He took the spyglass. “Let me have a look, then.”
Who are you, Thomas, and why do I so badly want to know?
She leaned against thebasket and watched Ronald and Thomas. He laughed at something his brother said, then ruffled his hair. The earl was a man of deep loyalty who kept promises and built dreams, even if they were never fulfilled. And that, Agatha thought, made him more wonderful than he could ever realize. A sharp warning pierced herchest, but she brushed it aside. Tomorrow, she would reassert her good senses … but now … she wanted to savor the sensations blossoming through her.
It was new, scary … and wonderful.
CHAPTER 16
You are wonderful.
Three simple words, yet they clung to Thomas, haunting him long into the night, lingering in his thoughts as he drifted into sleep, and followed him even now as he walked intoAphrodite. He had been praised countless times before—flattery flowed easily in his world—but Agatha’s had oddly pierced him. They were not born of obligation or a desire for favor. She was … genuine. The taste of her pussy on his tongue lingered; the feel of her tightness around his fingers kept his cock hard for hours afterward. The memory of her trembling, her heels digging into his shoulders, her emerald eyes dark with lust as she unraveled lingered, teasing and tormenting him relentlessly. Still, the joy on her face and her laughter in the hot air balloon stayed with him even longer.
Thomas made his way through the halls ofAphrodite, his steps steady as he ascended to the third floor.
“My lord,” a breathless voice called from behind.
It was Lady Bea, looking flustered, her cheeks flushed. Thomas arched a brow. “Yes?”
She clasped her fingers before her. “You ... you areearly.”
He tilted his head, noting the accusatory tone beneath her breathless voice. “It is seven.”
“You ... you hardly ever come before midnight,” she stammered. “Lady Agatha is not available.”
“Where is she?”
Bea glanced away nervously. “Learning ... from Madam Rebecca. They are not to be disturbed.”
Thomas smiled and strode toward the fourth floor. He approached the madam’s boudoir, knocking briskly before a young maid opened the door and ushered him inside.
“No ... no... too fast, slower, more sensual ...yes! Now again … yes, perfect!”
Lifting a brow, Thomas stepped into the private parlor and faltered, feeling as if his damn breath had been snatched from his body. There, before him, was Agatha, dressed in a way that seized his every sense. A small slip of emerald silk clung to her breasts, leaving little to the imagination. Her belly was exposed—the soft curve of her skin gleaming in the candlelight. The skirt, a matching emerald, hung low on her hips, and long slits at the sides revealed the flawless length of her thighs and legs. Gold beads adorned the hems of the fabric, catching the light with every slow, sinuous movement she made.
What she wore was unlike anything he had ever seen on another woman, so utterly provocative it made his heart hammer against his chest.
She was dancing.
Agatha’s hands twisted gracefully above her head, her fingers trailing through the air as her hips rolled and swayed to an erotic rhythm he could not hear. Her belly undulated in a slow, sensual wave, her movements deliberate, tantalizing. It was as if her entire body was singing with a language of seduction he had never known a woman could possess.
Thomas’s mouth went dry, and he could only stare, frozen in place, his senses enthralled. There was a magnetic allure to her, something raw and untamed, and it struck him forcibly that he could not move his fucking gaze away from her. He was used to controlling every situationand desire—but at that moment, she had all the power, leaving him reeling.
Another sinuous twist of her hips and their gazes collided. Agatha’s eyes were half-lidded, and a small smile curved her lips, teasing, knowing. She wasn’t just learning—she was becoming something more, something fucking irresistible.
You are wonderful.
Thomas scrubbed a hand over his face. What the hell was this nonsense?
Agatha moved closer, the sway of her hips never faltering. Her eyes locked on his as if she knew exactly what she was doing to him. The golden beads shimmered with each step, the soft rustle of silk filling the space between them. His body tightened with a fierce need, every muscle coiled, waiting for anythingto break the tension that stretched between them like a taut wire.
Thomas clenched his jaw, willing himself to maintain composure, but the fire she ignited within him was impossible to ignore. She was no longer the hesitant, blushing girl from a couple weeks before. She had transformed into a woman who could command desire with a single glance, a roll of her hips.
“Bravo,” Madam Rebecca said, “I haveneverseen such a look on Lord Radbourne’s face.Well done, Aga.”
He masked his expression and took a step forward. “You have learned well.”
Agatha stopped her danceand stood before him, her chest rising and falling with the exertion of her movements, but her smile remained, teasing the edges of his self-control.
