“Walked? But it’s two miles at least.”
“It is.” Evan closed the gap between them until they were only a pace apart. “But I found myself eager to come back.”
“Why?” His close proximity forced her to crane her neck. Lilly swallowed as he searched her gaze and yet again she found him unreadable.
His expression shuttered and she noted a brief stiffening of his body but he remained close. “What are you doing in here? I keep it locked for a reason.”
She licked her lips. “Forgive me, I was... bored. I wanted to read.”
Evan turned his head to stare at the bookshelves as if he had never seen them before. “Of course. I should have given you a key. Forgive me, Lilly. I forget we don’t have a vast library here and I seldom use this house for leisure. I hope you have not been too bored.”
“Not really. Mrs Hargreaves and I have spent most of our time organising how the house shall be run while I am here, and I’ve explored most of the woods.”
“Your time was better spent than mine then.”
“Was your business very urgent?”
His gaze flicked to the desk and then narrowed on her. “You are inquisitive for a woman. Why should my business be of interest to you?”
Tightness coiled in her stomach. He had no doubt seen her reading his private letters but did he put that down to her being bored or something else? She placed her hands on his shoulders and offered up the most seductive smile she could summon.
“Because I am your mistress. It is down to me to soothe away your concerns.” Lilly kept her voice low, quite unable to believe how easily it came to her. She had never once played the seductress but it felt natural with Evan. Perhaps it was because a desperate ache had started to build inside her and she realised just how much she had missed him. Palms on his chest, she skimmed them down, relished the hardness there and glided them back up. His heart thudded, sure and steady against her palm.
“How do you intend to do that?” he asked, voice gritty. His eyes had darkened and, even in the meagre light, she saw his desire.
Feminine power emboldened her. He needed her and he had rushed to be back with her. This implacable, powerful man wanted her—a plain, illegitimate woman of no consequence. Lilly took that one step forward—the one that would bring them together—and slipped her arms around his neck.
“I can soothe you in many ways, Evan,” she whispered, moving onto tiptoes to nip his neck.
His hands came around her waist and through the thin linen, the heat of them sent tremors down her spine. Under his large palms, she felt delicate and feminine. Under his heated gaze she felt strong and powerful.
“I’ve only been gone a week and here I find my mistress has become a seductress. What has wrought such a change?”
She tried not to flinch at the word mistress. It was bad enough saying it herself, but to hear him refer to her as such stung, even as she chided herself for foolishness. After all, that was all she was.
“I missed you,” she admitted.
A hand left her waist and came up to cup her face. Unable to prevent herself, she nuzzled into his palm. One strong thumb rubbed across her cheek.
“I missed you too, though Lord knows, I don’t know why. You are one of the most aggravating women I have ever met.”
Lilly failed to be offended by his words, not when he had admitted to missing her. Something warm and tender resided in her chest and blossomed through her body. “Show me how much you missed me.”
“Here?”
Lilly glanced at the door and considered the servants. They were all long asleep. There would be no interruptions and the thought of traipsing through the house to her bedroom did not appeal. She needed Evan here. Now.
“Yes, here.”
A deep, animalistic sound rose from his throat and sent thrills skittering through her. One hand on her rear, the other slipping beneath her hair, he pulled her into him. She gasped when she found herself pressed against him and he took the chance to kiss her deeply. Lord, she had missed the taste of him, the feel of him. Fingers twining in his hair, she kissed him back just as frantically and he groaned in appreciation, bringing his other hand to clutch her backside and hold her against his growing hardness.
She ended up backed against the desk, the wood digging into her buttocks. Evan tore himself away. “I will not take you on a desk like a barbarian again.”
Lilly giggled. “You are not a barbarian.”
“Still...”
Swinging her gaze around, she settled it on the Oriental rug by the fire. It didn’t look particularly plush, but it would do. “The rug,” she said breathlessly, aware of every inch of his body moulded to hers.
“Yes, that will do.”
