Desire

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

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• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  He bent over and pressed his damp cheek to hers, his erection resting in the valley of her buttocks. “I want you more than any woman I can recall, Charlotte. Your scent intoxicates me, the feel of your skin drives me to madness, and your mouth . . . I want to do obscene things to your mouth.” He kissed her cheek so gently, her heart clenched. “But I need answers, and I expect you to give them to me. Will you do that when I’ve finished?” At the moment, she felt like doing anything he asked. Hugh’s hands stroked down her back, soothing, caressing. “Are you in danger, sweet? Perhaps you hide here to escape something unpleasant?” Charlotte’s hands closed into fists. Seduction was one thing, as long as it was honest and without guile. “Don’t pretend to care, Montrose, when I hold no illusions that you do or will. You want sex. Fuck me, and be done with it.” He straightened abruptly, his voice tightening. “I’m not lacking in sex. It’s you I want.” She took a breath, then released it, sensing she’d pricked him and wondering why that mattered to her. “I swore not to tell anyone, Montrose. Can you collect that? I don’t know you. In a day or two you’ll leave and—” She gasped as he thrust his cock into her with no further preliminaries. Her fingers clawed at the desk and her back arched as pleasure seared her senses. He was large, so unbelievably built, and hard as steel, throbbing within her, until she felt nothing else. Hugh leaned over her, lacing his fingers with hers. “I’m inside you, Charlotte.” He nudged deeper, reminding her of that fact. As if she could forget. “I intend to remain inside you for the next few days. There are things I can do, ways I can take you, that will prompt you to tell me what I want to know just so I’ll allow you to come. Or you can be a good girl and just tell me now. Then we can spend the next few days enjoyably discussing ways to alleviate your problems.” Arrogant men were one of her deep irritations. “I am not without skills of my own,” she bit out, clenching deliberately around him, pushing herself into orgasm. He growled, his hands tightening brutally on hers, as she came around his cock. She threw her hips back to take him completely inside her, biting her lip to hold back her cries. It was a breathless, burning release, searing her senses, but it was only a tease, a brief respite, and as he swelled in response, she writhed in torment, needing more. Hugh withdrew from her, then slid forward again, making her feel every thick, silken inch, stretching her deliciously, until she thought she would die of it.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  With one hand under her thigh, Lucien lifted her leg, opening her wider. The head of his shaft found her, and bending his knees, he pressed for entry. She was so tight, but so hot and wet. She felt wonderful, and her helpless moan as he slid deeper into her made him mindless. His entire body was wracked with shudders as he forced himself to press slowly, carefully. He was generously sized, and Julienne was so small. He couldn’t bear to hurt her. He watched her face as he took her, her features pale in the moonlight, like the statue behind her. Her eyes gazed luminously into his, their depths burning with desire and undeserved affection. She should be frightened, but instead she trusted him implicitly. The way she looked at him made it impossible to breathe. He stilled, held rigid by the moment. Julienne was correct. He couldn’t take her like this, like a whore in someone’s garden. And he couldn’t make her hate him. It ripped at him to even think of it. With a tortured curse, Lucien pulled away, the heavy weight of his erection slipping from her body. She sobbed in protest, and the sound broke the heart he’d forgotten he had. With his eyes squeezed shut, blocking out the sight of her, Lucien turned blindly away. His chest heaved with his breathing, his body hard, his blood hot. His cock ached with the pressure of unspent desire, every muscle burning with tension. Damn her! He cursed the day he’d set eyes on Julienne La Coeur. His hands clenched into fists as he struggled to control the shaking of his body and the torment in his mind. And then suddenly his cock was drenched in moist heat. Instinctively he tried to back away, but Julienne’s hands gripped the cheeks of his ass and kept him still. He looked down, his eyes wide with stunned amazement, as she took more of his shaft into her delectable mouth. In all of his life, with all of the women he’d been with, in all of the positions and places he’d been, Lucien had never seen anything as erotic as Julienne sucking his cock on her knees in the grass, her breasts spilling over the top of her gown, her lush form turned to silver in the moonlight. Her attentions were unschooled, innocent, and all the more effective because of it. Her tongue swirled around the head, her mouth pulsing with a gentle suction, her fingertips kneading the clenching cheeks of his buttocks. She pulled her head back and then pushed forward again, her mouth stretched wide to accommodate his size.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  She twisted at the waist as he approached, hiding her bare back. “Both,” she admitted. She raised a finely arched brow. “I did not take you to be a man of vanity, Mr. Remington, but if you are, and you require confirmation of your attractiveness, I would be more than happy to oblige you . . . in the morning. At the present time, I would appreciate—” “I’m curious, my lady,” he interrupted, his mouth curving intimately. “How would you confirm my attractiveness?” Julienne grew wary at the hot flicker she saw in his eyes, the same look he’d given her in his office. She liked it, but Lord above, she was naked! The whole situation was . . . thrilling . . . but far beyond her experience. Clutching the sheet firmly with one hand, she held out the other to halt his advance. He stopped immediately. “What do you want?” “To ravish you.” He said it so simply, his expression so earnest, that she was momentarily rendered speechless. Oh, he was wicked. And far more interesting than the other men of her acquaintance. “You can have any woman you want.” “No.” His smile was wistful. “I can’t have you.” Her breath caught. “You’re very good,” she said finally, honestly awestruck. She’d never seen such a talented rogue. “Charming, seemingly sincere. I can see how you’ve managed so many conquests. But really, I am not worth the effort, I assure you, although I am flattered.” Remington laughed. “Sweetheart, you’re amazing. You dress as a man to sneak into my club, tolerate my extorting you into spending