He laughed at her then, the deep rumbling so close it sent vibrations through her entire body. “You have no power here. This is not your house, and you’re certainly not going to force me.”
“I loathe you,” she growled at him. Not just due to his insults, his arrogance, the unfair amount of luck that had been bestowed upon him, but also the confusing way her body was now reacting to him and his presence. It was as if every nerve, every cell, every fiber stood in rapt attention, trembling in unison. Something physically and scientifically impossible.
“I don’t care enough about you to have an opinion,” he countered, his smirk now rather triumphant.
“I—” But nothing came out. Instead, his lips were on hers, taking the words, as he crushed her body against the door. Desire surged through her as she pressed back, meeting him, pure lust crackling in the air around them.
Hot and demanding, he invaded, taking her breath, her will, and any resistance she might have had, as he stroked her tongue with his, sending tremors through her core, firm and bold and relentless. Not that she wanted him to stop. Ever.
“My god,” he panted, staring down at her, his eyes a bit wild. A sense of power surged through her.
“Again,” she commanded, in a voice unfamiliar to her own ears, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him toward her.
“More?” he asked when they came up for air again.
“More,” she agreed, her senses alight with need, every part of her aching for his touch, his tongue, his attention, him. This time, kissing down her neck, he unbuttoned the front fastening of her gown. “Yes,” she moaned, as his fingers dipped beneath her stays, cupping her breast.
“Say ‘please,’ ” he teased, his finger so close to her now aching nipple, yet so far.
“Or what?” she asked in challenge.
It was his turn to blink. “I was wrong,” he said finally.
“What?” she asked, frowning a little as she studied his face.
His lips curled into the naughtiest, most delicious smile she’d ever seen. “You are fun at parties,” he told her, before hoisting her in his arms and carrying her toward a ladder angled against the wall.
Rebecca watched as Berab fastened the falls of his trousers and retied his cravat with startling deftness and efficiency.
Well, not quite so startling considering she’d experienced that dexterity firsthand. A skill not limited to his fingers.
Her body grew tight at the memory of how she’d near screamed as Berab sucked, licked, and delighted every part of her skin he could expose. Humiliating reaction, especially considering how much she absolutely detested the man.
She bit her lip. She did detest him, right?
He was the embodiment of everything she despised: someone respected not for his knowledge but for his presentation. Who prioritized image over wisdom. Who only valued others for the same.
At least she’d believed he did. At least—the man cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to his face and the rather polite and slightly uninterested expression thereon. An odd, stale gnawing invaded her stomach.
“What?” she asked, folding her arms over her bodice, before reaching up and pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“I apologize, Miss Adler,” he told her. “That was poorly done.”
A pounding began in Rebecca’s ears.
“It was completely inappropriate of me to engage with you in this way,” he continued, his tone clipped, formal, and highly irritating. “I regret it fully, as I’m sure you do as well.” He gazed at her expectantly for her agreement.
Somehow, she managed to force herself to nod.
“Yes,” she said, in a voice she barely recognized. “I do.”
Not that such was incorrect. She should regret matters. After all, sexual congress with a practical stranger in one’s best friend’s library was certainly “bad form,” in both their world and that of the gentiles.
“And I’m sure you recognize that it would be completely inappropriate for us to marry,” he continued.
The pounding in her head stopped.Marry?Who said anything about marriage?
Moreover, who said she had any desire to marry him in particular? She glanced up, studying his once again bland but arrogant expression. Yes, the man he’d been a few moments ago was truly gone. If he’d ever been there in the first place.
