Page 32

M artin was playing a dangerous game, and he knew it.

But he couldn’t stop himself from touching her, caressing her, wanting her.

She was within his reach, and he was finally certain of her affection.

This was not the time or place to make her fully his, but he needed to make her come apart in his arms—radiant, passionate, and ferocious.

He would take a little taste, whet her appetite for things to come, and send her on her way.

As he stroked and teased her, he reveled in the way her body trembled in response—her little gasps, the slick warmth where he was touching her.

And she trusted him enough to allow this.

It was a miracle, given how they had started.

Their courtship had begun as a game he aimed to win, but she had utterly ensorcelled him.

There was no thought of winning now, only of cherishing her affection and worshipping her as she deserved.

But her tiny reactions were playing havoc with him, threatening his self-control.

She was every bit as magnificent as he had dreamed with her heavily lidded eyes and parted, kiss-stung lips, squirming at his touch.

Her nipples pebbled beneath the fabric of her dress as he teased them lightly, making her shiver in delight.

The way she was touching him, the na?ve exploration of his chest, made him ache with need.

But he needed to hold back. He was injured and their privacy was far from assured with a guard right outside the door.

His turn would come in time. For the present, he needed to be patient.

“Are you ready for your punishment, temptress?” Without waiting for her response, he flicked his tongue against her earlobe. “One,” he whispered.

Her breath hitched so beautifully as he nuzzled her neck and licked again. “Two.”

“Wha—what are you doing?” she murmured as her whole body shivered against him. He flicked his finger over the bundle of nerves below, and she convulsed. If she could still ask questions, he had work to do.

“I promised you forty lashes, remember?” He traced his tongue delicately down her neck, then blew on it.

The whimper it drew forth went straight to his cock.

“That makes three,” he whispered, his own breathing wildly uneven and she moved against him, pulling him closer, her fingernails digging into his back. Oh Christ.

He rolled on top of her, allowing himself the momentary relief and torture of pressing his length against her hips. She lifted her legs to welcome him, though layers of fabric lay between them. But even so, it was almost too much to bear.

Claiming her mouth, he delved deep, caressing her tentative tongue with desperate urgency, which she then answered with a fury of her own.

She learned quickly, his magnificent queen, and he rocked against her barely able to believe she was his at last. If this kept up, he was going to lose control and embarrass himself. Pulling back, he whispered, “four.”

“Five, six, seven,” he said, drawing back and kissing and licking his way down from her collarbone to the cleft between her ample breasts, so enticing in the soft candlelight.

He’d dreamed of her surrender, but the reality far surpassed his imagination.

It was like sipping mead, honey and intoxication drowning out all thought of anything but drinking her in.

“Eight.” He nipped at her bare shoulder.

“Nine.” The divot at the base of her throat called to him, and he explored it thoroughly, delighted by the little whimpers she made.

“You’re driving me mad,” she murmured, making him grin.

“Oh, I know,” he said, nibbling on her neck. “And I’m thoroughly enjoying it.”

He couldn’t resist kissing her lips once more, exploring her reactions as their tongues entwined.

As they kissed, she ran her fingers through his hair with one hand and pulled him flush against her with the other.

How he longed to lose himself in her embrace!

But it was too soon. He could bide his time a little while more, knowing he could take her properly as soon as they escaped this mess.

Pulling back, he tugged on her lower lip with his teeth, then soothed it with his tongue. “Ten. Have I told you how much I love the way you taste? Like mint and fresh herbs… I want to savor you for hours on end.”

He kissed her again just because he could, and they rocked together in a slow rhythm sending shivers of desire down his spine despite the aching throb of his foot.

If he didn’t pull back, he was going to give in to his need.

Holding her close like this was too much.

Just a little bit of cloth separated him from total bliss.

So he turned on his side and kissed his way down her neck.

“Eleven.” He traced her neckline with the tip of his tongue, raising goosebumps on her decolletage.

