The Lady Plays Her Ace (The Langley Sisters) by Wendy Vella Page B

Christ, it was good to taste her again. He was gentle, ensuring he caused her no pain as he kissed her soft lips. Tilting her head, he took what she gave. Running a hand down her spine, Ace had never wanted to feel a woman’s skin more than he did hers. The fire inside him to have her was raging.
    "Thea." He pulled his mouth away, but she tugged it back until their lips joined again. He kissed her for long, heated seconds and then moved to her cheeks, which she lifted to allow him access to her neck.
    "You taste so sweet," he rasped, placing his lips at the base of her throat where her pulse fluttered.
    "Don’t stop, Oliver."
    Her words drove him on, urging him to kiss the pale skin of her chest to the tops of her breasts. Her scent entrapped him, the need inside him now begging for release. His hand followed his mouth, stroking the soft, full flesh until his fingers touched her breasts through the bodice of her dress. He wanted more, needed to feel her skin in his palms. Easing the bodice lower, he kissed the soft swells he'd exposed, licking each with his tongue while her fingers gripped his head.
    "Oh, my." Her whisper was hoarse as she arched towards him. Lifting his head, he once again kissed her as his hands took over what his mouth had begun.
    She was responsive, meeting his touch and kisses with eagerness, and Oliver moved his hands to her skirts, desperate to lift them and sink into her welcoming heat, and it was that thought that made him stop. He was under her spell, but not so deeply that the small, rational part left in his mind had stopped shouting at him to release her.
    Softening the kiss, he slowly eased away, until he simply held her.
    "I cannot apologize for that, Thea, not when we both wanted it, but I should."
    "You will not!" she demanded, pulling from his arms and to his regret, tugging up her bodice. She had the most beautiful breasts.
    "I have said I will not." He gently he stroked her cheek. "But we cannot let that happen again…ever."
    Her fingers stilled as he spoke.
    "And yet we both like each other, and want to—"
    Ace placed a hand over her mouth. "There can be nothing between us, Thea. You know that as well as I."
    "Why?" she demanded, pushing his hand aside. "You just kissed my breasts, and I may be an innocent, yet that is not the normal process of courtship."
    He took a step away from her, and it was one of the hardest he had ever taken.
    "No, it is not, and I was wrong to have done so. But because of my birth, we could never be together as you would be giving up so much to do so, and your family would never allow it."
    "And I have no say in the matter? What if I want a life with you?"
    He shook his head. "You would lose your title and position in society. Doors would be shut."
    "Actually, I would still be Lady Althea, but my last name would change. But that matters not," she said quickly. "What matters is what I want…we want," she added.
    "No, I am not good enough for you, Thea." She started so speak, so he shut her up by kissing her again, one last time simply because he could not resist her, and the thought of never holding her, never feeling her pressed against him made his chest hurt. Wrenching free, Ace took another step away. He could not control himself around her.
    "Marry the man your brother wishes you to, Thea." His words were harsh. "Marry him and be happy, because you deserve that."
    "But what if I want that with you? What if I can care for no other man but you, Oliver? Will you make me wed another?"
    Her lips looked swollen from his kisses, her eyes filled with sensual heat that he was sure matched his own. Fisting his hands, he sucked in a deep breath before he touched her again.
    "You say that now, but what happens when society closes its doors to you and your children, because your husband earned his living with his fists."
    He saw her hesitation, and it was enough for Ace to realize that he was doing the right thing. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to rein in