The Notorious Proposal

by Terry Long

  Good God! Was he about to take her on his desk? He couldn’t do that with her. She wasn’t a common female, like the ones he’d used to bend over and tup. Ally was a lady. But, hell and damnation!

  “Mister Brooks is here for your eleven o’clock appointment, sir,” Matthews said outside the door. “Are you in this morning?”

  Michael tore his mouth from Ally, who looked a touch dazed. He swore with both frustration and gratitude for the interruption. At least he didn’t have to ponder long whether he was gentleman enough to behave like one.

  “As much as I’d like to resolve this fine…concern with you, sweet, I have another pressing matter to see to.” He scattered reverent kisses against her lips. He could take her upstairs to his bed, though. “Unless, of course, you wish to continue, I could have…”

  “No,” Ally said giving him a charming smile and a diminutive shake of her head. “The poor man has an appointment. Don’t turn him away because you cannot control your carnal nature.” She threaded her fingers through his hair. He loved the way she clung onto him.

  “My nature is just fine, thank you,” he countered with a smile. It seemed his wife knew him well. Glancing toward the closed door, he gave Matthews a loud, booming consent to see his appointment in, and returned his attention back to Ally. “Did you break your fast yet?”

  “I believe I was on my way to do just that,” she answered, rather softly. A deep blush covered her cheeks.

  “Come back when you’ve finished…so we can finish,” he instructed, while she got to her feet and began smoothing her skirts the way he’d always seen women do.

  “Pardon?”

  Michael shook his head. “So much to teach you.” He guided her to stand between his thighs, gently rubbing the small of her back. His hands descended lower and lower until he reached her derrière, where he gave it a firm squeeze.

  Ally whacked his shoulders. “Fiend.” She hurried to the door and slipped out, disappearing from his sight.

  “It’s ogre, my sweet. You’ll have to keep up with the poor list of names you’ve called me on occasion.” He heard her little giggle, and chuckled along with her.

  ***

  The meeting went longer than planned, and as much as it bothered him-and Michael’s patience had long run out-he remained silent. Mr. Brooks, a foreign solicitor of one of his investments overseas, was sluggish in everything he did, starting from the way he fumbled through his already arranged notes, to the way he spoke, right down to the very way he blinked. It just about took him an entire minute to summon a question, another minute to ask it, and another to finally finish it. And God forbid Michael raised a concern on any matter.

  The old, broken mare he rescued could probably walk all the way to Northern Scotland and back before Mr. Brooks could finish deciding on whether the sky was blue or turquoise, Michael was sure. Aside from those disturbing habits, nevertheless, Michael had to admit, the discussion went well. With the forthcoming revenue to come, Michael planned to open an account for Ally so she could have full run of his household and arrange it as she saw fit. She’d be happy with that.

  As soon as the meeting concluded, Michael went in search of his wife. He had only a short time before he had to meet with Mr. Linney.

  The sight of Ally sitting under the shady magnolia trees enhanced his morning further. “What are you reading?” The moment he’d taken a seat on the grass-covered ground beside her, she lifted her head, dazzling him with a smile.

  A light spray of freckles scattering the bridge of her nose made him reach for her. He cupped her face with one hand and kissed the tip of her nose. Then he began spreading kisses along her jaw.

  “Michael.”

  “No one will see if that’s what you’re afraid of. See? No one is around.” He hadn’t glanced around their surroundings when he said that, and knew that was why she laughed.

  “You mustn’t” Ally started, but he silenced her straightaway with a searing kiss. His tongue plunged between her lips, teasing, probing every crevice of her mouth. His hands had a mind of their own, fumbling among her hips, squeezing, caressing.

  His heart hammered to a loud rhythm only he could hear. His ears rung like a cathedral bell as he tasted her, savored her.

  Ally tore from him, panting. To his satisfaction, she looked as flustered as he felt, and breathed just as deeply. “Someone will see,” she said.

  He nodded, telling himself he must reduce the lust for his wife as they may be detected by passing servants.

  Then she went and licked her lips.

