Somewhere I'll Find You (Capital Theatre #1)(38)

“I never give in to temptation,” she said, her trembling hands coming to the sides of his lean face. “It's something I can't afford. Work, discipline, self-reliance…those are the only things I can rely on. I don't want to fall in love. I don't want to belong to anyone. But at the same time…”

“Yes?” he prompted in the silence.

“I don't want to be alone.”

“You don't have to be alone tonight.”

“Would you accept just one night from me? And then walk away when I ask you to?”

“I don't know,” he muttered, not wanting to admit the truth.

A hopeless laugh escaped her as she admitted to herself that she didn't care. Suddenly nothing was as important as the need to be with him, to know all the intimate secrets that had been denied her so long.

Reading the look in her eyes, Damon pulled the dressing gown from her shoulders. The garment fell to the floor in a rustling heap. Julia didn't move as his absorbed gaze moved over her. She had never suspected that the sight of her body could affect him so powerfully, bringing a flush to his face and a tremor to his hands as he reached for her.

With the backs of his knuckles, he stroked the tender skin beneath her br**sts and the fragile lines of her ribs, and then his palm swept over her abdomen. Her breath caught as she felt him touch the curls between her thighs, his fingers gently searching until she pulled away with a stammer and a shake of her head.

He followed instantly, his arms sliding around her back, and she heard the sound of his low voice in her thunder-filled ears. His mouth sought hers, and she opened to him, surrendering her hard-won control for the first time in her life. He took her to the bed, pushing her back against the cool green silk, and she pulled at the layers of linen and broadcloth that covered him.

“Julia,” he said, his voice a mere scratch of sound, “if you're going to stop me…for God's sake, do it now.”

Feverishly she pressed her lips to his jaw and throat. “I want to feel you,” she whispered. “I want to feel your skin against mine.”

Damon responded with a ragged breath and an obliging flurry of effort, stripping off his coat, cravat and shirt. As he reached for the opening of his trousers, her small hands pushed his aside. He forced himself to wait patiently, his desire flaring hotly as he felt the pluck and tug of her fingers on his clothing. She was gravely intent on the task as she slipped the heavy buttons of his trousers through their neatly stitched openings.

When the last button was freed, Damon sat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes, trousers, and linens. There was silence behind him, and then he felt the moist brush of Julia's mouth at the top of his spine. He stiffened at the sensation, every muscle locking as a long chain of kisses followed the first, working from his neck to the middle of his back.

Her arms slid around his shoulders as she held him from behind, her na**d br**sts pressed against his na**d back. A silken lock of her hair fell over his shoulder. She seemed like a curious mermaid discovering a man for the first time, her body drifting against his, her hands gentle on his skin. She touched the contours of his chest and paused to feel the heavy thud of his heartbeat against her palm. Venturing downward, her fingers grazed the tightly bunched muscles of his abdomen. Damon's eyes shut hard as he felt the timid clasp of her hand on the aching length of his staff. His shaking fingers came over hers, tightening her grip until the pleasure threatened to overwhelm him.

Turning, he pushed her flat on the bed, lowering his body over hers. Eagerly she pulled his head down, tangling her fingers in his hair as she kissed him. Filling his hands with her br**sts, he covered the peaks with his mouth, his tongue bringing the aroused ni**les to even tighter points.

Julia lifted against him, lost in the communication of their bodies. In the last few silent minutes she had become a stranger to herself, shamelessly yielding her body and soul to someone else's will. She wanted more, to bring herself even closer to him, to forget her own existence in the consuming tide of ecstasy.

His hands and lips moved skillfully over her body, spreading currents of sensation wherever they touched. His knee pushed between hers, and she felt his fingers between her thighs, discovering the hint of moisture amid the tiny springing curls. Her eyes flew open at the intimacy, and she flinched at the glow of light coming from the bedside lamp. She wanted to be hidden in the darkness.

“Please,” she said in a faltering voice, “the light—”

“No,” he muttered against her stomach. “I want to see you.”

Julia tried to protest, but the words were strangled in her throat as his head moved lower. She felt his mouth drift lower, lower, through the soft thatch of hair, licking deep to find the secrets beyond. His tongue was hot on her flesh,

making her twist and groan as if in pain…but it wasn't pain she felt; it was a rapture too piercing to comprehend. Her hands descended to his hair, trying at first to push him away, then curving around his head in supplication. She was seized by an endless shudder of pleasure, her senses unraveling in a white-hot glow.

Damon lifted his head and slid his body over hers. Julia arched and sighed, letting him do whatever he wanted. She was far beyond virginal modesty now, pliant and open to his every desire. There was a heavy push between her thighs, a forewarning of pain. She bit her lip at the intrusion and wrapped her arms around his back, wanting him to take her with a primitive urgency that would startle her in later moments of reflection. But Damon paused and held back, staring at her with dawning incredulity.