Her taste was keenly arousing and infinitely sweet. Sliding one hand behind her nape, he pulled her closer so that he could drink more deeply of her.
The crowd fell away so there was only the two of them, man and woman, enjoying an embrace powerful enough to shake them both. Her scent wrapped around him as he savored her mouth.
It was a slow, devastating, spellbinding kiss. When her entire body softened instinctively against him, her surrender only increased his craving for her. Painfully aroused now, Quinn felt a primal male urge to take what he wanted—and an even stronger need to heighten her desire.
When his tongue delved insistently inside her mouth, exploring, she gave a helpless moan and leaned into him. The sharp pleasure of it stabbed him in his loins, a pleasure that only heightened when her hand crept up to twine about his neck.
He felt another measure of triumph when her tongue met his willingly this time. Raising a hand to cradle her jaw, he angled his head even further, the better to devour her mouth.
Her breath faded to a sigh as their tongues mated. The tantalizing promise of her response stirred a searing need in Quinn. It had been a very long while since he’d experienced such a sizzling sexual attraction. Perhaps never.
Stark lust turned him hard and renewed his fierce feeling of possessiveness. The sensation rocked him—and Venetia, too, he had no doubt, aware of her shiver of aroused excitement.
When at last he broke off, he kept hold of her waist to support her as she swayed weakly.
Her eyes fluttering open, she raised her face to stare at him. Despite her demi-mask, he could see those lovely eyes were dazed. Her hand rose to touch her lips in wonder, as if feeling the burn there.
She was profoundly shaken, he knew. He felt her trembling as she returned his gaze speechlessly.
Quinn was at a loss for words himself. He couldn’t recall ever feeling such intense, unreasoning desire…
The sound of nearby laughter served to break the spell.
Venetia visibly shook herself and pressed her hands against his chest. Reluctantly, Quinn released her and cleared his throat, quelling the urge to adjust his satin breeches in public. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d lost control of his urges so blatantly.
When he heard another nearby sound, this one an admiring male scoff, he realized the other man was watching with resentment and envy.
“You have all the damnable luck, Traherne,” the young lord mumbled almost soberly. “?’Tis a pity.”
“Pray take yourself off, Knowlsbridge,” Quinn ordered in dismissal. “You can see we are occupied.”
His voice was husky with passion but held enough authority that the drunken gamester did as he was bid and ambled away, leaving Quinn in sole possession of Venetia.
She was still flustered from his kiss, yet she recovered her tongue readily enough. “I should have expected you to act so outrageously, Lord Traherne.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What was so outrageous?”
“You did not have to kiss me.”
“It seemed the easiest way to prevent Knowlsbridge from pulling off your mask. I presumed you would not want to be recognized. Was I wrong?”
“No,” she answered reluctantly. “But I am not your dove.”
“You and I know that, but for his benefit, I needed to stake my claim to you.”
When her mouth curved in frustration, Quinn quizzed her. “I thought you would be grateful to me for saving you.”
“I did not require saving, my lord—”
Her voice had risen noticeably, and she cut off her exclamation upon realizing that they were the object of numerous pairs of curious eyes.
“Shall we take this discussion elsewhere, darling?” he suggested. “Unless you prefer to cause a scene?”
She clearly didn’t like his endearment, yet knew he couldn’t use her name if she was to preserve her anonymity. And she must have comprehended the wisdom of his proposal, for she nodded briefly.
When Quinn gestured toward the staircase at the rear of the gaming hall, however, she hesitated. “Upstairs, do you mean?”
On the floors above, carnal amusement was the prime entertainment.