She curled her arms about his neck as he rolled to bring her beneath him. His strength and muscular thighs between her own caused her breath to catch. She clung to him as sensation upon sensation swamped her. His hard length brushed her leg, burning hot and foreign to her. She broke the kiss and met his gaze.

He swallowed. “You are everything I dreamed of and so much more.”

“You dreamed of me?”

He buried his face in the curve of her neck. “Every damn night.” His words were a coarse growl, swiftly followed by a change of position. He slid a hand beneath her hips as his hips jerked forward. A sudden sharp pain caused a yelp to leave her throat before she could prepare herself for the loss of her virginity.

Arabella waited for Rothwell to denounce her. To cry foul that she’d tricked him. However, he remained still within her, motionless above her, his rough pant against her throat a comforting presence. He groaned and eased back. “I’m sorry. It’ll pass soon,” he whispered.

After a few thrusts, the pain faded only to be replaced by urgency. She threaded her fingers through his hair and held on, certain that he would bring her to that perfect place of passion again. His movements grew wild as he urged her legs farther apart. She wrapped them about his hips when urged to do so and hung on as her body once more tensed and shuddered with the force of her desire.

Rothwell’s rumbling groan ended with his sudden stillness and then he jerked from her body, his shoulders shaking violently beneath her clutching hands. Warmth splattered across her thigh and she lifted her head to see. The next instant, he collapsed atop her, hot, slick with sweat, and more familiar and dear than Arabella dreamed anyone could ever be. He rested his weight on her briefly before rolling off again.

She was no longer a virgin, but was now Rothwell’s lover. The thought made her happy. Now she knew why other women smiled so smugly when they whispered about their gentlemen friends. Rothwell was so skilled that making love again, even with that necessary first burst of pain, was highly desirable.

Rothwell wriggled closer and when he offered a place in his arms, Arabella snuggled against his side and listened to the fast beat of his heart. He held her firmly against his chest, pressed a long kiss to her hair, and sighed deeply. He didn’t speak, and Arabella didn’t mind. His hands wandered restlessly over her skin, and she touched him in return. A candle spluttered and died, casting the chamber in deep shadow.

She held herself to Rothwell, unwilling for their time alone to be over. If she had but one night to spend with him, she would revel in every moment. “Thank you.”

His fingers fluttered over her lips to shush her.

When she lifted her chin, Rothwell kissed her lips softly and dragged her atop his body before sighing deeply. The unfamiliar position alarmed her momentarily until he drew her higher and brought one nipple into his mouth. He suckled on the peak and she squirmed.

Although it barely seemed possible, warmth pooled between her thighs again. Could all men illicit such desires, or was it simply Rothwell who sparked the flame? She met his gaze and her body shook until finally she grabbed his head and held him to her breast.

It seemed there was quite a bit more about pleasure that Rothwell could teach her. She’d be a fool let one last opportunity slip away so soon. She loosened her hold on him and ran her fingers through his wavy dark hair. The firm tug on her nipple made it hard to remain still. “That was perfect.”

Rothwell released her and feathered kisses all over her breast. “No, you are.”

He tumbled her over onto her back and held her down with the weight of his body, his teeth flashing white in the dim light as he grinned. “We’ve hours of night left to play and please each other.”

“Hours?”

“Certainly.” He lifted up and then rolled her onto her stomach. “Take your back for instance.” He shifted her hair aside and kissed the top of her spine. “A tall woman has much more skin—a man can devote hours to kissing.”

She squirmed as he proved his point, giggling from the certainty that he was teasing her and thoroughly enjoying doing so.

“Then there are her delightfully long legs. You have no idea how many hours of thought I’ve put into imagining them wrapped about my hips.” He kissed the back of her knee suddenly and she flipped over.

“Please be serious.”

He rose to his knees at the foot of the bed. “Arabella. Sex doesn’t have to be a serious matter. It can be a great deal of fun and delight for both of us. A man doesn’t have to be inside the woman for them both to find fulfillment.”

“Really?”

He caught her ankle and ran his hand up her leg, forcing her to part them involuntarily. He slid between them on his stomach and laid his head on her inner thigh. “Nothing would please me more than to prove it.”

And without another word, Rothwell showed her exactly what he liked best. Again and again through the long hours of the night.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Merrick crept across his bedchamber and stared down at the sleeping woman strewn across his bed. To finally make love to Arabella, to have been her first lover, was a heady, exhilarating experience. One of her long legs was in plain view, not under the bedding, tempting him to return and make love to her all over again.

Yet he could not. Not until he had taken care of a few things first. He and Arabella had to talk about the consequences of last night. Merrick would never abandon her. Not when she made him feel things he’d longed for all his life.

In the early hours of the morning, when Arabella had succumbed to exhaustion, he’d imagined a pleasant fantasy of a life with her as his wife. He would be so good to her. She would never want for anything. The one difficulty that blackened their happiness was her determination to keep her freedom.

He sighed and leaned against the bedpost. He did have to leave today, but he wanted to be certain he could return. He hoped to convince her to visit with Grayling and his wife while he was away dealing with family affairs, and then they could continue what had only just begun between them.

She stirred as he sat on the edge of the bed. It was like watching his sun rise. She stretched beneath the sheet and blinked up at the curtained canopy, a contented smile playing at the corners of her mouth. His heart tumbled over, adding to his certainty that she was the one for him.

“Good morning,” he said gently.

Regardless of his soft tone and their passions of last night, she scrambled for the sheets to cover her body. “Rothwell?”

He perused whatever curves remained in view and then forced the memory of her passionate responses firmly aside. He couldn’t think clearly around her when he was aroused. Last night had been bad enough. She’d almost escaped him because of his befuddlement. But in the morning light, mussed from sleep and his lovemaking, Arabella was near to irresistible. A siren unveiled. He met her gaze and tried his best to keep it there. “I think, perhaps, we are beyond the use of titles. I would be pleased if you would call me Merrick.”

“Merrick,” she said softly, her lips curving into an inviting smile. No blush today, but her skin glowed with health and vitality. The siren had woken and he was powerless.

He leaned in and paused a moment before he brushed a light kiss across her lips. “Did you sleep well?”

When he drew back, Arabella was blushing. “I did, thank you. Could you please tell me the time?”

“Almost nine.”

She sat up suddenly, glancing around the room. “Oh no.”

Merrick sat back with a satisfied smile. The siren was adorable when she was uncertain. “Did you not factor the morning into your plans before you came to seduce me?”