by Darcy Burke
At last he said, “I didn’t like how our conversation ended yesterday.”
Her breath stuttered in her chest. “How was that?”
“It was very…formal. Businesslike. And final.”
Yes, it had been all those things—on purpose. “Should it have been something else?”
He edged closer. “Perhaps. Lucy… Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She’d enjoyed every moment of their encounter at Darent Hall. She realized, stupidly, that he didn’t mean it like that. He wanted to know if she was upset about the dissolution of their association. “We had a temporary arrangement. Things…progressed beyond what we would have imagined.” She lifted her chin. “On the contrary, I’m grateful to you for the experiences we shared. Particularly since I doubt I’ll be able to repeat them in the future.”
“Lucy. I don’t like thinking about you…alone. Never…” He didn’t finish his statement, but she knew what he meant. She’d die a virgin, never knowing what it was like to truly lie with a man. The notion hadn’t plagued her before, but now that she’d tasted pleasure with Andrew, she had to admit she didn’t like thinking of that—being alone forever—either.
“Andrew, what are you doing here? Did you come to seduce me?” She prayed he didn’t hear the hope in her voice. God help her, she wanted him, even if it was just for one night. One night that would provide the fodder for a lifetime of dreams.
He stroked the side of her face and gently tugged a lock of her hair as he stroked it between his fingertips. “I didn’t. But now that I am here, I am utterly captivated. I thought that maybe things had changed. Your friend Ivy, she approached me at the ball and told me to leave you alone.”
Lucy thrilled to his touch, even if it was just her hair, and longed for him to cup the side of her face or pull her against him. Delicious anticipation stretched and grew between them.
“Ivy doesn’t like men. I told her what happened, and she was horrified. She doesn’t speak for me.”
“I see.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “In that case, I could seduce you. Even though I shouldn’t.”
Emboldened by his response, she laid her palm against his waistcoat over his heart. “Mayhap I’ll seduce you.”
His lips curved into a toe-curling smile. “I would expect nothing less from you, Lucy. You’re the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever met.”
His words heated every part of her. She pulled her gloves off in quick succession, never breaking eye contact. When her hands were bare, she curled them around his neck. “No one will bother us. You did tell my maid that you were here at my request?”
“I think I told her that her mistress said I should call on her at any time of day if I had something important to share.”
Lucy stood on her toes and pulled his head down to hers. “This is very, very important.”
“Very.” His lips captured hers in a searing kiss, and his arms came around her, pulling her tight against his chest.
He felt like heat and man. He felt like home. She kissed him with abandon, thrusting away all the reasons she shouldn’t be doing this. Rules, she decided, weren’t for her. She didn’t need to preserve her reputation, not when she had no intention of marrying Edgecombe or anyone else. If she couldn’t have Andrew, she didn’t want anyone. But right now, Andrew was hers. And she meant to hold on to every moment that he was.
Lucy tugged at his cravat, loosening the knot until it gave way. She wound her hands in the ends of the silk, holding his neck down while he kissed her. His hands moved down her back and cupped her behind through her garments. He pulled her up against his groin. His cock pressed between her thighs, sending pulses of desire outward from her core.
She tossed his cravat away and unbuttoned his waistcoat, eager to feel his bare skin. Once she had the buttons free, she pushed the garment over his shoulders. A moment later, she felt his fingers along her back, plucking at the fastening of her gown.
He drew away from her with a groan. “Lucy. Are you certain?”
She nodded. “Never more.”
She went to lock the door and when she returned his gaze raked her from her feet to the top of her head. “I’m so glad you’re dressed as a woman. As much as I enjoyed disrobing you the other day—I’ll admit there was something rather erotic about it—your feminine beauty takes my breath away.”
His words enflamed her. She reached out and pulled his shirt from his waistband.
“You’re so far ahead of me. It isn’t fair.” He picked her up and bore her to the bed, where he laid her carefully on the coverlet where he’d reclined earlier. Removing first one shoe and then the other, he tossed them to the floor. “I think I did that wrong,” he said, frowning. “Stand up again.” He helped her up, her stocking feet hitting the carpet beneath her bed.
“How do I take your dress off?”
“Over my head.” She helped him pull the garment off, raising her hands while he swept the fabric over her head. This left her in a petticoat and stays, with her chemise and stockings beneath. “I think men’s clothing is far easier.”
He laughed. “You may be right. Still, this is incredibly arousing.” He leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck, his lips and tongue devouring her flesh as he moved down along her collarbone.
Lucy curled her fingers around his head, holding him to her as sensation rushed to her breasts and far lower. He untied her petticoat and let it fall to the floor.
His hand came up and cupped her breast. She closed her eyes on a moan but jerked them back open before she completely lost herself. She turned, presenting her back so that he could unlace her stays.
He pulled at the cord, tugging and loosening until she felt it fall away from her back. He shoved the corset down, and she wriggled her hips until it slid down her legs, and she kicked it away.
“Do that again,” he rasped, his mouth at the back of her neck.
“What?”
He clasped her hips and pulled her back against him. “Move like that.”
She twitched her backside, and he groaned.
