When he started licking her nipples, she clenched her quim, realizing how empty she felt. Suddenly, the thought of his cock inside her became very appealing.
He threw his head back and groaned, his hand covering hers, giving short, sharp tugs until his seed spilled onto the sheets. He lay beside her, gasping, until slowly he turned and gazed at her, his face flushed, his eyes glazed.
“Would it feel better to be inside me?” she asked.
“Aye. But I’ll wait until you’re sure.” He climbed off the bed and poured water from a jug into a wide bowl.
She watched, unable to take her eyes off him.
“Come wash. You first, then let’s go downstairs and have some dinner. I need some distraction, or the sight of you will have me hard again and I’ll want to be inside you.”
She did as he asked, washing her face and hands first, and then, using a linen towel, she washed down the rest of her.
It was like a whole new world had opened up, and although she wanted to chatter on, Aaron appeared to need silence. She picked up her shift and put it on, wondering how to keep herself warm.
Perhaps he’d read her mind, because he opened a chest of drawers, pulled out a bright aqua wool banyan with a fur collar, and helped her into it. “I had a new dressing gown made in a small size, pretending it was a gift.”
“You must have been very sure of your powers of seduction,” she said, thinking it would take more than a day to make such a beautifully worked piece. How long had he been planning this? She pulled it closed and tied it in the middle. “It fits me well.”
He put his hands on her shoulders, leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. “I haven’t stopped thinking of you from the moment I saw you. Every day and every night, you disturb my dreams so that I’m fitful and aching for you.”
She put her palm to his face. “I trust you’ll sleep better tonight.”
“Aye, for I’ll have you in my arms all night.” He pulled his shirt back on with some fresh breeches, then reached into his chest of drawers and pulled out an elaborate Indian banyan to wrap around his body.
Something deep stirred inside her at his words. Other than the hard love of her father, she’d never had a man so devoted to her. It was all very puzzling, and yet it made her heart sing with happiness. Perhaps she’d found perfection—a caring man who had no plans to dominate or control her life. This was the kind of relationship she spoke about in her talks. One where she could be Aaron’s equal and not a scourged mistress or a downtrodden wife.
Everything was wonderful.
Perfect.
Chapter Twenty-One
Saturday morning
Aaron awoke with his arms wrapped around Crystal. Her long blond hair was loose on the pillow, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling. He gazed on her beauty, noticing how long her eyelashes were, how kissable her lips. She’d insisted on sleeping in her shift, but it wouldn’t take much to coax her out of it. Would she be ready to take his cock this morning? He hoped so. He’d never remembered a time in his life when he’d been so happy, so contented, as he was now with her. She had such integrity that, for the first time, he thought he’d found a woman he could trust. Not one who wanted him simply because he was heir to a grand title.
She was there in his bed, risking everything for him, without the pressure of marriage. It was so new, so precious, he could barely put words to his happiness.
He wanted to whisk her away to the family seat so he could have her to himself every day. Edinburgh was too busy and too risky. The last thing he wanted was for Crystal to be compromised.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone hammered on his front door loud enough to echo up three flights of stairs.
What the hell? He didn’t even have his butler this morning to tell them to move on.
Crystal’s eyes snapped open in alarm. “What was that?”
“Someone fool enough to bother me, which isn’t going to happen while I have you in my bed,” he growled. “I should have thought to close my bedroom door last night. They can just go away.” He snuggled up behind her, looping his arm around her waist and pressing his aching cock against her backside. She was nice and warm and sleepy. He reached down, cupped her round bottom to knead, and started to nuzzle her neck.
“Mmm,” she sighed, rolling onto her back and smiling at him in welcome. “What a glorious way to awaken. I had no idea of the delight being in your bed could bring.”
His door knocker banged, a sharp clacking sound that seemed to echo up the stairwell and into his bedroom. Then the sound of a key turning in the lock fully roused him.
Who the hell was impudent enough to disturb him now? He leaped off the bed, wondering if it was his brother, who was the only other person to have a key to this house. Pulling on his banyan, he leaned over the stair rail. “Is that you, Will?”
“Aye. You’d best get yourself dressed, and the lassie, too, if she’s up there,” Will called, looking up from the entry landing. “I’ve something important to share.”
“Just a minute. I’m coming down.” How could Will know Crystal was here? He looked over at her. She’d sat up, her delicious blond curls falling over her shoulders and her beautiful breasts, the nipples pointed beneath her shift.
Hell and damnation, he’d send Will on his way with a flea in his ear for troubling him, unless this was urgent business. He had a morning cockstand, and he knew exactly where he wanted to put it. Last night, they’d come so close, but she’d needed more time, and he was willing to give it to her. This sensuous unveiling was one of the most erotic things he’d ever done.
She was so special to him.
He pulled on his breeches and hoped his damned cock would deflate as he thumped down three flights of stairs to the landing.
Will held up a broadsheet. “I think you should see this. Luckily for you, I was up early this morning and bought it, so you can read it for when you’re asked to comment.”
“What time is it?” he said, taking the broadsheet from him.
“Nearly noon.”
