The Officer's Temptation Ch. 11

The Officer's Temptation

Ch. 11: More than a Kiss

The carriage door closed with a click, leaving Marlowe and Kate facing each other in the near darkness. Marlowe cursed his own stupidity. If the low light of the gardens had been intimate, the near total darkness of the carriage was practically begging Marlowe to touch Kate. He had been praying that the wait of having the carriage brought around would have been enough to put his mind at ease after the intense kiss that they had shared, but if anything his lust was only amplified.

After the kiss, Kate had excused herself to get a drink while he had stood out front waiting for the driver to come around while replaying the moment over and over in his mind. Was she embarrassed? Did she regret it? Had he gone too far?

And now, having barely said a word to each other since, they were facing each other in almost total darkness. He could hear every rustle her gown made as she adjusted herself on the seat, practically feel her breath stirring the humid air against his face. He cleared his throat as the carriage bounced to a start and the wheels rolled over the gravel of the drive. "Kate, forgive me if I was too bold in the garden."

She gasped. "Too bold? I practically begged you to do it. After you told me that you wanted nothing more than friendship! I'm so sorry, I got carried away. I want you to know that I have no expectations of you, I understand if you regret it."

"Regret it? Kate, I am burning to kiss you again!"

"Oh." He could see her mouth fall open into a lovely oval of surprise. She tugged at a dark curl. It bounced back like a spring. "Well, what if you did? Kiss me again, I mean?" A sly smile snuck onto her mischievous face.

She didn't have to ask him twice when his body was already on fire for her. In one quick movement, he was beside her on the seat, twisting to face her. Her head was tilted up at him, her eyes glittering in the low light. He took off his glove slowly, barely daring to breathe, and ran his knuckles over her jaw. Her skin was as smooth as the petal of a rose, and he did not miss her sharp intake of breath as he caressed up the curve of her cheek, sliding his hand behind her neck.

He knew it was a bad idea. But it was the kind of bad idea that he could not resist. Marlowe kissed Kate for the second time that night. She was not as surprised this time. Her lips were slightly parted, ready, and her body was not as tense in his arms. With no one to see, he could kiss her slowly, drinking the warmth from her sumptuous mouth. Her lips were so soft and full, he could not resist kiss after kiss as one hand tangled in her hair and the other dared to caress down her neck, sweeping over her shoulder and clavicle. He felt as if he were on fire, and from the sighs escaping Kate's lips, he thought she must feel the same.

He pulled her closer and closer to him, letting his hands trail down the curve of her back to her small waist. There was no part of her he did not want to touch, did not want to feel against him. He let his tongue slip into her sweet, wet mouth and could not help the growl that escaped his lips when she moaned against him. In a swift movement, he had grabbed her, yanking her up on his lap. Before his better judgement could catch up with him, he was trailing hot kisses down her neck while his hands pried into the front of her gown. The dress was so low-cut that it was not difficult to lift out her breast.

He caressed it greedily, kissing his way down, letting his tongue slide down her burning skin. She moaned and arched against him as his tongue flicked over the pebble of her nipple. God, he wished that there was more light, more time so that he could strip her naked and drink in every inch of her beautiful body. But since there wasn't, he only sucked at her nipple, and grappled with her, flipping her so that she was sideways across the seat, propped against the side of the carriage. He leaned between her legs, grabbing at her gown, bunching up the fabric as he rocked his body against hers. He was nestled between her thighs and could feel her wetness and heat through the fabric of his breeches as he rolled the hard ridge of his cock against her. How easy it would be to slip his cock out of his breeches and inside of her. He was dying for it, for her, to feel her warmth, her wetness surround him.

He rolled into her again, crushing his mouth against hers, letting his tongue slip beside hers. Her hands roamed his back, her knees pulling him against her. She moaned his name, arching back. She was breathtakingly beautiful in the urgency of her arousal. "Marlowe," she gasped. "Please...I want you. Please do it. I need you to."

Her urgent whispers sent shivers down his spine, making his cock throb even harder. He flicked his tongue against her neck, kissing her while she shivered. "Do what?" he whispered between kisses. He thought that he was already about to burst from the pent-up desire, from the temptation of her luscious curves.

Kate groaned. "To swive me or whatever it is you gentlemen say. Please do it," she begged. "I think I will die if you don't."

His hands tightened on her rib cage. "Swive you!" His head bent to her clavicle as he flicked his tongue over her puckered nipple a few more times. "Where did you learn such a term?"

She moaned beautifully and arched her neck as he suckled on her breast anew. "In books, very naughty ones that I shouldn't have read. I know! But please, have your way with me, ravish me. I want it."

"You are a gentlelady," he reminded her. It was an inconvenient truth. "It would ruin you."

"I don't care."

He groaned as she rolled her hips against him, tantalizing his painfully aroused member. "I do," he realized. He was jarred by the realization. A beautiful woman was underneath him, begging him to ravish her, and he could not. Something was wholly wrong with him.

"You are being absolutely unfair."

He grunted. "I should not deflower you, Kate. Not like this. God knows, I am tempted. But I will make it up to you. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she gasped."I would trust you to do anything."

