Ecstasy (Notorious 4)
letter?”
“He sent me an invitation of my own, asking me to spend Christmas at his estate.”
Raven stared at Kell in surprise. “He did? Whatever for?”
“How the devil do I know? Perhaps because I’m your husband.”
“I suppose he wants to make amends for the shameful way he treated you.”
Kell made no reply as he shrugged into his tailored burgundy jacket.
“Well, do you mean to go?” Raven asked impatiently.
His expression remained infuriatingly enigmatic. “I haven’t decided yet.”
She wanted to hit him.
“I expect it would be good for appearances,” he added casually before she could erupt. “We could keep up the pretense of marital bliss and lay to rest once and for all the question of our union…about it being a love match.”
“Yes,” Raven replied with a troubled frown. “I imagine we could at that.”
“I’m presuming, of course, that we can refrain from indulging in anything more intimate than sex.” He shot her another arch look. “I believe I could manage it; could you?”
“I suppose so,” Raven said reluctantly, although with far less conviction than she felt.
Kell flashed her a crooked smile. “You needn’t be so afraid. Our agreement is for conjugal relations, nothing more. Merely a convenient physical arrangement.”
When she didn’t reply, he crossed to her. “I will see you tonight then.”
“Tonight?” Raven echoed, looking up at him in surprise.
“I intend to leave the club early and be home by midnight.” Bending, he gave her lips a brief, hard kiss. “I want you to be waiting for me. In bed. Naked.”
Speechless, she stared after Kell as he turned away and let himself from the room.
For the entire remainder of the day and evening, Raven wavered in indecision.
One moment she had every intention of refusing Kell her bed. It vexed her thoroughly, his assumption that he only had to command her and she would obey. And he had deliberately misled her about Emma’s status as his mistress.
Yet when Raven recalled the incredible passion they had shared last night, her resolve faltered. Why shouldn’t they enjoy each other physically? What would be the harm? If they kept their intimacy to a minimum, there would be little risk of falling in love with him. Was she really such a coward that she had to deny herself what little pleasure her marriage could offer?
Admittedly, she wanted Kell. In his presence she felt more alive than she had imagined possible. Like her fantasy pirate’s, Kell’s erotic touch excited her and challenged her restless soul.
As the evening drew on, Raven couldn’t quell her sense of anticipation at the night to come. By the time midnight struck, her nerves were screaming with sensual tension. A short while later she heard Kell in their dressing room.
When eventually he entered her bedchamber and shut the door behind him, her heart leapt. She had turned down the bedside lamp, but in the dim glow she could see he wore a dressing gown of black and gold brocade. Even across the room, his intense magnetism affected her.
He went to the hearth first and stirred the fire before coming to stand beside her bed. The heat of his gaze was just as arousing as it had been this morning; his first comment just as provoking and provocative. “Are you naked as I asked?”
Raven drew a sharp breath. “As it happens, I am,” she observed coolly. “But if you expect me to be your obedient servant, you can think again.”
His mouth curved in a sensual smile. “I cannot imagine you being obedient unless you choose to be. But I’m pleased that on this occasion, you decided to honor my request.” His gaze skimmed the outline of her body under the covers. “I have thought of you all day, vixen…” Untying the sash of his dressing gown, he let it fall open to reveal his own nude body. “As you can see.” His arousal stood pulsing and erect.
Raven’s blood began to race.
“Have you been lying here, thinking of me coming into you?” he asked in a rough-velvet murmur.
She couldn’t deny she had been doing exactly that, but she didn’t wish to give Kell the satisfaction of knowing it. Before she could think of a retort, however, he held out a black satin bag.