Page 69 of Noble Scoundrel

“Better?” he asked in a thick murmur.

She nearly groaned her annoyance, but she couldn’t get the sound past the swirl of sensation welling inside her. All she could do was force her breath to continue in and out as desire infused every inch of her.

Because it was better. Immensely so. As though her body was finally getting exactly what it had been straining toward over the last quarter hour.

Him. Hard, strong, heavy against the most sensitive parts of her.

On instinct she sought more of the delicious feel of him. Her hands had gripped at his upper arms when he’d rolled her to her back, and now, she curled her fingers around the bulging muscles of his triceps, testing their hardness. A soft arching of her spine brought her beasts into brief contact with the hard planes of his chest. A subtle shift of her legs and a tilt of her hips allowed the weight of his thigh to settle more intimately to her core.

His harsh groan rumbled in her ear.

Though he held his body rigid, his head lung low beside hers. Veins stood out in the thick length of his neck, and the muscles that ran out to his shoulders were bunched with tension.

She was well aware of how shameless she was behaving, but she’d just spent the last hour fighting him and her reaction to him. She was exhausted. And right now, all she wanted to do was give herself over to the feelings coursing through her.

If he’d said anything then—if he’d laughed or given her a knowing smirk—she might have found the will somewhere inside her to break free of him.

But he didn’t.

What he did do was far more devastating. And absolutely perfect.

A slight turn of his head brought his mouth to the side of her throat right below her ear. The kiss was firm, intentional, needful, but soft. He pressed another velvet kiss beneath her jaw, urging her head back. Then another against the heavy pulse in her throat.

Katherine bit her lower lip as tingling sparks coursed through her. She didn’t want to think about how this shouldn’t be happening. She didn’t want to do or say anything that might stop it. She wanted it to go on and on.

Another kiss to the crest of her collarbone had her arching her back again, seeking closer contact.

The sound he made, similar to that low, gravelly hum but different—hotter and more erotic—angled straight through her to the sensitive throbbing between her legs. She tipped her hips, pressing herself to his thigh, desperate to ease the aching.

With another growling sound, he shifted a hand to palm the curve of her buttocks. Taking command, he began moving her hips in a subtle rocking rhythm against his thigh.

Pleasure flooded her limbs. Her body became molten desire. She curled her fingertips hard into the muscles of his arms as her gaze went hazy.

“I should’ve known your passion would be sparked by your anger. Such a lovely surrender,” he murmured in praise.

“This is not a surrender,” she argued. Breathless.

Unfazed by the rebellion in her gaze, he smiled—soft and sensual. “Trust me, luv.” The curve of his lips turned wicked. “I’ll make it worth every second.”

Of course he would. She had no doubt of that. Not after the brief taste she’d gotten last night. But she didn’t fool herself for a moment into thinking he was speaking of anything more than physical pleasures. Was it enough?

She stared up at him, holding her breath. The shape of his mouth melted the most intimate parts of her while the glinting sparks in his gorgeous eyes emboldened and inspired her.

Why resist the fire inside her? Why deny the hunger?

She wanted him. Needed him. It was that simple.

As soon as she acknowledged it, something tugged inside her. Tugged. Stretched breathlessly. Then settled into place with a sultry sigh. It was enough. For now. She’d worry about the rest later.

Sliding her hands up over his insanely taut shoulders, she released a breath that was more ragged than soft. His eyes flashed with fire when she smoothed her palms up the length of his throat then slowly dove her fingers back through the silky hair at his nape. The masculine hum of pleasure issuing from his throat urged her to draw his head down.

He might think it surrendering, but she knew better. She was simply claiming what she’d wanted all along. Narrowing her gaze, she replied in a husky tone, “You’d better.” Then she pressed her mouth to his.

He reacted instantly. Tightening his grip on her skull and tilting his head to fit his mouth more aggressively to hers.

Katherine parted her lips, seeking the taste of him. He obliged with a bold thrust of his tongue. It was invasive and demanding and unbelievably erotic. Her heavy moan encouraged another languid thrust, and this time, her tongue was ready and eager to meet his with a twirling caress.

Just as she began to lose herself in the rich, sultry attention of his mouth, his hand shifted from her rear. After a brief and heady squeeze at the inner curve of her waist, he slid his hand up along her rib cage until his thumb brushed across the crest of her breast, flattened beneath the snug fit of her waistcoat.

---