the night, and then feel flattered when I barge into your room and tell you I want to ravish you.” His voice softened when he said, “I wish I could keep you.” The expression on his face made her heart race. Julienne felt light-headed and dizzy all over again. Then she was struck with a thought that made sense, unlike all the others that swirled in her head. “Have you been drinking?” He moved casually to the chair and sat. “Tell me why you want to find your brother, and I’ll tell you why I came in here.” “If you’re interested in conversing with me, can you at least allow me to dress?” His blue eyes glittered with eagerness. “In the negligee or the trousers?” Her mouth fell open. This really had to be a dream. An odd, wonderful, bizarre dream. “I don’t know how to deal with a man like you, Mr. Remington.” She was out of her depth. “You can start by calling me Lucien,” he suggested. “Then you should probably begin screaming. Most debutantes would have run from the room in terror by now. I’m a stranger to you except for my scandalous reputation, which decries me as a hedonistic seducer of women.” She smiled. “I’m not afraid of you. You’ve no need to force yourself on a woman.” “Who said I would have to force you?” he purred seductively.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  Julienne could feel the pull of his mouth everywhere, the sensation making her squirm as her arousal pooled between her legs. She begged him to hurry, desperate to hold him, kiss him, but Lucien paid her no heed as his mouth teased across her stomach with wet, openmouthed kisses. Moving lower, he spread her thighs wide with the broad expanse of his shoulders. She moaned in relief as his tongue finally delved between her legs. “Yes,” she cried hoarsely, her hips lifting, pressing into his mouth, as her nails dug into the backs of his hands. “You taste so sweet,” he murmured passionately, before he thrust his tongue into her, groaning his pleasure. Julienne moved with him, arching and twisting. He worked urgently, building her desire quickly, brutally, until finally she felt the first clenches of her orgasm. Her back arched, her body tensed . . . Lucien pulled away quickly. “Damn you!” she cried, her eyes squeezed shut as her body trembled with the force of her need. He laughed softly. “Now is that any way to speak to your husband?” She opened her eyes as he covered her with his body. “I need you badly,” she whispered. “I’ll die if you don’t take me.” Her entire body shuddered, poised on the brink of release and denied. “I love you,” he breathed. And then he was there, the hot tip of him just inside her, stretching her, warning her of what was to come. Julienne opened her legs wide, her hips arching impatiently, and without further ado he thrust inside, deep and deeper still, until there was no farther he could go. Then he clenched his buttocks and went farther still, filling her, until there was no doubt she belonged to him. Her breath held in wonder, she felt little of the pain she expected. She merely felt full and hot, her skin covered in a fine sheen of perspiration, her body throbbing around the hard cock that filled her. Sweat dripped from his brow onto her breasts. Lucien clenched his teeth as he pulled out, despite her protests, and pressed forward again. He rocked his hips against her thighs, slowly working in and out, loosening her. “Jesus, Julienne,” he gasped. “You feel so good . . .” She shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable, and he cursed. Startled, she stilled, and he positioned her as he wanted, lifting her leg, opening her, and then he withdrew, only to return with a powerful lunge that made her cry out.

• From Looking for Alaska (2005)

  And so my first choice was Chad, like the country in Africa. But then my dad said that was a boy’s name, so I picked Alaska.” I wish my parents had let me pick my name. But they went ahead and picked the only name firstborn male Halters have had for a century. “But why Alaska?” I asked her. She smiled with the right side of her mouth. “Well, later, I found out what it means. It’s from an Aleut word, Alyeska. It means ‘that which the sea breaks against,’ and I love that. But at the time, I just saw Alaska up there. And it was big, just like I wanted to be. And it was damn far away from Vine Station, Alabama, just like I wanted to be.” I laughed. “And now you’re all grown up and fairly far away from home,” I said, smiling. “So congratulations.” She stopped the head bobbing and let go of my (unfortunately sweaty) hand. “Getting out isn’t that easy,” she said seriously, her eyes on mine like I knew the way out and wouldn’t tell her. And then she seemed to switch conversational horses in midstream. “Like after college, know what I want to do? Teach disabled kids. I’m a good teacher, right? Shit, if I can teach you precalc, I can teach anybody. Like maybe kids with autism.” She talked softly and thoughtfully, like she was telling me a secret, and I leaned in toward her, suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that we must kiss, that we ought to kiss right now on the dusty orange couch with its cigarette burns and its decades of collected dust. And I would have: I would have kept leaning toward her until it became necessary to tilt my face so as to miss her ski- slope nose, and I would have felt the shock of her so-soft lips. I would have. But then she snapped out of it. “No,” she said, and I couldn’t tell at first whether she was reading my kiss- obsessed mind or responding to herself out loud. She turned away from me, and softly, maybe to herself, said, “Jesus, I’m not going to be one of those people who sits around talking about what they’re gonna do. I’m just going to do it. Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia.” “Huh?” I asked. “You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” I guess that made sense.