Forbidden Angel (25 page)

“That feels wonderful.”

“There are other things that will feel even better.” Adrian ran his hand up her calf to her knee and tugged the ribbon on her garter loose. With the tips of his fingers, he rolled the sheer stocking down. Her breathing changed. She moved restlessly, her gaze followed the movement of his hands. He did the same to her other leg, removing the stocking in a long, slow sweep of his fingers.

He dropped to his knees in front of her and pulled her hips to the edge of the bed. When he pressed his mouth to the inside of her thigh, she jerked and tensed.

“Relax.” He stroked the inside of her thighs with his thumbs, and she made a little inarticulate sound in her throat. Then her hips lifted. “Easy, my sweet.”

“You’re teasing me.” Her breathless voice held the slight edge of impatience. He bit back a smile.

“What would you like? This?” He slid his hands up to the juncture of her thighs, brushing his knuckle over the damp curls.

With an appreciative moan, she opened her legs for him. He eased two fingers inside her heated sheath.

“Yes.” She drew the word out in a long sigh. Adrian nipped the inside of her thigh, then sucked as he moved his fingers inside her in a steady rhythm. Whimpering, she writhed against his hand. He found the tight bud with his thumb and pressed. Swirled. When she tightened around his fingers, he pressed deeper.

She shuddered and arched, her body quaking as her climax took her. He withdrew his fingers and spread her legs further apart. “Did those books mention a man tasting a woman?”

“Wha-a-t? Adrian, no—oh.” She bucked as his mouth covered her. He lifted her legs over his shoulders, grasped her hips to hold her steady as his mouth replaced his fingers and feasted. She tasted of honey and tart apples.

He lifted his head to see her face. In a husky voice asked, “Do you want me to stop?”

“Yes—no.” She reached for his shoulders. “Don’t stop.”

He chuckled and used his tongue and teeth on her delicate skin. Her body twisted; her breath came in gasps. She dug her fingers into his hair and held him to her. When her climax crashed over her, she made a soft, mewling sound, and shattered.

Adrian removed his drawers, tilted her hips to receive him, and with one thrust, sheathed himself deep inside her. He could feel the contractions from her last climax and they almost pulled him over the edge. As he continued to thrust his swollen member inside her, she lifted her knees and wrapped her legs around him, holding him tighter. She moaned and angled her body to take him deeper.

“More, Adrian,” she pleaded.

He’d had many women, but never one that could undo him like Angeline. He gritted his teeth against his own release and continued the rhythm until the first tremors began again inside her, moving along his manhood in tiny, convulsive jerks. His body ached with the need for release. He thrust hard and stopped, then covered her mouth with his own as she cried out. He thrust twice more and spilled inside her, burying his face in the side of her neck to muffle his own sound of release.

I will never have enough of you.

Slumped over her, braced on his forearms, he tried to gather his wits as he sucked air into his lungs. Once able to move, he withdrew and gazed down at her passion-damp body.

“Come, Angel. Let’s tuck you in bed.” He positioned her to lie more fully on the bed before he slid in beside her, reached for the thick quilt, and flipped it over both of them
.
With his arm beneath her head, he folded her close to his side. She snuggled against him, one slender leg curving over his thighs.

Adrian laid a protective hand on her belly. “I want you to promise not to see Malcolm. If you place yourself in danger, and fail, we both lose. And if he knows you’re with child, he can, and will, harm both you and our baby.” He raised her chin and made her look at him. “Do you promise?”

Her lashes fluttered and her lids lifted. “Yes. I promise.” She stretched and placed her hand on his chest, dropping a kiss on the side of his neck.

“One more thing.” He kissed her temple.

“What’s that?” she mumbled.

“Come for me one more time,” he whispered against her ear.

“Can’t.” She snuggled closer.

“Of course you can, sweetheart.” He slipped his hand between her thighs and heard her gasp.

“Beast,” she said with a sigh.

Angeline gazed through the coach window as the large home belonging to her mother’s family came into view. Filled with anxiety, and the ever-present feeling of anger, she bit her lip and let the emotions wash over her.

