A Scandalous Deception (17 page)

Dear God, she was so soft to the touch,
softer than he’d imagined. He could kiss her, run his hands over
her naked flesh all day, and never tire of it. But right now, with
his cock straining against his trousers, what he wanted more than
anything in the world, was to sink into her, to become one with her
for now and always.

He deepened his kiss, relishing in the slight
mew that escaped her. He moved his hand to her belly and began
tugging her dress northward until the hem reached his fingers. Then
he smoothed his hand across the tie of her drawers. So close. He
was so close to having everything he wanted.

Fin slid his fingers beneath her drawers and
through her springy curls, and then…Then he found her slickness and
the urgency to have her heightened even more. He growled across her
lips and tweaked her little nub, which made her jerk away from
him.

Lissy’s pretty blue eyes rounded in surprise.
“What did you do?” she said as she tried to catch her breath.

What had he done? Fin brushed his fingers
across her nub once more, eliciting a very wanton moan from her.
“This?” he asked.

She nodded quickly.

Dear God, had her husband never caressed her
there? Fin pushed the thought away as quickly as it entered his
mind. This night was about them, not anyone else. “Here,” he said.
“Give me your hand.”

Tentatively, she offered her hand to him.

Fin shook his head. “Down where my hand is,
sweetheart.” He encircled her nub with his finger. “Right
here.”

“Oh,” she said with a shaky voice. Then she
slid her hand inside her drawers and speared him with the most
innocent of gazes.

“There.” Fin took her hand in his and guided
her fingers across her most sensitive flesh. “Just like that,
Lissy. Just keeping doing that.” He watched her for a moment, the
expressions of surprise and desire play across her face at her own
touch. She seemed so innocent all of a sudden, not at all practiced
in the art of lovemaking.

It had been quite some time for Fin, but it
seemed like…Well, it seemed like Lissy’s first time. But it
couldn’t be. She was a widow, there was no possible way she was a
virgin, was there? It wasn’t something he could ask, not without
spoiling the mood, which was the very last thing in the world that
he wanted. There would be time for answers later. Right now, he
wanted her. He wanted her more than he may have ever wanted
anything in his life.

To that end, Fin quickly retrieved his hand
from under her drawers and made quick work with the ribbon at her
waist. “Take these off,” he said, as he sat up and yanked the boots
from his feet, letting them fall to the floor with a thud.

Her eyes on him, Lissy did as he bade, first
tossing her dress aside and then sliding her drawers down her
slender legs until she was bared completely for him. Dear God, she
was a pretty sight, all pink and glistening and welcoming and…

Fin worked the buttons on his trousers,
freeing his straining cock. Then he pushed to his knees and settled
in the space between her thighs. “My sweetest Felicity,” he said as
he leaned forward, pressing the tip of him at her entrance. “You do
drive me to brink of madness.”

“Just to the brink?” She smiled rather
cheekily, much more like she usually did. “I’ll have to do
better.”

“You do just fine.” He smiled in return. Then
he thrust forward, sheathing himself completely in her warm
wetness.

A pleasured moan escaped her as her eyes
fluttered closed. Fin couldn’t help but stare at the beauty of her,
right before him. A prettier sight he’d never seen.

He leaned over her, his weight pressing her
further into the feather mattress beneath them, and her arms
settled around his neck. Fin kissed her, then. Softly, slowly,
reveling in her gasps and the taste of her sweetness.

He pulled slightly from her and then slowly
filled her once more. The tips of her nipples pressed against his
chest and the sensation rippled across him, nearly unmanning him
right then. But he wasn’t through with her yet. It seemed as though
he’d been waiting for her forever and he wanted to enjoy every
second of her in his arms.

Lissy was in heaven. Pure heaven, not that
she could form coherent thoughts, not with Fin atop her, inside
her, filling her so fully; but it was heaven none-the-less. She had
no idea sharing a man’s bed could be so…wonderful, so
liberating.

Fin retreated slightly and then filled her
again, finding a nice slow rhythm that heightened every nerve in
her body.

His kiss deepened and she held him tighter,
loving the weight of him pressed against her. He groaned against
her lips and his thrusts became a little faster, a bit more
urgent.

Something began to build, deep in her belly,
a need. A need she’d never felt before, almost as though she was
about to reach the tip of the highest mountain and…

Fin thrust harder, faster as though he too
was a reaching for that same point and then…

“Fin!” she cried out, as the most pleasurable
release washed over her. Wave after joyous wave.

He growled low, pressing himself more
urgently inside her until he too cried out in ecstasy. He buried
his face beside her neck, kissing her oh-so-gently. “Dear God, I
love you, Lissy.”

He loved her? A flood of hopes and dreams
rushed to her mind but were instantly pushed away as the truth and
unpleasant memories washed over Lissy. He couldn’t love her. He
shouldn’
t love her.

Heavens, what had she done?

Fin rolled to the spot beside her and cradled
her against his chest, his strong arm draped across her back, his
gentle fingers caressing her skin.

Lissy blinked back tears, refusing to cry.
Crying wouldn’t do her any good. Crying would do
him
any
good. It was a useless, worthless activity. Even so, a few
traitorous tears spilled against his chest anyway. Luckily, he
seemed too lost in his own bliss to notice the dampness.

