Midnight Eyes. Sarah Brophy

leaving her free of it for the first time in her life.

      It wasn’t to be trusted, she told herself sternly, even as she let herself enjoy the sensation. He wasn’t to be trusted. This was all an illusion conjured by Roger. She should be trying, however inadequately, to protect herself. She needed to prepare herself for the pain and fear that Roger always brought into her life, albeit that this time he was using this stranger as his weapon.

      Instead, she found her arms tightening around her husband’s neck, drawing herself as close to him as she could be.

      Robert was right. This all must be some kind of divine madness.

      Chapter Four

      Robert leaned against her chamber door, panting for a moment. He still held her tight to his chest, his arms like steel bands around her.

      “Perhaps you should put me down now,” Imogen whispered huskily, barely able to recognize the voice that shattered the silence as her own. She didn’t even recognize herself in the wanton who so willingly embraced a man who was essentially a stranger, for all he was her husband, in her bedchamber. But she was. Despite all that Roger had done to her, he had not robbed her of her ability to find pleasure in the touch of this man. The realization staggered and amazed her. It was almost frightening, and a part of her wanted to run away from this strange new sensation, but a deeper, more primitive part had turned to molten lead. That was the part of her that seemed to be making her decisions at the moment.

      “Perhaps,” he said hoarsely and began to slide her slowly down his body till her feet made contact with the floor. She was unsurprised to find that he didn’t let her go. She couldn’t seem to let him go either. Not just yet.

      She felt almost dizzy as the dazzling heat rose through her body. She was feeling things she could scarcely identify, wanting things she should not be able to bear, but if her mind struggled to understand this bewildering new world, her body seemed to know of it already. It knew exactly what it sought, and moved instinctively against Robert in the getting of it.

      He moaned in the back of his throat and lowered his mouth to claim hers.

      She drew in a sharp breath at first contact, then slowly her hands wound themselves around his neck. It was the first kiss she had ever wanted. She whimpered as she felt his tongue move along the seam of her lips. He answered her small whimper with a demanding growl of his own and she opened her lips in eager response to his primitive demand.

      Her first true kiss.

      It quickly deepened, taking Imogen to a place she had never known existed inside of her. She found herself helpless and entirely unable to resist his sensual invasion. Her body longed for this strange new self he was showing her. It was as if she had come alive after a lifetime of slumber, every nerve ending opening to the world in a whole new way.

      He invaded her every sense.

      Her fingertips buried in his hair, tingling with the feel of his warm scalp. She could hear the scrape of his stubbled cheek against her skin, his roughness against her smoothness, her mews, his half groans, the moist sound of his mouth plundering hers and the shush of fabric rubbing against fabric created the most exquisite music that Imogen had ever heard.

      It was the song of Robert making love to her.

      Making love. She only half understood what those words meant. She knew of dark deeds to be forgotten in the daylight, but she knew nothing of love between a man and a woman. Somehow, though, her body knew. It knew what it needed, and relentlessly pushed her toward the abyss of the unknown to get it.

      It was in the part of her mind where the memories were freshest that a small doubt came to life. That small, rational region of her separated itself, hiding behind a cold wall of fear. It was almost overwhelmed by the sudden need of her body to learn all.

      But fear was relentless and slowly froze her body’s needs. She lowered her hands to his chest and tried to push him away. It was no more than the fluttering of a butterfly and in Robert’s passion-clouded mind it barely registered. His body, however, was at one with hers and was instantly aware that she was no longer following him into the mad sensual realm they had stumbled upon. He struggled to lift his mind free of the lust that had taken hold of him and he couldn’t help but groan with frustration as he tore his lips free from hers.

      Even though it was what she had silently asked for, she wanted to protest the sudden loss of the warmth of his mouth as she struggled to slow the rapid beat of her heart while she listened to Robert’s labored breathing. She found it oddly intoxicating that she could bring him to a state that equaled her own. His forehead leaned against hers, bathing Imogen with the sweetness of his breath.

      It was a long moment before either of them could speak.

      “I’m sorry,” Imogen finally murmured.

      Robert lifted his hand to gently cup her face. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He inhaled sharply. “It is I who should be apologizing for my behavior. First I rush you from your own wedding feast without letting you eat properly, then I behave like an animal without control over his lust.”

      He slowly ran his thumb over the softness of her cheek and she shivered as she felt the rasp of his callouses against her skin. Without any conscious thought she reached up to hold his hand to her face when he made to move it away.

      “I didn’t really mind,” Imogen said shyly, surprising herself as much as him with the truth of that statement. “I’m just not sure…”

      Robert’s sharp laughter cut off Imogen’s confused apology. They stood so close that she could almost feel it inside of her as it reverberated through his chest. His laughter almost felt like her own.

      “Well, I am sure. You need time and I should be giving it to you,” Robert ground out harshly.

      He held her tightly to his burning need for a second, then carefully lifted her bodily away from him. Bereft of his support she had to lean against the door to support her suddenly weak legs. In confusion she listened to him prowl the room like a caged lion, his disgust and self-loathing almost a tangible presence in the room.

      The knowledge that it was her own fears and confusion that had caused his torment haunted her. She had never meant to cause him pain. She wrapped her arms around her middle, feeling his pain in her own body in much the same way she had felt his laughter. He thought his clean lust had frightened her, when instead it was her dark memories of another’s twisted perversion that had forced her to turn from the passion he offered her so freely.

      Suddenly it seemed to her that those memories weren’t as important as the feelings that had come to life inside her with Robert’s touch.

      “I don’t need all that much time.”

      She said it so quietly that it took Robert a moment to hear it. His shout of grim laughter caught her by surprise.

      “You don’t have to lie to save my feelings. Of course you need time to get over the fright and disgust caused by the insatiable animal you have married.” He slumped into a chair by the fire. He buried his face in his hands and tried to control the guilt and desire that raged in conflict through his body. Imogen could still feel it like it was a presence under her skin.

      It was that new pain that made her decision for her.

      Carefully she followed the sound of his ragged breathing and knelt slowly in front of him. She slid a hand up his thigh, partly for support, but mostly because she liked the feel of his coiled strength. Robert lifted his face, startled first by the voluntary touch and then by the look of earnestness on her face.

      “Don’t say that. I know what fear and disgust feel like, and I didn’t find either in your kiss. It was beautiful and I wasn’t exactly fighting you off, if you remember.”

      “How could you fight me? I’m at least twice your size,” Robert said darkly, trying to deny himself the comfort she offered.

      “But you never used your size against me.” Her hand tightened over the tenseness of his