Forever My Love (Berkeley-Faulkner #2)(32)

“—has his own kind of problems,” Alec interrupted dryly.

“Very small problems. I suppose one of your problems is boredom? Well, that’s nearly inexcusable. There’s no reason for boredom, not when the world is full of so many things to be done.”

“What about loneliness?”

“Loneliness… that’s more difficult to solve,” she said thoughtfully. “But that’s not a problem of yours, is it? There are so many people who want to be with you, who want to be your friends, women who want…”

“Women who want… ?” he repeated quickly. “What about you? Do you want anything from me? I’ve been trying to find that out for two weeks.”

She did not reply as she looked at him and wondered what kind of game he was playing with her. She was too transparent to him; she knew that if she weren’t careful he would discover things that she had been afraid to admit even to herself. Her eyes were caught by his, and although she knew that he was seeing far too much, she could not look away.

Her thighs brushed against his as the dance forced them closer; their steps became smaller as their bodiesmolded to each other. Their palms pressed together until Mira was not certain if it was her pulse or his that she felt beating between them. Again she was filled with that yielding weakness, that awareness of him, and the moment became timeless, a moment to remember for the rest of her hie. One by one their fingers laced together, her small hand bound to his large one. She could not speak as she looked up at him, her eyes as black as midnight… and she knew that she was beginning to love him. It made her afraid and exhilarated, reckless. The wide, striking lines of his mouth were softer than usual, the brutally clean cut of his features highlighted by the stars and the clear white moon. He was like something out of a dream, his face all silver and shadows as he bent his head and kissed her cheek.

She shivered at the velvet brush of his lips, excitement crackling along her veins and awakening her nerves. She did not resist him, didn’t turn her face away as his mouth traveled over her skin and grazed her cheekbone. A slight frown gathered between Alec’s brows as he lifted his head to look at her, and it seemed as if he were torn between different impulses. As he stared at the softness of her lips, he swore quietly, and then his mouth sought hers, hot and insistent, urging her to yield to him, demanding that she open to him. Parting her lips, Mira succumbed to the searing magic of his kiss, stumbling against him as they stopped waltzing and simply stood there locked tightly together. Her arms went around his neck, her hands crept up to the back of his head, her fingers weaving through the raven smoothness of his hair.

Clinging to him, she responded to him with abandon, her mouth moving strongly under his, her body pressing sweetly against him as his hands wandered over her. One of his knees parted her legs and he cupped his hands over her bu**ocks, pulling her upward. She quivered as his hard thigh pressed into thesoftness between her legs, the firm pressure easing her mounting frustration slightly… but it was not enough, not nearly enough. Purring and sighing, Mira writhed against him in an effort to be closer. Her nostrils filled with the intoxicating fragrance of him… ah, she was drunk on him, and the night, and the sweetness of the feelings that flowed through her lavishly.

Alec caressed Mira’s slim velvet-clad figure, and her passion caused the blood to course through his veins with the speed of mercury. He held her carefully, taking care not to crush her with the force of his need. Her eager response was an admission that she wanted him, and his loins swelled and hardened to aching readiness for her. A slight tremor shook his hand as he fought for control… his fingers slid into the hollow between her br**sts, tracing along the inside of the neckline until the backs of his knuckles rested against her tender nipple. Gently his knuckles rubbed across the soft peak until it contracted and hardened, and Mira groaned into his mouth, her body shaking. Alec wanted to voice the thoughts that blazed across his mind… that she was as soft as silk, that she was beautiful, that he needed her more than he had ever needed a woman, but he could not stop kissing her long enough to say a single word. Greedily he devoured her lips, his tongue meeting hers and engaging in erotic play.

The flames rose higher, burned hotter, until Alec pulled away with a groan, and Mira blinked groggily as cool air touched her lips. Dumbfounded, she wrapped her arms around her middle as Alec turned and went to the balcony railing. Breathing hard, he braced his arms on the balustrade, his face lifted to the fresh, biting evening air. He inhaled and held the coolness of it in his lungs until his desire began to recede.

Mira’s legs were wobbly. Bereft of his warm touch, she walked over to him timidly and trailed her fingers across the back of his hand. She opened her mouth tosay something but was stopped short as he turned his head and looked at her with narrowed gray eyes.

“Let’s go somewhere,” he said huskily.

A noiseless pause followed his words while her eyes widened. What was he asking of her? Perhaps neither of them was entirely certain.

“Where do you want to go?” Mira asked, her voice nearly inaudible.

“Do you really care?”

“No,” she whispered.

A brilliant fire leapt in his gaze. “If I asked you to come away with me, to leave Sackville, would you—?”

“Yes.”

They stared at each other wonderingly, and then Alec took her small face in his hands, dislodging the pearl-studded web that confined her hair. He kissed her firmly, his head moving over hers with slow sure-ness until a tender sound vibrated from her throat.