Free The Earl and the Governess: An Erotic Romance by Alison Shaw

spitting blood from his split lip and
managing to gasp, “My God, my man! Was that totally necessary?”
    “Get out,” Rafe
said in a low voice. “Get out before I hit you again.”
    Charlotte
barely noticed Hooper depart. Before she could even take stock she
found herself in Rafe's arms, gazing up at his lovely angry face
and wanting to kiss his seething mouth more than anything in the
world. But his arms were stiff around hers and his mouth
unyielding.
    “Charlotte,” he
said in a firm voice. “You're upset. We shouldn't...” but the sound
of her name on his lips was too much and she reached up and pressed
her mouth against his, opening up to him with a guileless and
genuine ardour.
    His fingers
entwined in her hair, pulling it loose as he kissed her back
without restraint until she eventually pulled away from him and
gasped,  “Where have you been Rafe? I haven't seen you in
weeks.”
    He looked down
at her with unfocused eyes and Charlotte drank in his beautiful
face and reaching up held him in her hands and trailed hungry
kisses over his rough jaw and down his sweet smelling neck. She
breathed in his spicy scent and little thrills of pleasure went all
the way to her toes. Oh how she had missed him!
    “We
mustn't...we shouldn't...” she vaguely heard him murmuring but his
hands were on her waist and her hands were running through his
thick hair and she was pressing her full length against him wishing
their clothing would just mysteriously evaporate.
    Then, suddenly,
a cool hand clamped over her wrist and his voice cut through the
spell. “What is your game, Miss?”
    Charlotte drew
away from the heat of his body and looked up at a pair of
calculating blue eyes, no longer clouded with arousal. “Game? What
do you mean?”
    “The last time
we were in this kind of compromising position, you stopped me and
told me you do not give yourself to, and I quote, ‘eligible men’”
Charlotte was relieved to see that even though his voice was cold,
there was still a hint of wry humour on his face. She could not
bring herself to answer him though. She didn't know what to say.
Damn her stupid resolutions and supposedly clever plans. Right now,
she would give anything to take back those words. Why on earth had
she lied to him? Of course she would give herself to him! She
wanted to right now! She wanted to give herself to him on this
library floor, willingly and repeatedly.
    “What has
changed?” he said.
    She looked up
at his quizzical eyebrow. “Nothing. I wasn't thinking straight. I
am not thinking straight,” and it was true. She was weak with
wanting him. “You came sweeping in here and you looked so....and
then you took a swing at that awful man and your face was so...and
I lost all thought.” His eyes swept over her face and she could
barely breathe but she managed to whisper, “You are the most
beautiful man I have ever met.”
    “And you're not
trying to trap me?” and as he said the words his hands withdrew
from her waist.
    Damn the man.
Why must he be so guarded and suspicious? Why couldn't he see that
she was burning up for him and he could have her right now, right
here? Charlotte's heartbeat was suddenly returning to normal and
her head was clearing. Did she really want to fall in love with
another man who had no heart?
    “All I wanted
was you, right here and right now,” she said honestly, “and I
promise you there were no other thoughts in my head.” Then she
rested her hand on his chest and said, “I think you were right. We
shouldn’t be doing this.”
    The look on his
face was almost gratifying. Something dark and stormy passed across
his eyes and he said in a low voice that went all the way to her
heated core, “I will have you.”
    Despite the
fact that her heart had begun heavily thumping once again,
Charlotte managed to laugh softly and say, “You are terrified of
marriage, Lord Fairburn. I think it's best that you forget me and I
forget you.”
    “And what if I
can't?” he