Legs shaking, Alice stood and went toward the sofa. What was Kit planning? She had quite liked sucking on his shaft like that. Never had she seen him so intense, so focused . . . so undone. It was thrilling to bring a man that kind of pleasure, especially a man with as much experience as Kit. He was no novice, so rattling him meant she hadn’t been terrible at using her mouth.

Hands lifted her from behind. He sat on the sofa first, still in his undergarment, and brought her down on top of him, positioning her knees on either side of his hips. She felt exposed this way, the slit in her drawers revealing her sex. “What—?”

Before she could finish her question, he slammed his mouth to hers, kissing her like she was the air he needed to breathe. His hands moved to the laces on her back but she paid no attention. Her entire focus was his lips and tongue, the feel of him underneath her, the way their breath melded together as one. Threading her fingers through his hair, she held on, angling her head to get deeper. His tongue flicked hers, tangling together, their lips pulling and sucking, and she knew she’d never find a man who affected her like this one. It was like he was the match to set her ablaze every single time.

Her corset loosened and he moved his hands to the fastenings in the front. Showing a dexterity that should have frightened her but absolutely did not, he popped the metal fastenings and removed her corset. Her breasts, now free of the whalebone, were swollen, the tips fashioned into hard, needy points.

He pulled back abruptly, his eyes wild and bright as they searched her face. “I want to remove your chemise. May I?”

So polite. Was he being careful because it was her, or was he like this with all his lovers? Alice didn’t wish to be handled with kid gloves. To prove it, she grabbed the edge of the cotton and dragged it over her head, leaving her bare from the waist up.

His gaze raked her torso and she bit her lip, unsure how her body would measure up against those he’d seen in the past. Yet she didn’t cover herself. If he didn’t like the way she looked, there was nothing she could do about it.