To Wager the Marquis of Wolverstone (11 page)

He sent her a smoldering look. “It’s agreed,
although I cannot ever think of you as just a friend.” At the
flicker of hurt on her face, he added softly, “I do not wish to be
just friends with you, Sabine.”

“Then do you want me to leave?” Her bottom
lip trembled slightly.

“No. I very much want you to stay.” Her
mouth opened in surprise. The warm look in his eyes clearly
indicated his need. “I want you. I’ve always wanted you,” he felt
his heart lighten as he finally admitted the truth.

She stepped forward and laid her petite hand
over his heart which was beating as if that rampaging bull was
chasing him.

She smiled at him. “Then tonight you shall
have what you desire. I’m yours, as I’ve always longed to be, yours
to command and yours to take.”

“As you should have been in the first
place,” he finally whispered, looking into her eyes with renewed
steamy intent. He reached out and put his glass on the windowsill
and gripped her around her tiny waist, pulling her tight against
him.

They studied each other in long, searching
stares, the past forgotten, the immediate future theirs to
write.

“Sabine,” he breathed.

His fingers tightened on her hips. She could
feel the hard length of him pressing urgently against her stomach.
She thrilled at the sensation.

One hand continued to grip her as if she
would suddenly try to flee, while the other roamed upward, tracing
her curves, molding to fit perfectly over her breast. He gently
squeezed it and hot need flared from deep within her. She pressed
even closer.

“God, I want you. I’ve always wanted you.”
He kissed her deeply, his hands roaming wildly over her back,
breasts, and bottom. She responded with a soft, eager moan,
reaching up to slip her arms around his neck.

When they both finally came up for air,
Sabine stepped out of his hold. She let her desire show on her
face. “You won our wager. I’m your prize, but a prize freely given.
You want me; you shall have me.”

Marcus’s mouth dried in tension. She slowly
and seductively removed her gloves. Her movements were simple yet
erotic. Like ripples on a pond, his desire spread and deepened,
building to greater intensity as more of her pale skin came into
view. Hell, he wanted to tumble her on to the floor this second. No
seduction, no foreplay, just give in to the raw passion driving
them both.

He couldn’t recall any woman ever igniting
his need quite like Sabine was doing. This urgent want inside him
he couldn’t label simply as lust. His heart expanded in his chest
and in the back of his mind, he’d already admitted that he still
loved Sabine. This time, he would not let her go. She would be
his—forever.

A small smile titled the corners of her
mouth, while just a hint of hesitation filled her eyes. She reached
up and pulled his already untied cravat from around his neck and
tossed it aside. Her hands slid up his chest and pushed his jacket
from his shoulders. It fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Her
fingers worked diligently at undoing his waistcoat and it quickly
followed the way of his jacket.

He breathed deeply. Beneath the white linen
of his shirt, his muscles rippled in expectation. Her fingers
trembled as she tugged at his waistband and his impatience got the
better of him. He quickly pulled his shirt up and over his head.
Her gasp when his chest was revealed heightened his excitement. One
small finger reached out and tentatively touched him.

“Soft but so strong; hard as steel but so
warm.”

He closed his eyes to keep a rein over his
burgeoning emotions. Her voice hummed seductively as she explored
his body in wonder and awe.

He was beautiful and she’d not yet seen him
completely naked. Her heart beat frantically, her attraction to him
overwhelming her. The thought of one day maybe lying with this man
every night, was intoxicating. Shoving that dream aside, Sabine
reminded herself that he was hers only for tonight.

Tonight she would freely give herself to the
man she loved and she would then savor the memory for eternity.
She’d enjoy Marcus’s touch and she’d give everything of herself to
ensure he was satisfied.

“You’re beautiful, Marcus. I’ve always
remembered you as beautiful,” she added wistfully. “At last, I have
my dream within my reach.”

“You’ve been my dream for so long, Sabine.
I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.” The deliberate plea in
his voice saw her reach for the placket of his trousers. Her
fingers fumbled and she heard him issue a curse before he swept her
hands aside and freed his rigid erection into her waiting
hands.