She laughed again as he dragged her over and urged her down. With no drawers on, she felt scandalously exposed, even with her long chemise. It tangled around her thighs and Evan’s eyes gleamed, highlighted by the moon that had taken the place of the dusky evening light and now dappled across them both through the tall window.
Lilly lay back and felt the press of the rug against her skin. Evan came to rest next to her, skimmed a finger down her side and rested himself on one elbow to view her. Lilly gazed up at his dark hair, severe brow and intense eyes and sighed. It reminded her of the first time he had taken her, yet no trembling limbs or churning stomach plagued her now. The barriers between them had been destroyed by their desire for one another. She did not doubt she would continue to find him wholly disagreeable many, many times in the future but if they could maintain their desire, it would be worthwhile.
Lord, she had almost forgotten her reasons for becoming his mistress—and they had been practical and nothing to do with the twisting heat he caused inside of her... had they?
“What have you done to me? You enslave me, Lilly. I could think of nothing else but your touch whilst I was in London. Of your sweet lips.” He put a finger to them. “Of your beautiful eyes and soft skin.”
With a smile, Lilly rolled her eyes. Perhaps she did feel beautiful when Evan treated her this way, but she knew it was because he was about to take her. Probably it was the challenge she presented that made her attractive to him. Or the scandal of their liaison.
“You don’t believe me,” he stated, letting his finger linger on her lips.
She kissed the tip of his finger. “I am sure you believe that now.”
“I don’t lie and I stand by my word. We have not known each other long, but I would have thought you had realised that by now.”
Lilly stared at him. Her heart reached out to him, desperate to believe him, but the doubt in her head would not be suppressed. Had she not always believed in following her head rather than her heart? Her mother followed her heart and look where that led her. But Evan had proved himself to be blunt and honest at all times. If he had done anything to her father, she was sure she would have known. Would she have given herself so easily if she genuinely believed him to be so depraved?
She could only conclude she would not, or that would make her a fool indeed.
“You seldom disguise the truth, I shall give you that much.”
“I can offer no honeyed words, for certain.”
“Yet you call me beautiful.”
“You are. Your skin is perfection, your eyes haunt me in my sleep.”
“And these are not honeyed words?”
Evan smirked. “See? You’ve enchanted me. I can’t even control my tongue around you.”
Lilly toyed with a lock of his silky dark hair. “Well, that I can sympathize with. I can rarely claim to be in control of my tongue.”
“That is true.” He dropped a kiss to her lips. “And I’m glad. I cannot tolerate false behaviour.” Those clever kisses continued as he sketched a path down her neck to her collarbone.
Her stomach twisted. Her words and behaviour might not have been wholly false, but she had sought him out for one reason only initially and her agreement to be his mistress had been driven by a desire for
the truth. Was that such a bad thing? The bunching in her gut told her yes. Should she admit to her doubts about him and risk being sent away? As he leisurely pulled apart the laces of her chemise and lavished attention to the soft rise of her breasts, Lilly sighed. No, that was too great a risk.
Chapter Fifteen
Unable to fathom why Lilly had such an effect on him, Evan buried his head against her breasts and found one tight tip straining against the cotton. He closed his mouth around the fabric and was rewarded with her arching up into him. He slid an arm around her back and clutched her to him and he sucked and nibbled lightly on her nipple.
He still wasn’t sure why he had returned a day early, only that he had longed to taste Lilly, to feel her, even to hear her with such an urgency that he couldn’t sit still. Concluding sitting around in London for one more night was a waste of time, he had caught the late train. Even the long walk from the station to the house was not enough to perturb him. Evan had not been sure she would be awake but he intended to slip into her bed nonetheless and at least hold her. His concern for Eleanor, his disgust at her husband’s behaviour melted away with Lilly’s sweet sighs and soft flesh.