He swallowed hard, curiously moved by her trust. He wasn't sure if he had ever had the experience before. To be with a woman who desired him, who made him mad with longing, but whom he did not want to... take. He could not risk hurting her in any way, including risking her reputation. Of course, if they were caught out now, it was almost as good as if he had deflowered her, for what innocent maid was caught alone in quite the position he now had Kate? But still, he could only quiet the hunger in his body for so long while being determined to leave her virginity intact. "Lie back," he instructed, rolling off her.

She reclined on the cushions, but propped herself on her elbows as he sank to his knees in front of her. He slowly drew her knees apart. Her eyes were wide as she searched his face. "What are you doing?"

Her dress was already pushed up near her waist, so he placed his hands against her calf, slowly running them up against her stockinged leg. The fabric was soft under his touch, and underneath the cloth he felt the warmth of her flesh pressing through. She shuddered and bit her lip as he moved up slowly, luxuriating in the feel of her silk stockings, admiring the bow where she had tied them to her leg. And then his fingers were brushing past the stocking and on to the skin of her thigh. Goosebumps rose on her skin where his fingers touched and he felt a tremor pass through her as he edged ever upwards. "Marlowe," she whispered. "What are you going to do?"

He spread his palms wide and pushed up, feeling beneath her skirt. "I'm going to bring you pleasure," he said as his fingers crept closer to the center of her heat. He licked his lips as he sensed the dampness already spread across the tops of her thighs. His heart beat faster as he reached the juncture where her hips met her legs. Teasingly, he drew his hands towards her center. When his fingers brushed the silken curls covering her mound, he could no longer restrain himself. He needed to see her, though the light was bad, he needed it, wanted to see how wet she was for him. With one hand, he lifted her dress higher, bunching the hem up scandalously around her waist.

He bit back a groan as he saw the secret junction at the apex of her legs, the shadow of dark curls that modestly hid her lips, which were beautifully slick and swollen with desire, and as plump as a peach. He wanted to be inside of her so badly that his entire body ached. His skin was flushed and hot, his cock pushing against his trousers, begging for release. But he would not. Instead, he gently slipped a finger between her folds and spread her on his finger.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes snapped shut. He watched her face as he slowly pushed inside of her. "Marlowe," she breathed. "Oh Marlowe!"

"How does it feel?" His digit was fully inside of her now and he began to caress her slowly, delighting in her heat that poured into him as he crooked his finger up and let another slide over the bud nestled between her lips. She was so delightfully wet and tight. He bit the inside of his lip, trying to ignore his own painful arousal.

She made a sound of pure pleasure as he continued his ministrations. Slowly he pushed in and out, imagining that it was his cock and not only his fingers that rocked and slipped inside of her. She breathed his name. Desperate for more of her, he lifted her leg to his face, kissing his way down. When the angle became too difficult, he pulled his fingers out of her and shifted, lowering his head between her thighs. She called his name in a dreamy sigh, but he did not respond, only breathed in the sweet and musky scent of her, feeling drunk as he licked between her lips.

She practically screamed as his tongue slipped between her, but had the sense to cover her mouth as he continued. She was heaven to taste as he slipped his tongue between her folds, letting it flick just inside her entrance and then back over the sweet bud above it. He drank her in for several minutes, feeling that she was on the edge, and knowing that the moment was about to be over. His tongue dipped inside her again and she cried out his name one more time, feeling her spasm on his tongue. He groaned, too overwhelmed to hold himself back as he came with her in his pants.

She panted for a moment, scooting herself back up to a seating position. Marlowe rose, and gathered her to his arms. Her head fell against his chest, and he closed his eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair.

"God damn," she said.

He started at the expletive, but she shushed him. "Now there, Lieutenant, I believe if we can do ... what we just did, I can curse."

He chuckled lightly and kissed the top of her head. "A fair point." He glanced out of the carriage window, wiping away the fog that had accumulated on the glass. "We're nearly home," he said regretfully.

Kate struggled up and rearranged her gown, trying to sort herself into some semblance of modesty. Luckily it was so late that no one would see them enter. He felt a pang in his chest to think that this could be the only night that they would share. Time was moving so quickly, conspiring to take her away from him.

The carriage slowed and Kate shifted away from him, back to the other side. He opened the door quickly when it stopped. As soon as Kate was out, he yelled at the driver to go. He had an uneasy suspicion that their movements and cries may have been a little obvious to the driver outside the cab, but he saw no point in mentioning that to Kate. He walked her to the door. "Go in first," he whispered. "I'll follow in a bit, just in case anyone is awake."

She nodded and looked up at him with bright eyes. Even in the low light from the streetlamps, he could see that she was flushed and delightfully disheveled. "You don't regret it do you?"

He almost laughed. "What could I possibly have to regret?" He searched her face. "You don't regret it do you?" His heart skipped a beat in apprehension, but she just grinned at him and slipped a hand around the back of his neck, tugging his face down into a kiss right there outside the door.

"What do you think?" she asked playfully.

He kissed her again for good measure, and a third time because it was so hard to stop. But finally, coming to his senses, he bent his forehead against hers. "You are incredible, Kate," he whispered.

She looked up into his eyes. Hers were crinkled at the corners in a little half smile. "Goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight," he said, watching her back quietly away and in through the door. His heart felt like it was soaring, regardless of the soiled breeches. He grinned stupidly to himself and looked up at the sky. And that was when he saw the surreptitious flash of a curtain in the house across the street. Someone had seen.