She grinned. That wasn’t all Rosemary had mentioned. Just the first in a series of suggestions that had made her eyes pop from her head. “You should thank her. If not for Rose, I’d have been even more clueless than I was.”

He cupped her head and played with her hair. “I’d happily take over your education in passion, but the way you make me feel leads me to think you don’t need the help.”

She kissed the center of his chest and slowly worked her way down to his belly. “Are you sure? I imagine there are many things you like that escape me.”

She kissed his hip, right where the bones protruded beneath his skin and he squirmed. “Believe me, you’re already doing it.”

She glanced up his body, noting he was breathing hard, and smiled. She moved ever so slowly until her face hovered above his cock and then met his gaze. The poor man looked about to throw her over and pounce. Tonight she would resist. Or at least try to. “Are you sure there isn’t one thing you would want me to do?”

He swallowed. “I won’t ask.”

Rosemary’s suggestion was perfect. He looked so astonished and she treasured that. She kissed him right on his shaft, paying attention to the strangeness of what she was doing and the ragged gasps her lover made. He fit in her hand like warm silk and as Rosemary had suggested, she was careful not to be too gentle nor too rough with him. She slid her fingers up and down his length, experimentally at first, and then with growing surety.

So far as she could tell, Rothwell wasn’t unhappy about her attempt to please him. He rose to one elbow and his free hand caught her hair and twined it about his fist. She lifted his length away from his body and lowered her face again, intent on kissing him on the tip.

“Stop.”

Rosemary had mentioned men tended to get bossy in bed, so she felt safe to ignore that particular command. She kissed the head as planned. His seed tasted salty and just the tiniest bit bitter when she licked her lips. There was more to do, she knew, so after a few more kisses she opened her mouth and ran her tongue around the head.

“Please,” Merrick said.

She smiled and repeated the movement, and when he begged her to stop again, she took the tip into her mouth as far as she could manage. It didn’t seem very much at all, but Rothwell moaned as if she were torturing him.

She swallowed quickly before she licked her lips and tried again. She managed a bit more the next time and tightened her grip around him. Rothwell covered her hand and together they stroked his hot flesh.

Arabella did her best to bring him pleasure with her mouth, but Rothwell appeared much harder to please than she’d thought he’d be. Either she was doing wrong or he was resisting her efforts. She released him and sat back on her heels to study him. He’d taken his hand away too, and his breathing was fast and shallow. “You didn’t like it.”

“I loved it,” he countered.

“It did not seem that way.” She put her hands on her hips and glanced about the room. “I wanted to do something good for you before you left.”

“Oh, believe me, you were. Too good.” He scooted closer on the bed and brushed her hair back from her neck. “I’d like to last at least longer than a minute. We have all night.”

Appeased somewhat, she took him in hand again and stroked him. Now that she saw his face, she noticed he was biting down on his lower lip in an effort to be silent. “So you liked what I did for you?”

His eyes darkened when, on the upstroke, she flicked her thumb across the head. “Everything and anything.”

“Good. Because I could get used to seeing you like this.” She quickened the movement of her hand, watching his face intently. It seemed to Arabella that it was taking all his control to resist her. She liked that about him, but she would have her way tonight. He would find pleasure first. As he’d said, they had all night. She knew he could become aroused again and in a remarkably short length of time.

Keeping her eyes on him, she rose to her knees and knelt between his spread legs. She kissed him quickly and then ran her tongue over his flushed lower lip. He groaned and his eyes fluttered shut. He caught her breast in one hand and squeezed feverishly, but Arabella was not about to be distracted by how he made her feel. It did not take long for the combination of daring kisses and touches to have him gasping. Determined to win, she brought her free hand to his chest and touched his nipple.

Merrick jerked and grunted as hot seed flowed from him and landed on his chest. Some of it spread over her knuckles, and when she released him, she raised her hand to stare at it.

Merrick pushed her hand away and kissed her hard. “What will I do without you when I return to London?”

Arabella didn’t know and that bothered her. She liked Merrick touching her and she liked touching him in return. But would memories be enough for him? It might be a long time till she could come up to London again. Even when he tossed her onto her back and slithered down the bed between her parted legs, she decided it might be too long. In a month, Merrick might have moved on to someone else. Within the month, he was supposed to be married.

~ * ~

Dawn was touching the horizon with a gentle hand when Merrick woke from the doze that had finally claimed him. He glanced to his right and found Arabella awake and watching him. He turned to her and drew her against him, intending to make love to her one more time before he left.

She pushed him back, her face serious and unsmiling. “Good morning.”

“Good morning to you, too.”

Arabella jumped from the bed and collected her discarded nightgown and his banyan. Disappointed to be denied one more intimate touch before he left, he shoved the pillows behind him and sat up to watch what she did.

To his delight, she appeared comfortable scooting around the room with her tempting bottom wiggling and her breasts bouncing with each movement. He hardened even more because each one of Arabella’s curves suited him. “Aren’t you going to kiss me today?”

A frown creased her brow. “I know you have to go and like an early start.”

He quickly threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood. “Not this early.”

Arabella paused with her nightgown half on. “I thought Holland said seven.”

“How has Holland come to manage our schedules?” He shook his head. “He might have wished to depart that early, but I never agreed. Come back to me, my dear, so we might say good morning properly.”

Her lips curved into a smile as her nightgown fell from her fingers. She slowly prowled toward him, running her gaze over his skin and making him break out into a sweat. His affair with Arabella had changed her nature. When alone, there was nothing she liked better than to torment him with her beauty. If he couldn’t have her in his arms again, he might just go mad.

When she stopped before him, she set her hands on his arms and ran them up to his shoulders. He shuddered and embraced her. Never had a woman claimed his attention so thoroughly. If not for the need to protect her reputation and settle Danny in his new life, he’d never go.

He nuzzled her neck. “I love the way you touch me.” He cupped her bottom, and brought them hard against each other.

Her lips curved into a wicked smile he’d like to think was for his eyes alone. “Likewise.”

They were eye to eye. Her breasts rested against his. Their hearts beat close together. But not as one. After last night, he didn’t want her to misunderstand his interest in her. If not for her dislike of marriage, he’d already have proposed. Arabella was the one for him and he would protect her. “I will ask my grandfather for assistance should word of our affair have any harmful effect on your reputation.”