Page 66 of In a Rake's Embrace
Her breath caught.Thomas!A jolt of relief and fierce, unsteady emotion seized her heart. She scanned the crowd, desperate for a glimpse of him.
Lord Benedict scowled, glancing back as if assessing his rival.
“Eleven thousand one hundred,” he spat, his tone laced with frustration.
“Twelve thousand,” came Thomas’s reply, his tone bored and indifferent.
The room went still as her heart hammered wildly.Where is he?
“Twelve thousand three hundred—”
“Fifteen thousand pounds.”
The entire room fell silent as Thomas’s voice rang out, cool and commanding.
A murmur of astonishment swept through the crowd. Lord Benedict’s face flushed with frustration, and he opened his mouth as if to retort but then stopped, slumping back in his chair, defeated. Madam Rebecca looked positively delighted, her eyes wide as she leaned forward, clasping her hands in triumph.
“Gentlemen,” she announced, barely containing her exhilaration. “The winning bid of fifteen thousand pounds goes to Lord Radbourne!”
Scattered conversation filled the room. Agatha’s heart raced, her pulse pounding with excitement and disbelief. Thomas emerged from the shadows, his gaze intense as he approached the dais. Without a word, he stepped onto the stage, reaching for her. The crowd’s murmurs faded, blending into a distant hum as he slipped his arms around her and lifted her effortlessly, cradling her against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her face inches from his, and his scent enveloped her,intoxicating her senses. She barely noticed the stunned gazes and whispers as he carried her from the room, her whole being focused solely on him.
They ascended the stairs, the familiar hallways ofAphroditefalling away as he carried her to the fourth floor, his private quarters. Agatha’s gaze never left his face, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She couldn’t speakor bring herself to break the charged silence between them. Every sensation was heightened, each step bringing her closer to being in his arms. Her awareness of him, his strength, the gentle but possessive hold he kept around her, was so intense it was almost painful.
“Will you … stay for five nights?” she finally asked, unable to bear not knowinghow long he would stay with her.
Thomas’s gaze flickered, a shadow of something unreadable crossing his eyes. “One,” he replied, his voice a low, steady murmur. Her heart twisted, and she barely had time to process his words before he stopped at the door, pushed it open, and carried her into his private chamber.
“Only tonight.”
CHAPTER 24
Thomas’s mouth crashed against Agatha’s, and she was instantly drenched with desire. His lips were firmanddemanding, and she melted into him, her body responding with an urgency that left her breathless. He stroked his tongue against hers, drawing her deeper into the kiss, igniting a fire that spread through her veins. He slanted his head to deepen the kiss, and she curled her tongue around his, savoring his taste, his heat. With desperate haste, she started pulling at his cravat with the one hand she didn’t have locked around the back of his neck to keep his mouth where it belonged.
Still kissing, he stumbled with her to the wall, breaking their kiss to spin her to face the wall. Agatha moaned, arching her neck when he buried his mouth there, sucking at the flesh covering her madly hammering pulse. His hands dragged up the thin, silken skirt, and two fingers plunged into her already wet sex.
He grunted, and then he arched her hip with one hand, and with the other, he positioned his cock at her sex and pressed inward. Whimpering at the unyielding pressure, she flexed herhips. Her lover moved his hips in a short, powerful thrust that seated him halfway into her.
“Thomas!” Pain and pleasure spread from where they joined.
“You are so hot and tight,” he murmured against her ear, his voice rough with desire.
He thrust his fingers through her hair, arching her neck even more. The kiss pressed along her throat was tender, yet his other hand trailed over her quivering belly with domineering carnality. Thomas’s hands went lower, delving through her curls to find her clitoris.
“I am too desperate for you to go slow,” he growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her.
Agatha whimpered, finding it difficult to focus on anything but the stretching tightness between her thighs. He dragged three of his fingers over her aching nub, piercing the sensitive flesh with pleasure, and the honeyed heat blossomed through her.
“I do not want slow,” she gasped, her voice trembling with need.
Another drag over her clitoris made her cry out. The sweet rush of ecstasy made Agatha sharply arch her hips, her buttocks nestling more into his body, driving the impalement of his cock even deeper.
“Do you know what I like?” he asked, his voice a dark promise.
“Yes,” she whispered, her breath hitching. It had been revealed in every lesson, every shared laughter, and every wicked kiss.
“I am going to fuck your pussy, your mouth, and your arse for the night. It is going to hurt sometimes, but I promise I will make it so damn good for you.”
Agatha dropped her head weakly onto his shoulder, her arousal so strong sharp tremors wracked her body. “Yes,” she breathed, her voice barely a whisper.
