Taming the Rake (20 page)

“It certainly felt like a kiss to me.” An impossibly sweet kiss that made her heart ache for things far beyond her reach.

“And you have a wealth of comparison?”

Not liking his tone, she straightened her back. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been kissed by any number of men.” Two, to be precise.

She’d surprised him. A flash of something angry and possessive flared in his eyes, and his arms clamped around her like a vise. “Then they are fools.” One side of his mouth lifted up in a wicked grin. “I was wrong. This might take longer than I thought.”

He dipped his head again and a shudder of pure heat rippled through her. This kiss was not a gentle touch of the lips, but a long, intimate sharing. A tasting. His mouth moved over hers with a possessiveness that shocked her to her core for its intensity. Panic, and not a small amount of curiosity, made her heart flutter wildly in her chest.

For an instant, her sensibilities warred, and she thought about resisting. She knew better than to experiment with a rake like Coventry. An
experienced
rake like Coventry. He ate ladies like her for breakfast.

But, she reminded herself, she wasn’t in any real danger, it was only a kiss.

But oh my, what a kiss.

From the moment that she’d picked his name out of Claire’s bonnet, Gina had secretly wondered what it would feel like to be kissed by the scandalous Lord Coventry. Instinctively, she’d known that it would be different, and perhaps even a little wicked.

Now she didn’t have to wonder; it
was
different and wicked… and sinfully delicious. He tasted of desire and of forbidden fruits. The sweetness of the brandy on his lips intoxicated her. The faint scent of tobacco and spice made her hunger for more, though she didn’t know what to do.

But it didn’t matter, because he did.

Like a virtuoso, he played her perfectly, chasing away her reservations with the heat of his mouth. He started out slow: a gentle stroke, a smooth caress, a soft nibble of her lower lip, building with intensity until every inch of her body trembled for more. How could so many sensations be elicited by a simple kiss?

Her body seemed to come alive. Every nerve ending stood on edge, her nipples tightened and heat pooled low in her belly.

She knew she should stop—she was playing a dangerous game with curiosity—but not yet. Just one minute longer…

She sensed the restlessness building inside him, the need for more. But rather than frighten her, it thrilled her with anticipation. Deftly, he coaxed her lips apart, and before she was aware what he intended, his tongue slid into her mouth.

Her startled gasp was silenced by his deep, primal growl of satisfaction. This wasn’t just collecting the spoils from a game. He wanted this as much as she did.

He stroked the inside of her mouth, finding her tongue and demanding its response. Tentatively at first, and then with increasing confidence, she found his rhythm, joining him in the intimate dance. His mouth set her aflame, making her yearn for things she didn’t understand.

Caution beckoned from beyond the passion-induced haze. Gina knew she should make him stop. If they were discovered she would be ruined. But the pull was irresistible. She reveled in the way it felt to be wrapped in his arms, protected, cherished, and most of all, desired. How could something that felt so perfect be wrong?

He must have sensed her uncertainty. He broke the kiss and stared down at her, his breath coming hard, and his eyes hot with passion. “What’s the matter, my little innocent? Second thoughts? Isn’t this what you wanted?” When she didn’t respond, he prodded, “Believe me, if we were married, I would not settle for just a simple kiss.”

If we were married, I wouldn’t want you to
. Before she could analyze that startling thought, his mouth was on hers again, giving proof to his threat with the fervency of his desire.

He was wrong. There was nothing simple about this kiss. He’d awakened parts of her that would never rest quietly again.

Desire washed over her, leaving her weak, boneless. She was awash in sensations that she’d never felt before, yearnings in the most intimate places of her body. She melted against him, wanting to get closer.

He kissed her with an urgency bordering on frantic. Harder, deeper, he ravaged her mouth with his. His hands roamed her back and ribs, moving painfully closer to her breasts. He overwhelmed her senses, rendering her powerless to think about anything other than how wonderful it felt to be held in his strong arms, to be kissed with such savage hunger. Never could she have imagined such intensity, the magic that could be shared between two people.

