Photographs & Phantoms (5 page)

“I’m twenty-six and likely to never marry,” she said in a low, husky voice. “I was wondering if, perhaps, you could teach me a thing or two, about…sexual relations.”

Kendall stared at her and blinked. His brain couldn’t keep up. All rational thought was being pushed aside by his cock leaping for joy at the very idea.

“I’m sorry.” She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. “I shouldn’t have assumed you’d be interested. Please forgive me.”

“What,” he managed to growl, “makes you think I’m not interested? I said I was
trying
to be a gentleman. This isn’t exactly…”

“Proper? No, I’m afraid not.” She grimaced and wrapped her arms around her waist. “It’s just…I’ve never felt anything like I did when you kissed me today, and I want to know
more
. Since I don’t plan to marry, there’s no one to be hurt.”

“Are you certain of that?” His willpower was vanishing rapidly. “There can be consequences to this sort of thing, you know.”

“Oh. I’d assumed you might have some sort of…preventative.”

She was trying to kill him. Either his brain would explode, or his other head would. “I don’t exactly carry those in my pockets on a mission.”

“No, of course not.” She glanced down at her hands a moment, before looking up again. “I may be inexperienced, but I did go to art school, and the other girls did talk. I believe there are…alternative activities we can engage in, ones that don’t carry the same risks.”

“Jesus Christ.” In a flash, he’d envisioned those full lips of hers wrapped around the head of his aching erection. She really was trying to kill him. But she was right. There certainly were ways they could bring each other satisfaction without risking pregnancy. Perhaps then he’d be able to think about the mission instead of being fixated on Amy’s lush breasts.

Amy couldn’t believe she’d gotten up the courage to proposition Kendall, but when he assented with a sharp nod, her heart sped up to the point where she thought it might burst from her chest. He was such an honorable, forthright man, she really had expected him to say no.

He stood and held out his hand. “If you’re sure about this, come here.”

The armchair was right next to her bed. When she reached his side, the backs of her legs were up against the mattress. She took his hand and he cupped her chin with the other.

Gazing up into his eyes, she spoke the words. “I’m sure.”

He made a soft noise deep in his throat as he bent and took her lips. This kiss was even more demanding than the one in her studio. He pressed deep, gave her no quarter as he took control. His whole body was as rigid as steel against hers and when she leaned into him, she felt the press of his sex against her belly, even through their layers of clothing. She could no longer doubt that Kendall genuinely did want her, and that knowledge was as arousing as his kiss.

His hand slid from her cheek to tangle in her hair, loosening the braid she’d plaited when getting ready for bed. His other hand dropped hers to circle her waist. Her breasts were swollen and tender where they pressed against his chest and a steady ache pulsed between her thighs, where she felt herself growing damp. While she’d read enough to know this was normal, every sensation was magnified beyond anything she’d ever imagined.

“Stop thinking so hard, my sweet,” he murmured as he trailed his lips from hers over to her ear. “The idea is to feel, not to think.”

Feel
. She could do that—just give herself over to the pleasure of his strong hands and warm mouth. She tipped her head to let his tongue trace the shell of her ear, barely noticing that his other hand had undone her braid and smoothed her hair down her back. Her own hands gripped him tightly, one on his shoulder, one at his waist, clutching handfuls of his fine linen shirt. Unable to resist, she tugged the tail of his shirt up out of his trousers and laid her fingers along the warm bare skin of his back.

“You’ve been smoking,” she murmured as he nipped at the tendons of her throat. His shirt held a distinct tang of tobacco. “And drinking ale.”

“Mmm-hmm.” He brought his hands around to untie the knot of her dressing gown. “And you’ve washed up with honeysuckle-scented soap and lemon water. Along with your mint tooth powder, it’s a surprisingly erotic combination.”

Amy couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. “I’ll take your word for that. You’ve a keen nose, my lord.”

“Call me that again, and I’ll stop.” He bit her earlobe playfully and slid his hands inside her dressing gown to push the velveteen off her shoulders. “In the bedroom, I’m only Kendall. And yes, keen senses run in my family, and in yours, I imagine—the better for our enjoyment.”

