by HELEN HARDT
“Say my name,” he whispered. “I want it to drip from your ruby lips like a fine Bordeaux. I want to feel the silky caress as you whisper it against my neck. I want to hear you sob it into my mouth as I kiss you. Please, Lily. Say my name.”
She shuddered. His husky voice made her knees tremble. Was it possible that underneath this renowned blackguard lurked the soul of a poet? Or was this just a practiced technique in seduction? As he slid his lips over her neck and face and her heart thumped wildly, she couldn’t bring herself to care.
“Daniel,” she moaned softly. “Oh, Daniel.”
He groaned. “Oh yes, love. Kiss me.”
Despite her better judgment, she responded with innocent eagerness, finding his mouth with hers and letting her tongue wander apprehensively into his warmth. He took her tongue, mated it with his, sucking it gently and then freeing it to explore him. She let it roam over his full lips, sucking them and biting them gently, as little moans escaped from her throat. His lips were firm yet soft on hers, and he tasted of honey. Mmm, delicious. Her blood boiled as his lips meandered over her cheek to her neck.
“God, you smell so heavenly.” He covered her smooth skin with kisses. “I haven’t been able to think about anything but this since last night. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. All I wanted was to see you again.”
He pressed his lips to her neck and covered it with gentle little bites while he roamed his fingers over her hips and up towards her breasts. Gently he slid his hands over her bosom. She gasped as her breasts swelled and her nipples tightened into hard little knobs. He trailed kisses down to the neckline of her gown and then back up to her lips again. Lily panted, trying to get closer to him. When his arousal nudged against her body, a stabbing desire ran through her womb.
“Lily,” he whispered. “Please, Lily.” He urged her toward the bed.
No! This was no love-struck adolescent stealing kisses. This was the Duke of Lybrook, rake extraordinaire and seducer of women. Her heart pounded against her sternum. How had she let this get so far? She pushed Daniel away, the suction of their kiss breaking with a loud smack.
“I can’t do this.” She backed away from him, keeping her hands behind her. She fumbled for a table or a chair, anything to help maintain her balance.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Daniel edged toward her slowly.
“Your Grace, I came up here to see your painting. I-I…apologize for any part I may have played in this…mistake. I…”
“It’s not a mistake. None of it has been a mistake. Please don’t back away from me.”
“I…” She couldn’t finish.
He stood close to her, staring at her with those wonderful eyes. As if it had a mind of its own, her hand shakily reached up to his honey locks, smoothing them. God, his hair was beautiful. It was the color of burnished gold, with highlights of amber, brown, and just a few silvery strands near his temples. It felt like raw silk beneath her fingers.
She snatched her hand away. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” He took her hand. “You can touch me. I want you to touch me.”
She pulled her hand away. “No, I can’t. I…need to leave. Thank you, Your Grace, for showing me the Vermeer. I’ll never forget it. It was one of the most precious things anyone has ever done for me.” She turned toward the door.
Daniel touched her arm lightly. “Please don’t go,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Will you have lunch with me? I’ll have a tray sent up.”
“It’s not lunchtime.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. His warmth pressed against her back. “Please, you must let me go.”
“Do you want to go?”
“I want…”
She trembled as he placed his hands on her shoulders. She wanted him. She couldn’t help herself. Something about this beautiful, dangerous man called to her in a way she never thought possible. Unfamiliar emotion and desire flooded her body, her soul. She wanted more of his kisses. She wanted his hands on her skin…her bare skin.
She turned to face him. “I don’t know why you want me,” she said, willing her voice not to crack. “I’m likely to be a frightful bore for you.”
His green eyes sparkled. “Love, there is nothing boring about you.”
“What I mean is…for a man of your experience…an untried maiden would be…”
He chuckled softly.
“Damn it, you know what I mean!”
“Lily, I want you. I’ve never wanted a woman this much.” He crushed her to him and inhaled. “God, you smell good. What scent is that? I’ve never smelled anything like it before.”
“It…it’s just clove oil,” Lily said, escaping from his grasp. “I get it from the apothecary. I can’t abide those expensive French perfumes. They make me feel like a powder puff. So I just dab a little clove oil…”
He chuckled again, the skin around his eyes crinkling.
“What is so funny?”
“Nothing. I’m sorry. You’re just…you’re not like any other woman I’ve known.”
“I should hope not.” She tapped her foot. “Likely the women you’re acquainted with are mostly strumpets.”
“Touché. Perhaps it’s time I elevated my standards a bit.”
“And…you want to elevate them with me?”
“God, more than anything.”
“Then you should know,” she said, her pulse racing, “I-I’m not like most women my age. I want different things. I’m looking forward to the coming season about as much as a case of the pox. I have no desire to marry, as I have little use for men.”
Daniel’s full pink lips curved into a half smile. “I wasn’t proposing marriage, love.”
Lily’s skin heated. “Of course not. I didn’t mean to imply that you were.”
“As for your feelings about men—” He winked. “Is it that you prefer the fairer sex?”