“God, Lucy.” He kissed the back of her neck, his mouth open and hot, his tongue licking and enticing her. He wrapped his arm around her hips, holding her snug to his arousal. His other hand came up to cup her breast through her chemise. He squeezed and stroked her, his fingers pulling on her nipple.
His hand stole beneath the hem of her chemise and caressed her thigh, then her hip until his fingertips settled over her mound. “Open your legs.” He spoke low and rough against her ear, his teeth tugged at the lobe.
She widened her stance, giving him access to her heated core. He swept his fingers against her, coaxing her, stirring her, driving her mad with need.
“You are so wet for me.” He slipped a finger inside her, going slow and then pumping in and out.
She bent forward, clutching the coverlet for something to hold on to.
With his other hand, he pushed the back of the chemise up, exposing her spine. He tugged it off her completely, forcing her off balance as she lifted her arms. He caught her before she fell forward, wrapping his arm around her beneath her breasts. His hand continued its delicious assault on her womanhood, stroking her folds and thrusting inside her.
He caressed her breast, still supporting her, drawing on her nipple so that every bit of her was focused on his touch. She panted with need as her hips moved to the rhythm of his hand.
“If it wasn’t your first time, I’d take you like this.” His groin moved against her, sparking a flood of lust. He’d said she was wet, and now she felt even wetter. “Lucy.”
He kissed along her spine, his tongue tracing her flesh and making her shiver with need. He pumped his finger into her faster and tugged her nipple. His lips were at her ear once more. “Come, Lucy. Do you know what that means? Orgasm. Let go. Fall to pieces. I will pick every one of them up and put you back together again.”
He suckled her neck and found that place that seemed to be the center of every sensati
on between her legs, and she did precisely what he asked. She fell utterly and completely into a thousand pieces.
He didn’t leave her but kept his hand on her until her shudders slowed and the world came back to her. And what a world it was. Everything was warm and golden and replete.
“On the bed,” he urged, his hand moving to her backside as she scrambled up onto the bed. “And take your hair down. I meant to do that before I was swept away.”
He’d been swept away? Heat suffused her again. Her bones felt like liquid, but she plucked the pins from her hair and put them in a pile on the table next to the bed.
He perched on the edge of the mattress and pulled his boots and stockings off. She watched him as he worked, loving the play of muscles along his back, evident even beneath the lawn of his shirt.
Next, he removed his trousers and swiped his shirt over his head, exposing the smooth plane of his back. She sat up and brushed her fingers over him, unable to resist touching him.
He turned, coming over her and kissing her soundly, his tongue tangling with hers. She thrust her fingers into his hair, surprised that desire was once again pulsing through her. Was this normal? She’d felt utterly satisfied moments ago, and yet now she was desperate to feel him again. And she wanted to feel all of him. Inside her.
She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. “You’re not going to stop, are you?”
“Do you want me to?”
“No. If you try, I’ll shoot you. And you know I won’t miss.”
“No, you won’t.” His eyes gleamed with admiration and promise. “I’m not stopping unless you tell me to.”
“Good. What do I need to do?”
“Whatever you want. But I can’t last much longer. You remember what happened before?”
She thought he was talking about what she’d done with her mouth and what he’d done with his…cock. “You…came?”
“Yes. I’m not going to do that inside you, though.”
Because of a pregnancy. She nodded in understanding.
He knelt between her legs and thrust his hand into her hair, spreading it over the pillows. “I love your hair. It might be your best feature. Except for your eyes. They’re so enchanting—full of intelligence and utterly provocative. No, maybe your lips. Whether they’re arguing a fair point or locked with mine, I am captive.” His gaze dropped to her chest, and his hands stroked downward until they cupped her breasts, kneading and stroking them. “These must be considered.” He leaned down and suckled her, first one and then the other. She moaned, unable to help herself. “So lovely. There’s also the curve of your stomach and the arc of your hip.” His fingertip traced over her and then moved between her thighs again, brushing against her gently. “And this. I find I just can’t decide.”
“If I tell you that you can have all of it, will you stop this torture?”
He arched a brow at her. “You’d bribe me?”
“I’m a desperate woman.” She was joking but serious at the same time. She wanted him with a power that almost frightened her. Why? Because she felt exposed. Vulnerable. Things she hated feeling but didn’t seem to mind with him.
“No more so than I.” He fell on her, kissing her savagely, his hand working her flesh, pushing her back up the mountain of pleasure. He settled between her thighs, and his cock nudged her opening.
She reached between them and touched him, stroking the smooth softness of his shaft. She wanted to feel him inside her. She was more than ready.
His hand grazed hers as he positioned himself. Slowly, he pressed inside, all the while kissing her. She moaned into his mouth, and he stopped.
“Are you all right?” he asked, looking down at her with concern.
“I’m fine. Can you…go faster?”
He grinned. “I could, but I was trying to be gentle.”
She reached around and clasped his backside, pulling him down. “I appreciate that, but I need you. All of you. Please.”
“Lucy, you astonish me.” He smoothed her hair back from her face as he slid completely inside her, his eyes never leaving hers.
She felt full and wonderful, but it wasn’t enough. “Move.”
