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He flung her flat on her back on the coarse velvet seat, nothing save the dark outline of his head visible as he took one nipple into his mouth She let out a squeak as the arue laved her He placed a hand at the juncture of her thighs, only the sheer fabric of her dress barring the way His hand rubbed there, rocking in har his naainst hi more of her breast into hiscoals "Say you want this" His desperate request twisted through her belly

She ran a hand through his hair, tenderly ruffling the locks like so many windblown feathers She definitely wanted this Wanted hi The real reason she had to see hihts had been filled with hi for hiht outside the nursery

The desperate need of his gaze shook her She saw her own beauty reflected there The aard vicar’s daughter did not exist Nor did the abandoned bride

"I want you" Meredith hardly recognized the throatiness of her voice, only knew she wanted hi her feel--for perhaps the first tiently "I want you"

He hesitated, a dark cloud falling over the brilliance of his eyes, and she knew instantly that he was re who she was and that she had played him false

"You shouldn’t," he announced, then clarified in a firmer voice, "I shouldn’t"

Meredith blinked, frustrated "But you do We both do"

His hands fell away froether different fire than that of aze that no longer looked at her with appreciation and wonder, she felt like Eve wanting to shield herself in shame

"Cover yourself"

Those two little words struck her like a slap, and she suddenly felt as she had seven years ago: the naive girl in her freshly pressed nightgown, sitting in a great big bed as she waited for the wedding night of her dreaht had flickered off Ed it a reddish hue as he loomed over her, his words all the more unbearable for the airiness in which he uttered theirl, it would require hter to tempt me I only married you to appease my father

She shook off the bitter memories and reminded herself that Nick was not Edmund Nick had kissed her, touched her He wanted her His hungry gaze swept over her face, taking in the riot of hair tangling about her neck and shoulders, settling at last on her brsts "I said cover yourself"

His voice fell hard and fast, firing her into action

Funing indifference, wanting to hurt hiht be up to the task" Her eyes raked his face and body in cold appreciation Sighing and pretending his rejection was of little account and not a crushing blow, she added, "Since you have not the inclination, I suppose I shall have to wait until rip punishing

Meredith’s glare flicked from his face to where he clutched her wrist In a quiet voice she co e for do to reach a decision

"You want it so badly?" he growled "I’ll give it to you"

Chapter 19

Nick crushed his lips to hers, kissing her so fiercely he knew her lips would be bruised for days to coh him The lust he understood

She drove him mad with desire--had done so froht of her with another iven that she was only husband hunting at his insistence He wanted her roaned, both with desire and frustration He couldn’t ht, he would have her She would be his This da would never depart until he sated hio

"No backing out now," he warned between kisses, alrasped the edges of her bodice and yanked it back down

His ue against his in a sinuous dance She tasted like honey, and he kissed her long and hard, drinking frorew intoxicated His anxious hands kneaded her brsts until she h him when she buried her hands in his hair and pulled his head to her brsts

Looking up at her, he flicked his tongue over one nipple and then the other Her eyes darkened and fire flooded his veins as she squirly beneath hie that he waslove to the very woman who had tricked and deceived and vexed him to the point of madness At what point had she become desirable and not just the proverbial fly in the ointhts, she frowned and shook her head deter his face in both hands, she pulled him back up and kissed him soundly The sweet feel of her palms on his cheeks stimulated hi all else froroan, he deepened their kiss, digging his fingers in the smooth roundness of her shoulders