Stunned, Alex’s jaw dropped and his hold slackened. “’S truth? Do you mean it?”
Unable to believe she had spilled the truth, Kat pulled out of his arms and paced away. She inhaled, and then exhaled in an attempt to recover her senses.
Alex’s steps sounded behind her in the grass and stopped. His warm breath caressed her nape. “I would advise you to remember that I am yet your husband. Do not lie to me, Kat. Did you or did you not bed Sir Luc?”
Kat spun around to stare up at him. “I did not. Whatever you believe of Sir Luc, he is a gentleman. He would never dishonor me by bedding me without benefit of marriage vows.”
His brows drew down, perplexed. “Then why did you not deny it when I accused you of adultery? Why let me believe you and Luc were lovers?”
“Because I was hurt and angry. When you heard the rumors, you did not ask me the validity of such foul lies. You accused me outright of whoring around. The accusation was unjust when I have done naught to betray your trust.” She refused to tell him the whole truth. That she wanted him to feel the sting of betrayal—even if it was only a small measure of the pain she felt when he abandoned her.
Alex felt his face flush with guilt. He had wronged Kat, again. But his trust had been shattered by years of imprisonment and the actions of a traitor. Against his will, memories invaded—a whip flicked, and a sharp crack resounded in his ears as excruciating pain rippled down his back. Alex flinched with remembered pain.
Kat reached out and placed a gentle hand on his upper arm. “Alex? Are you all right?” she said, distress evident in the soft tone of her voice.
Alex stared down at Kat, her face etched with worry. He latched onto her concern like a man with one foot over death’s threshold and recovered his composure.
“I am fine, Kat.” How beautiful she looked, with the silver shimmer of moonlight kissing her high cheekbones and full red lips.
“What happened to you while you were imprisoned, Alex? You never speak of it, yet I know—”
He pressed his finger against her lips, stilling the flow of words. The soft, plush feel of them wiped away coherent thought. All he wanted to do was kiss her, paying particular attention to her plump lower lip. Unable to resist, he leaned down, but Kat moved a step back.
“W–was there something you wished to discuss with me?”
“Discuss?” Alex asked, confused.
She canted her head and looked up at him oddly. “You sought me out, so I assume you must have something on your mind. Prithee, discourse away.”
She turned and sat down on a bench, her ruby velvet skirt rustling. Folding her hands loosely in her lap, staring up at him with her eyes open wide and expectant, she gave every appearance of waiting patiently for him to ‘discourse.’
Having no idea what to say, he hesitated. It had been many years since he was called upon to participate in casual conversation. Indeed, in prison, speaking was forbidden.
He finally sat down beside her, saying, “Need there be something in particular I wish to discuss? Did it not occur to you that I simply enjoy your company?”
Alex scooted closer, so they touched from shoulder to thigh, and took her hand in his. He brought it to his lips and kissed her long, graceful fingers, her scent intoxicating his senses. She smelled exotic, sultry, and mysterious.
“En…enjoy my company?” Underneath her nervousness, her tone conveyed confusion, as though she had never heard of such an occupation before.
He smiled at that. Unable to resist touching her golden skin, he feathered his finger along her wrist. It was soft and sleek, and warmth emanated where her pulse jumped beneath his finger. How would she taste?
Lightly, his caress skimmed up her arm beneath her sleeve. When he reached her inner elbow, Alex drew her closer and replaced his finger with his mouth. He pressed his lips against the lavender shadows hidden there, her skin as delicate as papyrus. Then he parted his lips infinitesimally and his tongue stroked her flesh, a slow, teasing caress.
Kat shivered.
He sighed with satisfaction. She tasted of dew and salt, delicious.
Encouraged by her response, he continued his exploration. He kissed her shoulder and then moved higher to her neck. Alex breathed in her jasmine scent, enthralled, and delicately pressed his lips to her exposed throat. A quiet moan escaped Kat and she sucked in her breath, her pulse fluttering like delicate butterfly wings.
His tongue flicked her flesh again. He breathed softly on her moistened neck, whispering, “I have been gone what seems a lifetime. Everyone has changed so much. You have changed so much. Will you not tell me about yourself? I want to know everything.”