“This is why I adore you, Lucy. You ask for what you want.” He pulled back briefly before thrusting forward again. “Hold on to me.”
She did as he bade, clutching at his back as he moved between her legs. He went slowly at first and then more quickly, creating an exquisite friction that was similar to what she’d felt earlier but intensified. Pleasure and need mingled and built. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensations.
“Shhh.” He took her mouth in a blistering kiss. Had she been making noise? Probably. She was absolutely senseless.
Pressure built in her core, she squeezed her legs tight around his waist, and her muscles began to contract. Bliss washed over her as she crested the mountain.
“Lucy.” He gripped her thighs and pulled out of her, leaving her bereft.
She clutched at his shoulders. “Come back.”
Wetness spilled on her stomach.
“I can’t.” He spoke between pants, the words coming hard and rough. “I told you.”
Yes, he had. He’d just failed to mention that it would be a trifle disappointing.
He sat up. “I need a…cloth.”
Yes, they did. “Over in that cabinet with the ewer.” Where she washed up.
He found the cloths and gave one to her while he tidied himself. “And I should put this…”
She stood up from the bed, her muscles feeling delightfully lethargic. “I’ll take it.” She stashed them back in the cabinet and made a mental note to launder them herself.
His gaze was a bit uncertain as he regarded her. She took his hand and led him back to the bed, pulling back the coverlet in invitation.
“Will you stay, just for a little while?” she asked.
She slipped into the bed nude, marveling at how scandalous yet wonderful it felt. When he joined her, he pulled her against him and kissed her temple. She couldn’t help but think of their night together at Darent Hall and recall how much she’d enjoyed sleeping next to someone. Next to him.
Her lids were heavy, and she let them close. “I fear I’m going to fall asleep.”
“I won’t, don’t worry.”
She nuzzled his chest. “Will you sneak away, or will you give me the satisfaction of throwing you out?”
He chuckled, and she felt the slight rumble against her cheek. “I’ll give you any satisfaction you desire. I promise I won’t leave without waking you.”
She yawned, losing her thread on consciousness. The last thought she had before falling asleep was about how lovely it was to feel his heart beating right next to her.
Chapter Sixteen
Andrew wasn’t sure how long he dozed, but it was still dark when he woke up with Lucy curled against him, her back flush to his chest. He inhaled the scent of her—flowers and spice, clove to be exact. He buried his face in her hair. He really did love it.
She was warm and soft against him, and he didn’t want to leave. But he had to. Soon. He could hold her a little longer.
What the hell was he doing? He’d come to ensure she was all right after their encounter at Darent Hall and to tell her about Greene. He’d never meant to make love to her. Hell and damnation, he’d never taken a woman’s virginity before. He was a cad. A reprobate. An absolute beast.
And yet he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. She’d been very clear about wanting him to stay, and he didn’t think she’d regret it either. Particularly since she’d also clearly stated that nothing had changed between them. She was content to move forward as she’d intended—alone.
Was he?
Contentment wasn’t an emotion he remembered feeling. Consequently, he wasn’t sure if he’d recognize it if it came along. He definitely, however, preferred to remain alone.
He looked down at her sleeping face, her dark lashes curled against her cheek. He said he’d wake her
, but he didn’t want to disturb such loveliness. He’d just kiss her good-bye, and if she woke up, well…
He brushed her hair back from her temple and kissed her there. Then he kissed the outer shell of her ear. Then he kissed her jaw. She snuggled back against him, and he went from half-erect to completely hard.
Yes, he should go.
Instead, he kissed her neck, using his teeth and tongue to nip and lick her. He cupped her breast and stroked the nipple, pulling and caressing.
She wriggled her backside against him—just as she’d done earlier. He closed his eyes in ecstasy and sighed her name.
“It’s not my first time,” she said, her voice even deeper and raspier than usual, but not at all like Smitty. “Do what you wanted to before.”
Take her from behind? His cock grew as he envisioned himself thrusting into her as the muscles of her back flexed. “Are you sure?”
She looked at him over her shoulder, her lids heavy, her eyes dusky with sleep and desire. “Have I ever given you cause to find me indecisive?”
He chuckled. “No.”
She reached back and stroked his thigh. “Tell me what to do.”
“For now, just feel.” He lowered his hand from her breast and found her sweetest spot, teasing her flesh into arousal. He worked relentlessly until she was panting with pleasure.
“Please.”
Her soft plea fired his senses. He clasped her thigh and guided it up, pushing her knee toward her chest and opening her legs. He moved his hand to caress her from behind, slowly at first, to acclimate her. She wriggled her backside again, and he smiled to himself. Then he plunged his finger inside her and relished her answering gasp. He thrust into her as he rose up on his elbow and kissed her neck. He sucked her flesh, loving the taste of her.
She jerked her hips back, seeking more of him. He gave her two fingers, and she lifted her backside. He kept up his pace until she cried out, her muscles tensing around him.
“On your knees, love.” He helped her rise up and palmed his cock, more than ready to claim her.
Her hair fell over her shoulder and fanned across her upper back as she came up on all fours. “Is this right?” she asked huskily.
