Lily sighed as she entered Daniel’s bedchamber. A fire had been started in the grate, casting a delicate glow about the room and illuminating St. Praxedis’s lovely face in an incandescent beauty. The table in the window was set with a small platter of fruit and chocolate, and an uncorked bottle of wine and two glasses stood next to it. Two tapers lit the small banquet.

“Oh my,” Lily said. “That’s lovely.” Then, turning to Daniel, “One might think you assumed I’d come with you.”

“I just believe in being prepared, love.”

“And I suppose, had I refused, you’d have found a willing substitute?”

He moved toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “I don’t want anyone but you tonight, Lily. Had you refused, I’d have blown out the candles and gone to bed.” He led her to the table. “Come, sit with me. I want to feed you.”

Lily’s heart raced. Daniel had the most remarkable way of using words to make her feel absolutely giddy with desires. Years of practice, no doubt. She pushed the conjecture from her mind. She wanted to enjoy the moment. She started to sit down on the settee where she had taken lunch, but he pulled her away.

“I said sit with me.” He sat down and pulled her into his lap. He took the bottle of wine and poured two glasses. “This is Château Beychevelle, 1831. I think you’ll find it to your liking.”

“I’m afraid know very little about wine.”

“Then I shall teach you.” He held up the glass. “Smell this.”

“What?”

“Stick your cute little nose into the glass and smell it.”

She complied.

“Now, what did it smell like?”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Was it smoky, or floral, or fruity? Those are just some examples. Here, try again.”

“Daniel, I feel like an utter fool,” she said, but she tried again anyway. “I don’t know. It’s fragrant.”

Daniel chuckled. “Of course it’s fragrant, Lily. What does the fragrance remind you of?”

She smelled the wine once more. “It reminds me of berries.”

“Swirl it in the glass,” Daniel said, showing her. “That releases the aromas a little more. Now smell it again.”

“Berries still. A little…wood, perhaps? Maybe some cinnamon?” She swirled and smelled again. “This can’t be.”

“What?”

“I’m getting…” She stuck her nose far into the glass, touching it to the wine. “Coffee, Daniel. It has a slight coffee smell.”

Daniel kissed the drip of wine off of her nose. “I knew you’d have a good nose, Lily. As an artist and writer, you have heightened senses of sight, hearing, and touch. It’s not surprising that your sense of smell is enhanced also.” He swirled the wine in the glass, closed his eyes, and took a long sniff. “I do believe you’re right. It does remind me a bit of coffee. But I’m smelling the cinnamon and berries much more on the surface. You did amazingly well for your first time.”

“What now? Do we just smell it, or are we going to drink it?”

“We’re not going to drink it yet,” he said. “We’re going to taste it.”

“What’s the difference?”

He held the glass to her, smiling. “Take a sip, but don’t swallow. Let it rest on your tongue for a moment.”

She obeyed.

“Now swish it around a little. Let it coat every part of your mouth. Good. Now swallow slowly if you can. Each part of your mouth will register a different part of the wine’s complexity. There, what did you think?”

“It was… I don’t know. Warm, a little spicy in the back of my mouth. But on my tongue it was fruity, like layers of dark grapes. And blackberries. And currants.”

“Very good.”

“Aren’t you going to taste it?” Lily held the glass to him.

“Of course.”

He took the glass from her, set it on the table, and kissed her gently, prying her lips open with his tongue. He glided smoothly over every inch of her mouth. She was breathing heavily by the time he lifted his head.

“Definitely blackberries and cinnamon. But mostly my favorite flavor of all. You.”

“You are a wizard with words, Daniel,” she said dreamily, her pulse racing. “It’s no wonder women have been falling all over you for so long. You’re a master of lines.”

“That wasn’t a line.”

“Oh, that’s an even better one.” She closed her eyes and let out a soft breath.

---

Daniel gazed at her beautiful face. Her lashes were so long that they touched her cheeks when her eyes were closed. So very beautiful. How could he convince her he was telling the truth? That he wasn’t simply feeding her lines that were tried and true? Her complexity and intelligence captivated him. She had awakened feelings in him that he didn’t know he was capable of having. He touched her cheek gently.

“Open your eyes, love. I want you to taste something else.” He reached onto the table for a chocolate. “Have you tasted chocolate bonbons before?”

“Papa brought some from Prince Albert’s exposition in London a few years ago. They were wonderful.”

“Then I know you’ll like these. This is a dark chocolate truffle from Belgium.” He held it to her mouth. “Take a small bite.”

“Mmm, delicious. I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

“Now a sip of wine,” he said, holding the glass to her lips.

