Page 44 of Redemption

“Am I?” she said as a soft pink blush crested over her high cheekbones. It created a sudden, acute need to taste her sweetly-shaped mouth.

“Yes, and I wonder if you have any idea how strong and courageous you are.”

“I think you must have had too much port after dinner.” She brushed the compliment aside, but he could tell she’d enjoyed the flattery.

“And if I were to say you’re beautiful, would you blame that on my imbibing port as well?”

“Don’t mock me.”

Although she rejected his compliment quickly, there was just a hint of pleasure on her face. Percy suddenly realized he’d spoken the truth. She was beautiful at this precise point in time. The disconcerted look on her face had softened her eyes to a dark purple and her mouth was parted slightly in a silent, yet innocent, invitation.

“I would never mock you, Rhea,” he said quietly.

Without thinking, Percy bent his head and lightly caressed her mouth with his. A small gasp of surprise escaped her, but she didn’t retreat. Unable to stop himself, he slowly deepened the kiss as he tightened his arms around her. She came willingly, and a rush of pleasure coursed through his blood. With a gentle nip on her lower lip, he enticed her into parting her mouth beneath his. As he probed the honeyed sweetness of her warm mouth, she stiffened against him.

For the briefest of moments, he thought she would push herself free of his embrace. But she didn’t. Instead, her tongue tentatively mated with his. With each stroke of his tongue against hers, desire pounded its way into every inch of his body. There was a natural sensuality about her that ignited a fire inside him. Even the quiet scent of vanilla and citrus wafting off her skin was intoxicating.

Desire guided his hand across her waist and upward until his fingers stroked the rounded curves of her breasts just above the edge of her bodice. What would she feel like in his hand? Images of her naked in his bed heightened the desire surging through his body. The pictures in his head made his cock stiffen. With each thrust of his tongue against hers, he imitated the carnal act he wanted to experience with her. To his surprise and delight, she pressed her body more intimately into his.

Eager to taste more of her, his lips left hers to caress the edge of her jawline and then the silky smooth curve of her neck. A low moan escaped her as she arched her body into his, and the feminine softness of her thigh pressed into his erection. He didn’t know if her action was a deliberate or unconscious response to his caresses, but it drove him to seek her mouth again.

Hot and sweet her mouth was tantalizing, and the taste of her made him realize how much he wanted to have her beneath him. The thought of pleasuring her body with his made him kiss her with a fierce urgency. The hunger driving him was more intense than anything he’d experienced with any woman. And he’d had more than his fair share of liaisons over the years.

He swallowed the soft mewl rolling out of her then jerked as her hand brushed across his cock. Instinctively his hips thrust forward as her thumb stroked the length of him. The erotic touch tugged a dark groan out of him as he deepened their kiss. Another moan escaped her, and he swallowed the sound with his mouth.

From the sweetness of her scent to the sugar-spun taste of her lips, everything about her made his body ache with a painful need that surprised him. Pleasurable tension tightened his erection as it silently demanded a release. With each brush of her tongue against his, the desire barreling through him intensified.

Her response was passionate and unrestrained. It illustrated the fiery spirit running deep beneath her cool, serene countenance. The fire in her was equal to his own, and he struggled to control the arousal flooding his muscles as a voice deep in his mind shouted a warning. The moment her hand brushed against his cock once more, he realized he was completely lost.

§ § §

Percy’s scent drifted beneath her nose as the heat of his kisses singed her mouth. She’d never allowed the men who’d bought and used her body to kiss her. It had been her way of blotting out the horror. But this was different. Even though she recognized his arousal, his actions weren’t those of a man concerned only with his satisfaction. With each kiss he coaxed her to take part in the mutual pleasure of their embrace. It was a heady emotion. Fire streaked through her as she returned his kiss with a fervor that surprised her almost as much as it excited her. Her exhilaration was enhanced by the warm, spicy smell of him as she breathed him into her senses. Palms braced against his chest, the beat of his heart pulsed through his clothing into the tips of her fingers. The rapid pounding of his heart gave her a sense of power. It was a power she’d never known before.

The strength of his caress demanded surrender, but it didn’t demand utter submission. It vibrated its way through her, and she clung to him as his mouth grazed its way across her cheek. Fire warmed her skin as his lips blazed a trail of kisses down the side of her neck. The sensations it aroused inside her were foreign, but intensely pleasurable. As his mouth brushed over the tops of her breasts, her entire body exploded with one sensation after another.

With every kiss, he ignited a firestorm that threatened to consume her. Between her thighs, the core of her sex throbbed with intense pleasure until she grew weak in the knees. The potency of the sensations spiraling through her drove a need to have him touch her intimately—to fill her. Desire rose to a fine-tuned pitch inside her until she released a moan of pleasure as her body throbbed with an unrestrained, wild passion.

She didn’t think. She simply acted as she pressed her hips into his in a suggestive fashion. Her hand slid down across his chest to his waist then over his hard length. The moment she ran her finger along his erection, he shuddered violently against her. The intensity of his reaction startled her, but pleased her at the same time.

When she stroked him once more, a groan rumbled deep in his chest then escaped his lips in a quiet growl. The sound encouraged her to stroke him again. Another primitive sound rolled out of him. A second later, he captured her mouth in a hard kiss that reflected the same raw desire flowing through her veins.

In the back of her mind, she tried to understand why his touch excited her so much. She’d never expected to ever feel anything for a man. But this man was different. His touch ignited feelings inside her that were as intense as they were alarming. She didn’t question it. She simply reveled in the fiery pleasure sluicing through her veins. Eagerly her tongue mated with his in a passionate dance that renewed the ache between her legs. She was blind to everything except him and the way he made her senses come alive.

Without warning, he suddenly thrust her away from him in an abrupt move. Bereft of his embrace, she stared after him in shock. He put several feet between them and turned away from her. Stark and visceral, her body cried out its protest at the loss of his heat. Confusion wrapped an icy blanket around her as she fought to steady her erratic breathing. With a sudden clarity of thought, she realized why he’d rejected her so suddenly. The manner in which she’d responded to his kisses—caressed him. He knew the truth. No well-bred lady would act as she just had. He’d realized she was a whore.

The knowledge chilled her as she acknowledged her failure to show restraint. She’d opened herself up to Percy in a way that betrayed what she was. The realization mortified her as the depth of her shame sliced into her the same way Ruckley’s whip had left its mark on Timothy. Hot tears pressed against her eyelids as she fought to keep them from flowing down her cheeks.

Terrified she might fail in her efforts to maintain her composure, she turned and headed back toward the house. The best way to save herself from further humiliation was to put as much distance between her and the Rockwoods as she could. She’d only gone a few feet when Percy’s strong hand caught her arm and dragged her to an abrupt halt. Not about to reveal how deep his rejection had affected her, Rhea blinked back her tears. She had no intention of furthering her humiliation by becoming an object of pity.

“Rhea—”

“Let go of me,” she said fiercely as she tried to pull free of his grasp.

“Not until you accept my apology.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Mr. Rockwood,” she said with a calm stoicism that sent relief dashing through her. The serene façade she’d perfected under Ruckley’s control had returned.

“I think there is,” he said firmly. “It was wrong of me to kiss you. You’re a guest here. You should feel safe from unwanted advances.”