“Kendall.” She stood perfectly still, maintaining eye contact as he unbuttoned her nightgown from chin to just below her breasts. It felt good to say his name.

When he ran out of buttons, he brushed one side off her shoulder and dropped his gaze to her bared flesh. “As lovely as I’d imagined.”

“They’re too large,” she objected softly. The other girls at school had left her no doubts about that. Though to be honest, men
did
tend to stare at her there—perhaps the other girls had merely been jealous.

Kendall laughed. “They’re no such thing.” He picked up one heavy breast in his hand as if weighing it and brushed his thumb across her puckered nipple. “I love how it overflows my hand, a bounty of perfection. Strawberries and cream, my favorite combination.”

That slight touch made her gasp and she instinctively arched toward him, pushing herself further into his hand. Lightning flashed between her nipple and her sex, making her soften and tighten at the same time. She wasn’t sure she could continue to stand.

Kendall seemed to understand. He massaged her breast lightly, using his other hand to push aside the other shoulder of her gown. With a shimmy of her hips, the white cotton pooled on the floor at her feet. Naked now, she should have been cold, but she wasn’t at all. Instead, it seemed as if she were burning from the inside out, warmed by the heated approval in Kendall’s gaze.

“Turn around and pull back the covers,” he instructed in a low, raspy voice. “I want to see you from behind.”

Obediently, Amy did, bending over the bed to turn down the quilt and blanket. She couldn’t help swishing her fanny just a little and was gratified to hear Kendall moan.

“Now lie back against the pillows.”

She heard the sound of buttons popping as he removed his own shirt. Anxious to watch him disrobe, she did as she was told.

He was beautiful.

Well aware that such a term shouldn’t be used to describe a man, especially one as overtly masculine as Kendall, she still couldn’t think of a better one. His broad shoulders tapered to a slim waist with rippled, defined stomach muscles. A light coating of dark curls swirled across his sculpted chest, circling flat, dark nipples and narrowing to a line that bisected his stomach and disappeared into his trousers. As he unbuttoned those, it became apparent that the arrow of hair continued all the way down.

All the while he undressed, his turquoise gaze remained pinned on her, exciting her even further.

“Have you ever seen a naked man, Amy?”

She nodded briefly. “Once, in an art class. He was slim and young, with almost no hair on his chest—nothing like you.”

“Was he aroused?”

“No.” The poor model had been embarrassed and had remained flaccid throughout the session. She’d never seen an erect penis before, and her mouth watered at the knowledge that she was about to see one any second now.

Before he dropped his trousers, Kendall paused and bent to remove his walking boots and socks. When he stood, he raised one eyebrow. “Still sure? I’m not ready to marry yet, Amy. You need to know that. This is a purely physical encounter.”

“Yes.” She’d never been so certain of anything in her life. “I understand, and I’m sure.”

“Then spread your legs for me, sweetness. I want to see that you’re as aroused as I am.”

Biting her lip against an unexpected shyness, she did as he asked, splaying her thighs so her sex was open to his view.

“I can’t see in this light. Are you wet, Amy?”

She felt the flush that heated her face and breasts, but she nodded anyway.

“Test yourself with your fingers and tell me.” His hands still rested on the lowest button of his trousers, teasing her with his near-nakedness.

Could she do this?
Yes.
To have this night with Kendall, she could do whatever he asked. Slowly she lowered one hand to her center and slid her fingers through the slick petals of her sex. Then she held them up so they glistened in the gaslight. “I’m very, very wet, Kendall.”

“Oh, hell.” He lunged toward her, caught her hand in his and slowly licked her fingers, one by one. “You certainly are, Amy. This is going to take even more willpower than I thought.”

“To be with me?”

“No, sweetheart. To
not
be with you, in the most primitive manner possible.” He let go of her hand and shoved his trousers and smallclothes down to his ankles with no further delay. She gazed at him, soaking in the sight of his rampant erection jutting from a halo of dark curls. The dark red tip pointed up toward the ceiling and bobbed as he moved to lie on his side, next to her on the bed.

“May I touch you?” It was a struggle to keep her hands to herself.

“Of course.” He rolled to his back and laced his hands behind his head. “Explore to your heart’s content.”

