“I…I have a request.” She swallowed and dropped her gaze to his lips, lingering there as if she wanted them back on hers. The urge to kiss her again was extreme, but he held back, eager to hear what she had to say. “I hope you won’t decline.”
“I doubt I would decline any such request you might make of me, my lady.” Grabbing her hand, he brought it to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it, dabbed at the fragrant skin with his tongue. Her audible inhalation made him smile.
“Very well, then.” She cleared her throat and jerked her hand from his grip, stepping away from him as if she needed the distance. “I want to…take a lover.”
It was his turn to clear his throat. He hadn’t thought she had it in her to verbalize such a request. “Indeed.”
“Yes.” She nodded, her expression almost defiant. “And I was hoping you would be interested…in being.” She looked at the ground. Her light green dress glowed beneath the light of the moon, appearing almost silvery. She’d never looked more ravishing. “In being my lover. Temporarily, of course. Just until the end of the season. I know you have other interests, other things you should be doing, such as searching for a proper wife. And I know I’m older than you, and you probably don’t find me that attractive, and perhaps you just kissed me due to some odd, impulsive behavior—”
“Julia?” Her nervous blathering was strangely endearing, and it pained him to interrupt it.
Her wide eyes beseeched him to continue, and a little gasp escaped her when he stepped forward, gripped her about the arms and yanked her close. “Y-yes?”
“Shut up,” he murmured just before his mouth descended upon hers.
He swallowed her words, washed them away with his thrusting tongue. She responded in kind, moving feverishly within his embrace, trembling sighs escaping her with his every deep kiss. Finally he broke away from her, their uneven breaths mingling as they watched each other. She licked at her lips with a murmur of appreciation, and he wondered if she savored the flavor of him as much as he did hers.
His skin tightened in reaction.
“Do you have an answer, then? For me?” She licked her lips again, damn her, and a strangled groan lodged in his throat. “As to my earlier question?”
She wouldn’t offer again. She was too much of a lady to do so. And he’d have to be a fool to turn her down. This was what he wanted. He’d wished for it for months. No way would he refuse.
“Yes.” He trailed his index finger along the curve of her cheek. “My answer is yes.”
Chapter Two
They rode in Bedingfield’s sumptuous carriage back to her town house, an almost deafening silence stretching between them. The interior was warm and cozy, the cushions made of plush crimson velvet, and Julia ran her fingers along the edge of the seat. Her carriage was older, the seat cushions thin, and she couldn’t imagine having such a luxury.
She also couldn’t think of one thing to say, not one, and she wondered if she was still in shock over his easy agreement at her suggestion. The way he’d kissed her, with his skillful lips and tongue, had made her toes curl. Made her want him to do it again, do more, show her everything he knew about pleasing a lover.
That he would so readily agree to be her lover was surprising to say the least. They didn’t have much time to indulge. Soon it would be summer, and London would be deserted. Most likely he would return to his family’s country estate and entertain a myriad of guests throughout the hotter months, and she wouldn’t see him. No invitations for a country visit had come her way, much to her disappointment, so she’d stay in the city. Alone and lonely, with nothing to do.
If an illicit affair with this virile man for even a few days was all she could grab, then she would take it, hold it close and savor the memories once it was over.
“Your mind,” he murmured, his deep voice washing over her, making her skin hum. Oh, she could drown in the sound of his voice. It rippled and flowed like smooth honey, and she wondered what she might do if he whispered wicked things in her ear with that voice.
She trembled at the thought.
“My what?” she asked, realizing he’d said something more, but as wrapped up in her lurid thoughts as she was, she hadn’t heard him.
“Your mind—you’re thinking too much. Turning this over and over again, questioning whether it’s the right thing to do. Are you doubting your choice, Julia?”
Her lids lifted, and she met his gaze, caught him studying her unabashedly. He reclined against the tufted velvet bench seat, his legs sprawled, his feet planted on either side of her skirts. He clutched his hands together, interlacing his fingers and resting them on his flat stomach, the epitome of the deceptively lazy man. All the while his gaze roved over her hungrily. Like the predator waiting patiently to lure in his prey.
She would most gladly allow him to capture her.
“I’m thinking, yes,” she admitted. Her palms were sweaty, her gloves sticking to her skin, and she fidgeted with the scalloped edge at her wrist. How she wished she could remove the thin barrier.
His brows rose, his expression urging her to continue, though he didn’t say a word. Glancing down, she plucked at an invisible thread on her pale green skirt, smoothing the silky fabric. It was a lovely gown, if a few seasons old, which meant she was terribly out of fashion.
“Thinking you’ll send me on my way once we arrive at your home?”
She shook her head, noted the slight quirk of his decadent lips. Was he waiting for her to challenge him? “No.”
“Indeed?” he drawled, closing his legs so they brushed her skirts.
She felt as if he had tried to trap her, and she released a shuddering breath. Could she take this? Was she ready for an affair with him? His innate sensuality overwhelmed her. Just sitting, he exuded a raw carnality she’d never experienced.