But it wasn’t enough. He needed more, and so did she from the way she arched beneath him.

He wanted to treasure every inch of new flesh exposed to him.

Every gasp and sigh was worth more than gold and jewels as he drew them forth.

With fumbling fingers, he loosened her laces as he continued his slow, relentless stroking between her legs, reveling in her reactions.

He loved the way she trembled with each touch, squirming beneath him.

Soon he freed her breasts, nudging them above the neckline of her dress.

God in heaven, what a sight! Somehow, she was even lovelier than he’d imagined, and Lord knew he’d imagined it in great detail.

“I am speechless, my lady. Your beauty robs me of words.”

She grinned and preened. “Is this all it takes? I should have tried it sooner.”

“Siren.” For truly, she was a temptress sent to destroy his resolve.

“Beware, lest I drag you down to the depths with me.” She dragged her nails lightly down his back, and he gasped. Tendrils of sensation spread far beyond the light scratching on his back. He found himself panting, unable to draw a full breath as he struggled to keep his head.

“If this is my reward,” he murmured, “I’ll follow you to my doom and be glad of it.”

Needing to distract her, and himself, he drew a taut nipple into his mouth, licking and sucking, as she pressed into his hand beneath her skirts.

As she started to moan, he was forced to put a hand over her mouth.

Grazing her nipple lightly with his teeth, he pulled back and looked at her glorious dishevelment. “Twelve.”

“More,” she whimpered against his hand.

Yes, Isabella. That’s what I want to hear. Beg for my tongue against your silken flesh.

“Are you so eager for punishment? I shall have to lash you harder.” He drew her other nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, flicking it with his tongue in fast, repeated strokes.

At the same moment, he pressed a finger inside her as he continued to stimulate her bud.

She convulsed, the telltale pulsation within her building and building.

His own need was almost intolerable. Watching her bliss only made him hunger for her all the more. Her pleasure became his sole purpose in life. There was nothing he desired more than to see her tremble and shake beneath his hand. Or his tongue. She had no idea what he had in store for her.

Just as she was about to reach her peak, he pulled away, leaving her wild-eyed and desperate. “I believe we’re up to twenty-three. Do you surrender, my lady? Are you ready to confess your secrets?”

“Wha—?”

Good. Speechless. That was right where he wanted her.

Granted, he wasn’t in much better of a state.

All he could think about was what it would be like to unlace himself and slide inside of her.

The spicy scent of her arousal was playing havoc with his willpower.

But he wouldn’t. Not tonight. Not until she was ready for a true wedding night.

He would have to wait until they were safely away from Yarmouth to make love to her as she deserved.

He refused to make her his while still on Lord James’s land.

Ignoring the painful throbbing of his cock as it strained against his braies, he sat up on his knees, gingerly to avoid further pain in his injured foot, and took a deep breath.

The picture before him was almost more than he could endure.

Her legs bracketed him, and her skirt was rucked up to her waist, revealing her lovely sex.

Her breasts heaved with her panting as she tried to press herself against his leg, seeking friction to finish what he had started.

The sight made him ache with mixed need and wonder.

This woman was his wife. How had he ever gotten so fortunate?

“Put the pillow over your mouth,” he whispered. “What I’m about to do will make you cry out, and I don’t want to wake the guard. I promised to lash you where you were the most sensitive, and now it’s time to take your punishment.”

She smiled and obeyed, and he positioned himself between her legs, nibbling and licking his way up her thigh until she was sobbing into the pillow.

He blew on her sex, and her whole body shook in response. “I believe we’re up to thirty-three now. Just seven more lashes to go, my love. Are you ready?”

He brushed her bud with his thumb as he eased a finger back inside her.

Clutching the pillow to her face, she let out a long, low moan as she arched and squirmed. That was all the answer he needed.

“Good. Very good.”

With no further ado, he sucked her bud into his mouth, and the glorious salty tang of her burst upon him. Unable to help himself, he squeezed himself beneath his braies. It was too much to take.