Page 43 of How to Fall for a Scoundrel
His lips were so close to hers she could smell the delicious scent of his skin.
“Sometimes being sensible is overrated.”
He pressed his lips to hers and Ellie closed her eyes with a sigh of surrender. His hands came up to cradle her face, his long fingers stoking her jaw, and she reveled in the taste of him, so exciting and yet also strangely familiar.
He wasn’t acting now. There was no one to deceive, no ulterior motive, and the fact that he wanted her,truly, made excitement bloom inside her like a fiery glow.
She kissed him back with wholehearted enjoyment, stroking her tongue against his, loving the deep groan of approval that rumbled from his chest at her enthusiastic participation.
His lips left hers as he kissed below her ear, then down her neck. His hand slid to her waist to tug her closer, and she tilted her head back with a gasp as he pressed a line of kisses along the neckline of her bodice, pressing his nose to her décolletage. The slight scrape of his evening beard on the tender skin of her breasts made her shiver in delight, and she threaded her fingers through his hair to hold him in place as he licked and nipped the exposed curves.
“This is a wicked dress,” he murmured. “And you are a wicked woman, to tease a man so. I could barely concentrate enough to pick Willingham’s pocket with you standing there, looking so tempting.”
Ellie let out an incredulous laugh. “It’s your own fault. You chose it.”
His hand squeezed her hip as he reclaimed her mouth. “True,” he murmured. “I must be a glutton for punishment.”
He kissed her long and hard, a thrilling statement of intent, and Ellie melted against him, weak-kneed. When they finally pulled apart, she was pleased to see his breath was as choppy and uneven as her own.
“Feeling sleepy?” he panted.
She shook her head with a gleeful laugh. “Not even a little.”
“Good.”
In one swift move he bent and lifted her against him. He carried her through a doorway, across the hall, and into what was clearly his bedchamber, and her heart fluttered in excitement.
God, she really was doing this! She’d always fantasized about being a wicked, wanton rebel, but she’d never imagined she’d truly get the chance. Yet here she was, in the room of a gorgeous scoundrel, determined to enjoy the miraculous experience to the fullest.
Harry deposited her on the edge of the bed with a bounce, kissing her again so quickly she didn’t even have time to look around the room. Ellie put her arms around his neck and tried to drag him down onto the bed with her, but he pulled back with a deep chuckle.
“So impatient, Miss Law,” he chided. “Surely as an investigator you know the importance of not rushing intoan unfamiliar situation? One must take stock, observe. Be patient.”
He stepped back and stripped off his waistcoat with a carelessness that almost made her protest, then untied his cravat and tossed it onto a chair in the corner of the room. His white shirt opened in a deep V at the front, revealing a deliciously tempting expanse of tawny skin, and her cheeks heated as she leaned back on the bed and studied him.
He really was ridiculously handsome. Maybe that book reallyhadbrought her luck?
“I must admit, I’ve never been in this particular environment before,” she said. “I’m willing to bow to your superior knowledge of the terrain.”
She studied his face, worried that her lack of experience would count against her, but the hot look in his eyes dispelled her fears, as did the prominent bulge visible in the front of his breeches. He definitely desired her.
“That’s very sensible,” he said. “I’d be delighted to show you how this particular investigation should be conducted.”
He stepped closer, between her bent knees.
“I thought you said being sensible was overrated?”
His lips curved up. “Stop being so clever.”
He rested his hands on her knees, then slid them slowly up her thighs, bunching the emerald-green silk with his palms as he went. Ellie shivered in anticipation.
Instead of kissing her again, he dropped to his knees and caught the hem of her skirts. There was no resistance from the slippery silk as he pushed it up to reveal her white silk stockings and garters, inch by inch, and Ellie let out a scandalized breath as the cool air wafted against the bare skin of her inner thighs.
“A sensible thief—I mean,investigator,” he amended drily, “always takes time to do plenty of reconnaissance. Open your legs.”
Ellie sucked in a breath at his unexpected command. From her position, she could see his wicked face and broad shoulders between her thighs. Desire made her body throb, and she bit her lip as she held his gaze and slowly did as he asked.
Heat flushed her cheeks. She wasn’t wearing any drawers. The dress had come with the sheerest of muslin shifts to wear underneath, and even the corset was built in to the bodice itself.