childishly wanting to cover her ears with her hands against this seduction that was proving too potent. The air was charged between them. She heard him sigh as his mouth touched her hair with a brief and tantalising lightness, and her response was immediate. She felt a shifting, an upheaval deep inside her. A shivering shudder went through her as she felt his warm breath caress her flesh, heard her name hoarsely whispered.
‘By the way,’ he murmured, drawing her back against his hard chest, ‘when I listed your attributes, I failed to tell you that you are very lovely—but then, you must know that.’
She could tell by the harsh sound of his breathing that he wanted her to turn round so that he could kiss her—she could feel the pull of his masculinity, almost hear his bodybegging for her to turn round—but she didn’t dare. She caught her breath as strange sensations leaped through her, setting her whole being on fire.
Guy left her with no choice when he forcibly turned her within the circle of his arms, crushing her breasts against his steely warm chest. He looked down at her, letting his eyes sweep the flushed cheeks.
Tilting back her head, Jane gazed up into his eyes. They had darkened to a stormy dark blue. A tremor went through her as his hand claimed the softness of her nape.
‘A kiss, Jane—to seal our bargain. I refuse to leave without a taste of my future wife’s lips.’
His fingers caressed her nape as he brought his face closer to hers. And then, before she could even react, his mouth swooped down on hers, hot and hard, plundering her lips in a brigand’s kiss. In his unyielding haste it was rough, bruising the flesh of her lower lip, his jaw scraping her tender flesh, but the instant she whimpered, trapped in his arms, his kiss softened, deepened.
Pleasure unfolded inside her like a butterfly opening its wings to fly. Never in her imagination had she experienced anything so piercing or so sweet as this. Their mouths melded inwarm communion, turning, twisting, devouring. His mouth slanted over hers in hungry demand, her hands clung weakly to his broad shoulders. His tightening embrace crushed her. But though he held her firmly, inwardly Jane was falling, falling from the highest point, spinning weightlessly to earth. She was totally in his power and the pleasure in this sudden helplessness alarmed her. Her body came keenly alive, all her senses heightened and focused on him and herself and the touch of his mouth until nothing else mattered. Everything else receded into insignificance. She breathed in the scent of him. He parted her lips with his own, a lush, full openness that tasted her, that enabled her to taste him. Oh, how could anything as simple as this bring so much pleasure?
He continued kissing her for several seconds more, as though he had forgotten this was an untried virgin in his arms. But then he broke the kiss, his breathing uneven as he pulled away a little. He trailed kisses up her throat, along her jaw and over her chin and back to her mouth, recapturing her lips. This time they parted at once, all her token resistance gone.
His arm around her relaxed. He bent his head to rest his forehead close to hers. ‘Yousee how much power you have over me when you choose to wield it.’
She did see. It awed and frightened her. It excited her—that she, who had convinced herself she had no influence over anything in her life, had power over the very man who was offering her and her family a lifeline. Suddenly she felt as captivating and alluring as Cleopatra.
For all its intensity the kiss was brief. She stood back from him, averting her gaze. ‘I would like to leave. My parents are waiting to speak to you. Our betrothal. When is it to be?’
‘A few days—no longer.’
She left him then, her mind spinning with a welter of thoughts. She did not fool herself into believing that Guy St Edmond would be marrying her for any other reason than necessity and to beget himself an heir.
‘By the way,’ he murmured, drawing her back against his hard chest, ‘when I listed your attributes, I failed to tell you that you are very lovely—but then, you must know that.’
She could tell by the harsh sound of his breathing that he wanted her to turn round so that he could kiss her—she could feel the pull of his masculinity, almost hear his bodybegging for her to turn round—but she didn’t dare. She caught her breath as strange sensations leaped through her, setting her whole being on fire.
Guy left her with no choice when he forcibly turned her within the circle of his arms, crushing her breasts against his steely warm chest. He looked down at her, letting his eyes sweep the flushed cheeks.
Tilting back her head, Jane gazed up into his eyes. They had darkened to a stormy dark blue. A tremor went through her as his hand claimed the softness of her nape.
‘A kiss, Jane—to seal our bargain. I refuse to leave without a taste of my future wife’s lips.’
His fingers caressed her nape as he brought his face closer to hers. And then, before she could even react, his mouth swooped down on hers, hot and hard, plundering her lips in a brigand’s kiss. In his unyielding haste it was rough, bruising the flesh of her lower lip, his jaw scraping her tender flesh, but the instant she whimpered, trapped in his arms, his kiss softened, deepened.
Pleasure unfolded inside her like a butterfly opening its wings to fly. Never in her imagination had she experienced anything so piercing or so sweet as this. Their mouths melded inwarm communion, turning, twisting, devouring. His mouth slanted over hers in hungry demand, her hands clung weakly to his broad shoulders. His tightening embrace crushed her. But though he held her firmly, inwardly Jane was falling, falling from the highest point, spinning weightlessly to earth. She was totally in his power and the pleasure in this sudden helplessness alarmed her. Her body came keenly alive, all her senses heightened and focused on him and herself and the touch of his mouth until nothing else mattered. Everything else receded into insignificance. She breathed in the scent of him. He parted her lips with his own, a lush, full openness that tasted her, that enabled her to taste him. Oh, how could anything as simple as this bring so much pleasure?
He continued kissing her for several seconds more, as though he had forgotten this was an untried virgin in his arms. But then he broke the kiss, his breathing uneven as he pulled away a little. He trailed kisses up her throat, along her jaw and over her chin and back to her mouth, recapturing her lips. This time they parted at once, all her token resistance gone.
His arm around her relaxed. He bent his head to rest his forehead close to hers. ‘Yousee how much power you have over me when you choose to wield it.’
She did see. It awed and frightened her. It excited her—that she, who had convinced herself she had no influence over anything in her life, had power over the very man who was offering her and her family a lifeline. Suddenly she felt as captivating and alluring as Cleopatra.
For all its intensity the kiss was brief. She stood back from him, averting her gaze. ‘I would like to leave. My parents are waiting to speak to you. Our betrothal. When is it to be?’
‘A few days—no longer.’
She left him then, her mind spinning with a welter of thoughts. She did not fool herself into believing that Guy St Edmond would be marrying her for any other reason than necessity and to beget himself an heir.
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