Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) (23 page)

Maybe she wasn’t giving him pleasure the
correct way, but he certainly had no problem providing her
gratification.

She dropped the shawl from her shoulders,
letting it slide to the floor. She reached up to encircle his neck,
holding on to him as if she were afraid she would fall.

With the silk shawl removed, the tops of her
shoulders lay exposed to his gaze. His mouth left hers to explore
the bare skin at his perusal. Her lips were bereft without his, and
she sighed with regret, wanting only the return of that sweet
plunderer to bring her delight.

This night of passion belonged to her and she
reached out a tentative hand and pulled his mouth back to hers. She
wanted to experience more of the way his lips explored her own,
parting them, sending tingles to the tips of her toes.

He laughed, the sound deep and vibrant as his
mouth covered hers once again, his obliging lips spiraling delight
through her. His fingers reached for the buttons on the back of her
dress and he undid them one by one, until his arms could reach no
further. Releasing her lips, he placed both hands around her waist
and spun her around. Pulling her in tight against him, her back fit
snugly against the hard length of him. He moved his hips against
hers, letting her feel his erection hard against her buttocks.

God, he did want her and she thrilled at the
realization!

His lips traced the curvature of her neck,
while his fingers began to work on the rest of her buttons.

“Do you like to be kissed here?” he asked, as
his lips grazed the top of her shoulder.

“Or do you prefer it here?” he asked, kissing
the bare skin along her spine.

Marian shivered. “There! There!”

“Here?” he said, his voice low and breathy,
his hands still struggling with her buttons.

“Yes,” she gasped, arching her back.

“Like this?” he teased, feathering a light
kiss across her sensitive flesh.

“Oh, yes,” she said, her voice almost a
whimper.

“What about here?” he asked, kissing a little
lower, pushing down her dress until a smoky silk pool appeared at
her feet Her petticoat followed, falling to the floor in a rustle
of netting and lace.

She moaned her low and throaty response.
Marian stepped out of her dress, and then stood with her back to
him, in a lacy corset cover, her French drawers covered by her
chemise, feeling exposed and vulnerable. Doubt crossed her mind.
There was still time to back out

He must have sensed her hesitation, because
he pulled her tight to him, so that she fit snug against him, her
back to his front. He feathered hot moist kisses, and his fingers
skimmed her body, pausing when they reached her breasts.

Marian felt stirrings deep within her belly
and urgency for him to take her began to build.

“Louis, do this quickly!” she whispered in
the dark.

He laughed softly, his breath sending shivers
down her back. “We’ve got all night, Marian. I’m not going
anywhere.”

All night? What might he do that could take
all night?

Desire curled inside her tighter and tighter,
making her breathless with want for him. He pulled her corset cover
over her head and tossed it to the floor where it joined her dress.
She stood feeling naked and vulnerable. When would he back out if
he found her unattractive? When would he tell her he’d changed his
mind?

She wanted this so badly, but still fear
mixed with her desire. She was determined not to give in to her
fright, but to experience everything that Louis offered her
tonight.

He took her hand and pulled her to the
nearest settee where he sat down and placed her between his legs.
Wearing only her corset, her French drawers, and chemise, she
watched him reach for her stockings. Slowly he pulled down first
one stocking and then the second one, caressing each leg as he
removed the silk from her limbs. That simple caress left her
muscles feeling like liquid, hot to the touch.

His hands glided up her stomach not stopping
until he found her swelling breasts. He held her breast in his palm
like a precious piece of gold and then placed his mouth on the
pebble-like kernel that stood up through the material.

Lovingly, he suckled her breast through her
chemise, until she thought her knees would buckle beneath the
onslaught of pleasure. When he released her, she sagged against
him, gasping for air.

The corset cinched her ribs and her waist,
pushing up her full breasts to spill over the top of the
whalebone.

“Hmm,” he said, gazing at her appreciatively
in the almost dark. “Let me remove this thing from you.”