Her hand firmed around the thick length and
at her first stroke Marcus sighed and tilted his head back. She
explored him and realized her touch pleased him.

Finally he let out a groan and he pulled her
even closer to him. They stood pressed together, each relishing the
feel of the other. “You have far too many clothes on,” he huskily
murmured. “Turn your back.”

When she complied, he began to undo the
hooks of her dress. As the dress fell from her shoulders and fell
in a pool of silk at her feet. Without speaking, they both removed
the rest of their attire until they stood naked, facing one
another.

“You’re even more beautiful than I had ever
imagined.” Marcus brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re
worth waiting for, but I’ve waited far too long. And I’m hungry for
you.”

She placed a hand on his chest. His heart
raced beneath her touch. “Tonight I’m yours. I’m not going
anywhere.”

He took her hand and dragged it down over
every ridge and muscle of his torso to his groin. She was startled
by the warmth pooling in her stomach at feel of him, hard and hot
beneath her palm.

“See what you do to me, sweeting. I don’t
know if I’ll ever get enough of you, but I won’t be satisfied until
I’m buried deep inside you.”

The earthy rawness of his words sent a
shudder down her spine. Her loins contracted hotly as he encouraged
her hand to explore more of him.

He cupped her chin and the suddenness of his
kiss started a fire raging in her belly, and she gave herself up to
pleasure as his hands explored her naked flesh.

He kissed her. It was a demanding kiss,
possessive and controlling. Hot and needy, his tongue swept into
her mouth. The taste of maleness on it tantalized her taste buds as
it swirled around hers until her knees almost gave way. A strong
hand ran over every inch of her goose-bumped skin, igniting the
heat of passion within her. He deepened the kiss. It tugged at her,
demanding a response and she gave it willingly.

The feel of his soft chest hair upon her
sensitive nipples shot tiny frissons of sensation across her skin.
He felt so large, so big and so overwhelming as she stood in the
protective shadow of his massive frame.

The skillful touch had her melting. His
dark, spicy scent was like an aphrodisiac, inciting her on. She
pushed even closer, exploring further.

Cool air brushed her mouth as his lips
danced across her cheek in search of first her ear lobe, and then
her neck.

“You were always so responsive in my arms.
It used to drive me crazy. Now, that I am holding you naked in my
arms, I think I shall lose my mind.”

An instant later, a large hand intimately
cupped her, while his thumb brushed across her nipple. She
shuddered in his embrace and with a low moan of pleasure, her head
fell backward, allowing, and encouraging his lips to glide down her
throat. His teeth gently nipped her as he moved his mouth ever
closer to where his thumb continued to circle around the stiff peak
of her breast. She was soon craving his mouth upon her nipple.

It was heaven, it was hell, it was
everything she’d fantasized about and then more… Heaven to allow
herself to succumb to his tantalizing touch; hell to have so much
hunger.

The second his mouth gave her relief and he
captured and sucked firmly on her sensitive nipple, another moan
poured out of her. The wet heat of his mouth reignited another wild
need and she demanded satisfaction. Her fingers sought the hard,
length of him and circled around his thickness.

Her touch drew a moan of delight from him,
and he moved his body so that his member thrust in and out of her
grasp. The thought of him, the size of him, sliding deep within
her, made her shiver with a mixture of trepidation and
excitement.

A sigh of bliss slid past her lips as he
massaged her other breast as his mouth continued to devour her
engorged nipple. Never in her wildest imaginings had she
experienced such deliciously sinful sensations. He aroused her
completely. Fire flooded wildly through her veins, and the moment
his teeth bit down, her insides grew slick with her desire.

Not once had her body responded in such a
manner to her husband. Only Marcus could make her feel this way.
With her heart pounding in her breast, she resisted the deep pang
of regret and the horrid memories of the past, from encroaching on
this one perfect night.

The palm of his hand caressed her throat
before moving down to her belly. A tremor rocked her to her
core.

“Are you hot and wet for me, Sabine? You’re
my beautifully responsive girl, my dream come true.”

