Scandalous Deception (Russian Connection 1)

She trembled, briefly yielding to his soft ravishment before her hands were lifting to press against his chest.

“Edmond…no. You must not do this.”

“Actually, I must.” Denied her lips, Edmond allowed his mouth to trail along the line of her jaw to discover the sensitive hollow behind her ear. “I have been aching to touch you again since we were so rudely interrupted by your stepfather.”

Brianna sighed softly, her head tilting back to allow him greater access. A part of her, however, refused to surrender to the inevitable.

“I think there has been quite enough touching.”

“Oh, no, not nearly enough.” He trailed a path of kisses down the curve of her neck, lingering on the frantic pulse that beat at the base of her throat. “As you will soon agree.”

“You are so certain of your skill?”

He chuckled at her attempt to sound disdainful. “I am certain of this fire that burns between us. This is not about skill, but sweet—” he lightly nipped her shoulder “—aching…” His tongue traced along the edge of the tiny ribbon that held up her nightgown. “Need.”

Her moan filled the air as her hands slipped beneath the robe to lay flat against the bare skin of his chest. Edmond jerked as if he had been burned. And in a way it felt as if he had. As if her mere touch were branding him in some indefinable way.

Ignoring the dangerou

s sensations, Edmond gently tugged the covers lower. She briefly resisted, but Edmond was swift to distract her with tiny butterfly kisses spread over her face, until he was able to pull the covers away from her shivering body.

It was only when the offending blankets were shoved off the bed that Edmond at last eased back to savor the sight of her.

“Mon dieu,” he rasped, his gaze traveling over the slender form that was perfectly revealed within the champagne nightgown. The bits of lace and satin were barely decent. “Your maid possesses a wicked sense of humor.”

“What?” her voice was vague, as if she were having difficulty forming the words.

Edmond smiled, sensing her need was overcoming her virginal reluctance.

“This gown was obviously created to stir a man’s deepest fantasies.”

Running a reverent hand over the smooth skin of her shoulder, Edmond tugged aside the gold satin ribbon that held the gown in place. It was a simple act, one he had performed on more occasions than he could recall, but never before had he felt the strange vibration that echoed deep inside him. It was as though a perfect symphony was being played between them. A stirring, sweeping tidal wave that was building to a mighty crescendo.

Edmond closed his eyes as he captured her lips in a raw, demanding kiss. This was no time for absurd fancies. Nothing was going to distract him from the beckoning pleasure.

Drinking deeply of her willing lips, Edmond brushed aside the remaining ribbon and lowered her bodice so his hands could cup the gentle rise of her breasts. His shaft instantly swelled as Brianna moaned, his fingers finding the peak of her nipples to tease them into hardened nubs.

Her hands jerkily moved over his chest, as if torn between the desire to explore his flesh and the tentative embarrassment of any virgin. Edmond smoothly shrugged off his robe in silent encouragement, murmuring his approval as her touch became bolder, sliding over his tense muscles and down the flat of his stomach.

Confident the minx was suitably distracted, Edmond eased himself onto the bed, stretching out on the fine linen sheets beside her. His hands compulsively reached out to continue their voyage down the slender line of her body, smoothing the devilish nightgown out of his path and at last tossing it onto the floor. He needed to feel the satin heat of her skin, to drown in the glorious scent of lavender.

Christ, she was so slender, so delicate beneath his fingers. And yet there was a heat in that tiny form that made his blood churn with excitement.

“You are…perfect,” he muttered, his mouth skimming over her cheek and down her jaw before make a determined path to the rosy tips of her breasts.

Brianna gasped as he drew one of the nipples between his lips, using his tongue to make her squirm in pleasure.

“Dear heavens,” she yelped, her nails biting into his shoulders until they threatened to draw blood.

“Shh, ma souris, you must be very, very quiet,” he chided, even as a flare of dark satisfaction raced through him.

Whatever else this woman might feel toward him, she could not hide her delight in his touch.

Returning his attention to the puckered nipple, Edmond laved it with exquisite care, savoring her soft cries as his hand moved along the curve of her hip and then over the slight swell of her stomach. Her muscles tensed beneath his questing touch, but she made no effort to halt his caress. Indeed, her hands shifted to plunge into his hair as her ragged breaths filled the shadowed chamber.

Edmond needed no further encouragement. Shifting until he was pressed flush against the side of her body, he covered her lips in a fierce kiss, as his fingers slipped through the silken curls at the juncture of her legs and at last found the damp heat he sought.

Her scream of astonishment would have wakened the dead if Edmond had not captured it with his mouth. Smiling against her lips, he slid his finger through the satin cleft, seeking the tiny jewel of her pleasure with his thumb.