Lifting his hand the tiniest bit from Celia’s mouth, Gabriel whispered in her ear, “Tell them you are unharmed, Celia. Better yet, tell them all how much you love my hands on your body, my finger inside you. You do like my finger inside you, don’t you? If not, tell me to stop and I shall.”

She almost swooned from the fiery rush of his breath and the sharpness of his teeth nipping her ear lobe. Her head shook in protest that he might cease doing these wicked, wonderful things.

“I’m in no danger.” She addressed the crowd at Gabriel’s back. Her tone rose higher when his finger twisted in the most devilish of ways. “Please, please go away.”

He grinned against her neck as his free hand clamped once again over her mouth. What should have infuriated her only left her boneless and compliant to Gabriel’s will.

“Good girl,” he murmured. “And it’s true. You are in no danger with me, and you never will be.”

The pleasure in his voice caused by her surrender lit a strange flame inside Celia. This man was the key and he would unlock her in ways she could never imagine.

Rumbles of confusion met Celia’s statement. No one seemed inclined to follow her shaky plea. It took Gabriel’s drawled command to get the desired effect.

“You heard the lady. Run along now. All of you.”

The people Celia could not see began retreating, their outraged murmurs drifting over the garden.

He may have been a bastard with no social standing, but no one dared challenge Gabriel. Celia could only imagine the power he would yield as a marquess. It would be terrifying.

“By God, you will pay for this outrage, Rose,” Robert declared, his voice quivering with anger. He stood somewhere behind them, reluctant to abandon Celia to someone he deemed unfit. “This is not the end of this.”

“I should hope it’s not,” Gabriel replied to the other man, even as his finger glided in and out of Celia’s body with lazy, secretive intent. Robert let out a frustrated curse before he finally stomped away.

Now they were alone once more in the darkened silence. There would be no further challenges to Gabriel’s claim upon her.

“No, this is definitely not the end of things, is it, Celia? And do you know why? Because there’s still more to come,” he whispered, his full attention centering on her. “And I’ll be damned if anyone steals your pleasure while I’m in the process of giving it to you.”

Removing the hand over her mouth, he tilted her head back and used his lips to ensure her silence. He devoured her, bringing her once again to the edge of insanity before pushing her into its silky, darkened depths.

Celia plummeted and flew into the stars with his fingers guiding her journey.

Moments later, when his hold finally eased, Celia turned in his arms. His erection pressed against her belly. It was heavy. Hard. She shivered with awareness of his own unsatisfied need. The fact he’d done nothing to ease his own torture twisted her heart with shocking affection.