His eyes blazed as they ran over her body. The tips of her breasts tingled as his gaze lingered. His attention slipped lower to the damp triangle of dark blond curls. The insistent throbbing built, and she felt another liquid surge. She moved restlessly. The awareness between them was animal-like in its intensity.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly, tilting her chin to see her eyes.
Dear heaven, she needed to be careful. She bit her lip before she realized how that too betrayed her nervousness. With sudden recklessness, she risked honesty. “This is more…powerful than I expected.”
He arched a sleek black eyebrow, and his voice was steadier than she’d imagine possible, given the need sparking in his eyes. “You’re full of preconceptions, Diana. You speak as if you and I are machines. Wind us up, put us into motion, pack us away when the performance is over.”
Her color
rose, not because she was naked, although that was discomfiting enough. He made her feel so tawdry.
“Diana?”
She still stared helplessly into his face. Like a besotted chit mooning over her first love. She quashed the thought as soon as it arose. Love had nothing to do with this. “I’ve lived a quiet life since my husband’s death.”
That much was true. Tragically true, she realized. How many years she’d devoted to her duties as her father’s diligent assistant and Burnley’s loyal servant. The woman Diana had disappeared in the efficient, hardworking, endlessly reliable Mrs. Carrick.
The woman had awoken tonight. In a rake’s arms.
Ashcroft’s warm hand cupped her jaw. She tilted her head in a subtle movement that rubbed her cheek against his palm. “This is my chance to take a share in life. I wanted…I want some excitement.”
The curve of his lips and the white glint of his teeth sent another jolt of arousal through her. She was so hot, she’d ignite any second.
“I can definitely give you that.”
She took the step that brought her flush against his powerful body. As she’d guessed, his calmness was deceptive. Her senses filled with the scent of aroused man. His heart pounded in a furious gallop.
“Prove it.”
Ashcroft’s heart soared in admiration as Diana reached out to snatch what she wanted. Especially as what she wanted seemed to be him.
Unclothed, she took his breath away. Juno. Venus. An Amazon. All woman.
Grabbing her naked hips, he drew her hard against him and kissed her. He couldn’t get enough of the taste of her mouth. Like wine. Like honey. He could hardly wait to taste the rest of her.
In a smooth step like a waltz, he turned her toward the bed. He flung back the blue brocade bedspread to reveal snowy white sheets and plump pillows. Another step, and he slid her onto the mattress.
Bless Perry. For all the woeful decorating, everything here was the latest word in comfort. Tumbling Diana in this bed would be like floating to paradise on a cloud. Although to speak true, Ashcroft was so rampant, he’d take her on the bare floor if he had to. “Patience” entered his lexicon as a synonym for “torture.”
“Don’t stop kissing me.” Her sigh breathed passion.
Sainted heavens…
He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and prayed for control. When he opened his eyes, his heart skipped a beat at how she looked, all ruffled and frantic. Her rich blond hair spread around her like a golden veil.
“Oh, I intend to kiss you,” he growled, kneeling over her.
How simple to take her now. She was close to ready. It wasn’t enough. He wanted her so needy that she cried out for him. He wanted her dripping with desire.
He refused to suffer this incendiary craving alone. Some instinct told him she offered the right lover a depth of passion unlike any he’d experienced.
He intended to be that right lover.
Listening to the uneven tenor of her breath, he set his hands on her ribs and bent to kiss her. She opened immediately, dancing her tongue across his lips and into his mouth. Very slowly, knowing he tormented both of them, he slid his hands up.
Until his fingers cupped her lush breasts.
Hunger slammed through him. She made a mewling sound of pleasure against his mouth. Ashcroft raised his head to see where his tanned fingers splayed over her curves. A perfect picture. Her nipples stood out proudly, dark pink, tantalizing.