“I take it the engagement would be a farce?”
She nodded. “We would both be free to do as we please in private and appear together as a couple in public. At the designated time, we would invent an excuse and call off the engagement.”
The idea suited his purposes nicely—he could fend off his family and send the young chits after another rich bloke—but it would ruin Edwina. A failed engagement often reflected poorly on the lady rather than the gentleman.
“Why put your reputation at risk? What is so important to you that you would take such drastic action?”
Her heavy sigh affected him more than he chose to let on. “All my life, I’ve done as I was told. I dressed as my mother and grandmother bade me. I considered the gentlemen my grandfather wanted. However, most of those gentlemen did not consider me, and I strove to be compliant to save myself from the ill-temper of the man that I was utterly dependent on.”
He squeezed her hand, knowing too well the difficulties of being raised by relatives after the death of one’s father.
“My grandparents passed away two years ago. Then I was dependent on the financial generosity of a great-uncle, who cared as little for me as a horse cares for a worm under its hoof. However, it was my good fortune—quite literally—that he sired no children.”
“Now you are the wealthiest heiress of the season.”
“Yes, and while I have the fortune to attract a husband, I have no need or want of one. I value my freedom, sir. This engagement could give me everything I’ve wanted. I cannot go to my grave unloved, untouched. I want to know a man’s hands on my thigh.” She moved his hand accordingly. “I want to know the feel of a man’s lips on mine until I sigh in pleasure.”
She leaned in close, pausing a mere breath from his mouth. “I want to know desire. Will you show me?”
Her warm body was so close and her lips a tempting morsel of fruit that he longed to taste.
“Are you sure? If you truly want to be seduced, there are easier ways. As much as I appreciate the feasibility of your plan, I am hesitant to agree to it.”
Frowning, she pulled away. “What can I say to convince you?”
“I do not know.”
His muscles were tight, his cock hard, and he wanted to throw off his scruples and slide his hand between her thighs. But his conscience would not let him alone. Why he should suddenly develop moral principles now, with this woman, he couldn’t fathom.
When she laid her hand on his chest, the tension mounted, and his heart pounded.
“May I ask you this, Mr. Chevalier, do you find me appealing?” She leaned in closer and when she whispered, he felt her breath on his face. “If I were to kiss you, would you turn away?”
Without hesitation, she pressed her lips to his and dropped her hand to his thigh. Soft lips teased and seduced, fraying away the edges of his control.
He didn’t want her to stop.
She licked her lips as she pulled away, and he inched closer to resume the kiss.
“I think that answers my question.” She wiped his lower lip with the tip of her thumb. “I must admit that I am quite surprised. I never expected a man of your reputation to resist on moral grounds. Who would believe that a rake could resist seducing an innocent woman, when she practically thrust herself into his face?”
He laughed at her naïveté, picturing the very image she conjured with her words. Indeed, he very much looked forward to her thrusting her pretty pussy in his face. Thinking of it made his prick strain against his pantaloons.
The lady played with fire. If she got too close, she’d find an insatiable demon instead of a man.
“You will not rest until I pin you to the bed and fuck all the silly little notions out of your head.”
At his crude words, she had the grace to blush.
Edwina continued, “Since you seem as determined as I to avoid marriage, this is the best solution. I will play your fiancée through the end of the season, and you can let everyone think you have finally settled down. We can break it off before Parliament reconvenes in the winter.”
He should say yes. Why must he be noble and responsible when clearly she could care less?
“You are an innocent,” he said matter-of-factly. “While I can teach you the ways of lovemaking, you might run off in tears once you realize exactly what I will require of you, should you become my lover.” Though he suspected that she had a passionate nature, she might have some absurd fantasy in her head, and the reality of the business could make her regret the whole endeavor.
You are deluding yourself, making ridiculous excuses, he thought. Take the chit home and be done with it. You torture yourself by prolonging the inevitable.
“I assure you I will not run off like an ignorant child. However, if you wish me to soothe your delicate sensibilities, I will amend the offer.” She shot him a pointed look. “Take me to bed tonight, and if either of us is unsatisfied, we will forget about the arrangement entirely. However, if the night should prove as enjoyable as I suspect,” she trailed her finger across his jaw, making him shiver, “then you agree to the terms, and we will announce the engagement this week, at an event of your choosing.”
It was more than fair. His scruples were no match against this brazen woman. She would pursue him, offering him every temptation he could imagine, until he gave in. Why continue to fight her?
There was no reason to deny her, no reason to forgo the delicious satisfaction of taking her in any and every way she allowed. An engagement would afford him many opportunities to be alone with her, to touch her, to learn every curve of her body and experience every sigh of pleasure.
Giving in to desire, he slipped his hands beneath the folds of her cloak and stroked the soft mounds of her breasts, which he longed to free from their stays so that he could tease and taste them at his leisure.
She gasped at his gentle manipulations and clutched his shoulders. Soon, she would be free of those gloves, and he would feel her nails on his bare skin as he caressed the delicate petals of her sex, first with his fingers, then his lips.