“Is it? I would have sworn it was just dawn.” He yawned and stretched, still lost in the heady abandonment of sexual pleasure.
Will raised an eyebrow. “I can see you’ve been otherwise engaged.”
Aaron brushed his hand through his hair and over his jawline. He had no idea how late he and Crystal had delighted in each other. She was so fascinated with him—what pleased him and what didn’t. His gut had told him she’d be a willing pupil, and, much to his pleasure, he’d been right. Technically, she was still a virgin, but he’d come close to taking her several times last night. No wonder they’d both slept in. He needed a shave and a wash.
He opened the broadsheet to see his and Crystal’s names on the front page and an eye-catching headline: TWO LORDS AT WAR OVER HERO’S DAUGHTER.
“Oh, hell. They must have held the presses to get this out.” Urgently, he scanned the article, which reported the incident with Angus Stuart calling Crystal a whore. Unfortunate, but at least the journalist had kept to the facts. The article gave a detailed description of the fight and Aaron’s spirited defense of the lady. Fair enough. His gaze alighted on the last few lines. How long before Lady Crystal Wilding is compromised, now that her benefactor, the Marquis of Lyle, heir to the Duke of Lomond, has his sights on her? A rake like Lyle is well-known for meeting and spurning ladies of worth.
“It isn’t good, but there’s naught here to sue them over,” Will said.
“Damn! I knew we’d end up in the papers. It’s not exactly flattering, though I suppose I will have to wear it. I hardly consider myself a rake. Spurning well-born ladies? What ladies?” He scrunched the broadsheet in his hand, wanting to shred it.
Will held up his fingers. “Lady Sybil, Lady Prunella, and the Devonshire earl’s daughter. I forget her name.”
“Lady Honora.
They were ladies Lomond insisted I meet, and Lady Sybil ran crying because our grandmother said there was madness in her family.”
“Is Lady Prunella still in the running for your hand?” Will asked.
“The dowager told her she was born of a syphilitic drunk, and she ran off, too, so hopefully not,” Aaron said, turning his attention back to the broadsheet.
“No wonder Lomond made sure the dowager wasn’t at Lomond House when Lady Honora called.”
“I wish she had been,” Aaron muttered. “How dare they print that I intend to compromise Lady Crystal?”
Will raised his eyebrows and stared at him.
“Don’t say a word,” Aaron warned his brother. He needed to think, because from the outside, it looked the way of the article. No one had any idea how he felt about Crystal. Although he put a good face on it to Will, the allegations in the article made him so furious he wanted to punch the wall.
He couldn’t think when he was angry. He stomped down the hall and made his way to the kitchen with Will following him. “Light the stove, will you? I want to read this again. I’ve had the cook set up the coffeepot. We’ve only to heat water to put through it.”
Will took two cups down from the cabinet.
Aaron glanced up. “Pull down another cup, will you? Crystal will want some when she learns about this.”
“So, you’ve seduced her already,” Will said with a look of disapproval.
“How is this any of your damned business?” Aaron asked as guilt started to eat into his soul. Crystal would be upset with this article, but he needed to show her so they could work out what to do together.
“Where’re your servants?” Will asked as he opened the stove door and lit the already stacked wood and paper.
“I gave them time off today. They’ll be back to cook my dinner. I didn’t want word getting out about Crystal. The fewer people who know she’s spent the night, the better.”
“Aye, well, it won’t be because of your servants, you ken. You’re doing well enough on your own. Now the whole of Edinburgh knows of your interest in the lady,” Will said, pointing at the broadsheet.
Aaron resisted the urge to dive over the table and punch Will in the head. If he’d been younger, he would have, but as adults they’d learned to resolve their differences in a more civilized way. His brother was only trying to warn him, but it was Will’s underlying disapproval that grated on his nerves. Will could be so like their father sometimes.
“Aaron, you’re compromising a lord’s daughter. Earl Wilding had great standing in our country, and the lassie is a good woman, but she has no one to protect her.”
Aaron clenched his jaw and scrunched the broadsheet. “She doesn’t need protection. She has me.”
“You. Will. Ruin. Her,” Will said through gritted teeth, condemnation in his eyes. “Why couldn’t you seduce a divorcee or a widow? This is a young lass fresh from the Highlands who knows naught about men. She’s full of ideas, and she’s very clever with words, but some ideas are impractical in our society. Is she nothing but prey to you? Let her go.”
“How dare you!” Aaron stood, the chair he sat on crashing backward.
He wasn’t ready to acknowledge this relationship out loud. It was too new. Too precious. He was falling for Crystal in a way he’d never experienced before. He couldn’t call it love. Could he…? He barely knew her. But what he felt was rich and special, like finding a deep seam of diamonds in a coal mine. So unexpected. So joyous—and he wasn’t ready to share a sentiment that barely had a name.
Not until he’d shared it with Crystal first.
To admit his feelings to his brother would split him wide open. His brother’s censoriousness intruded on this exquisite, fragile feeling, which was not controlled by the bonds of society.
“Lady Crystal doesn’t wish to marry,” he said, his voice cool and blunt.
“You mean you dinnae wish to marry.” Will raised his voice.
