Seduced by a Scoundrel - By Barbara Dawson Smith Page 0,120
and into Drake’s office, the carpet muffling her footsteps. Her gaze swept the marine-blue walls, the wine-dark leather chairs, the shelves of books that she now knew to be well-read. The draperies were drawn against the afternoon light, and a branch of candles cast a glow onto the polished surface of the big mahogany desk.
Her smile faltered. Where was Drake?
I have something that is yours.
His note had been brief, just that one sentence, along with a request that she come here at this appointed time. She had assumed he’d be waiting for her. He would be contrite yet seductive, ready to ply his charm and entice her with his touch. And this time she would let him. He would pull her into his arms, and she would succumb to his scoundrel’s seduction.…
Her gaze alighted on the mantelpiece with its statue of naked lovers locked in an eternal embrace. Walking to it, she let her fingers drift over the smooth alabaster. How shocked she had once been to think of behaving so wantonly with a man. But now she knew intimacy to be a fine expression of love. Before Drake had finagled his way into her life, she had been well on her way to becoming a puritanical spinster. Because of him, she had flourished and grown into the fullness of womanhood. Because of him, she would be a mother. How had she ever thought she could live without him?
Behind her, a door opened.
Whirling around, she saw her husband standing in the shadows across the room, where dark blue draperies half concealed a doorway. His brawny form riveted her attention. Her throat went dry and her pulse quickened. He wore an ancient Roman-style garment, a plain linen tunic that ended at his knees. Beneath it, his legs were bare.
No wonder Fergus had been so amused. She couldn’t help smiling, either, though more with interest than humor.
Drake bowed deeply. “I am here to serve you, my exalted mistress.”
A wild excitement coursed through her as she remembered her fantasy. He would play her slave and do her bidding? Drake, who was too arrogant to obey anyone?
“Come closer,” he said in a voice that was deep and stirring. “I live to satisfy your every whim.” Then he gestured at the doorway.
More than willing, she walked past him and into a cozy blue bedchamber with a fire burning on the hearth and candles glowing on the bedside table. Her gaze riveted to the big, canopied bed. The linens were strewn with rose petals, and their scent perfumed the air. Her heart racing, she turned to find Drake standing directly behind her, his eyes dark and compelling, holding the promise of delights to come.
“I am pleased you would come to me,” he said. “I have missed serving you.”
She couldn’t stop staring at his firm, sensual mouth. And thinking how much she craved his kiss. “As I have missed you.”
She would have moved into his arms then, but he caught her hand and led her to a chair by the fire. Mystified but eager to play along, she sat down while he took something from the mantelpiece.
His manner deferential, he bent low, his tunic gaping open to a view of his muscled chest. He extended his hands, a small jeweler’s box cupped within his palms. “For you, my lady.”
I have something that is yours.
Was this what he’d meant?
Reaching out, she tentatively touched the leather case. “Oh, Drake, you needn’t purchase gifts to win me back. It truly isn’t necessary.”
“I wish only to give you the courtship you never had.”
Her throat went taut with tenderness, and she understood how she’d misjudged him. He hadn’t been trying to buy her affections these past weeks. He had been wooing her. To make up for their forced marriage.
He opened the case. Against a backdrop of white velvet lay a diamond-studded band of gold. As if in a dream, she looked at him questioningly, afraid to ask what it meant.
Then he did something astonishing. He lowered himself to his knees, and his gaze beseeched her. “Your wedding ring, my lady. Will it please you to wear it?”
He wasn’t telling her. He was asking.
Tears misted her eyes. She couldn’t contain her eagerness. “Yes. Oh, yes!”
Taking her hand, he slid the ring onto her finger, and the gemstones sparkled in the firelight. As he brought her hand to his lips, his eyes glowed with mysterious depths. “I have something that is yours,” he said.