Page 77 of A Perilous Passion

He stopped within arm’s length and looked her up and down with shameless appreciation. She quivered. For once, completely at a loss for words.

“I thought I told you to stay away from Dovehouse Farm,” he said in a softly, menacing tone.

She tilted her chin, took a deep breath, and said, “If I had, you might be dead by now.”

He took a step closer, and she fought the urge to retreat. The bed was right behind her, cutting off her escape.

“You know what happens to willful young women who put themselves at risk, and won’t listen to the advice of their betters?”

“No.” The word came out in a squeak, and she cursed inwardly.

His lips curved up roguishly. “They have to be taught a lesson.”

When he scooped her up in his arms and laid her on the bed, she had a deliciously wicked idea what that lesson would be.

And hoped with all her heart that she was right.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Moving astride Charlotte’s damp body, Rafe trapped her between his knees, pinning her chemise on either side of her hips. For a brief moment she considered struggling, but not one part of her resented his mastery—she yearned for it.

“If you only knew how often I’ve dreamed of having you between my thighs again.” His voice caught.

“And what do you plan to do, now that I’m here?” she whispered seductively.

In answer, he lowered his head and brushed his lips tantalizingly over hers. “I plan to prove to you—as I once promised—that I make love with finesse, not puffing and panting like a ploughboy.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a punishment,” she murmured.

He smiled a devilish grin, filling her with excitement from top to toe. Heavens, how she wanted this man! Knowing how close she’d come to losing him made her hunger all the keener.

He bent his head and touched his lips to hers. They were searingly hot and moist, and she ached for his kiss. When he swept her mouth with the delicious friction of his tongue, she quivered beneath him, and her lips parted.

But he was just teasing her. She felt the soft brush of his hair as he moved his attention to her neck and subjected her to a salvo of tiny nips and kisses down her throat. His mouth lingered in the sensitive curve between her neck and shoulder as he tugged her chemise lower. The onslaught continued, his kisses punctuated by a gentle, insistent sucking against her skin that left her tingling with pleasure.

While his mouth worked wonders on her left shoulder, his free hand roved lazily over the right, drawing little circles on her skin, rubbing gently at the exposed flesh of her breast above the top of the corset, and making her breath hitch.

She feared he’d make short work of her stays once he set his mind to it, but when she brought a hand up to protect herself, her fingers brushed the taut muscles of his shoulder and stayed there, eager to explore.

“Damn,” she muttered as her betraying body responded with a delightful shudder to his ministrations. He’d discovered the lacing of the corset and was loosening it, nudging it down as his lips moved along the exposed flesh below her collarbone.

And suddenly the garment was gone, leaving her in nothing but her thin chemise.

She should be horrified, but instead, she loved how the heat of Rafe’s body warmed her, and she yearned to see—and feel—more of him. Her breasts rose and fell rapidly as she lay waiting to see what he’d do next, watching the rosy warmth of the firelight bathe the mounded muscles of his chest.

Dropping her corset on the floor, he leaned down to launch a battery of kisses over her naked flesh. She caught his head and tilted it up so she could kiss him.

He needed no second invitation. Her fingers snagged in his hair as his tongue met and massaged hers. She loved how tousled his hair was—it made him seem more human, more fragile, more…real.

Flames of desire licked at her belly as he moaned softly and drove their kiss deeper. After a long, stirring assault, he withdrew and smiled down at her, catching his breath.

Then the onslaught began all over again. His knowing hands traced her curves, his skilled tongue wove the sensuous spell of a master seducer. She barely noticed when she was relieved of her chemise, leaving her totally naked, completely open to the heat of his body and his expert touch.

His hand brushed over an exposed nipple, and the resonance sang through her, building the flames of desire to a fierce heat. She groaned and ran her hands over the cascading muscles of his torso, down to the waistband of his breeches. He sucked in a hissing breath, and she quickly withdrew, wondering what she’d done wrong.

“No, sweetheart, don’t be alarmed. The only sounds you hear are those of pleasure,” he assured her.

Encouraged, she explored his chest again, exulting in the rippled furrows of his honed stomach. One of his hands toyed lazily with her breast, while the other kept the full weight of his body from crushing her.