The Art of Taming a Rake (Legendary Lovers #4)

by Nicole Jordan

  Hearing the resolve in his voice, Venetia realized the futility of arguing. “What will you do?”

  Quinn folded the missive. “I think the time has come for me to confront Lisle directly. Face-to-face, I can get a sense of his desire for revenge and perhaps determine for certain if the attacks on me are related to the pendant.”

  “And if not?”

  “Then I should refocus the investigation elsewhere, starting with my main shipping rival. In any case, my return could serve to draw out the assassin.”

  A chill swept over Venetia. “Surely there is no need for such haste.”

  “There is every need. By the time I reach London, I will have been gone a fortnight.”

  Aware of the queasy knot forming in her stomach, she tried once more. “You do remember that your wound is not fully healed yet?”

  “It has healed well enough. You saw that for yourself yesterday when you inspected the remaining stitches. I can ride now, and I no longer feel disgustingly weak. You needn’t worry about me, Venetia.”

  “How can I help it? You could be killed.”

  “I promise you I will take every precaution,” he said lightly, almost jovially.

  It disturbed her that he was dismissing the danger so readily.

  Evidently Quinn had similar concerns about her, judging by his next statement: “I want you to remain in Somerset. You will be far safer here.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “You must be jesting. I won’t cower, either.”

  “I am not asking you to cower.”

  “Are you not? What is good for the goose…” Quinn was a protector at heart, but she felt the same protectiveness toward him. “Even if our marriage is a sham, I want to accompany you.”

  “Our marriage is not a sham.”

  “Perhaps not entirely—which bolsters my argument. You are my husband now. My place is by your side.”

  His gaze arrested and lit with a sudden glint. “So you are claiming me for your husband?”

  She hesitated. “Temporarily, yes. I thought a chief justification for our hasty marriage was that you could save my family from scandal. If I remain in the country so shortly after our nuptials, it will look as if you have abandoned me.”

  “True.” He paused a moment, considering her. “You cannot be eager to return to London and deal with your sister and your parents as regards our marriage.”

  Venetia felt her heart sink. Her family was yet another reason she would rather postpone her return. No doubt they had been shocked to read the wedding announcement in the papers. By now they would have had time to absorb the news, but they would likely still be furious at having their obedient younger daughter’s splendid marital prospects stolen by their traitorous elder daughter.

  “I am not looking forward to that encounter,” Venetia admitted honestly.

  “You won’t be alone,” Quinn said reassuringly. “Particularly since I am responsible for our union.”

  “I am grateful. But the consequences of our nuptials are trifling compared to the threat to your life.”

  He pursed his lips pensively. “I might detour slightly to Portsmouth on the way to London. The construction of my steamship is at a crucial stage, and I want to check the progress. Moreover, I can ascertain if my master builder or engineers have seen any signs of sabotage or the slightest evidence that might implicate my business rival, and if not, to alert them to mount a vigilant watch.”

  The longer he delayed the better, Venetia thought. “You did not answer me, Traherne. If you are returning, so am I.”

  “I gave you fair warning about using my title, love.” He rose from the table and went to her side. “Your slip warrants a kiss.” With a forefinger, he tipped her chin up, then bent down to capture her mouth.

  Venetia was jolted by his abruptness but found herself melting with warmth. By the time he drew back, her entire body was pulsing with need.

  “Quinn, then,” she said unsteadily. “I want your answer.”

  “I like the sound of my name on your lips.”

  At his amused tone, she gazed at him in flustered exasperation. “You are trying to change the subject.”

  “Not at all. The discussion is over. We will both have to concede. We leave at first light tomorrow morning.” He paused, letting his gaze sweep down her gown to linger on her breasts. “When I have sent a reply to Hawk by courier, I will visit the cave, if you care to join me. This will be our last chance to enjoy the hot springs.”

