Again the Magic (Wallflowers 0.5)(65)
“What do you want to tell me?” he asked quietly. Aline was fascinated by the perfect juxtaposition of hardness and softness in his face…the bold angle of his nose, the lush curve of his bottom lip, the way the feathery silk of his eyelashes cast shadows over his cheekbones.
“I’m afraid that my brother has made your negotiations a bit more difficult than you may expect,” she said.
His gaze sharpened. “In what way?”
As she proceeded to explain what Marcus had done, McKenna listened with a reassuring lack of alarm.
“It will be all right,” he said when she had finished. “I can ease the investors’ concerns. And I’ll find a way to convince Elham that it’s in his best interests to sell us those docking rights. Failing that, we’ll build our own damned dock.”
Aline smiled at his self-confidence. “That wouldn’t be easy.”
“Nothing worthwhile ever is.”
“I’m certain that you must be furious with Marcus. But he only did it out of a mistaken desire to…”
“Protect you and your sister,” McKenna finished for her, as she hesitated. “I can hardly blame him for that.” His voice was very gentle. “Someone should keep you safe from men like me.”
Turning away, Aline confronted the panels of mirror glass, the mosaic of her own flushed face…and the way the lamplight slid over McKenna’s gleaming black hair as he came to stand behind her. Their gazes met in the midst of the fragmented images.
“You will have to go to London right away, won’t you?” she asked, flustered at being in such close quarters with him.
“Yes. Tomorrow.”
“Wh-what will you do about Mr. Shaw?”
His head bent over hers until she felt his breath at her temple. One of his hands came to the exposed top of her shoulder, his fingertips brushing over the pale skin with the lightness of a butterfly’s wing. “I’ll have to sober him up, I suppose.”
“I think it is so unfortunate that he chooses to—”
“I don’t want to talk about Shaw.” McKenna turned her to face him, and his hand drifted up her neck until his sun-browned fingers were cupping her cheek.
“What are you doing?” Aline asked, tensing as she felt his other hand slide to the back of her gown.
“Exactly what you knew I would do, if you let me in here.” McKenna kissed her as he began to unfasten her gown, the bristle of his cheek making her skin tingle.
“You left me no choice,” Aline protested. “You just barged in and—”
His mouth sealed over hers, while his fingers worked until he had exposed the laces of her corset. He wound the thin cords around his knuckles and tugged, until the web of stays expanded, and her compressed flesh was released. The corset dropped to the floor, beneath the dress she still wore. Her unbound flesh felt tender and swollen, aching for the clasp of his hands.
The rush of her heartbeat filled her ears as his mouth possessed hers with sweet, foraging kisses. The warm male incense of his skin, spiced with cologne, edged with starch and a pungent whiff of tobacco, filled her with drugging pleasure. She felt wildly excited at the prospect of having him inside her again, but at the same time an inner voice warned that he must not be allowed to explore her at his leisure.
“Hurry,” she urged unsteadily. “Just…hurry, please—” The words were crushed by his mouth, more steamy, delicious kisses, more dizzying closeness with his aroused body. His hands slipped inside her open dress, skimming the soft line of her back, down to the full swell of her bu**ocks. She felt a twinge of response between her thighs, the concealed flesh becoming supple and hot, and she strained hungrily into the wickedly gentle courtship of his fingers.
Tearing his mouth from hers, McKenna turned her to face away from him, his hands coming to her shoulders.
“Get on your knees,” he whispered.
At first she didn’t understand. But the pressure of his palms guided her, and she found herself sinking before the daybed. She knelt amid the shimmering billows of her dress. The pattern of an embroidered cushion blurred before her eyes as she heard the sound of McKenna shedding his coat. The garment landed on the daybed before her. More rustling, the sound of fabric being unfastened, and then McKenna knelt behind her.
Efficiently he reached beneath her skirts, smoothing up yards of layered material to find the vulnerable body beneath. She felt him grasp her hips, his thumbs digging into the plumpness of her bu**ocks. One of his hands slid between her legs, searching for the opening of her linen drawers. He seemed to measure the length of the lace-edged slit with his fingers, and Aline quivered as his knuckles brushed against the curling hair beneath the fabric. He used both hands to rend the slit another few inches, until the drawers gaped open. Gently McKenna adjusted her position, pushing her forward to lean harder on the daybed, kneeing her thighs open until she was spread wide before him.
McKenna moved closer behind her, covering her, his shoulders slightly hunched. “Easy,” he murmured, as she shivered beneath him. “Easy. I won’t hurt you this time.”
Aline couldn’t answer. She could only tremble, and wait, her eyes closing as she lowered her face to his forearm. She felt his h*ps shift, and something brushed between her legs…his male part, nudging the delicate tissues that he had exposed. His free hand moved beneath her skirts, over her front and down her stomach, until his fingers slid through the matted curls. He parted the soft furrow of her sex, following as her h*ps jerked backward against his solid body. She moaned at his gentle teasing, the tiny circles he made around the sensitive nub.
Lisa Kleypas's Books
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