Dare to be Mine (3 page)

"What the devil are you doing in
here looking like that?" he demanded.

Suddenly dumbfounded, Elyssa knew not
what to say. Stuttering, she began, "I...I thought maybe we could talk.
That perhaps you might give me another chance."

Thinking he must surely be assuming
incorrectly, Percy asked, “Another chance?
For what?"

It appeared her husband still harbored
immense doubt in her sincerity, and Elyssa barely found the nerve to proceed
any further. "A chance to become husband and wife...in the biblical
sense," she quietly replied in embarrassment, her eyes downcast.

As his wooden cane resounded against the
floor, Elyssa's eyes widened at the anger in Percy's eyes. The clap of thunder
caused her to gasp aloud, and the pouring rain sounded constant during each
fall of his cane against the floor.

Reaching Elyssa, Percy reached out and
touched the gossamer robe, his lips turning down in derision as he rasped,
"Did you really think this carnal thing would cause me to fall at your
feet?" Elyssa shook her head, the seduction not turning out at all as
she'd hoped it might. His voice
raised
to be heard
over the torrential storm. "Did you think that after all this
time,
it would only take playing the coquette to mend a
marriage that cannot be fixed?"

"It might be a start," she
replied weakly, ignoring his insults.

Inwardly Percy felt a slight yearning at
her words, just the faintest glimmer of hope that she might be sincere about
having a true marriage. But reality intruded before he allowed Elyssa to melt
his hardened heart, for Percy had already come to terms with the fact that
theirs was simply a marriage in name only, that there would never be an
intimate relationship between them. He had to make certain Elyssa would never
attempt this again in the future. He needed to make her see that he was immune
to her brazen charms.

Percy grabbed her firmly by the arm, the
discarded cane falling to the floor. A peal of thunder shattered as he jerked
Elyssa roughly toward him. "What makes you think I would even want to lay
a finger on you?"
came
the taunting words, their
faces mere inches apart. Percy was satisfied to hear the soft cry of anguish
escape her lips.

"You think you can dress up like a
whore with that makeup covering your face and lips, and that hair falling all
around you?" he bit out as his hand yanked her hair loose, its abundance
cascading about her shoulders.
"This ugly dark hair,
blacker than the devil's soul!
And those lying lips," he continued,
"it would be an abomination to kiss those lips." Pulling her arm free
from Percy's tight grip, Elyssa took a step backward from the hateful man
before her, nearly stumbling. He continued, "No man in his right mind
would want you! You look like the devil's own, yet when it comes to men you
don't know the first thing about satisfying one!"

Covering her hands over her ears at his
hurtful onslaught, Elyssa could bear Percy's insults no more. Her robe was
snared in his hand as she turned to flee and Elyssa allowed the garment to fall
from her shoulders as she took flight from the study, her sobs unheard over the
storm. She headed toward the stairs, but couldn't force herself to go back up
to her lonely sanctuary. Her mind was a jumbled mess and tears streamed down
Elyssa's face as she ran down the hall until she reached the kitchen. She fled
out the back door, leaving behind the taunting sounds of Percy's rantings as he
continued on about her wretchedness.

Once outside, the rain beat down on her
and it was only when another flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky that
Elyssa began shaking in fright. Of a whim she headed toward the stables. She
would stay the night there, if in fact she ever managed to get to sleep. All
that mattered was escaping her husband.
Avoiding the
realization that he abhorred the very sight of her, fool that she was.

Tears blinded her steps as Elyssa
trudged onward through the wet grass, the rain completely soaking her. Her head
down, she kept running onward, now halfway to the shelter of the stables.
Elyssa cried aloud as she ran into something blocking the path. Her eyes
widened as Elyssa looked up into the dark eyes of a stranger, her mouth opening
to scream, though nothing came out save a helpless whimper.

She had to look up several inches to
meet the intense gaze of the man who grabbed her arms in order to keep her
aright. A face as she'd never seen looked down at her in curious wonder. He was
extraordinarily handsome, and looked to be in his mid-twenties. His eyes were
mysteriously dark, his lashes thick and black. The stranger's facial structure
was chiseled to perfection, only the couple
days
growth of dark whiskers shading the lower part of his face. His bla enchantmentg">CHAPTER ck hair was
loosely pulled back, the length of it just past his shoulders. She suspected
even the angels above most likely wept in admiration of his carnal beauty, for
she
herself had the strange urge to do so.

A half smile formed about his lips as
his dark eyes leisurely traveled the length of Elyssa. She stood dumbfounded as
he continued his lazy perusal of her. She knew she should be alarmed, should be
completely shaken to be held so securely by the stranger. Perhaps it was the
wine making her feel less endangered, or maybe it was simply that she had
nothing to fear from any man's advances, if her husband’s cruel words held any
truth. Her breathing still erratic, Elyssa remained speechless.

His touch was still firm on her arms,
and truth be known, it felt oddly wonderful to be held by the attractive stranger.
His voice, warm and deep, resounded in her ears as he finally spoke. "What
the bloody hell is a beautiful thing like you doing out in the midst of this
storm?"

Her breath quickened visibly at his
question, but still she remained silent. Surely he spoke with a silver tongue
to all women, or perhaps he was being sarcastic, for she was certainly not
beautiful, at least not compared to the London beauties she’d seen during the
brief days leading up to her marriage.

At first sight of the young woman in his
arms, his breath drew in sharply. Her emerald eyes delved into his as she stood
mesmerized. He was unable to tell she'd been crying, for her tears were
thoroughly mingled with the rain falling on her face, any redness about her sad
eyes hidden by the lack of light but for the moon and the occasional streak of
lightning. The plenitude of trees partially cloaked their presence, though did
little to shield them from the storm.