  To hell with holding back! He craved her like a man addicted to opium. He had to have her. Michael looked over her shoulder into the distance, and then back at her. “I’m famished.”

  “You’re famished,” Ally echoed. It wasn’t a question, but an incredulous remark. “Would you like to go inside and have your luncheon then?” She looked disgruntled.

  He only knew why. He chuckled. “Come with me.” He hauled her to her feet and led her toward the stalls.

  “Where are we going?”

  He turned back and noticed that she couldn’t keep up with his long strides. Michael slowed his urgent pace. “We’re going on a ride, love.”

  “Ride? Now?”

  He gave her a short, quick nod in answer.

  “But I thought you were famished.”

  When he told the stable master to bring out his horse, Ally took a few steps back and shook her head. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. I am not going anywhere near that beast!”

  Michael watched as Ally contemplated his stallion with a sideways glance as if looking directly at it would cause his horse to charge at her. He honestly didn’t know where this fear of his horse came from. His was the most good-natured horse in all of England. “He won’t hurt you.”

  She glowered at the animal. “You can’t know that!”

  Chuckling, Michael swung into the saddle. “Come. Do you trust me?” he asked when Ally kept shaking her head at him.

  “Yes, but I don’t trust him.”

  Extending a hand, he said, “But you trust me.”

  Ally complied almost instantly, causing Michael’s heart to swell with pure elation. He arranged her before him with both her legs draping over one of his thighs. “I shan’t let him lay a hoof on you.”

  “Don’t poke fun, Michael.”

  “My apologies, my lady.” He bowed as best he could from behind her while stifling a smile.

  “Do not go so fast, do you understand?” she ordered, causing him to raise a brow. The woman was bossy.

  At the slow rate he directed the stallion, Ally relaxed enough to finally lay her head against his chest. “Where are we going?”

  He rested his chin on her head. “You’ll see.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “So, tell me…” Michael kissed her on the cheek. “Why are you frightened of horses?”

  “I’m not frightened of horses,” Ally replied, eyeing the animal’s mane. She gave it a tight smile. “Just this feral beast.”

  Michael threw his head back and laughed. Ally marveled in the sound of it, reveled in the way his chest rumbled and vibrated against her back. She pressed against him to get closer.

  “And this beast isn’t a horse?”

  She sighed, glancing toward the creature’s head. “He’s really quite intimidating.”

  “He’s big, that’s all.”

  Yes, the stallion’s size terrified her, but so did his speed. A chill went down her spine as she recalled their brutal ride to Gretna Green.

  Michael brought the animal to a halt, his countenance, somber. He lifted her chin with his fingertips so she’d meet his gaze. “I won’t let anything hurt you. You shouldn’t have reason to be frightened of anything, do you understand?”

  The way his face turned grave only meant one thing: he cared about her. He truly cared. Happiness washed over her.

  “Ally.”

  She quickly nodded to tell him she understood his vow. She knew Michael
would never let her fall off the stallion. At her response, he kissed her brow.

  “What frightens you?” she blurted, just so she could tell him she wouldn’t let anything happen to him, and return his affection. She wanted to kiss him again.

  Michael deliberated that question for a short moment, and then shrugged. “I don’t know.” He nudged the horse forward.

  “Well, there has to be something. Everyone is afraid of something.”

  Scratching his chin, he looked toward the horizon. “I am afraid of…”

  “Of what?” she prompted.

  “Nothing, I suppose.”

  “I’ll figure it out one day.” A grin pulled at her lips. “I will be the first person to know what Michael Langdon is afraid of, England, you just wait and see.”

  Michael laughed at her declaration. Ally laid her head against his chest, letting the rumble vibrate into her own body. She burrowed closer and shifted her legs to get more comfortable. His muscles underneath her thighs flexed, and he let out a low groan.

  “Sorry,” she whispered, her eyes closed. His scent filled her nostrils, and she inhaled deeply. Leather and male soap were fast becoming arousing.

  He grunted.