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  Glancing up, she noted the rapidly darkening sky. Yes, he would definitely be spending the evening with them, and if the turbulent wind was any indication, he might be staying much longer than that. Blizzards could sometimes last for days, with the roads being impassable for weeks after they passed. She would have to be careful or he could learn more about them than she wanted him to. She would have to keep him occupied so he wouldn’t sneak around in his boredom. And she liked that idea far more than she should. Chapter Two “Will he recover?” Hugh glanced over his shoulder and found the lovely Charlotte lounging against the stall door. “I expect so. A minor sprain, I think.” Returning his attention to the task at hand, he continued to apply salve to the scraped and swollen front legs of one of his carriage bays. Unlike the main house, the stable was warm, well tended, and in excellent shape, a fact that didn’t surprise him at all. “Allow me to have a look,” she murmured, coming toward him. In the tight confines of the stable stall, there was no room to avoid her. She squeezed in between where he knelt and the front of his horse, her breeches stretching deliciously over a lush derriere. Hugh’s mouth dried at the sight, his entire body hardening as her scent, a soft mix of flowers, enveloped his senses. “I agree.” Her tiny hands soothed over the raw scrapes, and the animal breathed a soft whinny. Watching the caressing strokes of Charlotte’s hands, Hugh swallowed hard. It was a common enough task she was performing, and yet his interest in her was so unusually strong, it made the everyday action startlingly erotic. Earlier, while struggling to remove his trunks from the disabled carriage, Hugh’s gaze had continuously strayed to the beautiful redhead as she set his footman’s broken arm and tended to his abrasions. There was a quiet confidence to her deportment and an unflappable air of control that he admired. He’d struggled most of his life to find that sort of confidence in himself, but to Charlotte it seemed innate. Most women of his acquaintance would have been no assistance at all, but Charlotte had been invaluable. With her help they’d finished quickly and returned to the Kent estate with barely a moment to spare. Outside the wind howled and blew around with such force it was hard to see. Even now, her gorgeous red locks were dampening, the snow in them melting in the warmth of the stable. “You shouldn’t have ventured out here,” he said. “I wanted to be certain you found the salve.” Still crouched, she turned to face him, bringing her ripe mouth within inches of his own. Across her nose was a light dusting of freckles, the bane of most women’s existence, but a trait he’d always found charming.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  Hugh studied her with a frown, trying to reason out why he found her so desirable. Charlotte was beautiful, yes, but no more so than he was accustomed to. The revealing breeches could have much to do with his constant state of arousal, although he’d never before considered men’s clothing particularly enticing. Of course his brother-in-law would beg to differ. “What are you doing out here?” he asked. She arched a brow. “I told you—” “No. Not here in the stables, here in Derbyshire.” Charlotte sat and crossed her legs. Hugh did the same. “I grew up here. I left for a while and then returned.” “Your family is here?” Hugh reached for a nearby towel and rubbed the salve from his palms. Then he picked up her hands and cleaned them as well, taking note of the calluses and ink stains that marred her fingers. The nails were trimmed to the quick, neat and without vanity, similar to the way she comported herself. “No,” she murmured, a bit breathless. “I have no family.” Finished with the cloth, he set it aside, but kept her hands within his. She didn’t protest, for which he was grateful. He enjoyed touching her, relishing the way it made his entire body prickle with a singular sensual awareness. “Tell me about the duchess.” If he hadn’t been holding her hand, he wouldn’t have known she tensed at his query. Her adeptness at hiding her feelings intrigued him. She was too young to be so expert at evasiveness. “What would you like to know?” she asked, looking away. He snorted. “What wouldn’t I like to know? Is she mad, like they say? Does she mistreat you? Why does she live like this? The horses live better than you. Why—” Charlotte covered his mouth with her hand. “No, no, and she doesn’t have any other choice.” She stood and tugged at their joined hands. He rose to his feet. “Allow me to show you to your rooms, my lord. You’ll see things are not so dreary as they appear at first glance.” “You’re avoiding my questions.” She smiled, a potent mixture of sweetness and allure, and his stomach clenched in response. “Not so,” she assured him, releasing his hand. “I simply want to answer some of your questions without words.” There was a bit of promise in the sparkle of her eyes, a hint that told Hugh she found him attractive. He was glad of that, for it made his goal much easier to attain. It was bloody freezing outside, and he’d be trapped here for days. The time would best be spent in bed with a lovely companion, and he wanted Charlotte with a sharpness he’d not experienced in a very long time, if ever. Hugh stepped closer, gauging her reaction, and smiled when she stood her ground, her emerald gaze neither frightened nor wary. “I thank you for your help today,” he murmured, reaching for her hand.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  “I’m not the one you have to convince.” She placed her hands against his chest and pressed him backward, crawling over him with a playful glint in her dark eyes. “But allow me to give you some added things to consider.” “Such as?” “Such as how the sight of you at your desk makes my heart race.” He arched a brow. “And the way you look with your shirtsleeves rolled up.” She licked her bottom lip. “Why, it inspires positively carnal feelings in me.” “Carnal feelings?” His eyes widened, even as his cock swelled further. Lord above, how he loved this woman. “Yes.” Cool fingertips brushed his hair back from his face. “And your hair. I just love it. It’s thick and soft like spun silk.” Just as she stretched her body along his, someone tried the knob and then knocked on the door. “Mr. Remington?” “Go away!” he growled, “if you’d like to remain employed.” Lucien raised his head to capture Julienne’s lips, slipping his tongue between them to taste her sweetness. There was a weighted pause. “Yes, sir, but Lord Fontaine respectfully requests a moment of your time.” Julienne slid off of him in an instant. Lucien glanced at the door and saw the dark outline of his secretary through the oval-shaped watered glass. “Good heavens! What does he want?” She glanced down at him. “And what horrid timing.” “Fontaine is a damned nuisance,” he complained. “Hush, or he’ll hear you.” She bent over and picked up her book. Before she could turn away, he grabbed her wrist and drew her to him, kissing her with deep possessiveness. “Umm . . . Mr. Remington . . . sir?” inquired the secretary hesitantly. “Give me one damned bloody minute!” he yelled. “Of course, sir,” came the obviously shaken voice. “What a horrid temper you have, Lucien Remington,” Julienne teased as she opened the hidden panel in the wall. She stopped before she made her way upstairs. “You know, one of these days I would like to see your home. Your taste is excellent, I would wager it’s one of the finest in London.” Lucien ran a hand through his hair to restore some order to the disheveled locks. “Marry me, and my home will be yours.” He gestured around him. “Everything I have can be yours.” “It’s your heart I want.” She blew him a kiss before she shut the panel behind her. Taking a deep breath, Lucien unlocked the door and returned to his desk. The flushed secretary came in bearing Fontaine’s card, and a moment later returned with Lord Fontaine. As the marquess entered, Lucien reluctantly admitted that the peer was a formidable opponent for Julienne’s hand. Fontaine radiated aristocratic privilege from every pore. Tall, with the light-footed grace of a predatory cat, he had an austere, golden beauty. Dressed in light taupe trousers, with matching striped silk waistcoat and brown jacket, he was an impressive sight.