Chapter 13

CHAPTER13

Susanna was breathless as she climbed the stairs of the house. Anthony led the way with one of his hands in hers, and the other holding a candle out in front of them. The orange flame cast an aura around the space, dark burnt orange, making it difficult to discern one step from another.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Susanna grew aware that Anthony was moving as she was. There was an excitement to his steps and a tremble to his hand that was clutched in hers.

He led her to a door at the far end of the corridor, deep within the recesses of the house. As the door opened, Susanna quickly realized where they were.

His chamber.

It was vast with a fourposter bed clothed in dark blue curtains and so many chairs on the other side of the room that he had to be spoilt for choice when he wanted a seat. Two dressers and an old coffer lined one wall, and the other bore a wide window, covered with midnight blue curtains.

Anthony released her hand, placing the candle down on the nearest dresser before he moved back to the door and locked it. That sound made the excitement grow all the more for Susanna. She turned on the spot to face him, seeing that he was leaning against the door with a mischievous smile on his lips.

“Would you like to see the painting?” he asked.

“Of me?” She was distracted, for her mind was on only one thing.

“It is not quite finished yet, but I had to bring it here to hide it when one my maids insisted on cleaning up all the spilled paint.” He crossed the room, moving to the bed where he reached beneath to pull out a canvas he had covered in a sheet. Lifting it and placing it on a chaise longue, he dropped the sheet.

In the single candle that lit them both, Susanna could see the painting basked in orange. It didn’t look like her, at least, not as she saw herself. She was made altogether ethereal in the painting as if she were a creature from another world, not human. There was a madness to the painting too, with her wild hair, the curve of her breasts on show, with no modesty apart from the lifting of one of her knees that hid her very center.

“You see me as I can never see myself,” Susanna whispered, resting a hand on the canvas. “Anthony, I have never seen anyone paint as you do. You are truly talented.”

“I put down my talent to the model. Never have I painted before as I paint you.” His words urged Susanna to look round at him. “You wanted to know what I was thinking when I painted you like this?”

“Please,” she begged, aware her chest was rising and falling with fast breaths.

“Then I shall show you.” He lowered the canvas, so it was flat on the chaise longue and turned his focus on her. When he moved to kiss her this time, Susanna didn’t hold herself back or even consider any amount of restraint.

The kiss was instantly deep. Anthony begged permission past her lips and explored her tongue with his own in such a fashion that she was breathless, wanting more. His hands moved quickly toward her. The pelisse was unthreaded from around her neck in seconds, and it fell to the floor in a bundle of silk.

Susanna’s hands took on a mind of their own, and she reached for his tailcoat, pulling it down from his shoulders. He went to help her, shaking it off as she had never seen him do before. When the tailcoat knocked over a stool beside them, Susanna pulled back from the kiss, thinking he would care, but he didn’t. No second glance was spared for the stool as he pulled her toward him for another kiss.

Susanna was clinging to his biceps, arching her body against his when she felt his hands go for the ties at the back of her gown. The laces were undone, frantically, so much so that it would not have surprised her had more knots formed. With his fingers hooked under the shoulders of the gown, he began to lower it.

Now, Anthony pulled back from the kiss. Just enough so Susanna could see he was staring at her with that same breathlessness parting on his lips as was parting hers. The silk teased the skin of her arms as it was dropped away then lowered past the curve of her hips and landed on the floor.

Susanna eagerly stepped out of the gown, pulling Anthony with her as she reached for his waistcoat. It was unbuttoned in a flurry then dropped to the floor. When she took off his cravat, she flung it away, not even looking where it landed.

All Susanna could think about was the longing inside of her. It was this need to know all of Anthony, to be bare with him and to know the geography of his body and feel the carving of the muscle that she had so often spied beneath his waistcoat and trousers. When she lifted his shirt from his head, he chuckled softly.

“I think you are as impatient as I am,” he said as he held his arms up for her to remove the shirt.

“I rode to your house in the middle of the night. Does it surprise you?” She laughed at herself, making his smile widen as he tilted his head toward her once again. He stole a quick kiss before whispering playfully in her ear.

“Turn around.” With those words, she turned. He began to undo the corset, pulling at the laces, but then, his hands wandered before he was done.

The caress of his palms to the curve of her waist distracted her. Susanna didn’t think about the corset for a minute. She only thought of where his hands were going. They slipped down the curve of her hips then he reached for the skirt of her chemise and began to lift it.

