A Daring Passion by Rosemary Rogers Page A

as his head lowered and he nuzzled at her breasts she realized that her hips were beginning to lift of their own accord.
    He groaned in approval, his steady pace beginning to quicken as that wondrous pleasure spiraled through her.
    â€œYes, meu amor, ” he breathed, his hands moving to cup her hips and angle her so he could deepen his penetration.
    Raine dug her nails into his shoulders as her breath came in short gasps, the pleasure coalescing into a burst of shocking waves.
    Above her, Philippe’s features sharpened as he gave one last forceful thrust, and then with a wrenching groan he collapsed on top of her.
    In a rather dazed wonderment Raine held on to him with weak arms.
    He was inside her. A part of her. As if they were one.
    And it was the most astonishing experience of her life.

CHAPTER SIX
    P HILIPPE STRUGGLED TO recall how to breathe as he rolled to the side and held Raine in his arms. He was exhausted, his body still shuddering from the intensity of his climax.
    Meu Deus, he was one and thirty and fully experienced in the most exotic forms of seduction. But nothing had prepared him for the stunning pleasure, the searing heat and wild abandon that could be found in the awkward caresses of an untried angel.
    A distant part of his mind was whispering that he had just taken this woman’s innocence. That he debauched and despoiled a virgin. A sin that had had yet to be laid at his doorstep.
    That part of his mind, however, was lost beneath the tide of sated bliss that flooded through him.
    At last managing to recapture his breath, he gazed down at Raine’s flushed countenance as his fingers absently stroked through the halo of gleaming amber curls. The sweet scent of her skin filled his senses and he was quite certain that he would never again smell lilacs without thinking of this precise moment.
    â€œAre you well?” he queried.
    A blush of color flowed beneath her skin before she buried her face into his shoulder. “Yes, yes, of course I am.”
    â€œRaine.” He caught her chin in his fingers and turned her face upward. “Raine, look at me.”
    There was a pause before the thick fringe of lashes at last lifted to reveal her eyes.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œDid I hurt you?”
    â€œNo…” She bit off her instinctive denial as his eyes narrowed. “Perhaps a bit.”
    Philippe felt an uncharacteristic twinge of remorse as he brushed his lips over her forehead. “I am sorry for that. If I had known the truth of your innocence, I would have taken greater care. There was no need for any pain.”
    A tiny shiver raced through her body. “If I had been thinking clearly enough to tell you that I was a virgin then I would not have…We would not…”
    â€œIf you think that I intend to apologize for what just happened then you are wide of the mark, querida. I do not even care to know the reason you chose to give your innocence to me.” He tightened his arms, savoring the feel of her soft body pressed against him. “For this one night I intend to enjoy what is offered without counting the cost.”
    His honesty seemed to disarm her as a portion of her blush eased and she gave a lift of her brows.
    â€œDo you usually count the cost?”
    â€œAlways.”
    â€œWhy?”
    His lips twisted. It was a question he never allowed himself to ask. Not since he had been fifteen and taken control of his father’s crumbling estate. Louis Gautier might be considered by all to be a most charming and gracious gentleman, but he had never possessed the least interest in his land or those servants and tenants who depended upon him. He found digging about in obscure places far more fascinating.
    And of course, Jean-Pierre could never be bothered with something so trivial as rotating fields, productive wine vineyards or the cost of transporting goods.
    â€œBecause, my sweet Raine, I have a family and enormous staff who depend upon me to do