When she hesitated, he rose to his feet.
As he gazed down at her, those lovely blue eyes locked with his again and something primitive arced between them.
Something heated and alive.
Shivering, she took a step backward, but Jack tightened his fingers around hers, his resolve renewed.
If this one kiss would determine his fate, he intended to make it unforgettable.
It was rare that Sophie found herself rendered speechless by a man, but Lord Jack Wilde’s provocative declarations had already left her gaping several times this evening. And now his demand for a better kiss set her head spinning.
She ought to resist him, she knew very well. He was pure trouble, in addition to being strictly forbidden to her. But he would not release her hand, and when she tr
ied to retreat, he matched his steps to hers.
He guided her backward until she came flush up against a library table. Her flight arrested, Sophie stared up at Lord Jack, into eyes that were dark as midnight and heavily fringed with black lashes. Even with that cool, slightly cocky smile curving his mouth, he was so devastatingly attractive she could barely think straight.
While she struggled to find her tongue, he grasped her waist and lifted her onto the table, then braced his hands on either side of her hips, effectively trapping her there.
“My lord, this has gone far enough—” Sophie began breathlessly.
“Hush, love. I want your full attention when I kiss you properly.”
He certainly had her full attention, Sophie thought dazedly, staring up into his hypnotic eyes. If only for his audacity. He was bold, brash, brazen … and utterly fascinating.
As he leaned closer, however, the cutlass he wore at his waist clanged against the table’s edge. Amusement laced the low oath he muttered.
“Weapons are hardly conducive to romance,” he commented. “Pray give me a moment.”
He removed the cutlass and laid it on the table surface beside her, then returned his keen focus to her.
“Now, where were we?” he asked, his hands reaching up to lightly skim her arms.
He was contemplating her seduction, quite obviously. His possessive look sent a dangerous thrill down her spine. He was every inch the pirate, prepared to claim what he wanted.
She ought to summon the will to protest, Sophie warned herself, but the disturbing promise of his mouth made heat race through her veins. Then his hand rose higher to cradle her jaw. Her breath was already erratic from the effects of his caressing fingers on her skin, but when he rubbed his forefinger over her lower lip in a light tease, she ceased breathing altogether.
Perhaps she was merely dreaming, but if so, she didn’t want to wake just yet. The truth was, she had never been kissed by a rake before, and she badly wanted to know what it felt like. And when this particular rake smiled at her with that devilish charm, how could she possibly resist? Especially when she was feeling oddly rebellious at the moment.
Therefore, Sophie remained perfectly still when Lord Jack cupped the back of her head and tilted her face up to his. Her heartbeat hammered in her throat as his mouth descended to cover hers.…
The impact stunned her. The first time his lips had touched hers, the barest pressure had felt like fire. This contact was more like a lightning bolt—No, a dozen lightning bolts assaulting her at the same time.
He dragged his lips over hers slowly, then more forcefully, before letting his tongue part the seam and sweep inside. He kissed her deeply, sending a blaze of heat shuddering through Sophie that made her very blood sizzle.
Wanting to let herself dream just for a little while longer, she closed her eyes and melted against him. His maleness surrounded her—his hands, his mouth, his intoxicating scent. After what could have been a moment or a lifetime, she felt herself falling backward, but Lord Jack was only easing her down so that she lay on the table. With one strong arm supporting her, he leaned over her, his hard, virile body pressing against hers while his sensual mouth worked its potent magic.
His embrace was so profoundly arousing, Sophie thought she might die from pleasure, and when his hand moved to her breast and began lightly fondling the peak through her gown, she moaned. She felt so dazed and lost, she only vaguely heard someone calling her name.
Lord Jack froze at the unexpected sound, however. When her great-aunt’s voice came again from the vicinity of the doorway, he abruptly broke off his kiss, while Sophie struggled to gather her fractured wits.
“Sophie, dearest, are you here?”
He murmured another quiet curse, evidently frustrated by the untimely interruption. Disappointment flooded Sophie, swiftly followed by alarm that she might soon be discovered. Not wanting to be caught in such a flagrant display of passion, sprawled on a library table, welcoming the sensual assault of a brazen pirate who was not only a stranger but her family’s chief enemy, Sophie scrambled upright.
With similar urgency, Lord Jack helped her down from the table, then grasped her hand and whisked her toward the rear of the library, into a reading nook created by a tall bank of shelves.
Breathing heavily, Sophie managed to find her voice. “I am coming, Aunt Eunice,” she called before whispering to Lord Jack. “Quickly, you must hide!”