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  The earl’s hand at her waist slipped inside the opening and cupped her breast through her night rail. Expert fingers circled with teasing, brushing caresses, while his other hand slowly raised the hem of her gown and robe. “What kind of treasure?” “Pirate’s treasure.” Hugh rolled her nipple between his fingertips. “An interesting way to pass the time.” A moan escaped her, and she arched into his cock. “Ah . . . yes.” His palm cupped her bare thigh, then slid upward. He was taking over her senses, waging a silent battle to force her to lower her guard. And he was succeeding. She’d already revealed far more than she should. “Are you attempting to seduce me, my lord?” She gasped as his hand cupped her sex. “Seduction is long past, sweet. Now I’m making love to you. But don’t change the subject. Tell me why you have such interest in that map.” With a long swipe of his tongue, he licked her neck, then whispered, “And spread your legs.” A breathless laugh escaped her at his arrogance, but she complied with his request, because she could do nothing else. She was rewarded with his stroking fingertips, gentle and reverent, gliding through the slick evidence of how very much she wanted him. “I promised to find the treasure,” she moaned, melting into him. “For what purpose?” His finger slipped inside her and began to pump in a leisurely rhythm, driving her mad. “Why does anyone seek treasure?” Her head fell back against his shoulder. “Heavens . . . that feels wonderful.” She shivered, and his hand at her breast gripped tighter. “For money, for fame, for adventure,” he suggested, his voice so gruff, it betrayed his arousal. “Which is it for you?” Charlotte arched her hips into his hand, her body on fire. His teeth bit into her neck, his fingertips tugged at her nipple, his fingers thrust between her legs until her orgasm was almost upon her. She cried out and tensed in expectation. He stopped, and his hands left her. “No . . .” she protested. “Don’t stop.” With a hand between her shoulder blades, Hugh pressed her gently forward until she lay sprawled across the map. He lifted one of her legs and set it sideways atop the desk, opening her completely. “Why do you want to seek treasure, Charlotte?” His palms stroked the curve of her bare derriere. “For the money.” “For the duchess?” He kissed the small of her back. “For yourself?” “Both.” She shuddered, her arousal so painfully acute, she considered relieving it herself. Her hand moved off the desk to do just that. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned. And then she heard him remove his trousers. “Tell me you’re not a virgin.” Her throat was so tight, she could only shake her head. “Do you want this?” he growled, thrusting his hard cock through the lips of her sex. “God, yes,” she breathed. “I want it.”

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  Her heart racing, Charlotte crossed the small space that separated them. Her hands caressed his back, feeling the muscles tense beneath her fingertips. His words, his passion . . . she’d never witnessed anything like them. “Hush,” she soothed. “You left this morning to bathe, and you were gone forever. It’s madness, I tell you. A horrid, insidious madness, to crave the company of a stranger the way I do yours. Yesterday at this time, I didn’t even know who you were. And last night, when I was inside you, I wanted no more than that. But this morning, I thought perhaps more would be nice—” “Shhh . . .” “—and now—” Too short to reach his lips, she pressed an ardent kiss to his nipple, and his hands fisted in her unbound hair. Hugh pushed her roughly away, revealing fierce, dark eyes that might have frightened her if she hadn’t been so aroused. “And now I want you to come with me. Become my mistress. You’ll want for nothing, I promise you that.” “Oh Hugh . . .” He crushed his mouth down on hers, and Charlotte was flooded with sensation, a sharp, almost painful racing of heat across her skin. All morning she’d craved him. She’d needed his touch, his smile, the warmth of his gaze. It was madness, she agreed, to want the attentions of a stranger, but that was how it was, and she couldn’t be sorry, not when it felt this wonderful. Sinking to his knees, he pulled her down with him, his hands leaving her hair and moving to her breasts, every touch rife with an underlying tenderness that cut her to the quick. “I’ll replace all your jewels, all your gowns. I’ll give you a home, and it will be yours, in your name—” “Cease talking, damn you.” She didn’t want promises or dreams. She just wanted right now, just this moment, and nothing more. She was afraid to want more. Spinning away, she dropped to all fours and spread her legs, waiting for the sweet, oblivious pleasure that filled her when they joined. But when he moved, it wasn’t as she expected. It wasn’t with the fevered urgency he’d displayed only hours ago. Instead it was a hot brush of breath through her gown, the heated press of his cheek against her spine, the soft slide of his hands along her sides. She dropped her forehead to the rug, her body quivering, her skin dampening with sweat from her proximity to the fire. “I would like the luxury of touching you like this,” he murmured, his fingers running along the length of her spine. “I want to take my time, savor you, instead of feeling so rushed, so desperate.” “Desperate?” she gasped, arching into his touch.