Dance with Deception: Scandalous Secrets, Book 1 - Exclusive Edition (Scandalous Secrets - Exclusive Edition) (35 page)

Sebastian’s eyes locked with hers. He then obeyed, removing each piece of his clothing starting with his jacket and shirt, then his riding boots and breeches. Once finished, he tossed his breeches to his wife and stood there in his naked splendor.

Gwen studied him with open admiration. His body, tanned and muscular, was beauty personified.

You’re beautiful
.

A deep heat crept over her cheekbones as she remembered saying those words to him on their wedding night. She had been so naïve and she now
despised herself for it.

Gwen vowed not to give that much of herself tonight, perhaps never again. Everyone in her life had lied to her. She would not allow herself to be that vulnerable and would protect her heart at any cost. She refused to show her deep love, devotion, or blind faith any longer.

Gwen followed her husband to the bed, where he reclined on his back, propped up by the many fluffy pillows behind his head. The mattress sunk ever so slightly as she knelt beside him, beginning her torture by exploring every inch of him with her soft fingertips. If quizzed, she could recite each curve, each mark, she realized as her fingers trembled with her every caress.

Gwen recognized that his body tingled from her soft touch and she gloried in the power she held over him. His erection hardened, sending a thrill up her spine. It was that realization that gave Gwen the courage to be more aggressive. She straddled him then used her tongue to trace a hot path across his chest.

Having learned a great deal from him, she was using all of the techniques Sebastian had taught her. Her tongue, moist and warm, flicked one of his nipples.

A throaty groan escaped from his lips.

Gwen nipped the taut, masculine bud with her teeth before tracing a hot path to the other.

Sebastian’s fists clenched the satin duvet cover, his heightening frustration obvious by his jagged breaths.

Once satisfied that her mouth had covered every
inch of his chest, Gwen traced a path to his full lips. She used his own accomplished kisses against him, performing the same dexterous seduction that he had performed on her.

Gwen licked his lips with her tongue before prying them open for entry in search of his. He joined her in a soul-searching kiss, as if realizing that although he vowed not to touch her, his kisses weren’t part of the bargain.

She pulled away then asked in a silken tone. “Is this killing you?”

His indigo eyes were as rough as the sea, his voice guttural. “Yes.”

“Do you want to undress me?”

Sebastian nodded in silent affirmation.

“Say please,” she cooed, enjoying every minute of his torture.

“Please, Duchess, I can’t take much more of this.”

Duchess
. Why did that endearing nickname make her weak in the knees? She rebelled against her lovesick heart by further tantalizing him.

Only when she was certain that his desire was at a breaking point, did she relent. “Show me how much you want me.”

Sebastian’s hands released the bedding they’d been clutching for dear life. Instead, they combed through her thick, mahogany mane as his mouth devoured hers in a mind-numbing kiss.

He kissed her with an intensity she’d never before experienced. Primitive, driven by lust, it was the complete opposite of the gentle, amorous lovemaking they’d previously shared.

She welcomed his savage hunger. Driven by her own carnal desire, her lips were as hard and demanding as his as he undressed her with an urgent need, failing to open many of the delicate buttons on her gown due to his trembling hands.

After cursing the uncooperative garment, Sebastian gave up on proper etiquette and ripped the fabric open. Several buttons flew through the air as he freed her of the heavy garment.

Next he popped open her corset, the metal hook and eyes allowing him quick access. He then rolled her onto her back against the soft mattress.

She realized too late that he was going to tease her just as she’d done to him.

Sebastian nibbled on one of her nipples through the stretched fabric of her chemise and her breasts swelled in response.

Gwen arched her back, a raspy moan escaping her. As if satisfied, Sebastian turned his attention to the other nipple waiting at attention for him.

She knew her control had long since vanished and Gwen no longer cared, lost in the smoldering sensations his mouth was generating within her.

Her quickened pulse pounded in her ears as he inched the soft material of her chemise over her abdomen, then breasts, and at last over her head before tossing it on the floor.

With his fingers entwined within her thick mane, Sebastian rose into a kneeling position, taking her with him.

Gwen pushed him against the soft mattress and straddled him. Sebastian crushed his mouth against hers, devouring her with his urgent kisses as he
grabbed her buttocks then lifted her up over his hard shaft.

The sensation of easing downward, her moist core welcoming him, tightening around him, filled her with an urgent need. Gwen wanted more of him, demanded it, as her nails dug into his back.

She instinctively began rocking back and forth. Sebastian moaned in response, driving himself deeper into Gwen’s sweet refuge. She sensed her release fast approaching with each and every motion.

The rhythm of their bodies sought an earth-shattering crescendo. Gwen cried out as her body radiated in a divine rapture, the room splintering into a million pieces. She then collapsed on top of him, still intimately joined as spasms continued to wrack Sebastian’s body, now slick with sweat from their strenuous lovemaking.

Gwen laid her face in the nape of his neck, the scent of his woodsy cologne lingering. Making love to him just now was different than before. She had made certain that it would be.

Until this night, their intimate acts had always been spiritual; however in a matter of minutes their lovemaking had morphed into something much darker. Gone were Sebastian’s gentle kisses, sensual exploration of her flesh, and declarations of love. Although her body responded with a fiery force, although her husband filled her with his seed, she felt incomplete.

Even though she still remained joined with him, Gwen was certain that she had never felt farther away from Sebastian than at this very moment. She
raised herself off of her husband then rolled onto her side, her back to him.

Sebastian embraced her from behind, pulling her closer against his length before kissing her shoulder. “Are you all right?” His voice was rough with emotion.

