a moment for the strength to return to her legs. As it was, she felt as if she would collapse against him, drunk on what he’d just made her feel and the promise of more.
“There you are,” he whispered against her lips. He licked into her mouth, then nipped at her chin, her jaw. “I think I like that no one else sees you as you really are. I think if that ass, Lewes, had ever seen you as I just did, I’d be forced to snap his neck.”
At the mention of Martin, Calliope felt as if she’d been doused in the face with cold water. She drew in a sharp breath, pushing Dominick away and fleeing toward the railing of the terrace. Having not fully recovered, her legs failed her, and she stumbled, bracing her hands on the wrought iron to steady herself.
“Calliope.”
Dominick’s hands were on her shoulders, and the heat of his body touched her back. That most male part of him—his cock, he’d called it—was hard and threatening at her back, reminding her of what she’d given into, what she’d done by allowing him to touch and kiss her.
“Stop,” she whispered, her voice low and hoarse as she hung her head. “Please … I cannot do this.”
He released her, but she still felt him nearby—far too close. “What are you afraid of, Calliope? I think we both know you’ll never have with Lewes what you just had with me. And there could be so much more.”
“Carnality,” she spat, turning and jabbing the center of his chest with her finger. “A temporary infatuation that will last as long as it takes for you to get what you want. And when you are done with me—”
“In case you have forgotten, I’m the courtesan here. I’m at your service until you are done with me, and if I had my way, that wouldn’t be for a very long time.”
“No, I haven’t forgotten what you are. That knowledge is exactly why I cannot believe I just allowed you to … to …”
She paused, taking a deep breath. This was nothing. She’d had a moment of weakness that had now passed. It didn’t matter that the things he’d made her feel would likely haunt her for the rest of her days, or that she’d allowed him such liberties when Martin had never so much as kissed her. It didn’t matter that she would go to her husband tainted and corrupted by another man’s touch. No one ever had to know.
“This will never happen again,” she said, steel threading through every word. “For the duration of our arrangement, you are to do as I ask and refrain from touching me unless absolutely necessary. If you cannot abide by those rules, then I will be forced to put a stop to this.”
Nick’s expression became like stone as he stared down at her. Only, his eyes erupted with jade fire, defiance shining from the deepest prisms. To her surprise, he merely nodded, though there was a stiffness to the movement, as if he hadn’t wanted to agree.
“I think we’ve been seen together enough this evening. I’ll part ways with you now. Good evening, Mr. Burke.”
His jaw ticked in response to her formal address of him, but again, he said nothing. He stood there, his gaze burning into her back as she rushed toward the terrace doors.
They couldn’t have been out of sight for very long—a few minutes at most, though it had felt like a lifetime, as if a part of her had died and something new had been born. Something that missed the nearness of him already, the delicious touch of long, dexterous fingers between her legs and hot, filthy words whispered in her ear.
No, you mustn’t think of it, she chided herself, pasting a bland smile on her face as she re-entered the ballroom and sought out a footman for a glass of champagne. It happened, but you must not allow it ever again.
Dominick might be adept at coaxing these mindless, voluptuous responses from her, but that was all he would ever give her. What else could there be with a man who sold his body for a living—whose very existence was a study in debauchery and excess? She would do well to remember that the next time he tried to seduce her, and despite her warning Calliope knew there would be a next time. Dominick seemed incapable of keeping such urges at bay.
Spotting Martin across the ballroom, she put Dominick out of