Page 36 of Surrender

Warm hands cupped her buttocks, and in a quick move, he lifted her up to thrust into her. Swept along in a raging river of desire, she locked her legs around his waist, while her mouth frantically sought his. Fast and furious, his fiery thrusts made her body tighten and clench around his hard thickness, desperate to make this moment last as long as possible. With every stroke, he heightened and ignited a pleasure inside her that made her crave him in a way she never dreamed possible.

Hot and thick, he filled her with every deep thrust, and she’d never felt anything so glorious as his body possessing hers. With each stroke, the intensity of their joining sparked unfamiliar emotions inside her. All of it made her feel as if she’d never been alive until this moment.

It was as if her blood were a wildfire burning her from the inside out. With each tantalizing second, a tidal wave of emotions lifted her up, then crested, carrying her toward shore at a blistering pace as his body pounded against hers in a wild rhythm of unbelievable passion. With each hard, pounding stroke, he dragged her to a peak of pure bliss.

His harsh breaths and his small growls of pleasure echoed in her ears as he increased his feverish pace. An incendiary euphoria swirled around her, making her want to sob and scream at the same time. With a jerk, her body froze against his as she reached a height of ecstasy she’d never known existed.

She hovered there for a brief moment before she released a sharp cry, which he silenced with a passionate kiss while his body continued to slam into hers at a blistering pace. Wild tremors coursed through her, and her body tightened around him just before her world exploded in a kaleidoscope of colors.

It was the most breathtaking state of being she’d ever experienced in her life. A second later, a violent shudder vibrated out of him into her. With one final thrust, he released a low, hoarse cry and throbbed inside her before burying his face in her neck. They stayed like that for several moments, both of them trembling against each other.

God, how she wanted to remain in his arms like this forever. The thought caused her heart to skip a beat. Such a thing wasn’t possible, but it didn’t stop her from wishing it to be true. Despite her desire to resist returning to the real world, she slid her fingers through his dark gold hair, reveling in the silky feel of it against her skin. His warm lips moved against her neck, murmuring something unintelligible. She couldn’t make out what he’d said, and as Theo raised his head, she touched the side of his cheek.

“What?” she whispered, unable to make out his words.

Theo ignored her silent query and set her down on her feet. The instant their bodies were no longer joined, she was forced to suppress a cry of protest. She wanted to remain a part of him for just a little while longer. Swaying on wobbly legs, Genevieve clutched at his arms to remain upright. A soft sigh escaped her as Theo studied her with an odd expression on his handsome features. In the back of her mind, a small voice whispered something, but she pushed it aside, unwilling to hear it, and smiled up at him.

“That was wonderful.” Her voice husky, she brushed her fingers across his mouth. Theo didn’t reply, instead, he jerked back from her and pulled her skirts down and straightened them before adjusting himself and closing up his trousers.

“Your dress looks like you’ve been engaged in a forbidden tryst—which you have,” he said in a grim voice. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Regret laced its way through his harsh words, and her heart sank. Had their lovemaking been little more than lust on his part? The question made her heart spasm in her chest with an emotion that terrified her. From somewhere deep inside, she heard mocking laughter.

Desperate to silence the sound, Genevieve told herself their lovemaking had been nothing more than a carnal release. The taunting laughter became a voice that jeered at her for hiding from the truth. Bending her head, she smoothed out her skirts, examining the wrinkles they’d suffered from her frenetic surrender to Theo’s touch.

Satisfied she’d done the best she could to repair her appearance, she slipped past him and headed toward the door. All she wanted was to go home and cry herself to sleep. Genevieve had only gone a few steps before firm fingers wrapped around her arms and brought her to a halt, but she kept her back to him. As if aware of the tumultuous emotions bubbling up inside her, he pulled her back into his chest.

“Genevieve, you misunderstand. I lost my head. It was dangerous to make love to you here.”

Soft and soothing, his voice whispered with something she was afraid to acknowledge. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. The regret she’d heard in his voice a moment before was now reflected on his face. The sight of his remorse filled her with anger. She glared up at him, trying to pull free of his hold to no avail.

“Let me go,” she said, her voice as frosty as a frigid winter wind on the moors.

“Damnit, Genevieve, listen to me.” Theo returned her antagonistic scowl with one of his own as he released her and spun her around. “Don’t you realize someone might have discovered us? Neither one of us would have heard anyone knock, let alone someone unlocking the door and entering.”

“But then you would have achieved your goal, wouldn’t you? I would have been forced to marry you if we’d been found in the throes of passion,” she said with icy precision, her heart aching as though it were being sliced out of her. “I’d have been ruined, even though we both know I was ruined long before I met you.”

“I did not make love to you for that reason. I’m amazed I had half a brain to even think of locking the door to begin with,” he said between clenched teeth. “Seeing Ansbach touching you clouded my judgement. I don’t want the man anywhere near you.”

“The man is suspected of being a spy,” Genevieve snapped. “I was attempting to become better acquainted with him, gaining his trust, doing what I am supposed to do.”

“What I saw on that patio did not even begin to look like you were working for the Crown. Ansbach was trying to seduce you, and he appeared to have been succeeding.”

“I admit the man took me by surprise, but I could have easily handled the situation if you’d not charged in and acted like a brute.” Genevieve tilted her chin upward, while a voice in her head called her a liar. “You do not own me, Lord Selbourne. While I might be forced to work with you, it doesn’t mean I am under your control.”

“And yet you just said you belonged to me,” he said with a menacing smile.

“Something I said in the heat of the moment. I have not hidden my desire for you, nor do I want any other man touching me. In fact, I’ve been trying for weeks to tempt you into doing precisely what we did moments ago. Yet you’ve resisted, quite admirably I might add.”

“And you have no idea how close I’ve come dozens of times to give way to my need for you, like I did a moment ago,” he snarled. “But if sacrificing my honor and compromising you beyond any reasonable doubt is what it will take, so be it. Protest all you want, but I will win the war, Genevieve.”

The resolute note in his voice alarmed her because she knew in the long run he would succeed. Worse, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could resist him. What had happened between them just now had had a greater impact on her emotions than she cared to admit.

She also wasn’t sure how to keep herself from falling in love with the man. The thought sent an icy chill creeping across her skin. She was far closer to tumbling over that cliff than she liked. Genevieve tried not to shiver as an invisible coat of frost wrapped around her body. This time she couldn’t suppress the tremor, and the odd emotion she’d witnessed on Theo’s face after they’d finished making love swept across his handsome features once more.

Would he actually do what he’d threatened? Another shiver raced through her. Genevieve didn’t know what terrified her the most, the idea of marrying Theo or the idea that she might enjoy being Lady Selbourne. Dear God, had she just thought she might find it pleasurable to be Theo’s wife? Terror swept over her as she realized her life was spiraling out-of-control.

Genevieve whirled about and raced for the door. As she fumbled with the skeleton key in the lock, Theo’s hard, muscular frame pressed into her back, pinning her between him and the door. The heat of him ignited a wildfire of sensations that rushed through her with the speed and force of a hurricane.