Virginia Henley by Enticed

that rent his body with great shudders and left him totally satisfied and sated. He rolled his weight from her and quickly gathered her to him with gentle, protective arms.
    Kitty was in a state of shock. All the fight had gone out of her. It was too late now. They had both committed a terrible sin. She was as much to blame as he. She lay numb, knowing she should have somehow stopped him. How ironic that now when she needed to be comforted and enfolded in warm, loving arms, they were
his
arms that were offering her succor.
    Patrick murmured endearments against her hair. “Kitten, I’m sorry. You received no pleasure from it at all, did you? If only you hadn’t fought me, it would have been so much easier for you. Next time I promise to be gentle and tender and bring you exquisite pleasure.”
    His words threaded through her brain. She knew he was entirely capable of bringing her exquisite pleasure. He would have done so tonight if she had not fought like a tigress against it. She flinched at his talk of next time. She knew that if there ever was a next time, she would be lost. She would offer herself for his taking. Her virtue was gone and she felt covered with shame because of her own secret longings.
    Patrick gently kissed her ear and murmured, “I think perhaps you were too young after all.”
    His words tore down her last defenses and she curled into a ball and sobbed uncontrollably into the pillow. She made an effort to leave the bed, but he drew her back into his embrace. With one muscular thigh across her legs, his arms possessively held her captive. “Sleep now,” he said firmly.

Chapter 7
    Terrance ran up the steps in Half-Moon Street and pounded on the door. After the second pounding, Mrs. Harris opened the front door apprehensively. “I must speak with Mr. O’Reilly,” Terry said breathlessly.
    “I don’t dare disturb him. I would lose my job.” She had heard the screaming and carryings-on upstairs and she wanted no part of it.
    Impatiently, Terry pushed past her and ran upstairs to the sitting room, Mrs. Harris following him, wringing her hands. Finding the room empty, he took the next flight of stairs and pounded on the bedroom door. He called out, “Patrick, I must speak with you.”
    Patrick quickly got out of bed and went to the door naked. Kitty sat up in bed and cried out, “Terry!”
    “How the devil did you know where to find me?” Patrick demanded.
    “You know I try to keep my eye on Kitty. I knew you were bringing her here.”
    “Terry, you came for me,” she cried thankfully.
    He lowered his eyes from his sister’s nakedness. “No, I didn’t come for you. I came for Patrick. Your father’s had a bad turn. The doctor thinks it’s a stroke.”
    Kitty said accusingly, “You knew what would happen to me, but you let him bring me here.”
    “It’s better than being a servant, isn’t it?” Terry flared.
    “No, it’s just the same! I’m like a chambermaid who must be obedient to my master’s demands, except I’m to be paid with pretty dresses instead of wages.” She saw her clotheswhere Mrs. Harris had hidden them under the bed. Patrick was almost dressed, so she begged, “Wait for me. I’m going back with you. Mr. O’Reilly will have need of me.”
    “Kitty, I need you too. Stay here, please. I’ll go to Father.”
    “I hate you! I’ll always hate you for what you did to me. I can’t bear to stay here another minute.”
    Terry looked at Patrick angrily and said, “Did you have to be so brutal?”
    “Yes, damn it, she’s like a wildcat. Would you like to see the bites she inflicted to my wound? If there had been a knife within her reach she would have plunged it in and spilled my guts rather than submit to me!”
    Kitty said to Terry, “You ought to kill him for me!”
    Terry regarded her with the smoldering arrogance of the Gypsy male and said, “You challenged his manhood—he had to master you.”
    Patrick asked him, “Did you bring the carriage? Good! I’ll