Her most important duty—serve the master’s pleasure.
Emily’s dreams are simple: a life of dedicated service at a respectable estate, and a strong marriage filled with love and devotion for one man. Portage Place, the manor where her parents apprenticed, seems the perfect place to start. Though it is whispered that all is not as it seems behind its grand façade.
The rumors, it turns out, ring with truth. The halls are saturated with sensuality, desire and lust. Despite the scandalous duties she is asked to perform, she is determined not to stumble on what could be her first step toward her dreams. Dreams that, lately, have included the manor’s fiery haired groomsman.
A promise to watch over his younger half-brother brought Adam to Portage Place. For the first time in five years of enjoying the delights of the manor’s unbridled debauchery, Emily’s innocence touches the protector that still lives deep in his core. This house of sin may have ruined him, but he will see to it that it doesn’t ruin her.
It seems, however, that behind every door lurks a conspiracy to bind Emily in velvet chains of desire. Until the only way out is for Adam to take the biggest risk of all…
Excerpt from House of Sin
Emily continued down the hall toward the stairs and the corridor to the other bedchambers. As she passed the brown and gold room, Adam stepped out into the hall from the stairwell.
Emily stopped and tilted her head to the side. What was a groomsman doing in the main house on the sleeping level? “What are you doing here, Adam?” He belonged in the stables…did he not?
“I decided I couldn’t wait to hear you scream, Miss Grey. You hardly said three sentences in the barn. I want to hear that lovely voice of yours moan.”
The flesh of her thighs tingled simply at his words. “Oh, umm.” She swallowed hard. “So you said in the barn.” She licked her lips and glanced down at the bundle of linens in her hands, trying to think of any way to postpone this encounter. Her hands trembled. Did she truly want to postpone the encounter? Adam was handsome and, oh, the way he looked at her made her stomach flutter, but she had chores. Dallying instead of doing her work would only cause trouble. “Now is not good. I have to finish fitting sheets.”
In two steps, he was in front of her, staring down.
She stepped back. The smell of his body enfolded her, and her knees weakened. She licked her lips.
He reached out. One hand wrapped her waist and the other braced her neck. She stared up into brilliant jade eyes as he pulled her hard up against his front. Her breath locked in the cage of her ribs.
Adam’s lips came down on hers and he backed her toward the glass window. She squirmed against him, unsure what to expect, but loving the feel of his firm lips on hers. His tongue darted into her mouth with a hunger like the one he’d stirred within her in the barn. Her breath labored and her heart leapt. She wanted him and this.
This time she wanted to kiss him back. She pushed her tongue against his, wrapping it about the thickness and tasting his spicy essence. He locked his lips to hers and pressed his teeth to her tongue, stilling her movements, then sucked all of her restraint into his being. He stole her breath. Her knees shook and she leaned heavily against him. How was it possible one man made her feel so decadent?
She inhaled, and his scent overwhelmed her. God, he even smells scandalous. Clean soap and lustful beast of sin. She wanted to cuddle up with him and bury her nose in all those delicious-smelling crevices.
He released her tongue, and his hands molded her bottom. He pulled her tighter to his front. The bulging hardness of his cock ground against the flesh of her stomach. Her head spun as she remembered his hot skin in her hands. She ran her tongue wantonly along his smooth teeth, wanting to experience every texture he could offer.
He pulled back from her lips. Intense lust-filled green eyes stared into hers. “You are bewitching, Miss Grey.” He swallowed, and the bump in his throat bobbed.
His hands about her waist rotated her so that she faced the large glass pane. “Take your hands, Miss Grey, and put your palms flat on the glass.”
