Lady Lure by Flora Speer Page B

His hands slid up to
her shoulders and then farther, to cup her face between his
fingers. His voice deepened to a seductive whisper. “All I want is
one kiss and for you to kiss me back as though you meant it. Can
you do that much for me?”
    “I should not,” she said in protest. “It
would be most improper.”
    “Improper to kiss a dying man?”
    “No, don’t say that!” She knew he was playing
on her emotions. She was sure he sensed her disgraceful yearning to
feel his mouth on hers once more. “You want me to pity you and to
help you escape.”
    “Pity is the last thing on my mind. I want
you to want me,” he whispered. “Just one last time, I want to know
a beautiful woman desires me.”
    “I am not beautiful,” she said, aching to
tell him she did desire him and fully aware of how wrong it would
be to admit such a thing to him.
    “If you are not beautiful,” he murmured,
“then all other Regulan women must be incredible.” Unbidden,
without waiting for her permission, he lightly brushed his mouth
across hers.
    “Halvo.” The sound of his name was a soft
whimper of undeniable longing for an unknown possibility that,
within a few hours, would be forever lost to her. She knew if she
gave him what he wanted then she, too, would be lost.
    He took the choice away from her. His mouth
covered hers with a firm sureness that stopped her breath. His arms
gathered her close.
    If she had been able to think clearly, Perri
might have marveled at the way in which Halvo could combine such
hot, primitive demands on her with a tenderness that enriched their
physical contact, enlarging it to a depth and intensity she had not
dreamed possible. Deep inside Perri something stirred and spread
like a sprouting seed in spring, a force still new and fragile, yet
demanding life, insisting upon space and warmth in which to grow.
And moisture. There was moisture aplenty in the heated blood
coursing through her veins, in the burning between her thighs.
Never, never before…
    Halvo moved, drawing her hips against his,
letting her feel his hardness. He lifted her off her feet, still
holding her against the length of his body. Her arms were around
his neck and she clung to him, moaning, whimpering, wishing they
had hours and days …wishing they had forever.
    Dimly, she realized that they were out of the
galley. She imagined he was heading toward her cabin, or perhaps
toward his, to the nearest bed. She did not want to resist him, but
she knew she must. She could not forget her imperative duty, not
when she was so close to success. Halvo’s arms were still around
her. She could barely move. He was holding her much too
closely.
    “What?” She opened her eyes to look at him.
It was not desire she saw on his face, and she knew what he was
trying to do. While he kissed her, he was easing her toward the
bench with its restraining bands. “Don’t, please. No, Halvo.
No!”
    “I’m sorry, Perri. If you won’t save
yourself, then I’ll have to save both of us.” He should have
covered her mouth with his hand, or kissed her again so she could
not cry out, or held her so tightly that she could not fight what
he was doing.
    “Rolli!” she screamed. “Help me! Help!”
    The controls were already on automatic, so it
took only a split second for Rolli to wheel to her side. Perri was
struggling as hard as she could, kicking and scratching and yelling
at Halvo to let her go. His strength surprised her. She had
believed in the weakness of which he constantly complained. It took
Perri and Rolli together to subdue Halvo, and Perri suspected it
was only a bout of dizziness that forced him to give up at the
last. Whatever the cause, a few minutes later Halvo lay flat on the
bench, straining against the flexible metal bands that held him
fast.
    “You are going to regret this,” he said in a
cold, deadly voice. “You little fool, I could have helped you. Now
whatever happens will be on your own shoulders.”
    He would not stop talking. He