The Devil's Thief Read Online Free Page A

her away.
    Mr.
Sharp laughed again. “Ah, Juliet, how you delight me.”
    Without
warning he swooped down and his lips covered hers. Julianna’s mouth flew open
in surprise and Mr. Sharp pressed his tongue inside. For a moment she was
immobile with shock and then her senses were flooded with the taste and
textures of his kiss. He tasted even better than he smelled. Like warm, sweet
whiskey and comfits. His lips were soft and moist, his breath hot, his tongue
smooth and wild as it swirled through her mouth, tasting her as she was tasting
him. He pulled her closer and his hand closed tighter upon her breast, the
pressure creating a pleasure she’d never thought possible. The sound she made
was more whimper than moan, a sound of utter surrender to what he was doing, to
what he was making her feel. It was madness and she wanted more—more of
this, more of him.
    Julianna
wasn’t sure what he expected her to do, but she wrapped her arms around his
neck and finally buried her hands in those sinfully soft curls. It was almost
too much ; the pleasure and taste of his kiss, the
touch of his hands, the feel of his hair, the heat of his skin. She gave in to
it, relinquishing herself to her senses. She thrust her tongue into his mouth,
suddenly ravenous for him. She wanted him to feel it, too. She wanted him to
throw caution and sanity aside for a taste of her.
    Mr.
Sharp moaned and Julianna felt that thrill of power again, the power that came
from being desired. She pressed against him, her breast in his palm, her mons now
pressed against his hard length. He dipped and moved slightly and his leg slid
between hers, and Julianna had to tear her mouth from his to gasp at the
pleasure.
    “Juliet,
Juliet,” he panted. “I can’t wait. I must have you. Now.”
    Yes, yes , was all she could think. Now . She wanted all of him, wanted to
feel all of him, touch all of him, now.

 
    Chapter Three
     
     
    With
a suddenness that shocked her, he broke their embrace and stepped away. She
stumbled and he caught her, but it wasn’t until he grabbed her shirt and yanked
the offending garment over her head that she understood what he was doing. Her
kerchief came off, too, and some of the pins in her hair came loose. She felt
several thick locks of hair fall from their imprisonment, tumbling down to her
shoulders.   He paused, panting
heavily, and stared at her.
    Julianna
had no desire to hide from him. She knew she was well formed, although no
beauty. But here in the dark with him she felt beautiful, and she could tell
from the way he stared at her that he thought so, too. One hand reached
tentatively for a lock of hair that curled against her breast. She was still
covered by her chemise, but the linen was thin and no barrier to the brush and
heat of his fingers as he caressed her hair.
    “What
color is it?” he asked quietly.
    Julianna
cocked her head to the side and looked down at his hand against her. She
swallowed audibly. “Brown,” she whispered.
    “Not
just brown,” he told her, pulling slowly on the lock of hair. It straightened
until she could feel the pressure at her scalp, until she stepped closer to him
to ease the ache. “Is it chestnut brown, or golden brown, or so deep brown it’s
almost black?” He sounded as he had earlier, as if he were talking to himself
as much as her. “Is it the rich brown of the earth, or the red-brown of
cinnamon?” When she was close enough he raised the lock of hair to his nose and
sniffed deeply. “Lavender.” He sounded bemused. “You smell as fresh as spring.”
    “It’s
just plain brown,” she answered, mesmerized by him, by his reaction to her. She
still whispered, afraid to ruin the magic of the night.
    “Who
are you?” His question startled her. He had not asked before. Why now? Had she
given herself away somehow?
    “Juliet,”
she said desperately. “I am just Juliet.” She could not fail now, she couldn’t.
There was too much at stake.
    “No,”
he told her with a smile