Chapter Twenty-Three

L ord Tobias Moran

I sat back watching Ash and Birdie kiss, the sight sparking my blood even more than before. I was still in shock over what transpired, and I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or not. Actually, I knew it wasn’t a good idea. Birdie had been her practical self and unappalled by our behavior. On the contrary, she seemed enthusiastic after confessing to reading the manuscript which I forbade her to look at.

Ash began unbuttoning the front of her dress, and I stared eagerly, waiting for her breasts to be bared as their kiss turned from exploratory to passionate, his mouth plying hers.

We had never had a third person in bed, and I was looking forward to the experience, especially with Birdie. I told myself not to become emotionally involved with her, but the sight of his tongue slipping into her mouth negated my will to call a halt to the entire endeavor. It proved hard to look away, my body humming with more need. Nature had thrust us all together, and circumstances would require that I do the humane thing and not turn her out.

The bodice fell to her waist, Ash tucking his fingers into the shoulders of her gown and tugging it down. I had fantasized about doing so myself, my eagerness rising. A white chemise was revealed, along with a corset that nipped in her tiny waist. We’d never shared a lover before, nor had either of us suggested it. Somehow, tonight seemed right. My engagement and his affair had separated us. Birdie brought us back together in a way I could never have imagined. He removed his own shirt, leaving him in his trousers. I never grew tired of the sight of his taut belly and expansive shoulders. Head lifted, he looked at me, the heat of lust in his eyes. “Aren’t you going to join us?”

“I would rather enjoy observing for a moment.” I felt like a voyeur and itched to participate in the seduction, but I held back. The show before me rivaled any titillating scene I’d read in the Ambrosia line. Birdie’s comment about the golden knight continued to play inside my head. Ash fit the description of Lord Golden quite well, and Birdie could very well be Lady X in my vivid imagination.

With an understanding grin, Ash tilted her chin up with his thumb and began devouring her mouth again. Birdie flattened her palms on his bare chest and ran them over the sleek muscles. He was nothing if not efficient, and with a few impressive moves, he removed her skirt. The fabric pooled about her feet to expose white bloomers tied at the ankle with pale blue ribbons. In many ways, Birdie embodied the same spirit as the fictional character, intelligent and with a sense of adventure. Unlike Lady X, she was a flesh and blood woman.

My cock, which had been at half-mast from Ash’s ministrations, began to throb with unfulfilled need. My willpower was quickly fading. It might be snowing outside, but the heat inside the room was growing. I had dreamed about being with Birdie but told myself it would never be possible. If it wasn’t for the farcical situation this evening, it probably would never come to pass. Ash buried his fingers in her hair, his other hand running down the white linen to her breasts until he cupped the weight in his palm through her chemise. She arched into his touch, proving herself to be the passionate woman I assumed she would be.

As a widow, she was experienced in the ways of the flesh. Her willingness to agree to the seduction was unexpected in the best way possible, yet her simple statement about it being a while since she was with a man showed her uncertainty. Through the haze of my building lust, I became even more cognizant of her vulnerability. Tonight, our relationship had drifted into a gray area. One thing was clear, she would no longer be my secretary. Once I reviewed her notes on the manuscript, I would offer her a position as a copy editor.

It would be hard to fill her shoes, and after seeing her creamy shoulders bared, it was even harder not to lust after her. I removed my waistcoat and shirt, my body heated by their lustful display. Ash rid her of the bloomers, revealing sleek legs beneath the chemise that ended just above her knees.

Ash raised his head, breaking their kiss. With a wicked smile, he lifted her into his arms. I laughed at their antics, shaking my head while she screeched and clung to him. Cheeks flushed rosy, her lips were plump from his kisses. I wanted to press my lips to hers and taste her sweet breath. The bodice gaped at the neck, showing the swell of her breasts, her puckered nipples visible beneath the cotton. She was a comely woman, indeed.

I finished off the sherry and, setting the glass down, I followed them, loosening the placard of my trousers as I went. My time of being an observer was over. Eagerness quickened my steps as I finished unfastening the last buttons. I had kept my trousers on to make her feel more comfortable, but we were beyond that point.

