a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
He wanted her in his arms. He didn’t want to wait. But on the other hand, he didn’t want her to think he was a man without any graces at all.
Her faint smile only deepened her air of mystery. He bit back a groan. His interest in swiving her heightened by the second.
She lifted her gaze and stared straight at him. The heat in her eyes shot a bolt of lust right to his balls. "I’d rather go upstairs and…fuck."
The sound of the profanity in her soft, precise voice made him see stars. "Selina…" he choked out, as his hands fisted on the damask tablecloth.
She watched him, her eyes devouring him, as if he was even more delicious than Mary’s bœuf en daube. "I want you." The wry humor, that proved such a beguiling surprise now he came to know her, gleamed in her eyes. "I want you in a bed where I don’t feel like I’m going to end up on the floor if the carriage hits a bump."
He gave an appreciative grunt of laughter. "That was all part of the experience."
Her bold, assessing gaze focused on him again and made his balls tighten. At this rate, she’d be lucky if she escaped a fast tumble on the dining table. "I’m sure you’ll think of something else to keep me occupied."
His laugh this time held a touch of surprise. "No doubt I will. I am a notorious rake after all." He paused. "I like that you’re not shy."
Color edged her cheekbones, putting the lie to that statement. "We don’t have time for coyness."
"Aye, that’s true." A slow smile curled his lips. Selina had surprised him from the first, and she kept surprising him. No wonder he found her so damned enchanting. He stood and held out his hand. "Shall we?"
She surveyed him as if he was the best thing she’d ever seen in her life. He knew she had no idea how her expression betrayed her, but every time her eyes lit with pleasure at the sight of him, she knocked another chip off the cynicism encasing his heart. He’d had so many lovers, but he already knew this was the lover he’d miss all his life.
Taking his hand, she rose with the natural grace that had drawn his attention the first time he saw her. "We shall."
He drew her into his arms for a kiss. At the first touch of her lips, the air caught fire. She’d left last night’s innocent hesitation far behind. This was a woman who knew what she wanted. The searing candor of her desire sizzled through him like lightning.
By the time they drew apart, he was shaking. So was she. She had that lovely dazzled astonishment on her face that always made him want to kiss her again. Which, by God, he couldn’t do. If he kissed her here, Mary would never get in to clean up. And upstairs, as Selina had been brazen enough to point out, there was a large bed. A bed he’d never shared with a lover. It seemed appropriate that the one woman who would sleep with him there was the one woman he’d never forget.
On a practical level, as she also noted, a bed offered privacy and potential that his carriage lacked, however incendiary their exploits on the way to the hunting box.
"I want to run," she said with a breathless laugh.
"Do you want me to chase you, you wee hussy?"
"You know…" She paused as though she contemplated the secrets of the ages, before a joyous giggle escaped her. She whipped out of his arms and darted for the door. "I think I do!"
Between her head start and his surprise at discovering this playful aspect to her character, he didn’t catch up until he reached the landing off the bedrooms. "Devil take you, you’re quick," he said breathlessly, as he hauled her into his arms for another passionate kiss.
He loved the sound of her laughter, carefree and bright. "No, you’re slow. You’re not used to doing the chasing."
By God, she might be right. Too many easy victories left him spoiled. No wonder that until he met Selina, he was bored and utterly sick of himself.
"Now I’ve caught you, what the devil am I going to do with you?"
"Take me to bed, Brock," she whispered. As the laughter faded from her eyes, he read a desire as potent as his own. "I need you. I need you now."
"My darling…" he said, moved by her