The Accidental Countess

by Melissa Schroeder

  “How about I get naked also and then you won’t feel alone?”

  She colored even more, and he realized that teasing Colleen was really a lot of fun.

  “No?” he asked, to which she shook her head. “Well, I am sorry, but you are stuck with me helping you.”

  Her shoulders fell in defeat. He finished undoing the sash on her robe, pulling it back from her body and allowing it to slide from shoulders to puddle on the floor. The chaste, white linen nightgown she wore was far from alluring. She had some very delectable silk confections he’d had the honor of slipping off of her, but even this made his body stand at attention.

  Slowly, he undid the ribbon on the neckline and pulled the gown over her head, leaving her bare to him. Good God, she was a work of art. He wondered how he had ever thought her plain. She’d been covering up the body of a goddess, and now it was his. Her nipples pebbled against the chill in the room, and he licked his lips. It made him feel like an animal. Wanting her while she was weak and in no condition to make love. But there was something else, an underlying tenderness, a desire—a need—to show his love. Up until now, he’d only shown her that through lovemaking. His control was being sorely tested. He took her arm and steadied her as she stepped into the tub.

  He sucked in a breath when he saw the bruises down the side of her torso. Purple and yellow marred her skin, and anger rolled through him again. She had not talked of the incident since that night. He had not pressured her, thinking that maybe the memories were too painful. If she knew who pushed her, she would have immediately given him their name. Both Daniel and Jenkins had insisted he ask her again, and he planned on it. Even though she said she had felt a hand at her back before she fell, she would not discuss the prospect that she might have been pushed. Every time he tried to discuss it, she would get upset and truthfully, she could not help him. There was no way for her to know who might have pushed her. Since there had been no witnesses, Sebastian was certain even with Jenkins poking around, they would come up empty. Again.

  She sank into the water and Sebastian settled into a chair near the tub, trying to ignore the sound of her splashing. He shifted on his chair and concentrated on counting backwards from one hundred. Her contented sigh had him losing count.

  “Sebastian?” Her voice had deepened in pleasure with her bath.

  He gritted his teeth. “Yes, love?”

  A little more splashing, and he shifted again, his body throbbing with desire.

  “Is there any reason why you couldn’t join me in the tub?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sebastian didn’t know if he’d heard Colleen correctly at first. His head whipped around and stared at the back of hers. Her hair was a mass of curls piled on top of her head, a few wisps escaping and laid against her neck. Lord, he wanted to press his lips right there, taste her skin.

  Convinced all the blood had drained rational thought from his brain, he hesitated and then asked, “What?”

  Oh, brilliant. He sounded like a fool.

  She chuckled, the sound of it spiraling through him, warming him. He realized he had begun to live for her happiness. Every time she showed it, he felt as if he owned the world.

  “I asked if you wanted to join me. There is plenty of room, Sebastian.”

  The teasing in her voice was almost his undoing. Not once since their first night together had she initiated their lovemaking. He swallowed and curled his fingers into his palms.

  “You are still recovering.” He sounded like a bloody prig, but he refused to take advantage of her. She had been through an ordeal, and the last three days he’d watched her struggle through the pain.

  “I saw Dr. Watkins this morning. He said I was fit.”

  God, he wanted her. He wanted to pull her out of the bath, throw her on the bed and plunge into her. He nearly shook with the need.

  “He said that you still needed rest.”

  She tsked. “He said not to overdo it. There is a difference, Sebastian.” Even her chiding tone turned him on. He was going out of his bloody mind with want, and the woman was pushing him, prodding him, driving him half-mad with desire.

  “Colleen, you need rest to heal properly.” He bit the words out between his teeth.

  She sighed. “If you don’t want to, Sebastian, then just say so.” She shrugged and continued washing herself as if she hadn’t just asked him to join her to frolic in the tub.

  Not want her? He was about to go crazy from refusing the need to touch her. This was a test of his character. He knew it. Someday, God would pay him back because he resisted her.

  “It isn’t that I don’t want you, Colleen.” Even to his own ears his voice was rougher, deeper, needy.

  She paused and then returned to soaping her arms. “Really? You have an odd way of showing that you do want me.”

  Was she that obtuse? He rose to his feet and walked to the side of the tub. He looked down at her as she leaned back to meet his gaze. The steam from the bath had fogged her lenses a bit. With her tousled curls and her earnest expression, she looked like a scolding nanny; a very sexy and somewhat debauched nanny. And she was his to do with as he pleased. He smiled and dropped to his knees beside the tub. Skimming his fingers along the surface of the water, he watched her smile in triumph. But he wasn’t letting her off that easy. She’d known he wanted her and had teased him. Now it was time to pay her back.

  Cocking her head in a completely coy fashion, she asked, “So are you going to join me in the tub?”

  She shifted, causing the water to slosh against the side. Once the waves subsided, her nipples peaked above the water. She drew in a sharp breath as he skimmed his fingers over the turgid tips.

  “I would like that very much.”

  He watched in delight as the depths of her grey eyes darkened in arousal. She licked her lips and then moaned when he tweaked one nipple.

  “Sebastian.”

