The sudden silence seemed deafening. Arabella felt her heart nearly pounding out of her chest, yet this time she couldn’t blame her response on physical exertion. Rather, it was because she found herself pressed against his lordship’s hard-muscled male body, her heaving breasts nestled against his broad chest.
He sat there unmoving, eyeing her in speculation, and she stared back at him, frozen. When his gaze dropped to her bare throat and then even lower, to her breasts that were thrust prominently upward, she wished she had worn something more substantial than a low-collared muslin gown in deference to the warmth of the spring afternoon. She was acutely conscious of the way her nipples had brazenly hardened at the contact.
He, too, seemed aware of her body’s wanton response, for his blue eyes
darkened with a sensual gleam.
His voice fell to a languid murmur when he observed, “I had anticipated any number of greetings from you, Miss Loring, but I confess this was not one of them.”
Arabella stiffened at his husky, amused tone. “Nor I, my lord. What do you mean, manhandling me in this brutish way?”
The glimmer in his eyes deepened. “Why, I was rescuing you, of course.”
“I did not need rescuing!”
“No? I assumed your horse bolted. You would never have been so rude as to deliberately ignore my request for an audience. I arrived an hour ago at the hall to find you and your sisters nowhere in sight.”
She had no legitimate reply for that, since her absence had indeed been entirely deliberate.
“You must have forgotten the time,” the earl prodded, “for I’m certain you didn’t mean to put me to the trouble of searching for you.”
Arabella had the grace to blush. “I was previously occupied at the hour you demanded.”
“Demanded?” He raised a dark eyebrow. “It was hardly a demand.”
“It seemed very much so, since you gave me no choice in the matter.”
His gaze dropped to her lips again. “It appears your flight had consequences you never intended.” At her puzzled look, he shifted slightly beneath her. “Perhaps you didn’t realize that physical exertion rouses a man’s blood. And combined with the thrill of the chase…”
He let the words hang until she felt the swelling hardness of his loins against her thigh and comprehended his meaning. She had aroused more than his blood, quite obviously!
Regaining her wits, Arabella pressed her hands against his chest, determined to break free. Yet it was too late. His mouth suddenly lowered to capture hers in a kiss.
A slow, devastating, spellbinding kiss.
The unexpectedness of his assault stunned her. She felt light-headed. She couldn’t breathe. At the searing heat of it, panic melded with insidious excitement, but she couldn’t summon the desire to fight him. Instead, her entire body softened instinctively against him as his lips moved over hers with exquisite pressure. When his tongue delved deep inside her mouth, exploring, she gave a helpless moan.
Marcus felt the same heat surging through him, the same rush of hunger he’d experienced at his first meeting with Arabella…only this was more powerful. The sensation rocked him. And her, too, he had no doubt, feeling her shiver of aroused excitement.
He tightened his embrace and deepened their kiss, claiming and wooing, wanting much more of her. His erection throbbed, his pulse pounded.
When at last he broke off to stare down at Arabella, a tangible desire shimmered between them, filling the air. She was profoundly shaken, Marcus knew. He felt her trembling in his arms as she returned his gaze.
“Let me go,” she finally demanded in a hoarse whisper.
“Arabella…” he murmured, not wanting to obey.
Her spine suddenly stiffening, she glowered back at him, her eyes sparking with renewed fire. When still he didn’t release her, she deliberately drew back her fist and cuffed him on the jaw.
The unexpected blow snapped Marcus’s head back and sent stinging pain vibrating through his jaw, making him swear a low oath. His body’s reaction was even more primal: He felt the savage urge to kiss her again, to conquer her and prove his mastery.
Arabella, however, took advantage of his momentary hesitation to break free of his embrace. When she attempted to scramble down, he forced himself to let her go this time, grasping her arm solely to help her descend from his horse.
Landing awkwardly, she whirled to face him, as if not wishing to give him any further advantage. Marcus remained in the saddle, scrutinizing her in rueful disbelief.
Once more she had totally taken him by surprise, yet it was his own unexpected response that had startled him more. He’d tried to convince himself that his fierce attraction to Arabella was an aberration. For the past four days, he’d attempted to put her out of his mind entirely. Perversely, he hadn’t been able to forget her for a moment.
Instead, all he could think about was meeting her again, to see if she was as full of life and fire as he remembered.