The Virgin’s Secret

by Victoria Alexander

“It. Everything.” She pulled her brows together. “Are you always this obtuse or is there something about me that encourages you to be annoying?”

  “There’s something about you.” He chuckled. “Did you wish to come in?”

  “No,” she said in a sharper tone than she’d intended. “I wish to stand here in the corridor.”

  “It would be most improper, you know, for you to be in my rooms, especially dressed as you are. Most of my family is gone, Mother’s rooms are in the other wing, and the servants are all abed. We shall be quite alone.”

  “I am aware of that.”

  “Very well, then.” He stepped aside and waved her in. “Do come in.”

  She stepped into the room. He closed the door behind her with a snap and she jumped.

  “Are you nervous?”

  She scoffed, belying the churning in her stomach. “Not at all.”

  His quarters consisted of a small sitting room with a writing desk and two comfortable looking wing chairs that flanked a love seat, the chairs positioned before a fireplace. An archway off to one side revealed a bedroom and a bed of massive proportions. Obviously Jacobean, it was dark and heavy and masculine and, she swallowed hard, most appropriate for seduction.

  “Would you care to sit down?” He waved at the love seat.

  “I would prefer to stand at the moment.” She clasped her hands together and drew a deep breath. “First of all, you should know, I have no intention of marrying you.”

  He grinned. “I don’t recall asking you.”

  “I realize that, but should you decide, out of some misplaced sense of honor, to do so, you should know the answer would be no.”

  “Thank you for settling that.” He studied her curiously. “Why exactly are you here?”

  “I have been giving…that is, I have been thinking…”

  He shook his head. “Oh, that’s never good. Please don’t tell me you have a plan.”

  She glared at him. “You are making this most difficult.”

  “Making what most difficult?”

  “This.” Without thinking, she waved at the bed in the next room. “All of this.”

  “All of what?”

  “I want you to seduce me,” she blurted, then winced. She hadn’t planned to simply announce it, but then her plans never seemed to go well anyway.

  His eyes widened. “Do you?”

  “Yes, I do.” She paused. “You seem surprised.”

  “I suppose I shouldn’t be, given your state of undress, but yes, I am surprised.”

  She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what to wear to a seduction. I’ve never been seduced by…”

  “A man?”

  “Yes, a man before. It seemed to me the fewer clothes I had on, the more…expedient it would be.”

  “Yes, well, expediency is always a consideration in seduction.” He snorted back a laugh.

  “Do you think this is amusing?”

  “No.” He smiled. “I think it’s delightful.”

  “Excellent. You should probably begin by kissing me.” She raised her chin and closed her eyes. And waited. And waited. She opened her eyes. “Well?”

  He grinned. “Well what?”

  Heat rushed up her face and she started for the door. “If you don’t wish to—”

  He moved to block her way. “There is nothing, Gabriella, absolutely nothing, I wish to do more.”

  “Well, then.” Again she raised her chin and closed her eyes. And again waited.

  “Open your eyes.” He sighed. “I am not about to seduce a woman who looks like she’s bravely going to the gallows.”

  “My apologies. I don’t intend to look like I’m going to the gallows, bravely or otherwise. I am, in truth…” She thought for a moment. “Eager—yes, that’s what I am. Perhaps we should…” She took a step toward the bedroom.

  “Good Lord, Gabriella, I am not going to throw you on the bed and have my way with you.” He cast her a disgusted look, crossed the floor to a decanter, filled a glass and brought it to her. “Here, drink this.”

  She took the glass and eyed it with suspicion. “What is it?”

  “It’s an ancient elixir that will cause you to fling yourself at my feet, begging for my very touch.”

  “It’s seems to me I have very nearly done that already,” she murmured, and took a long sip, the liquor burning a path down her throat, washing her in an immediate sensation of warmth. “It’s brandy.”

  “Disappointed?”

  “No, I like brandy. I don’t have it very often but I do like it.” She took another sip. “It’s quite tasty and very warming.”

