Lacybourne Manor (Ghosts and Reincarnation #3)(84)
Author: Kristen Ashley

The instant she was settled, Colin’s arm shot out, hooked around her waist and dragged her (again) across the bed.

This time, awake, she made an angry mew of protest and whirled mid-drag so she faced him head on.

“You’re awake!” she cried, accusation in her voice, as if he was trying to keep this fact from her, which he was not.

“I thought you’d left,” he returned.

Expressions chased across her face from surprise to exasperation.

“I didn’t think of that,” she muttered and he could tell she was cross with herself.

He nearly smiled at the thought of her absentmindedness finally working in his favour.

Instead, he kept his mind steadily on his latest task.

“Are you ready to talk this morning?” he enquired smoothly.

Her eyes shifted to his face and they narrowed just as her lips puckered. The room was dim with early morning light but he could still see they were growing emerald. Quickly.

He had long since found her transforming eye colour a boon. She wasn’t likely ever to be able to hide anything from him when it was written, so clearly, in her eyes. Not to mention the fact that she was an incredibly and often hilariously poor liar.

“No,” she answered abruptly, everything about her showing she was definitely deep in her early morning grouch.

It was then the idea came upon him. A very pleasing idea. An idea that would make this morning’s anticipated skirmish go in Colin’s favour, and, likely, be immensely enjoyable in the process.

And Colin wasted no time putting it in action.

One of his arms was under her body; he wrapped it around her waist and bunched the material of the t-shirt up in his fist so it slid slowly up her bottom. He felt her tense as he ducked his hand under the shirt while his other arm went around her back, pulling her even closer to his chest. Before she could try to escape, he threw his leg over both of hers.

“What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously, moving her legs under his thigh and he knew she was trapped when she made an aggravated noise in the back of her throat.

He didn’t answer as his hand started to move on the soft skin at the small of her back, leisurely forming figure eights on her body’s (nearly) most sensitive area, and her head snapped back to look at him just as her frame froze.

“Colin, what are you doing?” she repeated.

Her voice was now slightly desperate, definitely tinged with panic and she lifted her hands to press them against his chest.

“Making you talk,” he answered lazily.

“No!” she cried, realising his intent.

“Yes,” he retorted.

She moaned, it was partially a frustrated sound but partially something else. He felt his own body begin to respond to the moan, not to mention her fidgeting.

Christ, but no woman had ever had this effect on him. The sight of her, the feel of her, the smell of her never ceased to make him nearly desperate with wanting her.

Resolutely keeping his mind on his aim, he dipped his hand to smooth it over her lushly curved ass and suggested, “Let’s start where we left off last night, hmm?”

She closed her eyes, bit her lip and pressed against him. She didn’t say a word, just shook her head on the pillow.

“Sibyl, look at me,” he commanded.

Her eyes flew open and they were no longer emerald but changing swiftly to sherry.

He grinned in anticipated triumph and went back to his figure eights.

“The fifty thousand pounds, what did you need it for?” he asked, his voice low and, not giving her time to answer, he brushed his lips against hers and, tasting a hint of toothpaste, but mostly Sibyl, he felt himself start to harden with need.

She remained silent.

“The fifty thousand?” he prompted relentlessly.

She shifted and dipped her chin low, nearly knocking his with her head as she did so. He could feel she was no longer trying to escape but instead trying to control her body’s reaction to him. He moved his other hand up under the t-shirt and brushed his knuckles on another sensitive area he discovered, the satiny skin beneath her breast, and he heard her suppressed moan.

“This isn’t fair,” she whispered to her chest, her voice breathless.

“I’ll stop when you talk to me.”

She shook her head and he didn’t know if she was shaking it to tell him not to stop or that she wasn’t going to talk. Either way suited his purpose. He was vastly enjoying this sensual torture and he moved his hand to cup her full breast, softly brushing his thumb over a nipple and feeling it harden in response. All the while, his hand moved languidly and tantalisingly at the small of her back.

Her head fell back and she licked her lips then pulled them between her teeth.

Still, she remained silent.

“Not talking?” he queried.

She shook her head stubbornly, her hair fell into her face, sliding gorgeously down his chest and his already stiffening body turned rock hard. He recognised then that he wasn’t going to be able to play this game very long. Heightening her arousal was doing the same to him.

He needed answers from her. He needed her to trust him with those answers, and, as she writhed against him, he felt the blood pound through his veins, quickening his own breath and licking fire through his body. He decided he didn’t much care how he got those answers just that he got them soon.

Colin dropped his head, pulled the t-shirt up to her chest and lifted her breast to receive his mouth. The minute his lips closed around her nipple, drawing it in gently, she made an appealing sound deep in her throat and he smiled as desire strummed through him.

“Do you like that?” he asked against her nipple and then blew on it, watching in fascination as it rose and puckered, tremendously satisfied that he could illicit the same easy reaction from her that he felt for her.

He heard her head move on the pillow again and lifted his to watch her.

“No?” His tone was teasing.

“I’m never going to forgive you,” she whispered, her eyes sherry and her face flushed.

“I think you will,” he countered and then dropped his head again and pulled her nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue around it. Gratified when he felt her body buck and jerk against him, he drew her nipple in further, sucking gently, then more adamantly, demanding a further response and she didn’t disappoint him. She arched her back, forcing herself deeper into his mouth. This caused havoc in his own body, her squirming against him and her mute, seductive displays of desire. He had a pressing urge to plunge his hand between her legs to see how ready she was for him.