He turned her around to untie the strings of
her corset and she realized that soon she would be naked before
him. A shiver of fear went through her, but she pushed the doubt
from her mind.

He released her corset and then tossed the
torturous piece to the floor. She stood in her chemise and drawers,
her nervousness beginning to build. Was she mad?

In the darkness she heard the rustle of
clothing and knew he must be removing his own clothes. She pictured
him naked in her mind and her pulse accelerated, wishing she could
see him in the darkness. Knowing it was mere moments before they
would be joined.

For the first time in her life, at the risk
of her reputation, she was taking action to find out if she were
indeed a woman desirable for lovemaking and she wanted this night
more than anything.

Tonight, this moment was her chance to learn
about herself. If she really were a desirable woman. In the last
few months Louis had become so important to her and it felt natural
to be here with him at this moment.

His hand gripped her drawers, when she stayed
him again.

Dear God, wait,
was all she could
think.

“Wait,” she said suddenly, fear overwhelming
her.

He kissed the top of her head. “Oh, Marian
I’ve wanted you for so long.”

“Me? You wanted me?” she asked, her breath
coming in little gasps.

“Yes, you,” he said, and as he lifted her,
she felt his nakedness as he carried her to the sofa. He sat her
down and then his mouth covered hers once again. The anxiety that
had almost overwhelmed her disappeared under the onslaught of his
lips against hers. His tongue swirling and building a need that
she’d long since forgotten.

Years had passed since her last lovemaking
experience and she couldn’t remember this mounting pleasure, the
pulsating desire and onslaught of emotion.

She felt dizzy and flushed and parts of her
body were more alive than she could remember. And now she wanted
him to hurry to reach the end of the race, but Louis moved at the
slow pace of a field hand on a hot summer day. Lazy and slow, each
caress building until her body trembled with readiness.

He released her lips, pulling her chemise
over her head, and tossed it into the darkness.

His hand found her bare breast and she arched
her back giving him easier access. She cried out as his tongue
sought her nipple and she grasped his head holding him still.

This time when he pushed down her silk
drawers, she helped him and soon the garment landed on the floor
with the rest of their clothing. Soon she lay sprawled on the sofa,
naked and waiting. He lay on the edge, his body half covering hers,
their naked skin touching from chest to toe.

“God, you feel so good,” he whispered in the
darkness, his breath a feathery caress across her flesh. “So soft,
so smooth.”

She felt his heated flesh pressed against
her, strong and vibrant and oh-so-ready to take her.

Tentatively she ran her hand down his back,
lightly tracing his ribs with her fingertips. He shivered and she
grew bolder. Reaching down to touch his passion, kissing the curve
of his neck she stroked him, half waiting for him to tell her to
stop, that no longer did he want her caresses but instead the only
sound that came from his mouth was a moan of pure pleasure.
Amazing, how a single sound can make you feel joyous, can confirm
you are a woman who can rouse a man’s passion, and build your own
excitement to new heights never before attained. An expanding
desire centered between her thighs left her wet with
anticipation.

She was no virgin and she knew what happened
next, but still she had never experienced this restlessness, this
sense of need, but still he lingered, caressing her breasts, his
tongue ravishing her. She was almost past the point of wanting him
inside her.

“Louis ...” she gasped, trying to convey her
sense of urgency.

“Yes?” he asked, his voice raspy.

“Please—,” she said, arching her back toward
him.

“Is this what you need?” he asked, his hand
trailing down to cup her feminine mound.

His finger parted her folds and delved inside
her, spinning a magic spell that left her to claw at the edge of
the sofa.

“Yes,” she gasped, as he pushed her to new
heights of pleasure that touched every part of her. “Please,
Louis.”

He moved between her knees and entered her in
one swift movement, filling her to the hilt. She welcomed him into
her body, wrapped her arms around him, moaning her pleasure into
his shoulder.

