The muscles in Rayne’s jaw tightened as he ground his teeth. He was about to let Madeline entice him into her bed again, but the more she attempted to captivate him, the more distrustful it would make him.
And if she thought to achieve her mysterious aims by making him fall under her spell, she would discover that she was playing with fire.
Chapter Fifteen
My campaign to win Rayne’s heart does not appear to be succeeding, Maman, despite my best efforts.
Madeline exerted great care in staging another seduction scene, this one in the sitting room adjoining her bedchamber. She had the servants place a table and two chairs before the hearth, along with a decanter of wine and two goblets on a side table. She asked for dinner to be delayed, however, since she intended to take her plan for seducing Rayne to passionate new heights.
For this one night, her most ardent wish was to be the lover he wanted. She wore a jade green dressing gown of shimmering silk, courtesy of Fanny Irwin—the same one she’d worn to entice Rayne in the bathing chamber. The garment was soft, feminine, romantic, and made her feel pretty and powerful, as if she might truly conquer a man like her husband. Yet butterflies were still rioting in her stomach when a quiet knock sounded on the sitting room door.
She went to answer it herself, admitting Rayne, then shutting the door again behind him. He had dressed informally, Madeline saw, in a burgundy brocade dressing gown with pantaloons and slippers beneath.
She also noted a barely visible tension across his shoulders as he scanned the result of her efforts—not a good sign when she had expected to please him. Outside, it was dark and rainy, but inside, the crackling fire had taken the October chill from the air. The flames and one low-burning lamp cast a cozy, intimate glow throughout the sitting room.
When Rayne turned to face her, though, Madeline could detect almost no emotion in his expression.
“I trust you are not too hungry,” she ventured to murmur. “I told Bramsley I would ring for dinner to be served later. I thought we might enjoy a glass of wine first.”
“As you please.”
Hiding her disappointment at Rayne’s dispassion, Madeline moved past him and poured him some wine. When she brought the goblet to him, he studied the ruby liquid without drinking, his beautiful eyes hiding behind that dark fringe of lashes as he voiced a question.
“What is going on in that clever head of yours, sweeting?”
“What do you mean?” she asked innocently.
“Just what are you planning?”
“Why, nothing more than an intimate dinner. But if you want to seduce me, I won’t put up any resistance.”
Rayne’s dark-lashed eyes lifted negligently to lock with hers. “What if I don’t wish to seduce you?”
Madeline swallowed hard, determined to persevere. “Then I shall have to take the initiative.”
His gaze narrowed in speculation. “You don’t think seduction is best left to the experts?”
She could detect no teasing in his question, but she resolutely kept her own tone light when she replied. “Perhaps so, but I am attempting to increase my expertise. You said you would teach me how to arouse you.”
“Oh, no,” Rayne responded firmly. “This time you are on your own, love. I want to see how good a pupil you have become.”
Hiding how unnerved she was, Madeline raised her chin and resorted to bravado. “I am an excellent pupil, and I will prove it to you.”
Taking a deep breath, she unfastened the hooks at the front of her dressing gown, then slipped out of it. The garment fell to the floor in a delicate pool, leaving her completely naked.
Rayne’s features arrested as he took in her form, and several heartbeats passed before he spoke. “Words fail me.”
Madeline smiled in relief at the admiration in his tone. “Truly? I have never known you to be speechless.”
“I am now.”
“You will be more so when I ravish you.”
His boldly familiar gaze raked over her bare body. “Behold me in transports of delight.”
He did not appear to be overwhelmed by delight, yet there was no doubt he was affected by her. Undeniable attraction sizzled between them as he stepped closer.
Without warning then, Rayne reached out to flick her left nipple with his thumb. Blood rushed to every part of Madeline’s body that he had taught to feel pleasure.