Page 62 of An Unescorted Lady

"Tell me," he grinned mischievously. "You saw me naked. Have you seen many men naked before?"

She almost laughed, "N-no. Just you!" then the laugh died, and she stared into his eyes. Again, she saw desire and this time it matched her own.

"Is desire and lust the same?"

"That's like asking if sex and making love is the same."

"Are they?"

He pulled her up into the crook of his arm and stared at her innocent looking face. "Sex and lust go together. The only way I can explain it is, sex is like seeing a beautiful woman and wanting to bed her, but not necessarily marry her. Making love, is more permanent. You want the lady, it's true, but you want to make her yours. You want to put your brand on her so she can't wander far."

She swallowed hard.

"Have you ever lusted for a man?" he grinned.

"Yes." She replied quickly.

"Really. And have you ever wanted to make love?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Was it the same man you lusted after?" He asked watching her expression.

Something in her eyes softened, "Yes."

"Did you make love with him?"

"No… " she said sadly.

"Why not?"

"I feared he loved another lady."

She cuddled into him now and sighed.

"Did he?"

"I—!" she whispered. Her hands began to wander now, to his shirt, as she unbuttoned it slowly, her eyes never leaving his. His eyes followed her hands. "Your wandering into dangerous territory lady."

"Am I?" she whispered, raising up just enough to plant a kiss on his exposed chest.

"Sweetheart," he pulled away just enough to look into her flushed face. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes," she cried. "Yes. You asked for my trust. You have it. I cannot refuse what my heart desires most."

He pulled her close and kissed her long and hotly, her hands still wrapped around his chest, her fingertips floating over one of his nipples then the other as the kiss enflamed her.

"There's no going back, honey, not after this. Between us it's a commitment. Are you ready for it?"

"More than anything, I want you to make love to me. Even though you're going to Boston, I want us to be together just once. That way if you get this annulled, I'll have a memory of a beautiful time together."

He kissed her hard and she moaned softly. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to his room. A dim lamp lit the room.

She was suddenly on his bed and she waited for him to come to her.

"Take the gown off, you won't be needing it tonight." He told her.

She stared, but she didn't hesitate to remove it, and he gasped seeing her naked across his bed. He so wished he had a picture of that.

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