With a hard kiss, he sealed their bargain. “I am at your disposal, my lady. Shall I escort you home? Or would you rather accompany me back to my den of iniquity?” He smiled as he bent forward and traced his lips over the soft skin of her neck.
***
Clutching him tighter, Dina arched her neck to give Chevalier easier access. His heavenly kisses warmed her all over, and she no longer noticed the evening chill.
She vacillated. If she went home, she’d be in her own bed, among her own things, and she could send him away in the morning and go about her routine. It was altogether convenient. If she went to his townhouse, she’d be dependent on him for transportation home, unable to leave at her own discretion.
“I think I should like having you draped across my bed, your dark hair spilling over the sheets and your hands clenching the wooden headboard as I pluck away your virtue.”
As he whispered, she saw every vivid detail in her mind. She wanted to make it real, to feel his body cover hers, to let herself go within the safety of his arms.
Surely she could give up the freedom of her own domicile for one night. She needed him to agree to her plan, and what would put him more at ease than seducing her in his own private space? There, he could be as wicked as he pleased, and she wouldn’t have the distraction of worrying about her servants hearing them together.
“Give the coachman your address,” she whispered.
Chevalier’s hands roamed freely under her cloak as the carriage made its way to Grosvenor Square. Gentle caresses became bold as he perused her body with his fingers. Her breasts and thighs tingled where he’d touched them, and her mouth hung open, waiting for another kiss.
She’d picked the perfect man. Chevalier knew her body far better than she, stroking every curve and line as a master sculptor might admire his finished work.
When they approached the square, he adjusted her hood and closed the front of her cloak.
She spied a cluster of red-brick townhomes with white steps and smooth Doric columns. Before she thought to ask which one was his, he lifted her out of the carriage and set her onto the pavement. He tossed some coins to the coachman. “Come back before dawn, and I’ll give you more.”
“Yes, sir!” The driver tipped his cap, beaming.
Dina took a deep breath as they walked up the steps to Chevalier’s townhouse. The moment was here. She entered this place as a naïve, dewy-eyed girl and would return home a woman of experience. Everything she wanted was so close. If she reached out, she could grasp it in her fingers.
***
Chapter Three
As they walked up the stairs, he led her by the hand, and her heart beat so wildly that it echoed in her ears. Was he feeling as nervous as she? Of course not. The man has bedded the most beautiful widows and courtesans. Dina was another amusement, a means to an end.
He stroked her hand when they came to the landing. “All will be well. I promise to take very good care of you.”
She kissed his palm. “Thank you.”
This is just an arrangement. The truth was she liked Chevalier. His charm, grace, and seductive smiles had made an impression on her even before she’d overheard his conversation with Lord Waverly that only confirmed her choice.
Dina was unprepared when Chevalier slipped his arm behind her knees and scooped her up like a babe, carrying her to his chamber. She gasped, and he chuckled at her surprise. Looping her arms around his neck, Dina relaxed against him and let her head rest on his chest.
His heartbeat was steady, his body firm and strong. Whatever happened, she could rely on him, trust that he would know what to do. What a strange feeling. After her mother had passed, she’d had no one to rely on, for her grandparents were fickle and demanding and her great-uncle cold and indifferent.
She shivered, and Chevalier tightened his hold on her. Glancing up, she lost herself in the deep blue sea of his eyes, drowned in the liquid heat of his stare.
When they reached his chamber, he lowered her gently, far more softly than she expected for a man of his size. She wondered what magic he possessed to turn something so simple into a warm and ethereal moment.
Maybe it was his charm, maybe it was the fact that she was unused to such tenderness.
He closed the door and turned the key. There was a finality to the sound, and she knew that turning back would be impossible. Not that she wanted to.
As he lit the candles, she stood rooted in place. The darkness had covered her nervousness, and now she felt exposed in the light.
“You are so quiet,” he said, fingering the clasps on her cloak.
As he pulled her guise away, and she was left in her thistle-blue muslin dress with embroidered flowers, she covered herself with her arms.
“Are you cold, Edwina?” he asked, rubbing his palms over her arms.
Dina nodded, not trusting herself to speak yet.
Chevalier kissed her, a short, sweet embrace that a man might give his wife before bed time, and then walked away to start a fire.
“Please call me Dina.”
He flashed a smile before pulling off his jacket and waistcoat. She stared at the muscles under his white shirt, which flexed as he moved. A warm flush spread over her, ridding her body of the chill and the anxiety until she had no care save to enjoy the beauty of his magnificent form.
Taking a seat on his bed, which was covered in a thick green silk striped with brown—so masculine and clean, just like Chevalier—Dina pulled off her blue slippers and relaxed.
“There now,” he said, brushing his palms together and turning to face her.
He walked toward her, power and grace emanating from him like a tiger on the hunt. She sucked in a breath just as he took her in his arms and pressed her into the mattress.
Hot, steamy kisses trailed over every inch of her exposed skin, from her neck and shoulders to the swell of décolletage peeking from her bodice.
Dina hummed in pleasure as he unlaced her dress and pulled off the top layer. Watching wide-eyed as he stripped off his own shirt and undergarment, she let her gaze lower down to his pantaloons. She’d never seen a man’s penis before, apart from sculptures, and she was very curious.
