Page 52

The bed creaked as Rafe sat up and unlaced her gown. She’d purposefully selected one that would be easy for him to unfasten in his soporific state. Once it was loosened, she allowed the thin muslin to pool at her feet. A wicked thrill ran up her spine as she bent over to remove her boots. Not daring to look back, she then reached back and unlaced her stays before slipping the garment off her shoulders and tossing it to the floor.

Standing only in her chemise, she turned to face him. The hunger in his gaze turned her legs to custard. It took the utmost effort to speak. “If you would, ah, lie down on your stomach, I will proceed.”

Rafe gave her a strange smile and complied. Her lips parted at the sight of his bronzed, muscled back. Cassandra sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on his smooth flesh. “Now where does it hurt most?”

He seized her hand and pressed it below his shoulder blade. “Here.”

She dug her fingers into the taut flesh, gratified to hear him groan with pleasure. “Yes, right there.”

Unfortunately, the angle made her arm protest. Cassandra shifted to find a more comfortable position. She needed to be able to put her weight directly on the muscle. But the only way to do so would be to sit on him. She sucked in a breath at the thought.

Rafe turned his head to look at her through a curtain of black hair. “Is there something wrong?”

“I can’t seem to find a decent angle. Perhaps if I…” She trailed off, cheeks burning at the prospect of voicing such a brazen suggestion.

“If you straddle me?” he finished, as if reading her mind. “Yes, that would probably work best.”

Cassandra froze as her loins flared in heat at the prospect of such naughty intimacy. “W-would I be too heavy?”

He laughed. “Not in the slightest. Well, climb on up then.”

Legs quivering, she lifted the skirt of her chemise to sit on his lower back. The feel of him between her thighs made her core ache with longing. Only a thin layer of fabric separated their flesh. Cassandra bit her lip to keep from moaning and concentrated on applying firm, rotating pressure on the muscle.

“Ah,” Rafe groaned, “that feels so good.” He shifted beneath her and moved his arms back so his fingers brushed her thighs.

Cassandra bit her lip harder. Is he intentionally touching me there, or is he still muzzy from the drugs? Daring to experiment, she moved her hips forward, gasping at the improper friction.

Rafe lifted his head to meet her gaze in the mirror. “Are you trying to seduce me, Countess?” With idle purpose he began to stroke her thighs.

“Yes.” The answer tore from her throat before she could deem it unwise.

He remained silent for a long time. His fingers continued their gentle caress. It took all of her willpower not to gyrate against him.

Please, she cried silently. If he kept this up much longer, she’d go insane from need.

Suddenly, he sighed. “Cassandra, I confess that the idea of making love to you is tempting beyond reason.” He withdrew his hands. “However—”

A knock sounded on the door.

Cassandra gasped and scrambled off Rafe, yanking the bedclothes up to cover her state of undress.

“Yes?” Rafe growled dangerously, rising from the bed with his fangs bared.

The door opened a crack and Anthony poked his head in. “Carlisle is here, my lord. He says he’s seen the rogues.”

Rafe’s eyes narrowed. “So there are more than one?”

“He said he saw three, which is why he did not give chase.” Anthony’s gaze took in the sight of Cassandra buried under the quilt and Rafe’s state of partial undress. The corner of his mouth lifted as he observed Cassandra’s blush.

Eyes still slightly glazed from the drugs, Rafe nodded and pulled on his boots. “Wise of him. You look better, thank Christ. I suppose we should gather a hunting party and see if we can round up the bastards.”

“Yes,” Anthony replied in a cold, dangerous voice that Cassandra had never heard before. He cracked his knuckles. “And God help them if they don’t return Lenore in one piece.”

Rafe followed him out the door, not even bothering to say good-bye to Cassandra.

She took a deep, shuddering breath and whispered a silent prayer for Rafe and Anthony’s safety as well as Lenore’s return. Not knowing what else to do, she pulled a novel from the bureau drawer, deciding to read while she awaited Rafe’s return.

An hour later she threw down the book with a sigh. All she’d been doing was staring blankly at the words on the page as Rafe’s words echoed in her mind.