The kiss was quickly spiraling out of control. Her mind urged caution, even as her body slipped further under his spell. She knew what he was doing was wrong; she should be frightened. The ruthlessness of his kiss was beyond propriety for a gently reared young lady. But surely it was only a kiss? Her virtue was not in any danger, she could put a stop to it at anytime.

But she’d badly miscalculated her ability to resist.

Her head fell back as his mouth left her lips and descended down the long column of her neck. His warm breath on her sensitive skin sent shivers rippling down her spine. When his mouth trailed kisses along her lace-trimmed bodice, her knees buckled. Her heart pounded with anticipation. Gently he shifted the fabric of her gown and chemise, revealing just the edge of her nipples. She heard his sharp intake of breath. “My God, you’re perfect.”

Unconsciously, she arched her back, begging for something more. He cupped her breasts with his hands, rubbing his thumbs over the hardened peaks and lifted them to his mouth. When his tongue darted below the edge of the fabric, circling the edge of her nipple, Gina thought she might pass out.

She was lost. Lost in the conflagration that dimmed everything else around her. All thoughts of ending the kiss fled.

Delirious, Gina managed one last coherent thought: If this was sin, hell just might be worth it.

This was a mistake. Coventry was playing a dangerous game. He should never have allowed a silly kiss to progress so far. He’d wanted to frighten her away with passion, but instead he was the one who should be running. Running scared from the enormity of the emotions tangling inside him.

The unexpected poignancy of that damnable first kiss should have been a warning. His chest had actually tightened, startling him enough to pull away before he could impart his lesson. If he’d been smart, he would have let it stand, deciphering the reasons later. But like a fool, he’d allowed himself to be goaded into jealousy with the mention of other men and other kisses.

And so he’d kissed her again, this time holding nothing back. Now, having tasted heaven, he was in danger of never being able to stop.

Not when she melted into his arms and returned his kiss with a passion that matched his own.

Not when she made those sweet little mewling sounds that flamed the fires of his raging desire.

And certainly not when she silently offered him her breasts. Denying her what she wanted would take a man far stronger than he. God, she was beautiful. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the delicious round swells of milky white skin, tipped by the most succulent nipples he’d ever beheld. Small and tight, and tinged a perfect dusky pink, his tongue flicked out to test their tender sweetness.

She moaned, and a wave of hot lust swelled his already bulging groin. He wanted to rip the bodice of her gown to her waist, lean her back on the damnable billiard table that had almost been his undoing, and bury his face in the honey of her skin. She smelled divine, warm and flowery like a rose heated by the summer sun. And she tasted even better. He teased her taut nipple with his tongue and teeth, flicking and nipping until her breath came in sharp, excited gasps.

She wanted him, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted her hot and wet, completely delirious for anything but him.

Pinching her nipples lightly between his fingers, he readied her for his mouth. When she moaned and thrashed in his arms, a wave of pure masculine pride shot over him. Finally, having mercy on her, he took one pink tip to his mouth and sucked. Sucked until she shook with the need for release.

He circled her nipple with this tongue and felt her press it against his teeth. His bollocks squeezed and his cock throbbed. God, she was hot, as hot as any woman he’d ever known. The knowledge that with one touch he could find out just how hot nearly drove him mad. It was his fantasies come to life. He could lift her skirts, part her with his fingers and stroke the damp honey between her thighs until she arched against his palm. And then he’d take her into his mouth and tease her with his tongue until she begged for more.

He knew he could take her right here and be done with it. He could bend her over the billiard table, lift her skirts and slide into her before she knew what had happened, putting a definitive end to his torment. To hell with the consequences.

But there were always consequences.

What the hell was happening to him? This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He was the seducer, not the seduced. She was supposed to be a scared virgin, not as passionate as any cyprian, shaking with desire for him.

Coventry wasn’t a man to suffer qualms. He was used to taking what he wanted, not chaffing under the restricting chains of honor. He’d ruined willing women before, so what was stopping him?

