Chapter Five
This was madness.
Danny unthreaded her fingers from his sable locks and still could not pull away. His hard stomach and wide torso stretched her hips and bruised her thighs. His hands dug into her bottom, pressing urgently and painfully even through her thick skirts. His tongue and lips were incessant and demanding and even then, Danny wanted more.
She clutched his shoulders and ran her tongue along the top of his mouth, tasting something smoky and complex. The essence of the man himself.
What he was doing here and why didn’t matter. Not after she’d spent three years comparing him to every other man in her life and finding no one measured up. She’d convinced herself she’d fabricated the feel of his masculine hand on her neck and the heat of his tongue in her mouth, but she’d not exaggerated his skill or the passion he aroused.
In the fading light, in the middle of Uncle Jack’s garden, she was one more fallen woman, another statue frozen in the moment and helpless to break from the demon responsible.
Nothing but a tease.
The thought didn’t stop her, it egged her on. There was nothing teasing about his kisses or the grip he had on her hips. This was a man of decision and uncontestable action. And it spurned her wilder inhibitions like nothing else in life ever had.
His hold lessened and her body slid down his stomach and over the ridged protrusion in the front of his trousers. The sensation was exquisite.
She groaned and rubbed the aching muscles between her legs against the length of him until he hissed her name.
He tore his mouth from hers and rested his forehead against hers, the breath in his chest ragged. “You must not do that, love.”
His passion thrilled her. “Or what?” she asked, just as breathless.
His teeth flashed in a grin or grimace—it was hard to tell.
“Or I will be forced to lay you down before your precious Athena and fuck you until you have no more use for gods and their justice.”
She gasped, not from his blasphemous language, but from the flood of heat between her legs they elicited. Clenching her thighs to keep the wetness contained, his arousal pressed tight to her, bringing another wave of heat and want.
“Damn it, Daniella!” His words sounded painful. “Stop at once, or I will make good on my threat. A man can only bear so much perfection.”
Her heart fluttered in her chest. “You think I’m perfect?”
He huffed a laugh, his arms still tight around her. “If no man before me has told you as much, the entire sex is dumb, lame,andblind.”
That flutter turned into a rabble of wings. She’d been called many things. Over nine proposals, she’d been likened to fairies, goddesses, and Mother Nature herself. But no man, ever, had made her believe the words were true.
“Thank you.”
The gratitude seemed to startle him. He chuckled again, a deep rumble she felt in her own chest.
“You’re welcome, my lady.”
His gaze held hers, the dark grey giving way to a softening of expression and changing the air between them. With his face uncovered, she could see how lovely and warm his eyes were.
He leaned in this time, his kiss unexpectedly soft, and the responding warmth in her chest sank into the very center of her heart.
She was in a great deal of trouble.
Footsteps scraping along the path to their right had his arms instantly setting her aside.
Desire giving way to panic, Danny gasped and fussed at her skirts. They’d had but a moment to catch their breaths and set themselves to rights before a man in brown gaiters drew short at the sight of them.
His gaze bounced from one to the other. Seeming unconcerned by the presence of the man next to her, he turned to her, recognition widening his eyes. “Lady Daniella. What a surprise.”
She smiled, hoping her cheeks weren’t as flushed as they felt. She willed her voice to remain steady. “Hello, Mr. Brinkley.”
The man removed his cap and sketched a bow, revealing an ever-increasing number of grey hairs. “Pardon my manners, my lady. I saw your papa up at the house, but I had no idea you had come to call as well.” Sincerity warmed his voice. “It was good of you to come and check on us.”
