“Then Arden is clearly deranged, because he didn’t even like kissing me. The one time he did so, he was disgusted.”
“Will Arden is an idiot,” Will muttered.
Her smile widened. “Indeed.”
“Maybe he regrets his mistake? Men change, after all. You should give him a second chance. I bet he’d jump at the offer to kiss you now.”
She gave another shrug. “You might be right, but unfortunately for Arden, he’s not here. And you are.” She put her hands on her hips. “Now, are you going to kiss me or not?”
Will couldn’t bear it any longer. Irritation and desire, a disastrous combination, were coursing through his bloodstream, urging him on. “Fine, I’ll kiss you. But remember, you asked for this.”
She gave a solemn little nod at his warning. “Understood.”
He didn’t give her another chance to change her mind. He simply caught her face between his palms, pulled her toward him, and captured her lips with his.
This kiss was nothing like the first.
Will abandoned all restraint. He captured her mouth and plunged his tongue inside, tasting her with a rhythm that made his blood sing in his ears. When she clasped his shoulders and kissed him back, little lights exploded behind his eyelids. He slanted his head and kissed her deeply, drawing her scent into his lungs like a drowning man gasping for air.
He couldn’t get enough. His hands slid over her body, molding her curves to his larger frame, loving the way she fit so perfectly into all his hollow spaces. Her breasts against his chest, her legs between his.
His damned mask was an annoyance. Her nose pushed against the bottom edge of it, knocking it askew, and he made a grab for the ties that secured it as her hands swept up into his hair.
She dragged her lips from his. “Turn out the light.”
His brain took a moment to process the request. His throbbing cock was claiming most of his attention.
“What? Why?”
“I want to kiss you without your mask. You can take it off when it’s dark.”
Will frowned. “Why? So you can pretend I’m someone else?”
She was panting, just as he was. Her gorgeous breasts were rising and falling against the neckline of her bodice. She opened her mouth to reply, but he shook his head.
“No, actually, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.”
This whole situation was beyond ridiculous. If he had a rival for her affections, some stupid fool who didn’t appreciate her, then he’d deal with that obstacle later. He wasn’t ready to reveal himself just yet. If he could steal a few more kisses, even under false pretenses, then he would do it.
With a growl of frustration, he reached out and extinguished the lamp, plunging them both into a darkness so profound he could barely make out her faint outline in front of him.
And then he felt her small hands cupping the back of his head as she untied the ribbon that held his mask in place. She pitched it to the side; he heard it drop to the floor with a soft thud.
His hands found her waist and he pulled her back against him just as she gave a happy little sigh against his lips.
“That’s much better.”
She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth down to hers, and without thought he slid his hands around her hips to grasp her bottom.
This. This woman. He’d dreamed of having her in his arms like this for eons.
He bent, lifting her against him, and she jumped up, wrapping her legs around his hips, her full skirts filling his arms as she clung to him like a monkey.
Thank God she’d chosen such an antiquated dress. The long, straight skirts of her fashionable gown would never have allowed such freedom of movement.
His cock was like an iron bar, pressed against her stomach between them, and he staggered back until his calves hit the chaise longue. He lowered them both, turning her so she lay beneath him.
His mouth barely left hers. He kissed her with all the pent-up longing in his soul, trying to make up for all the times he’d awoken without her, alone and aching. Craving this: her body next to his, her skin beneath his hands.
