“Stop it.” She wished she sounded firm and determined, like the monolith he’d just called her. But even in her own ears, she sounded breathless and close to yielding.
“Stop what?” He nipped at her earlobe. Response jolted her.
“You know.” The urge to grab him and force him to kiss her was a swelling torrent. She managed to control it. Just.
She reminded herself she was angry. He’d betrayed her. But nowhere near as badly as she’d betrayed him. Best to end everything before bitterness and recriminations. Before she hurt him.
The imperative came from a long way off. A soft echo of voices she’d heard long ago. Much more immediate was the tall, gorgeous man teasing her with the possibility of pleasure and in the process giving more pleasure than flesh could withstand.
“No.” He blew gently in her ear and continued his nuzzling exploration down her neck.
His lips brushed a particularly sensitive nerve near her shoulder, and she released a breathy moan. She waited for him to concentrate on that place, but he hovered close without making contact.
He really was punishing her.
“Tell me,” he said softly, his words brushing her skin. She trembled and her heart raced at a dizzying pace.
She swayed toward him. She strove to bolster her pride, but the lure of his touch was too strong.
“Tell you what?” she asked dazedly, not following the conversation. She hardly remembered what the fight was about. All that mattered was he stopped toying with her and kissed her properly.
“What I’m doing.”
“You’re seducing me.” She wasn’t sure whether it was accusation or request.
“See? I said you were clever.” Amusement lurked in his deep voice. Her lonely heart yearned toward that warmth, beckoning as a snug bed on a cold night.
“Too clever to fall for a rogue’s tricks,” she said with complete lack of conviction.
He laughed softly and pressed his mouth to that throbbing nerve in her neck. She’d reached such a pitch of desire, her body clenched in immediate response.
“So I’m not succeeding?” he asked against her shoulder. His voice was thicker than usual.
“What do you think?” Close as she was to giving in, she wasn’t yet there.
“I think I need to work a bit harder,” he murmured.
One hand slid up her rib cage, trailing fire even through the rich silk of her gown. He stopped just short of her breast. Her nipples tightened to the point of pain, and she bit her lip to stifle her excited moan. Her legs wobbled, and she reached out to grab his shoulder. Just for support, she assured herself.
“Ashcroft…” The word was an undisguised plea.
“Yes?”
Diana knew what he wanted. Her so lost in enchantment, she forgot about ending the affair. She summoned her last scraps of resistance. Not enough to make her move away but enough to defy him. “You won’t win, you know.”
“I’ve still got a few weapons in store.”
At last, at last, he curled his hand around her breast, his palm pressing the pebbled nipple. She shuddered, and the moan finally escaped in a long, low keen. Against her will, she pushed into his hand.
“You don’t play fair.” The frantic beat of her heart made speech almost impossible.
“Nobody said I did, my love.”
“You shouldn’t call me that.” She only just kept contact with reason.
Heat radiated from him like a great forest fire. His hand dropped to her bottom, urged her forward. Under his teasing, he was all desire. Against her belly, he was hard and ready. She drew a shaky breath full of musky male arousal. This seduction seduced him too.
“Don’t you like it?”