  They came to another halt, where the stallion neighed. Ally’s eyes flew open. The noise almost sounded like a whine. She assumed it didn’t like going on such short rides. She pressed her shoulder further into Michael’s chest.

  Cupping her face in one hand, her husband brushed his thumb over her lower lip before he gave her a gentle, fleeting kiss that barely grazed her lips. “I want to taste you,” he announced.

  And all thoughts of his horse vanished.

  Michael scrutinized her under the bright sun with his dreamy, dark gaze. Then he smiled at her. “Ally?”

  “Yes, Michael?”

  “You’re blushing again, love.” His tender fingers grazed her cheeks. “So beautiful.”

  Typically, Ally wasn’t one to giggle at an admirer’s silken words, but Michael had the ability to turn her into a total ninny.

  She felt like the tittering girls Nana firmly advised to keep her distance from, else she’d become a tittering young woman, too, and no man wanted that.

  But here she was, with her husband, and she couldn’t help herself.

  “What’s so damn funny?”

  “My, you have a way with words,” she said poking him in the stomach with an elbow.

  Michael blinked. “I-I’m not very good at…this,” he said waving a hand at her.

  Obviously, Nana was correct. Men didn’t like giggling women. “I am sorry. I don’t know why I could not stop laughing.”

  “Do you not believe me when I say you’re beautiful? Because you are, you know?” There were those honeyed words she loved to hear. “Every time I clap my eyes on you, you basically tear me to shreds. You kill me.”

  Tearing and killing didn’t sound very romantic, she thought right before bursting into a fit of giggles again.

  “What the hell is so damn funny this time?” He looked so angry, it added to her amusement.

  “You really don’t have a way with words, do you?”

  His scowl lessened and he smiled sheepishly. “No. But,” he said, throwing his leg over the side of his horse and sliding off. “I’m better with other things. Come here, and I’ll show you.”

  “What are we doing out here?” She looped her arms around his neck. The warmth of his skin made her sigh. She didn’t dwell on the fact that his actions were a tad odd. Instead, she took in the glory of the prominent hues that looked like a sea of blue waves dancing on green, reed-thin stems. “It is quite beautiful up here,” she murmured as he carried her further into the field of blue bells.

  “It’s rather quiet, too.” He smiled.

  Michael kept walking. Where he was headed, she didn’t know. His breathing grew labored as he carried her deeper into the swaying flowers.

  “It smells nice.”

  “Does it?”

  “I have never been around so many flowers.” A gust of wind swept across her face, sending a whiff of the wonderfully perfumed air to her nostrils. She inhaled more deeply. “It smells quite like my soap. Whoever invented the soap was brilliant. I should like to think—”

  “Shh…”

  “I was only pointing out that the man who—”

  “Ally, sweetheart.” He lowered her to the ground. “Do you wish to discuss the man who invented soap, or do you wish something more…entertaining?”

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, even though she had a suspicion. Her pulse quickened when Michael’s lips curved up, ever-so-slowly.

  “What do you imagine I plan to do?”

  “You can’t mean” She began to argue even though a scalding heat in her belly began to coil and twist inside. “We’re…someone might—”

  “Did I not tell you I was famished?” He flashed a wicked grin while tugging the neckline of her gown over her breasts.

  She stilled his hands. “A-are you mad?”

  “Do not worry so. Not a soul comes up here.”

  “How are you certain?”

  He fumbled with the stays of her corset. “Because, my dear, this hill belongs to Somerset Hall.”

  “Oh,” she returned breathlessly when he released the confines on her upper body and shrugged the corset lower, baring her breasts to the sun.

  He moved quickly, taking a nipple into his mouth, and suckled it until the tiny nub strained. He didn’t stop. And God, how she would have inflicted pain on him should he dare. He moved to her other nipple, working his magical mouth there, too, while his hand cupped the weight of her breast, pushing the mound higher to him.

  Ally thought she was going mad as she arched her back, giving him easier access. Warmth grew between her thighs, throbbing, making her crave more of his mouth. More of his body. Hers felt ablaze with fire, stimulating her desire to be filled with the entire length of him.