With an angry jerk, she tore her arm free and lunged up from the bench. Alex stood, too. She whirled to face him and clasped her hands tightly in front of her. Conversely, her voice was quiet, composed. “What, exactly, do you wish to know, Alex? Would you like to know how much your betrayal hurt me? Not to mention the pain you caused your mother and father. Or mayhap you wish to know how damaging your callous actions were to my reputation? How all but a few blamed me for your desertion. Prithee, tell me, where would you like me to begin?”
Although her voice remained steady, Alex sensed her underlying pain and anger. Remorse, razor sharp like the claws of a mighty hawk, sunk into his flesh and tore him apart. Her scathing condemnation was well deserved. He had much to atone for.
“Aye, Kat, I was a bastard for abandoning you. I don’t deny it,” he said. He would make no excuses for his unpardonable behavior. “How I wish,” strong emotion deepened his voice, “I could alter the past and undo the hurt I caused you. Alas, I cannot. But I promise you this, I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you and earn your forgiveness.”
She shook her head adamantly. “Nay, you are too late. As you said, so much has changed. I am no longer—”
“Aye, much has changed,” Alex interrupted. “I have changed, for the better. Older and wiser, I know what I want now. I want you, Kat. You and no other,” he said in a soft, entreating voice.
Kat watched Alex advance on her before his words died, his stride long-legged and lazy. Her heart beat faster with fear, even as a primitive thrill raced up her spine. Goosebumps pebbled her skin and her nipples swelled to hard stabbing points.
Bewildered at her reaction, she said the first thing that came to mind to stop his predatory pursuit. “You say you want me, now. But we both know you do not love me. You lost your heart long ago to Lady Lydia,” she bit out, unable to hide her bitterness.
Alex stopped in his tracks, just inches in front of her. “As you said, that was long ago. In prison, I learned to survive day by day, and the only thing that kept me alive were thoughts of escape, of returning to the bride I left behind.”
She smelled the scent of hay and horseflesh that lingered on his skin. “Are you saying that you do not love Lady Lydia anymore?”
“What I am saying is that I’m past regrets. I no longer look back, but forward. And what I see, what I long for, is a life with you.”
They were the words she had yearned to hear for so long, but they were too late. As a young girl she had admired Alex above all others; he was so handsome and gallant, kind and honorable. When she began to have the yearnings of a woman grown, her affection for him altered to desire and eventually love. But he rejected her heartfelt offering in the cruelest of ways. She had no desire to fall under his spell again.
Kat stepped away, backing towards the exit. “Mayhap, but without love, you will come to resent me some day. Your yearning will eventually turn to hatred because honor bade you marry me instead of your precious Lady Lydia.”
Alex followed in pursuit, his eyes narrowed. “We may not love one another in the romantic sense, but there are many kinds of love. With time, I believe such deep love will come. Until then, we have something equally powerful between us.” He reached out and captured her hand, halting her progress. “Nay, do not deny it, your body tells me otherwise.”
The dark bl
ue depths of his gaze roved slowly lower to stare at her breasts. The barrier of her clothing could not hide her desire. Two hard points prodded her bodice. His gaze grew hot, sultry. Kat flushed all over. Her heart pounded harder.
He brought his free hand up and skimmed his knuckles down her cheek and along her throat. With every breath she took, her turgid flesh rubbed against her silk chemise, aggravating her further.
“The harder you try to resist the undeniable attraction between us, the stronger it will become.”
She swallowed, her blood pounding thickly. Her arousal proved his words had merit. Could this attraction between them lead to something more, something lasting? Dare she hope it could lead to love some day?
When she realized she was considering opening her heart to love once more, anger surged up inside her. Her temples pounded. She would not be swayed by carnal longings. She tugged her hand free and stepped away from him.
“You speak of lust,” she spat, her voice rife with scorn, “but a marriage cannot subsist on that alone. Without love, in time this attraction you speak of will smother and die, and eventually be replaced by resentment and hatred.”