“No. I meant what I said. She wants to get to know me well, and I’m verra content with the progress. Why do you even care?”
Damn you, Will. Get out before I throw you out!
“Because I admire the lady. She’s brave and sweet, and she deserves better. She cares about others more than she cares about herself, and if you have any regard for her, you’ll let her go before you destroy her.”
“Destroy her? I’d never do that.” Aaron’s fists bunched with fury, though he forced himself to swallow it like the rank medicine it was.
The fire took, and Will closed the stove door, pushing a kettle onto the stove. “You do realize Lomond will never allow you to marry her. She’s too outspoken and too independent.”
“Of course I can’t marry her. I know what’s expected of me. I will marry a biddable, wealthy heiress of Father’s choosing. But they’re all so unappealing. Ugh!” He took the chair, righted it, and sat stiffly.
“This will kill Lomond when he reads it. Is that what you want? There is nothing he hates more than a scandal,” Will said, pointing to the broadsheet. “You know how highly he regarded Earl Wilding, and now you’re treating his daughter like a whore.”
“Keep your voice down,” Aaron said. “None of it is any of your damned business. This is an arrangement we are both happy with.”
“It seems it has become everyone’s business,” Crystal interjected, her voice concerned. “Good morning, Lord William, Aaron.” She padded into the room, dressed in a soft muslin morning gown with a pink shawl over her shoulders. Her hair was done in a loose but neat bun, and she looked every bit the lady.
“Good morning. We have an unexpected visitor,” Aaron said.
“My lady.” Will bowed. “Apologies for disturbing your morning, but I feel there is a broadsheet you should read. With that, I’ll take my leave. I can see my advice is unwelcome.” He bowed again and turned to go.
“Will?” Aaron said.
His brother looked at him, and he saw the hurt dulling the blue of Will’s eyes.
“Thank you for the warning,” Aaron said, his love for his brother overriding his darkening mood.
Will shrugged and left the kitchen, his footsteps retreating down the hallway.
Crystal patted her hair, appearing at ease, but her cheeks were bright pink and her mouth wobbled. How awkward this must be for her.
“I’m sorry, my dear. Will and I have had a disagreement. We differ in our opinions sometimes,” he said, desperately worried about how much she had heard.
“I need to see this broadsheet,” she said.
Aaron jumped to his feet and pulled out a chair for her. “We knew eventually something would be printed about us. It isn’t bad about you, more about me. I’ll go and see the editor, explain that I’m your benefactor, and insist on an apology.”
She sat and reached for the paper, reading parts of the contents aloud. “How long before Lady Crystal Wilding is compromised… A rake known for meeting and spurning ladies of worth.” She looked over at him, her eyes wide, as if assessing him for the first time. “It seems you have quite the reputation,” she said, her voice icy, so different from the willing wanton he’d left in his bed.
“It isn’t as it seems,” Aaron said, anxious to placate her. “It is as I explained to you. The duke insisted I meet prospective wives, but I refused all of them and put a stop to the introductions. You know I don’t agree with forced marriage. You don’t, either.”
She swallowed, looking at him. “It seems to me the ladies were humiliated, and you clearly played a part in that.”
“I agreed to three separate introductions to appease the duke. None of the ladies were to my taste, so I refused to meet more, but you are very well aware of how difficult the situation is for me. I don’t wish to marry a woman who cares nothing for me, though I realize, eventually, I may be forced to. Dammit, Crystal, I love my father, but we are at loggerhea
ds over this.” Unable to bear her scrutiny, he stood, strode over to the stove, took the hot kettle, and poured water into the French drip coffeepot. He crossed his arms while he waited for the water to make its way through the cloth filter. “Have some coffee. We need to think.”
She continued looking at him, her expression blank, appearing dazed. Finally, she stood, took the two china cups from the bench, and set them on the kitchen table. “Coffee would be good. I feel it is time we talked about our situation,” she said slowly and thoughtfully.
He watched her face crumple, though she held her chin high. Was she rethinking her decision to see him? He couldn’t bear to lose her. She was the only one who gave him joy. Confound it!
She pushed the broadsheet away. “I heard you speaking to Lord William. I know you’re not a rake, even though the gutter press is trying to make you seem that way. Nevertheless, we need to talk about us,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Please have faith in me,” Aaron begged, pouring a cup of coffee for her.
“I care for you, Aaron, more than I’ve ever cared for any man, but I don’t want to be run out of town. There are young lives at stake here.”
“Yes, our lives,” he said with desperation. There was a coolness to her voice he hadn’t heard before, and he didn’t like it one bit.
“I also overheard that you feel the duke would consider me to be unsuitable as a marriage partner.”
Hell! No woman ever wanted to hear that, even if it was true. He started to speak, but she held up her hand to silence him.
“Which is irrelevant. It’s taken me all my life to break free from my father telling me what to do, how to behave, and what to think. I’ll never let a man have power over me again.”
Aaron sat next to her and put his arms around her, but she remained stiff, unbending, refusing to cuddle into him as she had last night.
“I understand, which is why this arrangement suits us very well,” Aaron said.
An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord (Scottish Lords and Ladies) Page 14