Still, he hesitated.

If he took her, he’d be forced to marry her—or die in the avoidance. The Duke of St. Albans would see to that.

When his mouth found hers again, he thought that it would almost be worth it. Almost.

But if he didn’t want to be facing the wrong end of a dueling pistol he better do something soon. Before it was too late.

For both of them.

Ruin lay before her, but Gina could not turn away. The sensation of his mouth on her breast had been exquisite in its torture. The heat that had pooled between her legs was building toward the final crescendo. She’d been close, close to something magical that hovered just beyond her reach.

Every inch of her body was focused on finding it. At that moment, she would have sold her soul to the devil for one taste of what eluded her.

Perhaps she already had.

Gina sensed at precisely the moment it turned. The moment that desire turned to desperation. The moment that he lost control.

His chin scraped against her tender skin as he took her mouth again in a ravenous kiss, even more intense than before. Harder, faster, deeper, his tongue plundered her mouth. This was passion at its most primal; the raw, unbridled desire that overtook every inch of her body, leaving her powerless and illogically never more empowered.

He gave no quarter, demonstrating the full force of his lust, his desire for her. With one hand he lifted her knee to his waist and with the other he grabbed the curve of her bottom, pressing her most intimate area against him. There could be no mistaking his desire. As thick and long as a stallion, he thrust his erection boldly against her stomach. Something deep and dark inside her quivered with anticipation.

She didn’t know what to do, but instinct and her own burgeoning passion made her try. Her hips rocked against him, craving the friction that would relieve the pressure building inside her.

That was it.

Her movements snapped whatever tenuous hold he had on himself. He leaned her back against the billiard table and started to lift her skirts. Her heart pounded. Never had she wanted anything more, it would be so easy to succumb.

Easy, but wrong
.

A sudden chill gave her a moment’s hesitation. He wanted her. But lust wasn’t enough. She wanted more. Gina wanted him to want her more than he’d ever wanted another woman. She wanted to claim a part of him, to burrow inside him where he could never pull away, where he could never shut her out again with indifference. She wanted to bind this man to her.

But not this way. If she succumbed to him, if she allowed him to seduce her, she would be no better than the rest. No matter how bad she wanted him, she didn’t want to be just another poor girl that he’d ruined.

She knew it was wrong. Knew it with every fiber of her being.

But when he touched her, there, she lost the strength—and the desire—to resist.

The black haze of lust descended over him. He’d nearly exploded when she’d rocked her hips against him.

It was simply too much to resist. There would be no turning back now.

Coventry felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. A weight of propriety and expectations. This was who he was. A man in his element. A man only too willing to take what was so generously offered. It wasn’t his responsibility to have care for her virtue.

He skimmed his hand over the smooth surface of her thighs, noting the long sleek muscles. But he didn’t have time to admire her beautiful body right now, not when the gates of paradise awaited him. Gently, he laid her back on the billiard table. Lifting his head, he broke the kiss so he could watch her face.

He studied everything about her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes half-lidded, her mouth gently bruised and red. Her lips were slightly parted, and her breathing uneven. She looked like a woman who’d been well and thoroughly seduced.

It took every ounce of restraint not to unbutton the fall front of his knee breeches and slide his rock hard erection deep inside her. He was too big. He’d hurt her more than was necessary. Patience. Patience, he knew, would be rewarded.

He grazed his finger over her, watching as shock and desire warred on her beautiful features. But before he continued, he had to be sure. He didn’t want there to be any doubt.

His face contorted with the effort it took to restrain himself. “If you mean to put a stop to this, you’d better do so now.”

She made a small sound of desire and frustration. He slid his finger along her cleft, teasing. Deliciously wet, he wanted to taste her, but there wasn’t enough time. They could be discovered at any moment. But somehow that only heightened the titillation. He’d had sex with women in many unusual places, but in the middle of a ball on the billiard table was scandalous, even for him.