  “It’s also very potent.” He plucked the glass from her hand and eyed it. “And already half gone.”

  “Then you should refill it.” She did feel more relaxed. And she hadn’t lied to him, in spite of some apprehension, which was to be expected after all—she was indeed eager.

  He refilled the glass and handed it to her. “Only one more sip. I don’t want you inebriated.”

  “Really?” She took another long sip and gave him back the glass. “Why not?”

  “Because while it might be ‘expedient,’ it won’t be nearly as much fun for either of us if one of us isn’t aware of what is happening.”

  “Oh.” She drew her brows together. “That makes sense. I do wish to be aware.” She met his gaze firmly. “I fully intend for the memories of tonight to sustain me through the rest of my life.”

  He swirled the brandy in his glass and studied her, his expression unreadable. “I do hope it lives up to expectations.”

  “I can’t imagine otherwise.” She smiled. “Seduce me, Nathanial.”

  “Oh, I have every intention of doing so. But seduction, my dear Gabriella, is an art. And like any art, cannot be rushed.”

  “Are you an artist, then?”

  “Tonight I am,” he murmured, and circled around behind her. She held her breath. The lightest kiss fluttered against the back of her neck, and she sucked in a sharp breath. His voice was low and enticing. “There are especially sensitive places on a women that I suspect most women are not even aware of.”

  “Are there?” she said weakly.

  “There are indeed. The back of the neck.” Again she felt the barest whisper of a kiss. His arm curled around her and he pulled the tie of her wrapper free, then pushed the garment off her shoulders and it fell to the floor. His hands rested on her shoulders. “The curve where neck meets shoulder.” His lips caressed that very spot, and she tilted her head to one side and sighed.

  “Oh my…” Her eyes closed. He gently turned her to face him.

  “The base of the throat.” His lips murmured against her throat, the sensation delightful and thrilling. She felt him fumble with the ties that closed her gown, and a drift of cooler air when it opened. He slid the gown off her shoulders and down her arms until it too joined the wrapper on the floor. And she stood completely naked in front of him.

  She opened her eyes. He framed her face with his hands, and his lips met hers in a kiss soft and gentle. A prelude. She opened her mouth to his, and his tongue traced the edges of her lips, slowly and deliberately. She heard a faint moan and realized it had come from her.

  She rested her hands on his chest, feeling the heat of his body through the silk of his dressing gown. His hands released her face but his mouth lingered on hers. He skimmed his hands lightly down her arms, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

  His mouth slanted over hers, demanding now, insistent. Heat gathered in her midsection and lower. She responded to his kiss with a heretofore unknown need, an urgency that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside her. Her tongue dueled with his and she reveled in the taste of him, of brandy and desire and everything she’d ever wanted.

  One hand splayed across the small of her back, the other drifted to caress her derriere, and she pressed herself closer to him. The evidence of his arousal was hard against her, and without conscious thought she ground her hips against him.r />
  He groaned. “Good God, Gabriella.”

  “Nathanial.” She fairly sighed his name. “I want…”

  “I know, my love.” He scooped her into her arms, carried her to the bed, and laid her gently down. As if she were a fragile, delicate treasure.

  She watched him quickly strip off his clothes through eyes half closed with desire. Her gaze drifted from broad shoulders to firmly muscled chest and lower, over his taut stomach to his erection, swollen and enormous. Heat flooded her face and she thought her blush odd, since she wasn’t the least bit embarrassed at seeing him naked. Or at him seeing her naked. Nothing mattered but the longing for his body to join with hers.

  Nathanial lay down beside her, kissed the base of her throat and trailed kisses lower to a point between her breasts. His hand cupped one breast and his fingers grazed her nipple. She gasped with unexpected pleasure. His mouth moved to her other breast and he ran his tongue in a circle around her nipple until her breath came faster. He took her nipple carefully in his mouth and sucked, his hand still toying with her other breast until she writhed with the sheer pleasure of the sensations he produced with his teeth and his tongue and his hands. Moisture gathered between her legs and she shifted her hips upward wanting…more.

