Her hands skated over his chest, slowly and sensually exploring every muscle. She licked her lips, preparing for his kiss. And he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to bed her now, but he owed her something first.
He brushed the hair from her forehead, unable to look away from her. “You could have struck me. You were faster, but you did not take the opportunity.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you.”
“I wasn’t trying to hurt you either, Regina. I’m sorry I disregarded your wishes about meeting with Farrin, but you are my better half. Monumentally better. You are kinder, more thoughtful, smarter...”
She shook her head.
“Yes, you are. The last two years of my life were miserable, but at the end of the nightmare, I found you. You are a reward I’m uncertain I deserve, but I am grateful for every moment with you.” In the chaos of his existence, she was his haven. His hope. His one true love. “You are definitely too good for men like Farrin. Perhaps I am stubborn, or I am possessive, but I don’t want him to have any piece of you.”
“He cannot have any of me, because I belong to you, Xavier. My heart and mind. My—” Her breath hitched. “My body.”
A need as essential as breathing flooded his veins, and he couldn’t deny himself any longer. His mouth crushed against hers. She moaned, twining her arms around his neck and drawing him closer. Their tongues swept across one another in an erotic dance, and he tasted a trace of mint from the tea she’d had at breakfast. He leaned into her, pressing her against the wall, but it still wasn’t close enough.
Fisting the hem of her shirt, he dragged it up her body and over her breasts. He sucked in a sharp breath when her bare skin touched his, branding him with her heat.
He pulled back just enough to admire his lovely wife. Daily exercise kept her slender and strong with a tapered waist and flat stomach, and her breasts were on the smaller size, like plump peaches. She was unlike any woman he had ever seen, and she was perfection in his eyes.
He grazed his fingers along the swell of her breast then the underside before cupping his hand around her. His darker complexion contrasted with her ivory skin—different on the outside yet perfectly matched. Deep inside, he had known she was meant for him the moment he woke to discover her tending him.
“I love you,” he murmured and placed a tender kiss on her lips.
She caressed his cheek then kissed him in return. “I love you, too.”
Her nipples were like pale pink rose buds, perky and begging to be licked.
“Dieu, je te veux.”
He grabbed her arse and lifted her higher, bracing her against the wall. She wrapped her legs around him. Bending his head to taste her, he circled her sweet little bud with his tongue before taking her in his mouth. She arched her back and buried her hands in his hair, her nails glancing his scalp and sending his blood pounding harder through his veins. He lavished attention on her breasts, alternating between them until she was writhing and making the most arousing noises.
Unable to wait any longer, he carried her to the bed and set her on the edge. Slowly, he peeled the shirt over her head then removed her slippers, leaving her stockings undisturbed.
A soft gasp reached his ears. Regina’s lips were parted and her attention was locked on the bulge in his trousers. For a fleeting moment, he expected her to turn away and halt their love making, but she didn’t.
He stood still, not wanting to frighten her. With eyes lit with curiosity, she allowed her gaze to travel over his body as he’d done to her. He grinned, pleased with her boldness.
“I should have guessed you would be no shy maiden in the bedchamber.”
“Oh!” Her eyes snapped up to meet his. They clouded over.
He bent forward so they were forehead to forehead. “I love your curiosity and courage, Regina. I wouldn’t want you to be any other way.”
She released her breath and smiled. “Then it is acceptable that I want to see all of you?”
“Absolument.” He reached to unfasten the front fall of his trousers.
Wedmore House was filled with ancient artifacts depicting the male form, but the sight of Regina’s husband in living, breathing bronzed flesh was a true masterpiece. Despite his reassurance that her ogling was permissible, heat swept into her face. She was hot all over, tingling in her breasts and between her thighs. She ached for his touch, but she was not so courageous as to ask for it.
He dropped beside her on the bed to tug off his boots and stood to slide his trousers over his hips and firm thighs. His green eyes smoldered then flamed as she continued to marvel at him. He stroked himself as if he was unable to resist the feel of skin against skin, yet holding back from touching her until she was ready.
