The effect of his kiss was spellbinding. The heady sensation he roused made her light-headed and giddy, much like the effect of the champagne.
When he left off this time, he reached up and stroked her cheek with a finger. “Did you find that pleasurable, sweeting?”
She couldn’t utter a denial for it would be a lie. His kiss had left her breathless and dazed, and she felt a strange quivering between her thighs, a restless ache low and deep in her feminine center. “Y-yes.”
“You sound unsure.”
“It was…quite pleasant.”
His mouth curved wryly. “Merely pleasant? I think I should be insulted.”
“You know you needn’t be. You are said to be a devil with the ladies, and you have countless conquests-” She paused, shaking her head in a futile effort to clear it. “At least now I can understand why everyone says women adore you.”
“Who says so?”
“Fanny.”
“Fanny Irwin? Ah yes, I recall your sister Arabella mentioning that you were childhood friends with Miss Irwin.”
Fanny was one of the most sought-after courtesans in London. But as one of their dearest friends, she had attended Arabella’s wedding celebrations today, much to the dismay of the ton’s high sticklers.
Lily desperately wished Fanny were here now to advise her. How had she gotten herself into such a fix? What was she doing here in a secluded loft with this utterly beguiling stranger? Somehow she was sprawled all over Lord Claybourne, pressed against his hard, muscular body. Warmth radiated up from his chest, infusing her breasts with a delicious heaviness.
And that was before he raised a finger to the hollow of her throat and lightly stroked. “I think I should demonstrate.”
“Demonstrate what?” she asked unsteadily.
His eyes smiled into hers. “The kind of pleasure a man can give a woman.”
Her heart started thudding harder as he made good on his declaration. His hand cupping the back of her head, he drew her close again…yet this time his kiss held an even more delectable pressure. This kiss was slow and erotic and extremely thorough; parting her lips, his tongue slid into h
er mouth, creating an intense yearning inside her that only added to her light-headedness.
Lily fought the powerful urges in her body. Her head was still spinning from the champagne, but that didn’t explain her overwhelming feelings of desire or her deplorable attraction to the seductive marquess.
She couldn’t resist letting him continue, though. Not when he was assailing her mouth with such throat-stopping languor…molding, tasting, teasing. All her senses felt assaulted as his tongue stroked provocatively against hers, tangling in a sensual dance.
With a sound between a sigh and a whimper, Lily surrendered.
In response, his kiss only deepened.
Helplessly she raised her hand to his sun-streaked brown hair, which was amazingly thick and silky. His own hand cradled her throat, then slid lower to where the square decolletage of her evening gown exposed a generous amount of bare skin.
When his knuckles skimmed the upper swells of her breasts, Lily tried to draw in a shaky breath of air. But he kept on kissing her, arousing with silky strokes of his tongue, slowly driving, deliciously plundering.
She was achingly aware when he shifted beneath her, for one of his knees separated hers. Through her skirts she felt the pressure of his sinewed thigh against her femininity. At the same time his hand moved lower to lightly cup her breast.
Lily moaned at the feverish surge of pleasure that sensuous caress engendered. She felt overwhelmed with sensation, and when his fingertips discovered her nipple beneath her bodice, fire streaked through her body, flooding her veins with shuddering heat.
She had never felt anything like this captivating man’s erotic assault on her senses. He was driving her mad with his caresses, encouraging her response, coaxing her, stirring the wildness that had always clamored in her blood.
Yet it was his tenderness that stunned her most. He knew his own strength, knew how to use it. He could be gentle, tender, that was evident. Moments earlier, the two kittens had swarmed over him, mewling and purring, disarming the caution that she had learned long ago, when she was sixteen.
That should have been a warning, Lily knew. Those tiny creatures sensed no danger with him, which made him infinitely dangerous to her…
Merciful heaven, what was she doing? She had to end this now, a desperate voice protested in her head. She couldn’t let it continue.
Suddenly pushing against his chest, Lily tore her mouth away from his magical one and sat up. Her breath was coming in rapid bursts while her pulse raced wildly.