Page 56 of To Tempt a Scandalous Lord
She braced a hand on the bed as heat curled low in her belly, making her limbs languid, even while her heartbeat kicked into a sprint. Still, Alicia was not about to give in to temptation that easily.
“And whose fault is that? I seem to recall spending the night of our wedding alone, no bridegroom in sight.” She poked him in the chest with a finger. “And what of all the nights since you’ve recovered? Our chambers are connected by a door I don’t lock. You could have prevailed yourself upon your new bride at any point, but you kept your distance instead. It’s me that should be annoyed with you!”
Snatching her scolding finger, Niall brought her hand to his lips and nibbled on the heel of her palm. “I do so enjoy when you’re annoyed. Did you know the most becoming blush covers your cheeks, trails down your neck, and disappears beneath your bodice? I desire to vex you more so I can trace your silky-looking skin and discover where your blush ends.”
“Oh, you are insufferable,” Alicia declared, yanking her hand from his grip. But in truth, this teasing, flirtatious Niall left her mesmerized. And decidedly eager for more of his attentions.
She needed space to think. To consider if she was ready to bring such physical intimacies into their marriage of convenience with so many secrets between them. Until Niall had fallen ill, he had mostly ignored her. Had she truly won his regard by nursing him back to health? Had the time they’d spent together as he regained his strength won him over? Or was he simply eager to bed her because she was available?
Did his motivations even matter at that moment when she desired him so?
Alicia attempted to wiggle back on the bed, but he grasped her hand and hauled her up, looping an arm around her waist. His citrus balsam scent enveloped her, lulling her senses.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he murmured, pressing his cheek against her temple. “I have been a terrible wretch since the wedding—”
“Well, you’ve been ever so lovely since you retired here to recuperate,” she interjected.
“Still, I should have called upon you as soon as my strength returned.” His lips lowered into a considering frown. “I allowed my drive, my ambitions, to interfere with what could, perhaps, be a very happy union. I apologize with all my heart.”
When they had married, Alicia had hoped for a peaceful accord. Much had changed since then. Alicia closed her eyes as his words ran over her like a refreshing waterfall. His apology, his contriteness, was a balm.
Opening her eyes, she glanced up at him. “I believe we still have time to make our union right.”
“Do you truly think so?” Niall rubbed a thumb over her bottom lip, his gaze heated but his expression thoughtful. “Or have I mucked it all up before it even began?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Alicia said, her tone severe. “But perhaps you should kiss me to find out.”
“Kiss you?” His voice dropped a timbre, sending flickers of arousal down her spine. “How will a kiss acquit me?”
“Because Jane once told me a man’s true feelings are in his kiss.” She grabbed him by his loosened cravat and pulled him close. “And perhaps I have been waiting for you to kiss me since I first met you at that soiree.”
His chuckle could have melted butter. “In that case,” he began, before his lips claimed hers.
Niall’s firm mouth moved over hers with a mastery that made her knees weak, and when she sagged against him, he hitched her closer with a firm arm about her waist. He savored her, nipped at her, inhaled her as if she were his last meal on this earth and he were eager to relish every bite.
Why had they waited so damn long to experience such bliss?
A soft pinging noise sounded in her ear, and it took Alicia a moment to understand it was the sound of her hairpins hitting the carpet as Niall ran his fingers through her tidy coiffure and mussed it thoroughly. In an instant, her own hands crawled up his neck to grip his luscious black strands, finding them just as silky as she’d imagined.
After nibbling on her bottom lip, Niall pulled back, an unholy light twinkling in his eyes. His hair was disheveled and his sinful lips swollen from the force of their kisses. Even in her aroused and distracted state, Alicia was gratified to see the great Marquess of Inverray, known for his prodigious aplomb, undone by the passion that burned between them.
“Shall we get you out of this lovely, but accursed dress?” he murmured, spinning her about to work at the buttons running down her back.
Alicia held her breath while he unfastened her dress. The job could have been accomplished faster had Niall not taken every opportunity to press lingering kisses to her neck and shoulders. And she wiggled with impatience for him to complete the task.
When he finally pulled the bodice down her arms, pushing the skirt down to pool at her feet, Alicia’s body quivered with the force of her arousal. Grabbing one of her shaking hands, Niall brought it to his mouth and pressed a scorching kiss to her palm. “Will you play valet for me?”
Unable to speak, she nodded.
Reaching up, she tore at what remained of his cravat and tossed it on the floor, ignoring his chuckle of amusement. Alicia somehow managed to unbutton and discard his waistcoat, but when she attempted to pull his shirt over his head, she was not tall enough to complete the job.
Once he aided her, Niall stood before her clad only in his breeches.
Alicia’s mouth fell open for a moment, overwhelmed with the powerful feelings his bare physique stirred in her. Her first husband had been an older man when they had married, so she had not known the wonder of a fit, powerful man in his prime. A man likeNiall.
Taking a step forward, she lightly skimmed her fingertips over the ridges of his stomach and through the crisp dark hair that grew over his expansive chest. He made a choked sound at her touch, and her gaze flew to his. His gray eyes were narrowed as he stared down at her, his jaw clenched so tightly, a muscle appeared to tick there.
Alicia withdrew. “Did I do something wrong?”
