You, and Only You (14 page)

Tiffany’s soft moan set Alex’s blood on fire.
 
He deepened the kiss, ravaging the inner
softness of her mouth.
 
She responded
eagerly, her tongue parrying with his, her natural ardor nearly sending him
over the edge.
 
Her burgeoning passion
was like the most potent aphrodisiac and he could scarcely hold his own
escalating desire in check.
 
It seemed
incomprehensible, but at that moment he couldn’t recall ever having wanted a
woman so much.

Lost to the absolute splendor of his kiss, Tiffany made a
low whimper of protest when Alex suddenly lifted his mouth from hers.
 
But when his lips drifted across her cheek
and then moved to sear a burning path along the curve of her throat, she gladly
surrendered to the thrilling new sensation, angling her head to give him better
access to the sensitive flesh that tingled beneath the gentle pressure of his
lips.
 
While his teeth nipped softly at
her neck, she ran her fingers through the softness of his damp hair, reveling
in the silky feel of it beneath her fingertips.
 

While his lips continued to explore the delectable contours
of Tiffany’s throat, Alex moved his hands slowly to her back, loosening the
quilt and pushing it aside, then trailing his fingers ever so lightly along the
curve of her spine.
 

“Alex,” Tiffany gasped, arching against him as his tongue
swirled into the hollow at the base of her throat.

“So sweet,” Alex murmured as he lifted his head.
 
Then, capturing her lips once again, he
leaned into her, guiding her onto her back with the gentle pressure of his
chest.
 

As Alex kissed her into near mindlessness, Tiffany was only
vaguely aware of his hand as it moved from her back to her front, his fingers
splaying along her ribcage as his thumb moved in small sweeping circles.
 
It wasn’t until she felt his thumb brush
lightly against the underside of her breast that she realized his intent.

Through the thin barrier of her chemise, Alex gently stroked
the lush swell of Tiffany’s breast, flicking his thumb lightly across her
nipple, teasing it into a taut peak.

Though initially surprised by the shockingly intimate
caress, Tiffany made no move to pull away as Alex leisurely fondled the plump
mound of her breast.
 
Inhaling sharply,
she was astonished by how good it felt.
 
Good heavens, how was it that she’d never before realized how incredibly
sensitive her nipples were?
 

Lifting his head, Alex leisurely slid his hand upward,
pushing the thin strap of her chemise from her shoulder, baring her naked
breast to his hungry gaze.
 
“So
beautiful,” he whispered, his breath blowing softly against her bare skin.
 

Tiffany’s eyes were closed, her other senses heightened and
her breathing erratic as she felt him push the soft fabric of her lace-edged
chemise aside, his warm breath caressing and heating her exposed flesh.
 
Surprisingly she wasn’t embarrassed by her
nakedness, nor was she afraid of what was to come.
 
She wanted this.
 
Though as reckless and foolhardy as her
actions might be, at that moment she simply didn’t care.
 
Right or wrong, consequences be dammed, she
wanted it all.
 
Tilting her head back
against the sofa cushion, she moaned in pleasure as his lips fastened upon her
peaked nipple.
 

The unmistakable sound of Tiffany’s pleasure fanned the
flames of his desire, urging him on.
 
Swirling his tongue in tantalizing circles, he began to gently rock his
pelvis against hers.

Feeling the hard, rigid length of Alex’s arousal, Tiffany’s
legs parted to accommodate him as he settled against her, the gentle, rocking
motion of his hips sending unfamiliar jolts of sensation racing throughout her
body.
 
It felt good, unbelievably
so.
 
Trailing her fingers along the tops
of his broad shoulders and then down along his muscled back, she arched against
him in a wanton invitation.

With his erection straining the fabric of his breeches, Alex
shifted above her, levering himself off of her slightly so that he could see
her face.
 
He saw no sign of hesitance or
uncertainty in her expression, only a fierce desire that rivaled his own.
 
If there was any lingering doubt however, she
soon dispelled it.
 
