His Silken Seduction by JOANNA MAITLAND Read Free Book Online Page A

to the shelf. She was breathing fast now. The corset had been pushed apart by the rise of her bosom and was hanging loosely by its straps.
    Ben swallowed. Then, very slowly, he put his hands to her shoulders and pushed her stays aside. They fell to the floor, landing with a soft thump on the pile of muslin behind her. That left only her chemise. It was so thin that he could see every contour of her body, her erect nipples, her dark navel, the shadow at the junction of her thighs.
    He needed more than shadows. In a single swift movement, he seized the hem of her chemise and lifted it. He did not need to ask her to raise her arms. She was before him.
    “You are beautiful.”
    She smiled up into his face, accepting the words that were no more than her due. Then she allowed her gaze to travel slowly over his bare shoulders, over the red silk, still tight around his chest, and down, and down. She lingered over the evidence of his desire. “You are beautiful, too.” She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and glanced up at him through her lashes. Her eyes were dancing now. She reached for the edge of the silk.
    He caught her hand and held it still. “Ah, no, my dear. Not yet. First, it is my turn.” He scanned the shelves, pulling down and discarding silks and velvets. “Yes. This one, I think.” A length of delicate pale gold silk shimmered as he lifted it down. “You shall be wrapped in gold tissue, as befits a princess.”
    When she opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with a short, hard kiss. “Indulge me, I beg of you.” He glanced down at the red silk he wore like a badge of honour. “As I have indulged you.”
    The blush began between her breasts and rose to cover her throat and then her cheeks. For the first time since they had entered the silk store, she seemed shy. But then she raised her chin and nodded.
    Ben felt her response, deep in his gut. She would be his! But not yet.
    He shook out the fine silk and flung it over Suzanne’s shoulders, just as she had done earlier with the blue velvet. It must not be a cloak, however, for that would hide her beauty. He had something much more revealing in mind. “Raise your arms, if you please, lady.” A frown flitted across her forehead at his use of her own words, but she did not hesitate. With fingers that seemed to have forgotten their earlier clumsiness, Ben stroked the silk over her shoulders and arms and crossed it behind her back. Her arms were pinioned. Her eyes were sparkling.
    He brought the free ends round to the front of her body and crossed them again, over her thighs. There was just enough material left to tuck round behind her calves and under her heels. He stood up to admire what he had done. From the front, her arms and legs were all swathed in gold. A diamond of flesh remained open to his gaze…the narrow base of her throat, her breasts, her swelling hips, the V of her belly narrowing down to the shadow that had tempted him through her chemise. He let his gaze rest there for a moment longer, but desire was overwhelming him. He bent to take one pouting nipple into his mouth, sucking lustily. Suzanne moaned and leaned into him. Ben transferred his mouth to the other, neglected breast. This time she did not moan. She shivered instead.
    Ben raised his head and took a step back. “A diamond,” he said throatily, drawing the shape in the air. He reached out to brush each glistening nipple with the tip of a finger. “A diamond set with two gleaming rubies.” He touched his lips, very lightly, to one nipple and then the other. “A glorious picture in a gilded frame.” He bent and bestowed a final kiss on her navel. He would come to the essence of her, and soon, but not until she was ready. He straightened once more and gazed into her eyes. “Would you have me remove these golden trappings? Or should I see whether there are better foils for your beauty here?”
    “No,” she said softly. “No more.” She lifted her heels to free