Page 10 of His Scandalous Siren
Five
What had she done? This had not been the plan. Drew was the very last person she had hoped to find at the masquerade, and she certainly had not wanted to fall into his arms. This was not supposed to happen. None of it should have come to pass, and yet, here she was in his arms, thoroughly ruined.
She should feel guilty about that last part. While she had not intended to lose her innocence to Andrew Marsden, Sofia had always wanted him to be her one and only. He wouldn’t offer for her, of course. He thought her a trollop, and that was the sole reason he had gone as far as he had with her. She should extricate herself from his arms and leave the room with what little dignity she had intact.
But she couldn’t move…
Every part of her body was deliciously languid. Sofia had never experienced such wondrous pleasure before. The things he had done to her… There were no words for how divine it had been. Still, she had to move. Had. To. He couldn’t discover her identity. If Drew realized it was her, he would not be happy. She almost snorted. Not happy wasn’t exactly an apt description. Drew would be livid. It didn’t matter that she had not forced him to do anything he didn’t want to. The very fact that he’d ruined her, Sofia Leone, would be enough to give him fits. Drew avoided her too much for her not to believe otherwise.
This was a disaster.
A beautiful one, but a disaster nonetheless. Sofia mentally sighed, then started to pull away from Drew. He tightened his grip around her. “Where do you think you’re going?” His tone was a strange mixture of pleased and annoyed. Sofia didn’t quite know what to make of that.
Up until this moment, she had refrained from speaking. How was she to go forward without doing so now? Other than a few noises she couldn’t prevent during their lovemaking she had remained mute. He expected an answer, and she wanted to give him one; however, she also didn’t want to give herself away.
He lifted his head and met her gaze. Thankfully, her mask had miraculously stayed in place. Perhaps she could still keep her identity hidden. It was unlikely, but a lady could hope… “At a loss for words?” Drew chuckled lightly. “That’s all right. I can think of a few more pleasurable things you can do with your tongue.”
Lord save her… Heat spread through her body all over again. Had it ever truly cooled down? Drew made her mad with desire, and she wanted nothing more than to strip all of her clothing off and lay with him fully naked in the bed. Sofia could not give in to that urge, though. Besides, if she were fully unclothed, he would know her and not join her there. That wasn’t worth the humiliation. She had to leave. It was the only acceptable solution to her dilemma.
Sofia shook her head. “No,” she croaked out. That one word had barely been uttered, but it was enough for Drew to freeze in place.
“It’s a little late to play games,” he said in a relaxed tone. “But I’m willing. Besides, we were in too much of a hurry to fully undress. I’d like to remove this decadent gown and taste every inch of your creamy skin.”
She nearly moaned at his words. Sofia wanted that, too, but she knew better. That could not and would not happen. Instead, she pushed at him again and he let her go. Once she was no longer pinned by his hulking body, she was free to roll away and stand. She righted herself with an efficiency she hadn’t realized she was capable of. Her bodice was yanked upward and her skirts smoothed down by her shaky fingers. She glanced at Drew lying nonchalantly on the bed and desperately wished she could have remained.
“You are really going to leave?” He lifted a brow. “I must be losing my touch. I’ve never had a lover run off before.” Drew frowned. “Did I hurt you?”
It had hurt momentarily. That was to be expected with her previous virginal state, though. Sofia shook her head. He had been an excellent lover. The rumors of his prowess had not been exaggerated. The only thing that would have made it better would be if he had loved her as much as she did him. Loving Andrew Marsden had done nothing for her. Admitting to him who she was wouldn’t either.
“Then why are you leaving?” He stared at her.
He seemed genuinely confused by her actions. Any other woman would already be back in bed with him. Hell… They wouldn’t have left to begin with. Why couldn’t it be different between them? Drew seemed to want her. Would he really throw her aside if he realized she was Sofia Leone, the woman he avoided at all cost?
Sofia nibbled on her bottom lip and considered her options. Could she tell him that it was her he’d made love to? What could she expect from him once he had all the information? She closed her eyes and blew out a breath. No, she couldn’t do it. Nothing good would come from admitting anything to him.
“I can almost see the wheels turning inside that pretty head of yours,” he said, then chuckled. “Quit thinking too hard.”
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. Wicked intent greeted her and slammed through her body. Need spilled over her in waves, but she clamped it down as fast as she could. He patted the bed. “Come back. You know you want to.” Drew winked playfully at her and she almost succumbed to the desire she had barely gained control over.
Sofia shook her head again and backed away. She had to leave and now. This was all too much… She turned and reached for the doorknob, but never got a chance to open it. Instead, she was engulfed with his body once more and pinned against the door. Heaven help her—she was never leaving the bedchamber now.
* * *
Bloody hell…The woman was actually going to leave. He couldn’t believe it. Even as he witnessed her struggle with her own desires, and then actually head toward the door. This really had never happened to him before. He had barely had time to right his trousers before stopping her from leaving. Women begged him to stay not the other way around. What was it about this one? Why was she running away? Was it because she’d been a virgin?
That was why he wanted her to remain. Well, partly… He had to understand her, and he fully intended to marry her. It was the right thing to do. His mother would have his head if she ever discovered what he had done, and if he had impregnated her… Drew closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For some reason, the idea of this woman carrying his child felt right. Which was odd, considering he did not know who the hell she was.
“I can’t let you leave yet,” he said huskily in her ear. Drew kissed the side of her cheek. “There are a few things we must discuss first.” Like what was her name and where could he find her again?
She turned her head to the side against the door and attempted to meet his gaze. Drew almost laughed. The mask was more of a hindrance than she had probably expected. He spun her around, but kept her pinned against the door. He liked how she felt against him.
“And you’re going to have to say more than one word for us to have that discussion.” He trailed a finger down her jawline. “The mask is lovely, but it has to go, too.”
Her eyes widened under the pretty blue silk mask. Was that fear he saw there? Why would she be afraid of him? He hated that she might be scared, but he hadn’t lied. Too much had happened between them already. There could be no secrets between them anymore. It had been fun, at first, however now it was essential he know her.
Drew didn’t give her a choice. He slid his hand behind her head and pulled on the ribbon, keeping her mask in place. It fell free and slid down to her neck. There wasn’t much light in the room. He should have lit a candle so he would have a better view, but then, he didn’t need much light to recognize her. They were close enough even in the low light she was perfectly visible to him. Though he did still want to light that candle. It could wait a bit.
He cursed under his breath, but he didn’t step back. Drew wanted to, but he remained in place. If he moved, he didn’t doubt she would run. Unfortunately for her, he knew how to find her if she did. “Sofia.” His voice was guttural as he spoke.
