He broke the kiss. “Yes?”

She nodded, unable to form coherent words as he stroked his hand over her, grinding his palm into the apex of her thighs and eliciting an electric shock of pleasure through her.

“Is that coming?” she gasped out.

He shook his head. “When it happens, you won’t have to ask. Now relax if you can. Let me do this.”

She nodded, though she felt anything but relaxed. Coiled and hot and achy, yes. Relaxed, most definitely not.

His fingers moved again between her legs, but this time he opened her, teasing her outer lips apart and then tracing her opening with his fingertip. She shut her eyes, resting back against her pillows, and sank into the sensation. Odd and wonderful, like someone was sparking flint over and over between her legs, and the heat grew with each passing second.

His finger pressed harder and she felt the muscles at her entrance give way, allowing him access. She braced around him, the oddness of being breached accompanied by just a little pain mixed with pleasure. She flexed around him and he groaned like she’d hurt him.

She opened her eyes. “Was that wrong?” she gasped.

He shook his head. “Very right. Do it again.”

She did, squeezing hard around him and rocking her head back at the unexpected pleasure in that action. He pressed a thumb somewhere else, at the top of her sex, outside of her body, and swirled it there as she clamped around his finger. Slowly they moved together, her grinding against him as he plundered her.

“You’re a natural,” he whispered, leaning in for a kiss. “That’s right. Ride it. Feel it. Don’t reach for it, don’t fight it. It will happen when it happens.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant, but something was happening, certainly. The pleasure of his touch seemed to mount as she arched against his hand, his fingers, his thumb. She reached out, gripping the lapel of his jacket, clinging to him as she rode higher, harder, and finally, just when it seemed like she’d reached the top of an insurmountable wall, her entire body began to shake. Waves of pleasure rolled through her, taking her control, stealing her breath. She began to cry out and he dropped his mouth to hers, silencing her keening with his lips as he drew the pleasure out longer and longer.

Only when she collapsed back, her hand dropping away from his body, did he gently withdraw his finger from her still trembling sheath. He curled his body around hers, resting his hand on her stomach.

And for the first time since Anne had requested her help and set this madness in motion, Thomasina’s mind emptied and she found a modicum of peace.

Thomasina wasn’t asleep. Even though her eyes were closed, Jasper could tell she was only deeply relaxed. It was a powerful thing, to be able to erase her troubles, even if that was only temporary. An unexpected benefit of watching and feeling her reach the heights of pleasure was that it had alleviated his own worries for a moment, too.