The Rake's Redemption by Sherrill Bodine Read Free Book Online

the haunting melodies having bewitched them, and Sophia placed her hand on Freddie’s arm, moving back into the inn.
    Juliana lingered in the midst of Mrs. Forbes’s garden, unwilling to let her feelings go. She felt as if she had just come awake after a long sleep. Life was different somehow. The world had moved forward without her. Taking this trip to London was the right choice. She’d lived in the past with memories and regrets for too long. It was time to begin anew.
    When she made no move to follow the others, Dominic stepped closer to her and they were breathing the same air, perfumed by an exotic mingle of flowers. Moonlight bathed his face with gilt, and Juliana felt her bones had turned to liquid and were flowing away leaving her weightless. All of her excitement, her emotional response to the music, had to come from her decision to go forward with her life. It couldn’t have anything to do with being alone in the moonlight with the marquis.
    “The music was … lovely, wasn’t it?” she breathed, forcing herself to speak.
    “Lovely … yes,” he whispered languorously, lifting her hand, turning it over to brush the inside of her wrist with his lips. He raised his eyes to her face and she met his look openly. What he saw there curled his mouth into a smile, and he twined their fingers together leading her deeper into the night garden.
    Willingly she followed him into the shadows, captivated by the tenderness in his voice, the softness of his lips on her wrist, the gypsy music lingering at the edge of her consciousness. She could touch now the excitement she had felt earlier. It was here at her fingertips.
    They turned a corner on the pathway and were before the brick wall that protected the little garden. Dominic stopped, turning her to him, his face starkly beautiful in the moonlight. Slowly he raised his hands, twining his fingers deeply into the curls resting on her shoulders, and whispered her name. “Juliana.”
    The rich timbre of his voice saying her name evoked a memory, a cherished memory of Will saying her name with that same longing. And with that memory came the desire to feel again those feelings that Will had awakened in her. But she knew these yearnings were different; she had changed and this man was not her beloved Will. The feelings he evoked were not of a comfortable secure love, but of a turbulent passion that could pull her over an edge into unknown depths of emotion. But it seemed right, a natural part of this night and this place to tilt her head back to gaze up at him. His eyes flashed sapphire lights, igniting the fires of excitement so they burned within her. A whisper of fear sent a chill down her arms. His hands settled on her shoulders, propelling her gently into the warmth of his embrace. Juliana knew she ought not to close her eyes, but she did anyway. She could feel his mouth hovering above hers, warming her lips, stroking them with his sweet, wine-scented breath before slowly they touched.
    I shouldn’t be doing this, her mind flashed a warning, but it had been too long since she had been kissed, so Juliana quieted that voice, pleading for just one more moment. One more moment to feel this strange delight. Her hands went up to his chest to feel the strong steady beat beneath his jacket. It quickened slightly when his lips pressed hers again, more urgently this time. Cool and dry, his searching lips taught her a lesson that had long been hidden from her.
    “Juliana … so soft, so perfect,” that enchanting voice whispered. His finger gently caressed her cheek and she slowly opened her eyes.
    It was not like Will at all. It was like no feeling Will had ever evoked, not even during his careful, gentle lovemaking. This man took possession with one kiss as sweet, gentle Will never had in their month of marriage.
    The slamming of a door brought Juliana out of her daze. Light flashed along the path and a brisk step broke them apart.
    “Your lordship?” Mrs. Forbes’s voice