Clearly the duke expected to embarrass her. She was quite aware of the writings of Sappho and others and knew some women and men preferred the same sex for intimacy. Lily was inexperienced, yes, but not naïve. She let out a husky giggle. “No, Your Grace. I assure you I have even less use for women. I can’t abide the bubbleheaded idiots who fawn at my brother’s feet, and at yours.”
Daniel laughed softly. “I see, then. If you don’t want a season or marriage, what do you want, Lily?”
She closed her eyes and inhaled. “I want to paint and write and travel. I want to sail around Venice, dine in Paris, spend an entire week in the Louvre. I want to stroll through the vineyards in Burgundy. I want to listen to Mozart in Vienna, climb a mountain in the Swiss Alps. I want to buy silk in the Orient and swim in the Mediterranean sea. I want to see everything Vermeer ever painted.”
When she opened her eyes, Daniel was grinning at her.
“Damn it, I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
He moved toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.” He kissed her mouth lightly, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. “I want you just as you are.” He kissed her again. “My God, you’re beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she murmured. Jumbles of thoughts crowded through her mind. She wanted to stay with him. It was improper. She wanted his golden hands on her body. She would be ruined. Her virtue was at stake. But did it matter? She didn’t wish to marry. Yet she wanted every experience life had to offer. Sleeping with the duke was just one more experience, yes? Who better to introduce her to the pleasures of the flesh than a man she was attracted to and who probably had the knowledge and experience of ten men?
But it would hurt. And people might find out and shun her. Her family deserved better.
She looked down at her feet. “I’m afraid.”
“Lily, look at me.” He tilted her chin up to face him. “You have nothing to fear from me. I promise you.”
“It…will hurt.”
“It may. But I’ll do everything I can to help you. It doesn’t have to be unpleasant.”
“I-I will require discretion.”
“Of course. No one will know. You have my word.”
“And I don’t want to… That is, I have no desire for you to get your brat on me.”
She regretted the harsh words, but they didn’t seem to faze him.
“Don’t worry. I can take care of that.”
“How?”
“Just leave it to me. There are several ways to—”
“I don’t want to know,” Lily interrupted. “Just take care of it. Lord, I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”
Daniel pulled her gently into his arms. “I’ll be so good to you. I’ll take care of you. I want to give you pleasure unlike either of us has ever known. Kiss me.” He guided her lips to his.
As she melted into him, she was vaguely aware of his hands working the buttons on the back of her gown and easing it down over her shoulders until it was in a heap on the floor. He turned her around gently, untied the strings of her corset, and carefully removed her stockings and her drawers. Soon she stood before him wearing only her chemise, which left nothing to the imagination.
“You’re absolutely lovely,” Daniel whispered.
He turned her away from him again as he slowly lifted her arms, caressing them lightly, and eased the chemise over her head. He leisurely ran his fingers over her arms, bringing them back to her sides, and then slid one finger up the curve of her spine and back down. She shivered. He untied the ribbon that held her long hair in a braid and gently untangled her thick locks. They fell into waves around her shoulders. He turned her back to face him.
“I want you so much,” he said, his bewitching eyes taking in every inch of her. In one swift movement he gathered her into his arms and carried her to the bed, where he laid her down gently on the silky burgundy.
He undressed himself, leaving his garments in a heap on the floor next to the bed. His stomach was lean and rippled, his chest covered with a smattering of tawny curls. His arms were strong and muscular, and his shoulders, oh, his shoulders. How she wanted to run her hands and her tongue all over the sleek tan warmth of them.
As he came to her, she widened her eyes. His cock was thick and hard…and huge. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.
He grinned and winked at her. “It will fit,” he whispered.
Then his mouth was on hers again, and he sank his tongue into her and moaned softly. His sweet honey flavor devoured what little was left of her resistance. She couldn’t get enough of the silkiness and fire of his mouth. She sucked on his tongue, trying to taste every part of him. He moved his lips along her cheek, to her ear, down her neck, nuzzling and nipping her gently, and then not so gently. When he reached her breasts, he cupped them in his large hands and stared at them for a moment.
“Beautiful,” he said, his voice smoky.
He buried his face between the soft mounds, running his thumbs over her nipples. Slowly he covered them with kisses, easing toward one rosy circle. He licked it gently, swirling his tongue around her nipple until it was a tight bud. God, so good… Then he softly breathed on the wetness, and a sweet chill rushed straight to her womb.
“Please,” Lily heard herself moan. “Please.”
Daniel took the nipple into his mouth, licked and sucked it lightly. Lily shuddered and arched against his hard body, grasping the silk of his hair, pulling him closer to her. He kissed his way over to the other nipple, sucking and tugging.
“Daniel, please!”
“Slowly,” he whispered. He trailed his lips down her abdomen to the triangle of glossy black curls. Gently he parted her with his fingers. “Tell me, love, is the rest of you as sweet as your succulent kisses? Your gorgeous breasts?”
“I-I don’t know what you mean.”
“Innocent angel,” he murmured. “Let me show you.”
She gasped as he parted her legs and pushed her knees up.
“Wet,” he said. “So wet for me.”
“W-Wet?”
“Your pussy is wet. It’s normal, love.” He smiled between her legs. “It means you want me as much as I want you.”
