She broke their kiss, catching her breath. “And you shallsurely be the death of me as well.”
“Petite morteI hope,” he returned, grinning.
“Little death?” She raised a brow, intrigued.
“The best sort. I’ll show you.” He kissed her lingeringly.“Fuck, I want you naked.”
It seemed she had altered his mind. She knew a sweet rush ofsatisfaction coupled with anticipation. “I don’t have my lady’s maid to assistme.”
“You don’t require a lady’s maid for assistance when I’mabout, my dear.” He dragged his lips down her neck, sucking at her sensitiveskin while he undid the delicate shell buttons lining the front of her bodice.
She was instantly grateful that she’d chosen to wear herpurple silk Worth gown. The bodice was separate from the skirts, allowing foreasier disrobing. She hadn’t had a thought for it that morning when her maidhad dressed her. But now she was incredibly glad. Being disrobed by her loverwas wholly delicious, a world away from being circumspectly stripped by herservant.
This man relished each opened button, every exposed inch ofher skin. She helped him by untying the elaborate bows at her elbows andshrugging her bodice from her shoulders. He whipped it away as if it were nomore important than a fly, dropping it to the floor in a whisper of sound.
She was before him in her linen corset cover and herelaborate skirts. Never mind how she would redress herself. All she could thinkabout was succumbing once more to their mutual passion.
“Ah, what I want to do to you.” He stopped, pressing hisforehead to hers, seemingly trying to gather his wits. “You have no idea.”
She was sure he’d given her a fair idea the night before,but perhaps there was more to coupling. She didn’t wish to seem unschooled,even if it was precisely what she was and he knew it. “Show me,” she urgedinstead. “For the next two days, I am yours only.”
He began undoing the buttons on her embroidered corsetcover. “Are you sore, darling?”
In truth, she was, but she wasn’t about to allow sometenderness to thwart her now that she’d set her heart on two days of unbridledpassion. “Not a bit,” she lied, her heart thumping heavily in her breast.Anticipation unfurled with a sweet, blossoming lust. She knew the pleasures ofthe flesh, and she wanted them again. But it was more than mere sensation.
He kissed her then, long and hard. She met him with all thelonging clamoring inside her. When at last he dragged his mouth away from hers,she felt as if she were in a daze. He did something to her formerly practicalmind. She hadn’t been a romantic since she was a girl. She’d seen her goodfriend Victoria find happiness with her husband but had never thought aboutfinding fulfillment herself.
She reached up to cradle his face, searching his gaze. “Ifear I’m growing quite attached to you, my lord.”
He became rigid. His expression became impassive. “Whateverit is you think you feel for me, you’re mistaken. We’re sharing our bodies, notour bloody souls.”
A chill settled over her that had less to do with the draftychamber than with his cutting admonishment. “I am aware,” she murmured,secretly feeling more confused than ever. What had happened to her blisteringlover of the night before? He’d been replaced by a man with all of his hungersand none of his heart. Misgivings assailed her. She released his face and tooka step away from him, trying to assemble her jumbled thoughts into somesemblance of order. “Perhaps this was a mistake after all.”
“Of course it’s a mistake,” he snarled, closing the distancebetween them once more. “But we’ve gone too damn far now, and we can’t undowhat’s already been done.”
She had a sense once more that he spoke beyond her ken. Heknew something she didn’t and that rather nettled. Perhaps she’d uncovered thereason for his odd question about her husband the night before. “Is it her?”she asked before she could think better of it. “The woman you love. Is she yourwife?”
His lips tightened. “No.”
“You must love her very much.”
He stared. “I don’t bloody well understand you, woman. Onlymoments ago, you were rubbing my cock like a seasoned courtesan, and now youwant to talk about my past as if we’re having tea and muffins.”
She blanched. Perhaps she had mistaken him entirely. “Nor doI understand you, my lord. But I can see now that you are not the man I thoughtyou were.” Tears threatening to humiliate her by pooling in her eyes, she sankto recover her shucked bodice. She stuffed her arms into the sleeves and pulledthe gaping silk together in a poor attempt at modesty. Her pride wouldn’t allowher the time required to fasten the buttons. “I think you ought to find anotherpartner for naughty charades.”
He sneered. “You want me to fuck someone else? Would youcare to watch? Is that it? Has Lady Needham’s little party debauched youalready?”
Maggie gasped, horrified by his crude words. “No. How dareyou?”
“How dare I?” He laughed, but it was a bitter, jaded laugh.“How dare you?” He caught her around the waist once more, anchoring her body tohis. “How dare you make me want you so much that you’re all I can think of? Howdare you kiss me and touch me until I want to take you so badly I ache with it?You aren’t an innocent in this wicked game we play, my dear, and you know it.”
His mouth swooped down over hers, possessive and firm. Shedidn’t want to enjoy his kiss for it was laced with anger, but she couldn’tdeny the way he made her feel. It was elemental, primitive. Potent. She too wasangry with him for his sudden coldness toward her, but she was drawn to him asever, much to her dismay. Even so, she willed her lips to remain still. Shewould not return his kiss. She didn’t want ugliness between them.
He drew back, staring down at her. His eyes had darkenedwith such stormy passion that they were more hazel than their ordinary truegreen. “Kiss me, damn you.”
“Who are you?” she asked, her fingers traveling to the edgesof his black mask. She wanted to know with a desperation that tugged at herheart.
“No one to you.” He reached up and tugged her hands away.“Have you changed your mind so quickly, my lady?”
