The Art of Stealing a Duke’s Heart: Thieves of Desire Book 1

by St. Clair, Ellie

  For Calli was sure that was what happened when Jonathan kissed her. All of her thoughts practicality fled, to be replaced only with emotion and a great need within her that longed to be answered.

  She had stopped breathing when she saw the predatory look in his eyes as he strode across the room toward her, had no time to defend herself or draw back away from him.

  Not that she wanted to.

  She knew she should — she was stealing from the man, for goodness sake.

  But everything within her told her that this — he — was right, and she had no choice but to surrender.

  For it seemed that even if she had the capability to ration through this, her body had other ideas.

  This time there had been no slow, careful exploration. Instead, it seemed as though he had been waiting for this — for her — and all of the pent-up passion inside of him came pouring out into her.

  Calli found herself unabashedly responding.

  She was not a complete innocent. Many men had wanted her, many men had tried. But none had stirred her enough for her to follow through. Any kisses she had accepted were sloppy, with boys who knew nothing of what they were doing.

  Not like this man, who was as determined and as purposeful as he was with everything else he did.

  Like she, he wore but a wrapper, and Calli slipped her hand underneath the fold of the robe to lay her fingers upon the hard planes of his chest. His warm skin was bristled with small hairs that only served to further arouse her every desire for him.

  When his hand on her hip pulled her closer, Calli could feel the evidence of all that he wanted, and she wantonly ground herself against him, causing him to groan.

  “Calli,” he moaned as he lifted his lips slightly from hers, only to transfer his affections to her neck, and Calli stretched her head out to the side to allow him better access. He lifted her in his arms as though she weighed nothing, spinning her around before allowing her feet to settle down against the cold marble before he pushed her back against the wall.

  He stretched an arm over her head, holding her there possessively, and when he bent her knee around his hip, she welcomed the pressure of him against her, wanting more of him, of this, even as she had no idea just what exactly that would mean.

  Why had she even come here? The hazy thought formed in the back of her mind. Oh yes, because she was drawn to the sound of his footsteps, pulled like she had no other choice.

  The thought mattered no longer, however, as Jonathan trailed kisses down her shoulder, over her collarbone as Calli remembered him doing before, but this time she was not wearing a dress that offered no flexibility.

  Her nightgown was high but thin, and when he pushed the wrapper out of the way, she knew her breasts would be on full display for him through the thin white material of her nightgown.

  His swift intake of breath, however, seemed to communicate that he had no cause for complaint, and as her wrapper fell completely open, he lifted one breast and then the other in his hands, before he bent his head and suckled one nipple through the fabric of her nightgown as he tweaked the other with his fingers. Calli moaned, her head falling backward, her shoulders pushing her breasts closer toward him, offering them to him, practically begging for more.

  She didn’t know what exactly she was asking for, but Jonathan seemed to be well aware.

  With her knee around his hip, her nightgown was already spread open for him, and his fingers wrapped around her ankle in a vise. He trailed them up her calf, sparking sensations through nerves that she didn’t even know were possible to cause such tremors.

  His fingers continued to wander as his ministrations were relentless, and Calli felt like an instrument at the mercy of a powerful musician.

  He finished the journey up her thigh quickly, his fingers finding her, stroking her, causing her to cry out and jerk upward away from him — only for her to settle back down, welcoming him once more.

  “Is this all right?” he asked, looking up at her with eyes glazed over in desire, and she returned his stare, unsure if she would be able to properly form words.

  “Y-yes,” she managed. “Of course.”

  He stroked her again and again, refusing to abandon her breasts at the same time, and before Calli knew what was happening, the heady sensation of her release began to build, until it rocketed through her with a force she never could have expected.

  She was sure her cry could be heard through the entire house, until Jonathan silenced it by placing his mouth back upon hers, kissing her until the waves became small ebbs.

  Calli shuddered as she collapsed in his arms, shaken — by the experience, by the intensity… by Jonathan.

  “Are you all right?” he murmured, holding her close against him.

  “Better than all right,” she said hoarsely. “That was… that was…”

  “I know,” he said, and Calli could have sworn he was laughing slightly. The man who never laughed would laugh now after that?

  She leaned back, looking up into his face as he stared back at her with a warmth that rather unsettled her.

  “Time for sleep,” he said, leaning down and kissing her briefly, chastely, on the lips.

  As though she could sleep after that.

  “But—” she began, reaching for him, knowing he must be aching, but he stepped away from her.

  “Another time,” he said softly. “You need to sleep. Can’t have the governess napping away the day under a tree again.”

  Calli flushed, although whether her cheeks could turn any redder than they likely already were, she had no idea.

  “I am so sorry,” she said, her words just above a whisper. “I never meant—”

  He placed his index finger against her lips.

  “I know. I wasn’t criticizing.”

  Calli swallowed hard, nodding, wanting to stay here, with him, yet unsure what she was supposed to say or do — which wasn’t at all like her. Usually, she knew exactly how to respond in nearly every situation.