Then he was kissing her…there. She’d heard of such things, but a lady wouldn’t… It was disgraceful really. Try as she might, though, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. As he swirled his tongue around the entrance to her body, he breathed fire into her.
“You’re so sweet,” he said, “and so amazingly pink and pretty. God, I want you like I’ve never wanted anything.”
Lily arched as he found a place that made her head spin. She quivered and moaned as his tongue danced over her hot flesh. More, she wanted more.
“Please.”
She had no idea what she was asking for, but he seemed to understand. Her tissues stretched as he filled her with a finger and stroked languidly in and out. The stretch, though uncomfortable at first, soon had Lily writhing as her body adjusted to the fullness. As his fingers danced inside her, ripples of flame ignited across her skin. Lily curved against him, grabbed his satiny hair, and pulled his face closer as pleasure rang through her in a rapturous wave of ecstasy. She cried out his name as she surrendered herself, while he continued to lick her and stroke her, nursing her through the waves. When a euphoria settled over her, he stopped, moved upward, and kissed her mouth slowly and deeply. The fruity musk on his tongue was different. Her. She melted into his kiss, her own flavor an intoxicating sensation.
“Oh, Daniel,” she whispered. “I had no idea.”
He stroked her cheeks with his lips. “My God, I love the taste of you, the smell of you, your touch, your kisses.” He nipped her earlobe. “Let me inside you, Lily. I’ll be so gentle. I’ll make it good for you, I swear it.”
His hard cock poked against her thigh. The desire to have him inside her body overwhelmed her. “Yes, yes,” she whispered. “Come inside me. Please.”
Daniel led her hand to his hardened shaft. She grasped its length, spreading her legs and leading it to her entrance.
“Rub it over your wetness, love.” He groaned. “That’s it, get it good and slick.” He clenched his teeth. “I’m going to enter you now. You tell me if you want me to stop. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I don’t want you to stop.” Lily gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the pain.
He entered her slowly. She grabbed his shoulders, loving the feel of his hard muscle, as he slid all the way into her. Full. So full. The invasion hurt a bit, but not nearly so much as she had feared. Daniel’s shudders and groans of pleasure seemed much more important than the small amount of discomfort Lily felt. She arched against his hips, drawing him deeper into her body.
“Are you all right?” Daniel asked.
“I-It’s so big. I’m so full.” Her words were a breathless rasp.
“Do you want me to stop?”
God, no. “N-No. Don’t stop.”
“Oh, thank God.” Daniel’s body crushed against hers, nearly knocking the air out of her lungs.
“I c-can’t breathe, Daniel.”
“I’m so sorry, love.” He adjusted his body. “Better?”
“Yes, yes,” she whispered. “Show me what to do.”
“Just kiss me.”
He clamped his mouth onto hers and began to move within her, pulling himself out then pushing back into her in a rhythm she met with her hips.
“So sweet, so tight,” Daniel said against her neck.
The burning of his intrusion slowly turned from ache into pleasure as he nudged her sensitive peak with each sensational thrust. Her whole body throbbed, and soon the waves of pleasure rippled through her again. As she sobbed her climax, he thrust mightily, his entire body pulsating against her in a blazing explosion.
“Lily. My God, Lily.”
Chapter 4
Daniel slowly turned onto his side, cuddling Lily in his arms, gently pulling her leg over his hip, their bodies still joined.
“Sweet Lord,” he said.
Lily let out a nervous giggle. “I guess men
do have their uses.” She laced her fingers through his hair.
He laughed softly and kissed her nose. “Go to sleep, love.”
* * *
Lily awoke to the noonday sun streaming through the bay window in Daniel’s bedchamber. Should she feel regretful? Ashamed? Oddly, she felt only relaxed.
She sat up in bed and turned to feast her eyes on the man lying next to her. He was on his back, one arm strewn across his eyes. Oh, he was beautiful. Timidly she reached over and ran her fingers through the tawny curls on his well muscled chest. When she reached a nipple, it hardened beneath her touch. She feathered her hands down lower, traced a circle around his navel, and laced her fingers through the dark blond curls of his private area. His sex hung loosely, looking so different than it had during his arousal. She touched the softness apprehensively and then shyly removed her hand. Turning her head to look at his beautiful sleeping face, she found his green eyes open, smoldering as he looked at her.
“Don’t stop,” he said.
“Forgive me.” Warmth crept over her skin.
He chuckled softly. “There’s nothing to forgive. I told you, I want you to touch me.”
She looked toward the window. “It must be nearly noon. The luncheon starts at one, and my sister and mother will be expecting me. I have to go.”
He reached for her hand and entwined their fingers together. “You have an hour. Stay with me. In fact, skip the luncheon. Have lunch with me. We can dine here.”
“I couldn’t possibly. Besides, I…need a bath.”
He gave her a half smile as he stroked her thumb. “I’ll bathe you.”
“Daniel…”
“I told you I would take care of you. There might be some blood. Let me bathe you.”
“My God…” A bath seemed so intimate. Yet hadn’t they already shared the ultimate intimacy?
“Is that a yes?”
“I suppose so. What have I started?”
“Nothing that I have any intention of stopping.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Then we’ll dine together, here.”
