She blushed. “You are immodest.”
“No. I am honest. In this case, I think I must be, for we only have tonight. Do you deny what I’ve said?”
She bent her head and he could see her struggling. She was a lady and expressing her desire wouldn’t come naturally to her. She’d been taught to deny it, she’d probably been shamed for feeling it. She would have been told to avoid it at all costs unless it was in her marital bed, and perhaps not even there. He waited, although he wouldn’t say patiently, for her to decide how to answer.
“I suppose I cannot deny what you already know is true,” she finally whispered, and her shoulders were trembling.
He took a step toward her at last, and she leaned in before she caught herself and straightened.
“Let me be clear,” he said. “I am in no way suggesting anything more than a night to explore that attraction between us. After all, it seems the stars have aligned to bring us together.”
“The stars?”
“Fate,” he clarified. “There was a storm that never should have been which stranded us both at a tavern in the middle of nowhere. We were forced to break bread together by the crowded hall. And now your damaged room has brought us here.Fateseems to want us to be together.”
“I wouldn’t think a man like you would put much stock in fate,” she said softly.
He smiled slightly. “In this case, how can I deny it when it is offering me such a delectable prize? This is one night where we can give in to fate without consequences. Without censure or judgment. What do you say?”
Chapter Four
Everything wicked in Rosalinde screamed at her to do exactly as Mr. Gray suggested. No one would ever know, no one would see, with the right precautions, no one could possibly be hurt. Afterward, she would never even see him again.
But could she do something so daring? So foolhardy? So wanton? She could all but hear her grandfather’s angry voice as the reply to those questions, calling her a whore like her mother.
“You’re uncertain,” Mr. Gray said, his low voice hypnotic. He moved toward her once more, and then he was practically pressed against her. He was all heat and heaven and want andman. “Let me try to persuade you.”
He leaned in and Rosalinde caught her breath just as his lips brushed hers. It was a soft kiss at first, just a gentle exploration, but as the seconds ticked by it grew harder, more purposeful and infinitely more passionate. She lifted onto the balls of her feet, letting her hands rest on his forearms, then his shoulders. His arms came around her, tucking her in closer, his mouth grinding against hers and his tongue gently tracing the crease of her lips.
She opened to him—how could she not? After all, he was worshipping her with his mouth and it had been such a long time since anyone kissed her. He made a low, hungry sound in his throat as his tongue breached her, dueling with hers in long, languid strokes.
Her body jolted to life as she clung to him. She was hot and yet shivered at the same time as pleasure poured from their clinging mouths, cascading down her body, making every nerve hum and tingle. She felt the pulse of growing need in her hardening nipples and between her legs, and she let out a broken sigh against his lips as she gave in to all that heady desire he so easily inspired.
He pulled away, his dark stare exploring her face. “Is that a yes?”
There were dozens of reasons to refuse this man. Dozens of reasons to turn away and be the lady she’d been raised to be. But she couldn’t remember them anymore, or at least she chose not to.
“Yes,” she murmured, her voice breaking as she said it. “Please.”
He smiled slightly and cupped her chin, tilting it before he kissed her again. She melted into the caress, giving herself over entirely, shutting off her uncertain mind and letting her heated, wanting body lead.
Lettinghimlead. And he did. He guided her farther into the room, back toward the bed. But when they reached it, he stopped and drew away, squeezing her hand before he walked to the fire.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she asked, barely able to form coherent words.
He tossed two logs onto the low flames and the fire sprang to life, immediately bringing more light and heat to the chamber.
“I want to see you,” he explained as he turned back. “I want you to see me.”
She swallowed hard. Although she had experience with such things, thanks to her previous marriage, Martin hadn’t put much stock in what he saw. He’d started out trying to give her pleasure, but as their relationship deteriorated, he’d gone to just flipping her nightgown up, grunting over her a few times and then returning to his chamber without even a gentle word for her.
Now this man stalked back toward her and she knew by instinct that what was about to happen wasn’t going to be that. And she reveled in it.
“May I remove your dress?” he asked.
She started at his politeness. “I assumed you were the kind of man who would just tear it off me. Or flip it up without preamble.”
“In another circumstance, I might just tear it off you,” he said. “But you must wear it again tomorrow and I wouldn’t want to cause you embarrassment. As for simply flipping it up and having you…” He made a tsking sound. “That would be a waste of a perfectly good stolen evening, wouldn’t it?”