  Despite her frustration, Venetia recognized his comment as an invitation and suddenly felt her pulse leap. Quinn was right. This would be their last chance to enjoy the cave pool—and to enjoy each other in such uniquely intimate circumstances as well.

  —

  Venetia spoke little as she followed Quinn along the tunnel to the inner cave, but one word was forefront in her mind: want.

  She wanted to end this unbearable sexual tension between them. She wanted to give in to desire. She wanted to know passion with this man. Yet the paralyzing shyness that had suddenly struck her rendered her mute.

  She watched silently as Quinn undressed by lamplight. Her concern about his injury was very real, so when his shirt came off, she scrutinized the healing flesh at his waist. The seam looked puckered and red but no longer quite so jagged. Still, she wanted to press her lips against his wound to soothe away the last of the pain.

  Then he shed his boots and breeches and Venetia found it difficult to breathe. Her mouth dry, she stood transfixed. He was beautiful, the most riveting man she’d ever beheld, a golden Adonis. His body was perfectly proportioned, rippling with muscle, long-limbed, well endowed. Her stomach contracted at the sight of his swollen manhood, jutting out long and thick from the nest of dark hair at his groin.

  Looking up again, she realized her examination pleased him. When their gazes touched, locked, a shiver danced down her spine.

  Something in him drew her so powerfully, and not just his mere physicality. Swallowing, she dug her nails into her palms, battling a fierce urge to touch him.

  In the silence, Quinn turned away and slipped into the pool.

  He sank below the surface and came up again to stand facing her, waist deep in the water, his hair dripping, his skin streaming, his torso glistening in the soft lamplight.

  “So?” he murmured, waiting for her to decide.

  “I want to know what lovemaking is like,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

  The resultant flare in his eyes only fired the sizzling current of awareness that hummed through her.

  “Why don’t you undress and join me?” he suggested. “The water is a pleasant temperature.”

  Obeying, Venetia removed her gown, then her half boots and finally her undergarments.

  She was thankful that Quinn was not staring at her but had started swimming, rolling and submerging lazily in the water, giving her time to adjust to their mutual nudity.

  Hurriedly, Venetia slid into the pool. The heat was a bit of a shock as she ducked to cover herself up to her neck. She was certain that even in the dim light, Quinn could see her blush, and when he spoke, she knew he understood her nervousness.

  “You needn’t feel shy with me, love. We have been intimate before, remember?”

  Of course she remembered. The memory of his touch filled her with a sweet, aching longing. Given their past encounters, it was foolish to hide her naked body from him.

  Steeling herself, Venetia stood up. When her bare breasts broke the surface, Quinn went very still.

  “Do you have any notion how damned beautiful you are?”

  His praise made her flush, while his tender scrutiny left her trembling with vibrant sensations.

  “Come closer, Venetia,” he commanded huskily.

  As she obeyed, he trapped her in his hot blue gaze. When she halted a foot away, she was intensely aware of the heat emanating from his body, aware of how hard her heart was beating. And his eyes…Those intense eyes held her entranced, effortlessly capturing her se
nses.

  He reached for her, the heat of fingers on her bare arms more scalding than the water, and drew her close enough that her thighs brushed his, setting off a new chain of sparks. But then he seemed to struggle with himself.

  “Perhaps you should take the lead. I don’t trust myself to go slowly.”

  His admission was made in a hoarse voice. It strangely comforted her, knowing that she was not the only one so powerfully affected. “I…am not certain what to do.”

  A deeper flash of tenderness showed in his eyes, so naked and soft it took her breath away. “You can begin by taking down your hair. I have longed to see it free.”

  Reaching up, Venetia began removing the pins from her hair. Quinn must have noted how unsteady her fingers were, however, since he moved behind her and took over the task.

  He tossed the pins on the edge of the pool and snared a stray lock, letting it drift through his fingers. “Your hair feels like satin.”

  Gathering the dark mass in both hands, he threaded his fingers through her tresses as if reveling in a treasure. “I have wanted to do this for a very long time. Years, in fact.”

