Then Came You (The Gamblers #1)(97)

“Oh, don’t be dramatic. It was only a little tap on the head.” Contritely Lily smoothed his golden hair. “I did hate the idea of hurting you. I couldn’t think of any other way to stop you, though. You’re an impossibly obstinate man.”

Alex scowled as he stripped off his shirt, revealing his broad, muscled chest. “You could have thought of a less painful way to keep me away from Raiford Park that night.”

“I could have seduced you, I suppose.” A smile lingered at the corners of her mouth. “But at the time the idea didn’t hold much appeal.”

Alex regarded her with a speculative gaze as he removed the rest of his clothes. “I still haven’t paid you in kind for that night,” he commented. There was a gleam in his eyes that she didn’t trust.

“Paid me in kind?” she repeated. Modestly she slipped out of her chemise and sought to climb beneath the sheet. “You mean you’d like to knock me on the head with a bottle?”

“Not precisely.”

He joined her on the bed and pushed her to the pillows with playful roughness, taking care not to hurt her. Lily laughed and struggled, while he used his strength to hold her down and steal swift kisses from her. She enjoyed the mock wrestling match, until suddenly she felt her arm being stretched and neatly secured to the bedpost with one of her stockings. A startled laugh burst from her. “Alex…” Before she could gather her wits, he fastened her other arm in the same manner. Abruptly her laughter died away, and she tugged at her wrists in astonishment. “What are you doing?” she asked rapidly. “Stop this. Untie me, right away—”

“Not yet.” He levered himself over her, gazing down at her.

An erotic, fearful thrill shot through her. “Alex, no.”

“I won’t hurt you,” he said, a faint smile touching his lips. “Close your eyes.”

She hesitated, staring into his hard golden face, the sensual promise in his eyes. His powerful body was poised just over hers, while his fingertips rested lightly on the thrashing pulse in her throat. Slowly her lashes fell, and she surrendered with a moan. His hands and mouth began to move over her, eliciting a burning pleasure that she was helpless to return. He tormented her with gentle caresses until she was rigid beneath him, waiting blindly for the torture to end. She lifted herself to him as he joined their bodies in a slow, splendid thrust. The weight and force of him drove deep within her, while his mouth brushed over hers with sweetly flirting kisses. Trembling, she drew tightly around him, using her legs and body to hold him to her. Abruptly the diffuse sensations converged in a burst of rapture and white heat. She jerked against him with a low cry and fell back gasping as he took his own pleasure inside her.

In the slow, surging aftermath, she fought to catch her breath. Alex loosened the bonds at her wrists. Blushing fiercely, she slid her arms around his neck. “Why did you do that?”

His hands moved slowly over her body. “I thought,” he replied softly, “you’d like to know how it feels.”

Vaguely she recalled having once said the same thing to him, and she choked on a mortified groan. “Alex, I-I don’t want to play games with you anymore.”

She felt his lips press into the warm space between her neck and jaw. “What do you want?” he asked huskily.

Lily grasped his head in her small hands. “I want to be your wife,” she whispered, and urged his mouth back to hers.

As the days passed, Lily found herself craving her husband’s touch, his smiles, his nearness. She had feared that life with him might be confining and dull. Instead it held an excitement she had never known. Alex challenged and bewildered her, making it impossible to know what to expect from him. Sometimes he treated her with the same brisk, masculine manner he accorded his friends while drinking and arguing politics over several hands of cards. He showed no hesitancy about taking her riding or shooting with him, and he even brought her to a boxing match, laughing as she alternated between cringing at the violent action in the ring and leaping up to cheer her favorite. Alex took pride in her intelligence, making no effort to hide his surprise at her skill in managing her household accounts. She told him dryly that her uncertain income over the past two years had made her expert at scrimping and economizing.

It was pleasant to have him praise her accomplishments, and she was gratified by his respect for her opinions. She even enjoyed the way he provoked her at times, spurring her into unladylike behavior and then mocking her for it. But there were other times when he disconcerted her by treating her like a rare, easily bruised flower. Some evenings when she was in the bath, he would wash her hair and dry her with soft towels as if she were a child, and rub perfumed oil over her body until her skin glowed.

Lily had never been so thoroughly indulged and spoiled in her life. After years of fending for herself, it was a constant surprise to have someone take her side in all things. She had only to wish aloud for something and it was hers, whether it was more horses in the stable, tickets for the theatre, or just the comfort of being held by him. When she had nightmares, he awakened her with kisses and soothed her back to sleep in his arms. When she sought to please him in bed, he was lovingly patient as he guided her in erotic lessons that aroused and fulfilled them both. His love-making was infinitely varied, ranging from savage plundering to gentle seduction that took hours to unfold. Whatever his mood, she was always left completely satisfied. Day by day he was stripping away her defenses, leaving her soft, open, and frighteningly vulnerable. Yet she was happier than she had ever thought she could be.