Blast it all! What in the world had she
done?

She’d made love to Phineas Granard, that was
what. The sweetest, most tender love she’d ever experienced. But
she shouldn’t have done so. It wasn’t fair to him. It wasn’t fair
to her. How could she go on alone the rest of her life and know
that such passion existed? She’d be tortured the rest of her
days.

“I told Ericht that we’d dine with his sister
and him this evening,” Fin said rather groggily, completely unaware
of her inner turmoil.

Heavens. Now she had to look Lord Ericht and
his sister in the face? “Why did you do that?” she complained.

A laugh escaped him. “Because at the time I
had no idea that I’d find myself in your bed or that I’d never have
the desire to leave it.”

She didn’t want to leave it either. Right
now, the consequences of her actions weren’t staring her in the
face. They would very soon, but not now, not while she was still in
his arms and her body still hummed from the passion they’d shared.
“Can’t we send our regards?” And just spend a moment or two more in
a make-believe world where they could live happily ever after
together?

“We can do whatever you want, Lissy.” He
yawned. “But I think our absence would seem curious.”

He was right about that. It would be best to
have dinner with Lord Ericht and Lady Elspeth. Hopefully the pair
wouldn’t have a clue about what had transpired between Fin and
Lissy. But if they didn’t go to dinner, the two might very well
speculate as to the why. Lady Elspeth had, after all, seen the way
Fin had looked at Lissy. It wouldn’t take a genius to put two and
two together.

“I suppose we should go then,” she agreed.
Fanciful thoughts about a life with Fin wouldn’t do her any good in
the end anyway. She started to push up to her arms.

“Don’t leave just yet, sweetheart.” He
clutched her tighter to him and kissed the top of her head.

Lissy sagged against him. She should enjoy
every second in his arms because once they left this bed, the real
world would come crashing down about them soon enough. But she
should explain…not everything, of course. He’d never understand
everything, but in his very docile state, she could hopefully get
him to see a few things.

She brushed her fingers through the dusting
of dark hair across his chest, trying to figure out what she could
tell him, what wouldn’t lead to questions she didn’t want to
answer.

“Lissy,” he began before she’d even come
close to finding the right words.

“Hmm?”

“When we get to Prestwick Chase, I think we
should start the banns, don’t you?”

The banns! She jerked away from him as though
she’d been scorched. “I beg your pardon?”

He pushed up to his elbows, a frown marring
his handsome face. “I never was the most romantic fellow. I am
sorry.” He heaved a sigh, then smiled rather boyishly and quite
charmingly. “Let me try again. I love you, Felicity. I love you
with all my heart and I want to share the rest of my life with
you.”

Her heart fluttered at his confession and
then it very clearly broke in two for the both of them. “Fin,” she
whispered, not sure how she could even respond.

“Will you marry me, Lissy? Please.”

Lissy didn’t think her heart could ever hurt
as badly as it did in that moment. Things would be so different in
another life, another time…But she was in this life at this time.
“I can’t.”

Confusion clouded his eyes and his brow
furrowed once more. “But...”

“I really should check on Annie,” she said,
not wanting to hear whatever else he meant to say. There was
nothing he could say that would change the situation, and listening
to it would only hurt more.

She snatched her dress up from the floor and
turned her back to him. Drat! It would have been much easier to
flee the room if she’d already been clothed.

He was at her back, his hand on her shoulder.
“I know you feel something for me, Lissy,” he said softly. “We were
both in that bed. I know you felt it too.”

She’d felt it. She’d never forget it. But
that didn’t change her circumstances. “Please, Fin. I need to check
on Annie.”

He released her shoulder and took a slight
step away from her, but she could still feel his eyes on her.
Luckily, the dress was easy to toss over her head and she could
make a quick escape sans her chemise or drawers. There wasn’t time
for unmentionables, not when every second spent in those chambers
threatened to suffocate her.

She stepped into her slippers and started for
the doorway and turned the handle.

“I don’t know what he did you,” Fin said
softly from somewhere behind her, halting her in her step. “But I’m
not him, Felicity.”

Truer words were never spoken. A sob lodged
in the middle of her throat. “I know,” she whispered, not sure if
he even heard her before she escaped to safety of the inn
corridor.

One more. If just one more fellow smirked in
Marcus Gray’s direction, he’d pound the smirker right into the
ground, which would pale in comparison to what he would do to
Carraway, should that particular jackass cross his path again. He
climbed the steps of Whites, relieved the footman nodded in
greeting without a damned smirk on his face. The fellow had no idea
how lucky he was.

Perhaps the tittle-tattle had died down a bit
the last few days. He handed his beaver hat to the man and then
stepped into the front room.

“Ah, Haversham! There you are,” the Earl of
Thurlstone called from his spot at the far edge of the room.
“Wondered when you’d show your face again.”

There was no need to point out the fact that
Marc had been avoiding society, even the rougher edges of it since
that damned night at Rotherby’s. Over the years, he’d cultivated a
rather nice reputation for himself, at least he thought it was
rather nice. And one punch to the jaw from that sanctimonious prig
Carraway, and Marc had been reduced to a laughingstock.