CHAPTER THREE

 

 

Penelope took her time lifting her skirts, enjoying the way Colin's eyes darkened in reaction. She had underestimated the impact his presence would have on her. While anger remained ever-present, another feeling had caught her off-guard.

Desire.

No amount of anger could wipe away her attraction to him. It had been a long winter, and she was starved for release. Since Colin already knelt before her, she saw no reason to deny him the privilege of pleasuring her. He obviously wanted it, his hand skimming her stockings, gliding up over her ankles and calves, gripping with light but firm pressure. His fingers sank deeper as he moved higher, his thumb massaging her inner thighs. Beneath dark blond brows, his sapphire-blue eyes crackled with electricity as he stared up at her, his hunger unmistakable.

She shuddered, her breath growing harsher as he found the seam between her lower lips, tracing it with his fingertip. Her sheath contracted, the deep need for penetration causing a slow pulsation to grow and build within her.

His hands gripped her hips, fingers sinking into the plump cheeks of her arse, then moved higher to the waistband of her drawers. Leaning forward, he took the ribbon between his teeth and yanked, his breath tickling the naked skin of her lower belly. The drawers loosened, then fell to her ankles.

Urging her to sit on the bench he'd just occupied, he remained in his subservient position. She leaned back against the back of the bench, lifting her legs so he could remove her drawers. He slid his hands beneath her, gripping her buttocks and moving her forward until she slouched, her hips level with the edge of the seat.

Resting his cheek against the inside of her thigh, he sighed—it tickled the curls covering her mons, sending a shiver up her spine.

"God, I've missed you, Penny," he whispered.

She bit her lip to keep from responding. All she wanted was for him to give her pleasure—not call her Penny, or tell her how he felt. She needed him to chase away the longing in her gut by fulfilling her baser needs. Those were the only desires that mattered to her right now.

His thumb delved between her nether lips, caressing the soft inner folds. She whimpered, spreading her legs wider and raising her hips. Massaging in slow circles, he found her pearl. He teased the bud, coaxing wetness from her core in response.

The old Penelope might have lain still in submission, allowing him to pleasure her on his terms. However, she'd learned a lot about herself, one of those things being that she preferred dominance.

Reaching down, she grasped the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his hair, urging him closer. He smirked, his gaze lifting to meet hers as he spread her open with his fingers. Opening his mouth, he pressed his tongue to her inner flesh, causing a bolt like lightning to strike her lower belly. Closing his eyes, he moaned, clamping his lips around her swollen numb. His tongue laved it as he suckled, robbing her of breath. A strangled sound escaped her throat, her heart pounding as the pleasure of the moment and the possibility of being caught caused her blood to surge.

Tightening her grip on his hair, she lifted one leg and draped it over his shoulder, urging him even closer. He tortured her with his tongue, suckling her vulnerable flesh like a starving man, low groans emitting from him to mingle with hers.

One of his fingers found its way inside her, stroking the walls of her pulsating sheath, heightening her pleasure. Bracing her hands on the bench, she raised her hips, urging him deeper. Joining his first finger with his second, he obeyed her silent command for more, quickening his thrusts and delving into her as deep as his third knuckles. His fingers curled inward, finding the secret place inside of her that caused her to bite back a scream.

Goddamn it, he remembered. She, however, had forgotten. It all came back to her now—how well he knew her body, how easy it had been for him to reduce her to a squirming, begging mess in his arms. Once again, she'd underestimated Colin Worthing. A man like him could prove dangerous, as he'd already demonstrated once before.

Closing her eyes, she focused on the sensations he created, anticipating the glorious ending only a few more strokes away. When it finally came, she cried out, unable to hold in her gratification. Trembling, she allowed her hips to fall back to the bench, leaning back as he soothed her with gentle tongue strokes and kisses along the insides of her thighs.

Detecting his movements, she opened her eyes, realizing he now knelt upright between her thighs, tearing at the fastening of his breeches to free the swollen cock pressing against the fabric.

Drawing a sharp breath, she scrambled away from him. She leapt to her feet, lowering her skirts and stepping around him.

Brow furrowed, he braced a hand against the bench and struggled to stand, his injured leg clearly paining him.

"Penny, what are you doing?"

"Penelope!" she corrected him, her tone sharp as she reached for her discarded drawers.

Now that she'd achieved completion, she wanted nothing more than to be as far away from him as possible. His nearness became more unnerving by the second.

"I am leaving," she replied with as much dignity as she could while attempting to don her drawers without lifting her skirts too high.

Colin's reddening face and the bulge outlined against his buff-colored breeches gave evidence to his frustration.

"Penelope," he growled from between gritted teeth. "We are not finished here."

"I beg to differ," she replied, injecting a great deal of frost into her voice. "I wanted you to pleasure me, and you performed admirably. Now, I am done with you. Honestly, Colin, I am surprised. This is, after all, your modus operandi."

One hand clenched into a fist at his side, he took a step toward her. Flinching, she backed away.

"Touch me, and I will scream."

Sighing, he opened his fist and extended his open hand. One of her pearl earrings rested in his palm.

Guilt pricked her conscience, but she forced it down as one would choke down bile. She owed Colin nothing, least of all her sympathy. Snatching the earring from him, she clasped it to her ear, then patted her curls to ensure her coiffure remained presentable.

"I am certain there are many women who would be willing to help you with that," she said, gesturing toward his erection. "As a soldier, I'm certain you're no stranger to whorehouses. But thank you for a most delightful interlude. I do hope you enjoy the rest of our evening."

Turning, she put him behind her, striding toward an opening in the maze.

"I underestimated the effect that my betrayal had on your opinion of me," he murmured.

Despite the softness of his voice, she heard him and turned, wrinkling her brow. "I beg your pardon?"

He remained seated on the bench, his walking stick now grasped in one hand. "Have I hurt you so badly that you think of me as a man who would visit one woman with the taste of another upon my lips? Your taste, no less."

Penelope shrugged with a scoff. "I don't know you, Colin. Honestly, I doubt I ever did."

He lowered his gaze and sighed. "I will not argue with you, as you have obviously worked very hard to convince yourself of that. You have a right to your opinion of me, as I have done nothing to prove otherwise. But, I mean to, Penelope. I meant what I said, as well as what you would not allow me to say. I will win you back … we will marry … and I will spend the rest of my life changing your opinion of me."

Shaking her head, she began to back away. "Do not bother, Colin. As far as I am concerned, you and I are finished."

Glancing up, he met her gaze with a lopsided grin. "Says the woman who just climaxed in my mouth."

Scowling, she shook her head. "You are an incorrigible cur."

She turned her back to leave once more, but his voice halted her again. Dash it all, why couldn't she simply walk away?

"By the way, I never visited a single whorehouse in Belgium, or anywhere else while abroad. I did not wish to contract some foul disease like many of my fellow soldiers, first and foremost. However, it is not the only reason. The truth is, I have not touched a woman since the night we spent together in that inn … until now."

Penelope clenched her hands together before her, trying to still their trembling. Her skin tingled, the feel of his eyes on her like a phantom caress. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she took a deep breath and lifted her chin.

"I don't believe you," she stated, forcing her feet to move, propelling her away from him once and for all.