A beast, black and snarling, chased him. Teeth sharp and snapping, eyes wild. Red, festering sores peeked through missing patches of mangy fur.
Colin ran, his legs heavy as if stuck in a quagmire, but instinctively he raced toward safety ahead, although he was unsure what exactly that haven was. He only knew hehadto get there. The sweet scent of sweet pea beckoned him, and his hands reached out greedily.
Almost there. Almost there. The snarls grew closer, and the fetid stench of the beast—of death—wafted over him. With a snap of its wicked jaws, the beast would devour him whole.
Just a little farther.
“Colin. I’m here.”
Desperately reaching out, he buried his face in the sweet softness. A blanket of warmth wrapped around him. Safe at last, he settled into a peaceful slumber.
Sometime in the night, he awoke with a start. “Anne!” He was supposed to go to her. A muffled moan rose next to him, and her eyelids fluttered open. Unfocused and drowsy from sleep, those blue eyes gazed at him in question.
What she must think of him to abandon her on their wedding night. Still, she had come to him. “I’m sorry, Anne.” He traced a fingertip over her cheek. “I wanted to come to you, truly.”
She stretched like a lazy cat. “I waited forever.” Her voice was deep and raspy from her slumber.
He couldn’t help but smile at her hyperbole. “Has the world ended, then, my Siren of Seduction?”
Fully awake, she pushed up on an elbow and hovered over him, reminding him of their earlier coupling.
And oh, how he wished to repeat it.
Soft glow from the flickering bedside oil lamp rimmed her in a magical light.
She gave her head a little shake, incredulity in her stare. “What?”
“You said you waited forever, so I presumed all time had come to an end.”
“No. Not that.” She gave a little push against his shoulder. “What did you call me?”
Her hair hung over her shoulder in a loose braid, and tendrils had pulled loose at her nape and temples. He ran one silken lock through his fingers. “My Siren of Seduction?”
To prove his point, a seductive smile curved her lips.
How could he resist? One hand cupped her cheek while the other grasped the end of the ribbon fastening her braid. Oh, so slowly he pulled it loose, then worked his fingers through the red strands. “From the first moment we met, you bewitched me, Anne. Cast me under your spell like some otherworldly creature sent to drive men to the brink of madness.”
He pulled her toward him. “And right now all I want to do is kiss you.”
Lips so soft and sweet, he found he couldn’t get enough. He tasted. Teased. Devoured. And relished her response.
“My Siren of Seduction,” he whispered, then nibbled on her ear.
“Not a nuisance or a menace?”
“Not at the moment, no.”
“Oh, you!” She pushed him again, then fell back on the bed beside him. “You really are an ogre. Just when I think you finally say something nice to me, you go and ruin it.”
He traced a finger over her lips, swollen from their kiss. “What can I do for you to forgive me?”
“Nothing.” She huffed and turned away. “Other than go to the devil.”
Not one to be easily discouraged, Colin slipped a hand around her waist and snuggled up behind her, grateful she didn’t push him away. Soft curves, perfectly formed, fit against the hard lines of his body with tormenting rightness. “Perhaps this.” He placed a gentle kiss at the nape of her neck where the red curls had teased his nose.
“Or this.” His kisses traveled over to her shoulder, and he tugged her nightgown down to exposeher fair skin.
She turned toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I suppose I will have to forgive you sometime, so why delay the inevitable.”
