Free TheWifeTrap by Unknown Page B

more.
She ought to fight him, she knew. Ought to be struggling against his embrace
instead of turning in to it like a tender plant that wanted, even needed, to
drink more deeply of the sun.
    Her eyes fell shut, the world sliding away as he again proved the
truth of his words, the undeniable mastery of his skills.
    Curving an arm around her waist, Darragh fit her more snuggly
against him as he worked to increase her enjoyment. He knew he should stop.
Knew this whole game had begun to spiral wildly out of control.
    All he’d intended was a simple kiss. A quick embrace to tease and
teach her a lesson for her snobbish ways. Yet he was the one getting the lesson
as she brought him a pleasure so intense his head fairly swam with the delight
of it.
    Ah, good Christ, she tasted like the finest golden honey. Sweet
and rich and succulent. Well worth the risk of earning a little sting for his
trouble. And trouble she was. Wicked bad trouble, the kind for which he had no
earthly use.
    How easy it would be to completely lose his head, to lay her down
in this fragrant garden and spoil another one of her pretty frocks by staining
it green with grass.
    He imagined tumbling her gently downward, lying over her while he plundered
her moist pink lips as he was doing now, his fingers easing beneath her bodice
to cup a lush, full breast. Ah, her flesh would surely feel like a slice of
heaven in his grasp. Her legs would shift, passion sparking hot between them as
he slid his lips lower to take her nipple in his mouth, his other hand gliding
downward over a rounded satiny hip.
    Need pounded in his blood like a fever, ached like a wound between
his thighs. He took a single step forward, on the verge of succumbing to sheer
carnal impulse. A bird screeched in a nearby tree, awakening his rational mind
enough for him to remember exactly where it was the pair of them stood.
    In plain view of the house.
    In eyeshot of the Merriweathers—who, amiable as they might be,
certainly wouldn’t appreciate finding him making love to their young cousin.
She’d been sent to Ireland as the result of one scandal. He had no wish to find
himself at the center of another.
    A fair temptress she was and there was no denying it.
    Stifling a groan, he forced himself to break off the kiss. If they
hadn’t been caught already, there was no point in taking further risk.
    Jeannette swayed on her feet, blinked twice.
    “What is it?” she murmured in a breathy voice that whispered down
his spine like a teasing finger.
    “Past time you were going inside, that’s what it is. If you stay
out here much longer, it’s for sure you’ll be missed. Unless you still mean to
take that walk.”
    “What walk?” she asked.
    Doing his best to steady his trembling hands, he lifted her bonnet
back into place, retied the drooping bow. His gaze roamed over her, noting the
heightened color in her flushed cheeks, the ruddy, glistening lips, which
looked well and thoroughly kissed.
    He could never send her inside like that. Everyone who saw her
would know.
    Drawing a deep breath, he pinned a deliberately arrogant,
self-satisfied smile upon his lips. “I must say that was a fine thank-you, Lady
Jeannette. Well worth the trouble of getting it.”
    The look of dazed passion drained from her eyes, color sparking
higher in her cheeks. Pain glistening in her gaze, she lifted a hand and
slapped him. “There,” she said. “Was it still worth the trouble?”
    Alarmingly, he realized it was, setting a hand over his stinging
cheek and the reddened imprint he assumed she had left behind.
    Without waiting for his response, Jeannette gripped the
paper-wrapped present he’d given her, whirled and ran.
    Visually, he followed her progress as she made her way toward the
house. He’d meant to startle her back to her senses, but regretted the necessity
as well as the result.
    He sighed. ’Twas better she hate him, he supposed. For anything
else would surely lead to disappointment and