Page 43 of A Star is Scorned

He kissed her fiercely and chuckled against her mouth. “It’s all right, love, I know what you need.”

He removed his hands from her bra, but she didn’t have time to mourn the loss of them before he gently lowered his head until his mouth was against the white cotton material.

He sucked at her breast through the fabric.

He looked up at her, and she watched as he laved her nipple, his tongue making the bra so wet that she could see the pink tip through the damp material.

His eyes sparked as she grabbed the railing with her hands, holding on for dear life as he pleasured her with his mouth.

He held her gaze as he peeled the fabric down, taking her unadulterated nipple into his mouth.

She gasped as he swirled his tongue in a way that made a jolt of molten desire surge through her.

She couldn’t help herself. He made her…wanton.

Like one of the hothouse flowers turned pirate queens in his films. She ground her sex down into the railing, increasing the pressure on her most sensitive spot.

He grinned. “That’s right, love, take your pleasure.

It’s what you deserve.” Under normal circumstances, such words would’ve made her blush down to her toes.

But she was too far gone. She held herself on the railing, rocking and grinding while he continued to kiss and suck at her breasts. It was all too much.

The feeling that she was at the top of a very tall peak increased and suddenly exploded. The golden tones of the afternoon became a panoply of orange and yellow stars clouding her vision as waves of pleasure crashed through her.

When they finally slowed, she realized that he was holding her in place as she slumped against him. Her forehead, glistening with sweat, was pressed against his shoulder and he was stroking a soothing pattern against her back.

She giggled against him, realizing how ridiculous she looked but not really caring. She pulled back and swiped at her brow, tugging at the blouse of her dress to attempt to generate some air.

“Hot?” he asked.

She nodded, still unable to form a coherent sentence.

Flynn had restored her damp bra to its rightful position at some point. Her neck was the color of the cotton-candy clouds in the sky, suffused with the heat of her pleasure.

She ran her hand along her sweaty nape. “I guess you weren’t kidding when you said it’s an unseasonably warm day for November.”

She jumped down from the railing, straightening her skirt and buttoning up her blouse, suddenly self-conscious at how exposed she was. But that only made her hotter and she cast a longing glance at the sea.

He followed her gaze. “Do you want to swim?”

Her head snapped back to him. “Oh, heavens, no. I–I couldn’t.”

“Your father was a naval captain and he didn’t teach you to swim?”

“No, no, of course I can swim. I just meant I didn’t bring a bathing suit or anything.” She clasped a bit more tightly at the neckline of her dress and peered back into the house, trying to see if any of the servants were watching.

“I’m sure we could find you one in the house. Someone’s probably left one here at some point.”

The idea that some other girl had stood on this deck like this, had taken her pleasure at Flynn’s ministrations, made jealousy twist in Livvy’s gut.

She thought of that stupid black book and wondered how many of those girls had stood in this same spot.

She knew it was foolish to be envious, and that he had never pretended to be anything but what he was. But the notion still made her queasy.

He grabbed her hand and tangled his fingers with hers, pulling her close and wrapping her in an embrace. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He rested his chin on top of her head.

She tried to find the words. “I’m sorry for the way I acted. How wild I was,” she murmured into his chest. God, she must have seemed like a total innocent to him, coming undone so easily. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

“I sincerely hope that’s not true.” He chucked her chin with the tips of his fingers and lifted her head so he could look into her eyes.

“Don’t ever apologize for taking your pleasure with me.

Watching you, the way you responded so readily to my touch, my…

tongue, the way you rubbed yourself against the railing, that was—”

“But your staff… They could have seen us. I didn’t think.”

He reached out and smoothed down the wispy tendrils of her hair that had sprung up in the heat of their passion before gently planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Is that what’s worrying you? I gave them all the night off.

Figured we could use some privacy. That’s why I ordered in from Perino’s…

so I wouldn’t need to waste any time cooking. ”

She blinked up at him, unable to put into words how thoughtful that was.

His smile fell before she could respond. “I hope that wasn’t presumptuous of me.”

Now it was her turn to comfort him, cupping his cheek with her hand. “No, not at all. Not after the way I drove you to distraction on set today.”

He shrugged. “Occupational hazard.”

She still felt inadequate, knowing the types of starlets and glamour girls he’d paraded through this house.

She was a complete novice, not a practiced seductress.

“Still, it was clumsy of me.” She gripped his biceps, enjoying the solid feeling of strength beneath her hands.

She let that ground her so she could say what she needed.

“I…am… I didn’t…” She swallowed, embarrassed.

“I didn’t give you the same satisfaction. I lost control.”

He gave her a very serious look, and she braced herself for what was coming.

“Livvy, I want you to know…I have slept with some of the biggest movie stars in the world. At least one duchess. And even a traveling acrobat. But what happened between us just now was the single most erotic experience of my life.”

She couldn’t believe what he was telling her. “You’re being kind.”

He gripped her more tightly and forced her to look at him.

“I promise you, I am not. Are you more inexperienced than some of my partners? Of course. But you are…so beautiful. So unexpected. So present. I never thought I would say this, but I’ll take your unbridled enthusiasm over rote seduction any day.

You are the most invigorating person I have ever met.

And that, what we did, was just the beginning.

I promise you that was immensely pleasurable for me, Livvy.

You became a wild creature, and unleashing that in you was…

staggering. As for my satisfaction, I told you before, we have the whole night ahead of us.

” He pulled her in to his chest once more and whispered in her ear.

“You can have as little or as much of me as you want. You have pillaged and plundered my heart, and I am entirely at your mercy.”

Her jaw dropped at his pronouncement, and her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. Flynn Banks thought she—demure homebody Olivia Blount—was sexy.

It was the kind of thing that only happened in the movies.

The type of thing her mother had warned would lead to her ruin.

To the desecration of her entire family.

Yet here it was, happening to her, and no one had come to smite her.

She looked up at him, the late afternoon sun giving him a golden halo, and a new wave of heat washed over her. She could practically feel her freckles emerging as the light licked at her face.

Suddenly, she felt brave. Reckless. “You’re sure the staff is gone? They won’t come back to check on you?”

He barked out a laugh. “No. They’re not going to cut short a night off. That’s certain.”

She bit her lip, pondering the idea. Why not? Flynn Banks was out of his comfort zone here. Shouldn’t she be willing to push the envelope a little too? To indulge her desires instead of taking care of everyone else’s? “I’d like to go for that swim now. But we don’t need to find me a bathing suit.”