Taming the Lone Wolff(40)

                The housekeeper and driver had discreetly disappeared. “Well,” Larkin said, “what do you think? I asked her to put you here. My quarters are just across the hall.”

                Ignoring him, Winnie flung open the French doors and stepped out onto the small stone balcony. Larkin couldn’t have resisted following her if he had tried. The view of the surrounding forest intensified a feeling of complete privacy. Even birdsong ceased for a moment. The afternoon sun bathed them in gentle light.

                He put his hands on her shoulders, feeling the warmth of her body, even through the thin fabric of her sweater. “I want you to be happy here,” he murmured, nuzzling the back of her neck.

                She stiffened. “Is all of this supposed to seduce me?”

                The tart bite in her words nicked his pride. He turned her to face him. “I don’t need help convincing a woman to share my bed. If you don’t want me, all you have to do is say no.” In the unforgiving light he couldn’t find a single flaw. Her skin was luminous, her large, beautiful eyes mesmerizing. “Tell me no and I’ll leave you alone.”

                They were so close he could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. “I never lie,” she whispered. “Not even to myself. I do want you. But I fear we’ll both regret it.”

                He took her hips in his hands, pulling her body flush to his, making her feel what she did to him. “I’ve thought the same thing. I can’t give you the promises most women expect. But have you imagined pleasure for pleasure’s sake? We’re here now…alone. Why wait?” Though he hadn’t planned it, he found himself kissing her. It was achingly sweet, particularly when her lips trembled and heated beneath his.

                Slender arms encircled his neck. He felt her fingers sift through the hair at his nape. Something akin to an electric shock ricocheted through his body with a force that was as much pain as pleasure. The wanting overwhelmed him. Reason gave way to urgent passion and he lifted her and sat her on the stone railing. They were only on the second floor. He had her wrapped in his embrace. Safety wasn’t an issue. But the eyes that looked up into his were clouded with apprehension. And that stopped him cold.

                He rested his forehead on hers. “You’re saying no, aren’t you?”

                “I want to say yes. But I can’t. Not yet. It’s too soon. I need time to understand this. One of us has to be reasonable.” She played with his ears, an innocent caress that might as well have been her mouth on his flesh, so keenly did he feel the stimulation.

                “What are you afraid of, Winifred Bellamy? God help me, I want to know.” It was more than that. He had to know. And soon. Or he might lose his mind.

                “I came here for a reason. To draw attention away from my home and to make sure the innocents in my care are safe. That’s all.”

                “Let me make love to you,” he muttered.

                “Put me down, please.”

                He’d wanted to treat her like a princess, so surely he couldn’t complain when she bossed him around. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her back into the bedroom and set her on her feet. “I know you want me,” he said stubbornly. “You can’t hide it.”

                She faced him bravely, her stylish shoes lending her extra height. “Yes, I do. But mature rational adults know that some things we want are bad for us.”

                “Let me be the judge of that.” He kissed her roughly, letting her feel the full force of his need. A hunger that made him a slave to her whims. Never had he felt so out of control with a woman, so unsure of the outcome. And suddenly, that knowledge enraged him. He’d spent most of his adult life creating an existence that was simple, easygoing.