Did the emptiness consume him, as well?

Gwen nodded as a lone tear drifted down her cheek, signifying the magnitude of her loss. What they shared tonight was sex. Love had nothing to do with it.

Would it ever again?

Sebastian pried his arm away from her then reached for the blanket at the end of the bed, draping it over their naked forms.

The fireplace crackled. It was the only sound that filled the room other than their labored breathing.

Shame washed over Gwen, replacing the heated passion of moments before. She wondered if Sebastian still loved her.

If so, would that love survive this night?

Gwen awoke acutely aware of the soreness between her legs. She rolled onto her back and placed her hands over her eyes trying to assimilate the events of the twenty-four hours. How could a day that had seemed so manageable turn into such a calamity?

She turned only to find her husband’s pillow vacant. Bolting upright, Gwen scanned the room. Sebastian wasn’t there and the realization numbed
her heart.

She squeezed her eyes closed in an attempt to squelch the throbbing pain in her temples. What happened between them last night? The only thing she was certain of was that they were farther from each other this morning than they were the day before.

Gwen rose, her limbs stiff from the arduous activity of the previous night, as she wrapped an ivory sheet around her body. She then began searching for her clothing. First she found her chemise in the corner of the room then she discovered her gown on the floor at the opposite side of the bed. Upon inspecting the garments, Gwen moaned when she discovered several buttons missing from her gown.

Deciding that it was better to sew them back on than depart for Kellington Manor in a ripped gown, or worse yet, a thin sheet, Gwen knelt on the cream colored carpet in search of her missing buttons.

She found two under the bed. Now, if she could just find the rest.

“Good morning.” Sebastian’s voice was a sweet as honey.

She stiffened at the sound, suddenly self-conscious. Gwen hadn’t heard the door open.

Her husband placed something on the bed before bending over her and kissing her head. “What are you looking for?”

Gwen stood, now holding the sheet in a death grip as she walked to the opposite side of the room.

“I’m looking for my buttons.” She counted the ones in her palm before placing them in a
delicate crystal bowl that rested upon a mahogany table near the fireplace. “I thought I could sew them back onto my dress but I just can’t find all of them.”

“There’s no need to keep looking.” Sebastian walked behind her and encircled her in his warm embrace. “I sent for a change of clothing for both you and Victoria. I hope you like what Jane picked out.”

She glanced over her shoulder at the lavender dress Sebastian had placed on the tousled bed then pulled away from him. “Thank you. I should get dressed now.”

“Good idea.” He sat in the armchair in front of the fireplace.

She realized that he planned to watch her dress. Her mind rebelled, causing her to avert her eyes from his. A crooked painting hung haphazardly above the four-poster bed, catching her immediate attention. She was aware of her erratic heartbeat heightening as she tried to remember if she and Sebastian had done that the night before.

“Why don’t I help you dress? I doubt I’ll be as proficient as Jane but—”

“No!” Her reply was more severe than she would have liked. “I can do it myself.”

Sebastian took a silent stride closer to her. “Gwen?”

She in turn walked backward a step.

“This is all too familiar,” he growled, raking her with his heated gaze. “Just what in the hell happened between last night and this morning?”

Gwen’s focus traveled to the bed and she began to straighten the covers.

“You’re not going to get far with that task, seeing as you’re wearing the sheet.” His voice was hard.

“Right,” her hands stilled. “Why don’t I get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

She walked toward the door, her stride quite formal and a complete contradiction to the sexy siren she was certain she depicted, wrapped in nothing but a sheet.

“Not so fast!” Sebastian marched across the room in strong, determined strides until he stood in front of her. He then slammed the door. “Why are you acting like nothing happened between us last night?”

“To the contrary, I am acting like something did happen between us.”

Sebastian stood not two steps away from her, his nearness unnerving. “Gwen, we made love last night.”

“Love wasn’t a part of what we did last night.” The notion nauseated her.

He spoke through clenched teeth, “Love had everything to do with it.”

“No! We were like wild animals last night.” She picked up her damaged dress from the day before and flung it at him. “We shared not one ‘
I love you
’ last night.”

“Just because we didn’t say the words doesn’t mean we didn’t feel the sentiment.”

His tone was far less convincing than she had expected. It sounded crestfallen, much like her heart.

“We’ve always said it, Sebastian,” she struggled
to clear the lump in her throat, “until last night. I didn’t feel it. Did you?”

A bitter cold settled within his piercing gaze. “Are you saying that you don’t love me?”

“I don’t know.” Her voice was a faint whisper.

Sebastian threw the torn fabric into a heap at his feet. “Yes, you do. You know damned well that we love each other. It’s proven by everything we did to be together.”

“We did?” The reference to his lie hit Gwen like a gust of cold air. “Don’t you mean what you did?”

“We’ve gone over this too many times. What I did was out of love.”

“I’m beginning to think that love doesn’t stand a chance against so much deceit.”

“Mine was one small lie, Gwen.”

“Small?” Her eyes flashed like lightning. “There is no such thing. Everyone in my life has lied to me and I’m sickened by it.”

His tone hardened. “Are you punishing me for my untruth or for everyone else’s?”

He had a valid point but she was much too stubborn and angry to relent. “This is about your actions, not theirs. They weren’t in this bed last night; we were.”

“Well done, Gwen.” He clapped his hands, the sound reverberating throughout the room. It reminded her of the way her father mocked her as he revealed the truth about Colin, Keir, and her mother.

A wave of dread washed over her. “What are you talking about?”

“You set the trap last night.” His expression was
as cold as his tone. “You are punishing me because I played your little game by your own rules.”