Mastering The Marquess (Bound and Determined #1)(16)



Moving to the chair, he sat, legs spread, and watched, and examined.

A few minutes of stillness would help them both, calm them both, but he did intend to enjoy them.

He leaned his head back against the high chair. Ruby really had surpassed herself.

Grace was incredible. With her back to the fire she was completely silhouetted in light. She was small, he had been right about that, but perfect, so very perfect. Curved hips designed to cradle a man, well rounded but not fleshy. He could already feel his fingers gripping them, pulling them tighter. And her waist—he was sure he could span it with his two hands, perhaps even with one. Her ribs curved out from there until they reached the gentle fullness of her breasts. They were not large, but perhaps larger than he would have expected given the narrowness of her frame, her thinness.

He had a sudden desire to feed her, to tempt her, to satisfy her every hunger.

Shifting in the chair, he sought a more comfortable position.

He could not quite make out the true color of her nipples as the light shone from behind, but he could make out their peaks, see their hardness, and knew that in bringing out her desires, he was making her ready for him.

He forced his eyes higher, past well-defined collarbones.

And then her face. He could not see it all, the blindfold covering more than half of it, but there was great excitement in that. A hand slipped to his cock. A single long stroke.

Perhaps he should finish it off now. He certainly would not have trouble becoming engorged again. One look at that plump mouth, those nibbling teeth, the eyes shrouded in silk, and he’d be close to exploding again.

Another stroke.

He had to stifle a groan as his fingers circled the head.

She jerked. She had heard him and did not know what was happening.

He would wait. He wanted this to be perfect, to be all he had dreamed without knowing.

He settled back, watched as she became both more nervous and more curious.

“Aren’t you going to say something, tell me what to do?” she finally asked.

“You are doing just what I want. I enjoy looking at you, and you are becoming more used to my looking at you. And I thought we had agreed you would not question me.”

“I am not sure that I agreed to that. I thought the idea was that I would be comfortable. How can I be comfortable if I do not question?” She began to nibble at her lower lip again, a bright indent forming. Her hands shook slightly and she squeezed them shut.

“You must trust me.” He leaned forward, trying to judge the expression on the parts of her face he could see. He should not have had her turn her face into the shadows—no matter how enchanting the silhouette.

“But, it is not about trust.”

“No?” He could not wait to hear this.

“It is about curiosity. How can I learn if I do not ask?”

He sighed. “I will allow you questions, but only when they seem to seek knowledge.”

“Do you want me to take off my gown now?” She sounded quite nervous. Her fingers moved to pluck at the string that held the neckline.

Damn, Ruby had chosen well. The gown was perfect: virginal and alluring at the same time. And he had no doubt that Grace had no idea exactly how much he could see with the light shining through.

“I was going to wait longer. I do so enjoy looking at you. Are you warmed by the fire? You have stopped shivering.”

“I am quite warm. My backside is positively toasty.”

“Can you imagine it as my caress, my warmth against you, cushioning you?”

She blushed. Even in the half-dark he could see the color rise up her chest and the flush spread across her lower cheeks. “Do you want me to?”

She did like to talk, to chat, though perhaps it was only a sign of her nerves. “Yes, I want you to imagine that everything is me tonight—the silk of the coverlet, the warmth of the fire, the brush of your hair, even your own hands. If I ask you to touch yourself, you will imagine it is me. Everything tonight is under my control, and therefore is me.”

“Oh.” It was almost a squeak.

He let silence hang for a moment—and then leaned forward. “Do you wish to take off your night rail? I will allow you to if you wish.”

“Do you want me to?”

“I want you to let it go whenever you are ready, ready for my eyes to feast upon you.”

Her blush grew more colorful. Her fingers rose and fidgeted at the tie, pulling slightly but not enough. Her head turned to the right and left as if seeking some sound, some indication of what he wanted.

He watched and waited, hardly breathing, refusing to give her any indications of his wants. This was up to her.

She shifted from foot to foot, her legs parting so that he could see light seep between them, the shadow between her legs growing visible.

How long was she going to make him wait? Ruby had praised him for his patience, but he did not feel patient now. Still, this was about Grace. She needed to be ready. She needed to express her desires.

Only once she had admitted to her wants would he fulfill them.





Chapter Six





Wasn’t he ever going to speak again? Louisa twisted the tie of the gown between her fingers. Why didn’t he just tell her to take it off? She was getting hot. The fire was beginning to overheat her behind—her ass, he would call it—and she wanted to move, to shift. Her whole body wanted to move, to stretch, to find ease. She felt as if she had springs inside her, ready to uncoil.

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