The Accidental Countess (Accidental #2)(80)

Cass shivered.

Julian rubbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Are you all right?”

“I think so. I will be. I’m just … Oh, Julian … I’m frightened.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t be, Cassie. Any time you want to stop, just say the word. I promise, we’ll go slowly.”

He took her hand and led her over to the curtains. He drew them and the room was plunged mostly into darkness. Next, he led her to the bed and left her standing beside it while he went over to the mantelpiece and lit two candles there. The room blossomed into a warm glow.

He walked slowly back over to her and pulled her onto the bed with him. Cass kicked off her slippers. He shucked his boots. “I’ll go first,” he said with a sensual smile just before he began untying his cravat.

“No. Let me.” Cass smiled to herself. Where had that come from? Be bold, indeed.

He gave her a sensual smile, and she pushed herself up to her knees and turned to face him. Her hands went to the white fabric coiled around his throat and she slowly pulled the knot loose and unraveled it. When she was done, she tossed it to the foot of the bed.

Next, she helped him remove his claret-colored topcoat and unbutton his silver waistcoat. His shirttails were next and she helped him to pull the white fabric over his head. His chest was bared to her. She sucked in her breath. The expanse of skin was magnificent. Muscled and bronzed. He’d written her that he’d spent a lot of time out in the sun during his recuperation but she hadn’t expected him to be quite this fit. His shoulders were wide and muscled, six muscles stood out in sharp relief beneath his ribs. A trail of fine hair ran in a line in the center and disappeared beneath his trousers. Her throat went dry.

Then she saw the scar, right above his heart, a jagged dark circle. She ran her fingertips along it, her eyes filling with tears. “Does it hurt you, Julian?”

“No,” he breathed. “I’m mesmerized by your touch, Cassie. Please don’t cry.”

She let her fingers trail down to the muscles on his abdomen and heard the sharp change in his breathing. It was true. He was affected by her touch. She’d never known anything like it. She’d never felt such power before. Her tears stopped.

“Lie down,” she commanded, drunk with her new strength.

Julian did as she asked. He slid back along the coverlet and propped his head on a pillow.

She let her tapered fingernail trace the outline of his rigid erection beneath his trousers and he groaned. “Cassie, I—”

“Shh,” she warned. She had dreamed about this for so many nights. She fully intended to enjoy it.

She ran her fingers over the flap in his trousers and then slowly, one by one, began to unbutton the placket.

He groaned again.

Once all of the buttons were undone, she helped him move the trousers down and off his legs until he lay there fully naked in front of her. A thrill shot through her body. She’d never expected anything like it. He was magnificent, that was the only word for it. Long and lean and tall and muscled and ooh—quite well endowed.

“I don’t want you to be frightened. I wanted to show myself to you, first,” Julian whispered, sitting up and pulling her close for a tender kiss. “But if you don’t let me undress you now, I think I may die.”

All she did was nod. That was enough for Julian. He carefully turned her so that he could unfasten the buttons on the back of her gown. Her dress fell loose in front and she moved off the bed to pull it from her arms and allow it to fall in a heap at her feet. She turned back to face him, standing in front of him clad in only her chemise, stays, and stockings. A chill from the room made her shiver. He immediately stood and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close and warming her. He was shaking, too, but something told Cass it was for a different reason entirely.

He bent down and scooted the fabric of her stocking down one leg and then the next. Cass trembled. He plucked them from her feet and threw them easily aside. Then he turned her around and loosened the laces of her stays one by one. It seemed to take an interminable length of time to get out of the thing. When he was done, he turned her back to face him. Then her chemise was gone in one large swoosh over her head and she stood naked before him. Watching him watch her, she plucked the pins out of her coiffure and set them on the table next to the bed. Then she shook her head and the entire rich mass of her blond mane spilled over her shoulders and back.

*

Julian sucked in his breath. He’d never seen anything like the perfection of Cassie’s body. She was thin but not too much so, her breasts were perfect round globes, her belly was flat, her hips flared out and tapered down to long beautiful legs. She looked like a goddess, just like he’d envisioned she would, only better because she was a real woman, standing in front of him, touching him and letting him touch her. He promised himself to go slowly, not scare her, make it good for her.

He picked her up in his arms and laid her on the bed. Then he followed her down and lay atop her. He shifted his hips away so as not to frighten her with the stark evidence of his arousal. Bracing his elbows on either side of her head, he dipped his mouth to kiss her.

Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed Julian back with such passion and longing he felt triumphant. He kissed her nose. “I love you.”

He kissed her closed eyelids. “I love you.”