Lancelot's Lady (20 page)

Chapter 20

That night, after Misty went to bed and Mrs. Atkinson returned to her cottage, Jonathan coaxed Rhianna into the living room with the promise of an after dinner drink. He was craving her company, and he needed someone to talk to about Misty.

"
I can
'
t thank you enough for everything you
'
ve done for Misty and me,
"
he said, handing Rhianna a glass of Merlot.
"
She
'
s been less irritable.
"

"
That
'
s because both of you have learned to sign more effectively.
"

"
I know. But neither of us would be signing so easily without your help. Thank you.
"

Rhianna shifted and looked away.
"
I
'
m glad I could help. That was the agreement after all.
"

"
Agreement?
"

She glanced at him.
"
For staying here.
"

He laughed.
"
Well, it
'
s not like you can leave.
"

"
No, I can
'
t.
"

A strained silence filled the room.

Finally, Rhianna said,
"
I hope it hasn
'
t been too difficult having an unwanted guest.
"

Unable to form a single word, Jonathan remained silent. A waft of Rhianna
'
s perfume, with delicate notes of spice, vanilla and seduction, made him dizzy and he struggled to take his eyes off her moist, slightly parted lips. He wanted nothing more than to crush them with his, to taste her sweetness again. Earlier that morning, he
'
d seen apprehension in her eyes and it incensed him that he had caused it. But she didn
'
t look afraid now. Just nervous.

"
What?
"
she asked.
"
Why are you looking at me like that?
"

"
Because you
'
re beautiful,
"
he said.
And I don
'
t want to let you go.

That sudden realization smacked him hard.

Damn, Rhianna was getting to him.

~ * ~

Rhianna could barely breathe. In all these years she
'
d never felt so tempted. No other man had made her feel this…safe. And there was enough sexual chemistry between them that it was impossible to deny she was attracted to Jonathan.

What the heck was she going to do about him?

She didn
'
t have time to pursue that train of thought because Jonathan gently pried the wineglass from her fingers, set it on the bar and pulled her into his arms.

"
What are you doing?
"
she asked, stunned.

"
You wouldn
'
t deprive a man of a dance now, would you?
"
He pointed a remote at the stereo and smooth, sultry jazz filtered into the room.
"
I hope you like this.
"

She swallowed.
"
Jazz is one of my favorites.
"

Jonathan twirled her into the center of the room, then reeled her back in, catching her around the waist. With a breathless laugh, she stared into his sea-blue eyes and was immediately caught in a tidal wave of emotion. She didn
'
t know what to say. Every thought seemed juvenile and silly.

He reached up and released her hair from the ponytail.

"
I like it down,
"
he said, drawing her closer.

His rough cheek grazed hers and she stifled a gasp. She tried to focus on the music, but all she could hear was his steady heartbeat. As the heat of their bodies melded, her pulse raced.

"
Relax,
"
he whispered.
"
I don
'
t bite.
"

"
Right.
"

He chuckled.
"
Not unless you want me to.
"

The thought of Jonathan
'
s teeth nipping at her flesh nearly made Rhianna moan out loud.

What was he doing to her?

With a ragged sigh, Rhianna curled into Jonathan, her head tucked under his chin. He smelled of sandalwood, vanilla and paint, a heady combination that was soothing, yet stimulating.

His breath breezed across her hair.

She shivered.

How long could she fight these feelings?

Don
'
t fight them.

Jonathan
'
s hand caressed her lower back. The fabric between them seemed nonexistent, as though they danced naked, her feverish flesh on his. His slow, sensual moves sent tiny flutters throughout her body.

Did he feel her treacherous response?

She didn
'
t know how long they danced. Or how long he held her. She only knew that she wanted it to go on forever.

"
I could do this all night,
"
he said, reading her mind.

His admission caught her off guard.

"
Why would you want to do that?
"

"
Because you feel good in my arms.
"

"
Oh.
"

"
I want to kiss you, Rhianna.
"

She took a deep breath.
"
Kiss me then.
"

Without hesitation, Jonathan bent his head and captured her lips. She gasped and he took full advantage, his tongue entwining with hers. A powerful longing grew deep within her. She wanted more.

So did Jonathan.

When he swept her up in his arms and carried her upstairs, Rhianna didn
'
t fight him.

She trembled, aware of her own mounting need. There was only one way to fight her inner demon, and that was to conquer her fear of the past.

