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She nodded, and he rocked against her, easing farther and farther into her tight passage, trying to be gentle, watching pain and pleasure ithin her as she adjusted to his smooth thrusts, each deeper than the last He was soon buried to the hilt, and they were both breathing heavily
She whispered, “You have the most beautiful eyes”
Pleasure coursed through hi and slow Pulling back, he sainst her “I compared to yours”
He was desperate to move Desperate to take the release for which his body had been begging all night Instead, he pressed a kiss to her jaw, and said, “Does it hurt, Siren?”
She shook her head, and when she spoke, he heard so wonderful in her tone “Noit feelsSimon, I can feel youeverywhere” She relaxed and pressed up to meet his movements He hissed his pleasure She ran her hands down his back to the curve of his buttocks and clasped hiain Harder”
He groaned She was going to kill him
He began to move, deeper, faster, withhis sanity In led in his hair,in time to his deep, smooth thrusts He had never been so ready to take his pleasure, but he would not let go without her He wanted her with hie
They rocked together, sensation building, until they were both gasping for breath
“Simonit’sI can’t stop it”
“Neither can I,” he pulled out until he was al into her heat How had he ever thought he could resist her? “Look at me, love I want to watch”
She did, and her tu He followed her over the precipice with a force he had never before experienced; she was the center of his world—he wanted to stay in her arht forever
He collapsed into her ar in harsh bursts, before he realized that his weight , he pulled her to sprawl across hi skin and silken hair He could feel her breasts rising and falling against his chest, and he gritted his teeth against the instant awareness that coursed through him
He wanted her again Now
He ignored the desire, instead running his fingers across her s in the little tre the feel of her naked against him
As he held her, soft and warm in his arms, he did not want to think of the future He wanted to savor her
He wanted to savor the now
It had been a mistake
Even as she reveled in the feel of him beneath her, all firm muscles and war worse
He had given her everything she had ever iined—she had never felt so close, so connected, so desired
She had never dreamed she would love him with such intensity
Tomorrow she would leave him And he would marry another
And Juliana would live knowing that the man she loved would never be hers
She shivered at the thought, pressing closer to hih she could stay the movement of time
He stroked one war a trail of fire, and pressed his lips to her forehead “Are you cold?”
No
It was easier to say yes than to tell the truth
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak
He slid out fro her up off the bed with him so he could turn down the sheets He kissed her, full and lush, the caress blazing through her before he turned away to stoke the fire
Feeling too vulnerable, she fetched her robe, pulling it on and knotting the sash before she turned back to watch his movements as he crouched before the fire, the hs gleaod of fire
When he stood, he looked to the bed His brow furrohen he discovered that she was gone, and he i her in the shadows He raised a hand, beckoning her to him, and she could not resist
When she ca them both in a chair by the fire He slipped one hand into the opening of her robe running it along her thigh as he pressed a kiss to the column of her neck “I prefer you naked,” he said, and she wondered at this new, teasing Simon
She ran her hand up his forearm to his wide, ht you could not grow htyou are Hephaestus, all muscle and flame”
His eyes darkened at the co her soundly before he tucked her to his chest, and said, “That makes you Aphrodite—an apt comparison”
But Aphrodite and Hephaestus were h her ht
No She would not think on it
“You are prooddess, then?”
He chuckled, and she loved the feeling of the sound ru his fingers through hers and bringing it to his lips “It would seeirl”
“You see? I a scandal,” she teased, and iretted the words She had just affected the most serious scandal of her life And he knew it Perhaps he even thought she had done it on purpose—to cause scandal
She hated the thought
Hated that she had put it in his head
She sat up on his lap, desperate to make sure that he did not think ill of her “Simonyou know that I did notthis was notI would never tell anyone that thisthat tonight happened” She winced at the words, utterly inarticulate “You shan’t have to worry about another”
He watched her, his amber eyes serious, and she wished she could take it all back—the words, the actions, the night His arhtened around her, and he kissed her hand once more “No more talk of it”
She hated that she had just beco for hi to say is that no one will ever know”
He reached out and brushed a lock of her hair back from her cheek “Juliana, I will know”
Frustration flared “Well, yes Of course ill know But I want you to also know that I will never ask anything of you That I ht only”
So that she could not identify “We both should have known that one night would not be nearly enough”
She stilled, the words coursing through her He wanted more
So did she
But he was to be married
Was he offering what she thought he was offering?
Could she take it?
If it was the only way she could have hih?
It had to be
She took a deep breath “I could be your paramour”
He went utterly still beneath her “What did you say?”
“Your mistress”
His hand clah with immeasurable force “Don’t say another word”
She set her hands to his shoulders, leveraging herself up to face hiested I would make a fine mistress”
He closed his eyes “Juliana Stop”
She ignored him “Would I not still make a worthy companion?”
“No”
Pain flared She was too much of a scandal even to rate as hisin her tone Hated herself for it
“Because you deserve better!” he exploded, co from
his lap He grabbed her to hi her to face hih he could shake her into understanding “I won’t have you as o back and scrub you clean of the words I wish I could go back and take a fist toit”
The words coursed through her, and she ached for the proe Family
The things he had promised to another
Things he had promised to another because he could not see a future with her
And suddenly the words were not enough
“Come to bed with me,” he whispered “Let me sleep with you in my arms We shall return you to your own chamber before the house awakes”
The te in the world she wanted more than to sleep with him, the sound of his heart beneath her ear
“I must leave, Simon”
He reached for her, a s across his lips “Not yet Stay a little while longer”
She shook her head, taking a step back “I cannot risk—”
I cannot risk any more of my heart
She took a breath Tried again “I cannot risk being caught”
He watched her carefully, his gaze boring into hers, and she willed hiood, as the English liked to say
But it did not feel good It felt like torture
He was still for a long ti his options, then he nodded once, firht Tomorrow, I shall speak to Nick”
“About what?”