A Rake's Redemption

by Cynthia Breeding

  The road narrowed to little more than a lane that wound through occasional copses of trees spouting fresh leaf shoots. Inis breathed in the clean air. “I miss the country. ’Tis so quiet out here.”

  Alex frowned and looked around. “It is too quiet. The birds are not singing. The cattle in the field over there are all huddled together, too.”

  “Are ye telling me it’s some kind of omen?” Inis smiled at him. “Ye are beginning to sound a bit Irish, believin’ in such things.”

  “Not an omen,” Alex said as several large raindrops splashed on the footboard of the carriage. “I think we may be in for a storm.”

  Inis looked up, surprised to see the sky had grown completely overcast and the layered clouds looked much darker. Somehow, she’d been so entranced with the surroundings, she hadn’t noticed. “How much farther is it?”

  “We are still a good twenty minutes away.” Alex grimaced as he studied the sky. “We’ll never make it.”

  He hardly had the words out before thunder rumbled and the sky opened as though someone had rent it in two and the rain came down in torrents. It took only seconds for them to slip into their oilskins, but they were both drenched. A few minutes more, and the country lane was a muddy, slippery track.

  “I don’t dare go any faster, “Alex said as the carriage hit a rut, causing it to lurch slightly.

  “It wouldna be safe for the horse,” Inis answered. “But maybe we could take shelter under the trees?”

  “I don’t want to risk that with the lightning,” he said. “As I recall, there is a tavern not far.”

  She swept long, wet tendrils of hair out of her eyes and looked around. “We’re in the country.”

  Alex managed a smile. “Well, one never knows where a man might work up a thirst, and an enterprising individual might anticipate that need.”

  Inis pulled the collar of her oilskin closer, although she could feel rivulets of water sliding past her neck. “Are ye sure it’s still in operation?”

  “Never fear a tavern closing. Actually, the place was a travelling stop for coaches before a newer road was built. A tavern is not exactly where I planned to take you today.” He fed out more rein when the horse suddenly stumbled and jerked the bit. “Easy there.”

  “It will be shelter,” Inis replied. “Besides, we’re hardly fit to be seen at a high tea this bedraggled.”

  “True. We will have to do that another day,” Alex said as he guided the horse to a smaller path leading off the muddy road.

  Inis grabbed the side of the cabriolet as it lurched sideways. “Are ye sure this is a road?”

  “It is a shortcut,” he answered. “You can see the building just past those trees.”

  Ahead was a two-story building with a sagging roof that needed thatching, hanging shutters, and paint so peeled it was hard to determine an original color.

  “It looks deserted.”

  Alex shook his head. “Doubtful. Rain is a perfect excuse to down a few pints.”

  “But there are nae horses outside.”

  “There is a small stable behind the tavern,” Alex said. “It’s not in much better shape, but it serves its purpose.”

  “I’m sure our horse will be verra happy to see it,” Inis replied and laughed as the horse picked up his pace. “Maybe he heard us.”

  “Or he smells oats or hay.” Alex tugged gently on the reins to slow the animal down. “Steady, boy. We cannot move swiftly here. The track is too rutted—”

  His words were cut off with a dull thud. The small carriage halted abruptly as one of its wheels caught on a rock. The horse started to move forward, and Inis heard a sharp crack before the cabriolet began to lean dangerously to the right. Alex went to grab Inis and prevent her from falling over the side, but it was too late. The carriage wheel broke, and she went sliding off the bench into the mud.

  …

  Alex sure as hell hadn’t planned to spend the night in a seedy tavern out in the middle of nowhere. But here he was. Or rather, here they were. Sharing the one bedchamber that didn’t have a leaky roof.

  He looked around the public room that was growing more and more crowded and rowdy as the evening wore on. Wood smoke hung heavily in the air, and he tried not to breathe too deeply. The chimney obviously needed cleaning, and the tables and floor needed a good scrubbing, too, since everything reeked with the stale smell of spilt ale and whiskey.

