Page 89 of Every Rake Has A Silver Lining

“Yes. That one.” Grasping her hand, he moved it out of his way before lowering his head.

As he pressed his lips against her throat, his fingers traced a featherlight touch over the side of her neck.

Sparks ignited under the skin. “Oh,” she moaned, her head lolling back and eyes shuttering in sheer pleasure.

He chuckled, the gravelly sound vibrating against the sensitive area, shooting more sparks across her shoulders and chest, and settling low in her belly.

Damn the man. His boasts about his prowess were not exaggerations.

He lingered as if he had nothing better to do, finally ending with a quick flick of his tongue. “You, Wife, are delicious.”

The absurdity of his comment was lost on her muddled brain. Truly, the man had turned it to mush. All she could think about was she wanted him to kiss her lips.

She turned her face up to his, her mouth puckered in what she presumed was the correct arrangement to express her desire.

“More?” The arrogant, self-assured tone of his voice indicated he already knew her answer.

Unwilling or unable—she wasn’t certain—to answer him with words, she nodded. A curt down and up motion was all she could manage.

The ridiculous grin broke widely across his face, the rake! “Very well. Hmm, where should I kiss now?” He made a great show of stepping back, his gaze raking her from foot to head.

Tired of waiting, she pulled him toward her, grabbing a fistful of his dark hair, and lowered his mouth to hers.

Strong arms banded her around the waist, tugging her close to his body. Heat from his bare chest peeking through his gaping banyan seared through her nightrail.

She was ablaze. Tempestuous sensations bombarded her. The scent of masculine sandalwood mixed with something uniquely him. The sweet taste of chocolate as he dipped his tonguetentatively between her lips. Silky soft strands of dark hair beneath her fingers. His evening whiskers did indeed scratch, but in the most enjoyable way, causing a tightening in her breasts. Moans of pleasure—from him, from her? Both of them?

She cracked open one eye. The abandon sketching Simon’s face surely matched her own. Peering down, she marveled at the wisps of hair covering the expanse of his bare chest. When she slid her other hand up to test the texture, the muscle in his pectoral twitched under her fingers, and power surged through her.

At the juncture of his shoulder and neck, a ropy sinew tightened, and he pulled his mouth from hers. “Careful, Charlotte. If it’s only kissing you want, you’re treading into dangerous waters.”

Somewhere in the recesses of her jumbled mind, she wondered if she cared or if she’d just as soon drown in the waters of desire.

CHAPTER 24

How much was one man supposed to withstand? Charlotte was his wife! But even if he hadn’t promised her, he would never force himself on a woman. It was unthinkable. “You should go back to your room.” Like his unending impetuosity, the words flew from his lips.

Lips.

He glanced again at Charlotte’s, the sweet taste of them still lingering on his own. The touch of her fingertips on his bare chest scorched his skin. How could a person dislike another with such a blazing intensity, and yet have that same fire ignite an inferno of desire in their blood?

And when they finally gave in to their undeniable attraction, would they go up in flames like a phoenix?

He was more than willing to find out. “Unless you want to stay?” He toyed with the shoulder of her nightrail. “Perhaps more kissing in less exposed places?” Hooking a finger in the edge of the material, he tugged it down an inch. “Here, perhaps?”

She hesitated, and his heart stuttered with hope. Would she stay? Welcome the continuation of his seduction?

Blinking as if realizing where they were headed, she stepped back and yanked her nightdress back into place. “I should slap you.”

“Ha! So it’s perfectly fine for you to run your hands all over my chest, but I can’t even touch your shoulder?” He stared her down. “You are such a hypocrite, Charlotte Beckham. Deny it all you wish, but you want me as much as I want you!”

She answered him by storming from the room and slamming the door behind her.

“I hope you’re up all night thinking of me,” he muttered. Climbing into the cold bed, he knew he’d just sentenced himself to the same fate.

“What a nightmare.” He ran a hand down his face, wondering how the hell he was ever going to make this sham of a marriage work.

Lord knows when he finally fell asleep. He’d tossed and turned all night dreaming of Charlotte. When he finally woke, he cracked an eye open, cursing the beam of light coming in through the slit in the curtain. Leave it to the sun to shine directly in his eyes.

---