She sat back on her heels. “You’re rather nonchalant about your attack.” Her gaze sharpened. “Does this sort of thing happen often?”
“Nine. Ten,” he said, ignoring her question. “Time’s up.” The rich timbre of his voice held both promise and foreboding.
As he angled his body around, Catherine’s eyes grew more and more round with every new inch revealed. Magnificent. All the adjectives she’d used to describe his body thus far were like defining the Crown Jewels as a set of pretty baubles.
Pretty did not come close to describing his baubles.
He held out his hand. “Come with me.”
Catherine glanced from his hand to his smoldering eyes to the pulsing length of his erection. And there her attention remained, fixed on the delicate smoothness of his flesh straining to accommodate his building arousal. Engorged veins lined the underside of his staff, leading to a round, velvety tip that pointed toward his navel. From there, she followed a slender line of dark hair down to his thick base, which led back to pulsing veins and straining flesh.
In all her years of marriage to Jeffrey, he had never been so blatant, so confident with his bare form. Catherine’s mouth felt suddenly dry, and that’s when she realized her jaw hung open. She closed her mouth so fast that her teeth clicked together.
He crouched down in front of her, the action causing him to wince. “I am inviting you into my bedchamber, Catherine. Do you accept, or must I persuade you?”
She was certain he could hear her heart pounding. What started out as a seduction to save her daughter was progressing into far more dangerous territory. She could no longer feel the guilt or the shame, only the hunger of her body. “Both?”
Bracing his hand on the floor, he leaned forward, sliding his nose alongside hers. The caress of his breath fanned over her lips, compelling hers to part. His kiss was warm and passion-filled, making her body tingle in glorious places and her heart sing with anticipation.
“Are you persuaded now?” His words were low, seductive.
Unable to open her eyes, she nodded. “Oh, yes.”
“Look at me.”
She blinked her eyes open, surprised by the heavy weight of her lids.
“Do you recall the terms of our affaire?”
A sharp ache pierced her chest. “Of course.”
“Then you recall that I will be returning to London in a few days.”
The ache spread to her throat. “You have nothing to worry about, Sebastian. I understand that our time together is ephemeral.”
His eyes hardened for the briefest of seconds, then he blinked and their glowing intensity returned. Catherine accepted his hand, and they strode into his bedchamber, one sporting nothing but the perfection of his bare flesh and the other draped in mournful black linen. The contrast was startling and evocative.
The moment she stepped into his bedchamber, Catherine’s senses sharpened. Candles flickered around the room—candles she didn’t recall seeing moments ago when Parker had let her in. The air was redolent with Sebastian’s special scent.
She gathered in a long breath, savoring the delicate woodsy bouquet. The mix of musk and violet suited him much more than the popular sandalwood or ambergris, known for their bold fragrance.
His thumb smoothed over the backs of her fingers. The tender caress drew her attention to the solid warmth of his hand while he guided her toward his massive curtained bed. Like most things in this house, the earl’s bed bespoke privilege, wealth, and an appalling flair for the vulgar. But in this instance, the ceiling-to-floor sapphire hangings, with their silver embroidered cuffs and their plush folds, compelled rather than repulsed.
He stopped near the side of the bed and cradled her flushed cheeks. Bending close, he kissed her forehead and then skimmed his mouth over hers. “I am going to do unspeakable things to you in that bed, Catherine,” he breathed against her lips. “If you have thoughts of fleeing, now would be the time.”
“The only place I wish to flee is deeper into your arms.”
The pressure on her cheeks tightened infinitesimally, and his nostrils flared around a shuddering breath. “Then come, my sweet.”
At his urging, she carefully curled her arms around his back, sliding her trembling hands up the satiny planes of his shoulders. He was so large. So solid and strong. Yet his hands explored her body with a gossamer touch, with a skill that left her aching for more.
She pressed closer, delighted and aroused by the evidence of his desire. Every inch pulsing against her stomach was for her, for want