She moaned softly. “My, that’s absolutely sublime.”

Daniel kissed her again, swirling his tongue around hers and capturing the lingering richness of the chocolate and the crisp, dry fruitiness of the wine. “Oh yes. Sublime.”

Lily leaned into him and whispered in his ear. “Are you actually going to eat or drink anything, or are you just going to taste it all on me?”

“I had planned to partake with you, but I like your idea better.” He kissed her again, deliberately and sensually, his cock hardening beneath her. Slowly he unfastened the back of her gown.

She giggled, but her body tensed against him. “Not so fast. Now that you’ve introduced me to this divine confection, do you really think I’m going to be satisfied with just one little bite?” She reached for another truffle.

“My love, you’ll find that the more you experience of the finer things in life, the more you’ll want.” He eased her gown over her shoulders. He took a truffle, rubbed it between her breasts, which were bulging out of her corset, and licked the chocolate from her warm body. Her skin was like silk under his tongue.

Lily held a glass of wine to his mouth, smiling down at him. He sipped slowly, his gaze never straying from hers.

“Lily, you are the most amazing woman I know.”

“Thank you.” She put the wine down. “And you, Daniel, are…” She took a truffle, rubbed a thick coating of chocolate on his lips, and kissed it off. “The only man I know.” She burst into a fit of giggles. “In the biblical sense that is. You make me do such wicked things.”

“I don’t think you’re completely under my influence.” He unpinned her hair and let the dark waves cascade down her back. “I don’t recall having anything to do with you swimming naked in the hot pool this afternoon.” He fondled her bare shoulders—Lord, such soft skin. “Whose idea was that, pray tell?”

“Actually, it was Ally’s. Although I didn’t exactly resist. I told you we would find some fun, didn’t I?”

He erupted in laughter. “And I told you I didn’t doubt that you would. Although it didn’t occur to me that your fun would entail you frolicking about naked. If it had, I never would have let you out of my sight. I should have known you would find the pool.”

“Rose thought it might be an offshoot from the waters in Bath.” Lily reached for her wine to take another sip.

“It is. It’s very relaxing and pleasant, as I’m sure you found out.”

“We weren’t relaxing. We were playing. Then we were hiding from you. The girls were mortified when you showed up. I knew you wouldn’t divulge our secret, but I had no way of letting them know that.”

“If you had been alone, I would have stripped and been in there with you in about three seconds.” His cock surged under her. God, he wanted to bed her. Now. He took another sip of wine when she held the glass for him.

Lily rolled her head back and giggled. “That would have been wicked.”

“But fun, yes?”

“I suppose so.”

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek. A simple, innocent kiss that plummeted straight to his groin.

“I’m almost sorry I wasn’t alone, although Ally and I had a marvelous time.” She reached for another chocolate and took a small bite. “I dare say we won’t be able to visit the pool again unless there’s another day like today, when most of the guests are otherwise occupied.”

“You can visit the pool anytime you want,” he said, “with one condition.”

“And that would be?” She gave him another sip of wine.

“You have to take me with you.” He grinned and squeezed her breast.

“Well, all right.” She grabbed a cluster of grapes from the platter and fed one to him. “Mmm. You know, the last time I was at Laurel Ridge it was September, I believe. I took a walk through the vineyards and couldn’t resist the lovely bunches of grapes. They were so tiny. So I picked one and ate it, but it was completely full of seeds. These are wonderful, though.” She popped another into her mouth.

“The grapes in our vineyards are for making wine, Lily. They’re not meant to be eaten.”

“How interesting. How do you get all the seeds out?”

“I don’t actually know. I’m sure it requires sophisticated equipment.”

“You don’t make wine here?”

“No. We sell our grapes to other vineyards.”

“You seem to have a keen interest in wine, and you have your own vineyards. Why haven’t you tried to make some?”

“I wouldn’t know the first thing about it.”

“You have a brain, Daniel. You could learn.” She fed him another grape.

He grabbed the cluster of grapes from her. “I thought I was supposed to feed you.” He pushed one between her lips and lifted lifting the glass for her to take a drink.

“You’re changing the subject.”

“And I’m doing a smashing job of it.” He grabbed a strawberry and held it up for her to take a bite. “Don’t swallow yet.” He held up a truffle. “How is that?”

“Mmm. Wonderful. You try.”

“If you insist.” He moved toward her mouth.

“That’s not what I meant—”

He kissed her delicately, extracting the strawberry and chocolate flavors from her mouth with slick strokes of his tongue. “Delectable. Now try a sip of wine.” He held it to her lips.

