The Devil You Know (The Devil DeVere #3)(15)

The words were an irresistible magnetic lure that drew her to him.

Untying the sash at her waist, the silk wrapper slithered from her shoulders to pool softly at her feet.

His pupils flared beneath sleep-heavy lids as she stood before him, unabashed in her nakedness. She let him look his fill, his lazy inspection sending mixed anticipation and trepidation washing over her in tiny waves. He peeled back the sheet and sat up. Her gaze was riveted at once to the jutting proof of his arousal. She licked her lips, the wicked promise of unknown delights filling her with a sharp-edged hunger.

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He drew her into his arms, and the game began. Their mouths met and melded, his tongue darted over her lips, his teeth grazing them lightly. He pulled on the lower, sucking it into his mouth and then urged her to open to a hungry, breath-stealing match of capture and release that heated her blood. Their tongues met in a simulated lovers’ dance that became an explosion of sublime sensation, sending blazing jolts to her belly and a hot pool of moisture between her thighs.

He cupped her breast, teasing her nipple with his thumb. His mouth broke away from hers to ply hot, open kisses to her throat that left her gasping. Of their own volition, her hands engaged in a tactile explora-tion of his body, reveling in the erotic abrasiveness of his coarse hair against her own smooth skin. She roamed his hard chest, the rigid plain of his stomach, the powerful thigh muscles that now encased her hips, pulling her closer, tighter, and anchoring her against him until she could feel the hot pulse of his jutting manhood against her most private place.

He took her hand in his, guiding her to his rigid staff and enclosed her fingers about it. It was thick and hard and hot and pulsing. “I make no secret of how much I want you,” he said, low and hoarse. “Tell me you do, too, Diana. Say you want to take me into your body.”

“But I’m here,” she whispered. “Is that not proof enough?”

“No.” He released her hand, but his probing gaze kept her captive.

“Though I would worship you with my body, only you are in control of your pleasure. You must tell me you want this.”

She licked her lips, her breathing coming in ragged puffs.

“You have only to say yes, Diana, and I will lay paradise at your feet.”At last, a reply sounded from her throat. “Yes.”

He caught the whispered exhalation with his mouth. His hands slid down her back to palm and squeeze her buttocks. He lowered his head to her breast, kissing, gently biting, his tongue rasping her nipple, sending racking rivulets of pleasure to her womb. As her arousal rapidly escalated to a blinding need to feel the hot, hard length of him in her passage, she writhed and ground against him with a fierce cry.

Diana awoke with a sob, her body fevered, her sheets discarded, and her night rail tangled about her waist. She lay in this heightened state of arousal, panting, disoriented, and aching to her very core, until at last, she sought her own release.

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Chapter Five


Diana returned to her apartments after breakfast, appalled at the state of her bedchamber. Stockings, fans, and various other personal articles were strewn about the room. The clothespress hung open, and the drawers of the highboy appeared to have been ransacked. In growing panic, her gaze darted to the dressing table, only to discover her jewel case was missing. Certain she’d been the victim of robbery, she called for Polly to alert their host.

“But ‘tweren’t no robbery, my lady.” The maid wrung her hands.

“What on earth do you mean? My jewel box is gone missing!”

“’Twas my Lord Reginald, my lady,” the maid sobbed. “He came shortly after you went down to breakfast. He was frantic to know where you kept your coin, and then he saw the box.”

Diana’s hand flew instinctively to her neck, relieved to find the double strand of pearls with the diamond clasp, a family heir-loom that she usually wore only on special occasions. She sup-41

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posed she had the duchess’s arrogant disdain of her to thank for their safety. She would never have worn them otherwise. But for Reggie to have taken her money and jewels was indefensible.

In her mortification, Diana felt the spots of color staining her cheeks. “I am certain Lord Reginald had good reason for his actions. He was likely seeking some personal effect he had given me for safekeeping.”

“If you say so, my lady.” The maid looked dubious.

“Do you know where he is now, Polly?”

“No, my lady. He’s left his chamber, but he was dressed in riding clothes.”

Diana made a strangled sound. Let hell and a thousand furies strike him! He’s done it again! This time he’d stolen every penny and all but the pearls about her neck just to go back for more? Diana’s eyes burned, and her body shook with rage, yet she refused to break down in front of a servant. “Do you know if Sir Edward is in his rooms?”

“I also saw him depart earlier, my lady.”

Diana frowned. “Then perhaps they are both only gone down to watch the training runs. If not, mayhap Sir Edward or Hew knows Lord Reggie’s whereabouts. Pray help me into my riding habit. Then I would be grateful if you would put the room back in order.”

Diana followed the w ***

ell-travelled, gravel path from the back of the house through the impeccably landscaped park to the first of a set of low brick, slate-roofed buildings that comprised the DeVere stable block. An undergroom rushed out to meet her. “Have you come to watch the training runs, milady? Master Hew has challenged my Lord DeVere to a match race out on the down.”