  Puzzled, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “What do you mean, years?”

  “I’ve wanted you from the moment I first met you. Could you not tell?”

  “No…”

  Angling his head, he lowered his face to hers. His breath fanned warm against her mouth before he gave her the most exquisite kiss imaginable.

  Desire replaced the shaky feeling inside Venetia, as undeniable as the need to breathe. Quinn kissed the strength right out of her bones as his hands slid around her from behind to fondle her breasts.

  A tremor passed through her. She felt her heart clamoring against her ribs at the glorious sensations in her breasts, in her entire body. When a soft moan escaped her, he pressed closer, making her keenly aware of the hard blade of his arousal nestled against her buttocks. Then his leg slid between hers, bringing the heart of her into intimate contact with his thigh, setting off a fresh firestorm of sensations in her middle.

  A short time later, he shifted his lips to the side of her neck, ending his kiss but not his attentions, instead concentrating on her pleasure elsewhere.

  “You have the most delectable skin…” he said with rapt admiration. “So creamy and soft.”

  Leaving one hand to attend her tight nipples, he moved the other lower, stroking over her bare skin beneath the water, sweeping across her mound, tangling in the thatch of curls that hid her sex.

  “…and the most luscious body…”

  He touched her all over, the drift of his fingers so erotic on her skin, she softened against him helplessly. Nuzzling her temple, he slid his fingers between the slippery folds while his thumb found the sensitive nub unerringly, sending jolts of desire through her, the action so completely sensual that she whimpered.

  At the sound, he delved deeper, caressing her inside and out with slow strokes. He aroused her until she was quivering, until she felt overwhelmed with sensation, until her hips were undulating with need.

  “That’s it…” he whispered in her ear. “Give in, sweet Venetia. Let me give you the pleasure you deserve.”

  A great shudder rocked her as her cries echoed in the small cave.

  The climax that shook her and carried her away left her faint and weak. Long moments later she realized she was leaning back against Quinn, half floating. His arms supported her while he pressed soft kisses against her hair.

  She opened dazed eyes to look up at him. The tenderness she saw on his face was incredible.

  A warm lassitude had stolen over her, so it was a very long moment before she could speak. “It doesn’t…seem fair that I should have all the pleasure.”

  “Trust me, I feel immense pleasure, making you come apart in my arms.”

  “Still, there is more, isn’t there?”

  “Far more. But you will have to control the pace.”

  He made her feel so desirable, and she wanted him to feel the same way. Her feet finding the bottom of the pool, she turned in his embrace and slid her arms around his neck, then raised her lips to his.

  She hadn’t counted on his reaction, however. His arms abruptly tightened around her, and his mouth came down hard on hers, startling a moan of surprise from her.

  His control was on a knife’s edge, she realized with a feeling of elation. His kiss was hungry and lusty and raw, devouring. She returned his passion measure for measure. The heat between them only intensified, stirring the wildness that clamored in her blood. As if he shared her same fever, he kissed her more fiercely than ever before, as if he were starved for the taste of her mouth.

  She never knew what made him break off. Quinn held himself a little away from her, his face hard and taut, his breathing heavy. Panting herself, she gazed up into his searing eyes. Deep in them an unmistakable emotion burned: raw need and naked desire.

  Gathering her courage, she reached to touch the pulsing crest of his manhood. She heard the harsh intake of his breath as she wrapped her fingers around his rigid shaft—

  Quinn caught her hand and held it away. “Stop, or I will wind up ravishing you.”

  “I wouldn’t mind,” she said shyly. “I want to touch you.”

  “Venetia…” Her name was a tormented whisper.

  “I want to kiss you there, the way you kissed me.”

  He groaned deep in his throat. “Not just now. You will make me explode. This time is for you.”

  Stepping closer, she pressed a light, provocative kiss against his chest. “Then why are you waiting? Please, take me, Quinn.”

  Bending, he leaned his forehead against hers and shuddered. “We need to go slowly for your first time. Your body must be ready.”