  He thought Inis might turn up her nose at such squalid conditions, but she simply nodded when told there was no way the carriage wheel could be fixed until the morrow. She’d also accepted the fact there was only one room habitable.

  She was up there now. He’d ordered a wooden tub brought to the room so she could bathe or at least get the mud off. The tavern owner’s wife had provided a plain linen night rail as well. Before he’d come downstairs, he’d assured Inis the bed was hers, and that he wouldn’t be returning to the room until the wee hours.

  He was about to prove himself a liar.

  It was only a bit past ten o’clock, and Alex was already bored with drinking and listening to the ribald tales of the men whose talk grew more coarse with the number of pints they consumed.

  Alex put his tankard down and stood. Inis probably wouldn’t like the idea that she needed protection, but protection she would have. Hopefully, she was already asleep and he wouldn’t have to explain why he’d come back early.

  He moved unobtrusively toward the kitchen and climbed the back steps to the second floor. He removed his boots in the hall and opened the door to their chamber softly, not wanting to wake Inis. He didn’t think he’d ever desired a woman as much as he did her. Certainly, none of the wives of the ton had ever qualified. The temptation to crawl into bed next to her sleeping form was overwhelming, but he knew he would never be content simply to hold her in his arms.

  He had done a number of things in his life that weren’t honorable—he hadn’t earned his reputation as a rake by attending church—but taking advantage of a woman forced to share a room with him for the night, and a virginal one at that, was something he would not do. He would spend the night in the lumpy, threadbare chair.

  He latched the door as quietly as he could and silently removed his still-damp shirt and breeches. He spread them out on the floor next to Inis’s dress, although the feeble heat from the one log in the small hearth probably wouldn’t dry them by morning. He wished he’d taken note earlier that there was no other firewood. With a sigh, he took the extra blanket folded over the bedpost and began to settle in the chair. It was going to be a long night.

  “Ye doona have to sleep in the chair.”

  He almost fell out of it at the sound of Inis’s voice. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “Ye didna. I have been waiting for ye.”

  He peered across the room. In the dim light from the small fire, he could see that she’d propped herself up against the headboard. And… He blinked. Either he was overly tired or the rotgut whiskey in the public room had gone to his head. He thought… He shook his head to clear it. He had not seen what he thought he had. Had he? He narrowed his eyes to focus his vision.

  She was naked.

  Her long hair flowed like a scarlet mantle over her bare shoulders. Were her nipples a dark, rosy color or a lighter coral? He couldn’t tell from this distance. His cock stirred in anticipation of finding out, but he forced himself not to move.

  “Where is your night rail?”

  Inis held it up. “Here.”

  Alex swallowed hard. “Why are you not wearing it?”

  She hesitated, and Alex tried to see her expression, but the room was too dimly lit.

  “Do ye want me to?” she asked, her voice wavering.

  No. His shaft practically burst through the material of his smallclothes. No. No. Alex grabbed the armrests of the chair to keep from propelling himself forward and uttered words he’d never thought he’d ever say to a woman. “It would be best if you were dressed.”

  A strange sound came from the b
ed, and her voice quivered as she shook out the night rail. “I ken men like women with big bosoms. I should have known ye would nae find me attractive—”

  “What?” Alex had somehow closed the space between them, and he found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to tug the night rail from her hands, but she kept it clutched over her breasts. “Why in hell would you think that?”

  She looked away, and he cupped her cheek to turn her head back and realized it was wet. She was crying. Inis was crying.

  She pushed his hand away and lifted her chin, still not looking at him. “’Tis obvious. Ye are a rake…a rake,” she added for emphasis, “who does nae want to bed me.”

  If the situation hadn’t been so dire, Alex might have laughed at the irony of it. “I don’t want to treat you like those other women.” And then, for the second time in minutes, he heard himself say something else he never thought he would. “Because I care about you.”

  Slowly, she turned her head. “Ye care?”

