A Taste of Sin Read Online Free Page A

to marry a man of eighty?”
    “Does it matter?”
    “I suppose not.”
    He caressed her face with his knuckles, then slowly slid them down her neck, to where the décolletage of her dress met the rounded tops of her breasts. She sucked in a startled breath. No man had ever touched her there. But it didn’t escape her that if Sinjun was to become her lover, he would be touching her in far more intimate places.
    “Do you like that?” Sinjun asked in a sensual purr.
    She thought a moment, then nodded jerkily.
    “Let’s see if we can get this dress off of you. Then I’ll show you the difference between an eighty-year-old man and one in his prime. Have you had other lovers?”
    “Other lovers?” Christy squeaked. “N … no, no other lovers.”
    Sinjun gave her a feral smile. “I’m honored, my lady. Why have you chosen me to be your first?”
    Because you’re my husband! she wanted to shout. Aloud, she said, “Because I heard you’re a man without principles, one who won’t demand more of me than I’m willing to give.”
    Sinjun stilled, apparently stunned by her harsh appraisal. “Who told you I am without principles?”
    She shrugged. “Am I wrong?”
    He chuckled mirthlessly. “Perhaps you’re right, my lady. Giving pleasure is my forte. If you want more, you will be disappointed, for I can offer neither marriage nor permanency in a relationship.”
    What a conceited oaf, even for an Englishman, Christy thought. “Since I already have a husband, I’m not interested in permanency.”
    Sinjun grinned, pleased that they both wanted the same thing. “Then we’re of one accord. You’re a pleasure seeker, just as I am. You have chosen wisely, even if I say so myself. I will not disappoint you, my lady. No one cares more about a lady’s pleasure than I. I foresee a long and mutually beneficial association. Now,” he drawled, turning her away from him so his nimble fingers could undo the tiny buttons marching down the back of the dress, “about that dress. It will have to go, along with everything else you’re wearing.”
    “Wait!” Christy choked out.
    Her words crept through the red haze of his lust and struck a discordant note. His brow furrowed, for he was annoyed at the interruption. “What’s wrong? Not having second thoughts, are you? It’s a little too late for that. Never tell me you’re a tease who enjoys leading men on.”
    “No, it’s not that There … there’s something you should know before … before we … begin.”
    He nuzzled her neck. “I know all I want to know. You’re soft and sweet-smelling and willing. And I want you. What else is there to know?”
    “I’m a—” Her words skidded to a halt, and she glanced furtively toward the door. “Someone is coming.”
    A curse exploded from Sinjun’s throat. “Bloody hell! What rotten luck.”
    He grasped her hand and pulled her through the door into the dark garden, scant seconds before another couple appeared on the path. They hid behind a row of hedges as the couple disappeared into the gazebo.
    Sinjun glanced at Flora and suddenly knew a physical yearning so deep he was literally shaking from it. She was standing so close he could feel her body heat through their layers of clothing, and his reaction was somewhat startling for a man of jaded appetites. Sinjun couldn’t remember when a woman had affected him so profoundly. He blessed the darkness, for he had grown hard as stone, and his tight breeches would have hidden nothing.
    “We can’t do it here,” he whispered. “There isn’t enough privacy. I want to take my time with you. You deserve to be loved properly. Where do you live?”
    She was so long in answering that Sinjun feared she was going to refuse him. “I rented a house in Belgrave Square.”
    Though Belgrave Square was less fashionable these days, it was still respectable. “Is that a problem for you?” Sinjun asked. “Would you prefer to come to my bachelor lodgings in Grosvenor Square? We can’t