  “I think I am ready now.”

  His head lifted again so he could see her face. “There is no hurry. I don’t want to rush this moment. I want to savor it.”

  Knowing he had to suppress the violent wrench of exhilaration and anticipation flooding his veins, Quinn inhaled another harsh breath and regained command of himself.

  He stood still for a moment, his gaze taking in her creamy nakedness. Her body was exquisitely lovely, not lush but perfectly shaped, even lovelier than he’d imagined. The sight ravished his senses. Moving closer, he cupped her buttocks and drew her hips to his. Her body had been primed for him for days, but he wanted her breathless and pleading for him, so he reached down to press his palm between her thighs.

  Venetia stifled a gasp of pleasure, but he heard her accelerated breathing, felt her excited trembling. Her innate sensuality stirred and excited him as well.

  He watched the flush of color on her cheeks spread down her throat as his fingers teased her sex. When he judged her ready, he lifted her up and encouraged her to wrap her legs around his waist while he centered his cock at her cleft.

  Then bracing her hips with his hands, he pressed the blunt head of his erection carefully upward, parting her folds as gently as he could.

  Venetia made no response initially, but when he encountered resistance, she caught her breath and bit her lip.

  “Am I hurting you too much?”

  “No. Not too much.”

  “Relax against me if you can.”

  When she complied, he eased farther into the heat of her and felt the expected obstruction give way. For a fleeting moment, pain flashed across her face at the intimate invasion, but then her features softened.

  Quinn drove more deeply into her tight, velvety sweetness and waited for her to grow accustomed to his size. “Better?”

  At his question, she moved her hips slightly, testing. “Yes.”

  He couldn’t repress the shudder of hot tension that gripped him. The need to possess her was overwhelming; the raw, primitive urge to join with her, to mate with her, nearly uncontrollable. Yet he fiercely clamped down on his urges and began to move slowly, holding her gaze all the while.

  Her eyes were luminous with heat and need. “I want more,�
�� she entreated after a moment.

  Obliging, he surged slowly in, sheathing himself fully in her melting warmth, until he was seated deep inside her, then pulled partway out.

  At his slow thrust and withdrawal, Venetia closed her eyes and arched her back, straining toward him. Soon she was shifting feverishly against him and panting, her nails digging into his shoulders as she clung to him.

  There was something enchanting about how lost, how abandoned, she looked. Something magical at how their bodies merged as one, locked together, moving in a timeless, primal rhythm.

  When he felt her first delicate convulsions, Quinn clenched his jaw in an effort to hold back. But when he felt her peaking, all the air left his lungs and his muscles bunched. In another heartbeat, her spasms pushed him over the edge. She was coming for him, melting around him….

  At her climax, he groaned as wave after wave of raw desire washed through him. He’d wanted to keep his violence to a minimum, but the beauty of it was too much, the wait had been too long.

  His thrusts grew more frantic until he finally exploded. Ecstasy crested and broke over him in powerful waves, leaving him spent and gasping.

  In the aftermath, Quinn held her tightly, shocked by the intensity of what had just happened. Their harsh breaths mingling, Venetia collapsed against him and pressed her face into the curve of his shoulder.

  After a long moment, though, she sighed, a blissful sound. “Can you die of pleasure?” she whispered.

  Perhaps so, Quinn thought as he breathed in the sweet scent of her.

  He hadn’t expected his powerful, powerless response. Their intimacy had rattled him to the core. He couldn’t remember ever feeling such pleasure as taking Venetia for the first time. And still sheathed in the hot wonder of her body, he knew a single time would never be enough.

  Yet he needed to consider her innocence.

  With regret, he withdrew from her body and lowered her into the water.

  She kept her arms about his neck, looking up at him uncertainly. “Did I hurt your wound?”

  “Not in the least.”

  “Then…it was pleasurable for you?”

  Tenderness tugged at his heart. “It was even better than my dreams.”