  “Oh…yes…”

  He shifted his mouth to her other breast and slowly ran the tips of his fingers over her stomach in easy circles. His hand drifted lower, the touch of his fingers igniting a blaze deep inside her. He caressed the tops of her thighs, then slipped his hand between her legs, and they fell open as if of their own accord.

  He touched her then, in that most intimate spot, and pleasure she’d never suspected shot through her. And she moaned and wanted more. Much more.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said softly.

  He slid his fingers over her, over that point of exquisite pleasure. And toyed with her and teased until her hands clutched at the bedclothes and she squirmed with unbridled need.

  Her hips arched upward and she moaned. “Please.”

  She wondered if she’d lost her mind and thought if this was madness, what a glorious thing it was. She scarcely noticed when his mouth left her breast and followed the path taken by his hand, lower across her stomach and lower still. Until his fingers parted her and she felt the touch of his tongue.

  “Dear Lord.” She gasped under his touch. “Nathanial.” She could barely choke out his name. “You can’t. You shouldn’t. You—”

  “Seduction, my sweet…” His raised his head and looked at her, his eyes dark with passion. “…is a complicated art.”

  His head nestled back between her legs and his tongue continued what his fingers had begun. And she was lost. Any reluctance to allow what was surely most depraved was dashed aside by never imagined delight. She knew only the pleasure, the sweet sensation of his touch. And it was not enough. A yearning ache built inside her as if she were struggling toward something just out of reach. She needed…she wanted…

  Abruptly, Nathanial moved, and she gasped. Surely this wasn’t all he intended? She knew full well there was more to seduction. Although, thus far it had been so much more than she’d ever dreamed. Still, surely it couldn’t end like this with her needing, wanting, something more.

  He positioned himself between her knees and she bit back a sob of relief. She lifted her hips up to meet him, a whimper of need escaping from her lips. His arousal nudged her and she tensed. She wanted this…no, she needed this. Still, she’d only done this that once and it was so long ago. She couldn’t recall the boy’s erection but certainly it was far smaller and insignificant than this massive implement that was about to impale her.

  He nuzzled the side of her neck. “Gabriella, my love.”

  He eased himself into her. It was an odd sensation, She didn’t remember this feeling at all. He entered her slowly and she felt tight around him and stretched and filled. He lay quietly for a long moment then began to move, with an easy, measured stroke. And the strangeness of it faded to a new and unique pleasure. She moved with him and her body throbbed with his.

  She clutched at his shoulders and urged him on. His thrusts came deeper, faster, harder, and she wanted more. Her legs wrapped around his. Tension, odd and insistent and unyielding, coiled within her. With every stroke of his, her need built, until she wondered if she might burst with the intensity of the growing pressure. And longed for it. Her hips rose to meet him, welcome him, take him.

  Without warning her body exploded around his. She arched upward and dug her fingers into his flesh. Wave after wave of unexpected pleasure coursed through her. Vaguely, through a fog of sensation, she heard someone cry out and realized it was her. He gripped her tighter and pumped faster. With a groan, he thrust deeply into her and shuddered. Warmth filled her and he moaned against her ear and stilled.

  For a long moment they lay together, still joined, legs entwined, hearts beating in tandem. It was quite the most extraordinary thing she’d ever experienced. The intimacy of his body joining with hers, the spiraling desire, the joy of release. And now, still together as one, her breathing in rhythm with his, utter peace and complete contentment enveloped her. She could stay like this, with him, forever.

  At last he shifted and pulled out of her. A sense of loss gripped her, but he drew her close against him, as if never to let her go. She reveled in a satisfaction she’d never known, never expected to know. She rested her head on his chest, his hand stroking her hair.

  “So.” A smile sounded in his voice. “Was your seduction acceptable?”

