Aristocrat | ✓

CHAPTER TWELVE

     It is somewhat standard to joke about women who did nothing but lay down and stare up in bed, but I wondered if such jokes about men existed amongst fellows who associated with each other that way, If there were, a person like me would be the butt of the jest. I think I understood why many girls were like this on their wedding nights and their first times.

     It was fear-inducing—paralyzing.

     A million thoughts ran through my mind as the Lord touched me. He made me raise my hands, before pulling my nightdress over my head. He cradled me, pulling me into his lap as he ran his hands up and down my back as he kissed my neck. I stayed still like a doll, even though I wanted to touch him too. I was afraid of doing something wrong. My lack of experience showed in how shocked I was by the sounds the Lord managed to pry out of me.

     I took in a deep breath when I felt Lord Evenus take a hold of my hand before leading it under his shirt.

     "You can touch me too," he muttered against my lips, touching the nape of my neck as his free hand palmed my buttocks.

     I let myself do as he said. I ran my hand on his chest, watching the figure of my palm under his silk nightshirt. His stomach was stiff. He took away my hand before pulling the shirt off and throwing it on the flow. My breathing hiked at the sight of him. I'd seen him shirtless before, but I hadn't seen his scars up close. There was a good lot of them on his upper chest and one that looked relatively fresher than the other cut across his stomach. It wasn't raised like the one on his face, but it was jagged and a pinkish white.

     His breathing made his chest to rise and fall, and the moonlight reflected off his brown nipples. My brows knitted into a frown as my lips drew into a tight line. All desire from before melted away and was replaced with worry for the Lord.

     "Why do you look so shocked?" he asked me as I reached out to trace the scars. My eyes flickering from one to the other. I was overwhelmed at how many they were.

     "Is this normal?" I couldn't help but ask. I knew injuries were common. That's what happened at war, but the sight of him made my eyes gloss over with unshed tears. Who wouldn't have night terrors if they had wounds from fights like this?

     Lord Evenus' silence worried me, but I didn't want to push him to explain where the scares were to me, so I took my hand away, before reaching out my hands to cup his face. I kissed him, letting our lips linger as I moved my hands down his breeches. I remember how nervous I had been doing this for Alistair, but so had remembered how much he had enjoyed it. The Lord might too.

     He did. He moaned into my mouth as I let my fingers rub and squeeze around his shaft. His tongue was warm, and the hotter between my thighs felt, the more sensitive I got to the feel of his fingers on my skin. He touched my nipples, rolling them under his fingertips before taking them away to latch onto them with his lips instead. He kissed them, making me shiver. I bit down on my bottom lip, finding the sensation of his tongue and teeth on my chest thrilling. I shuddered. I was naked, but I wasn't cold. The heat radiating from both of us kept us warm.

     He pulled away from my chest before looking at me as his hand moved between my thighs to cup me. His hands were warm and rough, and when he made to hold my shaft between his hands, my insides exploded. I gasped, burying my head in his shoulder as he touched me.

     I still had my hand in his breeches, and I did my best to match the pace he was using to stroke me until I felt my stomach churn as I came. The Lord followed suit, staining my hand. It felt warm—sticky. I didn't have much time to process things since he took hold of my arm with one hand and grabbed one of the bed coverings with the other. He wiped my hand and then his, before hugging me to himself.