A Rogue to Ruin (The Pretenders #3) - Darcy Burke Page 0,48
door behind him.
“You didn’t even lock it.” He sounded cross. “Does it have a lock?”
“Yes.” She set it and faced him. “Better?”
“You should not have been up here without the door locked.”
“You’re an—” No, he wasn’t angry. He was befuddled as he’d been the other day when she’d visited him.
He is here.
She kept the smile that threatened at bay. This wasn’t victory—not yet. But it was a start. “I should have locked the door. I’m afraid I’m a bit…excited.”
He swept his hat off and wiped his hand over his brow. Muttering something, he went to the table and looked at the roses. “This is a very bad idea.”
“I like roses.” She knew he wasn’t talking about the roses. “I brought them yesterday so the room would smell nice.”
“You brought them…” He set his hat on the table and spun to face her. “You planned this quite thoroughly.” At her nod, he started toward her, moving slowly, like an animal on the prowl.
“A seduction, then?” he asked softly.
A shiver danced along her spine. “I was hoping so, but I’m afraid I’m not well versed in the matter.”
“You’re not well versed. So you are somewhat versed?” He stopped just in front of her. “Anne, are you a virgin?”
Her mouth went dry, and she couldn’t speak. So she nodded.
“And you shall remain one.”
Disappointment curled through her. “Then why did you come upstairs?”
“Because you gave me no choice. Was I to remain down there hoping you would eventually return? And what if something happened while you were up here?” His eyes glittered dangerously as he moved closer until they nearly touched. “Did you really think I was going to come up here and shag you?”
“I was hoping—”
“Yes, I know that. But hoping and knowing are not the same thing. I’ve told you repeatedly that I am not someone you should want. I am not a gentleman.”
“You are an earl, as it happens.”
“I wasn’t raised one, and the sooner you realize that and accept I will never be the man you want, the better.”
She stood on her toes and put her hands on his shoulders. “But you are the man I want. Right now. Why do we have to think of anything but this afternoon? We agreed we would spend this afternoon together, to regain the one we’d lost.”
His brows arched. “You thought we were going to have sex that afternoon?”
“No, and I was not sure we would today. As I said, I hoped.” She exhaled. “Will you at least kiss me once more before we go?”
He stared at her, then glanced toward the bed. When he looked back at her, the orange in his right eye seemed brighter than ever. “Why do you want me?”
“Because you’re kind, considerate, dashing, generous, and completely unlike anyone I’ve ever known. You treat me like an ordinary woman, not someone who suits your needs or your plans or a prize to be bartered or won.” She shook her head. “No, not an ordinary woman, but someone who is special to you. Someone you like and enjoy being with. Am I wrong?”
He breathed an epithet. “No.” He dipped his head and claimed her mouth, his lips molding possessively over hers. His arms came around her, pulling her flush against him. The thrill of his kiss and his body pressed to hers crashed through her, quickening her pulse and heating her blood.
She clasped his nape, her fingers digging into his thick hair. His tongue swept into her mouth, and she welcomed him, her body screaming for this and more.
His hands slipped down to her backside, and he lifted her, one hand moving to her right thigh and curling her leg around his waist. She did the same with the other, and he moved, carrying her—toward the bed, if she remembered the room correctly.
What was he doing? He said he didn’t want her. No, he hadn’t said that.
He set her on the bed but didn’t move away. His pelvis was still pressed into hers. She could feel the ridge of his sex against hers. Breaking the kiss, he lifted his head as he pushed her coat from her shoulders and set it on the end of the bed.
“I can’t give you anything beyond today, and you won’t ask me to.” He removed his coat and laid it at the head of the bed. “Understood?”
She nodded, her mind and body careening with disbelief and want.
He plucked at the buttons of her waistcoat, opening the garment, and he pulled the cravat from her