“Oh, Gaston, I am so sorry,” she said earnestly. “It’s just that…I have never trusted men. I have never trusted anyone but my sisters. My husband was beyond vile and I suppose I have learned to judge all men by his actions. I know of no other way.”
He knew that. His weight was shifted off of her, yet he was still lying intimately close with Remington on her back, gazing up at him. The desire to kiss her on her pink lips was, once again, overwhelming. He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.
“The man should thank God he is in prison, for if I ever see him, I will kill him,” he said frankly. “What he has done to you is more than contemptuous; it’s inhuman. In fact, I think I shall ride to London this night and run him through.”
Her eyes widened but she saw he was jesting. A slow smile crept to her lips. “Would you?”
He pretended to take her request very seriously. “Say the word, madam, and I am bound for the Tower.”
She appreciated his chivalry, his understanding. Before she could stop herself, her hand went up and stroked his cheek. “Thank you, my Dark Knight.”
He froze when he felt her touch, delicate and soft. He resisted the urge to stroke her back. “Do not call me that,” he mumbled,but there was a smile playing on his lips.Damn, but if she wasn’t too close.
Remington stroked his cheek again, liking the feel of it. Liking the feel ofhim. Unbeknownst to her, the voyage of discovery had begun.
Gaston felt her caresses and he lost all of his hard-fought control. His great head descended on her, slowly, so that she would not be alarmed. Ever so delicately, his lips hovered over hers and he reverently breathed in her hot breath of life. He continued to hold for a brief moment, giving her ample time to state her displeasure, but she had no such protests.
With the most infinite tenderness, his lips claimed her own.
Remington froze. She could not form a coherent thought as his lips suckled hers with the incredible gentleness. He clung to her top lip, to her bottom lip, brushing her face with his scratchy stubble. As paralyzed as she was with fear and uncertainty, she was not beyond experiencing the sensations. Soft warmth, giddy tingling filling her body like a thousand pins pricking her, her breath coming faster and faster. Guy had never been so considerate, so sensitive.
She wasn’t frightened until she felt herself respond to him. When she began to kiss him back, timidly, and her soft hands found the back of his neck, he answered by fiercely winding his arms around her slim body and pulling her against him hungrily. His rush of strength scared the wits out of her, and she whimpered.
He felt her stiffen and stopped his passionate assault. His eyes were wide with concern.
“What’s wrong, angel? Did I hurt you?” he asked in a strange, tight voice.
She shook her head, her eyes huge with confusion. “Nay, Gaston, you did not…we should not be doing this.”
“And why not?” he asked huskily.
She looked long at him. “Because you are married, my lord. And so am I. This is wrong.”
He loosened his grip but he did not let her go. Instead, one of his huge hands came up to stroke her face, her hair tenderly.
“I am married in name only,” he told her. “The woman I married holds no place in my heart, Remi. It was an arranged marriage and I had no choice in the matter. Honestly, I have never truly felt married all of these thirteen years because I have tried my best to stay as far away from Mari-Elle as possible.”
She gazed back at him, feeling his sincerity. She wanted so desperately to believe him, to have complete trust in his word, but she had learned many hard lessons on trusting men and it was difficult. Her hand came up to his face again, curiously touching the strong line of his jaw.
“I simply do not know what to think anymore,” she whispered. “I am afraid.”
“Of what?” he demanded softly.
“Of you,” she breathed. “Of your touch, of your words. Guy taught me great distrust of the male species, Gaston. I know of no other way, yet when I listen to you speak and experience your actions, I am confused and afraid because I want to have faith in you. You are the only man I have ever known to be kind to me.”
His hand was still caressing her, the smoky gray orbs glittering dully in the faint firelight. “Guy has all but ruined you, Remi. I hold nothing but contempt and hatred for him and I swear to you that all men are not like he. There are those of us who do not hit women and are true to their word. If it takes me the rest of my life, I will convince you of that fact.”
She sighed. “I want to believe you, truly. But I am still frightened.”
“There is nothing to be afraid of,” he whispered, brushing his lips to hers.
She believed him. For the moment, she truly believed him. Her arms went around his great neck, responding to the sweet kisses. She was so terribly inexperienced because Guy had rarely kissed her, yet her natural impulses took over and she matched Gaston’s passion. When his tongue ran itself over her lips invitingly, she responded by opening her mouth to him.
She went stiff again as his tongue plunged into her delicious depths, but her reaction was one of desire rather than fear. He licked and plundered and suckled her until she was gasping for breath, completely dazed with the newness of his touch. Her mind was a black, curious void of passion, anticipating each new sensation with the glee of a new bride. Never in her life had she been so fortunate as to have experienced this bit of heaven.
His great hand was moving along her body, skimming the curve of her hip and trailing up her torso with tremendous reverence. She could feel his fingers dancing delicately across her stomach, moving for the ties of her robe. He gently tugged at the knot until it loosened, and she startled as his hand snaked underneath the folds of the garment, his hot palm on the flat of her naked belly.
Uncertainty shot through her at the intimate touch, but his wonderful mouth moved to her neck and earlobes and she forgot about his hand for the moment. His steamy tongue licked the circle of her ear and she quivered violently. She vaguely remembered hearing a moan, not realizing it was her own.
