Page 63 of Dare to Risk it All

Though she knew she was shameless, she widened her thighs for him as he raised her skirts. His satisfied smile made her shiver with anticipation.

“I suppose there are some compensations for accepting such an ill-advised husband. You know, many men won’t do such things for their wives, my sweet devil. How lucky you are to have a depraved man to call your own.”

“I never doubted it,” she managed, gasping as she felt his lips press against her inner thigh, touching the sensitive skin with butterfly kisses as his warm breath fluttered over her.

“I can’t keep you away for too long, so this will be short and very, very sweet,” he said, his voice raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck.

“Oh, my,” was all Greer could say, flopping back onto the bed with a sigh.

She did not doubt his words for a moment. She was already aching with need, her skin alive and oversensitive. A hoarse cry tore from her at the first touch of his hot, silky tongue and she was lost to sensation. He alternated with hands and mouth, shattering her composure and the pleasure built so fast she had no means of moderating her response, not that she wanted to. She knew he loved the wanton sounds she made. That much was clear as he told her how she pleased him, how beautiful she was, how much he wanted her.

He slid his hands beneath her hips, raising her up to feast upon her like a starving man, and the blatant enjoyment he took in the act tore away any remaining shred of calm. Greer cried out with no thought for anything or anyone, grasping at the bedclothes as the climax ripped through her, so hard that stars exploded behind her eyes, giving her the sensation of being flung into the night sky, the infinite pieces of her soul scattering over the heavens. For a long, delicious moment she hung suspended, and then drifted slowly back to earth, dazed and sated, utterly boneless in the afterglow.

A low, masculine chuckle brought her back to the here and now. Raising her heavy eyelids with difficulty, she blinked, discovering Raphe sitting on the bed beside her. He looked inordinately pleased with himself.

“One day, I shall learn to do that to you,” she said, her voice sluggish, like she’d been dosed with opium.

“God help me,” he whispered, nuzzling at her neck. “I don’t doubt your ability to drive me out of my wits. I only hope I have the stamina to survive your attentions, my darling hellcat.”

Greer smiled and stretched luxuriously. “If I were a cat, I would purr,” she said.

“Well, naughty puss, there’s no time for that. Come along.”

Greer grumbled and protested as he took her hands and pulled her to her feet. “I don’t want to go back.”

She collapsed against his chest, intensely aware of his powerful masculine body, thrumming with tension. He was hard, his arousal pressing into her insistently. Greer looked down his torso and then back up at his face, quirking one eyebrow.

“Are you certain you wish to go back?” she asked.

Raphe made a pained sound and drew away from her. “I am certain I want to remain here and do bad things with you, but we are going back. Just… give me a minute.”

He walked away from her and tugged back the bedroom curtain, staring out into the darkness.

“How do you—er, improve the situation?” she asked him.

Raphe glanced back at her, his lips quirking. “I usually try to think of something unpleasant. My stepmother works a treat.”

Greer made a smothered sound of amusement, and he laughed.

“I wouldn’t find it that funny if I were you. She’ll be your mother-in-law.”

She frowned. “Will we have to see much of her?”

“Lord, no! She’s no blood relation of mine and she’s never liked me. Poor Sylvester and Ollie have no choice, but I do. I’ve given up trying to please her, for it’s a thankless task. Mind, she’ll be after me for money once she realises I’ve married well.”

“Then grant her a generous annual income and be done with it. Then we need not be troubled by her again. It sounds as if it will be worth every penny.”

He stared down at her. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Raphe, the law says it’s your money once we marry, and I’ve told you before, we none of us care about such things. Mama and Papa were never vastly wealthy, so we know the value of money. The idea of the bequest Grandmama gave us has always been a notional thing. It never seemed real to me. I admit I like to dress well for a party but other than that, I’m not wildly extravagant.”

“I would prefer if we made such decisions together, love,” he said, looking a little awkward. “My family’s track record with money is not an encouraging one.”

Greer wrapped her arms about him, hugging him. He was such an odd mix of fierce self-confidence and vulnerability, and that he allowed her to see the whole of him with nothing hidden was a privilege she did not take lightly. “I trust you, Raphe, and I know you’ll manage everything wonderfully well, but I should be pleased to be your partner in all things, if you will let me.”

“Let you?” He snorted and kissed the top of her head. “I insist upon it, but now you must let go of me, sweetheart, because I really need to think about my stepmother again.”

Chapter 16