Need Me (Broke and Beautiful #2)(66)

Those pearl buttons called to him. He feathered strokes outward along the upper edges of her shoulder blades, earning another breathy sound. Only this time, she did not tense beneath the heat of his hands.

“I’ve read—heard stories,” she corrected, “where the young woman is not certain of seduction until it is too late.”

Gabriel caught her quick slip and was not surprised. Her penchant for reading was another aspect of her character that drew him to her. Earlier today, in fact, he’d spotted her disappearing through the library doors.

Unable to control the impulse, he’d found a servant’s door off a narrow hall and surreptitiously watched her from behind a screen in the corner. Browsing the shelves, she’d searched through dozens of books. Yet her method fascinated him. She only viewed the last pages of each book. When she found one she liked, she clutched it to her breast and released a sigh filled with the type of longing he knew too well. He had little doubt that she sought the certainty of a happy ending. All in all, it had taken her over an hour to find three books that met her standards. Yet, instead of being bored, he’d been enthralled by every minute.

And now, here they were . . .

Under the spell of his massage, her head fell forward as she arched ever-so-slightly into his hands. Rampant desire coursed through him. Even so, he was in no hurry to end this delicious torment.

“I cannot imagine that a woman would not suspect an attempt at seduction in some manner.” He leaned forward to inhale the fragrance of her hair, the barest scents of rosewater and mint rising up to greet him. “Aren’t all young ladies brought up with the voice of reason clamoring about in their heads?”

His gaze followed the motions of his fingers, gliding over her silken warmth, pressing against the supple flesh that pinkened under his tender ministrations. He’d always wondered . . . and now he knew she felt as soft, if not softer, than any one of his dreams.

“Curiosity has a voice as well,” she said, her voice faint with pleasure. “And are we not all creatures put upon this earth to learn, just as you have learned this exquisite medicine?”

And sometimes curiosity could not be tamed.

It was no use. Did he truly imagine he could resist her? “Well said, Miss Croft.”

Unable to hold back a moment longer, Gabriel gave in to temptation, lowered his head, and pressed his lips to her nape.