Page 56 of Single Desire
Maura held a hand against her chest, though her gown was certainly in no danger of falling. “May I have some privacy?”
“Of course.” Alec disappeared.
A tumult of emotion whirled in Maura’s chest. Reaching deep into the pocket of her gown, she pulled out her beloved velvet pouch and put it on the chair. She pulled one arm free of her striped silk gown. Alec was right, she allowed, having progressed to her petticoats. She had promised to wear whatever he purchased. She had hurtled herself into this entire predicament of their so-called marriage without any real—perhaps the better word was realistic—ideas of how to proceed beyond getting herself into the Black Scotsman’s home. She’d known at the outset that she had to tread carefully with regard to husbandly expectations. To wifely duties. Alec McBride was an intensely masculine, flesh-and-blood man.
With flesh-and-blood desires.
And she could hardly deny that she, too, harbored those very same desires.
The attraction that began the night of the masquerade still simmered beneath the surface, whenever they were together. Despite his fury at her manipulations, it was still there. Always a constant. She sensed that Alec had contained it, controlled it, fought to ignore it.
She, too, fought the very same struggle.
It was a dangerous dance of deception. A precarious line she must tread. If she pushed him away too far and too often, he would grow suspicious. To his credit, he’d been remarkably restrained, given the explosive heat of their attraction that night at the baron’s masquerade. Granted, she had no experience to judge by, but she thought it was explosive.
For her, at least.
Maura slipped the nightgown over her head, then twitched it into place. Pulling the pins from her simple chignon, she shook her hair free, combing through it with her fingers.
There was a beveled mirror behind the screen. She slowly raised her head to look at her reflection. She was shocked at the woman who stared back at her. Her skin shone through the lace. The gown hid precious little of her body. It was so sheer, she might as well have been naked. The lamps were dim; they bathed the outline of her body in a hazy shimmer. With her hair unbound, every inch of her flesh clearly visible, she looked like a woman who had just crawled from her lover’s bed.
Or a woman about to crawl into her lover’s bed.
She couldn’t bring herself to move. Her heart stood still. She was afraid to turn around, to face Alec.
She didn’t have to.
All at once he was behind her, tall and powerful. She would have turned, but he stopped her with a shake of his head.
With a single fingertip beneath the tie at her shoulder, he slid it down, baring the skin. A tug, and it separated.
Maura couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to. She stared, mesmerized by his reflection, mesmerized by hers. Their eyes locked, hers wide and startled. Alec’s burned like fiery blue torches. It was as if he touched her very soul. His right arm curled around her waist, pulling her back against him. She quivered inside, aware of his latent power and strength. Heswept aside the black curtain of her hair, exposing the fragile length of her neck, the delicate slope of her shoulder.
Never in her life would she forget the scorching hunger on his features. She saw it in his eyes just before he lowered his head. He kissed her nape, a blazing trail to the tender spot just below her ear. She had not dreamed that she might be so achingly sensitive there. His lips grazed the side of her neck. She tilted her head, granting even more access to the tantalizing touch of his lips.
Her body reacted instinctively. Impatiently. Her nipples thrust against the sheer cloth. They tingled, icy needles that craved…something. Something more…
She was vaguely aware of the gown pooling at her feet, and then she knew what that something was. His palms cupped the weight of one breast in his hand. His arm slid over her right shoulder, laying claim to her left breast. His thumb brushed against the crown; she nearly cried out.
Maura couldn’t tear her gaze from the mirror. It was as if he took possession of her, an exquisite entrapment. His fingers traced circles around both her nipples. His thumb raked lightly across both peaks. Taking it between thumb and forefinger, he squeezed lightly, then palmed back and forth, back and forth, tantalizing until she moaned.
Swamped by sheer sensation, her eyes were half closed. His hands were at her breasts, lean and dark against her pale skin. A rush of sheer pleasure shot through her. It was wildly erotic as she watched him play her body…and watching him watch her was even more erotic.
Lean fingers splayed across her belly, spanning the width between her hips, dark against her pale smoothness. His caresses impelled a shockingly compelling persuasion. Maura held her breath. His fingertips painted a tantalizing path to her belly, paused for one mind-shattering moment—
Then slipped brazenly into the triangle of curls above her thighs.
Every ounce of strength seemed to drain from her limbs. His tongue traced the tendon of her neck. Her head fell back.
With a muffled exclamation, Alec turned her in his arms, flooded with arousal. His legs braced slightly apart, he caught her knee and brought it high around his hip. He held her squarely between his legs. One hand molding the curve of her buttocks, he clamped her tight against him, bringing her up and against the jutting hardness of his erection for mind-spinning moments. Maura clutched at his arms, feeling the knotted tension in his arms as he caught her up and bore her to the bed.
There, they lay together, side by side. Alec’s mouth covered hers, staking his claim. Jerking his shirt apart, he rubbed his chest against hers. Her skin was pale, almost translucent; he could see the fragile trace of veins beneath. Dark desire gripped him. He was powerless to control it. He closed his mouth around first one swollen nipple, then the other, sucking hard.
His hand strayed lower. As tall as she was, she was incredibly fine-boned and slender. His fingertips stretched wide, easily bridging the hollow of her belly. A lone finger circled the kernel of flesh hidden in her nest of curls, then stole between sleek, feminine petals. He felt the jolt that went through her. His own need vibrated deep in his chest. Christ, she was hot. Damp withheat. Trembling with desire. And he was burning both inside and out.
Alec felt her lips part beneath his. He gritted his teeth, easing a finger inside her passage a scant inch. Even there she was small, her flesh closing tight around his finger. God, she would fit around his shaft like a second skin. He could almost swear—
Maura sucked in a breath. “Your grace—”