Reaching out, she pulled open the top button of his falls. His hand stayed her.
“We will get there my sweet, but first you must be good and ready for me.” Climbing back over her, he settled down so that they lay chest to chest, and then he took her mouth with a fervor that she’d never seen in him before.
His tongue begged entrance to her lips, and she parted for him, eager to see where it would lead. The slow, seductive swirl of his tongue over hers overpowered all thought, so she barely noticed his fingers loosening her short stays.
When his thumb circled her nipple, she cried out. The sharp sting of rapture was almost too much to bear. He rubbed the peak between his fingers with enough pressure to make her writhe under him. While she did not want him to stop, she did not know how to handle the intense sensation of pleasure mingled with a hint of pain.
She’d never realized how sensitive her own body could be, but then again, she’d never been touched so intimately before.
Easing the pressure, Chevalier continued to toy with her nipple as he kissed his way down to the curve of her neck. The soft lick of his tongue was heaven, but when he sucked the skin, her sex clenched and desire lanced through her, piercing her to the core.
Dina panted and wrapped her arms around his back, gripping him tightly. So many sensations jumbled together, it was impossible for her to discern what she was feeling—apart from need.
A warm hand ran up her thigh, massaging as it went. Then, it slipped below the fabric of her petticoat and chemise, caressing her bare flesh. Her hips lifted, and moisture gathered between her legs.
“Open for me,” he whispered, and she obeyed, not knowing what he was about until she felt his hot fingers on her slit, stroking and teasing.
When his finger skimmed the tight, sensitive nub, her body clenched and convulsed. If she’d thought her nipples were sensitive, she’d been mistaken. Nothing could have prepared her for the fierce ecstasy of a hand on her bud. How had she not known this before?
She lowered her hand above his. “May I?”
He nodded and she slipped her fingers into her cleft, which was slick with her body’s dew, pausing when she found the little knot just under the hood of her sex. When she touched it, everything around her went dark, and all sensation flooded to that one spot. She moaned and clutched the sheets with her free hand.
Inside, it felt tight and coiled, but as her finger circled her spot, she realized how soft it was. She played with the hood and labia, then made her way back. When in her entire life had she known such rapture? Yet, she wanted more, she needed more. For as she stroked, her body grew tense, and her longing intensified.
“Let me,” he whispered, kissing his way down her chest and belly. He pulled her hand away, and she waited to see what he would do.
Chevalier kissed her cleft, his warm breath fanning its heat over her sensitive flesh. She giggled and opened her legs wider to accommodate him.
The first touch of his tongue was magic, transporting her to another world, and she could only grip his head and shoulders and hold on as he kissed and licked every inch of her tender skin.
The swirling over her pearl made Dina lose control. Her whole body arched as she reached out and grabbed the pillow behind her, her hips lifting into his face. He flicked his tongue fast and then so slowly over the bud, sending her body racing into bliss.
Her body trembled, satisfaction rippling through every pore. She purred and stretched under him, and then assaulted him with little kisses on his neck, jaw, and lips.
“That was wonderful.”
Chuckling, he rolled over so that she lay spread across his body. He palmed her derriere, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The intensity of her release finally hit her, and she snuggled into him, rest
ing her face on his chest.
For a few minutes, they lay in contented silence, and Dina relaxed into the quiet, letting everything go.
When she moved, she became aware of a very firm bulge against her thigh and realized that while she’d found rapture, Chevalier was still hard, his desire unsated Curious, she let her hand drift over to his cock and pressed down.
The fabric impeded her, but she heard his intake of breath and decided to proceed. Releasing the top buttons of his pantaloons, she released the flap and uncovered him.
In her hands, he was hot and stiff, yet softer than she’d expected. She cupped him and slid her hand down to finger the sac. Again, there was a dichotomy of hard yet soft as she massaged his bollocks. When his cock surged under her fingers, she smiled.
“Be careful, my sweet. If you do not want the lion to roar, you should not tease it.” He plucked her hand away, bringing it to his lips, and kissed it. “I will come all over your fingers if you continue to play with me like that.”
“But—”
“Sshh.” Pulling her close, he whispered. “I think you will like it far more if I come inside you.”
***
She’d surprised him when she’d taken his cock in hand. He’d expected her to be far too timid for it as this was their first time together. What might she be like two months from now, when she had the experience to know just how to make him come?
Dina would make a very good student. She wasn’t one of those beautiful women a man chased after, imagining all the ways he’d swive her, then got into his bed only to find she was frigid, non-responsive, or worse, overzealous to the point that he lost interest half-way through the business.
Fucking Dina Merriweather would be more exciting than dreaming about fucking her, and in his jaded experience, that was a rare thing.
“May I undress you?” she whispered.
“Of course,” he said, though he could easily take her with his pantaloons on.
But he wanted to watch her, to learn what she liked, and what man didn’t enjoy seeing a woman’s mouth inches away from his cock? As much as the idea of letting her suck him off appealed to him, he wasn’t sure she was ready for it. And tonight was about what she wanted, what she needed. His desires could wait.
The Lady's Wicked Proposition (Wicked Liaisons series) Page 2
