Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh Page B

room.
    But it smelled of her, of that subtle floral scent she wore. And the candlelight was soft and flickering. It was an enticing room.
    He wanted her.
    Ah, yes, he wanted her very badly indeed. And he could find no rational fault with what was about to happen here. He was unmarried and unattached. She was a widow and was more than willing—indeed, she was the one who had initiated all of this. They would be harming no one by becoming lovers tonight—and perhaps remaininglovers through the rest of the Season. They would simply be giving pleasure to each other and to themselves.
    There was nothing wrong with pleasure. There was everything right with it.
    And there were no expectations on either side, no sensibilities to be hurt. She had been quite firm about the fact that she was not in search of a husband and never would be. He believed her. He was not in search of a wife. Not yet, anyway, and probably not for another five or six years.
    But he felt uneasy.
    Was it because of the rumors circulating about her?
    Had she killed her husband?
    Was he about to sleep with a murderer?
    Was he afraid of her? Ought he to be?
    He was not afraid.
    Only uneasy.
    He did not know her. But that was no cause for unease. He had not known any of the women with whom he had had sexual relations over the years. He had always treated them with courtesy and consideration and generosity, but he had never known any of them or wanted to.
    Did he want to know Lady Paget, then?
    She was standing beside the dressing table, looking at him in the candlelight, that strange smile on her face that seemed both inviting and scornful. He had been standing overlong close to the door, he realized, probably looking like a frightened schoolboy about to bolt for freedom.
    He moved toward her and did not stop until he had his hands on either side of her surprisingly small waist and lowered his head to set his lips against the pulse at the base of her throat.
    She was warm and soft and fragrant. And her body molded itself to his, her generous breasts pressed to his chest, her hips movingslightly to fit more comfortably against him, her thighs warm against his own. He could feel the blood pounding through his body, hammering in his ears, tightening his groin, and pulsing through his stiffening erection.
    He lifted his head and kissed her lips, his own parted, his tongue seeking the warm, moist cavity of her mouth. She sucked it deep and pressed it against the roof of her mouth with her own tongue. Her hands slid up his back, beneath his coat and his waistcoat, and then down to spread over his buttocks while her hips moved suggestively and he stiffened further into arousal.
    His own hands began the laborious task of opening the small buttons down the back of her gown. He lifted his head and stepped back when the task was completed to nudge the gown off her shoulders and down her arms and then down her body, taking her shift with it, exposing first her magnificent bosom, then her small waist and the alluring curve of her hips, and then her legs, which were long and shapely.
    Her garments slithered down to form an emerald green and white heap at her feet, leaving her standing in white gloves and silk stockings and silver dancing slippers.
    He could not take his eyes from her. There was something, he realized, even more alluring than nakedness, and this was it. He drew a deep, slow, steadying breath.
    She stood looking back at him, her eyelids half drooped over her eyes, her arms at her sides until she extended one toward him and he slowly peeled back the glove and dropped it to the pile. She reached out the other hand and smiled that siren’s smile.
    When he was finished with the gloves, he went down on one knee before her and slid her stockings down her legs one at a time after first removing the garters. She set each foot in turn on his bent leg as he maneuvered stocking and slipper off the foot and tossed them behind him.
    He kissed each instep, each ankle, the