Spasms of pleasure consumed her, increasing beyond what she ever imagined she could bear. She screamed with the pained ecstasy. Light exploded within her mind. Then it all went dark.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

Sunny lay in the bed, listening to the now familiar sounds from below stairs of the servants doing a day's worth of cleaning. Stocking the larder with the day's meals. The sounds of footmen hauling heated water and filling a tub in the adjoining dressing chamber.

She stripped her bed in the evenings and left her sheets and linen towels in the dressing chamber for the servants to take the next morn. She never, ever forgot that she mustn't leave her chamber whilst they were here. She must not reveal her face or true identity.

Sometimes James was already dressed when they arrived and he went down and would speak with them and let them serve him breakfast. How different for gentlemen! They all knew he was trysting with a woman here, yet it caused him no loss of reputation.

Oh, if they knew he was with his late cousin's widow, that might knock him down a peg or two, for a season or so, until something else overtook the gossip.

But she would be ruined forever.

Today, James had remained abed with her.

In fact, he still snored softly, his breath blowing on her cheek. She had already tried to roll onto her other side, but even in sleep, he had tightened his hold on her.

At first light, she had opened her eyes, her body filled with such excitement, such joy, she knew she'd never be able to fall back asleep. She had never, ever awoken before him and the opportunity to watch him sleep in the dawn's light was novel. She stared at the well-chiseled cheekbones, his narrow, long, but not too long, nose, the elegant yet strong jaw. A refined face that told of his noble blood. All the stern lines were relaxed, and he looked so much younger than in his waking hours.

The poor man was likely exhausted.

He taken her three additional times last night.

The pressure in her bladder seemed to grow. Once again, she pulled against his embrace.

His eyes opened slowly. A slight smile curved his sensual mouth. "Cat."

Cat.

Yes, he had called her that last evening, in the heat of their lovemaking. And he had continued to use it all through the orgy of the whole night.

She hadn't thought much of it.

She hadn't been thinking of much at all, truth told.

But this morning, how strange the name sounded.

Sensual and sleek. Exotic.

He pulled her to himself, crushing her to his chest.

That he could call on such strength even whilst staring at her with heavy-lidded, sleepy eyes, that sent a thrill through her.

She gazed back at him, becoming quickly lost in how clear and silver-blue his eyes were in the morning light.

He slid his hands down to her buttocks and ground her against his bone-hard erection.

The motion increased the pressure in her bladder to something close to pain.

"James, please."

"Cat, Cat," he said in a chiding tone. "I've only just awakened. You must give me a moment before making your demands."

His meaning settled over her and her mouth fell open.

"I mean, seeing how you exhausted me last night, you might have let me sleep a bit longer," he added.

She gasped and put her hands to his chest and shoved. "Let me up, you arrogant coxcomb! I have to pee!" Laughter entered her voice at the end.

He tightened his hold, his deep laughter resounding into her chest, her belly. He pressed his lips to her neck. "You smell sweet, God, you smell sweet."

She knew she stank of sweat, his seed and their sex.

And she desperately needed to pee.

She gave another push. "Please, James, you must let me up in the mornings!"

He released her and she scurried to the dressing chamber, scrambling to the chamberpot and relieving herself with a sigh. Then she went to the washstand and brushed her hair thoroughly. She was just about to step into the steaming water in the hipbath when a pair of strong arms caught her about the waist.

"James, please..."

He bent his head to her nape, pressing his face into her hair. "Don't...not yet."

His hand splayed over her sex. His erection throbbed against her buttocks.

"I need a bath."

"No, you smell sweet."

She laughed softly. "Oh goodness, James, I need a bath quite desperately."

"Hush." He trailed his fingertips over her mons then parted her outer lips and slid two fingers inside her.

"Oh, no, no' now..."

"Shh." He moved his fingers within her, in measured, steady strokes.

She felt her growing slickness. The swelling in her folds.

He grazed his thumb over her nub.

Fire sparked through her, shooting deep, deep inside her belly. Her legs went weak.

"Here, love." He stroked her neck then gathered the mass of her hair, grasping it.

Gave it a sudden tug.

"James," she gasped, her legs going weaker. A sensation like warm, heated honey in her belly.

He nodded towards the interior wall." You're going to go over there and put your hands on the wall."

"What?"

"And you're going to stand there, facing the wall, and wait for me."

She looked over her shoulder and gaped at him.

"Go on now." He released her hair. "If you won't obey, I shall send for a harp."

"A harp?"

"Yes, and then you'll spend an hour this morning practicing."

"You're jesting?"

He shook his head. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shove. "Go on."

She stared at him.

"Catriona, you said you were mine." His tone grew stern. Chiding. "You said you would please me."

"This would please you? To have me stand at wall like that?"

"It would please me greatly."

With a soft laugh, she turned and walked to the wall. Put her hands on it as he had said.

She glanced over her shoulder.

"Ah, don't turn around. And don't lower your hands. Wait there."

A little annoyed, a little amused, she did what he asked.

In a moment, she heard him laying out his shaving gear.

"What exactly am I waiting on?"

"Well..." He paused and water sloshing sounded. "After I shave, I am going to join you there."

"Here at the wall?" Honestly, it was the oddest thing. "To what purpose?"

"I am going to join you there and put my cock in you."

His words stunned her. "Put your cock in me? You mean we shall lie upon the floor, here?"

It seemed rather silly.

The sound of his razor scraping over his face filled the silence.

"James?"

More water sloshing.

"No, Catriona, we're not going to lie on the floor." Amusement sounded in his voice.

She listened to the scrape of his razor for several moments, feeling increasingly foolish and trying not to ask any further questions. Curiosity won out. "Then how?"

"Hush, you'll soon find out."

She listened to him finish shaving. With her back turned and her hands to the wall, she did still feel silly. But her nipples had grown into tight points and she was becoming quite wet. All right, it must be admitted. She liked him giving her commands. It was her choice to obey or tell him that she wanted to halt, that she did not want to play.

She liked obeying.

She'd wanted a man who would give her orders. Not commands to feel things she couldn't manage to feel. Not guilt over her supposed coldness. Not punishment when she couldn't force herself to feel.

No, she wanted a man who would give her orders to do all manner of deliciously naughty things.

A man who knew how to make the game sexually exciting.

A man she could trust to play with her and not to harm her physically-or emotionally.

His footfalls sounded on the floor. He stopped and there was a long pause.

"James?" she asked. Her channel clenched and she felt her inner thighs growing wet now. Her sense of unease, of nervousness, only seemed to give her arousal a sharper edge. "What-"

"I am admiring what is mine."

"Oh."

He trailed his fingertips down the line of her spine, slowly down to the crease between her buttocks. The sharp smack startled her. She gasped and jumped.

"Don't lower your hands," he said, as he pressed his leg between hers. "Spread for me, sweeting."

She did.

"Arch your back for me, sweeting." He grasped her hair, a little rougher than he'd previously done.

The dull pain sent a curious thrill through her. Turned her knees to jelly. She felt him position himself at her entrance.

"Oh goodness," she said softly.

"Didn't they ever do it like this in your naughty novels?"