Page 28 of Once a Scoundrel

With each soft confession and caress, the heartbreak he’d caused her receded a little more, until there was only Stephen in the shadows. Until all that mattered was the sound of his deep voice falling through her like warm summer rain and the tender caresses of his hands making her feel desired. Instead of pushing him away as she should have done, she clung to him. She knew she was dancing a razor’s edge, attempting to savor his kisses while somehow still protecting her heart, but she couldn’t help herself. As always, he was irresistible.

“The man I was at the time reveled in doing the exact opposite of what my family and society wanted,” he admitted, lowering his head until his mouth was so close that she felt the heat of his lips shivering across hers. “But that’s changed now, too.”

“Has it?” she whispered breathlessly.

He nodded, the slight movement brushing his lips above hers in a ghost caress that didn’t quite touch. “I’ve decided to marry one of Strathmore’s daughters after all.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed, not daring to believe the implication behind his words. “What do you—” Something hot and wet licked beneath her chin. She gasped. “Stop that!”

He froze, but the lick came again.

“Oh!” She pulled back, and the wolfhound jumped between them to lap eagerly at her face, slobbering over her cheeks. She tried to push him away, but the dog thought she wanted to play and dove in for another round of licks. Its tail wagged so hard that its entire back half sashayed from side to side.

“That’s enough out of you.” Stephen grabbed the dog by its collar and pulled it away.

Faith scrambled to her feet. Scowling with a disgusted face, she dragged the back of her hand across her mouth to wipe away the slobber.Ugh!She wanted a hot bath.

With a crooked grin, Stephen scolded the dog as he opened the stall door and let him out into the aisle, “Go find your own woman.” His midnight blue eyes heated as they lingered on her. “This one’s mine.”

Her heart lodged painfully in her throat. “I’m not yours, Stephen,” she protested softly. “I’ve never truly been yours.”

His grin sobered, and he asked quietly, “Do you want to be?”

Stunned, she searched his face, her heart pounding in utter bewilderment. After all that had happened between them, all the pain he’d caused her, he couldn’t seriously be offering...His.There was a time when she’d have given everything to be just that, the one woman he loved and cherished, the only woman he wanted in his bed and at his side for the rest of his life. But instead of giving his love, he’d broken her heart. It took four long and lonely years to put it back together, piece by painful piece.

Now he stood here in front of her, the taste of him still on her lips, and hinted that she could have him if she simply asked. It was everything she’d always wanted from him. And yet...

The truth shivered coldly through her for why he’d been so relentlessly pursuing her, and her heart broke anew. He still didn’t wanther. What he wanted was society’s acceptance, and he was willing to go so far in his desire to have that new-found respectability that he would resort to doing that which he loathed most—the expected.

And nothing was more expected than marrying Strathmore’s daughter.

The roar of blood in her ears was deafening, and each pounding beat jarred her back to reality. To the man Stephen truly was rather than the man she wanted him to be.

She shook her head, his handsome face blurring from the tears stinging her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I want,” she breathed, barely above a whisper. “Because you don’t want me.”

His gaze never left hers as he closed the distance between them, then scooped her into his arms. As he lowered her to the straw, his mouth claimed hers in a blisteringly possessive kiss that left her weak and trembling beneath him.

He tore his mouth away from hers to nip at her throat. He panted out against her racing pulse, “I very much want you.”

Her heart somersaulted. Oh, foolish thing! Sheknewbetter...An agonized whisper tore from her, “No, you don’t.”

He lifted his head to stare down at her, and his eyes gleamed devilishly. “I think I do.”

She shook her head as the truth choked from her— “You’ve never wantedme, Stephen. Not before, and not now.”

His eyes flared as his gaze bore down into hers, and an intensity burned inside him that made her shiver. “Is that what you think?”

“I know so.” Four years ago he’d wanted the innocent kisses and flattering attentions of a girl who thought he was dashing beyond compare. Now he wanted respectability at all costs. But he didn’t wanther.

He laughed, the sound dark as it rumbled into her. “You don’t know a thing.”

*****

Faith gazed at him with such a bewildered expression that Stephen had to bite back a curse. For God’s sake, how could shenotknow how he’d felt about her?

His feelings for her went beyond the friendship they’d shared to become something deeper, more enduring, and incredibly special. Her kindness and gentleness toward everyone, the selfless way she had of helping those in need, her wit and cleverness...the heart of an angel encased in a bewitching body. When that terrible battle in India was over, all he could think about was her. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms.

He’d lost her once. He’d be damned before he let her slip away again.