She gave a small nod. He exhaled, smiling.
“Move higher on the bed, goddess.”
As she scooted toward the pillows, he prowled toward her on hands and knees. Her heart trembled in her chest before slamming against her ribs. She laid her head on the pillow and he covered her body. His biceps tensed as he held his weight off her. Power and strength coursed through him, but his kiss was gentle.
She placed her hands on his chest to explore the chiseled muscles beneath his hot skin. A sparse dusting of soft dark hair spread across his chest. Leisurely, their mouths moved together, tasting one another. The sound of their sighs mingled, filling her ears, and as he trailed kisses down her neck and along her collarbone, her sighs became low moans.
When his lips brushed her aching nipple, she arched, her body begging for more. He didn’t deny her, taking her in his mouth and suckling until she was restless and shifting on the bed. Settling beside her, he continued his loving attention to her breasts and placed his hand on her thigh. A strong pulse fluttered between her legs, and her breath caught.
Xavier lifted his head and slid his hand up her thigh. “I want to see you when I touch you.”
She held his gaze as his hand moved agonizingly close, yet not close enough. Her hips lifted from the bed seeking satisfaction, and he covered her mound with his palm, rubbing in a small circular motion that wrenched another pleasurable moan from her. His eyes darkened until she couldn’t see even a hint of green any longer.
She felt slick and hot, just as she had been the day she’d surrendered to him on the settee. He caressed her skin, coaxing the fire inside her to flame brighter, hotter. It slowly began to consume her as he stroked her, the intensity building with each loving touch. His fingers explored her body, slipping into her and then sweeping across her pleasurable spot until she was panting hard, and still she couldn’t catch her breath.
Her release was as powerful and shattering as an explosion, and she cried out repeatedly as wave after wave of pleasure shook her. As the last quiver of her body faded, she dissolved into the bedding, sated but longing for more. She reached for her husband, her hand curling around his neck to pull him to her for another kiss. A brief peck and a whispered request, “Make me your wife, Xavier.”
Xavier’s blood roared in his ears, and he position himself above Regina. He trembled with the effort of restraining his urges. He wanted to be deep inside her, thrusting hard and holding her tight, but that would come in time. Now she needed tenderness, and he needed her forever.
He placed his lips to hers—nipping and teasing her mouth with his tongue until he sensed the shift in her. She grasped his shoulders and pulled him toward her. He allowed the tip of his cock to slide inside her, fighting to hold back until her body relaxed beneath his. Then he forged a little deeper. He took her slowly, allowing her time to adjust to him. She hissed when he broke through her body’s resistance, but she wrapped her arms around his back, holding him when he was fully seated inside her.
She was tight and wet, and he was dying a slow death by not being allowed to move. “Regina, I am losing control. Forgive me.”
Her eyes widened and she loosened her grip. He withdrew and eased back into her. She gasped, closing her eyes with a pleasurable smile pl
aying about her lips. After several moments, she tentatively began to move with him.
“Yes.” He grabbed her arse to guide and encourage her, but she required little of either. Her responsiveness captivated him and he lost whatever loose grip he’d maintained on his control. He drove into her, coming hard with three thrusts. As he recovered, he stayed inside her. He cradled her face and kissed her, then rolled to his back and gathered her to him. She laid her head on his chest and walked her fingers over his skin. He smoothed his hand over her hair.
Now that he could think clearer, he was worried about his lack of restraint. He cleared his throat. “Did I hurt you?”
She shifted to rest her chin on his chest and smiled with a sparkle in her eyes. Her coiffure was beyond repair and a rosy pink stained her cheeks. “Do I look injured?”
He grinned. “You look well-shagged.”
“Well-shagged indeed.” Her smile widened to show a flash of white teeth. “Is it improper to wonder when we can do it again?”
