Read Online Jo Beverley - [Malloren] by Secrets of the Night - Free Book Online Page B

the day before, and nothing to do with this poor woman. He couldn’t let them get in the way of giving her the reward she wanted for her kindness, and giving generously.
    He just wished he was sure he knew what she wanted.
    Wryly, he decided that the only thing was to go slowly, so she could retreat if she changed her mind. That wouldn’t be hard. Sweet though she was in nature and body, it would take a while for him to summon any real enthusiasm, especially with that grotesque mask.
    As a first step, he eased her into his arms. She stayed stiff for a moment, then relaxed, seeming almost to snuggle into him. That was better.
    Once she seemed at ease with his touch, he settled to enjoying her, to stroking and tasting her smooth skin, starting with the less alarming places, then slowly trespassing under the modest shift.
    She didn’t object.
    He began to be very pleased about that. He always enjoyed the feel of a woman’s soft curves, the satin of her skin, the warm, earthy smells of her more private places. The mask had only a narrow opening at the mouth, preventing kisses. That was a shame, but perhaps in time she’d relax enough to put it off.
    Or perhaps she’d worn it deliberately for just that reason. Some women felt kissing was more intimate than sex.
    Soon any notion of effort melted. She was lovely to his senses, shapely, musky, soft and sensuous. Pleasantly plump yet firm, like perfect fruit, she was just as he liked a woman, and though she was passive, he could sense response in the very way she shifted her body against his.
    What a shame that such a delightful creature was wasted on a man who didn’t appreciate her.
    He eased a full breast free of her loosened neckline to nuzzle it, breathing deeply.
    Perfect.
    Absolutely perfect.
    Rosamunde let him handle her like a rag doll, dazed and amazed. She didn’t know what she’d expected—something like Digby’s direct efforts, she supposed, but more vigorous since Mr. Malloren was so much younger. Not all this touching, stroking, licking.
    But then she began to worry. When were they going to get to the important bit? His hands seemed to have been everywhere but where it mattered, and even there, hands wouldn’t do it.
    Those clever hands were doing other things, however, things that made her want to shiver and twitch. In the end, she did, and he asked, “Like that?”
    Like? She hadn’t been thinking in terms of
liking
. She wanted him to get on with it! She said, “Yes,” to encourage him, only realizing a moment later that it was true.
    She liked it.
    Oh my. Instead of waiting tensely for the dreadful deed, she let herself savor his touch. His whole body, warm-rough-rubbing, making her warm-soft-humming, liquid as lapping water, warmed by his warmth, dizzied by his smell….
    Lord save her! This drifting, fevered feeling must be desire—the fire that inspired poets and rascals, and drove men and women into sin and disaster. This was the mystery she’d sensed, but never before experienced.
    Here.
    In her!
    She looked at him, wanting to say something to express her wonderment, but was caught to silence by his rapt admiration of her breasts. She watched as he kissed one again and again, cradling it in his hand as if it were a fruit he desired to eat.
    Her.
    He cradled and hungered for her.
    Hungry herself—for those lips upon hers—she wove her fingers in his hair and tilted his face up to hers, bending to put her lips to his.
    Only then remembering her mask.
    He drew away, but with a smile. “Can we dispense with the mask yet? You can trust me to be discreet….”
    He was already tugging at the strings, but she seized his hands. “No!”
    He stilled. “Trust me.”
    She wavered, pained by his honest need, longing to be honest with him. But then, like icy water, she remembered what lay beneath the mask. Not just her identity—something that could ruin everyone—but her damaged face.
    “No,” she repeated firmly.
    He shrugged. “Then there can