“I could get used to this,” Lily said breathlessly, touching his hair. “Sitting on your lap, being fed chocolate and fruit and wine. I feel like Cleopatra. I’m not sure life can get any more pleasurable.”

“Oh, it can,” Daniel said, sliding his lips along the side of her neck.

“Nice,” she said dreamily. “But we’ve already done that. And it couldn’t possibly be any more pleasurable than it was the first time.”

“My sweet, naive angel,” Daniel said, his entire body pulsating with need, “it will get better and better, I promise.”

Lily looked down at him with fire in her eyes. “Show me.”

He stood up with her in his arms. He kissed her passionately as he removed her clothes, plucked the remaining pins from her hair, and laid her on the bed. He disrobed and joined her, taking her into his arms and kissing her, slowly at first, and then more intensely.

“I’m going to taste every inch of you tonight, Lily.” He ran his tongue along the outer edge of her ear and gently nipped her lobe.

“Oh, that’s nice,” she said.

He moved to her eyelids, covering them with light touches of his lips. Her eyes fluttered under the attack and she moaned his name softly.

Then to her nose, her cheeks, her other ear, her neck—he explored each separate place with his lips, ravishing her as if she were his first taste of a woman, while his cock throbbed. He caressed and kissed her arms and hand, swirled his tongue on the inside of her elbow and breathed on the wetness, delighting in her shudder.

“My love, you are so breathtakingly beautiful. The finest artists in the world could not have created such perfection.” He kissed each of her fingers, sucking them into his mouth and caressing them with his tongue.

When he moved to her breasts, she groaned as he kneaded them gently and then brushed them with his lips, teasingly avoiding her nipples.

“Daniel, please.”

He sucked on the skin underneath one nipple. “Yes?”

“I…I…”

“Is this what you want?” He tugged on one nipple lightly

“Yes, oh yes. Please, Daniel.”

God, how he loved to hear her say his name. He sucked gently, and then harder. Her fingers threaded through his hair, pushing him into her breast. His erection pulsated, but he calmed it. He wanted to concentrate on her. He let the nipple go with a soft pop.

“Do you like that, Lily? When I take your nipple between my lips? Does that feel good to you?”

She sighed. “Yes. Oh yes. It’s wonderful.”

He lavished attention on the other nipple, teasing and tickling it to a hard knob, and then replaced his tongue with his fingers as he moved lower on her torso. He lightly pinched both nipples while he swirled his tongue in small circles on her belly, around her navel. He paused when he reached the patch of dark curls.

“Oh, Daniel,” she moaned. “Please.”

“Patience, love.” He gave her wetness a quick nip, the tang of her juices like nectar on his tongue. He was tempted to eat her, but he wanted to explore her, taste every part of her. He licked the sensual plumpness of her hips and thighs, to her calves, to the instep of her foot. He kissed each of her toes and then gently turned her over on her stomach and started working his way back up. He paused in the inside of her knees, moving his tongue in lazy, wet circles, making her wriggle beneath him. Then he blew softly on the wetness, and she arched off the bed. Her hands became fists and she grabbed the silk comforter and moaned his name. His cock nearly burst.

He moved upward, gently biting the backs of her thighs, the round cheeks of her bottom. He paused and licked her pussy one languid, sensual stroke.

“Now, Daniel. Please.”

“Not yet.” He slid his tongue over the curve of her back, until he was at her neck, sucking and nuzzling gently. His swollen cock pushed against her thigh. “What do you want, love?” he asked softly, his voice hoarse.

“I want you. Inside me. Please, Daniel.”

“Not yet, Lily. I want to feast on you.” He spread kisses and nips down her back and then gently moved her legs forward until her bottom was propped up. He parted her intimate folds, delicately stroking them with his fingers. She was so wet. God, so wet.

“You have the prettiest, sweetest, most perfect pussy I have ever seen.” He smoothly slid his tongue inside of her, mimicking the sexual act, skillfully fingering her swollen nub. Her honey tantalized his tongue, sweet and spicy at the same time.

“Please, Daniel, please.” The pillow muffled her voice.

He teased her, took her almost to climax and then stopped and licked her in long lackadaisical strokes. The tight rosebud of her anus beckoned him, and he touched his tongue to it.

She shuddered beneath him, but didn’t stop him. Oh, thank God.

He licked the opening gently, slowly, all the while fingering her swollen clitoris. Would he ever take her there? That tight forbidden heaven? He suddenly wanted it more than he wanted his next breath—to fill her everywhere. His cock throbbed and threatened to release.

“Daniel, my God.”