His lungs burned as if on fire as he sent
his fingers seeking the warmth and heat between her legs. She did
not disappoint. As she released a soft sound of excitement,
possessiveness surged through him and he kissed her again and
again, lusting after the fresh sugary taste of her tongue against
his.

With an eagerness that pleased him, Sabine
pressed herself upon his hand, her damp curls enticing his
throbbing cock. Christ, her abandoned passion made his gut lurch
with desire yet again. He wanted her like nothing he’d ever
experienced before. No woman had affected him like Sabine had.
Perhaps that was because he’d never wanted any woman like he wanted
her.

Her fingernails lightly scored the skin on
his back as she murmured his name in an aching plea. He’d never
heard anything so sweet in all his life.

Eager to bury himself deep within her wet
heat, Marcus swept her into his arms and lowered her onto the
daybed. With great gentleness, he laid her upon her back; she truly
was a feast for his long denied eyes. Aroused, she stared back at
him from the depths of her deep ocean blue eyes. It took his breath
away; his erection pulsed.

“God, the sight of you almost unmans me,” he
whispered as he struggled for control.

She smiled seductively and let her legs drop
open. The strong scent of her arousal assailed him and coupled with
the image of her womanhood glistening in the firelight, it saw his
control flee completely.

Surprise swept over her face as he grabbed a
cushion and situated it beneath her bottom.

He couldn’t wait any longer so he used his
thighs to part hers wider and pressed his aching cock into her,
savoring her tightness as he inch by inch he slowly entered her
until he had filled her to the hilt.

Her eyes rolled back and she let out a
deeply satisfied sigh. “I never knew it could feel like this.”

Gratified by her response, his body rejoiced
at the hotly aroused sight of her beneath him. He held himself
still above her, his arms shaking. He wanted to pound into her but
knew if he did so he would not last.

When he refused to move, she opened her
eyes, “We have all night, Marcus. Take me! Take me how you’ve
always longed to take me. I am your prize.”

She was a prize all right. God almighty, she
was tight and fiery around his cock. She punctuated her words by
arching her body, forcing him to withdraw and then sink back into
her, penetrating her deeper. As she moved he looked down and the
sight of his erection coated with her juices increased his own
craving until he could not deny her more. At this rate, she would
make him come faster than an inexperienced youth.

He used his hands to steady her hips so he
could thrust in more deeply. He pushed her legs up higher, opening
her fully and at last his control evaporated. As if on the edge of
insanity, he pounded into her hot depths. She tilted her hips,
matching him thrust for thrust, her bountiful breasts jiggling
enticingly as he slammed into her. He could feel his sacs become
tight and full as they brushed against her. He could not last….

A sharp cry broke from her lips, as her
fingernails dug deep into his buttocks, and her tight sheath
contracted around him with spasms of pleasure, her breath coming in
loud gasps

As she continued to contract around him, the
tightness drew out his own release. With roar, he thrust one final
time and spilled his seed deep inside her. He collapsed on top of
her, completely spent, unable to hold himself up any longer. His
body throbbed with a pleasure he’d never experienced before. It was
as if every woman that had come before Sabine had been a mere
scrap, while she was the feast. She had just succeeded in wiping
the memory of all others from his mind.

He drank in big gulps of air, enjoying the
feel of the slowly ebbing waves of their climax. If it was always
like this, tonight might just finish him off, but at least he’d die
a very satisfied man.

A shiver of trepidation crept its way down
his back. If he wasn’t careful, Sabine would once more become an
obsession. His plan looked to be a noose around his own neck.
Instead of diminishing his desire for her, it appeared to be
feeding his hunger to have her with him always. But the very
thought scared him witless. One thing he definitely knew was, that
he would never understand where he stood with this woman. He was
petrified of trusting her.

As luminous, sky blue eyes fluttered open to
look up at him, he swallowed hard. Like a stupid fool, he’d let her
burrow back into his heart. He didn’t hold out much hope he’d
survive any better from the experience than he had the first
time.