His skin was warm and smooth on his shoulder, the hairs on his chest crisp and springy. His nipple beaded when she rubbed it, much like her own were doing as they brushed against him during her explorations. The muscles beneath were hard and firm, even as she moved her hand down to his stomach, bypassing his groin to feel the solid mass of his thigh, then the bones of his hip. “I’d love to photograph you like this, though I’d never be able to let another living soul see the image. You’re a work of art in your own right, Kendall.”

“Not compared to you.” His hot gaze affirmed his words.

Finally, she trailed her hand inward, wrapping her fingers around his penis, feeling the velvety skin over solid flesh and the thick veins pumping beneath her hand. Kendall moaned.

“Does this hurt?” She smoothed her hand up and down.

“In a way,” he answered thickly. “Would you like me to show you what I mean?”

“Yes.”

“Then lie back, sweetheart, and let me show you.”

Reluctantly, she let go and lay back against the pillows. Kendall leaned over her, braced on one elbow, and kissed her lips. His other hand traced a line from her throat down to her breast, cupping it in his hand. Moments later, his lips followed. Amy gasped as he caught her peaked nipple between his lips and sucked.

“Kendall.” She caught his head between her hands and held him there. Nothing had ever felt so good, though the ache between her legs only intensified. She shifted her hips, wanting something, but not sure what. Now, she thought, she understood what he’d meant.

“That’s it. Just relax and enjoy.” He moved to her other breast, laving it with the same thorough attention. When he began to suckle, his hand slid down to the apex of her thighs, cupping the nest of damp curls and pressing softly. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Yes.” The whisper was all she could manage. She lifted her hips into his hands, trying to arch her breast deeper into the heat of his mouth at the same time.

Then his fingers began to move, and she was lost. His thumb found a knot of nerves she’d only vaguely known existed, and he carefully slipped one thick finger between her folds. She bit down on her lip to keep from crying out as her body began to move of its own accord, following the in-and-out rhythm of his hand.

“Let go.” His breath whispered across her damp nipple, making her shiver, which pushed his finger just a little deeper into her core.

Something inside her shattered. Shards of light and sensation coursed through her veins and behind her eyelids.

“Beautiful,” he whispered. He kept up his caresses but slowed and gentled them as the waves of overwhelming pleasure subsided. When her eyes finally opened, he smiled. “Better?”

“Amazing.” She wet her lips and struggled for breath. “But what about you?”

“I’ll survive,” he said, showing that generous spirit she liked so much. “Believe it or not, just watching and touching you gave me a great deal of pleasure. Or, if you’d like, you can return the favor in much the same way.”

“I think I’d like that very much.” She reached down and grasped the solid thickness of him, relishing his shudder.

“In a moment.” He slid up the bed until he leaned over her again. This time his kiss was gentler, though no less intense. By the time they paused for air, she was tingling again and hungry to learn more of Kendall.

“Now.” He rolled to his back, and Amy propped herself on her elbow beside him. He took her hand in his and showed her how he liked to be touched—how firm, how fast. His whispered instructions were punctuated by kisses. Finally, his back bowed up off the bed as he climaxed.

Amy couldn’t help running her fingers through the thick fluid that covered his stomach and chest, even lifting her finger to her lips to taste, remembering how he’d tasted her. She must have made a face at the bitterness, because Kendall laughed.

“I’m told it’s an acquired taste.” He pulled her face back down to his, kissing her again. “Thank you. That was magnificent.”

“I’ve never felt anything like that,” she admitted.

His low laugh shook the bed. “You can manage that with your own hand for yourself, you know. It doesn’t take a man to provide you satisfaction. Sometimes taking care of oneself can be a lot safer and less emotionally complicated.”

“I see.” She supposed that did make sense. Now that she’d experienced an orgasm, she wouldn’t want to do without for the rest of her life. She grinned and kissed him on the nose. “Thank you for that lesson, too.”

Later, lying awake in bed after Kendall had crept back up the fire escape to his room, Amy stared at the ceiling. He’d been so patient with her, so kind—masculine and dominant, yet thoughtful all at the same time. He’d made her laugh and shudder with passion. She’d never met anyone like Kendall.