Page 18 of Sin and Serendipity

A groan rumbled low in his chest as his hands moved to the small of her back, his fingers pressing, urging her closer until their hips met and her breasts were flush against his chest. Ellie whimpered, savoring the feel of him, his strength, the press of his muscled body against her softness. More.

Robert kissed her harder, his hands gripping her hips, and when he stroked her bottom lip with his tongue, she opened for him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He swept his tongue inside to tangle with hers, and desire, sweet and aching, pooled low in her belly and spread to her thighs, wringing a desperate moan from the back of her throat.

Which was when Robert tore his lips away and stepped back.

Ellie opened her eyes. Dazed, she studied his face, the harsh set to his jaw, the frown marring his brow. He looked…displeased. Angry, even.

Shame washed over her, swift and sharp, and she took a hasty step backward. “I-I’m sorry, my lord,” she stammered. “I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I...I didn’t mean to.”

He said nothing for what seemed an eternity, his gaze trained on the ground, avoiding hers. Finally, he looked at her. “Why did you?” His voice was gravelly yet calm, his eyes unnervingly blank.

“Why?” Ellie dropped her gaze to her fidgeting hands and swallowed. “Because I…because…” Because I couldn’t help myself. “Because I’ve never kissed a man before and I was curious. I…wanted to see if I would like it.”

There, she thought. That sounded almost reasonable.

“I see,” he said, bending down to retrieve the basket of roses before rising again. “And did you?”

Ellie blinked at him. Surely he did not expect her to answer that. “Did I what?” she asked lightly, feigning ignorance.

Amusement tugged at the corners of his lips. “Did you like it?”

There was a thread of humor in his voice, but his eyes were serious, flitting over her face as if he might find the answer there. What did he want from her? Did he want her to say she’d liked it? That she wanted another?

Was she supposed to grade him on his performance?

Uneasy beneath his perusal, she nearly turned away but forced her feet to stay. “It does not matter if I liked it,” she said evenly. “We shouldn’t have done it. It was foolish, and wrong, and...and…”

His brows arched. “And?”

“And…I’m in love with Freddy.”

“Yes,” he said softly. “So you keep saying.”

She flexed her jaw. “Well, it’s the truth.”

A smile curled his lips, and his hand came up, his knuckles grazing the arch of her cheekbone. “And yet, it was my kiss that brought this flush to your cheeks, wasn’t it?” His voice rumbled, his breath teasing her hair. “It was my kiss that made you moan with need and press your gorgeous body against mine.”

The tips of his fingers brushed her throat, over her pulsebeat, a touch so soft she barely felt it, and still, a shiver raked up her spine.

“Even now, your heart is racing,” he said, the words a rough whisper. “It’s racing for me, Ellie. Not my brother. Me.” His face was hard, his eyes dark with frustration and need.

She swallowed, helpless to do anything but stand there and stare, transfixed, hoping he would kiss her again. Praying he wouldn’t.

His hand fell away then, his smile turned sardonic. “But, as you say, it’s Freddy you want.” He reached down to collect the second basket then turned toward the house. “Come, we’d best take these flowers in to your mother.”

Ellie watched him walk away, her heart thudding in her chest, her hands clenched at her sides. Lord above, what had just happened?

You kissed Freddy’s brother, that’s what.

And, worse, she’d wanted more. She’d wanted never to stop.

Confusion mingled with the desire still thrumming through her veins and she closed her eyes. She could still feel his lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth, his hands gripping her hips as if they belonged there.

Her eyes popped open, her face aflame. How was she supposed to face him after that? How would she face Freddy?

Good heavens, she was having dinner with the two of them tonight. Sharing a meal with the man she loved while the man she’d just kissed—his brother—sat at the same table, only a few feet away.

Oh, what a mess she’d gotten herself into.