  “Absolutely,” he answered and amazed himself once more for realizing the truth of that. “That’s why I wanted you to have a chance to back out of my plan. I don’t want to see you humiliated or embarrassed. And God help me…when the kitchen maid came down and said she thought you were dead… My blood stopped flowing.”

  Inis studied him. “Then why do ye nae want to bed me?”

  His wayward cock swelled even more, as if asking him the same question. He tried to ignore what was becoming painful. “I will not defile you, Inis, and I do not take virginal maidenheads.”

  She frowned. “What if I were nae a virgin?”

  Alex widened his eyes in surprise. “You are not a virgin?”

  Inis shrugged. “I am two-and-twenty.”

  He’d not even entertained the idea she might not be a virgin. Something similar to a knife seared his gut, and he felt an unreasonable surge of anger for whoever had debased her. Had it been someone who made false promises? Or worse…had she been forced to sell herself? He remembered she’d masqueraded as a boy when they first met. Perhaps the disguise had been a way to protect herself from unwanted advances. He hated to think she’d had that kind of life. But she was bold tonight…waiting for him naked. Would a virgin do that? Probably not. Of course not, his cock urged.

  Alex took a deep breath. “If we do this, I’ll take care of you. I’ll set you up with a house and accounts and plenty of pin money. I swear I will.”

  Her brows drew together. “A mistress is only a whore. I am nae that.”

  “Of course you are not.” That had certainly come out wrong…and been misinterpreted. Perhaps if his damn erection weren’t so uncomfortably hard, he could have phrased it better. Right now, though, the head on his shoulders was working in tandem with his other head. Anything else he might say to explain would no doubt be equally affronting. He’d save the explanation for later. “I want to make love to you. If you’ll have me.”

  Inis smiled and let the night rail drop. His gaze dropped as well. Her nipples were neither dark or coral, but more of a soft pink. He cupped one milky white mound in his hand, liking the fact it just filled his palm, and brushed his thumb across the lovely tip. It peaked immediately, and he heard a soft sigh escape her.

  Lord, if she was this responsive…

  He slid his hands up to cradle her head and covered her mouth with his. Her lips were soft and moist and parted willingly as his tongue glided over them. He practically tore his smallclothes off, freeing himself, before lying beside her. She arched her back as he molded his hand to her breast again and kneaded gently, rolling the nipple between his fingertips and then pinching the hard little bead lightly. He trailed kisses down her neck and across her collarbone before laving the other nipple with the tip of his tongue.

  She raked her nails over his shoulders, driving him wild as her body reacted to his every touch. He skimmed his hand down her hip, found the tight curls at her apex, and slid two fingers along her sleek folds and inside her hot, wet heat. She groaned again and pushed her hips up against his hand. She was an aphrodisiac to him. Everywhere he tasted, he wanted more…

  He moved downward and knelt between her legs, replacing his fingers with his mouth and lapping her juices. He heard her gasp and felt the tightening of her thighs. He pushed them farther apart, allowing himself full access to her most feminine parts. He flicked the tip of his tongue over the little nub that stood to attention. She writhed under his ministrations, her breathing becoming quick and shallow, her moans growing louder as he licked and teased the hardened bud. He slipped a finger inside her, closed his mouth over the jutting nub, and sucked hard. Her muscles contracted around his finger as she called out his name.

  He must have died and gone to heaven. Only that could account for the complete euphoria he was feeling. Never had any woman affected him like this. He raised his head and shifted his body over hers, positioning his long-suffering cock against her hot, wet core. With one long, hard thrust, he buried himself to the hilt into that tight sheath.

  Inis cried out, and it took his befogged brain a moment to realize she wasn’t moving, and another moment to realize why. He’d just broken through her maidenhead.

  “You are…were a virgin.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The sharp pain of Alex’s initial penetration subsided, leaving Inis with the pleasant sensation of his thick, heavy manhood filling her. She wiggled her hips, wanting more, and then realized he’d stopped moving, too. She slowly opened her eyes to find him staring down at her.

