Page 32 of The Truth About Lord Stoneville
The faintest of smiles touched his lips. “True.” Then he kissed her again, taking advantage of her slightly parted lips to thrust his tongue inside her mouth.
And it was glorious, a hundred times more thrilling than any kiss Nathan had ever given her. Her skin felt too tight to contain her body, and her body felt too tight to contain her stampeding heart. Every sense was heightened. The taste of tart-sweet wine on his breath intoxicated her, and the smell of his spicy cologne made her dizzy.
When he delved his tongue deep, again and again, all she could do was grab his coat and hold on, sure that she would disintegrate into a million pieces if she didn’t. Tentatively she put her tongue into his mouth, curious as to how that would feel. Groaning low in his throat, he flattened her body against his hard one with the iron band of his arm. Then his mouth became more ravenous, bolder and hungrier, all-consuming.
She reminded herself that this was only a game to him, one of a thousand kisses he’d given a thousand women. But she kept hearing his grandmother say,He has vulnerabilities that you cannot even begin to imagine.
He tore his mouth free to whisper, “Your fiancé is clearly mad, to run off and leave you to the mercies of other men.” He trailed open-mouthed kisses along her jaw to her neck. “He’s not worthy of you.”
“But you are?” she breathed as Oliver tongued the hollow of her throat.
“God, no. The difference is, I don’t care.”
“You don’t care about . . . much, do you?”
“I care about this.” His hand slid up to cover her breast, and to her shock, he kneaded it, making the nipple ache. “I care about making love to an angel in the starlight.”
As his words trickled into her haze of desire, she froze. Making love? Oh, mercy, what was she doing? He had his hand on her breast!
She shoved him away. “You mean, making love to awomanin the starlight, don’t you? Any woman will do. I just happen to be handy.”
For a moment, the stark anger in his eyes gave her hope that he would protest her claim. Then he shuddered, and the anger gave way to a cynical arch of his brow. “You do know me well, I see.”
“Yes,” she choked out. “I have your sister to thank for that. I’m very familiar with Lord Rockton’s habits.” She fought to quell the violent beating of her heart. He mustn’t guess how deeply he’d dragged her into fancying that he cared. He would use it against her. She was sure of it.
“Then you know Rockton never stops with kissing,” he drawled and reached for her again, but she shied away, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.
She’d poked a stick at a sleeping beast, and now she’d better run before he fully awakened. “That’s enough practice for one night, sir.”
He went still. “Practice?”
“In kissing, of course. Since I clearly have much to learn about it before I marry Nathan, I figured no one could show me the proper way to do it as well as you. Especially after your sister touted Lord Rockton’s talent with women.”
The muscle that ticked in his jaw told her she had struck a nerve. “And did I perform as advertised?”
“No one in life can ever match fiction. Surely even you know that.”
“Yes,” he said coldly. “I believe I do.”
“But it was still a valuable lesson, and for that I thank you.” She meant that: he’d taught her not to take him too seriously. Not if she wanted to leave with her virtue intact.
He’d made it clear that he had no desire to marry, anddespite her uncertainty about Nathan, she wasn’t ready to give up on her betrothed, either. So she must tread very, very lightly around his lordship from now on.
“I think we should rejoin the others, don’t you?” she said.
“You go on,” he ground out. “I’ll be along in a moment.”
Grateful for the reprieve, she fled.
Only after she’d reached the dining room did she remember that he’d never answered her question about his anger at his grandmother.
Chapter Nine
Oliver watched Maria hurry into the house, her round bottom swinging in a way that did nothing to quell his arousal. If she did stay beyond tonight, he’d have to get her some clothes that didn’t make him long to lay her down and—
Damn her hide. His kiss generally had women leaping into his bed, and she’d regarded it merely as “practice” for marriage to her dull fiancé! Though apparently she foundhimequally dull.
No one in life can ever match fiction.