Of course, he didn’t believe for a second she had only come here for reading material. She had been snooping. She was a curious, bright creature and no doubt needed stimulation. Perhaps her loneliness had driven her to sneak into his study. Why else would she be interested in his personal papers which bored even him? His gut twisted, but he shook off the guilt of leaving her alone as he shifted to her other breast and laved the same attention on it. She knew full well what she was agreeing to. As a mistress she could expect him to turn up when and if he tired of her, she would have to content herself with living in his home alone for the rest of their contract.
Evan tugged the chemise further down, exposing one quivering, lush breast. He groaned. How could he ever tire of this? Damn and blast, he only had a year. He would have to pray he wearied of her as he could offer her no more. A whole year was too long in the company of one woman as it was, particularly one who fired his blood. It was a good thing he could come and go as he pleased or else they might discover if he really was like his father and he would rather die than harm a woman, especially Lilly.
Her frantic hands drove away his morbid thoughts and he kissed down the valley of her breasts, releasing her onto the rug to pull at the hem of her shift. In one easy movement, he had it tugged up and over her head. Grateful for the moonlight shimmering across her skin, Evan took a moment to admire her hair tumbling around her bare shoulders and the soft curves of her body. In a gown, Lilly stunned, but naked, she took his breath away and tied him in knots.
“Exquisite,” he muttered and noted her smile of disbelief.
He would admit he too had been guilty of underestimating her beauty. Those pretty features had grown more beautiful than any woman he had ever known and that adequate figure drove him wild. Each inch of her was soft and curved as if made for his hands. He grasped her hips and relished the slight give of her flesh.
Thank God she had overcome her shyness. Whatever nerves had plagued her their first night together seemed to have vanished since and she had no compunctions about being utterly exposed to him. Evan worked at the buttons of his shirt with one hand while using the other to skim up and down her body. With each sweeping motion, she arched into his touch like a wave. Her eyes shone with need and he nearly tore his shirt in his haste to remove it and give her what she craved.
He stood to remove his shoes, trousers and underwear before coming back to her side. Lilly’s gaze skipped over him several times as he lay next to her and his chest swelled with pride at the desire burning bright in her eyes and the way her breasts moved increasingly quicker with each breath.
A slender, cool hand reached between them and curled around his arousal. He hissed, sweet agony coursing through him, and his hips rocked instinctively into her grasp.
“Is that...?”
“Don’t stop,” he grated out as she moved her hand.
She licked her bottom lip, leaving it glossy and succulent and giving him no choice but to kiss her as she loved him with her hand. Her inexperienced movements added an edge to the pleasure for he didn’t know what to expect. Who knew bedding a near virgin was more interesting than bedding an experienced widow or courtesan?
Though somehow he suspected it was the woman and not her innocence that heightened the experience.
Soon it became too much and he could hardly concentrate on kissing and touching her. “Stop.”
Lilly stilled her hand and stared up at him, eyes wide and wary.
“Too much,” he muttered. “Cannot control myself.”
Evan urged her legs apart before she could protest and found her wet and ready for him. The scent of arousal suffused the air and he damn near exploded as it crumbled his last threads of restraint. Fearful of taking her too hard and fast again, particularly after a week apart, he rolled onto the rug and took her with him. With one leg tucked between his and her hot folds pressed against his thigh, her luscious breasts flattened to his chest, he claimed her mouth for a kiss before using his hands on her hips to coax her to straddle him.
Gazing up at her, his heart constricted along with his body. Her glorious hair spilled over her shoulders and curled above her breasts. Evan reached out and tugged on a curl before skimming over the rise of one breast.
“What do I...?”
Evan grinned. She was already rocking against him. One thing could be said for Lilly Claremont, she was a quick learner. He took her hips again and raised her up to settle her over him.
“Sink onto me.” She eagerly positioned herself over him and began to press down. Evan gritted his teeth. “Slowly, Lilly. God’s blood.”
Her heat enclosing him so swiftly nearly sent his eyes rolling into the back of his head. His heart pounded so hard he feared it might crack a rib. She slowed now and he felt the tension in her from their time apart as she closed over him like a glove.
