Page 71 of Ruthless with a Rogue
His eyebrows dropped, lids lowering over eyes so dark their green was nearly nonexistent.
“You’ve barely skimmed the surface, darling.”He’d attempted a bored drawl, but the crack in his rough tone gave him away.He was losing his composure.Because of her.It made her feel…powerful.In control.Like he was the one athermercy.She’d never had that with intimacy before.Never really wanted it.But things were different now.Now she needed it.
“Well, we’ll just have to rectify that, won’t we?”She tugged his shirt free from his breeches.
He didn’t need telling twice and tore his shirt over his head.Her hands were on him before she could even think, touching every inch of skin she could manage.Finally.Ever since she’d seen him in that drawing room at the Chesterfield Ball she’d beendyingto know what he felt like.She traced over the hard swells of his chest, circled a nipple just for fun and delighted when he shivered.She drew a lazy path down his ribs.He was lean, maybe too much so.Everything about him was sharp, angular, hard.
She paused at the bottom of his ribcage where one rib stuck out at an odd angle, quite obviously having been broken.Her gaze flicked up to his, but his immediately darted away.Something he clearly didn’t want to discuss right now.
In the next breath, two strong arms scooped her up, and she found herself tucked against that rock-hard chest.Her eyebrows flew to her hairline.Definitely something he didn’t want to discuss right now.
He brought her over to the sage chaise in the corner of the room and laid her down.His gaze raked over her, his cheeks flushed a soft red as his chest rose and fell with rough breaths.“Impossible.”
“What is?”
He knelt on the end of the chaise, hooded gaze boring into her own, one hand sliding up her stockinged calf.“My dreams didn’t do you justice, love.”He prowled over her, eyes glinting with promise.“You’re unparalleled.”
Oh.
That tongue was awfully talented.A pang of lust shot through her at the visions that thought provoked.
She reached for him, and he hurried the rest of the way up her body, his mouth crashing down on hers.His tongue wasted no time, pressing past her lips, tangling with hers in a delicious whisky-flavored glide.This kiss was hungry, wild in its want.His forearms surrounded her like a cage, hands delving into her hair, holding her head still for his onslaught, his body pressing into her.
And her blood froze over.
Turned to ice, and like a frost it wilted every vital organ inside her.
Hazy images of that night came barreling back, all distorted from the effects of the laudanum.But one memory from that night had been unmistakable.That man’s unwanted weight on her.
Everything in her body screamed in panic, her heart clawing at her chest the same way her hands clawed at the assailant atop her.Her lungs refused air, nothing but choked, strangled noises erupting from her as she tried to call for help, but her body failed her.
Blackness stole over her vision, a resounding echo filling her ears.
And then the oppressive weight was gone.But she still couldn’t make out where she was.She still couldn’t hear.Something tried to penetrate the roar in her mind, and she flinched.
“Livy?Livy.”
She lashed out in what she thought was the direction of the noise.
“Fucking bloody hell.”
Some of her surroundings started coming back into focus.Peeling plaster walls.Worn furniture.Cracked ceiling.She recognized this place.Breath exploded from her lungs, stuttering and out of control, but she was just grateful her lungs were working again.
“Livy…” A tentative voice stole her attention, and her gaze landed on a ghost-white Derek.Ghost-white except for where a small drop of blood was forming on his bottom lip.
“Derek?”she said in a small voice.
He cautiously approached her, fists clenched at his sides like he had to make a physical effort not to reach for her.He rolled his bottom lip in and winced.“Your right-hook will never cease to impress me, love.”
Her eyes slid shut, and heat flooded her cheeks.“I’m sorry.”She’d just completely lost herself.Had a-a-afit.Goodness, she’d attackedDerek.In the middle of a tryst.She’d thought with Derek it would be different.He could touch her, and she’d still felt safe.But apparently, she was still broken.
Derek dropped to his knees beside the chaise, blotting his lip with his lawn shirt he must have picked up off the floor at some point.“You have nothing to apologize for, Livy.I’m the one who’s sorry.Are you well?”
His gaze swept over her as if he was looking for injury.But there weren’t any, of course.Not on the surface.
His features tightened.“Bloody fucking damn it.I shouldn’t have—I should have never…I’m so bloody sorry.”
She hastily shook her head.“It’s not your fault.I promise you did nothing wrong.I didn’t realize… I thought I could…with you.”She wrinkled her nose against the sting building there.“I really wanted this,” she whispered.“Still do.”She hadn’t realized how much until now.Until it felt like the opportunity was being taken away from her.Against her will.