The bedroom was cooler than the main room, but I barely noticed the chill. My gaze locked on the couple, I stripped out of the garment. Ash and Birdie lay on the bed looking very comfortable with each other. They had developed a rapport which I both envied and applauded. She met my stare and skimmed her gaze down my chest to my belly before she moved them lower. Eyes widening, she lowered her lashes before lifting them once more. “You are naked.”

“I am. Are you offended?” I stood next to the bed, wanting to ravish her on the spot but refraining. While I longed to touch what I had imagined for weeks, I wanted to confirm she had no qualms about moving forward with our intimacies. “Because if you are, I—”

“No, I rather like seeing you thus.” The color hueing her neck gave away her rising passions, along with the raspy timbre of her voice.

“If you are certain.” Tilting her chin in my direction, I skimmed my mouth over her parted lips before I climbed onto the bed to lay next to her. Her silky skin against my chest only added to my need to touch her.

“Ash should remove his trousers as well,” she said, licking her lips.

“Is that a request or an order?” His grin of pure deviltry sent my heart racing on Birdie’s behalf. A light of understanding passed between us. As lovers, we read each other well. This was his seduction, and I would allow him to take the reins.

“A request, of course. I suppose I should remove my chemise.” She plucked at the material, the flush on her cheeks ripening. She licked her bottom lip, her gaze locked on the ceiling.

“You don’t have to listen to him,” I said, conscious of her comfort. She had lost her husband three years ago, but that didn’t mean she was completely comfortable disrobing in front of us. Or at all. Women had unfair restrictions put on them by religious piety.

“I think we have established our mutual desire to be naked. I say we make it happen,” Ash said. He left the bed long enough to rid himself of his trousers. “Come on Birdie, don’t be shy.”

With a determined jut of her chin, Birdie nodded. She sat up, shifted her hips until the hem was free, and then pulled the chemise over her head to expose her luscious body.

“Now the seduction can begin in earnest.” He didn’t resume his position on the bed but moved to the end of it. Like everything in our lives, he and I had discussed intimacies with our female lovers. Ash took great delight in boasting about his prowess in the boudoir, and by the way he grabbed her ankles to draw her legs apart, he was about to introduce Birdie to new delights.

“What are you doing?” Birdie stiffened, the muscles of her thighs contracting, panic in her eyes. She visibly swallowed, her nervousness understandable given she not only agreed to one lover but two.

I met Ash’s concerned gaze, reevaluating whether this was a good idea. She was obviously skittish despite her earlier bravado.

“You needn’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.” With an understanding smile, he tilted his head, his hands moving up her sleek calves, massaging the tense muscles as he went. “I simply intend to pleasure your pussy and taste your tangy nectar.”

“You truly wish to taste me down there?” The last came out on a strangled whisper, her hand floating to her neck. It was rare to see her flummoxed and rather endearing. The fact that she didn’t run from the room showed her resilience.

I encouraged her to look at me, tilting her chin until I could see her face. While I wanted to bed her more than I wanted to breathe, I would never force her to do something she didn’t wish to do. “You need simply say the word, and we will adjust our bed sport accordingly. Ash simply wants to bring you pleasure. That is what this night is all about.”

“That is correct.” Ash continued to massage her shins, his mouth running along the inside of her knee. “I take it from your expression that Frank never performed the intimacy for you?” he said between kisses.

“Frank? No, Frank never did something so bold.” Inch by inch, her legs opened of their own accord, the lift and fall of her chest more pronounced. She no longer seemed panicked by what he was about to do to her; on the contrary, her enthusiasm shone through.

“Thank you for your understanding. Frank, well, he wasn’t very adventurous.”

Ash separated her legs and placed one knee on the bed to better position himself. He hesitated as he met her gaze once more. “Are you ready?”

Lips pressed together, she nodded. “I am very ready.”

With a grin of satisfaction, he dipped his head and ran his tongue along her folds.

She sucked in a breath, her hand gripping my thigh. “Blimey, that feels lovely.”

With a muffled laugh, he continued to pleasure her while grabbing my cock in his hand. I rocked into his touch and fought the need to spunk. My own blood sparked hotter at his ministrations. Being a voyeur had its perks. I angled my torso until I lay stretched out beside her and slid my tongue along her silky neck.