Feeling her hands
move from his back, her fingers skimming along his ribcage to slide searchingly
up his chest, he inhaled sharply as she reached for and then purposefully undid
the top button of his shirt.
 

As Tiffany methodically worked her way down, button by
button, her eyes never left his.
 
Seeing
the passionate hunger burning in his gaze, she was both amazed and exhilarated
to know that it was she who had aroused such a powerful emotion within
him.
 
It was a heady feeling and she
reveled in it.
 
Undoing the final button
on his shirt, she felt utterly and gloriously wanton as she pushed the fabric
aside, her eyes lowering to the naked breadth of his chest.

Alex drew in a deep, quivering breath as Tiffany’s hands
began to move along his torso, her delicate fingers tentatively exploring the
naked planes of his chest.
 
How was it,
he wondered as she worked her way upward, that he found her hesitant
exploration far more arousing than the expert caress of the most skilled
courtesan?
 
Groaning aloud, he dipped his
head and once again pressed his lips to hers, coaxing them apart and kissing
her with a fierce, unrestrained hunger.

Eagerly welcoming his masterful invasion, Tiffany lost
herself in the kiss.
 
Near mindless with
pleasure, she could scarcely focus as Alex’s hand moved to trail along her
thigh, his fingers skimming along her naked flesh as they moved slowly upward,
inch by inch toward the juncture of her thighs.

A second later, a loud popping noise, not unlike the sound
of a gunshot in the small room, caused both Tiffany and Alex to start in
alarm.
 
Raising himself up onto his arms,
Alex cast his startled gaze to the door, expecting the worst.
 
But it was closed, the room still empty but
for the two of them.
 
Just then a second
popping noise sounded to his left.
 
Swiveling his head in the direction of the fireplace, he eyed the
burning logs, recognizing the sound for what it was.
 
Dropping his head he squeezed his eyes
closed, relief coursing through his body, for he knew that if someone had
discovered them like that he would have found himself hastened to the altar
regardless of the blasted wager.
 
Opening
his eyes, they immediately locked with Tiffany’s.
 
Her blue eyes were wide and questioning as
she lay quietly beneath him, studying his expression.
 
Immediately he regretted the utter
selfishness of his initial thoughts.

“Alex?”

“Tiffany, I…”
 
He
trailed off, unsure of what to say.
 
Though he wanted nothing more at that moment than to lift her up into
his arm, carry her to the cottage’s small bed and finish what they’d started,
he knew that he couldn’t.
 
He didn’t
dare.
 
Damn it all, he’d been a bloody
fool to let things go as far as they had, he acknowledged, mentally cursing the
recklessness and sheer idiocy of his actions.
 
What the hell had he been thinking?
 
Despite her undeniable allure, Tiffany Marlowe was a respectable young
lady, an innocent.
 
Guilt washed over him
in gut-churning waves.
 
Never before had
he allowed his passion to overcome his good sense.
 
Levering himself off of her he sat up,
turning his troubled gaze to the fire.
 

Rising up onto her elbow, Tiffany felt her heart sink as she
detected both relief and regret in Alex’s expression.
 
Struggling into a sitting position, she
reached for the straps of her chemise, pulling the thin fabric back into place,
covering her nakedness.

“I’m sorry, Tiffany.
 
I…”
 
He ran his fingers through
his hair, sighing heavily.
 
“That… never
should have happened,” he said after a time, his voice laden with remorse as he
continued to stare into the dying flames.

“You needn’t apologize.
 
You didn’t do anything that I…didn’t want you to do,” Tiffany admitted
softly.

The candid admission caught him off guard, and for a moment
he hesitated.
 
Fighting the insane
impulse to spin around and drag her back into his arms, he rose determinedly to
his feet instead.
 
Whether she was
willing or not, innocent young virgins were for marrying, not for casual
trysts, not for… this.
 
“You shouldn’t
say such things,” he murmured, barely loud enough for her to hear.
 