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  His free hand moved to her shoulder, then down along the curve of her spine. Charlotte arched into him, pressing her breasts to his chest. Unhampered by stays and petticoats, he could feel her, all of her, yet not enough of her. Lowering his head slowly, he moved his fingertips away, intent on kissing her. She had such a lovely mouth, so full and ripe. And it said such wonderful things. It was the not-so-gentle bite from his horse upon his shoulder that brought back the reality of the small stable stall and the storm that raged outside. For a moment, Hugh considered ignoring the rude intrusion and continuing anyway, but the warning snort from the beast behind him changed his mind. “We should go back to the house,” he said with true regret. “I believe my horse is jealous.” Charlotte blinked and took a moment to reply, visibly withdrawing from his blatant seduction. “Yes, I suppose that would be wise.” The matching note of regret in her voice soothed Hugh’s nigh-unbearable frustration. Hands linked together, they left the comfortable stable and struggled across the courtyard, entering the manse through the kitchen. They were wet and frozen by the time they completed the journey, and the cook stared at them agape as they stumbled inside followed by a billowing cloud of snow. Hugh gaped right back. The cook was the largest woman he’d ever seen. Impossibly tall and built like a laborman, she quite frankly scared him. Gray hair stuck out in every direction, and grayer eyes raked him from head to toe. With a gleaming knife in her hand and a helpless chicken on the counter, she was a terrifying sight to behold. He might have stood there for hours, arrested by shock, had Charlotte not grabbed his arm and tugged him from the room. “Good God,” he muttered as he followed Charlotte up the servants’ stairs to the upper floors. Minx that she was, she laughed. “Wait until dinner,” she promised. “You’ll be impressed.” “I’m impressed already.” He’d never met an Amazon before in his life. Traversing well-appointed hallways, Hugh barely had time to register the dichotomy of the house before he found himself in an immense bedchamber warmed by a fire. It was beautifully furnished and immaculately cleaned. He found it hard to believe he was in the same residence he’d entered just a few hours ago. “Why isn’t the rest of the manse maintained?” he asked, glancing back at her. Charlotte shivered by the door, her hair and garments wet with melting snow. He held out his hand. “Come warm yourself by the fire.” “Not yet.” The “yet” gave him pause, a tiny intimation that she intended at some point to tarry in his rooms. Their eyes met and held, his with silent query, hers open and clear. “Go change, then,” he said. “Before you catch your death. You can explain to me after you’re warmed.” She nodded. “I’ll return directly to escort you to supper.”

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  The meal consisted of a variety of delectable dishes, including curried fowl and braised ham, and Charlotte was refreshing and engaging. She made him laugh with her dry wit and was attentive enough to keep his glass filled with wine. Hugh attempted to broach the subject of the duchess, but like a consummate politician, she directed the conversation to lighter topics, such as the spring dance in the village and Mr. Edgewood’s skinny, unappetizing pig. Lost in the pleasure of her company, Hugh was content to allow her evasiveness. For the moment. After dinner they retired to the upstairs library, and Hugh took the opportunity to study her in greater depth. It was easy to discern that she was not merely a paid companion. There was a practiced grace to her movements and a studious understanding of the customs enjoyed by men of privilege. She brought him a cigar, which she lit with expertise. Moving to the sideboard, Charlotte poured a large ration of brandy, which she warmed over a candle flame before bringing it to him. Her hips swayed softly as she approached, her shoulders held back to better display her lovely breasts. The invitation in her eyes was apparent. “You’re attempting to seduce me,” he murmured with a smile, extremely pleased. It was not unusual for women to pursue him, but he was especially enjoying it this evening. Setting his cigar aside, Hugh caught her wrist when she held out the glass and tugged her into his lap. “Would you like me to take you away from this place?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he acknowledged what an excellent idea it was. Charlotte was far too lovely to be hidden away, and he could easily see himself keeping her for a while. She didn’t reply. Instead, she turned her face and pressed those lush lips to his. Plump and flavored of wine, her kiss was intoxicating. He was held motionless, achingly touched and aroused by the simple gesture. He, a man consummate in the carnal arts, was arrested by a mere kiss. It was Charlotte who took control of the moment, Charlotte whose tongue licked along his lips and teased for entry. Hugh could only groan and pull her closer. “Montrose,” she whispered, her forehead pressed to his. “Hugh.” “Hugh . . .” She said his name on a sigh, a warm breath that mingled with his before he breathed in and made it his own. “I am a woman of the world. I don’t need to be rescued.” Holding her was both pleasure and torment. His cock was hard and swollen against her luscious derriere, aching to fill her. “What do you want, then, Charlotte?” he asked hoarsely. “I’ll give you anything you desire.” Her hand came up and entwined in his hair, kneading his scalp, until his eyes closed helplessly, awash in pleasure. The air around them heated, becoming heavy with a desire so intense, it almost frightened him.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  It took less than an hour to find the tiny lever. Hugh engaged it, and the wall slid open without a sound, betraying how well maintained the mechanism inside was. With a small smile of satisfaction and the thrill of discovery, he picked up the taper and stepped inside. Chapter Three Bending over the desk in the study, Charlotte released a deep breath and seriously considered ripping the blasted map she was studying into pieces. She’d spent three years attempting to puzzle out the cryptic thing and had very little to show for her efforts. If she had only herself to look after, she would frame the map as a colorful memento and carry on. But she had an entire house of people to worry about, and her efforts alone could never support them all. Moving them away, finding a place to live, trying to make ends meet . . . impossible. But of course, that’s exactly what Carding intended. Charlotte tightened the belt of her lined silk robe. Her negligees had been purchased for her past life and were ill-suited to her present circumstances, but she wore them regardless. They reminded her that she was a woman, that she was still young and attractive. Left out here in the country, it was far too easy to forget those things. Bleary-eyed, Charlotte knew she should retire, but thoughts of the handsome earl just a few doors down made sleep difficult. She hungered for him, hungered for the hard body and impressive cockstand she’d felt while sitting on his lap. All night he’d looked at her as if nothing else in the world existed. Despite his readily apparent desire and her obvious willingness, he’d