The Mystery of Mr Daventry (Scandalous Sons 4)

For a man skilled at kissing—extremely skilled at making a lady feel like she is floating amidst the stars—Lucius seemed to be stumbling at the last hurdle. Since kissing him in the library, since feeling the magnetic connection, she knew it was impossible to temper their passion.

Heavens, the man drove her wild with desire. He had seduced her mind from the beginning, seduced her heart with the depth of his devotion, seduced her body with his expert tongue.

Trust your heart, dear girl, her father had said. And her heart said she wanted Lucius Daventry in every conceivable way.

Sybil climbed off his lap, captured his hand and pulled him to his feet. “It occurs to me that the problem is your mind. There’s a host of things going on in there and that is hardly conducive to an evening of seduction.”

Lucius arched a brow. “A whole evening? There are hours until dawn. I fear once I’m buried deep in your sweet body, I’ll barely last a few minutes.”

“You should be optimistic.” She dragged him out onto the landing. “You might make love to me more than once.”

He laughed. “I can hear that damn parrot again, reminding me you don’t have the measure of the situation.”

“Perhaps,” she admitted. “Now, you’re to wait out here and empty your mind. Then you’re going to count to twenty before slipping into the room as if this were a ball and you’re about to make love to your mistress.”

“I have never made love to a mistress,” he snapped.

“Then you’re going to sneak in here to save my reputation, but you’re going to lose your mind like you did in the library.”

“Sybil, there’s no need to stage a scene,” he said, pulling her back into the attic room and closing the door. “Just kiss me, and I’ll soon forget the rest of the world exists.”

“Oh.”

His mouth curled into a sinful smile. He gathered his shirt, drew the garment over his head and threw it to the floor. Heat flooded her sex at the sight of his muscular arms, the hard planes of his chest, at every carved contour.

“Impressive.” She followed the teasing trail of dark hair leading from his navel and disappearing below the waistband of his breeches. More than impressive.

“Thank you.” He gave a confident wink.

Pushing nerves aside, she reached behind and unfastened the small row of buttons securing her gown. Once undone, she tugged the sleeves off her shoulders, shimmied until the silk slipped over her hips to pool on the floor. Her petticoat followed.

Lucius massaged the muscles in his chest and moistened his lips. “Front fastening stays.”

“Without the luxury of a maid, it pays to be prepared.”

She tugged on the ties, shrugged out of her short stays until left standing in just her chemise. Lord, her body burned. Yet her erect nipples pushed against the delicate fabric.

Lucius grinned. He unbuttoned his breeches and pushed the garment past his lean hips to reveal his jutting erection.

Holy Lord.

“It usually takes me a little time to rise to the occasion,” he said, palming the solid length. “Yet I was hard the second you entered the room.”

Curiosity had her staring, wondering how she was to take the whole length of him into her body.

Sybil arched a brow. “Equally impressive.” Magnificent, to be exact. “Though I have but a pencil sketch as a comparison.”

She wished she hadn’t mentioned what they’d found in Sir Melrose’s library. The last thing she wanted was to remind him of their mounting pr

oblems. And so, she swallowed the last remnants of her modesty and pulled her chemise up over her head.

A husky curse escaped him when she threw the garment to the floor. Nerves might have had her covering her breasts with her arms. But she recalled the salacious conversation he’d had with Benedict Cavanagh.

“I heard tell that you’ve longed to fondle my breasts.”

He stared beneath heavy lids, grinned through a mouth made for wickedness. “I’ve imagined holding you, touching you a thousand times or more.”

“Then hold me, Lucius. Touch me.”