Rhys bit the inside of his cheek hard. Had he been wrong all these months? Or was she playacting still, just telling him the thing he wanted to hear? Damn it. He may have given her her freedom, but he’d found out later how close he’d come to being trapped by her acting. Was she acting now too? She had to be. She hadn’t written back and asked questions. No, she’d moved on. “You certainly didn’t waste time finding someone to replace me. The ‘next most eligible bachelor,’ to be precise.”
Her eyes flashed green fire. She stepped up to him. “Oh, and you’re not hurt? You liar.”
“You would know. Takes a liar to know one.” He smiled at her smugly.
“What did I ever lie about?” she flung back at him.
He took a step closer to her; staring into her eyes, they were barely a pace away from each other. He leaned down until their lips were merely an inch apart. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Tell me, Julianna, was it difficult pretending to want me?”
Her head snapped to the side as if he’d slapped her, and her nostrils flared. He knew his words had been crass, but he had to know for sure, had to see the truth in her eyes, had to know once and for all if it had been an act.
When she slowly turned her face back to him, her eyes still smoldered with anger, but he saw something else too, and he recognized it as the truth. “No,” she said, her voice low and sultry, her gaze holding his. “Unfortunately, it’sneverbeen difficult to want you, Rhys.”
“Damn you,” he breathed.
“Damn you,” she echoed, the words coming out through clenched teeth. Her breasts were heaving, her chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.
“You’re a liar,” he accused.
“No,youare,” she retorted.
With a growl of surrender, Rhys’s arms snaked out and he pulled her savagely to him. Crushing her body against his, he held her tight, his mouth swooping down to claim hers.
The moment their lips met, his tongue forced her lips apart and he kissed her with all the pent-up longing and passion he’d felt for her every day since he’d met her, every day since he’d left her. He had to know if it was as good as he remembered.
Part of his brain waited for her to push him away, but she didn’t. Instead, her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him down even closer. He pushed her against the fence post that came up to the middle of her back and he ground his hips against hers. She kissed him mindlessly, as if they’d never kissed before, as if it were the first time, as if they’d never fought, never left each other.
Her hands wrapped themselves through his hair and she clung to his neck and matched him thrust for thrust with her tongue. His hands were on his hips, pulling her toward him, then reaching down her backside. He yanked her tight against his rock-hard erection. The outline of her firm arse through the breeches drove him mad. He could touch her this way forever and never get his fill.
And then they were tumbling to the grass, fumbling with each other’s clothing. They rolled together until they were on the far side of the fence behind the tree line, where they couldn’t be seen from the stables. He ripped open her shirt with both hands and freed her breasts to his grasp in a matter of moments. His mouth traveled a hot trail down her face, chin, and throat until he sucked her nipple into his mouth.
Julianna cried out, cradling his head in her hands. “Rhys,” she called. “Rhys.”
His lips moved back up to her neck where he sucked and kissed her. Meanwhile, her lips were at his ear, panting, her small tongue darting inside, making his body buck.
Her hand reached down to rub the outline of his cock beneath his breeches. He clenched his jaw and moaned. Then his mouth descended to her breasts again and he lavished each one thoroughly with his tongue and lips, sucking gently, then hard, tugging at them with his teeth until she called his name again.
She squeezed him through his breeches and Rhys wanted to come like an untried lad. Instead, he twisted his hips away and minutes later, he forced himself to pull his mouth away from her gorgeous breasts. He meant to only stop momentarily, to see if she was all right, to catch his breath for one timeless moment. He pressed his forehead hard against hers, his breath coming out in hard, short, pants.
She was breathing heavily too, her chest still rising and falling beneath the tatters of her shirt. He was beyond jealous of that shirt at the moment. “Rhys,” she breathed again. “Rhys.”
He knew this shouldn’t continue, but he couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and kissed her lips once more.
She pressed a hand to his chest, pushing him back.
He stopped, staring at her. His harsh breath hurt his lungs.
“We must stop, Rhys,” she whispered.
He pressed his forehead to hers once more. “Why?” he whispered. “Tell me, why?”
“Because,” her voice was pained but resolute, “I’m betrothed to the Marquess of Murdock.”
The lust in his eyes quickly faded. “You remembered that, did you?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Julianna stole to her bedchamber window that night. She pushed the curtains aside as was her wont and stared up at the glowing full moon. She wrapped her arms around herself tight and for the first time since that afternoon, allowed herself to think about what had happened.
