‘I thought I could trust you,’ she went on bitterly. ‘But once again my judgement where men are concerned is seriously flawed. Don’t touch me!’ A shudder ran through her and she reared away from him when he tried to drag her into his arms. ‘I want nothing more to do with you, and from now on I’ll be sleeping in my own room until we can end this sham of a marriage.’
‘The hell you will!’ Javier foiled her attempt to scramble off the bed by lifting her off her feet and throwing her down onto the mattress with barely concealed savagery. Before she could react, he came down on top of her, pinning her wrists above her head with one of his hands while the other tore at the laces that fastened the bodice of her dress. ‘You’ve tried and convicted me without allowing me a word in my defence. But I don’t give a damn what you think, querida. You’re mine, bought and paid for, and I’ll dismiss you from my bed when I’m ready, not before.’
‘You can’t do this,’ Graced hissed between her teeth as she struggled wildly beneath him. ‘You…barbarian!’ She gave a cry when he wrenched the front of her dress apart, exposing her small breasts, which to her horror had already swelled in anticipation of his touch so that her nipples stood out as two provocative peaks.
‘Who’s going to stop me?’ Javier said with a harsh laugh. He dragged her sleeves from her shoulders and pushed her dress down until it bunched around her waist, before skimming his hand over her rib-cage to curl possessively around one soft mound. ‘You, querida?’ he taunted. ‘I don’t think so.’
His mouth curved into a cruel smile as he watched her pupils dilate. The one thing he could be sure of was her desire for him and right now he couldn’t give a damn about anything else. He bent his head and flicked his tongue across one breast, heard her whimper and drew the peak of her nipple fully into his mouth to torment her until she twisted her hips restlessly. Judging the exact moment when her pleasure became unbearable, he transferred his mouth to her other breast and meted the same punishment until she stopped fighting him and dug her nails into his shoulders.
Grace moaned when she felt Javier slide his hand beneath her long skirt and move with unerring precision to the top of her thighs. She was on fire for him, her whole body a limp mass of quivering need, and she was aware of the flood of heat between her legs as her body prepared for his full possession.
‘You won’t stop me, Grace, and we both know why.’ His voice smashed though the haze of sensuality that held her in its thrall and his triumphant tone sent her crashing back down to earth. How could she be so weak that one touch of his skilful hands was enough to have her practically beg him to take her?
‘Why?’ she croaked, finding no hint of softness in his glittering gaze.
‘Because you can’t resist me. Because you need me,’ he said, his eyes glittering with triumph.
For a few seconds her heart actually seemed to stop beating, and she licked her lips nervously with the tip of her tongue.
‘What on earth makes you think that?’ she demanded, striving to sound cool and controlled, and failing miserably.
‘You told me,’ he said simply, watching her eyes cloud with confusion. ‘Not with words, perhaps, but with your actions. Why else would you have come to me in Madrid and begged me to make love to you? You were adamant that you wouldn’t have sex with a man you did not love,’ he reminded her when she seemed to have lost the ability to speak. ‘But you couldn’t deny the fierce passion that burns between us.’
Oh! How could she have been so obvious? She had been so focused on her belief that giving her virginity to him had been the right thing for her to do—because she loved him—that she had given no thought to what he would make of her motives. He must have been secretly laughing at her for months.
Utterly humiliated, her desire drained away, and she shuddered when he dipped his fingers beneath her French knickers and moved inexorably towards the heart of her femininity. She had to stop him before he demolished every last vestige of her pride. Calling on all her reserves, she forced her lips into an amused smile.
‘As ever, Javier, you’re right. You said yourself, lust is a powerful emotion, and I came to you because I felt it was time I stopped living like a nun. Everyone had gained something from our marriage except me, and I decided to make the most of your reputed skill between the sheets. A reputation that’s well deserved, I might add,’ she drawled, ignoring the smouldering fury in his eyes. ‘You make an excellent stud, Javier.’
‘I’m glad you think so, querida,’ he said pleasantly, but she wasn’t fooled by his smile. Without giving her time to react, he dragged her knickers down her legs and pushed her thighs apart with one firm hand, while the other moved to the zip of his trousers.