“Not even if it’s true?”
 

“No.
 
Tiffany, you…”
he began, shaking his head.
 
“You deserve
better than this, better than…better than I can give you,” he said, his voice
heavy with remorse.

“Alex-”

“Don’t,” he said, his voice nearly breaking.

Tiffany bit back her words.
 
Watching him in silence, she felt as if her heart was breaking into a
thousand little pieces.

“It sounds as if the rain might be lessening,” he said after
a moment, struggling past the sudden lump in his throat.
 
Turning to the door, he forced himself to
walk away from her.
 
“We should try and
make it back before you’re missed.”

Tiffany sat unmoving, her thoughts spinning in a tangled
whirl.

Nearing the door, he fastened the buttons on his shirt and
then grabbed his jacket from the peg that he’d hung it upon, sliding his arms
into the still damp and hopelessly wrinkled garment.
 
Reaching for the door handle, he resisted the
urge to turn around.
 
“I’ll see to the
horses while you dress.”

Tiffany said nothing as Alex opened the door and stepped
outside.
 
A second later, she was
alone.
 
You deserve better than this, better than I can give you,
he’d
said.
 
Should she be grateful, she
wondered, that he’d walked away, that he hadn’t taken what she had so freely
offered?
 
Considering Alex’s reputation,
and his purported reluctance to marry, she supposed she should.
 
So why didn’t she then?
 
Why instead, did she feel like bursting into
a flood of tears?
 
Leaning her head back
against the sofa, she closed her eyes and fought them back.
 
It was because she was in love with him,
that’s why, her inner voice lamented, and because he obviously didn’t feel the
same way about her.
 
He was attracted to
her, yes, that much was clear, but physical desire wasn’t the same as
love.
 
Even she wasn’t so naïve as to
believe that.
 
Unfortunately however, it
only served to make the pain she felt that much worse.

Outside, as Alex readied the horses, he mentally cursed
himself for being the worst kind of bastard.
 
He was beyond furious with himself.
 
He was a man who had always prided himself on his ability to think with
his head instead of his cock, and the fact that he had allowed his self-control
to be overcome by lust, both infuriated and frightened him.
 
Until now, his sexual desires had always been
directed toward experienced women, women who knew how to play the game, women
who didn’t wear their hearts on their sleeves.
 
But Tiffany was different.
 
She
was an innocent.
 
Regrettably, he feared
that what existed between them was more than just a physical attraction on her
part.
 
Why else would she have been so
willing to surrender her innocence to a man like him?
 
Damn it all.
 
If he wasn’t mistaken, Tiffany Marlowe fancied herself in love with
him.
 
And that troubling realization made
the guilt he felt all the more difficult to bear.

Aside from the occasional friendship, or the kind of love he
felt for his mother and sisters, he had never felt more than a passing interest
in any woman.
 
So why now, why her?
 
Dropping his forehead against the horse’s
saddle, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, struggling to understand what it was
about Tiffany Marlowe that affected him like no one ever had before?
  
Love?
 
In virtually the same instant that the
outrageous notion skittered along the edge of his thoughts, he dismissed
it.
 
He wasn’t in love with her.
 
The notion was ridiculous.
 
Aside from a handful of encounters, they
scarcely even knew one another, he rationalized.
 
But if
not love, what was it then?
his vexing inner voice challenged.

Fortunately, the sound of the cottage door being opened and
closed pulled Alex abruptly from his disconcerting reverie.
 
Lifting his head, he quickly grabbed the
reins of both horses and led them through the stable doors.
 
Tiffany was walking towards him, her head
down, her features hidden from his view.
 
She looked up as she drew nearer though, and when she did he felt his
stomach drop.
 
Her eyes were red, as if
she might have been crying.
 
He felt sick
inside.
 
What the hell had he done?
 
He’d never meant to hurt her and he hated
himself at that moment, knowing that she was in pain, knowing that he was the
cause of it.
 
“Tiffany-”