Page 89 of A Virgin for the Rakish Marquess

She was almost floating as James kissed her jaw, her neck, and her collarbone. His adept fingers moved unhurriedly as if he had all the time in the world. Then, she felt her gown pool around her waist, leaving only her fine chemise, which suddenly felt too sheer, too fragile under his gaze. She moved on pure instinct to cover herself, but James wouldn’t have it.

“My flower, didn’t you say you are mine? All of you.” His voice dropped to a soft, silky purr that wrapped around her.

“James,” was all she could utter.

Her senses abandoned her because other than his name, nothing came when she saw the way his eyes darkened as he took her in.

His only response was to take her hands and kiss her when her pulse hammered in her wrists. Then, he claimed her lips in soft, light kisses meant to make her melt into him. His fingers traced a slow, reverent path along the neckline of her chemise, his breath hitching slightly.

One small tug and she felt the sheer fabric slide off her shoulders, brushing her stiff nipples as it fell to the floor. Diana gasped at the feather-light touch.

“Utterly—” James kissed her lips—“devastatingly.” He licked the sweat on her neck. “Perfect.”

He grabbed her in a way that he never had before. As if his self-control had shattered and he had unleashed himself on her, barely registering what was happening in his body.

Diana felt a rush of power. She was making this man, this magnificent man, lose the last shreds of his logic, and she was intoxicated by that knowledge.

With a swift move, he lifted her and wrapped her legs around his waist, his mouth crashing onto hers. The fact that she was naked and he was fully clothed made her feel so deliciously wicked.

Her fingers slid up his neck, through his hair, and she leaned into the kiss with fervor. More now than ever, she could feel his hardness, what she was doing to him.

He lowered her onto a comfortable armchair, the plush velvet beneath her back a stark contrast to the way he felt against her. He leaned back, and Diana swallowed.

In the flickering light from the fireplace, she was bare to him. Yet, she didn’t feel exposed. She felt cherished as he drank her in hungrily, as if she was his only sustenance. She saw it as clear as day, the one thing he had denied her fearful heart.

He loved her. And he wanted her. Only her.

“Christ, Diana,” he growled.

His eyes wandered down her heaving chest, her heavy breasts, her smooth belly, her mound, where she was so ready for him. His eyes devoured her, the look in them palpable as if he was touching her. And she longed for him to touch her.

“James, please,” she moaned softly.

His eyes snapped to hers. Predatory, dangerous, greedy. One word from her and he would eat her whole. She longed for nothing else.

“Please, touch me!”

He growled again, a warning and a promise at the same time.

“I won’t stop, Diana. If I touch you now, you will truly be mine.”

“Don’t stop. I am already truly yours in all the ways that matter.”

Silence. A pause in this heated, heavy moment.

She spoke the truth. Giving her body was easy. But truly giving her heart and soul? That was special. And suddenly she could see that he saw it too. His eyes were still dark with hunger, but now they held something more profound.Hewas hers in all the ways that truly mattered.

“Is it true, Diana?” His voice softened just a little. “Are you really mine? Forever?”

She smiled and nodded.

He, too, smiled softly, before he leaned in, his massive body covering hers till he reached her lips. He placed one soft kiss there—a promise, a vow—then another as his hands found her waist. Another as her nails grazed his back. One more as he licked her lips. Again as their tongues met. Then, they fell. There was no going back.

With quick moves, he bared his chest, and Diana’s hands rose to it on instinct. He hissed at the contact as he kissed her neck, nipping it softly. His lips and fingers followed opposite paths. He moved down so that her breasts were level with his chestand slowly kissed his way to them. At the same time, his hands rubbed small circles on her ankles, then slid up her calves, the sensitive skin behind her knees, and her smooth thighs.

She was so overwhelmed with sensations that she gasped when she felt his wet mouth on her breasts, licking and teasing. She arched into him, knowing where his touch could lead, the end she was craving.

He didn’t let her recover, his fingers grazing the inside of her thighs, making their way up, closer to her core.

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