Page 25 of A Kiss Of Lies

He jumped to his feet, feeling caged and impotent. She’d been hurt, ill-treated, and God knew what else by her husband, a man who was supposed to love, cherish, and honor her. No wonder she was skittish about trusting a man.

In a blinding revelation, he knew he wanted to be the man she came to trust. She was too young to spend the rest of her life alone—scared of intimacy, scared to commit to another. He knew, for he’d faced the same thing himself. He doubted he could marry any of the ladies of theton. Who would choose him over a man who was whole? Over a man who could be looked at in the bright sunlight and admired and desired?

He wanted to heal her and prove that not all men were like her husband. It would be both the easiest and hardest of tasks. Easy for him, because she was desirable beyond words; hard, because he was no longer the attractive rake he once had been. His face and upper body were twisted and disfigured. He could no longer simply smile and have a woman thinking of how good he’d look naked.

But Sarah was an intelligent woman. Surely she knew there was more to “relations” than the treatment she had received at her callous husband’s hands. Winning Sarah’s trust would be a prize in itself. To teach her about pleasure would heal them both. He knew it. He felt sexual tension fill him at the mere possibility.

He moved closer. “I’ll protect you.” He slid a finger down her soft cheek. “I’d never hurt you, nor allow anyone to hurt you ever again.”

His words meant more to her than he knew, but Christian had no idea what he was offering to protect her from, or the danger he could face in doing so. She saw the pity and understanding in his eyes, and it was almost her undoing. It would be so easy to step into his arms and feel safe.

Instead, she turned her back on him.

When he moved to stand directly behind her, Sarah tensed, feeling his presence like a tangible caress. This scene in the main cabin was too intimate, yet she couldn’t resist the traitorous warmth rising within her at his nearness. “I have no need of protection, except perhaps from you.”

He made no move to step away. “Are you really so afraid I would treat you as your husband did?”

She gazed over her shoulder into his sad eyes and shivered. “No. I know you’d never hurt me. I’m too important to Lily.” His mouth firmed into a grim and angry line. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. I know you’d never hurt anyone.”

The gentle sway of the ship, the soft sea breeze, and the light of the full moon made the room appear magical. Her instincts were on a reckless path, her skin felt oversensitive, and her body was a mass of tingles and feverish longing. Why did he affect her so?

Then Christian touched her. His fingers threaded themselves in her hair, pulling down the neat chignon she wore. Feeling her breath falter, Sarah wondered if this was in fact a dream. Had she gone to bed earlier and was merely dreaming this? But no, his hand moved on, his fingertips tracing the shell-like shape of her ear, leaving a trail of exciting sensations in their wake.

As his thumb traced around her jawline and found her parted lips, her breath fled altogether. Words that would halt his arousing touch died in her throat and she stood mute, simply unable to utter a sound.

For the first time in her life she felt on fire from a man’s touch. Her blood pumped hot and fast through her veins in her rising excitement.

Both his hands found their way into her hair, pulling at her tresses until they flowed freely, and then moving to the bare skin of her shoulders. The neckline of her linen dress was low enough to expose the swellings of her aroused breasts. She’d put on such daring attire because of the heat, she had told herself, but now she knew she’d only been fooling herself. Wasn’t this what she’d been angling for all along? She knew he would desire her thus attired.

Perhaps his touch could heal her as much as her touch soothed him. Would he be able to help her overcome her fears and forget her sordid past experiences?

When his arms slid around her, his roughened palms stroking the bare flesh of her arms, she gave no resistance. Still she gave none as his fingers swept over the swell of her breasts and found their peaks beneath the thin linen of her bodice and chemise.

She should stop him.

“I can make you forget . . .”

Swept up in the moment, she truly believed him.

He caught her nipples between his fingers, and with the gentle pressure he applied to them, he sent a torrent of fire raging through her body. At the same time, he pushed the trailing strands of hair off her shoulder and pressed his lips to the curve of her neck, the touch both hot and tender. Her knees weakened, and the ache in the pit of her stomach intensified sharply.

He was right. Already she was forgetting everything: who she was, where they were, why this was wrong. She was simply allowing the magic of his touch to seduce her. She was helpless to fight it. She didn’t even want to fight it!

Sarah had never known passion before, but as they embraced, she found that his body was like a safety beacon at the entrance to a harbor on a storm-tossed night. If Christian wished to make love to her, here, now, she feared she wouldn’t have the sense to stop him. She’d never felt a man’s tenderness before, had never experienced the kind of ecstasy his hands and voice were promising her. It would be so easy to fall totally under Christian’s spell.

She desperately wished she could lose herself in his arms. She wanted him to show her the kind of carnal bliss she’d never experienced in her anguished and brutal married life.

He was kneading her breasts so slowly and exquisitely that the pleasure nearly melted her. She could feel the quivering in her limbs, her legs almost unable to hold her upright.

“You heat my blood with an undeniable craving,” he whispered hoarsely.

She craved him in return. He filled her with a hopeful longing she scarcely had dreamed would ever come true. To feel the worshiping touch of such a lover, a man who would cherish her and keep her safe forever . . .

Lost in the dream, she was barely aware that Christian was pulling at the bodice of her gown, ripping at the fabric of her chemise. The light breeze from the open windows teased her aching, bare breasts. Without pause, his thumbs moved in a maddeningly light caress over the hardened tips, making her shudder with desire.

He seemed content to merely pet her, as if anything else would frighten her away. For the first time in a very long time she wasn’t frightened, and she had no intention of fleeing. How could she? Her entire body was aroused. His hands grew bolder, stroking the swollen globes, flicking the throbbing crests, cupping and teasing the buds with expert skill.

An unbearable ache spread down from her stomach, to between her thighs. Sarah arched her back, seeking something more intangible, thrusting her breasts against his skillful hands. At her movement, her buttocks came into contact with the hardened shaft of his arousal, proof of his own desire for her.

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