Predator's Kiss by Rosanna Leo Read Free Book Online Page B

being nice to her. She didn’t know what to make of it.
    All she knew was she couldn’t get him out of her mind.
    She gazed at the passage she was writing and was startled as her fingers resumed their position above the keyboard as if of their own volition.
    Her swollen nipples were aching to be touched. By him. And yet this was not the place, nor the time. Lady Ebberley’s ballroom was certainly not a venue for their passion, and definitely not while they were dancing with all of society’s eyes upon them. Even still, as Claudio twirled her around the expansive room, his gaze swept over her breasts, lingering on each one. Adelaide’s nipples chafed against the fabric of her bodice. Even the delicate silk felt like sackcloth against her tortured skin. She fought against the urge to tear away her already plunging neckline and bare herself to him, the rogue who had claimed her soul.
    “Claudio,” she begged, her voice barely a whisper. “Please.”
    Her lover pulled her tight against him and she felt his almost obscene length against her stomach. “Not yet, my love.”
    “But Claudio, I can’t be near you like this and not want you.”
    She saw the vein in his temple throb, as if he too were laboring under severe temptation. His jaw clenched. “You are a little hussy, are you not?”
    Before Adelaide could respond, Claudio’s right hand sneaked toward her breast and tweaked her aching nipple through the silk. She bit down on her bottom lip so she would not cry out in ecstasy.
    He leaned in, his voice deep, his breath hot on her ear. He grinned like the demon he was. “Madam, you try my patience. You are a naughty wench.”
    He danced her toward the balcony and out onto the stone patio. It was a chilly evening, but the cold air only served to heighten Adelaide’s anticipation. He stopped before the patio railing. Without even checking to see if anyone was watching, Claudio turned her and bent her over the railing. He held her there with one hand, while freeing himself from him breeches with his other hand.
    “Are you going to take me here?” she struggled to say. “Someone might see.”
    He laughed behind her and slapped her buttocks, making them sting. Without preamble, Claudio prodded her pussy with his engorged cock and sank deep inside her. “Well, then, my darling,” he uttered through clenched teeth. “We shall give them a sight to remember.”
    Lia reread her work, and felt warmth spread across her cheeks. She smiled at the new passage. It was a rough draft and would need editing, no doubt, but she’d written something and it made her happy.
    Until she realized the Claudio in her mind had Ryland Snow’s face, and the woman bent over the imaginary railing was her.
    Once again, Lia reached for the Perrier but forgot to drink. She simply held it and stared into space, completely lost in the thought of Ryland’s strong hands on her backside.
    After a few moments of this torture, Lia decided she had enough. Obviously she needed to step away from her laptop and stretch her legs. Perhaps if she wandered the lodge for a few minutes, she’d return with a clearer head. Unsure where exactly to head, knowing only she didn’t want to run into Ryland, Lia avoided the reception area because his office was there. Instead she turned down a hallway she hadn’t previously seen and checked out the posted signs. One indicated a pool and exercise area. Feeling like a snoop, she made her way toward them.
    As Lia approached the exercise room, a strange noise halted her progression. She paused outside the closed door and listened.
    The last thing she’d expected to hear was a low, animal snarl. It was a familiar noise, the same sort she’d heard from Ryland. She jumped, but was too curious to walk away. Was he pretending to be a bear again? She peered in the door window.
    Her eyes made contact with Ryland’s rounded ass, clad as it always was in jeans that fit him so well they should be outlawed. She swallowed and