  His name was a heated whisper. Her eyelids slid closed, but not before he saw her arousal flare higher. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon surrounded him. Had he ever known a woman he wanted to devour like he did his wife? Innocent and wanton. So strong, yet so vulnerable. A mass of contradictions that left him confused but also intrigued. Desire hummed through him. He wanted to join her in the bath and love her slowly, but he knew that would not happen tonight. Being careful of her bruising, he slipped his hands beneath her arms and pulled her out of the tub. Water sloshed, wetting his clothes and the carpet, but he didn’t care. Colleen’s mouth opened to protest.

  He didn’t give her a chance. The moment he had her clear of the tub, he pulled her against him, his mouth devouring hers.

  Had he ever tasted anything as sweet as this? No woman could tempt him the way she could. He’d had mistresses who had been trained in the art of seduction, and not one of them had been able to bring him to quiver with lust in such a manner. It had to do with her openness. Never did he wonder of her attention, it was never feigned. Each time he touched her, she gave herself to him in joy.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands threading through his hair. She moaned as his tongue slipped past her lips, into her mouth, tasting the sheer joy that was Colleen. He held her against him, his hands on her rear end, and walked to the bed. He did not break the kiss but did open one eye so as not to cause them serious injury by tumbling to the floor and landing on top of her.

  He made it to the bed amazingly enough and lowered her onto it. Pulling away with considerable effort—the woman didn’t want to stop—he clawed at his trousers. When he undid the last of the buttons he sighed, relieved the pressure was finally gone.

  Standing in the vee of her legs which were dangling off the bed, he moved closer to her. Before he could cover her body with his, Colleen sat up, her eyes wide with wonder behind her lenses. He reached for them, but she batted his hands away. Without any artifice, she studied his member. She trailed a finger down the length of it and then back. Just a simple touch, but watching her hand on his cock, wit
nessing her joy of discovery, was probably one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen in his life. When she wrapped her hand around him, he sucked in a breath and she immediately released him.

  “No.”

  He grabbed her hand and placed it on him, showing her just what he liked. As she moved her hand, he dipped his head back, closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her skin next to his. Before long, her strokes became more than he could stand. He removed her hand from his cock and pushed her back on the bed. After stripping off his trousers, he covered her body with his. True to form, she started to protest. He stopped her with a wet, open-mouth kiss that ended with her moaning.

  She planted her feet on the bed and pushed herself against him. The very heat of her core warmed his cock. At the moment, her mouth on his, their skin slick and hot, Sebastian almost lost control. He understood, even if she did not, that this was no longer about lust or animal instinct, but his love for her.

  As she moved against him, he let her guide their rhythm, their lovemaking. His body clamored for release, for the need to sink inside her warmth, but he held back. As she pressed harder, he knew he would go insane if he didn’t gain some relief soon. He grabbed her hips and rolled them over, reversing their positions.

  Colleen sat up, her confused frown pulling a laugh from him.

  “Sebastian?”

  Uncertainty and arousal colored her voice. Sebastian thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

  “Take me inside you, Colleen.”

  Her eyes rounded and then dilated with pleasure. She lifted off of him, taking his member into her hand and slowly sinking down on him. She didn’t take all of him in. Keeping her strokes shallow and the rhythm slow, Colleen drove him mad. Sliding his hands up her thighs, he gritted his teeth, determined to allow her to set the pace.

  Soon, her movements increased in speed. He felt her slickness intensify as she raced closer to the pinnacle. He moved his hands to her breasts and watched in delight as her head dropped back and she moaned his name. Her strokes became frantic, and he knew with one touch he could send her over. Sliding his hand to her sex, he pressed against the hardened nub. A moment later, she screamed his name, her body convulsing with her release. He could wait no longer. Grabbing her hips, he pushed himself into her to the hilt. A few strokes and he joined her, her name on his lips.

  She collapsed on top of him, and for a few minutes, he lay contented. Nothing had ever felt as good as his wife, her head against his shoulder, her breath a whisper on his skin.

  Knowing the position would not be conducive to sleep, he pulled her from on top of him with regret. After settling her against the pillows, he extinguished the candles, climbed beside her in bed and gently removed her glasses.

  As if by instinct, she rolled into his arms and snuggled against him. He gathered her closer and allowed the newfound feeling of love to fill him, warm him from the inside. He kissed the top of her head and smiled when she emitted an unladylike snore telling him she was already asleep.

  Feeling secure she would not hear him, he kissed her head and said, “I love you, Colleen.”

  * * *

  Hours later Colleen awoke to a darkened room. Sebastian shifted next to her, his body warm, his arms wrapped around her waist. Slowly, so as not to disturb her husband, she reached to her nightstand, found her glasses and donned them. She settled back against his side, his arm winding around her waist again, his hand resting on her backside. A sense of well-being, of belonging, swept through her. There was something so right about lying beside Sebastian, the sound of rain against the window, her body full of sleepy contentment.

  She had thought Sebastian had shown her the depths of his sensuality since their first night together, but tonight had been a different experience altogether. Something lurked there, beneath the surface of her complex husband, that she had felt whisper across her soul. Colleen didn’t know if she should be happy or scared or both.

