Angel in Scarlet (Bound and Determined #4)(8)

She could hear his lack of faith.

The gown presented more of a difficulty than she had expected. Her usual dresses were slightly looser, and it would have been a simple matter to push the bodice down and then lift her breasts out of her chemise. This dress was tighter, more fitted. She could not just push it down. Could she lift her breasts out? She didn’t think so. The neckline was low but not that low.

She trailed her fingers across the bare skin of her upper chest, pausing to trace the long line and hollow of her collarbone. His eyes followed.

An odd buzz began to fill her. There was a strange power in this. Colton was a good dozen feet away, and yet she could feel his heat as if he were next to her. She rested her fingers at the deep ruffle that brushed the top of her shoulder and ran all about the neckline. She pushed it down an inch. She could do this.

Colton stood, took a step forward, and then eased back.

She was aware of the draw of what she did but also his reluctance. If she were caught being indiscreet, he would undoubtedly fade in the darkness, leaving her alone to face the consequences.

Danger tingled through her. Alive. She felt so alive.

She pushed the ruffle down over her shoulder, baring it, feeling the brush of her own fingers against her hot skin.

Colton took another step forward, then with a sigh went and leaned again against the low wall rimming the terrace. He positioned his body to project relaxation and indifference, but with the light shining on him she could see the tension in his cheeks and shoulders. He was not half as indifferent as he wished to appear.

Do not hurry—slow and teasing. She could almost hear Ruby’s voice whispering in her ear. Pushing the ruffle lower, she stopped when it hung loose. Brushing her fingers across her chest, slowly, enjoying her own touch, she moved to the other side. The heavy silk was cool and sensuous beneath her fingers, and with slow precision she eased that side down as well. The high waist of the gown still kept it from slipping below her breasts, but that would not be hard to change.

She wrapped her arms about herself, pressing her breasts higher, the swell almost revealed but not quite.

His gaze burned into her, heating her, making strange little tingles run through her.

A soft breeze caressed her, and the scent of late-blooming roses filled the air, making her very aware that she was standing at the edge of the garden, only footsteps away from the milling crowd.

How much was she willing to risk for this man? For vengeance?

And why was it so exhilarating? Why did it make her want more? This was supposed to be about justice—why was she all a-tingle?

It had all seemed so easy mere minutes ago, and now she stood at a point of no escape.

She brought her hands together between her breasts and held them there for a moment, her heartbeat speeding, her arms still pressing up. Then slowly she separated them, cupping each breast, holding them out as if in offering.

She saw him swallow, his Adam’s apple moving in a swift jerk. His legs shifted and he crossed one over the other.

Did he feel it too, that tightness there, just at the apex of his thighs? She looked closer, trying to see in the dim light. Yes, he was definitely feeling a tightness, although perhaps slightly different from her own. Ruby had explained the male body to her, told her what to look for, but even so this was a bit startling.

She could actually see his cock—she repeated the forbidden word in her mind—move and grow. She couldn’t quite picture it without clothing, but it seemed to bear little relation to the Greek statues she’d sometimes caught peeks of.

Clearly sensing her glance, Colton rested against the wall, his eyes shifting down to his lap and then back to her. There was no mistaking the knowing smirk that marked his lips. He obviously saw her feelings mirrored on her face and must suspect just how unfamiliar she was with this whole situation. He was daring her to play his game, to swim from the shallows into the deep waters way over her head.

Well, he was in for a surprise. Angela had always been a strong swimmer.

And she never refused a dare—at least not until recently.

But that time was past. She had already determined not to be timid, not to be afraid.

Tilting her chin up slightly, she slipped the fingers of one hand under the ruffled neckline, and with great care she eased it slowly down, pausing only as it caught on the tip of her hard nipple. A pulse raced through her. She had not expected to feel pleasure in this—although Ruby had advised that the more she enjoyed it, the more Colton would. Apparently, a woman’s enjoyment always increased a man’s, or at least any man worth considering.

The skin of her upper curves was warm and soft, inviting. She brushed the darker edge of her nipple, feeling the rougher skin, the heightened sensation. She ran her finger across the tip, still hidden by her dress. Had it ever been so hard? She didn’t think so, not even when she’d been caught in a cold and windy rain.

For a moment she ignored him. She stared down at herself, admiring how the deep-red silk highlighted her pale skin. In the pastels she normally wore, she sometimes felt faded, but this dark shade made her almost glow, and the flush that was rapidly rising added an extra something. She let her finger graze her nipple again, let the shiver that ran through her show.

Glancing back at Colton, she met his gaze, felt the heat and power. It was like a jolt of lightning, that little shimmer that ran through one on a hot summer day when you reached out and touched something and then, ping, every hair was on end. There was no ping, but the sensation was there, that strange breathlessness and building anticipation.