  “I want to taste you, sweetling.”

  Wasn’t he doing just that? she wondered, but his mouth devouring her breasts demanded too much of her attention, she couldn’t give him a coherent reply. She moaned instead. Surely he’d understand. She suddenly felt faint. She needed him to feed her wanton longing-and soon.

  Michael seemed to be the only word escaping her lips.

  “You like this?”

  She nodded, clutching a fistful of his hair. “Yes.”

  “I need you, Ally.”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you need me?” he asked, flicking the tip of his tongue over a taut nipple.

  “Oh, God, yes!” She tugged his mouth closer against her skin for him to get on with it.

  He lifted his head, exchanging a smoldering gaze with her. “But first, I want to do things to you.”

  Ally trembled underneath him. “That sounds promising,” she said warily.

  Michael grinned, and his eyes truly turned a shade darker.

  Her hands rested on the bulge of his shoulders, grasped in anticipation. “What…kind of things?”

  “Naughty things. Things that you’ve never dreamed of,” he said in a deep, ragged voice that vibrated through her chest. “Things that will make you cry with pleasure.”

  Belatedly, Ally realized he had managed to expose her from the waist down as well. Her walking dress, along with her shift was gathered under her breasts. With a knee, Michael nudged her legs wider apart.

  He moved lower, scattering kisses on her belly, then darted his tongue out, flicking it against her navel. Her toes tingled, and she could form nary a thought. What he was doing to her robbed her of both speech and wit. The only things she could focus on were how brilliant his mouth and tongue were and how soon she was going to get to fulfillment.

  His kisses kept roving lower and lower, and before she could guess what he was about to do, he closed his mouth over her wet folds. Reflexively, she tried to clamp her legs together, but Michael wouldn’t allow it. His arms went under her thighs and held her wide ope
n while he tortured her with his mouth.

  “You’re unbelievably sweet.”

  “No, Michael,” she cried with uncertainty, and almost wept when his mouth left her womanhood.

  “Let me, sweetheart. You’ll like this.”

  “It isn’t seemly. Just do it how you did it this morning.” She shivered. “Please.”

  Michael chuckled, bringing her back to their surroundings, back to what they were doing. “And this is seemly, making love in the fields, and at the peak of the afternoon, mind you?”

  She didn’t respond, but her cheeks felt like they were doused in flames.

  “Open for me, love. If you don’t like how it feels, you need only tell me.”

  “And you’ll stop?” she asked, doubting her own hearing. She hoped he wouldn’t listen. Her body was screaming for reprieve, pulsating and beating for his touch.

  “Without dallying another second, I assure you.”

  He sounded as if he was merely negotiating the purchase of a thoroughbred. She wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t find the strength. She felt empty, and needy, and all she wanted was something there. Anything.

  Ally relaxed her tensed muscles, putting her trust in him completely as Michael spread her thighs further apart. She squeezed her eyes shut then, incapable of observing the mortifying scene unfolding before her.

  As soon as Michael touched his mouth to her, she thought she was going to die. His tongue circled her most sensitive flesh, sweeping her tender core until she throbbed in wild abandon. He licked and suckled, tormenting her. She never wanted him to stop. Ally shook from the pleasure. A sense of urgency came over her. Her world threatened to shatter around her. She didn’t care. She saw flashes of dizzying white that turned on and off, and she never wanted it to end.

  She writhed and gasped, clutching his hair, his shoulders, and his arms. “My…God!” she said. Or it could have been a shout.

  This made him lift his head to meet her gaze from down the length of her naked body. He flashed a broad, arrogant grin. Ally thought he truly looked liked a rogue with his gleaming, darkening eyes.

  “I don’t think you should be doing that…there,” she told him breathily. Whether he heard and simply chose to ignore her, or didn’t hear her at all, she wasn’t certain. But when Michael put his mouth to her again, circling her with the tip of his tongue before fully closing over her flesh, she didn’t care. His tongue continued to stroke her slowly, again and again. Ally shivered and grabbed his shoulders, urging him on.