restrained himself. He’d kept his hands from pawing her despite the hard, throbbing erection she’d felt at her hip. His slow, leisurely seduction showed he respected her, perhaps even admired her. Bold as she was, she’d considered knocking on his door, knowing the charming rogue would welcome her eagerly. She was considering it now . . . “Hello.” Startled, Charlotte glanced up, and her heart lodged in her throat. Not but a few feet away stood the Earl of Montrose, wearing only trousers and an endearingly tousled head of dark blond curls. He was such a beautiful man, powerfully built, with shoulders that were a tailor’s dream tapering to a washboard stomach and trim hips. His dark eyes were heavy-lidded, seductive, gazing at her with their customary breathless intensity. “I didn’t hear you come—” Her voice trailed off as she looked past him and saw the opening in the wall of the study. “Have you been sneaking around?” she snapped. Barefooted, he stepped toward her with the top button of his trousers undone, the muscles of his stomach rippling with strength as he moved. “I was sleeping,” he drawled softly. “Someone else was sneaking around. In my bedchamber.” Charlotte winced inwardly, but kept her face impassive. Bloody hell.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  Julienne’s hair was a golden curtain around her. With her bared shoulders and flushed face, she looked every bit the wanton seductress and nothing like the genteel virgin he knew her to be. And yet it was the unabashed tilt to her chin and the defiance so evident in her silence that most affected him. An innocent who wasn’t quite so innocent. His cock had been aching before. Now the throbbing was downright painful. Her beauty was what had first caught his eye, her voluptuous figure had kept his attention, but her smile, warm and open, was what obsessed him. Women did not look at him with such sweet interest. They either shot daggers at him for being what he was, or invited him to their beds with seductive glances. When Julienne had first seen him across the Milton’s crowded ballroom, she’d smiled so beautifully that he’d found it difficult to breathe. He’d wanted her instantly, wanted to discover what it was she saw that lit up her eyes with such warm regard. But now that he had her in his grasp, he found there was more to his interest than mere carnal gratification. He was startled to realize he liked her, liked that she was unconventional and bold, as well as beautiful and kind. Abruptly—regretfully—he realized he couldn’t take her. Doing so would destroy her, and he could never do that. “No.” He gave a wry smile. “It’s not wrong to want passion. And I’m deeply flattered that you want to discover it with me.” Her smile was so brilliant, it made his chest tight. Lucien ran a hand through his hair. “I enjoy a good debauch as much as any man, Julienne. But sometimes I wish for the finer things in life, the softer things, pure and innocent like you are.” “I’m not so innocent as all that. If you knew the thoughts I have about you—” “Hush. Don’t say any more. I’m having a hard enough time being honorable as it is.” “I rather like you dishonorable, if you don’t mind.” He arched a brow and grinned. She was a minx. He never would have guessed. “Haven’t you been warned about men like me?” “Yes.” Her lips curved. “But therein lies the problem.” He shook his head. “You see,” she continued, her voice lowering. “Being around you makes me ache. The way you look at me makes me ache, much more so than when I read Hugh’s books. I’m a grown woman. Allow me to worry about the consequences.” Lucien groaned low in his chest, a sound filled with defeat and the death of good intentions. He was only a man, an extremely lustful man, with the woman he wanted most offering liberties he shouldn’t accept. But would. He couldn’t turn away the chance to touch her, to hold her, just once. “I’ll take care of that, sweetheart,” he said softly as he approached her. “I’ll make the ache go away.”

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  Gliding back into Hugh’s suite with a wide grin, she paused just inside the doorway, arrested by the sight of his bare back. He’d removed his shirt and shoes, the corded muscles of his shoulders bunching as he leaned his weight on his arms, his skin covered with a fine sheen of perspiration from the warmth of the fire. She sighed, thinking she could simply stare at him for days. Without turning around, he said, “Drooling again?” “You are the most conceited man,” she muttered. She reached the desk and dropped the books with a loud thump. He lifted his gaze to look at her. “Bloody hell,” he breathed, taking in the black negligee she wore. Held up with ribbons at the shoulders and completely sheer, it was an erotic confection she’d had for years and never donned before. The gown flowed with her, changing opacity, teasing the eye with glimpses of her nipples and the curve of her waist. Charlotte brushed her fingertips across his full lips. “Careful, darling. You’ll drool.” His brows snapped together. “Cheaters never win,” he growled. “I’m not cheating.” His scowl clearly refuted her. “Why don’t you show me what you’ve gathered so far, so I don’t waste time pointing out things you may already know.” Shaking her head, she wondered why he was so determined to keep them out of bed and focused on the map. With any other man she might consider the possibility that the map interested him more than she did, but with Hugh she knew that wasn’t true. He wouldn’t be so frustrated if he weren’t fighting the temptation she presented. Something was afoot, and if she wished to discover what it was, she’d have to play along. Pulling the books closer, she grabbed the slender journal from the top and opened it. “According to Glenmoore, he won this map in a wager while traveling through the Caribbean. He dismissed it as nothing more than a souvenir, until he was approached by a local man who swore he was among the crew that originally hid the treasure.” Hugh stared at her with his intense dark eyes. “What exactly is this treasure?” “Glenmoore was never able to discover the answer to that with certainty. There were two tales. The simple one was pirate’s gold. The other featured a love story.” “A love story?” he asked skeptically. Nodding, Charlotte turned the pages of Glenmoore’s journal until she found a worn piece of paper tucked inside. Upon opening it, a lovely female visage appeared. “Her name was Anne,” she explained. “According to the story Glenmoore heard, she fled an unhappy marriage to sail the high seas with a pirate named Calico Jack. They were together for a time, but Jack was eventually caught and hanged. It is said that Anne, who was pregnant when he was killed, fled the authorities and hid his ill-gotten gains.”

