Her Christmas Pleasure by Karen Erickson Read Free Book Online

be so…carefree. There are too many who rely on me.”
    “You also rely on them. You have a loving family that takes care of you. And a son who loves and needs you.” She had everything he did not.
    “And I appreciate them all, I do. I’m an orphan much like you, you know. My parents both died soon after I married Lawrence. Fever took them. And I wasn’t there to offer my care. I’ll never forgive myself for that.” She took a deep, shuddering breath, and her hands clenched his knees so tightly her fingernails bit through his breeches. “I cling to Lawrence’s family because they’re all I have. But I want more. I—I need more.”
    “What do you want? What do you need?” Hope rose within him; he batted it down. He was foolish for even imagining what her answer might be.
    She stared at him, her hands forcibly pushing his knees apart. Heat radiated from her lithe body, and her silken robe brushed against the insides of his thighs. His erection twitched, eager for her nearness, and he swallowed hard.
    “I want you, Damien. I need…you.”
     
    Damien stared at her as if she’d lost her head. His mouth dropped open, his fingers clutched the thick arms of the chair. She had no choice but to rest her shaking hands on his thighs for fear she’d crumple to the floor. The moment she touched his solid, muscular legs, heat ricocheted through her. Her entire body sprang to life, nipples hardening, chafing against the soft linen of her nightgown.
    Touch me , her mind screamed. Take what I offer.
    It was as if he heard her silent pleas. He came to life, moving so fast he turned into a blur of movement. He pulled her on top of him. She straddled his hips, resting her hands on his shoulders. His insistent erection brushed against the very core of her, and she sighed. Gasped when he thrust his fingers into her hair and tugged her down so she had no choice but to kiss him.
    Their mouths crashed against each other, open and wet, his tongue seeking hers. The kiss was wild and unrestrained, brutal in its intensity. Unlike any kiss she’d ever experienced. She clawed at him with trembling, eager fingers. Stroking his silky soft hair, his cheek, the strong, square jaw shadowed with bristly whiskers. They scraped against her palm, thrillingly male, and she moaned low in her throat.
    He groaned in reply, pulling her closer, as close as she could get. Her knees and thighs clamped about his hips, cramped by the confines of the chair. How she wished she could snake her legs completely around him. Lock her ankles around each other and feel the hot thrust of his erection move inside her.
    Her eyes flew open at the wicked thought. Had she ever wanted Lawrence like this? Had she ever imagined him moving inside her, filling her, exploding within her? Their lovemaking had been enjoyable, but not like this. Not all-consuming and needy. She hadn’t even experienced the true force of Damien’s lovemaking yet, and already sheknew it was so much…more.
    That didn’t make her feel guilty as she believed it might. She was free.
    Free.
    He tore his mouth from hers and dragged his lips along her jaw and chin, down the length of her neck. All the while he whispered her name. Again and again, as if he couldn’t quite believe she was in his arms, as willing and eager as he. She murmured his name in return and pressed her lips against his temple while stroking his luxurious dark locks. His lips blazed a heated trail, sent tingles down her spine as he licked her throbbing pulse at the base of her throat. Nibbled there with his sharp teeth.
    She gasped at the sensation. No one had ever bitten her before. It was rather…delicious.
    Lost in the attention he lavished on her neck, she wasn’t aware of his busy hands. Only when he fumbled with the tie on her robe, brushing his long fingers against her stomach as he undid the length of silk, did she realize what he was doing—undressing her with a haste she found sweetly thrilling.
    He shed the robe from