Then Came You (The Gamblers #1)(74)

She trembled with a mixture of fear and anger. “I have some revelations for you, my lord. I’m not going to take a bath. I’m not going to sleep in your bed tonight, and I’m not going to talk with you. I know everything you’re going to say. The answer is no.”

“Oh?” His eyes narrowed. “What am I going to say?”

“That you find me attractive, and you desire me, and therefore you want me to be your mistress, until you tire of me. Then I’ll receive a generous parting gift and be free to have a string of protectors, until my looks are faded.” Lily couldn’t bring herself to look at him as she finished. “You want an arrangement.”

“I want you to take a bath,” he said quietly.

Lily’s short laugh held a tinge of hysteria. “Let me go. I’ve ruined everything for you, and now you’ve ruined everything for me. The score is settled. Just let me—” Her words were smothered as Alex bent forward and kissed her. When he lifted his head, she tried to slap him again. He was prepared this time, his hand wrapping around her wrist before her palm reached his face.

They were both still. Lily felt the scraps of her costume drop away, leaving her na**d except for the streaks of paint. She flushed wildly and tried to cover herself, but he wouldn’t let go of her arm. He kept it raised high, while his gaze wandered over her in a burning sweep. The pace of his breathing accelerated until it matched her own. He stepped forward, and she shrank back against the cool panelled wall, hypnotized by the silver fire of his eyes. She whispered a plea, a denial. He didn’t listen. She felt his gently marauding hands touch her shoulders, the shallow sides of her br**sts, her ribs. His palms slid over her br**sts and cupped them, causing her to shiver as her ni**les hardened against the squeezing pressure. His face turned rigid with passion, his thick lashes lowering as he stared down at the slim body he was caressing.

Lily tried to feel nothing, to ignore the devastating pleasure that ignited wherever his hands touched. But her senses ached for another draught of the rapture he had given her last night. Remembering the feel of his hard body over hers, she began to tremble with a desire she couldn’t suppress. She flushed with shame. “What have you done to me?” she whispered unsteadily.

His hands slid over her skin, smearing the paint in paths of heat and color. Slowly his color-stained fingertips traced the round swell of her breast, and etched a bluish green line across her flat stomach. Lily put her hands against his chest, tensing slightly as if to push him away. But nothing would stop him from touching her, from working a pattern over her body like some erotic artist engrossed in a sensuous painting. His palm covered the serpent’s head at her shoulder and smudged it down her side in a vibrant emerald trail.

Making a last desperate attempt to escape, she tried to turn away, but the solid pressure of his body crowded closer, closer, and his hot, hungering mouth found hers. Urgently his hands clamped over her bare bu**ocks, lifting her to him, and he groaned against her soft mouth. The force of his desire burned out reason and resolution…she had no hold on her own self-restraint.

Shivering with helpless excitement, Lily lifted her arms to his broad shoulders, her fingers kneading and flexing into his coat. The feel of her na**d body crushed against the linen and velvet smoothness of his clothes was new and startling. Roughly he tore his mouth away from hers and pressed his lips to the tops of her shoulders in biting kisses. She turned her face into his golden hair, her breath flowing against his ear. His tongue slid over her skin and found her pulse, lingering in the hollow of her throat with a tickling stroke.

Alex drew his head back, his gray eyes filled with an engrossed expression. She felt his fingers between their bodies, touching between her thighs, tugging at his breeches, until the hard, silken heat of him throbbed against her. With an eager whimper she pushed against the tantalizing pressure, craving him inside her. His hands returned to her bu**ocks, and with easy strength he lifted her against the wall. Lily made an anxious sound, her hands fluttering against his shoulders.

He spoke huskily, telling her what to do, his voice laced with tender violence. “Don’t be afraid…put your legs around me…that’s right.” She felt a heavy, invading pressure, her body stretching to accommodate his upward thrust. She drew in a sharp breath and clung to him, her legs locking around his waist while his powerful arms supported her.

Alex buried his face in her throat as he moved within her. She was making sobbing noises of pleasure…he felt the vibrations against his lips. Pushing steadily into her softness. Her lithe body arched, while her hands found the back of his neck and gripped hard. Understanding the silent message, he let her weight settle deeper on him, and he moved one hand to the triangle between her thighs. His fingertips searched gently through the soft curls. “As long as it takes,” he muttered against her flushed skin, increasing the pace of his thrusts. “I won’t stop, not until you come for me. I won’t stop.”

She gave a sharp cry, her body tightening around him, shuddering. Alex let himself go immediately, holding his breath as his body was shaken by powerful spasms of release. He let out a ragged sigh and pressed his forehead to hers. They rested against each other, their breath flowing together, their clenched muscles relaxing. Carefully Alex lowered Lily until her toes touched the floor. He kissed her with his hand at the nape of her neck, holding her steady. His mouth was hot and sweet, savoring the aftertaste of pleasure.