“Because you’d be surprised how many business deals are conducted at balls and how freely men talk when they see you as a pretty face and nothing more.”
“You are definitely more than a pretty face.” And it was true. His wife might be the most beautiful woman he’d seen, but she was also one of the strongest, most fearless, and most intelligent women he’d met. And right now, he wanted to do nothing more than sweep her into his arms and make love to her.
He tucked a damp curl behind her ear and cupped her face in his hand.
Her eyes widened, as though the sudden, sensual change of energy in the room had caught her as off-guard as it had caught him.
He leaned forward and place a feather-like kiss on her lips. And then, with a gentle nudge on her shoulder, he pushed her into the soapy water.
Amelia sputtered, wiping away hair that was plastered over her eyes as she resurfaced.
“Why you—” She broke off as he climbed into the bathtub with her, kneeling between her thighs. She scrambled up against one end; her heart thumped wildly, as out of control as she was in this situation.
“You’ve still got your pants on.” It was an inane thing to say, made worse for coming out strangled and weak.
His smile was one she hadn’t seen before. It promised all sorts of untold things. “Would you like me to take them off?”
“No!” Heat crept up her chest and neck.
He leaned forward, bracing himself on the bath edge on either side of her. His naked arms and chest had been mesmerizing when they were on the other side of the room. Now, encircled by them, they ripped away her ability to breathe.
Up close, there were more curves and valleys to his body than she’d thought a man would possess. Each muscle stretched taut under his weight, and small veins charted journeys across his skin, coaxing her to follow the paths with her fingers.
She drew a ragged breath, but it was as if his nearness changed the air around them. The oxygen she drew in fed tiny sparks that kindled inside her.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he said and then paused, waiting for a response.
She nodded dumbly, unable to form words.
It was not like the kiss outside. That had started soft and gentle. No, this was raw and wild. He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her flush against him. His lips crushed against hers, his tongue flicking inside her mouth.
She moaned. Unsure of what to do next but desperate to do something, to have some sort of agency in this, she probed his tongue with hers—tentative, explorative.
His fingers tightened around her waist, and he leaned into her. The hard shaft of his sex pressed against her, and in response, a hot tingle blossomed between her legs.
This was a want she had never experienced, beyond all thought and logic. As if her body knew exactly what to do when her conscious did not, it took over.
She reached one hand up and around his neck while the other explored the muscles along his side. Everywhere her fingers touched, the fine hairs of his body stood on end. It was intoxicating, this effect she had on him.
He broke off their kiss and turned his attention to her jawline, sucking and nibbling, the heat of his breath sending shivers across her.
He let go of her waist, his fingers quickly working beneath the water to untie the belt of his robe. Slowly, gently, he unfolded it and grazed his palm along her ribs. Her chest arched, and the hot tingle between her legs intensified. He moved his hand to her breast, cupping it, kneading it, stoking the fire within at every point.
Her fingers raked down the sides of his body.
“I want you,” he said. “I want every inch of you. Do you understand what I mean?”
She swallowed. “Yes,” she whispered.
He pulled away, kneeling upright and gripping the edge of the bath. Her first instinct was to pull him back to her. But with each breath, the fog around her mind cleared.
“I need you to want this,” he said.
Did she want this? She’d enjoyed it, every second. But it was all so much. So fast. She took another deep, clearing breath.
He didn’t make her sayno. Her hesitation had been enough. Instead he stepped out of the bath and offered her his hand.
She wrapped the robe tight, keenly aware that it clung to her every curve. He handed her a towel.
