Page 29 of Trapped with the Earl of Sin

She certainly felt a little crazy, but in the best way possible.

The moment she felt Martin’s breath tickling her lips, she knew there was no turning back, and Susanna was glad. In this little space, all she wanted to do was devour this man. The closer his lips edged towards hers, the stronger the intense anticipation became.

Then it happened.

The brush of his lips against hers nearly knocked her off her feet entirely.

She knew it would feel electric to have him kissing her, she had already gathered that much because of the powerful chemical reaction between them, but she was not expecting it to be quite so intense and overwhelming. Her heart thundered so hard against her ribcage that it was actually a little painful, but that did not stop her. She rose up on her tiptoes and crashed her lips to his once more. But harder this time and with far more passion.

If Susanna was going to explore this, then she wasreallygoing to explore it.

His tongue snaked between her lips, which was a surprising but very pleasant sensation. She matched his movements, following his lead, and the deeper the kiss got, the more she enjoyed it, the more she wanted it. She had butterflies flapping violently in the pit of her stomach, every fiber of her being ached for more. She craved every part of this man… even the parts of him she had not even thought of until this very moment.

Martin leaned into Susanna, pressing her up against the back of the closet. He hitched her leg up so her foot pressed against the wall behind her, and he wedged himself between her thighs. Susanna let out a gasp of pure delight as she started tofeelhim. All of him. It was very clear that he wanted this to go further too, that he was just as caught up in the passion and pleasure as she was. That only intensified Susanna’s addiction at that moment.

She was flushed, burning up with desire, and actually ached for this man—who she spent half her time plotting with, and theother half arguing—to fully devour her here and now. In the most dangerous place at Standen Abbey. In Edwin’s closet.

An inadvertent moan spilled out of her mouth as she lost track of Martin’s hands. He seemed to be all over her, it was as if he knew her body even better than she knew it, and he wanted her to learn everything there was to know about herself. Susanna craved his teachings. She knew for sure that he would open up her mind and make her experience sensations she had never known until this very moment.

Susanna’s mind raced at the speed of light. The more she got caught up in the heat of the moment, the wilder she felt, the more her brain started to kick in. Unfortunately, it was giving her endless warnings that she did not really want to hear. But maybe she had to hear them, perhaps ruining herself in this closet was not the wisest idea.

As much as she wanted to ignore the voice of reason, Susanna couldn’t entirely push it away. Her body was on fire with desire, but her mind knew the dangers they were courting.

“No,” she suddenly blurted out as the thoughts got too much for her. “No, we must not…”

Thankfully, Martin respected her demands. He stepped back from her the moment she asked him to, but Susanna was struck by how breathless and flustered he was. That was honestly how she felt too. This could have gone far, way too far, and now that the heat was subsiding within her, she realized what a terriblemistake that was. She could have ruined herself entirely for this man, just for a heated moment here.

They needed to stay focused on what they were supposed to be doing here.

But Susanna was so flustered that she could not even recall what they had discovered in Edwin’s room. All she wanted to do was escape. She needed to breathe easier and to get her thoughts in order once more. So she hurriedly smoothed down her clothing and hair, before she met Martin’s eyes once more.

Seeing the confusion in his gaze did not help her at all.

“I… I have to go,” she murmured as she finally braved opening the closet door. Thankfully, there was no one on the other side of it. “I have to…”

But Martin did not even question her. Even as she raced to the door and snuck out of the room before anyone could spot her in there. The dangerous situation she had just put herself in crystallized and intensified within her. She could not believe she had done that. Had she lost her mind?

She no longer wanted to head back to the library, there was no way she could concentrate on a book now. She needed to be alone in her bedchambers so she could gather herself. Susanna did not want anyone to see her in this flustered state.

Susanna rushed down the dimly lit corridors of Standen Abbey, her thoughts a chaotic whirlwind. She needed to regain her composure before she could face anyone, especially Martin. The intensity of their moment in the closet had been overwhelming, and the realization of how close she had come to crossing a line left her shaken.

That was not supposed to happen.

That was never supposed to happen.

Not really.

She had thought about it, of course she had. But that did not mean she ever thought it would happen. She was supposed to have more self-restraint than that. She was supposed to be better.

“Susanna, there you are.”

Her stomach sank along with her heart as she hardly managed to get far at all. But this was her sister, and if Mary needed her, then everything else would be pushed aside. Even the mess she had just made of her own life.

“I have some good news, Susanna,” Mary declared as she drew close enough to her. “There is a dance tonight. A ball at a nearby manor, and we are attending. Is that not exciting? I cannot wait. But I need you to help me pick out my gown.”

A dance?

That was the last thing that Susanna needed, especially while she was feeling this way, but Mary’s expectant eyes overridden that. This was the lead-up toherwedding, and Susanna wanted to do whatever she could to help. Even if that meant pushing her own needs to one side. Even if it meant she would not get a moment to gather herself.

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