The hem of the chemise tickled her stocking-clad legs. When it was pulled up around hips, Susanna began to realize how exposed she was. Her rear was on view as one of his hands cupped her. She gasped at the intimacy of the touch.

“You can stop me any time you want to,” he bent down to whisper in her ear.

“I will not want to stop.” Susanna knew her answer without a doubt.

“Then bend and lean on the chaise longue.” Susanna looked forward at the chaise longue and did as Anthony asked. She bent forward and placed her hands on the cushion beside where the canvas rested as he lifted the skirt of her chemise a little higher.

With her rear pushed toward him, the skirt rested on the curve of her hips, revealing her body to him. Susanna bit her lip, waiting for what exploratory touches he would make.

Anthony’s first touches were to her hips. The bareness of his fingers against her skin made her moan in the air, startled by the power such a simple touch could have over her, for it made a pleasure coil in her stomach and shoot somewhere much lower before a wetness developed between her legs.

Then his hands moved. They passed down her thighs, bringing goosebumps to her skin, before his left hand returned to her hip, and his right hand slipped between her legs. Reaching up, he found her center.

The first touch had Susanna arching. She had not expected the instant pleasure that had jolted through her body nor the firmness of his fingers, but she loved it. His next few touches were exploratory, but flicks, before he found a spot outside of her that seemed to drive her wild with pleasure. He set up a rhythm, rocking against this pleasurable spot.

Susanna found her body moving with the rhythm, rocking onto Anthony’s hand, longing for more of this feeling, more of this pleasure. Her hands soon curled into the cushion of the chaise longue, digging ridges into the material as her back arched even more, wanting more of his touches.

Soon, he obliged. Anthony’s fingers slipped inside of her. The thrill changed for Susanna to something that was infinitely deeper and seemed to reach into her very soul.

This time, his rhythm was slower. It began gentle as if he was exploring every part of her. Susanna found his name falling form her lips as the pleasure grew higher. Her body was encapsulated by it until her legs shuddered where she was bending over the chaise longue, and she was struggling to stand.

When Anthony abruptly removed his fingers from her, she whimpered, wanting more of the touch.

“I promise, it is not over yet,” Anthony whispered. The depth of his voice made that pleasure coil in her stomach once again as he took her waist and gently urged her to stand.

His fingers went for the ties of her corset which were quickly undone. Each move was frantic once again, his body apparently overtaken by the same need that Susanna had. The corset was flung to the floor then Susanna was turned around, and his hands went for her chemise, lifting it over her head.

As her body was revealed to him, Susanna felt nerves make her skin prickle with excitement. This time, it was different from being bare in front of him for a painting, for this time, there was no wall between them. She had given him the chance to do anything he wanted, for she longed for it too.

Anthony reached behind her and took hold of the canvas, placing it eagerly on the floor, before gesturing for her to sit on the chaise longue. She sat on the very edge as he dropped down in front of her, kneeling.

When his lips found hers, Susanna’s hands went wandering. She caressed the muscles across his chest, aware that at certain spots on the middle of his chest and near the bottom of his abdomen, he trembled a little, not ticklish but excited. Her hands became firmer until she hooked a finger over the edge of his trousers, wanting to know more of him.

His hands stilled her, making her pull apart from the kiss in surprise.

“Tonight is about you,” he whispered against her lips.

“But I – hmm!” Susanna was cut off by another kiss that she soon found herself smiling into. He continued with that kiss, moving his tongue against her own in such a way that it mimicked what his fingers had been doing to her mere seconds before.

Firm hands took hold of Susanna’s knees and pulled her legs apart, so that there was space between her legs for him to kneel closer to her. When his center brushed hers, she could feel his hardened length through his trousers. It made her moan into the kiss, longing to know what it could be like to make love to Anthony.

Make love…

The thoughts caught Susanna by surprise. She already knew she cared for Anthony, deeply, but the mere thought of the word love had more stirring in her mind. She was quickly realizing she was devoted to him, both emotionally and physically, but love?

Could I call it that?

She was distracted by the thought as Anthony’s fingers closed over the tops of her stockings and began to slowly pull them down, teasing her with the silk against her skin. When he reached her toes, he tossed the stockings to the side before drawing more teasing touches up her legs.

With their bodies pressed together with the deep kiss, Susanna wrapped her arms around Anthony’s shoulders, holding him to her.

