay her?”
A princess, indeed. Beth bristled all over. “Well, you needn’t sound so pleased about the matter,” she blurted.
She wished she’d have bitten her tongue clean through rather than said that.
He laughed softly. “Why do women ask questions they really don’t want answers to?” He lowered his head and kissed her belly. “Don’t fret yourself. You’re more beautiful than any princess I’ve ever seen.”
His tongue found her navel, flicking and teasing. She gasped as renewed lust flashed through her. But the import of what he’d just told her sank in. “You’ve really been to Russia?”
“My father sent me all over the world as a supercargo. I had to learn things they don’t teach at Harvard.”
“Such as how to fuck a princess?” Her words came out all snappish and inside she cringed.
He laughed and tossed the towel aside. “No, I don’t think he intended that. The only thing my father approved of was working and making a profit. I know he took an early evening at least once, or else I’d not be here, but other than that, his only pleasures were the counting house and the Exchange.”
“What did your mother think of that?”
His eyes grew shadowed. “I don’t know. She was a very frail lady and kept to her rooms. She died when I was six.”
Her heart contracted with empathy and she suddenly wanted to embrace him and cradle his dark head to her breasts. To offer him solace more tender than passion. Her mouth went dry and her belly fluttered with pure fear at this emotion. She quickly changed the subject. “I have never been farther than Baltimore.”
“If these damned wars ever end, perhaps I’ll take you for a tour of Europe.” He trailed his fingers over her cleft. “Would you like that?”
“Yes,” she said, unable to keep the eager excitement at such a prospect from sounding in her voice.
He looked up at her, his eyes glittering with passion. “Then consider it a promise.”
Happy warmth suffused her and she laughed, pretending for the moment that he meant it.
They had a future together.
She could be his.
His lady.
She would dress in satins and silks and the finest muslins, make herself utterly beautiful, for him alone.
He would build her a grand mansion and together they would turn such a house into a true home together based on love and comfort.
Her secret dream.
No! I don’t care! I don’t need his wealth, or his grand mansion or to be a fine lady for him. I have no such foolish dreams!
Sudden queasiness forced her to take several uneasy breaths.
She’d never felt at home anywhere. She suspected she never would.
“When do you have to leave?” he asked, moving his hand low along her stomach.
“I should
“Where’d you learn something like that—like what we just did?” she asked, watching as he reached under his pillow and pulled out a linen towel.
He sat beside her and began wiping his seed off her belly and where it had rolled down the front of her thighs and mons. “You don’t really want to know.”
His light teasing tone practically begged her response. “Yes, I do.”
He grinned and a devilish light entered his eyes, making him look positively boyish. Then he shook his head and folded the towel over to a new, dry side and wiped her upper thighs.
“Are you going to tell me?” she demanded impatiently.
He traced circles over her stomach with a fingertip. “From a Russian princess, years ago when I was not much younger than you. She liked to play games, too.”
“Princess? Ha, she was not!”
“Well, now, she said she was…if she wanted to be a princess to me, who was I to gainsay her?”
A princess, indeed. Beth bristled all over. “Well, you needn’t sound so pleased about the matter,” she blurted.
She wished she’d have bitten her tongue clean through rather than said that.
He laughed softly. “Why do women ask questions they really don’t want answers to?” He lowered his head and kissed her belly. “Don’t fret yourself. You’re more beautiful than any princess I’ve ever seen.”
His tongue found her navel, flicking and teasing. She gasped as renewed lust flashed through her. But the import of what he’d just told her sank in. “You’ve really been to Russia?”
“My father sent me all over the world as a supercargo. I had to learn things they don’t teach at Harvard.”
“Such as how to fuck a princess?” Her words came out all snappish and inside she cringed.
He laughed and tossed the towel aside. “No, I don’t think he intended that. The only thing my father approved of was working and making a profit. I know he took an early evening at least once, or else I’d not be here, but other than that, his only pleasures were the counting house and the Exchange.”
“What did your mother think of that?”
His eyes grew shadowed. “I don’t know. She was a very frail lady and kept to her rooms. She died when I was six.”
Her heart contracted with empathy and she suddenly wanted to embrace him and cradle his dark head to her breasts. To offer him solace more tender than passion. Her mouth went dry and her belly fluttered with pure fear at this emotion. She quickly changed the subject. “I have never been farther than Baltimore.”
“If these damned wars ever end, perhaps I’ll take you for a tour of Europe.” He trailed his fingers over her cleft. “Would you like that?”
“Yes,” she said, unable to keep the eager excitement at such a prospect from sounding in her voice.
He looked up at her, his eyes glittering with passion. “Then consider it a promise.”
Happy warmth suffused her and she laughed, pretending for the moment that he meant it.
They had a future together.
She could be his.
His lady.
She would dress in satins and silks and the finest muslins, make herself utterly beautiful, for him alone.
He would build her a grand mansion and together they would turn such a house into a true home together based on love and comfort.
Her secret dream.
No! I don’t care! I don’t need his wealth, or his grand mansion or to be a fine lady for him. I have no such foolish dreams!
Sudden queasiness forced her to take several uneasy breaths.
She’d never felt at home anywhere. She suspected she never would.
“When do you have to leave?” he asked, moving his hand low along her stomach.
“I should
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