“You said no s-second chances.”
“A thousand chances for you. A hundred thousand.”
“I'm sorry,” she wept. “I'm so sorry—”
“I want you to marry me,” Zachary said in a guttural voice. “I'm going to bind you with every agreement and contract and ritual known to man.”
“Yes, yes…” Eagerly she pulled his head down to hers, kissing him with all the aching longing she had felt the past month. He made a rough sound and savaged her mouth with brutal passion, hurting her a little, but she was too wild with emotion to mind.
“I want you in my bed,” he said thickly. “Now.”
A crimson flood of color swept over her, and Holly barely managed a nod before he picked her up and carried her to the bed with the single-minded intensity of a starved jungle cat with its prey. It appeared she hadn't much choice in the matter—not that she had any thought of denying him. She loved him beyond propriety, beyond morals or ideals or sanity. She was his utterly, just as he was hers.
He undressed her swiftly, pulling hard at rows of buttons and hooks, tearing cloth when it would not yield quickly enough to his plundering fingers. Gasping at his urgency, Holly tried to help him, sitting on the bed to unlace her shoes, peeling away her garters and stockings, lifting her arms as he tugged her chemise over her head. When she was completely naked, her blushing body reclining back on the mattress, Zachary shed his robe and lowered himself beside her.
The sight of his magnificent body, long and powerful and supremely masculine, caused Holly's eyes to widen. “Oh, Zachary, you're such a beautiful man.” She gathered herself against the wonderful wealth of hair on his chest, playing with the dark curls, brushing her mouth and fingers through them.
A faint groan came from over her head. “You're the beautiful one.” His hands moved gently over her back and hips, savoring the texture of her skin. “I never recovered from my first glance at you, at the Bellemont ball.”
“You saw me then? But it was dark outside.”
“I followed you after I kissed you in the conservatory.” He pushed her to her back, his gaze sweeping over her naked body. “I watched as you went to your carriage, and I thought you were the loveliest thing I had ever seen.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, his tongue touching the fragile curve, and Holly trembled.
“And you began to scheme,” she said breathlessly.
“That's right. I thought of a hundred ways to get under your skirts, and I decided the best plan was to hire you. But somewhere in the middle of my efforts to seduce you, I fell in love with you.”
“And your intentions became honorable,” she said, pleased.
“No, I still wanted to get under your skirts.”
“Zachary Bronson,” she exclaimed, and he grinned, bracing his forearms on either side of her head. Holly felt her pulse quicken with anticipation as the length of one hard, hair-dusted leg insinuated between her thighs, and the burning silken weight of his sex pressed intimately against her hip.
“That afternoon in the summerhouse was the best damn thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “But the way you left me right afterward…it was like being cast from heaven straight to hell.”
“I was afraid,” she said remorsefully, pulling his head down and kissing his cheeks and brandy-flavored mouth.
“So was I. I didn't know how I was going to recover from you.”
“You make me sound like an illness,” she said with a wavering smile.
A hot glow appeared in his sable eyes. “I've discovered there's no cure for you, my lady. I thought of going to another woman, but I couldn't. The hell of it is, you're the only one I want.”
“Then you haven't…” Holly was filled with relief. The thoughts of Zachary making love to other women in her absence had tormented her, and she was overwhelmed with gladness that he hadn't.
“No, I haven't,” he informed her, his tone lowering to a growl that was only half-feigned. “I've gone a month without relief, and you're going to pay for it.” Holly's eyes closed, and all her nerves sparked wildly as she heard his threatening whisper in her ear. “For the next few hours, my lady, you're going to be damned busy taking care of my needs.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, that's what I want, too—” Her words were cut short as Zachary bent his head over her breast. His hot breath fanned over the tender nipple until it contracted, and then he took it in his mouth. Holly's entire body tensed as he used the tip of his tongue to feather and tickle the sensitive peak. She put her arms around his shoulders, her fingers splayed wide over the hard slopes of muscle. He drew the taut nipple deeper into his mouth, suckling for long minutes, until he felt her thighs closing rhythmically on either side of his leg.
His hand slid between her legs, expertly finding the touch of moisture hidden among the spri
ngy curls. Whispering softly, he parted the soft feminine flesh to discover the peak that ached so sweetly. He teased her, sliding his fingertip around the tiny nub but never quite touching it, until she gasped and lifted her hips beseechingly. “Please,” she whispered through lips that felt swollen and hot. “Please, Zachary…”
She felt his mouth brush hers, a delicious pressure that made her surge upward in an eager search for more. He kissed her again, his tongue exploring her mouth while she responded with utter abandon. His body shifted over hers, and she felt his sex nudge against her, the broad head nestling in the triangle of dark curls. Encouraged by his hoarse murmur, Holly reached down to the heavy shaft, her hand trembling a little as she closed it around the hardness. She stroked him hesitantly, and her face turned scarlet as his own hand covered hers and moved it in a rougher, harder caress.
“Shouldn't I be more gentle with you?” she asked, somehow mortified and excited at the same time.
“Men aren't like women,” he said raspily. “You prefer gentleness…all we require is enthusiasm.”