"
Your room or mine?
"
he asked.

If she
'
d been thinking clearly, Rhianna would have laughed. But she wasn
'
t thinking clearly. All she knew for sure was that she had to quell the desperate throbbing that pounded through her body.

"
I don
'
t care,
"
she murmured.

The décor in his room was dark, with warm, masculine tones and rich cherry furniture. A king-sized bed waited at the far end of the room.

That was all Rhianna had time to notice because Jonathan slowly slid her down his body until her feet reached the ground. His fingers drifted to the buttons on her blouse. In seconds, it was on the floor. The rest of her clothes followed as he bared her, body and soul, his hands caressing every inch of her until she couldn
'
t stand it.

He backed her against the door and his hands clasped hers, pinning them just above her head. A flicker of panic gripped her, but when his tongue found her nipple and teased it to attention, all fear was erased. She trembled when his lips coaxed a response. Then she gave in to the sizzling thrill of his mouth.

"
Do you want me to stop?
"
he breathed into her ear.

"
No.
"

"
Are you sure? Because I will if you want me to.
"

She sighed.
"
Just shut up and kiss me.
"

~ * ~

Jonathan kissed Rhianna fiercely, ravishing her until she clung to him, breathless, her skin burning.

He craved her touch.

Carrying her to the bed, he swiftly undressed and stretched out beside her. He was rigid and pulsating with need. There was only one way to satisfy his lust.

Lust?

No, what he felt was much more than that. But he had to be gentle. He didn
'
t want to hurt her. He was pretty sure she
'
d been hurt enough in the past.

Although the shadows hid her, he found Rhianna
'
s lips. Only their mouths touched.

Lightly…persuasively.

Then, reaching for the lamp, he turned it on low. The golden glow illuminated Rhianna
'
s curves as she lay on the bed, one arm draped across her breasts. Her eyes shone, expectant and nervous.

"
Trust me,
"
he said, lifting her arm to her side.

"
I do.
"

He swallowed hard at her admission. She
'
d just handed him a precious treasure to guard. His throbbing desire intensified at the thought.

Leaning over her, he cradled her face in his hands.
"
I want to see
all
of you.
"

He felt her hesitation.

Kissing each eyelid, he said,
"
You
'
re so beautiful.
"

"
No, I
'
m not.
"

He placed a finger against her mouth.
"
Yes, you are.
"

Jonathan brushed her face with his fingertips and trailed them down her neck to the valley between her breasts.

She arched toward him.
"
Jonathan…
"

Hearing his name on her lips, made him shiver.

~ * ~

Rhianna knew she was heading for trouble with Jonathan, but all that mattered was finding release from the agonizing desire that consumed her. She
'
d never felt this way before, so physical, so sexual…

So out of control.

God, how she ached for him.

Their lips met in a tender kiss and Jonathan
'
s calloused fingers skimmed all over her. Stroking her, squeezing her, until her entire body tightened. When his mouth touched her breast, she let out a moan. His lips brushed a nipple and she thought she
'
d crawl out of her own flesh.

Finally, he reached lower, in search of the one place she needed him to touch. She sucked in a breath when he found it. Hands entwined around his neck, she drew him back to her mouth as he straddled her.

There
'
ll be no going back after tonight.

She didn
'
t care. Jonathan had opened the floodgates. Only he could close them.

"
What do you
want, Rhianna?
"

"
I don
'
t know.
"

"
Yes, you do,
"
he said, nipping at her bottom lip.

"
I want…I want you inside―
"

Jonathan entered her swiftly. There was no pain, only a quivering that left her breathless. When he pulled back, she bucked against him.

"
Don
'
t
stop,
"
she hissed.

"
I wasn
'
t planning on it.
"

As Jonathan moved between her thighs, Rhianna felt more disconnected from her past and more in tune with a wondrous soaring sensation. Every synapse fired, every nerve quivered as she climbed higher. And higher.

A searing tremor of pleasure shot through her. Hot tears formed in her eyes and her raspy breath mingled with Jonathan
'
s. She dug her nails into his shoulders and clung to him, half-sobbing, while delicious, mind-numbing spasms wracked her body and shook her to the core.

~ * ~

Rhianna awoke hours later, at first startled by the unfamiliar room draped in shadows.

Then she remembered.

Jonathan.

He had made love to her, and she
'
d enjoyed every minute of it.