He shook his head and captured her gaze. “Nay, I could never hate you, Kat.” The glow in his midnight depths was both tender and smoldering.
She crossed her arms and stared at him with disdain. “You believe that now. But don’t think I missed how adroitly you avoided the issue of Lady Lydia. You say she is in your past, but she married an old man. Some day she will be free again and you will be tied to a wife you never wanted in the first place. How will you feel then?”
“No one can predict the future, Kat. What is important is how I feel about you. And I do want you. ’Twas not Lydia I thought of for four agonizing years while I was imprisoned.”
Kat did not believe him. “That may be so. But I don’t doubt you will soon tire of me and seek out other women. If not Lydia, another woman will come along to tempt you into her bed. I refuse to live like that, always wondering who will be the one,” her voice cracked.
Alex pressed his fingers to Kat’s mouth and stilled her words, her lips cool and silky soft. “Kat, we have a bargain, remember?” Unable to resist, he leaned closer and breathed in her flowery, exotic scent. “Come the feast of St. Barnabas, you can make your decision then whether you wish to reconcile or not. Until that time, I want to say this only once. Lady Lydia was a lifetime ago. Frankly, I am no longer that naïve young man who fell in love with her.”
Her lips trembled, stealing his breath away, so that his next words came out in a husky whisper. “I want you to understand, though, that my feelings for you are very complicated. All I know is that I have never felt this way about a woman before. Not even Lady Lydia.”
Her large, almond-shaped eyes grew wide.
He clutched her face between his hands and held her so she could not look away. His adamant gaze bore into hers. “I know you do not believe me now. But I am a very determined man. My actions shall give truth to my words in the days to come, and I will prove to you that I shall be a faithful and devoted husband.”
She blinked as though awakening from a drugged sleep. Tugging his hands from her face with force, she cried out, nearly hysterical, “Must you torment me with the impossible?” Her chest rose with each panting breath. “I have told you no amount of determination on your part is going to change the way I feel about you, Alex. I gave you my heart once and you crushed it.” Punctuating her claim, she clenched her hand and pressed it against her heart. “I will never give you a chance to do so again.”
A deep growl rumbled in the back of his throat, and he grabbed her around her waist. “Then you wish to renege on your vow?”
“Nay!” she said, her eyes widening, perhaps sensing the danger she was in. “We have a bargain and I intend to abide by it. But you are wasting your time. Naught you say or do is going to change my mind.”
Instead of deterring him, her words did the opposite. “I beg to disagree. Despite what you say, you are not immune to me. And I intend to prove it.”
Alex crushed Kat against his body. He dipped his head down and captured her mouth, cutting off her startled gasp.
Chapter 10
Alex kissed Kat, the intoxicating scents of the garden mingling with her exotic essence. His mouth moved over hers commandingly, demanding a response. Plump and soft as velvet, her lips seared him. Her heart beat wildly against his chest, the pounding rhythm seeping under his skin like a fever.
Kat, perhaps stunned, did not react at first. But now she began to squirm, trying to escape his embrace. She merely succeeded in enflaming him more. The fever spread rapidly. He grew turgid with a hot, hard ache that needed appeasement. Like a starving animal long deprived of food that is thrown a meaty carcass.
So when she stilled, then arched her lower body away from his, he lifted her against him and took the two steps to the bench. She cried out, but Alex covered her mouth with his. Using his greater strength, he laid her down on the bench without breaking bodily contact.
He nudged her feet apart and lowered his body onto hers. Then Alex moved his hips in a slow circle, grinding his heated shaft against her soft mound. He groaned at the exquisite friction. A soft moan escaped Kat. Exultation made him less cautious and he could not hide his triumph.
“See. You cannot deny you need this, Kat.”
It was a stupid blunder.
Breath panting, her eyes blazed. “You arrogant slug. You have not heard a word I said. I will not let you seduce me.”
The heel of her hand came up and she shoved hard against his chest, but he was stronger. Her hand slipped off him and he clutched her tighter, continuing his onslaught. Relentless, he slanted his mouth over hers, coaxing her lips apart, while her fists pounded against him, glancing off his back. She fought him for what seemed forever, and then her hands clutched his waist.