  “Jonathan, I—I’m not sure what this is, but—”

  “Calli,” he murmured, “I don’t know either, but I don’t think we need to put words to it right now. We enjoy being together. I feel a passion for you I don’t think I ever have for another. But I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

  Calli dipped her head. “It is not taking advantage when both people welcome it.”

  He laced his fingers through her hair, tilting her head back up toward him.

  “That is a welcome sentiment, for certain,” he said. “But even still. You are the governess and it wouldn’t be right for me to take liberties. Beyond what I already have.”

  She was the governess. Right. He wouldn’t ruin her, but nor would he ever take a step forward with her.

  And she shouldn’t want to! She was forgetting why she was even here, what she was doing to him. Somehow this identity she had assumed was becoming far too real. She had to remember who she was, where she came from, and what her family expected of her. To do anything else would only be setting them all up for disaster.

  “Right,” was all she murmured, as she stepped back away from him, trying to ignore the warmth that spread through her as he pulled together the front of her wrapper before tying the belt around her waist. “Good night then.”

  “Good night, Calli,” he said so softly, so gently, and before Calli could talk herself out of it, she turned around and fled the room.

  * * *

  Jonathan wasn’t surprised when he walked out to the stables the next day only to find two shadows beginning to trail behind him.

  He didn’t turn around as he asked, “yes?”

  “Where are you going?” Matthew asked, and Jonathan had to bite the inside of his cheek to hold in his chuckle.

  “Business,” he responded. “Where is your governess?”

  “She’s coming,” Mary said. “She wasn’t fast enough.”

  Sure enough, there was Calli, running across the expanse of green after them, her skirts
in one hand, her other arm swinging back and forth beside her. She wore a soft green today that was lovely on her, causing her hair to shine and her eyes to gleam as she approached.

  “Children,” she said between heavy breaths, “please don’t leave me like that.”

  Matthew and Mary giggled behind raised hands as they looked at one another before sneaking a glance at Jonathan as though determining the severity of his ire.

  “She’s slow,” Mary observed.

  They laughed as Calli rolled her eyes.

  “We were picking apples,” she explained. “I turned around and they were gone.”

  “Uncle Jonathan is leaving on business,” Matthew said.

  “We want to come,” Mary added.

  “You can’t come,” Jonathan cut in, finishing their protestations.

  “Why not?” they asked together.

  “Because it is business.” He sighed, unable to keep the impatience from his tone. “I can’t show up inquiring about a man’s land with my niece and nephew and governess in tow.”

  Although even as he said it, he couldn’t properly look at Calli, remembering all that had transpired between him and this governess just last night.

  All that should never have happened and yet it had felt more right than anything he had ever experienced before. What was it about this woman that caused him to forget everything he always held so important?

  “Please, Uncle?” Mary said, cutting through his musings. “We will be very quiet and stay outside if you wish.”

  “Yes, we are bored,” Matthew, said, dragging out the last word, even through Calli’s snort of indignation.

  “Is Miss Donahue not keeping you entertained?” he asked, lifting a brow as he attempted to keep his smile subdued.

  “Well, yes, but Matthew just means we are bored not going anywhere else, seeing the same walls again and again,” Mary said, and Jonathan laughed when Calli rolled her eyes behind the children.

  “Heaven forbid you are relegated to an estate such as this one with nowhere else to go,” Jonathan said, then looked between the two of them and their earnest expressions.

  “Fine,” he said, to which they cheered in excited and shocked surprise. “But you must listen to me and to Cal—Miss Donahue, and if there is any hint of misbehaviour, this shall be the last time I ever allow such a thing, do you understand?”

  “We understand!” they shouted as they ran to prepare themselves for the quick trip.

  Calli studied him for a moment with a raised brow before she turned and followed her charges.

  Jonathan prepared himself for a long ride.

  Chapter 15

  Jonathan had decided that today they would stay to the roads, so while Calli was a bit disappointed not to see the open land she had enjoyed on their last ride, at least the terrain was slightly easier to navigate, particularly with Mary holding on behind her.

  They hadn’t gone far, however, when the children spied buildings in the distance.

  “Uncle!” Mary called, causing Calli to wince when the girl screamed in her ear. “What is that?”

  “Over there?” Jonathan responded, lifting a hand to shade his eyes. “The village.”

  “I’ve never been to the village before,” Mary said, this time not quite as loudly but still with a great deal of interest. Calli herself was somewhat intrigued. She had spent her life in London, but not much time anywhere smaller. What would such a place be like?

  “We don’t have time,” Jonathan said, already anticipating the children’s question.

  “Please?” Matthew said. “Just for a few minutes, can we see what’s there?”

  Calli was sure Jonathan was going to say no, which is why she raised her brows at his assent, as begrudging as it was.

  The four of them on horseback were certainly quite the draw for onlookers as they began to plod through the small town, that was as sleepy as Calli might have imagined it to be. People stepped out of doorways to watch them go by, most of them with a smile and a friendly wave that Calli and the children returned. They had only been riding a few minutes when they approached what seemed to be the village’s largest buildings.

