He could not stifle his wicked grin, nor quell the swift rush of his reaction. “Trust me, angel. You’ll not be complaining if I eat you.”
A slow flush crept over her cheekbones. Dom had not believed there were yet ladies in the world capable of being put to the blush. What a complex mix she was, exuding sensuality that was at once innocent and blazing. He rather fancied shocking her. Fortunately, he had hours to enjoy seeing how far he could push her. Of toying with her, in the manner of a cat with its prey, before he settled upon his feast.
Her.
“But that is the dessert course,” he said, taking pity on her as he led her to the table. “First, we must dine.”
She seated herself with the grace of any queen. There was something different about her, something that called to him. To the deepest part of him. And that was why he had struck this bargain with her. Why he was feeding her dinner rather than carrying her immediately to his bed.
Actually, that was not entirely true. Any ammunition he had against the Suttons was a boon to potentially aid his plans. And Dom was not the sort to rudely poke a woman. He seduced her first. He made her desperate. He brought her to her knees with desire, and he took her to the heights of pleasure.
He could not resist bending and dropping a kiss to the side of her exposed throat.Christ, she smelled like a garden in bloom, or at least how he imagined it would be scented, had he ever strolled through one. Fucking laughable, the very notion. Still, he inhaled deeply, savoring her. She was even softer here. Even smoother.
He had to fight the sudden urge to haul her to her feet, settle her upon his kingly dining table, and take her then and there. Instead, he dragged his lips to the place where her pounding pulse told him she was not as unaffected as she pretended though she remained motionless, her posture tense.
As a practiced mistress of a lord, she certainly had an odd way of seducing a man. But never mind. Dom rather enjoyed pursuit.
He brushed his lips over her skin. “Are you hungry, angel?”
“N-no,” she said, stumbling on the word.
She refused to look at him.
“Do I frighten you?” After he posed the question, he licked the hollow behind her ear.
She shivered. “Of course not, Mr. Winter.”
“Dom,” he reminded her, rising to his full height and skirting the table to ring for the first course to be brought round. “And if I do not frighten you, then you are either brave or a fool.”
He seated himself opposite her place setting, the better to watch.
“Perhaps I am both.” Her serene voice, clipped in perfect accents that bespoke a genteel upbringing, slid over him in a serpentine caress.
His lips twitched, but he would not smile. Not yet. He admired this woman. Not many he knew would dare to challenge him in the bold manner she had. Desire unfurled.
“I tend to disbelieve you are a fool,” he commented.
Her dark gaze clung to his, and he wished he could read the secrets hidden in her eyes. But the light was too low, and their solitude quickly interrupted by the arrival of his staff and the first course of the meal. Dom watched her take in the flurry of activity surrounding them. For once, he was pleased he had spent so much blunt on aping his so-called betters at the hell. His food, his cutlery, his plates, and his wine were as fine as that which was laid before any duke or earl.
The succulent aroma of meat and rich sauces hung heavily in the air. Dom found himself wishing he could still smell her. He licked his lips and found the lingering taste of her upon them. Would that it were a different taste altogether.
Later, he vowed, taking a sip of his wine to distract himself from his rigid cock, rising to rude prominence beneath the table.Damn it, when had he ever wanted a woman the way he longed for this one?
Never.
Fuck.
He drained his goblet and one of his efficient staff was at his elbow, replenishing his stores. Reminding him they were not alone.
“That will be all,” he announced, which he had discovered was a fancy nib’s way of telling the servants to remove themselves from the room.
His companion’s eyes were upon him once more, brows raised in what he could only surmise was surprise. He waited until the door closed on the last member of his staff before speaking.
“Is something amiss, angel?”
She blinked. “Of course not. It is merely that I was not anticipating…” Her words trailed off and a charming flush stained her cheeks.
“You assumed I would carry you off to the bedchamber?” he guessed. “What sort of man would I be?”
