The Libertine by Saskia Walker

head tipped back as she offered her mouth to him.
    When his lips touched hers she froze, suddenly afraid, but he
held her to him with one hand against the small of her back. Am I doing this because of his magic? she thought
vaguely, but the question wisped away on the spring breeze he had conjured.
    His mouth was firm and warm and persuasive.
    Closing her eyes, she let it happen, too aroused to think
clearly and too entranced to refuse herself this. When she melted and moved
against him, his kiss became more provocative. He parted her lips with his.
Exploring her, he kissed her mouth until her body arched against his, and then
he demanded more by thrusting his tongue between her parting lips. The action
was so suggestive that she tingled wildly at her center, the heat between her
thighs building by the moment.
    Pressed body to body, she responded by grasping his shoulders,
and as she did, a hidden part of her blossomed inside. She gasped against his
mouth as the strange feeling grew, becoming intense, and she felt dizzy with
pleasure. Her entire body vibrated with the need for more. Her intimate flesh
grew damper by the moment, her breasts aching for contact.
    Lennox drew back, but kept his hands locked around her
waist.
    Chloris was glad he anchored her that way, for she felt as if
she might swoon. Her body truly had warmed and blossomed after his strange
actions, but the state it left her in was no easy burden. “You have made
me...”
    She inhaled deeply, but that only seemed to increase her
agitated state.
    He cocked his head to one side, a predatory smile on his
lips.
    Had he done that on purpose? Frustration and objection swelled
in her. “You have put me in a state of...need.”
    His hands roved lower, around the curve of her hips. “I warned
you, did I not?”
    “I did not know it would be like this.” It was the strangest
experience, for his proximity alone had stimulated her before the intimate
contact. Her breathing was increasingly constricted and she felt dizzy, as if
her garments were too tightly laced.
    “You have not felt this way before?”
    There was no doubt he was being provocative. She pressed her
lips together.
    “It will pass, try to breathe steadily.” His actions
contradicted his soothing words, for he drew her in against him, resting her
head against his chest, which only made her situation worse.
    It was akin to being embraced, and the hard bulk of his chest
beneath his shirt only served to convey the kind of masculine virility that
could slake her current needs. What had he done to her with his magic? Surely,
if he had put her in this state, he could end it? Touching her forehead with one
hand, she looked up and gave him a pleading glance. “Please, can you help
me?”
    With a nod he bent and lifted her in his arms and took her to
the bed. Being held that way—totally enclosed and easily carried in his strong
arms—only made her state worsen. Before she had a chance to object, he bent over
her and began to loose the ribbons on her bodice, deftly untying them and
tugging them open. Astonished, Chloris tried to stop him. “Please, sire,
no.”
    Arching an eyebrow, he gave her an amused glance. “Hush, you
are in danger of fainting, I am only assisting.”
    He wore a dark smile, though, a smile that only seemed to
confirm his ability to seduce her.
    Chloris whimpered. Then his hand brushed the swell of her bosom
and, as her bodice was loosed, made fleeting contact with her left breast. “Oh,
lord, you are making it worse.”
    He leaned right over her and captured her chin in his hand,
forcing her to meet his gaze.
    Chloris stared up at him, taking in the self-assured look in
his eyes. He knew the effect he was having on her, and he was about to kiss
her.
    Her lips parted.
    With a sigh of admiration, he brushed his fingers over the
swell of her breasts again and then ducked his head and rested a kiss in her
cleavage.
    The contact made her melt into the bed. Her emotions soared.
Never