Her sooty hair lay in careless disarray
about her slim shoulders, the softness of it shielding his hands. A few dark
strands blew across her face and the man longed to gently push them from in
front of her eyes. Her complexion was perfect, he noted, her lips made for
kissing.

As his appreciative gaze continued
downward, he was stunned to discover the meager amount of clothing she was clad
in. A lacy piece of fabric posing as a nightgown hugged her body. The wetness
from the rain left little to the imagination, for the filmy material was molded
tightly against her skin. A shapely leg was completely bared from a revealing
slit up the side and his fingers nearly left her arm to slide down over the
exposed skin.

He ran his hand over his lips as his
gaze devoured the tempting sight of the
beauty’s
near
nakedness. It was quite unlike him to be so affected by a female. Beautiful
women were the norm enchantmentg">CHAPTER for him, yet this young lady made him want to do things to
her that she would no doubt find appalling. He himself was shocked at the
sexual thoughts running rampant through his mind as they continued to stare
into each other’s eyes.

What the hell was she doing outside on a
stormy night running alone to the stables, he continued to wonder. His lips
curved up cynically at the realization, for her silence was answer enough. She
was obviously meeting a lover in the stables.

The girl must be employed by the earl
and was most likely meeting a fellow employee for a romp in the hay. Perhaps
even the young stable hand he had seen just a moment past. To all appearances
the young man had been ready to fall asleep, but perhaps he planned to snooze
only until his lover arrived.

The handsome man chastised himself for
such tawdry thoughts, but there was no other likely explanation. There was no
doubt about
it,
the lovely vixen was breathless from
sneaking out for an appointed rendezvous.

Suddenly, he wanted to taste those full
lips, had to feel that supple body pressed against his own. Nothing else
mattered in the world. And he was familiar enough with women to know this one
was not immune to him either.
The way she was letting him
touch her still, the manner in which she was gazing up at him, almost with an
air of expectancy.
As if she wanted him to ravish her. And hell, why
should he not partake of her fetching charms before she met her lover? He could
veritably smell the carnal need coming from her. And he could certainly plunder
her sweet body much more capably and thoroughly than the young fellow waiting
in the stables.

Elyssa feared the man was a danger to
her. She took note of the clenched jaw as she sensed his inner turmoil. Whether
he was irritated at her for barging into him on his way to the mansion, or it
was a battle of an amorous kind, she knew not. She felt extremely vulnerable
wearing such a revealing gown in front of what was surely one of her husband's
business contacts. It would not be the first time one of Percy's associates had
arrived during the middle of the night.

She felt like a traitorous wife, for
Elyssa was currently suffering one of those fluttering sensations deep inside
as she felt the man's fingers splay upward toward her shoulders. In fact, she’d
felt something extraordinary from the second she had looked up into his
glorious face. And now he looked to be contemplating the prospect of drawing
her closer to him. His charcoal gray eyes turned even darker as his head inched
closer to hers, bit by bit. He seemed to be waging an inward battle against
kissing her.

Elyssa recalled the insulting remarks
she had just heardr younger brothersg">CHAPTER from her husband, and wondered how such a gorgeous man could
be so attracted to her if she were indeed that ugly and wicked. Could the
stranger not see the hideous dark hair, now blacker than night, as it lay
drenched about her? Could he not detect the too full lips that her husband
scathingly said no man would want to kiss? Perhaps the darkness of the hour
prevailed against her shortcomings.

Her heart beating thunderously, Elyssa
suddenly had to know if the man truly desired her, for she had yet to
experience any such feelings from any man, ever. She yearned to know the touch
of his lips upon her
own,
for it may well be the last
time she ever had the chance to know that intimate gesture. She craved with a
sudden fierceness to know the feel of his strong hands pulling her closer.

It was utter madness to even consider
such a thing. Her mind was awhirl in
confusion,
the
betrayal of her vows an unexpectedly tempting desire. With an intense doom
surrounding her loveless marriage, Elyssa felt a wicked enchantment envelop her
as she watched the slow descent of the stranger's mouth. She knew not his name,
nor why she was still standing there practically in his arms. Elyssa knew only
that she was unable to deny the potent spell he had cast upon her.

While one hand reached about her back to
gently pull her closer, his other hand slowly trailed a path over her shoulder
and up her neck, his thumb coming to rest against her soft lips. Elyssa
trembled at the intimate gesture, instinctively leaning in toward the alluring
man. His thumb parted her lips and Elyssa gasped at the feel of his fingers
splaying over her skin. He brushed the stray tendrils of hair from her face as
his mouth lazily covered her own.

If Elyssa harbored any doubts about her
weakness toward the man, it was too late to deny them now. She grasped the
front of his wet shirt, her hands clutching for support as his carnal kiss left
her thoroughly breathless.
Confused.
And unable to refuse him.

His lips were warm against
her own as he moved them back and forth in attempt to draw the
beauty into
reciprocating. Of an instinct, Elyssa parted her lips
slightly and his tongue dared invade that moist crevice. A sweetness began to
unfurl from deep within, her eyes closing in sheer elation...or madness, she
knew not which.
Though the storm was not quite as threatening
now, the rain continued to fall upon the twosome, leaving nothing between them
but the slick wetness of their clothing.

The rain was icy against her skin, but
Elyssa felt an intense heat spreading throughout her body as she perceived for
the first time what it felt like to truly desire a man. A dizzying sensation
swept over her that she wanted never to end. such a
thing?"ed to ">CHAPTER

The man’s fingers curled about her neck,
grasping a headful of hair as the kiss deepened. The feel of his tongue
claiming her virgin mouth was overwhelming. He was seducing her far beyond
anything she had ever imagined. His other hand splayed over her round bottom,
urgently pulling her even more tightly against him.