Compromised Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page B

began to take down her hastily pinned-up hair.
    Cloud felt her shiver as he smoothed his hands over her loosened hair. “I won’t hurt you, Emily.”
    “There are many ways to hurt a person, Mr. Ryder,” she retorted softly. She trembled as he removed her bodice. “You think it will not pain me to play the whore for you?”
    Tugging off her shoes and stockings, he studied her flushed face. “Not the whore,Emily. My lover.”
    “How so? Do I not buy your help and protection with my body?”
    “Women have sold their bodies for far less.” He tipped up her chin and made her face him. “I haven’t even had you yet, honey, but I know you’re no whore. Now, no more talk.”
    She had no choice but to obey him, for his mouth hungrily covered hers. Emily was so caught up in the maelstrom of sensation his kisses produced that she was only vaguely aware of his skillful removal of her clothes. The occasional half-conscious, muffled noises of protest she did make were ruthlessly ignored and soon she was naked in his arms.
    Gently he pushed her back onto the furs. She lay stunned both by his kisses and her own embarrassment. No man had ever seen her so and the shock to her sense of modesty held her immobile beneath his dark gaze.
    Cloud’s eyes never left her as he shed the last of his clothes. She was exquisite, lithe and slender but with all the softness a man could want. He did not think he had been so eager to bury himself in a woman since he had been a green youth.
    Emily saw the last of his clothes tossed aside and gasped. She was sure she would be torn asunder. Although she had never seen a man fully naked she was certain there was a lot more of Cloud Ryder than there ought to be. With a little moan, she closedher eyes.
    Seeing her fear, Cloud paused. Although many women had exclaimed over his attributes, he did not really believe he was any more of a man than other males. This little widow and mother was acting like some virgin. He wondered if she and her husband had only indulged in restrained fumbling beneath the bedclothes.
    When he took her into his arms, their flesh meeting for the first time, they both trembled. Cloud smiled as he brushed his lips over her face. The passion was there for him to tap. He only hoped he could control his overwhelming need long enough to bring it to the surface.
    “Sweet, lovely Emily,” he murmured against her lips. “I swear I won’t hurt you.”
    As he took her mouth in another drugging kiss, Emily felt rising heat burn away her fears. Shame flickered through her, for she knew she found enjoyment in his kiss, in the feel of his long, lean frame so close to her, and in the warmth of his touch.
    A soft cry escaped her when he moved his mouth to her breasts. Although a small part of her cried out in denial, she buried her hands in his thick, glossy hair to hold his enticing mouth closer when his tongue began to taunt her nipples. Yet another cry escaped her, a cry of delight, as he replied to her unconscious urgings and drew the hard, aching tip of a breast deep into his greedy mouth.
    Despite the blinding heat of her passion,she jerked away from his touch when he slid his hand up her inner thigh. It was only a brief rejection of intimacy, for she soon succumbed to a fresh cascade of desire. Sensations, new and devastating, crashed over her from several sources. His mouth, his touch, and his rich deep voice all seduced her.
    “God, you’re already hot for me … warm, welcoming.” He growled low in his throat as her fluttering hands shyly moved over him. “You can’t keep fighting it, little lady. It’s too strong.”
    He slowly kissed his way back to her flushed face as she felt him position his legs between hers. Emily shuddered with a feeling that was far more anticipation than fear. Being a virgin and a moral young lady, she feared and rejected what was about to happen. However, her body betrayed her. It arched against him, begging for whatever he would give her.
    Cloud