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  “It has no place in either of our lives.” Stretching out his legs in front of him, Alistair said, “But we are not in our lives now. Nor will we be for the next few months, at least.” “You and I are very different individuals. Perhaps you think my paralysis that night in the Pennington woods hints at some deeper, more intriguing aspect of my character, but I assure you, nothing of the sort exists. I was confused and mortified; there is nothing of note beyond that.” “Yet here you are. Traveling alone a great distance. Not by necessity, but by choice. I find that very intriguing. Tarley bequeathed you a source of great income. Why was he so determined to see you not merely taken care of, but exceptionally wealthy? In doing so, he provided you with the means to go in any direction you choose, while also forcing you to conduct business on a large scale. He shielded you with one hand, while pushing you into a new world with the other. I find that intriguing also.” Jessica drank the last of the wine in her glass and set it on the stool where the bottle had previously been. Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around her bent knees and looked at the door. “I cannot be your mistress.” “I would never ask you to be.” He draped one arm over the tabletop, his focus narrowed to the wet curl adhering to the pale curve of her back. He was hard as a poker, throbbing and on display due to the tailored fit of his breeches. “I want no arrangement with you. I do not want to be serviced. What I desire is your willingness, your needs, and your demands.” She turned those big gray eyes on him. “I want to service you, Jessica. I want to finish what we began seven years ago.” Read on for a sampling of In the Flesh, coming next month from Sylvia Day. The warmth and softness of her body was a salve. He was soothed, just from the feel of her, his fear and confusion gone as quickly as they’d come. Still he was shocked, staring up at her with wide eyes. It took years of training for a woman of her slight build to better a man of his size. Sapphire wouldn’t have managed it without the element of surprise. But that was not the point. The point was she had bettered him. She was no easy target and she wanted him to know that. He was impressed. Then his admiration flared into something hotter as the press of her curves onto his body burned into his consciousness. Suddenly, he was more than impressed, he was aroused.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  Instead he had sent her upstairs to the room that adjoined his. She was an innocent, that was painfully obvious, but despite her unfamiliarity with sex, she was no stranger to desire. She’d looked at him as if she wanted to eat him alive. And, God, he’d love to allow her to. With very little effort, Lucien could imagine sliding his cock in and out of her delectable mouth. It would feel like warm silk . . . He groaned as his trousers grew even more uncomfortable. With a muffled curse, Lucien set his empty glass on the desk and walked to the bookshelf. Glancing quickly through the spines, he located the file for the Earl of Montrose. The earl’s entire monetary history could be found in here, from the amount he owed his tailor to the balance in his bank account. Lucien had been aware that Montrose was playing too deep. Any other patron would have lost his credit privileges long ago. But Lucien had left the young earl’s accounts open, for one reason and for one reason only—he wanted Julienne La Coeur. He’d coveted her across many a crowded ballroom. Tiny but temptingly voluptuous, with dark blonde hair and mischievous eyes, Julienne had stolen the breath from him at first sight. He’d wanted to approach her, to beg a dance with her, so he could hold her in his arms. But his reputation as a notorious rake and debauched libertine, as well as his livelihood in trade, had made him vastly unsuitable for even an introduction, let alone a waltz. So he’d allowed Montrose, his one connection to Julienne, to continue playing, to keep him close until he could think of a way to get to his sister. Lucien wasn’t certain what he’d do with Julienne when he caught her. Perhaps he could seduce her and ease his craving. Maybe a longer association would be required. He honestly didn’t know what he wanted. He only knew that he wanted. Badly. Never in his wildest imaginings (and his imaginings could get pretty wild) had he ever thought she would come to him. And dressed as a man, no less. But he rather liked that she had. It took a formidable will to risk such a scandal. And she’d stood up to him, before whom even some dukes cowered. Julienne La Coeur was no simpering miss. Now she was upstairs, preparing to slip into one of his beds. He could imagine her curls spread across his silk-covered pillows, her head thrown back with pleasure, as he rode her hard and deep. She’d be ravishing all flushed with passion . . . Hang it! He was driving himself mad.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  He remained between her legs, sliding his fingers from her and replacing the loss with his tongue until she regained control of her breathing. Only then did he stand and cover her body with his. “Phoenix . . . ” He pulled her against him, his body rigid and damp with sweat. Olivia knew he had not felt the same pleasure he had given to her. “Tell me what to do,” she begged against his throat. “Tell me how to please you.” “You did,” he assured her in a gruff whisper. “To feel you come in my mouth . . . ’twas a singular experience, love.” “I want—” “I know what you want,” he interrupted dryly. “Please. I want to pleasure you as well.” “No.” Her eyes slid closed, and her head fell to the side, away from his mouth. “You don’t want me . . . that way.” “Look at me.” Phoenix clasped the sides of her face in his large hands and forced her to face him. His fiery blue gaze burned into hers. “It is not a question of wanting you, but a question of wanting the best for you. I am not it.” Her eyes stung, her emotions scattered and confused. “I just want to please you.” He sighed. “You ask for more control than I am capable of.” She searched his face, so austerely handsome and passion-flushed. Something in his eyes—a wary softening—tugged at her heart. She brushed her fingertips across his mouth, and he pressed an urgent kiss against them. Reaching for his hair, Olivia brought it around to frame his face. “You are the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen. I want to touch you all over, put my mouth on you, make you wild for me . . .” “Olivia.” His voice was a pained whisper as his eyes closed on a ragged breath. “Damn you.” Phoenix stood, and opened the placket to his trousers, moving so quickly she had no time to see him. He leaned over her, and she felt him, hot and hard, in the crease of her sex. She shivered, her body slowly coming to renewed life. “Hold me tight.” “Yes . . .” She held onto him like a woman drowning. And then he rotated his hips, moving his cock easily through her slick lips. She tensed, expecting stretching and pain, but it never came. He began to move against her, a driving, urgent rhythm of his hips against hers. His cock was hot and hard as he pumped through the folds of her sex, his tight balls slapping against the damp opening to her body. But he kept away from the full consummation she craved. “Wrap your legs around me,” he gasped. “Move with me . . . yes . . .” His skin turned hot under her hands, his breath heaving from his lungs.

