She’d wanted to experience passion, hadn’t she? And this definitely fitted the bill. She’d learned more in the past ten minutes—about men, aboutherself—than in her previous twenty-one years combined.
He shook his head, as if chiding himself. “Ah, but I promised you adventure, and so far, I’m the only one who’s done anything exciting.”
“The kissing was exciting.”
He was so tall, so broad. The way he loomed over her should have been menacing, but for some reason the obvious disparity between them only made her feel deliciously feminine. She felt hot and on edge, her body jittery with a strange humming current.
“I owe you more than kissing, Scarlet. I owe you satisfaction.”
His chuckle twisted her stomach into knots, but his choice of words made her lips quirk.
“That sounds like a duel.” She lowered her register to mimic his masculine tones. “Sir, I demand satisfaction.”
His teeth flashed white in the shadows as he smiled at her quick wit. “Oh, you’ll get it, my lady. You’ll be so satisfied you’ll be dreaming about it for weeks.”
Tess laughed, even as her body tingled at his absolute conviction. “You seem very sure of your abilities.”
His fingers brushed her jaw in a devastating caress. “I’ve never had any complaints.”
Dear Lord, she was tempted to see exactly what he could do, but things had gone far enough. She was about to tell him so, but he kissed her again, and the sensible part of her brain went a little fuzzy.
Maybe just a few more kisses—
He cupped her bottom through her skirts and pulled her into his body. The feel of him against her full-length was delicious, and she tilted her hips, pressing closer still.
He was hard again, despite what they’d just done. He stroked his hand along her thigh, wordlessly coaxing her to lift her leg up around his hip, and the new position settled him perfectly into the lee of her body.
Tess wriggled against him, lost to sensation, desperate to ease the throbbing ache that pulsed between her legs.
Without breaking their kiss, he slid his hand under her skirts and up her calf, then higher, to the silky ribbon of her garter. Tess gasped against his mouth as his hand gripped the bare skin of her thigh. No man had ever touched her there, but it felt so good, so naughty.
She wasn’t wearing drawers, so there was nothing to stop his hand from moving higher still. He made a deep rumble of satisfaction as his fingers slid up the outside of her thigh and cupped her bare bottom.
“So soft.” He gave her bottom lip a playful nip with his teeth.
Tess felt as if she had a fever. His big hand squeezed her bottom and everything inside her quivered. And then his hand slid lower, his fingers following the crease of her cheeks, and Tess strained up toward him, desperate to feel his touch between her legs. There had to be some way to stop this wicked, yearning ache—
The door at her back suddenly thrust her forward as someone attempted to gain entry to the room. Thrown off-balance, she clutched her companion’s shoulders as herleg dropped back to the floor and his hand fell from her skirts.
Her forehead bumped his chin as the unwelcome intruder gave the door another forcible shove, presumably thinking it was stuck on an unseen obstacle.
“This room is taken!”
Her companion’s growl blasted by her ear, and the furious jiggling of the doorknob ceased abruptly. A moment of silence reigned.
“Apologies! Didn’t mean to intrude.” The male voice on the other side of the door was both regretful and bawdily amused. “Have at it, my good man.”
Footsteps receded along the corridor and reality intruded like a splash of cold water to the face. Tess flushed to the roots of her hair—not that her companion could see, between her mask and the darkness. She slid her hands from his shoulders to the rock-hard planes of his chest and gave him a gentle shove.
Regret mingled with relief as he obligingly stepped back, and with a start she realized the coolness on her chest was because her right breast was still exposed to the night air. She tugged up her bodice with unsteady hands.
Her heart was still pounding with unfulfilled desire, and she wasn’t sure whether to bless or curse the strangers for their interruption. Five more minutes, and she’d probably have let this man take her up against the wall, or down on the floor like a dockside whore.
A wicked, desperate part of her still wanted him to, but sanity prevailed. She had others to think of, beside herself.
She cleared her throat. “I think that’s enough adventuring for tonight.”
She sensed his confusion, even in the dark. “You want to stop? Now? But why?” He reached out and stroked her chin. “Were you not enjoying it?”
