yet, her body was on the cusp of a mind-shattering release. She rubbed her slick flesh against his hardness, the exquisite friction making them both moan their approval. She increased the pressure and her pace, nearly flying out of her skin every time her sensitive nub connected with his staff.
“Are you through torturing us, madam?” he asked in a desire-clogged voice. Not waiting for her answer, he said, “Kiss me.” Releasing her hands, he let his arms slide around her back, nudging her down.
Their lips met, and Catherine lost herself in their feral kiss. It was wild and exciting and unlike anything she could have imagined. And then she felt him at her entrance, probing, seeking, needing.
She adjusted her position, and he eased inside, filling her with a fullness that made her blood sing and her heart thunder. Bracing her hands on his chest, she had the odd thought of how small they looked against the breadth of him.
He grasped her hips and lifted her high, to the point of nearly releasing him from her channel. Then he encouraged her to sink low once again. On and on it went, their languid pace increasing as the scent of desire flooded their senses.
“Come with me, Cat.”
She closed her eyes and searched inward for the tiny spark that would ignite her release. But it remained stubbornly out of reach. Her legs quivered from her exertion, sweat dampened her brow. “I’m t-trying. Can’t quite—”
“Hold on,” he commanded.
With barely enough time to comply, Catherine clung to his shoulders while her world upended itself and then she was staring up at the sapphire canopy above his bed. “Sebastian, your knee!”
“Forget it,” he said. “Prop those beautiful legs up and meet me halfway.”
Power surged inside her, and Catherine’s hips flexed. She kissed his chest, his neck, his mouth, all the while meeting him with a confidence that surprised her. This is where she belonged, within the cage of his arms, beneath the power of his body. Here, she did not want to be strong, did not want to be in control. At least, not yet.
He hit the spark, and Catherine lifted her hips, pressing closer and closer. No longer pumping a rhythm, only seeking repletion. Greedy in her purpose and not caring a whit.
The spark ignited, sending Catherine into beloved white light.
Their mingled cries of pleasure echoed through the chamber. Within seconds, an unnatural silence settled around them. Their harsh breaths the only indication life existed after such a fierce loving.
All too soon, he peeled his body off hers, kissed his way down to her breast, and then drew her nipple into his mouth. His actions were languid, not meant to arouse, but simply enjoy. When he’d had his fill, he rolled onto his back, bringing her along.
She stiffened in his arms, afraid she would hurt him. “Perhaps it would be best if I did not crowd you.”
“Perhaps,” he said, keeping his eyes closed. “But I prefer that you stay right where you are.”
Unwilling to argue about something she wanted anyway, she carefully molded her body around his and rested her head against his chest. She listened to the chaotic beating of his heart until it calmed to a normal rhythm.
And that’s when the first tears gathered. She came here to seduce the earl for a scrap of paper, while her daughter slept beneath a canopy of evil. There was no way to get through this intolerable situation without someone getting hurt, either physically or emotionally.
However, she tried not to fool herself where Sebastian was involved. Affaires were commonplace for him. Pleasurable while they lasted, but he likely gave them little thought once they ended.
After his breathing deepened and his hold slackened, Catherine waited a full twenty minutes before easing out of his bed and dressing. She wended her way down the broad staircase, bracing herself for the appearance of a wide-eyed servant. To appease Cochran, she would search the study again tonight and, tomorrow, the library. She pushed the study door open and held her breath. The room was empty. Dark.
She ran to Sebastian’s desk and lifted the ink blotter to see if any more names had been added to the sheet of paper she found there a few days ago. The list was gone. “Blast,” she whispered.
The realization that she would need a light to continue her search struck terror in her heart. She took precious minutes to see if her eyes would adjust to the gloom. Although she could see a little better,