He couldn’t tease her any longer. He had to let her come so he could get inside that warm wet pussy. He moved down to her clitoris and sucked hard while he pushed two fingers into her heat. He plundered her body with such drive that she rolled from one orgasm into another, bucking up against him, shuddering and squealing. Her muscles clamped around his fingers. His cock hardened even further.

“Daniel, no. I can’t take any more.” Yet still her hips moved with him.

His power to please her intoxicated him. He moved forward, touched his lips to her back, her neck, her hair. He could wait no longer.

He plunged his cock into her pussy from behind. God, she was perfect. So tight, so beautiful. He found a rhythm and pumped into her harder, faster. “You make me so hard, Lily. So, so hard.”

He reached beneath her and stroked her clitoris as he thrust his cock in and out. Soon she slid into another climax, and he followed her, spilling his seed inside of her with spasms so powerful and intense he wasn’t sure he’d survive it.

“Yes, Lily, yes.” He thrust and he thrust, until he had given her all he could.

He pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder and fell to his side, taking her with him. Lily snuggled against him. They lay together for several moments.

“Daniel,” she whispered. “I have to go.”

“No.” The idea of her leaving him was too unbearable for words. “Stay with me.”

“I can’t.”

“Please. Sleep in my arms. I want to wake up with you and make love to you. I want to feel you next to me all night. Stay.”

“Oh, Daniel.” She sighed and turned her body to face his.

“Go to sleep, my love. You’ll need all your energy if we’re going to the Louvre tomorrow.”

Her lips curled into a soft smile against his chest, and then she drifted peacefully into oblivion, her heart beating softly against him.

Daniel stroked her silken hair, her sweet breath blowing in shallow puffs against his chest. How could she mean so much to him in so little time? Gently he moved her head to the satin pillow and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. Her eyes fluttered softly beneath her ebony lashes. He rose gingerly, so as not to disturb her, went to the table, and poured himself another glass of wine. He padded to his night table and lit a candle. The soft glow illuminated Lily’s lovely face. He reached into a shallow drawer, drew out a sketchbook and a soft lead pencil. He sat down on the bed and began to sketch the exquisite beauty before him.

---

Lily woke later to find Daniel’s lips sliding over hers. He sat on the edge of the bed, clad in his dressing robe. “Lily,” he said softly. “Wake up. Our breakfast is here.”

She sat up abruptly. “Breakfast? My God, what time is it?”

“About eight.” He held up a dressing robe for her. “Put this on and have breakfast with me.”

“Eight o’clock, you say? I guess it’s all right. Rose rarely rises before ten.” She took the robe and headed to the bath chamber. “I’ll only be a moment.”

She took care of her needs quickly and returned to find Daniel sitting at the small table in the window. He stood and led her to her chair, and then sat down and poured her a cup of tea.

“How do you take it?”

“Just like that.” She lifted the cup and inhaled the rich fragrance of the steamy liquid.

“You’re a woman after my own heart, Lily. I can’t abide sugar and cream in my tea either.” He placed a filet of smoked salmon, a scone, some lemon curd, and fresh fruit on a plate and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m quite hungry.”

“Of course you are.” He grinned. “You used a lot of energy last night.”

Lily smiled shyly. “We can’t keep this up, you know.”

“Why not?”

“You have compromised me beyond repair, Daniel.”

“Then why not keep at it?” He grinned. “It makes little difference to your virtue at this point.”

“That’s not the issue,” Lily said.

“What is the issue, Lily?”

“It’s that…” She sighed. Every minute she spent with him would make leaving at the end of next week much more difficult. She would think about him, wonder what he was doing and with whom. He would replace her quickly and forget all they had shared. She had known from the beginning what kind of man he was, yet she had gone to him willingly. No strings. No regrets. She still didn’t want marriage. Especially not to a man who could never be faithful to her. She had started this for experience. And she had gained experience tenfold.

“What, love? You can tell me.” He stroked her arm.

His touch set her ablaze. “Oh, I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem right, that’s all.”

“It seems very right to me.”

“I didn’t mean that it didn’t feel right. It feels very…”

Daniel kissed her hand. “You’re not going to get away from me that easily, Lily. I plan to monopolize your time for the rest of this house party. Then we shall see what happens after that.”

After that? What did he mean? That they’d continue their illicit affair, or that she would become his mistress? Not in a million years. “Daniel—”

“Plus, you promised to go riding with me today.”

“Yes, I know. I want to, Daniel, but—”

“No ‘buts,’ Lily. You already said you’d go.”

She looked into his eyes and couldn’t find the strength to fight him. She wanted to be with him. Leaving him would be so… But why think about that now?

“Yes, I’ll go.”

“Of course you will. Now eat your breakfast like a good girl. And no more of this ridiculous talk. Here, have some more tea.”

