Still, the duke need not feel obligated to her. All Emma wanted was some of the money that belonged to her father, the portion that should have been hers anyway. The idea of spending the rest of her life with a man who would not have chosen her otherwise sent icicles across her skin. She would not stand for it. She deserved a marriage with a man who truly wanted her.
“I cannot, in good conscience, allow that,” he finally answered with a half a grin. Was he enjoying this?
“You mean you have a conscience, Your Grace?”
Laughter bubbled out and he leaned forward, elbows on the large mahogany desk. “Indeed, I have one.” One brow arched as he inquired, “Do you?”
“Do I?” she sputtered as anger replaced the trepidation she’d had when she first entered his study. “You cannot be serious, Your Grace. I have more of a conscience than you do.”
“Do you?” he replied in a sarcastic tone. “If you truly had a conscience you would not leave me to be steeped in scandal as you run off to your treasured America.”
“Oh, please. We both know there would be no scandal. Gentlemen of the ton with the title of duke are exempt from scandal. You would be congratulated on your escape from marrying an undesirable American, and we both know it.”
Damn him for grinning. The light sparkling in his bright blue eyes proved he was enjoying this immensely. Well, she wasn’t.
“Undesirable?” Thomas whispered, sending good shivers up her spine this time. She tried to ignore them. “I never once called you undesirable.” He stood, came around the desk, and settled one hip on the corner, bringing their legs to near touching. The action pulled his buff breeches tighter than they were, accentuating every bulge and muscle. She would not look.
“I believe my actions have already proven otherwise. I most certainly desire you.”
Heat scalded Emma’s cheeks. It was impossible to stop the blush as she remembered the stolen kisses they had shared. The hard protrusion she’d felt in his britches. She couldn’t help thinking about what his hands had done beneath her skirts. “You have made your point. You desire me as a woman, but surely not as your wife.”
“Come now, Emma, we are not marrying for love. Is it not enough that I desire you?” He stood, reached for her hands, and pulled her into his arms. Thomas curled one large warm hand around Emma’s waist while the other raised her chin, forcing her to stare into his deep, dangerous, blue eyes. She could easily get sucked in and drown in that sea of blue.
Emma struggled to ignore the loud thud of her heart and the heat spreading throughout her body. He might desire her, but she would not marry without love. He said he wasn’t marrying for love. Despite her feelings toward him, and the attraction, she would have to prove to him she did not desire him. Not one bit . . . Except…
“Emma.” Thomas moaned as his mouth took hers in a gentle kiss. She tried not to respond. She really did, but God help her, she desperately wanted to. Emma wanted to curl up against his body and never leave. Every time he kissed her, her body craved more…of something elusive. Now was no different, and she curled her arms around his neck and leaned into his body. He groaned again, splayed both hands across her back, and thrust his tongue deep in her mouth, sweeping it around, igniting her.
A moan escaped her lips. It bubbled up from deep inside. Her tongue joined with his, and they twirled together in a dance made for lovers.
“Thomas,” Emma whispered as moist heat pooled in the juncture of her thighs. Instead of talking, he kissed his way down her neck, awakening sensations she didn’t think possible. “What . . . what are you doing to me?”
His body vibrated beneath her hands as she moved them up and down over his back.
“I am tasting you, sweetheart,” she heard him murmur. “I want to kiss and lick every inch of your delectable body. Does that shock you?”
“Yes . . . No . . . Oh, my.”
Thomas’s lips traveled to the exposed swell of her breasts, causing her knees to buckle. If not for his strong arms holding her, she would have fallen to the rug. As it was, she felt like a rag doll, boneless and pliant. When he tugged down her gown and chemise, exposing her breasts to the chilly air, she gasped. When his heated mouth covered her nipple and sucked it inside his mouth, Emma nearly screamed at the pleasure deep within her belly.
She felt the wetness between her legs and silently prayed she did not embarrass herself. Her body felt as though it belonged to someone else. Emma had no control under Thomas’s experienced touch.
“Do you like this?” murmured Thomas, as one hand cupped and kneaded one breast while his teeth playfully clamped down on the hard nipple of the other.