A Heart for Milton

A Heart for Milton - Chapter 11

He took one glance at her and clasped her to him, melding his mouth over hers with a fervency that excited her, even as she trembled in his fierce possession.

He grasped her tighter, claiming her with his mouth and tongue, desperate to be at one with her. He felt himself slipping into the abyss of his darker desires, his self-control vanishing as her arms wrapped around his neck.

He tore his lips from hers to look into her eyes. "Margaret," he panted, "will you lie with me?"

"I am yours, John," she whispered, gazing at him steadily so that he might know that her very soul belonged to him.

His eyes flared with the recognition that all that had hitherto been forbidden was now his.

He returned his mouth to hers, kissing her tenderly as his hands trembled to loosen the fabric ties of her corset.

She moved her hands to his chest and slowly pushed his lapels to urge the removal of his coat, causing him to groan in heady anticipation of her willing participation.

He broke away from her to release himself from his blue frock coat, casting it off to land on a chair before returning to his delicate task. No sooner had he resumed his attention to the lacings of her corset, than he felt her fingers moving to free the buttons of his waistcoat.

He could scarcely breathe. The thought that she should desire him promised a bliss so profound that he found her fastidious gesture an excruciating torture.

He gently removed her hands from their purpose and kissed each in turn, and they silently communicated with one another with their eyes.

She moved to pull her dress up over her head, her helplessness in the daunting task tacitly requiring his assistance. With his help, the silk slid easily over her torso and brushed over her hair, loosening the pins.

He laid the dress carefully over the chair, and began to unbutton his waistcoat even as she undid the fastenings of her crinoline and petticoats. They quickly undressed in silence, stealing glimpses of each other, in awe of what was happening.

At last, he stood wearing only his trousers, as she still wriggled to slide out of her corset, clad in a sleeveless cambric slip. She removed the pins from her hair, and her auburn tresses tumbled past her shoulders.

Her breath quickened at the sight of him. Her eyes roved over the chiseled form of his chest and the muscled shape of his arms. His presence was commanding, and yet she detected something of his vulnerability. She ached to touch the broad expanse of his skin, and yearned to feel his strong possession of her.

His heart beat thick and fast as he moved to close the distance between them. He took her into his arms and kissed her.

She quivered to feel the press of his bare chest against the thin fabric of her slip, and willingly opened her mouth to him to experience his deeper kisses. Tremblingly, she placed her hands against the smooth surface of his back.

His passion rose quickly, sending his hands to explore the curves of her body now unbound by layers of feminine accoutrements.

She melted as his hands slid over her breasts and down to her waist, his palms stroking the curve of her hips in aching slowness.

He tugged at the fabric at her hips, desperate now to remove all boundaries between them.

She disengaged herself from him and looked into his eyes. Without a word, she moved to the bed and deftly removed her slip with one fluid motion, dropping it to the floor. She pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. As she did so she recalled something of what Edith had explained. With her knees bent slightly to steady herself, she sat waiting for him as she slowly brought her eyes to his.