of her. The realization was exhilarating. Tormenting.
She shouldn’t want him so much. Every act between them was nothing more than a link to a greater betrayal. They both had secrets, underlying motives for igniting their passions. And he would soon be gone.
The knowledge that he would leave her behind, as her father and Jeffrey had done, sent a bolt of realism straight through her heart. That flash of insight was all she needed to start mentally erecting a familiar barrier, one designed to keep her heart intact and her sanity in place.
“Turn around, please,” he whispered.
She swiveled around, and he began working on the fastenings of her gown. All the while, she continued building her protective wall, stone by stone. However, this particular barrier proved more challenging than past ones. The brush of his fingers along her back and the warmth of his lips pressed against her nape distracted her from her task.
Her gown sagged and then billowed to the floor. She evaluated her barrier and groaned. Large clumps of mortar dripped from the seams, and stones sat haphazardly within each row, leaving dangerous gaps. Cool air kissed her burning flesh, and Catherine scrambled to hold up her quivering wall.
His hands skimmed down her arms until he laced their fingers together. “Relax,” he said against her temple.
From his vantage point, she knew he had full view of her nudity, especially when she tilted her head back to rest on his shoulder and arched her arms around until she could clasp her hands behind his neck. With her breasts jutting forward and her bottom snuggled against his rigid length, she felt both vulnerable and luxuriant. His hands caressed their way over her quavering stomach to her swollen, tender breasts. She closed her eyes and tracked his movements with her sense of touch alone.
“Beautiful.” He closed his hand over her aching breast, adding the slightest bit of pressure to her ruched peak. A stab of need sliced through her body, lifting her to her toes.
“So responsive.” He squeezed again, this time harder, compounding the torturous move by ravishing her mouth.
His tongue slid inside with a thoroughness that made her legs squeeze together. She wanted to hold on to this moment for as long as possible. She wanted to experience a man’s need and have him assuage hers. She wanted to feel alive again.
Breaking the kiss, he threw back the covers and climbed into bed. He reclined against the mound of pillows, lifting one knee and holding out his hand in invitation. A shiver raced along her bare flesh, having nothing to do with her state of undress and everything to do with his sultan-like pose. Rippling muscles, smoldering steel-gray eyes, raw desire. The erotic combination stole her breath.
His hand lowered. “Take your hair down for me.”
The breath she had been holding whooshed from her body. She wasn’t used to such blatant commands. They made her feel uncertain and shy, beautiful and bold.
Straightening her spine, she lifted her hands to her hair and began pulling out pins. He followed the unfurling of every long lock with such intensity that her attempt to appear seductive and unhurried began to fray.
When she finally located the last pin, she breathed a sigh of relief as she swept her mass of blond hair over one shoulder. “Anything else, my lord?”
His nostrils flared. “A good deal more, I assure you, madam.”
He lifted his hand again, and Catherine noticed it was no steadier than hers. She swallowed back the last of her trepidation and accepted his assistance. Once she had scaled the high bed, Sebastian guided her into position. She nearly balked when she realized he wanted her to mount him. Never had she assumed such a place of power with Jeffrey.
Perceptive as always, he noted her hesitation. “Do you mind?” he asked. “I’m afraid my knee won’t hold up to the traditional way.”
He radiated so much power and strength that Catherine momentarily forgot his injuries. “Not at all. What of your head wound?”
“I will be careful.”
He tugged on her hand, and Catherine followed his summons. With her knees framing his hips and her hands entwined with his uplifted ones, she knelt above him, taking in the surreal image of Sebastian beneath, gazing up at her as if she were his entire world. Power surged through her, and she lowered her starving cleft until it rested on the warm girth of his erection.
Fire shot up her spine and her muscles clenched tightly. Even though he had not penetrated her