With each stroke, all the years of feeling so
inadequate, unfeminine, and rejected, disappeared, releasing Marian
from doubt. Louis wanted her, he’d said so and she could feel him
inside her, loving her. Warmth reflected from his blue eyes and an
intense intimacy she’d never experienced before showed in his gaze
as he stared at her. Passion overtook her and she lost herself in
his gaze.

She felt so natural with him, so complete and
she clutched his back, her hands moving down to grip his buttocks
as he filled her. With each thrust Marian felt a sense of renewal,
of rebirth and the burgeoning sense of herself as a very desirable
woman.

With each stroke Louis showed her the meaning
of pleasure between a man and a woman. And she realized she was
complete, she was whole and somehow at last all right.

A tightening spiral of pleasure built within
her, a feeling so intense she couldn’t remember experiencing
anything quite like it before. In the moments of shattering
contractions and releases, her mind tumbled out of control, and she
cried out her pleasure, just as she felt Louis swell within her and
heard him cry out her name.

They lay there recovering, locked in each
other’s arms, their breaths slowly returning to normal when Marian
felt the prick of tears behind her eyelids.

She swallowed and blinked trying to hold them
back, but there was no stopping the uncontrollable flow of tears
once they started down her cheeks.

“Marian, I...” he froze, and then rolled to
his side and put his hand on her cheek, feeling the dampness. “My
God, you’re crying. Are you all right?”

“Yes. You healed me.”

L
ouis held Marian,
stroking her soft back gently. “What are you talking about,
healing? What do you mean?”

She sniffed. “We promised not to mention his
name. I don’t want to spoil this night”

“I don’t care, Marian. Just tell me. Why are
you crying?”

“Nothing.” She reached up and caressed his
face. “You are wonderful. I’ve never experienced anything like what
we just shared.”

She laid her head on his shoulder and
entwined her limbs with his. The feel of her soft flesh against his
aroused and confused him all at once. He felt protective of her and
only knew he didn’t want to hurt her.

“Then why are you crying?” he asked
again.

“Jean and I, we didn’t share a bed for
months, sometimes even years.”

Stunned at her confession, Louis swore. No
wonder she hated Jean.

“After the birth of Renee, Jean seldom came
to my bed, even after being away for months at a time. I tried to
talk with him on several occasions about why he avoided me, but he
never gave me the same reason. I guess I took his rejection
personally. I begin to believe he no longer found me
attractive.”

“Oh, Marian,” Louis said holding her tightly
in his arms. “You are an attractive, you’re an intelligent
beautiful woman.”

She started to cry again and wiped her eyes
with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, I never meant to tell you
all this and I certainly never thought I would become upset talking
about our lovemaking problems. It’s just that since Jean’s death
I’ve wondered if my lack of attractiveness is the reason that he
searched out other women.”

Louis shook his head. “You’re not thinking
like a man.”

She leaned back and he could feel her gaze
upon him in the dark. “What do you mean?”

“Men who cheat on their wives don’t need a
reason. They cheat because they want to.” He paused, his hand
stroking her hair, the sweet perfume of magnolias rising from
it.

“Is this the reason you wanted to seduce me
tonight?” he asked, suddenly realizing it wasn’t loneliness that
drove her into his arms, but something else that he feared to
hear.

In the darkness her voice trembled. “Jean’s
deception has been eating at me for months, probably even years. I
decided to find an answer to the question that nagged at me.”

Louis kissed the top of her head. “You still
haven’t told me why.”

“I... I wanted to see what part I played in
the breakup of my marriage. I needed to know if I was normal.”

“What do you mean, normal?” he asked.

“I needed to see if I was attractive enough
to seduce a man. I needed to see if I’m a normal woman,” she
said.

Louis froze for a moment, his mind reeling
from her confession, feeling stunned. What they just experienced,
she had initiated this to reassure herself that nothing was wrong
with her? She wanted to test her abilities as a woman in bed with a
man she’d never been with before? And she’d chosen him?