ONE NIGHT OF PASSION
Desire spread through her. She wanted him. All of him. Inside her.
“My lady,” he murmured.
Sighing, she threaded her fingers into his hair, enjoying the crisp, prickly texture against her palms.
She could love a man such as him. The thought gave her pause, but he leaned forward and swirled his tongue around one of her nipples before she could entertain it.
“James,” she murmured, closing her eyes.
Raising his head, he gazed at her. His eyes glowed with blue fire. In several skilled motions, he made quick work of the dress. The hard metal was cold against her skin and the garment fell away in slices…
Books by Jessica Trapp
MASTER OF DESIRE
MASTER OF PLEASURE
THE PLEASURES OF SIN
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
The Pleasures of Sin
JESSICA TRAPP
ZEBRA BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
To my son
You are an amazing creative soul.
My life has been enriched because you are in it.
Thank you for your patience, your support, and your love.
And don’t read this book until you’re older.
Because I said so, that’s why.
*grin*
I love you.
Acknowledgments
I am grateful for the many, many people who have encouraged me—I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. This is a very incomplete list.
Thank you, Joe, for your love and care. The research *wink* was pretty good too.
Thank you, Mom, for being a sounding board.
Thank you, Betty Pichardo, for your friendship and prayers. And the shoe shopping.
Thank you, Terri Richardson, for your support and help.
Thank you, Ann Peake, for your imagination.
Thank you, Sara King, for your critique.
Thank you, Suzy Kasper, for your keen eye and soft heart.
Thank you, 100 group, for your support and tough love.
Thank you, Romance Unleashed Authors, for being there.
Thank you, Artist Wayers, for your uplifting spirits.
Thank you, Sha-Shana Crichton, for your help and belief.
Thank you, John Scognamiglio, for all you do.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
About the Author
Chapter One
Lady Brenna enjoyed her banishment to the musty north tower.
Shivering with the thrill of rebellion, she tossed her kirtle onto the floor planks, perched naked on a three-legged stool, and lifted one of her many paintbrushes to capture what she saw in the looking glass.
Alone, isolated from the rest of the castlefolk, she reveled that she could shun the very garments that defined her lot as a pawn in men’s war. Her refusal to marry and insistence on entering a convent had not set well with Papa.
The scent of spike lavender oil curled into the air as she stroked her brush across parchment, transforming her chamber from prison to sanctuary. Here she could paint. Here she could dream. Here she was free from society’s demands and duties.
A crimson trail unfurled from the tip of her paintbrush: the tongue of passion that drew a spread-legged view of a young noblewoman with springy copper-colored hair on both her head and nether lips. A nude of herself, painted as she gazed into the looking glass. So much more lush and naughty than the many proper paintings of saints and angels propped haphazardly about the chamber.
The crossbar scraped against the bedchamber door, and she jumped, smearing a brushstroke.
“Devil take it!” she cursed, launching into a mad rush to cover the parchment and snatch her kirtle over her body before the intruder discovered the subject matter of this painting.
Her skirt swirled around her ankles just as the door banged open. The three-legged stool clattered
