Page 83 of Tempting the Scoundrel
Sofia nodded. “Of course. Come along, children. Adam, darling, stop gawking at the lizard and take my hand.” The statuesque lady and the gaggle of children continued to the next stalls.
Nick tugged on Alexandra’s hand. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere.”
Alexandra laughed as she kept up with him. People watched them curiously as they passed, perhaps wondering why he sped her through the long hall of the Exhibition Center in a hurry. At a quiet end of the center after the Queensland Annex, Thorne pulled them through a door and into a small, hidden alcove. The crowd noise was muffled, filtered through the quiet of the little used chamber.
Alex’s breath caught when he set his hands to the wall on either side of her.
“And what now?” she whispered.
Thorne bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. Alex gave a little groan as she opened her mouth to deepen their kiss. He marveled at that sound: a confession that she was as much a victim of their desire as he. They had four years to make up for. Four years that suddenly felt like a fucking foolish choice he’d made, never to beg for forgiveness.
But, now, he had other things he could do on his knees.
Nick sank to the floor and reached for the bottom of her skirts.
“Nick—” Her next words were cut off with a helpless moan as he pushed up her petticoats. Then he grasped the waistline of her drawers to push them down. “If someone sees . . .”
“They won’t.”
She jumped when he pressed a kiss to her bare thigh. “What if they hear?”
Thorne lifted his eyes to meet hers. She was a picture of arousal: parted lips, flushed cheeks, hair in disarray. When had that happened? Christ, she looked debauched already. He smiled. “We’d best be quiet, then.” He handed her the gathered fabric. “Hold this?”
She took it, murmuring, “You, Nicholas Thorne, are a rogue, a scoundr— ”
He leaned forward and flicked his tongue against her quim, and her head thumped against the wall.
“Dear god,” she whispered.
“Shall I continue?” he asked.
Alex grasped his hair, fingernails scraping his scalp. “I never told you to stop.”
Thorne gave a soft chuckle and pressed his lips to her once more. Her hips jerked, but he held her fast, running his tongue along the slit of her pussy. Their ragged breathing filled the small alcove. The little noises she made—helpless, her fist pressed to her lips to keep quiet—became their own directives: she liked his tongue flat against her clitoris; his two fingers inside her, moving in and out at the same pace he knew she loved with his cock. Her hand scraped across his skull, grasping his hair to pull him closer. A silent encouragement to keep going.
Close. She was close. He could tell by her shuddering movements, the staccato of her breath.
Ah, there.
She bit her fist to muffle a cry of release. He licked her gently as her tremors ceased, prolonging her pleasure as long as he could. Then, with one final kiss, he slid her drawers in place and stood.
Alex dropped her dress and all but collapsed against the wall. “I think you’ve killed me,” she told him with a laugh.
Thorne brushed her lips with his thumb. “Not a bad way to die, is it?”
“Shall I return the favor?” she asked him.
He shook his head and tucked her hair back into its pins. His efforts were adequate —most onlookers wouldn’t notice that she’d been debauched in public. Sofia, however, wouldn’t be fooled. “Only so long Sofia can distract the children. But later, in bed?” He gave her a wicked smile. “I’m open to more negotiating.”
Chapter 27
When Alexandra and Nick walked into the India Annex, Sofia gave them a knowing look. “See anything interesting?” she asked with a smile.
“A fascinating room,” Nick said, casually. “I’d say our exploration there was quite thorough, wouldn’t you, Alex?”
