The Countess Page 0,59

immediately kissing her again. Christiana kissed him back.

However, it was now more of an automatic response without the earlier passion behind it, she was a bit distracted by whatever it was she'd landed on in the bed. It was hard and had hit right at the base of her spine so that her back was arched unpleasantly over it. She felt like she was lying across two smal logs and it was real y kil ing the passion that had so quickly stirred.

Turning her head to the side, she managed to tear her mouth from his and muttered, "Richard."

"Yes." The word was slightly muffled and distorted as his lips trailed down her neck.

"There's something - Oh," Christiana gasped with a start as he suddenly tugged her bodice down and latched onto the nipple he revealed. When he began to suckle and draw on it, she bit her lip and closed her eyes against the firestorm that set off inside her, but after the first shock of pleasure even that wasn't enough to ful y distract her from her discomfort. Frowning, Christiana reached to feel what she lay on, hoping she might be able to tug it out from under herself, but whatever she lay on was under the covers and extended out to the side away from her. Richard had apparently been drawing her skirts up as he worked at her breast.

When he suddenly released her nipple to slide down her body and duck under the voluminous material, her attention was immediately reclaimed by what he was doing.

"Oh - er - Rich - oh - " Christiana gasped, clutching at the bedclothes as he kissed a trail up one thigh. This definitely managed to distract her from whatever she lay on, and she clenched her teeth against the tingles of excitement he was causing in her, preparing for the much stronger shock of pleasure she knew was coming as he neared the apex of her thighs. Even so, she cried out when his mouth final y found her center. It was the lightest of caresses, almost a teasing, but stil had her half sitting up, her hands clawing at the bedclothes and drawing them away from both ends of the bed toward herself. The position immediately removed the discomfort at her back and Christiana felt a moment's relief until his mouth brushed over her again and she turned her head to the side, gasping for the breath that had seemed to rush out of her with the touch. The moment she'd drawn in enough breath, however, it whooshed right back out on a shriek as she found herself staring at Richard, now half uncovered in the bed, and definitely not looking very healthy. The Richard under her skirt stil ed and suddenly pul ed out from under it, his expression surprised as he said, "Wel , that was fast."

Christiana's response was to turn wide eyes his way and shriek again. She fol owed it up by planting her foot in his chest and shoving him away from her with a strength born of horror. Then she leapt off the bed and made a run for the door.

Richard landed on the hardwood floor with a startled curse and immediately sat up to peer toward his wife, only to find her scrambling off the bed . . . a bed where George lay half uncovered and most definitely dead. Cursing much more violently this time, Richard bounded to his feet and hurried after Christiana. Fortunately, she'd made a run for the door to the hal and it was locked. She was wrestling with it, trying desperately to get it open when he caught her arm.

"Christiana, wait, listen to me."

"Don't touch me," she cried, shaking off his hold. Giving up on the door, she backed quickly away from him, panic on her face as she glanced at him and to the bed and back.

"Al right, I won't touch you," Richard said quietly, hoping that if he remained calm, she would calm down as wel . " 'Tis al right. You are safe with me. Al is wel ."

"Al is wel ?" she echoed with disbelief, not sounding the least bit calmed by his voice. "Who are you?"

"I am Richard Fairgrave, the Earl of Radnor," he said solemnly.

"Then who is that?" she asked, pointing toward the bed.

Richard noted the way her hand was shaking, and sighed at her unnecessary upset. This was al his fault. He was the one who had fal en on