  “Yes, Nathanial, it was acceptable.” She smiled. “More than acceptable.” She sighed against him. “It was delightful.”

  Indeed, she’d never felt quite so delighted in her life. And cherished. And even, at least for the moment, loved. That, no doubt, was an illusion brought on by intimacy. Still, even an illusion could be enjoyed, as long as one accepted that it was nothing more than fantasy.

  “Now you are truly ruined, you know.”

  “And I wasn’t truly ruined before?”

  He chuckled. “Degrees, Gabriella, it’s all a question of degrees.”

  “Well, then I suppose I am.” She snuggled against him. Against the solid warmth of him. There was something about laying pressed against a naked man who had just made you feel things you’d never suspected possible that was unlike anything she’d ever imagined. There was obviously something to be said for being truly, gloriously ruined. “I certainly feel truly ruined.”

  “Gabriella…” His voice was deceptively causal. “About this offer of Rathbourne’s…”

  At once the feeling of contentment vanished. She pulled away from him, sat up and clutched the covers around her. “Yes?”

  He sat up, resting his back against the pillows. His gaze met hers directly. “I think it’s a mistake.”

  “I think it’s an opportunity,” she said slowly. “And aside from other considerations, I now have the chance to make certain Rathbourne does not have the seal.”

  “I don’t care. He’s a dangerous man.”

  “I’m not concerned.”

  “That in itself is a problem.” His eyes narrowed. “You should be concerned. And wary.”

  She studied him carefully. “Do you now plan to forbid me to accept his offer? Again?”

  “If I have to.” His voice was grim.

  “I thought we had established that you had no right to forbid me to do anything.”

  “This,” he gestured in an angry manner, “gives me the right.”

  “This,” she mimicked his gesture, “doesn’t give you any rights whatsoever. I was already ruined, remember?”

  “I can scarcely forget,” he snapped.

  Of course he couldn’t forget, what man could? “This discussion is at an end,” she said in a cold manner. “I need to return to my room. My clothes—”

  “I’ll get them,” he said through gritted teeth, threw off the covers, slid out of bed, and strode into the sitting room.

  “Yo
u’re naked!” She clapped her hands over her eyes, the annoying feeling of heat again flushing her face.

  “I was just as naked a minute ago,” he muttered from the sitting room. “It didn’t seem to bother you then.”

  “A minute ago it didn’t!”

  “You can uncover your eyes.” He had slipped on his dressing gown. “Here.” He dropped her nightclothes on the bed.

  “Turn around.”

  “Whatever you want.” He turned around. “Because everything is apparently about whatever you want.”

  “That’s absurd.” She scrambled out of bed and quickly slipped on her gown. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  “You want to find the seal! You want to restore your brother’s name! You want to work for Rathbourne! And tonight,” his voice hardened, “you wanted me.”

  “I apologize if it was an inconvenience for you.” She pulled on her wrapper and tied it. “I shall not bother you again.” She started for the door.

  “Damnation, Gabriella, do not put words in my mouth.” He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. “It wasn’t an inconvenience and only you would say something like that.”

  She struggled against him but he held her tight.

  “I have wanted you from the first moment I saw you. You should know that if you don’t already. But I want more. And one of the things I want is to keep you safe.”

  “I can’t imagine any harm will come to—”

  “I can!” he said sharply. “I can imagine all sorts of harm that might come to you.” He drew a deep breath. “If you insist on going to Rathbourne’s, I would insist—”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Insist?”

  “Fine, a request, then.”

  “And if I don’t agree, will you threaten to have me arrested again?”

  “Perhaps! Or maybe I’ll just tie you to a chair and keep you right here until you learn some sense!”

  “Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you?”

  A hint of wicked amusement glinted in his brown eyes, and the most inappropriate frisson of desire shot through her. She ignored it. “Probably.” He shook his head. “I don’t want you to go to that house alone.”

  “You’re not—”