Secrets of Sin. Chloe HarrisЧитать онлайн книгу.
she began tentatively and quietly, “I have been instructed on what you expect. So, what would you have me do?”
A fleeting glance at Connor told Reinier that he was too hypnotized by her smoky voice to react, so Reinier drawled, “Patience. We have all afternoon and half of the night for this.” Reinier paused before he added, “At least I do. I believe my friend can stay even longer.”
If it was possible, she blanched even more at those words, swallowed, and looked down. Finally, Connor found his way out of his stupor, threw his coat carelessly on top of Reinier’s, and stalked toward her. Moving around her, he eyed her from all sides. His sapphire eyes glittered with appreciative sparkles. Subtly leaning forward as if he was trying to catch the scent of her hair, Connor closed his eyes. “Tell us your name.” His words were barely more than a whisper.
Instead of answering, instead of maybe even giving them a false name, she only shook her head. Just as well.
Then Reinier saw her shudder and he couldn’t help feeling a little bit for her. She was frightened to death. But there was no need to be. He knew that if Connor still wanted this, they would both skillfully seduce her. It was an art they had perfected a long time ago.
Connor walked around until he stood right in front of her. “Are you cold?”
He captured her hands in his. Reinier noticed she wanted to pull away but apparently thought better of it.
“Come. Sit down,” Connor offered, guiding her to the bed until she had no choice but to perch on the edge beside Reinier. The Irishman sat down on the other side of her, gently massaging her hands in his. “I am Connor. And this is Reinier.”
So, it was to be the both of them? Inwardly, Reinier was surprised at Connor’s choice. But maybe it was better this way.
She refused to look at either of them. Instead, her eyes were fixated on a spot on the floor.
“Tell us something about you,” Reinier encouraged, hiding the low, purring note in his voice. “Where are you from?”
She raised her head slowly at that and stared at him, full of suspicion. But when she looked into his eyes, her face relaxed and her cautiousness eased. She was fascinated.
Reinier’s singular eyes were indeed a blessing most of the time. One would think he would grow tired of others’ reaction to them, but all too often the advantage served his purpose.
The woman before him vigorously shook herself out of her enthrallment and looked down again upon replying, “Éire. I was born and raised in Ireland.”
Connor stopped caressing her hands and his eyebrows drew up in obvious surprise.
Reinier’s and the Irishman’s eyes briefly met over her shoulder. They had both noticed the sophisticated way she expressed herself.
“Born and raised?” Reinier repeated her words as a question to nudge her to tell them more. Meanwhile, Connor tenderly rubbed her upper arms. She let it happen; in fact, she didn’t seem to notice at all.
She nodded to emphasize her story. “I am a maid’s daughter. My father is unknown.”
Perhaps if she’d looked him straight in the eyes, Reinier could have believed it. As it was, it was clear that she had diligently made it up.
Reinier tried his best to hide a grin. “You look like you loved to ride through the vast green fields bareback.”
Eyes wide with astonishment, her mouth opened and closed. Her eyes began to sparkle unexpectedly, as if with fond memories. “Indeed, I did! Much to my cousins’ dismay, though.” She laughed. “But was it my fault that their horses weren’t as fast as mine?”
Mirth made Reinier purse his lips as he, again briefly, locked gazes with Connor. He, too, was smiling mischievously. They had caught her unawares with that.
Now Connor leaned forward and breathed into her ear, “You had a horse?”
Her laughter died as abruptly as it had erupted. She blushed and her eyes widened, realizing she had been caught red-handed. Reinier felt smug. He enjoyed playing with her as much as Connor did.
Quickly regaining her composure, she came up with another facet to her story. “Of course not. I only helped the groom so often that he let me secretly ride a horse when the masters weren’t home.”
At the indignant glare Connor received along with her words, his eyes dilated. Reinier was sure that never in Connor’s life had reproach been that arousing for him.
“You were grooming horses when you didn’t work in your masters’ household?” Reinier took one of her elegant, slim hands into his. His eyes flicked to Connor’s. Receiving Connor’s minuscule nod, Reinier brought her hand up to his mouth.
Connor’s caress on her upper arms changed, slowing and softening to a light touch up and down her arms.
Reinier kissed her palm, a palm that was not flawed by calluses and old scars from blisters as a maid’s would have been. He decided to let it go. She must have her reasons for this. Besides, they had said quite enough.
Feeling the slight tremble of her hand under his lips, Reinier looked up at her. He slowly guided her hand in his to his abdomen and placed it there, letting her feel his body through his garments.
Connor’s fingers brushed her hair from one ear. She shivered when he brought his lips close. Leaning forward, Reinier mirrored Connor’s caress at the other side of her neck. Their lips whispered over her skin, raining featherlight kisses, lavishing gentle nibbles.
Her fingers on Reinier’s abdomen twitched, betraying her arousal. Not only that, her skin was already so sensitized, it rippled beneath his lips. Her head fell back a little and she gradually began to subtly move against them.
She was a highly sensual creature. Despite her obvious shyness, this was very promising.
A particularly precious aroma filled Reinier’s lungs and made his head light—the faint nuance of delicate white roses surrounded by a deeper note of sweet sandalwood, Connor’s natural fragrance. Reinier knew it so well by now, and still it did not fail to pique his arousal. The spice in the air mingled with his own darker scent and was accentuated by her feminine musk, growing and wrapping itself around them all.
As if that had been their cue, both he and Connor parted their lips. Their tongues wet the silken skin of her long, elegant neck. Again, she shivered. Then she sighed.
Never ceasing his attentions on her neck, Reinier knew Connor’s hands wandered down her sides to play with the little ribbon that held her gown together. The gown slipped down her shoulders as Connor nudged it off her arms and parted it to reveal her upper body to them. Obeying the slight pull, her arms fell to her sides and the fabric came off.
Reinier drew back just long enough to see her sensitive peaks harden, pleading for attention. He cupped her chin to gently urge her head back a little more now that Connor’s nibbling and caressing lips wandered down her shoulder. Subtly moving closer, Reinier spread his fingers over her delicate neck; then they wandered lightly down to the top part of her breasts.
Cupping one of them, he gently squeezed it. Connor’s hand came up to cup her other breast. His thumb toyed with the hard peak in his hand; Reinier could feel it, because the back of Connor’s hand brushed against his chest at the same time.
When Reinier’s lips found the frantically beating pulse at the base of her neck, he opened his mouth a little more and waited for another blissful gasp from her. As soon as it came, he gently bit into the satiny, frail skin.
She jumped at the erotic assault and bowed to allow them both better access to her body. Her body’s subtle movements against them became more urgent. She was restless. Her other hand grabbed the bedcover, but before she could ball it into a fist, Reinier snatched it and guided it to the buttons of his shirt.
“Undress me,” he whispered against her skin and helped her with the first button, noticing that Connor was busying himself opening