More, Anthony, please!

She did not need to make the plea audible, for he seemed to know her thought without her having to ask. He pulled back from the kiss just an inch and smiled at her.

“Care to lay down?” he whispered. She was too intrigued to question it. As she was, she laid down, her back flat to the chaise longue seat, aware that he was still between her legs. He bent down over her, placing soft kisses to her stomach and the curve of her hip before he shifted one kiss to the inside of his thigh.

Wait, what is he – oh!

Anthony moved his lips to her center. The sudden shock of pleasure made one of Susanna’s hands cling to the cushion beneath her, startled by the power he had over her body. She had never known men and women could do such a thing, but here it was, the proof before her. He kissed her center, lovingly, then began to pleasure her with his tongue, setting up a rhythm as he had done before.

With that rhythm, Susanna could sense her moans were getting louder, but there was little she could do to control it. The pleasure was overwhelming. When she lifted her head to watch what he was doing to her, he raised one of his hands between the two of them. He continued kissing her then slipped his fingers inside of her.

The dual pleasure was enough to make Susanna moan even louder. She tipped her head back again, rocked by the pleasure, as his touches became firmer and faster. Soon, the rhythm was something she could not handle, for something was building inside of her.

She imagined the waves of pleasure were creating a knot in her stomach, for that was how it felt with this tightening sensation. Her body was quickly ascending to a height of pleasure she had never known before, and then, it was released.

With one more thrust of Anthony’s fingers, she reached a peak of pleasure. She tried to muffle her moans of Anthony’s name into the cushion of the chaise longue, turning her head as she bucked against him another time.

Still breathless, she turned her head back, looking to Anthony as she came down from her high. He sat back on his knees, smiling broadly as he released her with one last touch of pleasure that had her quivering.

“That was what I was thinking of, Susanna. All of it.”

“I am glad you showed me.” Susanna laughed with the words, lifting a hand to cover her mouth.

She didn’t care what rules they had broken or what a scandal it would be if anyone else in the world ever found it. What they had shared was not about any of that; it was about them.

“I do not think my legs are strong enough to walk after that,” she said after a minute.

“Good. I do not want you to leave just yet.” Anthony stood and passed a hand under her waist. Susanna was unprepared as he lifted her into his arms, tilting her against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, allowing him to carry her toward the four-poster bed. He laid her down on the cushions and bent over her, kissing her again.

The kiss reminded her so much of everything they had just shared that the trembling in her legs grew worse. That tremble was only softened when he laid a hand to her thigh, calming her.

“I have a question for you,” Anthony whispered after a minute as he joined her on the bed and pulled back the covers. He kicked off his hessian boots that had somehow remained on before leaning back on the pillows and opening his arms to her. Susanna gladly fell into them and laid a hand upon his bare chest, wanting to be near to him.

“Yes?”

“As you said to me, you can say no if you want to.” He reminded her of their conversation outside in his garden.

“What do you wish to ask me?” She was still trying to calm her erratic breathing from what they had done together.

“Would you stay the night?” Anthony seemed to hold his breath as he asked the question. The words startled Susanna so much that she lifted herself up a little, still with her hand on his chest, the better to look him in the eye. He lifted one of his hands and laid it over her own on his chest. The warmth of his palm was evident as was the blush in his cheeks.

Despite the fact he had been the one to pleasure her, it seemed he had been as excited by what they had shared as she had been.

“You wish me to stay?” she asked, startled by it.

“I do.” He nodded softly. “I know you will have to leave early, so you can return home before Lady Follet sees that you are gone, but I find I do not want you to go just yet.” He slipped his fingers against her own, so they sat one against the other. “Please?”

Susanna felt a smile growing. If he wanted her to stay, then she didn’t think she could refuse him. After all, after what they had just shared, there was nowhere else she truly wished to be more than in this bed with him.

“I will stay.” Her words urged him to pull her down toward him once again.

He pressed his lips to hers in a kiss then wrapped his arms around her waist and rolled the two of them together. Susanna gasped into the kiss as he molded his body against her own, loving the way his legs slipped between hers, a subtle promise of what more could happen between them.

They continued kissing for some time, whispering sweet things, before they grew tired, and Anthony’s eyes began to close. Susanna was the last to fall asleep, for she laid on the pillow beside him, wondering exactly what she had shared with Anthony that night.

She felt as if she hadn’t just given him her body but so much more.

He has my heart too.