  “What are those, Uncle?” Matthew asked.

  “There is a small inn with the general store beside it,” Jonathan explained, his voice as unattached as he was to most things.

  “Can we go into the store?” Mary asked eagerly, likely already anticipating sweets.

  “For just a moment,” Jonathan said, apparently realizing that he had lost the battle before it began and therefore chose not to fight. Calli turned her head to hide her smile.

  Jonathan pulled open the obvious heavy wooden door, allowing them through. The light was dim inside the store, small windows allowing a bit of sunlight to filter through, shining on the dust motes in the air as well as the food stores on the shelves.

  Mary immediately found the sweets, of course — she seemed to have a nose for sniffing out sugar — and Jonathan pulled out coin for them as Calli watched with her arms crossed and a smile on her face.

  She was so enamored with the scene in front of her that she was completely taken off guard when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a shelf.

  “Xander!” she hissed when his familiar face came into focus. “What are you doing?”

  “What am I doing?” he whispered with raised brows. “What are you doing? Playing house with the duke?”

  “Yes, that is exactly what I’m doing,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Playing governess, anyway. Now, why are you here in Kent?”

  “Arie sent me to look after you,” he said, his voice low, his eyes flicking up to look behind her now and again. “He was worried when you left London.”

  “I can take care of myself,” she said indignantly. If it had been Xander who had left on an assignation, no one would have pursued him to watch over him.

  “I know you can, but you… well, Calli, you have a heart like none of the rest of us do, so you can understand why Arie might be worried.”

  Calli tried to push away thoughts of herself in Jonathan’s arms, worried that Xander would be able to read the guilt on her face if she let them invade.

  “I am keeping to the job,” she promised with what she hoped was a convincing nod.

  “Good,” he said. “Well, I’ll try to come by the estate and check in on you. I could hardly believe when I looked out the window of my bedroom and saw you riding through town, sitting high on your horse like a princess herself.”

  Calli laughed a bit too loudly at that as Xander looked around her.

  “Hardly,” she said, tempering herself, “although I am glad now that Arie insisted on the riding lessons.”

  “You best go,” Xander said, nodding beyond her. “But be careful, Calli. Look after yourself. Where are you going?”

  “To a neighbouring estate. A baron’s, I believe.”

  “Ah,” Xander’s features lit up with interest. “I’ve heard of the man. He has quite the collection of Greek statues. Steal one for Arie. He would be most appreciative.”

  “But—”

  “Miss Donahue?”

  Calli whirled around to find Jonathan looking at her with some concern.

  “Were you speaking to someone?”

  “I—”

  Calli turned back around, but found that Xander had disappeared.

  “Just talking to myself,” she said, forcing a smile.

  “We bought you a sweet!” Mary said, skipping over toward her and holding out a red candy.

  “Thank you,” Calli said to Mary, unable to look up at Jonathan, once again wishing that her emotions were not so easily read. But Jonathan didn’t seem to notice as he turned and beckoned them forward. Calli took one more look behind her, seeing only the back of a familiar head of black hair browsing the shelves. She swallowed and then followed Jonathan and the children out the door.

  * * *

  “Do you promise that you will all stay outdoors in the yard?” Jona
than asked, looking at the three of them with question as he dismounted his horse.

  “Of course,” Calli said with a quick nod, her expression making it clear that she did not entirely appreciate being spoken to as though she was one of the children. “I will keep a good eye on them.”

  “I know you will.”

  A groom approached and took the horses as Jonathan walked to the front door, looking back to see the children already racing across the grass, Calli in their wake. Ah, but to have such energy.

  “Your Grace?”

  When he turned the butler was waiting for him, and he walked through the door to find the baron already sitting in the front parlor.

  “Your Grace, welcome. I couldn’t help but notice through the window of my study that you are not alone today. Perhaps you would like your wife and children to come inside as well? My grandchildren are in residence, and they might enjoy some company.”

  “My—oh. My niece and nephew. And that is not my wife. The governess,” Jonathan said, even as heat began to rise from his stomach, up through his chest and into his face at the very thought of Calli being so attached to him.

  “My apologies, Your Grace. She is such a beautiful woman, I could only assume. Still, they are of course invited in.”

  “Ah, yes, thank you,” Jonathan said, slightly thrown still by the idea the baron had put forth.

  “Very good. I shall have my butler approach them. Come with me to my study.”

  He held his arm out, and Jonathan followed him toward the door he pointed to. “I trust you have had the opportunity to see the lands that I would like to sell?”

  “I have,” Jonathan said with a nod. “May I ask why you would like to be rid of them?”

  The elderly Baron Chilton sighed as he settled his considerable frame into the chair behind the desk.

  “My son… he is a good boy, but not entirely responsible. He likes the gaming tables.”

  The baron looked down morosely for a moment, not needing to say anymore. “I suppose I need some of the funds to pay off his debts. It is not ideal, but—?” He raised his hands in the air.