  “You are…were a virgin.” He withdrew and shifted his weight to the side of the bed, propping his head on his hand. “Why did you lie to me?”

  She wanted desperately to tell him to stay buried inside her, but he’d already moved. Not only that, but his face could have been chiseled of marble.

  “I dinna lie.”

  “You said you weren’t a virgin.”

  Inis shook her head. “I only said I was two-and-twenty.”

  “You tricked me.”

  “I dinna mean to.” She slid back against the headboard and pulled the sheet up.

  Alex’s gaze followed the movement and a frown furrowed his brows. She sighed. At least that was better than his stony expression.

  “Why did you do that?”

  She frowned. “I doona want to sit here exposed before a man who is angry with me.”

  “I’m not asking about covering yourself,” Alex said. “Why did you trick—lead me to believe—you were experienced? You said you did not want to be my mistress. Did you think once I took your maidenhead you could force me to marry you?”

  Inis swung her fist at him, but he caught it and held fast. “I don’t wish to be hit.”

  She glared at him. “Then doona accuse me of stooping to such treachery. I only wanted to ken what it felt like to be bedded by ye before I leave. I am nae one of your English debutantes trying to snare a husband.”

  He released her hand. “I only meant you would not be the first who tried.”

  She swung again. “How dare ye…” Her breath left in a whoosh, and she found herself on her back, her arms over her head with her wrists held fast by one of Alex’s hands as he loomed over her. “Let go—”

  “I think not, since I do not relish sporting a black eye.”

  “Ye insulted me.” Inis tried to kick him and found herself pinned down by his weight as he straddled her, pushing her knees apart with his thighs. The position was perilously close to… Her anger vanished, replaced with a more basic need. Her body began to strum as she felt his hard erection at her entrance. “What…what are ye doing?”

  “I believe I am going to finish what I started.” His eyes darkened. “Are you telling me you do not want me to?”

  Inis pushed against him, more feebly this time. “Damn ye. I do.”

  With one slow, smooth stroke, he filled her again. Inis attempted to raise her hips to meet him, but his body kept hers firmly in place. She tugged at his grip on her wrists, bu
t Alex held fast. She couldn’t do anything but lie there, impaled by what felt like a rod of steel.

  That rod began to move, withdrawing halfway and slowly filling her again. As if he’d ignited dry kindling, a fire began to build low in her belly. He continued his leisurely, torturous teasing while she lay there trapped. All she could do was toss her head from side to side as the agony of wanting more continued to build.

  “Please…”

  “Please what?” Alex murmured in her ear, keeping his thrusts methodically slow.

  Inis tried desperately to wiggle. “Can ye go faster?”

  He chuckled and gave three quick thrusts. “Like this?”

  “Aye.” she replied as the flame inside her leap higher. “I am going to—”

  “Not yet.” Alex said and slowed his pace again.

  “Aaahh…” Inis could’ve wept when he withdrew nearly his whole length and her inner core contracted on emptiness. “Do nae leave—”

  “Never,” he said, driving deep suddenly.

  Another throbbing began in the same place he’d lavished his tongue on, but this time, the feeling was even stronger, threatening to burst into a raging inferno between her legs. She gasped and struggled to move but couldn’t. The fire was spreading through her entire body. “I cannae take—”

  His thrusts grew stronger. Faster. Harder. Deeper. Time lost its meaning. There was nothing but Alex plunging into her, again and again, stoking that volcano stroke by stroke, until she was about to erupt.

  Alex ground into her one more time, and Inis exploded.

  She might have passed out for a moment, because when she opened her eyes, her wrists had been released, and Alex was lying beside her. He smiled and brushed a strand of wet hair from her sweaty face, then he pulled her close so she could lay her head on his shoulder. Their breathing eventually slowed as they lay in companionable silence. After some minutes, Alex spoke. “You know I could care less about whether you are Society or not. Maybe marrying you wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.”