She trembled in his arms. Her lips grew pliant. Exhilaration pumped through Alex at the signs of her surrender. He thrust his tongue inside her slack mouth. Her tongue met his, a wild clash of flesh that sent a shudder down his spine.
Moaning, Kat reached up and dug her fingers into his back. She pulled him closer as though she wished to absorb him into her skin. Dueling, thrusting, stroking, their tongues waged battle.
Alex’s heart contracted, such strong emotion pumped through him he thought his heart might burst. For the first time since his imprisonment, he felt something other than hate and anger. Kat must have feelings for him too, though locked far away where he could not reach them. Yet. But he had never backed down from a challenge, and he did not intend to start now.
From the first hot penetration of Alex’s tongue, Kat knew she was lost. Their mingled breaths were harsh in the hushed silence. The cold bench beneath her might as well be eiderdown, for she felt it not. She swirled her tongue around his, and his shaft blazed a path of fire, igniting an inferno inside her. Hot and moist, her nether lips throbbed. The better part of her concentration resided there, until the cool night air wafted across her chest.
She looked down, her eyes widening with surprise. Unbeknownst to her, Alex had unclasped her brooch and spread the front of her tunic open. She watched as his hand eased one breast free through the slit down her bodice. Alex drew back a little, one arm braced on the seat. He stared down at her bared breast, his gaze rapt. Her nipples puckered, from cold and excitement. The moment suddenly too tense, she brought her arm up to cover her nakedness.
He eased her hand away and bent back over her. “Nay. Do not hide from me, Kat. You are beautiful, beyond beautiful to me.” His breath made puffs of air, tickling her flesh where his mouth hovered above her chest. At his soft words, she melted, unable to resist his bold advances.
Slowly, his lips brushed the underside of her breast. A shock of pleasure rippled over her and she gasped. Next his lips skimmed up the plump curve, a slow, teasing caress. She thrust her hips up, writhing against his hard member.
Alex lifted his head, his hot
gaze remorseless. “You have no idea how I longed for you. I shall not wait another moment to taste you.”
His calloused hand cupped her swollen breast, squeezing her with exquisite pressure, before his lips at last closed around her nipple. Kat moaned. His hot mouth sucked the puckered flesh deep inside. His tongue lapped at the hard point. Excitement shot from her breast straight to her feminine mound like the vibration of a plucked lute string, and she cried out.
Alex looked up, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.
She wanted him closer. Wanted it hotter, harder. Years deprived of the hot, heady exultation of carnal release made her ravenous. Removing her hands from his back, she clutched his long black hair and tugged his head back to her nipple. He obliged, curling his tongue around it, nipping with his teeth, then sucking once more.
Her hips rose in wild abandon and soft moans expelled from her lungs. She could not look away as he shoved her tunic skirts up to her waist, velvet and silk rustling like a sibilant hiss. A warning she ignored. Air rushed over her sensitized skin. Her legs quivered.
She watched, impatient, shivering with desire while Alex fumbled with the laces at the waist of his braies. Finally, his shaft sprang free, pale and enormous in the moon’s glow. Then he covered her, his body blocking the moon and creating shadow where once was light. Her chest thumped, the wind sighed. Hot, hard flesh nudged her entrance.
“Kat. Oh, God. I swear you will not regret this,” he said, his breath tickling her ear.
Regret what? she wondered. Surely he did not think her surrender meant she was ready to reconcile? Then she heard a sound—a soft giggle, followed by a masculine growl.
“Oh, God. Get off me, Alex. Someone is coming.” In a panic, she shoved Alex’s chest, but he appeared oblivious. “Did you hear me? Alex? Get up,” she hissed louder, “someone is coming.”
She watched his eyes widen. He jumped up, swearing, and tugged her up by her arm. Her skirts slithered down her legs, but her bodice still gaped open. Frantically, while he tied his braies, she tried to cover herself, cognizant of a moist, sticky trail of desire running down her inner leg.
Vow of Seduction Page 11