“Probably,” he teased. “Thank God I didn’t marry a proper wife”
Thirty-two
Regina rolled off Xavier and collapsed on the bed to catch her breath. The sky beyond the windows had grown dark a couple of hours earlier, but she didn’t want to succumb to sleep. Even though she was tired and a little sore, she wanted to hold on to the thrill of making love a little longer. She hadn’t expected to become so lost in her husband.
“How is it you were able to charm me into staying in bed most of the day?” she asked.
He twined his fingers with hers on the mattress between them. “I believe this last round was your doing.”
She laughed, turning her head to see his profile in the dark. “I liked it better when I could see you.”
“Duly noted. I will light the lamps before you ravish me next time.”
Her stomach growled.
He chuckled, released her hand, and pushed up to sit on the side of the bed. “I suppose I should feed you if I expect you to keep pace with me.”
They had fed each other bites of sandwiches and fruit at teatime, but they’d soon forgotten about their hunger and abandoned the tray to race each other back to the bedchamber.
Xavier stood. “Wait here and I will bring a lamp.” He walked into the great room and a few moments later, the flare of a flame brightened the room. When he returned, he held the lamp high, raining golden light over his nude body. She sat up in bed and smiled, remembering the wicked acts they had engaged in earlier.
He playfully shook his finger as he placed the lamp on a chest of drawers. “Stop looking at me like that, Regina Vistoire, or I will never leave our bed.”
She wouldn’t be opposed, but her stomach growled again and she was forced to admit she had grown ravenous. “Very well. You may leave it briefly, but only because I’m famished.”
She swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and searched the floor for Xavier’s shirt. In their haste earlier, it had been wadded into a ball and tossed in the direction of the bedside table but missed its target. She bent to retrieve it from under the table and pulled it over her head.
Xavier found his pants and pulled them over his hips. “I will ring for a meal.”
Neither was fit to dine in public now, nor did she want to endure a long dinner hour hiding that she was the most gratified bride in London. She spotted a leg of the buckskins sticking out from under the bed and snatched them en route to the water closet. “I will be setting myself back to rights.”
“I like you out of sorts.” Xavier caught her around the waist and placed a kiss on her forehead. She leaned into him, savoring his warmth and masculine scent. When they released each other, Xavier grabbed a candle, removed the lampshade, and lit it. “For you, madame.” He replaced the candle in the holder and passed it to her.
“Thank you.” She rose on her toes and placed a peck on his lips. “Please hurry back. I cannot be certain, but I think I am missing you already.”
He smirked, appearing rather pleased with his effect on her. “I am only going to the sitting room.”
She let herself into the water closet and closed the door. The candlelight seemed brighter in the small space, and she caught her reflection in the looking glass. “For pity’s sake,” she mumbled. Her hair was a mess.
She could hear Xavier moving about in the bedchamber as she combed her fingers through her hair. When she’d accepted her efforts were for naught, she picked up the white porcelain pitcher on the washstand and poured water into the basin. Xavier announced he would be back shortly, and she teasingly wished him a safe journey.
She dropped a cloth in the basin and was wringing the water from it when a loud bang caused her to jump.
“Where the hell is she? Claudine!”
Regina’s heart stopped.
“She is not here, Stanhurst. Get out!”
Good Lord. Claudine had warned them against the duke, but Regina hadn’t expected Stanhurst to come to the hotel where any number of people might recognize him.
“Claudine! Where is the whore?”
“Madame Bellerose is not here.” Xavier sounded calm—much calmer than she felt with her heart trying to beat its way through her breastbone. Her husband’s lack of excitement only seemed to agitate the duke. He bellowed for his mistress.
“Lord Geoffrey, are you going to allow your father to cause a scene?” Xavier asked.
Regina mouthed a curse. Stanhurst had brought his son.
“He does as he wishes,” Lord Geoffrey said. A crash came from the sitting room.
“Claudine! I know you are hiding. Show yourself and I will forgive you.”
“I already said she isn’t here.”
