Modern Romance November 2019 Books 1-4. Эбби Грин

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СКАЧАТЬ a sacrificial lamb all poised and ready for slaughter. Close the bathroom door, agape mou, and come over here so that I can take off your wedding dress as quickly as possible and make love to you, as I have been badly longing to do for so long.’

      But Lucy felt paralysed and unable to move. Struck by unwanted fears and an apprehension which was making her limbs feel awkward and heavy. She was trying to blame it on the long day—on the tension leading up to the ceremony itself and the supreme weight of her heavy gown—but deep inside she knew the real cause of her anxiety.

      She licked lips which had grown as dry as bone. Because she’d met Amy. She hadn’t wanted to, but she’d liked Amy. She’d liked her very much. Her warm American voice had sounded both friendly and genuine. She’d found herself wishing that Amy had chosen her wedding dress because she was a damned sight sure it would have been more flattering than the one she’d ended up wearing. Remembering Milo’s words, Lucy had even found herself wondering why Drakon hadn’t married the stunning partner who’d been with him for years—when she seemed so beautiful and confident and fitted into his world much better than Lucy ever could.

      Her confidence had been battered by the meeting but somehow she had managed to survive the toasts and the dancing before Drakon had whispered that it was time for them to slip away. And now she was standing nervously in the honeymoon suite of the Granchester Hotel, about to begin her married life with a man she didn’t really know.

      She swallowed, removing the fragrant garland of roses and the attached veil from her head and placing both on a nearby table. Should she ask if he still wanted to go through with this? If seeing Amy had made him realise what a dumb thing he’d done by marrying someone like Lucy Phillips? Because if he had changed his mind then perhaps they could still get the marriage annulled before they actually consummated it. She was certain that was legally possible and it would certainly be a mature thing to suggest. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. All she could feel was the rush of hot colour to her cheeks.

      ‘Still she stands there like a frightened lamb, which makes me realise I shall have to come to you instead, my blushing bride.’ Drakon’s words were cajoling as he began to walk across the marbled floor towards her, but he moved with the stealthy intent of a dark panther who had just spotted its helpless prey. He had removed his jacket and tie and undone the top buttons of his dress shirt and, with his olive skin glowing and black hair ruffled, he looked relaxed and supremely poised. Unlike her, who was feeling completely overdressed and had started trembling violently, despite the warmth of the room.

      He reached her at last and touched his fingertips to her cheek, slowly trailing their tips downwards until they reached the quivering outline of her lips. He bent to brush his mouth over hers in a slow kiss, before raising his head to look at her, his eyes still narrowed speculatively. ‘Don’t look so scared, Lucy,’ he murmured. ‘There’s no reason to be. I mean, it isn’t as if we’ve never done this before, is it?’

      But never as man and wife, thought Lucy desperately—the sweet magic of his kiss fading as the enormity of her actions hit her. People said getting married needn’t change anything but of course it did—otherwise, why would anyone bother? Because she wasn’t just starry-eyed Lucy Phillips any more—the virgin who’d had a crush on him since for ever. Now she was the billionaire’s wife and mother to his son—and suddenly she felt like an imposter. ‘It just feels…different.’

      ‘Then maybe we should stop overthinking it and just rely on our senses to do the work for us. What do you think? Turn around,’ he said softly, without waiting for an answer.

      She’d actually thought he couldn’t bear to look at her anxious face but realised he wanted to undo each tiny hook of her wedding gown, his fingertips tiptoeing enticingly over her sensitive flesh. As the corseted bodice came apart and the cool air hit her skin, Lucy closed her eyes and silently practised different ways of asking the questions which had been plaguing her throughout the reception.

       Tell me about Amy. How long have you known her? Have you ever made love to her? Or wanted to?

      But Drakon’s lips were following in the wake of his fingers. They were whispering over her back and trailing over her quivering flesh as he formed a featherlight path of kisses from neck to waist. Her skin flowered into goosepimples wherever he touched her and against her lacy bra, she could feel the insistent pushing of her nipples. Lucy sucked in a shuddering breath as he turned her around to face him again. The gleam of desire in his black eyes made something clench deep inside her and she wondered if she had taken complete leave of her senses. How could she possibly shatter the mood by asking him about another woman at a time like this?

      ‘Now,’ he murmured. ‘Why don’t we get rid of this dress completely?’

      She heard the rueful note in his voice and was instantly on the defensive. ‘You don’t like it?’

      He smiled as he traced a slow finger along the modest neckline of her very traditional gown. ‘I thought it was perfectly appropriate for the entrance of my beautiful bride, but looser and freer is what I have in mind for what happens next.’

      He slid the embossed satin of her gown over each shoulder and let the entire confection fall to the ground before effortlessly lifting her from the vast canopy of stiffened petticoats, until she was standing before him in just her white lacy underwear, hold-up stockings and spiky white high-heeled shoes. Slowly, he studied her and his black gaze felt as if it were scorching her skin where it lingered. ‘Much better,’ he said, and his voice was unsteady. ‘Though I’m now feeling a little overdressed. Any ideas how we might redress the balance, Lucy?’

      Lucy felt suddenly stricken with shyness as she lifted her fingers to his chest. Was he wondering what had happened to the uninhibited person she’d been back in the summer when he had awoken her sexuality and her appetite for him had been wild and untamed? She was wondering the same thing herself. But back then it had felt as if she had nothing to lose, while now the stakes seemed significantly higher. Yet wasn’t she in danger of sabotaging their union before it had even started if she wasn’t careful?

       So snap out of it. Enjoy your wedding night with your gorgeous new husband. Make this so good he’ll never want to look elsewhere for his pleasure.

      ‘I have some idea,’ she murmured. ‘Let me help you out of this shirt.’

      She was so nervous she could barely undo the first button, but as soon as she made contact with his skin all her reservations melted away like honey left out in the midday sun. How could she have forgotten just how beautiful he was? His olive skin gleamed with health and vitality and hungrily she ran her gaze over all that hard, honed muscle. Her fingers drifted over his hair-roughened chest and Lucy heard him expel a shuddered sigh as she slipped the shirt from his shoulders and it slid to the ground. Which just left his trousers. She swallowed. It was easy to see how huge and taut his erection was, straining against the fine material, and her cheeks grew hot as she dropped her head to his shoulder.

      ‘Oh,’ she whispered against his neck, shy once more.

      ‘Anyone would think you’d never seen me in such an intimate state before.’

      She swallowed. ‘It seems like a long time ago.’

      ‘It seems like that to me, too,’ he agreed raggedly as he tugged at the belt of his trousers and swiftly bent to remove the rest of his clothes, his black eyes opaque with lust as he straightened up again. ‘I’ve never had to wait for a woman like I’ve waited for you, Lucy. And it has been an exquisite kind of torture, do you realise that?’

      Was it the thrill of the unknown СКАЧАТЬ