“I should get back to my chamber soon,” Lily said.

“Yes, I’ll take you back after breakfast. Then you can change and get to your painting. I’ll go to the bachelor house and find Xavier and arrange for our ride this afternoon.”

“All right, Daniel.”

They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence, but it wasn’t awkward. Nothing about being with Daniel seemed awkward, which was a big part of the problem. Lily gazed out the window, sighing, pushing the thoughts of leaving Laurel Ridge from her mind. When she had finished the last crumb on her plate, she asked, “Am I to sit with you at dinner again tonight?”

“Of course. There’s no one else whose company I prefer over yours. Don’t you wish to?”

“I’d like to.”

“Good.” He smiled. “Come on. I’ll help you with your clothes.” He pulled her to her feet and embraced her. “Oh, Lily,” he whispered, barely audibly. “What am I going to do when you leave me?”

“The same thing you always do,” she said, her tone cynical. “You’ll find a replacement in no time.”

“Don’t say that.” He brought his mouth down on hers.

He kissed her violently, thrusting his tongue into her and taking her mouth in an angry passion. He dug his hands into her arms as he moved his mouth down her neck, kissing her and biting her, grabbing her shoulder and wrenching the dressing robe from her in one swift motion.

“Daniel.”

“I want you, Lily, right now,” he growled. “Put your arms around me.”

She obeyed. He lifted her, not gently, into his arms, as easily as one would a child, and shoved his cock into her.

“Kiss me,” he commanded.

She gasped from his thrust as his mouth crushed down on hers, taking and demanding. He pushed into her body again and again. Lily shivered and moaned, clinging to him as he drove into her mercilessly.

“You mean something to me, Lily.” His voice came in grunts as he pumped into her. “Tell me you know that. Tell me.”

“Yes, Daniel.” She trembled, nursing waves of bliss, clutching his heated body. He was being forceful. Violent, even. But she wanted him. Ached for the pleasure of his thrusts. Her breasts dripped with sweat as she crashed like a tidal wave into the depths of pleasure. She cried into his neck, her lips sliding against the saltiness of his dampened skin.

Daniel drove into her with a final surge. His body shook as he pushed himself deep into her pussy. “God, Lily, you hold my cock so tightly. Oh. My. God!” He moved toward the bed and set her upon it as he released.

---

Several moments later, as his breathing returned to normal, Daniel had a sudden urge to drop to his knees and beg Lily’s forgiveness for taking her so roughly. Slowly he regained his sanity, and to his surprise, she was rubbing his back gently, quietly whispering comforting words. Eternally grateful that she wasn’t running as fast as she could away from the sight of him, he whispered, “Thank God.”

“Thank God for what?” she asked softly.

“That you’re not angry with me.” He blinked back a tear.

“No, Daniel, I’m not angry. I suppose I should be, but I…” She inhaled sharply. “Well it’s no use denying it, is there? I enjoyed it.” She continued to caress him in soothing circles.

“Please, tell me you’re not hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“I could never forgive myself if…” His voice cracked.

“It’s all right. I promise you it’s all right.”

He moved away from her body. Red marks the size of his hands marred her perfect arms. How could he have been such a monster? The tear fell down his cheek.

Lily smoothed it away and reached up to kiss him. “Tell me what this is about. What is troubling you?”

How could he tell her when he didn’t know himself? His emotions were in turmoil. He couldn’t concentrate. He barely recognized the person he thought he was. All he thought about was Lily. She was consuming him like a blazing fire sweeping through a dry forest. He stood up, his legs barely able to support his weight. “I’m going to run you a quick bath,” he said. “I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

In the bath chamber, he turned the faucet and placed his hands under the fall of water, letting its heaviness slide over his skin, cleanse away his guilt. Damn. It would take more than water. When the tub was full he called to Lily.

He picked her up gently and set her in the tub.

“Aren’t you going to get in with me?”

He shook his head and proceeded to gently bathe her as though she were a delicate child.

She held out her arms. “Come, Daniel. Please.”

“You want me, after what I just did to you?”

“Yes. Come bathe with me. It’s all right.”

What had he ever done in his godforsaken life to be worthy of such tenderness? He joined her in the tub, sitting behind her and pulling her back against his chest. He caressed her smooth skin, relishing the intimacy with this extraordinary woman who had somehow squirmed her way into his ironclad heart. How was he going to let her go?

“I don’t deserve this,” he said softly.

“Nor do I,” she said, her voice filled with compassion. “But we may as well enjoy it while we can.” She turned to face him and kissed him warmly, granting him grace without condition.

He had never felt so whole.