“Shut your bloody mouth, you lying bastard. Claudine, come out. No one will be hurt if you show yourself now.”
The only liar in the room was the Duke of Stanhurst. Regina had witnessed the aftermath of what he had done to the poor woman, and if she had any say, he would never see Claudine again.
“Don’t make me drag you out by your hair!” Something smashed against the wall.
Regina pulled on the buckskins. Stanhurst needed to know he couldn’t come to their rooms and harass her husband. And he certainly couldn’t kick up a fuss and use foul language with a lady present.
“Stop!” Xavier barked. “You can’t go in there.”
Regina tugged on the water closet door to find Xavier blocking the doorway to the bedchamber with his body.
“Remove yourself, Vistoire. My father only wants the woman. Set her free and you will not be harmed.”
“The duke is mistaken,” Xavier said. “I have no prisoners here. I am alone.”
The warning in her husband’s tone was clear. He wanted her to stay hidden.
She peeked through the crack in the water closet door.
“Step aside, Vistoire.”
Xavier’s back stiffened and he raised his hands in the air. “For God’s sake, put away the pistols before one of you puts a hole through the wall. We can resolve this peacefully.”
Oh, law! They were armed. What was she supposed to do now? She eased the door closed, trying to recall what items were in the bedchamber and if any of them could be used for a weapon. In truth, she hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings earlier, and she probably wouldn’t reach anything before the duke or Lord Geoffrey overtook her.
The duke yelled for Claudine repeatedly, his voice growing louder as he entered the bedchamber. Scrambling to extinguish the candle, Regina almost knocked the holder off the washstand. She caught it before everything tipped and blew out the flame. The water closet was plunged in darkness, but as her eyes adjusted to the scant moonlight streaming through the window, she could distinguish the outlines of the washstand and chamber pot.
The banging continued. Drawers slammed and glass shattered, which made no sense when Claudine was clearly too large to hide in a vase.
“What the hell is this? A bloody valise?” The duke seemed incapable of speak
ing in a volume below a bellow. “These are women’s clothes. She is here. Claudine! I am going to blow a hole in you the second I find you, you ungrateful bitch.”
“No one is getting shot. Put down the pistol.” The thread of panic underlying Xavier’s command caused her to tremble.
She was torn between fighting off the duke and his son at her husband’s side and going for aid. Deciding the odds of saving Xavier were greater if she sought assistance, she unlatched the window and rose on the tips of her toes to lift the sash to its highest position so she could fit through the opening.
The duke’s yelling grew louder.
The window ledge was too high for her to just climb out, so she jumped, hauling her torso onto the windowsill. Her legs dangled and the wood casing pressed hard into her belly. She had no leverage to push herself to freedom, and her arms weren’t strong enough to lift her body weight. Rocking from side to side, she swung her legs toward the adjacent wall and got a foothold. She braced her feet against the wall and wiggled into a seated position on the windowsill. The duke hadn’t discovered the water closet yet, but based on the loud crashes and shouts outside the door, he wasn’t giving up until he searched every inch of the space.
Carefully, she climbed to her feet and inched onto the building’s ledge. She hugged the wall, the cold stone gouging her cheek. Her fingers ached from gripping tightly to the edges of the blocks. One strong wind could blow her over the edge. The two-story fall to the alley might not kill her, but she would definitely be maimed.
“Upon my honor, Madame Bellerose is not here.”
Xavier shouted when the water closet door flew open and the window lit up. Regina held her breath. Her legs quivered. If the duke looked out the window, he would see her.
“She isn’t here, Stanhurst,” Xavier said, “but I will take you to her. She has caused me enough trouble. You may have her.”
Regina’s heart dropped to her stomach. If Xavier left the hotel with Stanhurst, she wouldn’t know where to find him, because she knew with certainty he would never take the duke to Wedmore House. Nausea welled up inside her when Stanhurst agreed.
Secrets to a Gentleman's Heart (Uncle Charlie's Angels Book 1) Page 25