The scent of woman and roses increased my desire for her. Thus far, I hadn’t taken the opportunity to do more than kiss her. All that was about to change. I skimmed her bared chest, zeroing in on her nipples. “Pink.”

“Beg pardon?” she asked, her breathing even more erratic.

“Your nipples are pink.” I caressed the buttery skin, thumbing the constricted flesh.

Slender fingers delved into Ash’s hair, her back arched. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“It is neither good nor bad. I simply had been wondering.” Dipping my head, I explored with my tongue what my eyes admired. I could see Ash’s tongue playing along her swollen nub from my vantage point. He sucked at the flesh of her pussy, drawing a cry from her bent throat.

Her movements pushed her breasts more fully into my mouth, and I kneaded the fullness. I hadn’t been with a woman since Elizabeth. Birdie wasn’t as experienced as my former fiancée. Both were widows. Bedding a virgin wasn’t important to me.

“Something is happening to me,” Birdie said with a joyous laugh, her hips rolling, the air coming in pants from her mouth. She dug her nails into my scalp, her need palpable. Ash hadn’t lied about his skills, as attested by Birdie’s continuing little moans. Raw need emanated from her, speaking to my own growing desperation. A reedy scream emitted from her parted lips, her hips bucking until she fell back onto the mattress. Her arm moved over her forehead, her breasts heaving.

“I think Birdie is ready for a tup.” Ash rolled off the bed, looking rather pleased with himself, his cock standing at attention. His self-assurance was one of his greatest strengths, and I admired him for his adventurousness. He’d lost some of the spark after Suzette left, but it was slowly returning. Birdie seemed to bring it out of him, another thing I was grateful to her for.

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said on a sleepy yawn, stretching her back.

Ash approached my side and, clutching my jaw, swept his mouth over mine, the taste of him combined with sensual woman was heady. He lifted his head, a mischievous spark in his heated regard. “You owe me a bugger,” he said.

Before I could respond, he turned and moved into the main room, his taut arse and long legs creating a seductive picture.

“You owe him as in he gets to bugger you, or the other way around?” Birdie licked her lips, a look of utter satisfaction in her softened gaze.

“The other way around.” Ash returned seconds later with the box of condoms. The skin over his cheekbones was taut, his features hardened with unsuppressed desire. “Given the circumstances, I am assuming you have no form of contraception with you, therefore, we will need these all around.”

I ached to take her and to allow Ash to bugger me. “This will be an adventure for all of us,” I said, drawing her closer to my body. “I would like to bed you.”

“I would like you to bed me.” She traced a finger down my nose and nodded, finding my mouth once more. Ash slipped the condom on me while I kissed Birdie. My tongue delving into her mouth, I kissed her with more urgency as Ash readied my center with his talented fingers.

“You might want to prop her hips up on the pillow to make it easier for us,” Ash suggested.

The time had arrived and I grabbed a pillow from the head of the bed as he recommended. I rolled Birdie onto her back. Her thighs cradled my cock, her heat nearly my undoing. I nibbled at her chin, my cock sliding into her slick heat. She stiffened beneath me, biting her bottom lip.

“Am I hurting you?” I asked. She had said she hadn’t had relations since her husband’s death three years before. Thus it made sense for the first time to be uncomfortable. This would be the one and only time we’d share intimacies, and I wanted her to enjoy it.

“No, not hurt. I am simply adjusting to the newness of it all.” Her eyes widened, and she lowered her gaze. Tension in her jaw. “I mean the newness of a new lover. Would you be offended if I asked for a kiss? I do so enjoy your kisses.”

“Kissing you is not an imposition,” I replied. My forearms resting beneath her shoulders, I did as she asked. Ash parted my arse and began to slip his cock inside me. With Birdie’s pussy clutching my cock and his length breaching my center, I was hard-pressed not to spunk.

My stomach clenched, and I closed my eyes, my senses bombarded from different angles. Ash sank into me, his hands holding me in place. I began to rock my hips, his thrusts matching my own. I stared down at Birdie, her cheeks flushed a healthy glow. Ash set the rhythm and Birdie and I were along for the ride.