To Jilt a Corinthian (The Friendship Series Book 12) by Julia Donner

Author:Julia Donner [Donner, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2018-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Other than her father, she’d never been kissed by a man. Joss had given her a barely there touch on her cheek after the wedding ceremony. Nothing in the way of intimacy had occurred since then, other than the time spent inside a closed carriage, and that had been physically unsettling. Decidedly so, but also enlightening. Previously, close proximity to a man had never aroused a physical response.

This abrupt method of ending a conversation with a kiss had been startling, the sudden sealing of his mouth over hers. The firm pressure was followed by a lightness in the application of his lips, tender movements that gradually intensified until his arms came about her, bringing her firmly against his chest. Curiosity’s constant quest for understanding melted into absorption of what a proper kiss involved. Attention to studying the details blurred with the awareness of how her body conformed to his. Without thought or instruction, she’d become pliable, acquiescing to the pressure of his tightening embrace. Her hands somehow knew what her inexperience did not, sliding up and around his shoulders to discover the texture of the hair fringing his jacket collar. Unexpected heat washed through her when she felt a fine quiver shivering the length of his body. After her light, investigative caress, Joss became man at his most elemental, excited by her, an ordinary country girl with no finesse or understanding of what was entailed on an intimate level.

He retreated enough to whisper, “Open your mouth, Bea. Let me show you how this is done.”

When she did as he asked, she was grateful he held her so firmly. Her legs turned to water. She discovered herself hanging in his embrace, giving him right of entry to persuasively teach, until the moment was ruined, demolished with the intrusive memory of Lady Richardson’s recent, poisonous words.

You are aware of his reputation. So keenly sought after with the ladies. As handy with them as with the reins, it’s said.

The memory, its viciousness, chilled then scalded. Her husband had been with other women, kissed them, gained expertise and gratification from so many before her. The knowledge drenched her in humiliation. His reputation and the distasteful, and somehow shaming, information obliterated the tenderness of the moment, the excitement of newfound delight.

Even more disturbing, Lady Alis had as much as called her a bumpkin, which hadn’t bothered at the time, but what if Joss made comparisons? She had no female wiles, no understanding of what a man considered alluring, other than easy availability. There was nothing about her person to attract him. He’d never made any overtures when it came to the physical aspects of marriage, other than the chaste kiss on the cheek at the conclusion of the wedding ceremony. It was quite obvious that he’d kissed her now to get her to stop jabbering about the statue.

She inwardly cringed at the awkwardness of the moment and her ignorance. His knowledge of women was revealed when he retreated, stepping back the instant he sensed her withdrawal.

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