The Earl Who Loved Me by Bethany Sefchick Page A

  Then again, she did not look
precisely like herself at the moment either.
    "That has not been true since
the night we waltzed at Lord and Lady Ardenton's wedding ball and you well know
it."   Another stroke of his thumb,
this time on the soft flesh of the inner part of her upper arm.   No one touched her there.   No one dared.   "You know it as well as I, Amelia.   That night, my eyes were opened, though I am uncertain as to how
I could have been so foolish and blind as to have kept them closed for so
long."
    Blinking up at him, Amelia felt as
if she was in a daze, her every wish coming true in an instant.   This was not real.   It could not be.   Yet it
was.   She could feel the heat of David's
body against hers, especially through the thin silk of the borrowed
ballgown.   She could feel the press of
his hand on her skin and see the flare of desire in his eyes.   This was real.   And more overwhelming than she could have imagined.  
    When one's fondest wishes came
true, she thought, one did not always know how to deal with the results.
    "David, I..."   His finger to her lips quieted her
instantly.
    "Do not speak and tell me some
lie or that you do not feel the same as I do.   I see the truth in your eyes and in the way your body responds to
mine."   He glanced down at her
breasts.   "For I can see the
evidence for myself.   Very
clearly."
    It was true.   Her body was responding to his, her
nipples tightening with need and her breath quickening.   The tight points were clearly visible
through the too-small gown and David's eyes were fastened just there, as if he
wished to touch her.   If he did, she
would allow it.   She would allow him
anything he wished at the moment.
    For her part, Amelia felt hot and
achy, her skin almost too tight over her muscles, as if it had somehow shrunk
with each of his caresses.   She did not
know what to do with herself, how to feel or what came next.   It frightened her a bit, this powerful
feeling that was bubbling up inside of her under David's hot, devouring gaze.
    "Then what do you want of
me?"   She had to know for this was
David.   If he was only toying with her
until he found a woman to be his countess, she could not bear it.   And yet, in her heart, she knew she would
still allow him whatever liberty he wanted for this might be her only chance.
    "I want to seduce
you."   He moved closer, his hot
breath tickling her ear, the words so soft they were mere whispers in the
dark.   "I want to strip you naked
and ravish you as I have dreamed of so many times since that night."   She shivered in his embrace and he pulled
her closer so that she might feel the evidence of his desire - his hard cock
pressing into her thigh.   "But more
than that, Amelia, I want to marry you.   I want you to be my countess."   She gasped but he continued as if she had not made a sound.   "But I also know that for you, this is
too sudden, despite what you feel in this moment, and that years of doubts
still plague you.   So I have a
proposition for you."
    He pulled back slightly and
immediately, Amelia felt the loss of his body against hers.   "What is it?"   She didn't need to be seduced or wooed, if
that was what he was asking.   She only
wanted to know that he was sincere and would not change his mind when the pity
he felt for her faded.
    "I am asking you to allow me
to court you for one day.   Tomorrow.   Let me prove to you
that I know both your heart and mine."   He was sincere and in that moment, Amelia wanted to throw caution to the
wind and do whatever he asked without hesitation.   "For I know you, Amelia," he continued smoothly, his
gaze still so hot upon her she felt as if she were burning with a single
glance, "and I would have you to wife tonight if you would consent.   But I also know you would question.   Was it the gown?   Was it the romance of Twelfth night?   Was it pity, for I can see that very question on your lips
now?"
    "And is it?"   She had to