  “That is not a look a man dreams of seeing on the face of the woman he just made love to scant hours before.”

  She looked up at him and her breath caught. Heavy-lidded eyes, lips curled into a seductive smile, he was the picture of contented male beast. He reminded her of a leopard who was satisfied with one meal, but never taking his mind off his next snack. She shivered as warmth stole through her, her nipples tightening.

  “I was just thinking.”

  “Another thing a man does not dream of hearing from his lady love.” He pulled her on top of him. She wiggled against him, delighted that she felt his member growing hard against her sex. He swatted her derrière. “Stop that. I can’t concentrate.”

  She bent her head and kissed his chest, swiping her tongue against his skin.

  “Colleen, stop it.”

  He sounded so stern. The thought of Sebastian Ware, rake of the first order, admonishing her for trying to be seductive made her laugh.

  “Very funny especially when you are not the one in pain,” Sebastian said.

  Worried, she pulled her head up, smacking him squarely on the chin.

  “You’re in pain?” She didn’t want Sebastian to ever be in pain.

  He rubbed his chin as he studied her. “Yes, but it is a good kind.”

  She frowned. “There is a good kind?”

  He massaged her backside. “You know how it feels right before you explode while we are making love?” She nodded, not being able to utter a word. His hand against the tender skin on her rear end was making it hard to concentrate. “It is that kind of pain.”

  Satisfied, she snuggled closer and sighed.

  “Colleen, I need to ask you…have you remembered anything from the day you fell?”

  She closed her eyes, trying to remember, trying to grasp the one thing that would help. “No, Sebastian. I have tried, believe me, but I can’t remember anything except feeling something on my back and then falling. The next thing I remember I was here in this bed, your mother hovering over me. And His Grace.”

  Sebastian muttered something she couldn’t quite decipher. She sat up fully, ignoring the sheet as it fell around her hips. A frown pulled at his lips as he looked up at her.

  “Sebastian, is there something I should know? Something you know about him?”

  A look came and went in his eyes, an emotion she could not figure out. It was gone so fast she thought maybe she had imagined it.

  “No, Colleen. I just don’t like the way he looks at you. He is known for his many conquests.”

  She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and tried to ignore the flare of desire in his eyes. “Sebastian, I have no idea why you are worrying about him. I am not attracted to him in the least. And why would I be a conquest he would want? Good Lord, the man is a duke. I have seen the number of eligible and not-so-eligible women line up when he enters a room. Why on earth, with all that beauty beating down his door, would he want me?”

  His frown deepened. “Colleen, first of all, I have told you time and time again that you are bloody beautiful. Not one of those women can compare to you. And secondly, you are an intriguing woman. You are considered an Original by the ton. Beauty and brains. Not that easy to find.” He blew out a disgusted breath. He was the picture of an aggravated male. Her heart melted at the sight. Was there any way she could not love this man? “Not beautiful? The woman thinks herself plain? Answer me this, if you are so plain why do I ache with wanting you? I can’t think for wanting you, and when I am away from you it is worse.”

  As if he could no longer stand it, he grabbed her arms, pulling her face to his. Taking her mouth in a rough kiss, he rolled over, reversing their positions. By the time he finished kissing her, her head was spinning, her body aching, needing his touch.

  “If you don’t believe me, I will just have to prove it to you,” he said, kissing his way down her body. His tongue flicked over her skin with each kiss, her body already heating with anticipation.

  He settled between her legs. After brushing a kiss to the sensitive skin on
the inside of her thighs, he pressed his mouth against her sex. All thought dissolved, other than the fact that this man was touching her, loving her. Moments later, she was moaning his name, and he was traveling up her body. He entered her, one thrust to the hilt, and went about building her desire again. When she thought she would be out of her mind if she didn’t find some release, she exploded, her body convulsing beneath his as he thrust once more and joined her in bliss.

  * * *

  “Why did you do it?” Jasper asked in irritation. “I thought it would be months before we had to take care of the woman.”

  Disgust curled in his stomach, upsetting the contents. He swallowed, trying to keep the bile from rising to his throat. Jasper had never killed a woman, never even thought of it. His mother would be so very ashamed of him. And then there were the feelings. Someone was always watching him; he knew that.

  His employer stared at him with cold eyes. “She is breeding. I had to do something. You have waited so long, they may have created an heir.”

  “Breeding? They have been married for less than two months. And how do you know if she is breeding? Has there been an announcement?”

  His employer laughed. “Apparently you are not acquainted with my nephew. Knowing him, they have been rutting since the moment the vows were said. Besides that, I have quizzed the upstairs maid. She has not had one monthly since they returned.”

  Another wave of nausea swept over him and heat stole across his cheeks. He had never known anyone who was so plain speaking, especially a peer. Sweat popped out on his forehead.

  “I thought you said there was something with the marriage, that somehow you could prove it was not legitimate.”

  The sigh was filled with irritation. “Yes, there was a chance, but he returned and no doubt had Bridgerton do something about it. No matter, it is now legitimate in the eyes of the law.”

  “You could wait until she has the child.”