Page 45 of Taming of the Rake
Pressed against his side, Regina took it all in with wide eyes and parted lips. David had convinced her to leave her pelisse, gloves, and hat in the carriage, having anticipated the warmth of the room. The lighting seemed to embrace her, making the deep red tones of her hair gleam and brightening the translucence of her skin. It made the forest green she wore even more of a delight. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she glanced about before finally turning her gaze up to him.
“There, you see?” he murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist. “No one is paying us the slightest bit of notice.”
She stiffened at his open display of affection, but then seemed to notice he was right. The center of the room teemed with dancing couples. Others stood in shadowed corners, sweat glistening on brows and bosoms as they flirted shamelessly, laughed too loudly, and generally acted as if they hadn’t a care in the world. Everyone was so intent on their own amusement that no more than a few pairs of eyes had flicked to them upon their entry.
“Do you come to many of these assemblies?” she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the din.
“Not since I took up residence in London,” he replied, shouldering his way toward the bar and pulling her along with him. “But in my youth, I lived for them. They were a nice distraction from what I thought of as the tedium of country life.”
He quickly maneuvered them into an empty space created by two men wandering off with their drinks and leaned his elbow on the counter, facing her. They were met with a barmaid wearing a threadbare gown and stained apron. He ordered ale for them both, yet another development that took Regina aback. At the incredulous look she gave the amber brew filled to the brim of a pewter mug, David chuckled.
“Just try it. The Crimson Dove has some of the best ale in the county. I wouldn’t take you just anywhere to have your first taste.”
He did not have to ask if she’d ever had anything stronger than champagne or the occasional cordial. Considering how controlling her husband had been, perhaps she hadn’t even sampled that much.
Taking a deep breath, she raised the cup to her lips.
David halted her with a hand over her am. “Wait. This is a special occasion.”
He raised his mug between them and she followed suit. “What shall we toast to?”
“To new experiences, and leaving the past behind us, where it belongs. And to you, my dear.”
Her smile faded as their cups clinked, and she held his gaze while he took his first sip. Seeming encouraged by this, she drank, eyes flaring wide as she stared at him over the rim.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, staring into the cup and licking foam off her lips. “That is far better than I expected.”
“Only the best for you,” he murmured. “Careful not to drink that too fast. Though, if you become soused I’ll carry you out of here. However, I cannot promise not to take advantage of your lowered inhibitions.”
Regina laughed, sending one of those perplexing pangs of feeling through him. His reaction to her laughter was unsettling, yet he still craved more of the sound.
His cock twitched in his breeches as she dipped her fingers into the front of his waistcoat and pulled him closer. Ale sloshed over the sides of his mug to wet his hand, but he could pay that small aggravation no heed while drowning in her eyes.
“It wouldn’t be taking advantage if I wanted it.”
“Christ,” he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut and battling down a raging cockstand.
It had taken a great deal of effort to restrain himself in her dressing room, though he hadn’t fought the need to taste her, to feel her climax against his tongue and hear her moan his name. By the end of the night, he would find his way inside her … but it was too soon. She would enjoy it so much more if he dragged the matter out and made her wait, if he teased and wooed.
Switching his ale to the other hand, he lifted the wet one between them and promptly licked the sweet, slightly fruity, slightly bitter liquid off his knuckles. Her breasts swelled against her bodice with a sharp inhale, and her eyes grew heavy-lidded. Was she remembering the way he’d tongued and sucked her clit not an hour ago? God knew it was all David could think about at present. The scent of her was still on him, and it seemed sharper just then.
“Noted, my dear,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Duly noted.”
He downed half his ale in one long swallow and then glanced about the room. The fiddler and his friends had just struck up a new song, and space opened on the dance floor as a few couples stepped outside to cool off.
Offering Regina his hand, David inclined his head toward the remaining dancers falling seamlessly into a country dance. “Shall we?”
She hesitated only a moment before nodding, setting aside her half-finished ale and letting him lead her onto the dance floor. Conversation was impossible with such a racket going up from the other occupants of the public house—voices raised in song, laughter, cheers and groans from those gathered around tables where men tried their luck with cards. But David couldn’t have found the words even if she could hear him. It became difficult to think of the steps of the dance when all he wanted to do was observe her in an environment that wasn’t her dimly-lit bedroom or some other stuffy chamber of her mausoleum of a house.
Her steps were timid and reluctant at first, but at the encouragement of several women around them, Regina began to loosen up, a soft smile curving the corners of her perfect mouth. That little smirk grew by the minute, turning into a broad smile as she seemed to realize this dance wasn’t like any she’d have attended in the past. Half the people in this room didn’t know the proper steps but were pleased to improvise. Even knowing she had not danced in public in a long time, she put even his own skill to shame. She was light on her feet and graceful, which should come as no surprise to David. Even the slightest fluttering of her hands had struck him as poised and refined. Why shouldn’t she also dance like a veritable angel?
From that first dance, time seemed to move past them with undue speed. They alternated between turns about the dance floor and respites at the bar, where Regina proved more than capable of holding her drink. After her third mug, all her sense of propriety seemed to have fled, and David watched her down the fourth one with all the relish of a sailor fresh home from sea. He goggled at her in disbelief as her throat worked with every swallow, head tipped back and deep, noisy breaths echoing through the hollow inside of her mug.
Their gazes met as she slammed the mug down, lips glistening and eyes bright. A tiny belch emitted from within her chest, and the startled look on her face sent David into peals of laughter. She stared at him for a moment, face flushed and one hand pressed over her mouth. Then, she burst into a fit of giggles, bending at the waist as she clutched the edge of the bar as if for dear life.
When she straightened, Regina wore a wide grin, her shoulders and chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
“Another dance?” he asked. “Or have you had enough?”
