Photographs & Phantoms by Cindy Spencer Pape Read Free Book Online Page A

She took his hand and he cupped her chin with the other.
    Gazing up into his eyes, she spoke the words. “I’m sure.”
    He made a soft noise deep in his throat as he bent and took her lips. This kiss was even more demanding than the one in her studio. He pressed deep, gave her no quarter as he took control. His whole body was as rigid as steel against hers and when she leaned into him, she felt the press of his sex against her belly, even through their layers of clothing. She could no longer doubt that Kendall genuinely did want her, and that knowledge was as arousing as his kiss.
    His hand slid from her cheek to tangle in her hair, loosening the braid she’d plaited when getting ready for bed. His other hand dropped hers to circle her waist. Her breasts were swollen and tender where they pressed against his chest and a steady ache pulsed between her thighs, where she felt herself growing damp. While she’d read enough to know this was normal, every sensation was magnified beyond anything she’d ever imagined.
    “Stop thinking so hard, my sweet,” he murmured as he trailed his lips from hers over to her ear. “The idea is to feel, not to think.”
    Feel . She could do that—just give herself over to the pleasure of his strong hands and warm mouth. She tipped her head to let his tongue trace the shell of her ear, barely noticing that his other hand had undone her braid and smoothed her hair down her back. Her own hands gripped him tightly, one on his shoulder, one at his waist, clutching handfuls of his fine linen shirt. Unable to resist, she tugged the tail of his shirt up out of his trousers and laid her fingers along the warm bare skin of his back.
    “You’ve been smoking,” she murmured as he nipped at the tendons of her throat. His shirt held a distinct tang of tobacco. “And drinking ale.”
    “Mmm-hmm.” He brought his hands around to untie the knot of her dressing gown. “And you’ve washed up with honeysuckle-scented soap and lemon water. Along with your mint tooth powder, it’s a surprisingly erotic combination.”
    Amy couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. “I’ll take your word for that. You’ve a keen nose, my lord.”
    “Call me that again, and I’ll stop.” He bit her earlobe playfully and slid his hands inside her dressing gown to push the velveteen off her shoulders. “In the bedroom, I’m only Kendall. And yes, keen senses run in my family, and in yours, I imagine—the better for our enjoyment.”
    “Kendall.” She stood perfectly still, maintaining eye contact as he unbuttoned her nightgown from chin to just below her breasts. It felt good to say his name.
    When he ran out of buttons, he brushed one side off her shoulder and dropped his gaze to her bared flesh. “As lovely as I’d imagined.”
    “They’re too large,” she objected softly. The other girls at school had left her no doubts about that. Though to be honest, men did tend to stare at her there—perhaps the other girls had merely been jealous.
    Kendall laughed. “They’re no such thing.” He picked up one heavy breast in his hand as if weighing it and brushed his thumb across her puckered nipple. “I love how it overflows my hand, a bounty of perfection. Strawberries and cream, my favorite combination.”
    That slight touch made her gasp and she instinctively arched toward him, pushing herself further into his hand. Lightning flashed between her nipple and her sex, making her soften and tighten at the same time. She wasn’t sure she could continue to stand.
    Kendall seemed to understand. He massaged her breast lightly, using his other hand to push aside the other shoulder of her gown. With a shimmy of her hips, the white cotton pooled on the floor at her feet. Naked now, she should have been cold, but she wasn’t at all. Instead, it seemed as if she were burning from the inside out, warmed by the heated approval in Kendall’s gaze.
    “Turn around and pull back the covers,” he instructed in a low, raspy