With her head tilted back, hair occasionally skimming the tops of his thighs, Evan became convinced he’d never met a woman so beautiful. It was astonishing to think she had been an innocent before he had taken her. He’d felt little pride in being her first at the time—not after her discomfort and his lack of self-control—but now... now it stirred the primitive part of him. Whatever happened in her future, she would never forget him—the man who first claimed her.
She sat there for a few moments and Evan had to force his gaze away from where they were joined. The sight promised to take him to the edge far too quickly. He used a thumb to play little circles over her pearl, and she rewarded him with tiny keening noises that made his heart pound faster—if that was possible. If this kept up, he would have a heart attack. Evan couldn’t complain though. What a way to go. Buried inside the beautiful Lilly Claremont.
Hands to her hips, he eased her up and guided her movements. She took to it perfectly and pride made him beam at her. How many other men could boast such a mistress? Stunning, clever, quick-witted and naturally sensual. Thank goodness he had not let his brother have her.
He eyed her breasts greedily as they swayed with her movements. Once she had the hang of riding him, he touched her sex again and was rewarded with the clench of her inner muscles around him.
“So responsive,” he uttered. “You should see how beautiful you look, Lilly.”
Lilly ran her hands down his chest and flattened them against his stomach for leverage. “You are beautiful too,” she panted.
Evan would have chuckled if he had not been so consumed with her. There were few women who would tell the stern, disapproving Lord Hawksley he was beautiful. But Lilly never failed to surprise him. He had no doubt she would continue to do so.
When it became clear she was tiring, he rolled her off him and she released a sweet little disappointed sound. Evan urged her onto her knees and he smoothed a hand across her beautiful pale rear.
“Like this?” she asked
, voice tinged with disbelief.
“This will feel very deep for you. I’m told it brings a woman much pleasure but if it’s too much, you must tell me.” He lined himself up behind her and his hands shook as he grasped her hips.
Lilly waited for him, patient and ready like an offering. The blood in his ears roared and he took her in one steady sweep. She cried out and he lunged again. With each press, her noises increased and the foggy haze in his mind closed over him. Only pleasure and Lilly’s supple body existed.
Evan gritted his teeth and moved furiously. The slap of flesh on flesh rang in his ears, but he had no control over himself any more. She had thoroughly enchanted him. Her sounds grew frantic and her body trembled against him. He took and took, pounding harder into her. Somewhere in the back of his mind lingered a warning that he should slow down and remember her inexperience but his mind shut down the words and he gripped her hips while the pleasure crested.
Lilly whimpered and her body spasmed around him. The sensation took him by surprise and he groaned. With several hard, frantic thrusts, he spilled inside of her. His orgasm seared him to the core and went on for an eternity. He continued to rock against her until the fog in front of his eyes lifted. Evan stopped, took a breath and peered down at the shaking woman beneath him.
She collapsed onto the rug, leaving Evan to slide out of her. He clenched his jaw when he spotted marks on her hips and rear—fingerprints to be precise. God almighty, his fingerprints.
He fought to find his voice. “Lilly?”
Lilly rolled over and faced him, a soft smile on her face. Her breasts rose with each audible inhalation and his softening erection twitched in response. What was wrong with him? He longed to ask if she was well, if he had hurt her, but the words refused to come. He had treated her no better than a whore instead of an inexperienced lady. And he had lost control.
Unforgivable.
“Let us get you to bed,” he said gruffly instead.
Her lids drooped and she nodded. Evan felt a heel but it was time to put some distance between them. He couldn’t afford to lose control every time they made love. In such a state, he might do anything. What if next time he did worse than leave a few fingerprints on her bottom? She would no doubt be sore the next morning from his brutal lovemaking. That was not how a gentleman was meant to behave whether the woman he was making love to was his mistress or not. Women were fragile, fair creatures and needed to be treated as such. Perhaps he really was no better than his father.
Tempting His Mistress Page 13