• From Scandalous Liaisons (2007)

  He rolled her over, capturing her other nipple with his mouth while his hand caressed the length of her body and dipped between her thighs. To his delight, she opened her legs eagerly, and he caressed her lips with soft, gentle swirls, pinching them together, then moving his fingers across the hard, swollen nub in matching cadence to his suction on her breast. Her lithe body began to undulate next to his, and he threw a leg across her hips, grinding his erection into her thigh, his body seeking a relief that would be denied to him. It was a hell of a time to find his conscience. Impatient, Julienne arched into his hand. Lucien obliged by venturing a finger inside her again, softly stroking. He pulled out with exquisite slowness, then pressed forward again. With a patience that surprised him, he took his time, loving her gently until her body welcomed his touch with a rush of moisture. She breathed his name, and he was nearly lost. Lucien released her breast, afraid of hurting her as his jaw clenched with the effort to retain his control. His finger, slick with her cream, slipped out, and then he entered her with two fingers. He fucked her faster now, pulling back to watch her face as she struggled against her approaching orgasm, her skin flushed, her nipples tight and hard. Despite her virginal state, she was so aroused that he had no trouble pleasing her, his fingers twisting and rubbing, constantly changing tempo and direction, to keep her on the edge. Julienne writhed, her fingernails digging into his arm, marking him on the outside as she’d marked him on the inside. Her knees fell outward, opening her cunt completely, and then her hips began to move with him, rising and falling to meet his thrusts. “Don’t fight it, sweet,” he coaxed softly as her head began to thrash, her skin so hot it burned his. “Just allow it to happen.” The room was quiet except for the harsh sounds of their breathing and the slick sucking noises that accompanied the pumping of his fingers. Julienne turned blindly toward him, her lips parted with panting breaths, and he thrust his tongue between them, loving the taste of her. When she stiffened beneath him, he pulled away, pinning her down with his leg as she arched and cried out his name, shivering beneath him. She held his fingers so tightly in her orgasm, he could barely move them, but he managed it anyway, drawing out her pleasure. He was stunned watching her, never having seen anything so beautiful in his life. And he would never be allowed to see it again. Lucien was torn between masculine satisfaction and utter, wrenching despair.

• From The Art of Seduction (2001)

  Cleopatra provided constant variety—tributes, mock battles, expedi- appearance. The eyes that tions, costumed orgies. Everything had a touch of drama and was accom- seduce have no meaning, plished with great energy. By the time your head lay on the pillow beside they end in the gaze, as the face with makeup her, your mind was spinning with images and dreams. And just when you ends in only pure thought you had this fluid, larger-than-life woman, she would turn distant appearance. . . . The scent or angry, making it clear that everything was on her terms. You never pos- of the panther is also a meaningless message— and sessed Cleopatra, you worshiped her. In this way a woman who had been behind the message the exiled and destined for an early death managed to turn it all around and panther is invisible, as is rule Egypt for close to twenty years. the woman beneath her makeup. The Sirens too From Cleopatra we learn that it is not beauty that makes a Siren but remained unseen. The rather a theatrical streak that allows a woman to embody a man's fantasies. enchantment lies in what A man grows bored with a woman, no matter how beautiful; he yearns for is hidden. different pleasures, and for adventure. All a woman needs to turn this —JEAN BAUDRILLARD, DE LA around is to create the illusion that she offers such variety and adventure. A SÉDUCTION man is easily deceived by appearances; he has a weakness for the visual. Create the physical presence of a Siren (heightened sexual allure mixed with a regal and theatrical manner) and he is trapped. He cannot grow bored with you yet he cannot discard you. Keep up the distractions, and We're dazzled by feminine adornment, by the surface, never let him see who you really are. He will follow you until he drowns. \ All gold and jewels: so little of what we observe \ Is the girl herself And The Sex Siren where (you may ask) amid such plenty \ Can our object of passion be found? Norma Jean Mortensen, the future Marilyn Monroe, spent part of her The eye's deceived \ By childhood in Los Angeles orphanages. Her days were filled with Love's smart camouflage. chores and no play. At school, she kept to herself, smiled rarely, and — O V I D , CURES FOR LOVE, TRANSLATED BY PETER GREEN dreamed a lot. One day when she was thirteen, as she was dressing for school, she noticed that the white blouse the orphanage provided for her was torn, so she had to borrow a sweater from a younger girl in the house. The sweater was several sizes too small. That day, suddenly, boys seemed to He was herding his cattle gather around her wherever she went (she was extremely well-developed on Mount Gargarus, the highest peak of Ida, when