An intricate letter ‘C’ held place of prominence on the wrought-iron gate guarding the entrance to Hacienda Cordova. The two-story adobe structure, painted the color of ripe apricots, had two visible wings angling back from the main house. A twining rose, its bright yellow blossoms open to the afternoon sun, trailed along the second-story balcony railing. Terracotta clay shingles, darker in color than the house itself, covered the expansive roof. Flowering bougainvillea climbed trellises spaced along the front veranda.

“Oh, my lady, look at those birds! I’ve never seen the like.” Shirley pointed to a parterre at the side of the house.

Penelope’s eyes widened at the sight of the fanciful birds. “I’ve seen pictures of them. The brightly colored ones, with what resembles eyes painted on their tail feathers, are peacocks. The others are peahens.”

As the coach pulled to a rocking stop in front of the two, heavily carved front doors, they swung open and a tall, slender woman emerged. Her raven-black hair, secured at her nape with a turquoise and silver comb, held only a wisp of gray at the temples. Angeline’s first impression was one of absolute composure, until her gaze dropped to the handkerchief the woman twisted in her hands.

Rafael pulled the coach door open. After letting down the steps, he offered Angeline his hand. “Come, there is someone I wish you to meet. She has waited a long time for this.”

When Angeline descended, the woman gasped and lifted the handkerchief to her mouth. Her eyes widened as Rafael led Angeline forward.

After placing a kiss on the woman’s cheek, Rafael held out his arm to include Angeline.

“Angelina, I would like you to meet
Dona
Maria Elaina Cordova—your grandmother. Mother, this is your granddaughter.”

The two women observed one another. Neither moved or spoke. Finally,
Dona
Maria framed Angeline’s face in her hands.

“Oh, my sweet child.” She leaned forward to place a kiss on Angeline’s cheek. “I thought for one moment I was seeing my lovely Franchesca again.”

“I’m happy to meet you,
Dona
Maria.” Angeline gestured to Adrian. “I would like to present Lord Adrian Spencer, the Earl of Windsford. My husband.”

The older woman’s astute gaze moved to Adrian. Her eyes roamed his face for a moment. “Lord Windsford, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Please, call me Adrian.” He motioned for the others to join them. “We have friends with us.”

One by one they met the matriarch of the Cordova family. When Adrian introduced Shirley and Frank, Maria raised an eyebrow as if confused at the informality with servants, but inclined her head graciously.

“Please, come in, relax, and have some refreshments. The journey from town can be quite dusty this time of year.”

Rafael and Esteban had gone ahead to see their father. Everyone else followed Maria inside. Light flooded the room through large windows running the entire length of one wall. A fire burned warmly in the fireplace. The hearth and surround were covered in brightly painted ceramic tiles. Although the winter seemed milder in Spain, there was still a chill in the air.

Maria’s gaze settled on the locket Angeline wore. “Franchesca kept it.” She reached out to gently touch the necklace. “I did not expect to see this locket again. This was a gift to your mother, as it once was to me.
Don
Fernando gave it to me upon our marriage, and we bequeathed it to Franchesca on her wedding day.”

“I received the locket only a few short months ago. I treasure the necklace as having been my mother’s. I had no idea it had also been yours.” A tear slipped down Angeline’s cheek as she thought of all that had been lost.

Maria stretched out a hand to her. “Please forgive me if I have caused you distress. That was not my intent. I know this must be difficult.”

Angeline moved closer to Adrian’s side. She couldn’t afford to care about, or indulge in, emotions that might only lead to more pain. Until she knew what had truly transpired all those years ago, she had to keep an emotional distance.

With a sigh, Maria dropped her hand and addressed the others. “I can see this is hard for everyone. Angelina is fortunate to have friends such as you.”

Michael met the older woman’s gaze. “We all care a great deal for her, and don’t want to see her hurt.”

“So I see. I assure you, as her family we would not wish that, either.”

Penelope spoke up. “With all that’s happened, it’s quite logical we would be protective.”

Maria lifted a brow in question. “You refer to the death of her father?”

Adrian placed a protective arm around Angeline. “His unfortunate demise is only one of many things. This trip was made quickly, as your sons stressed the urgency of it.”

Maria tilted her head, sent him a questioning look. “You are right, of course. Rosa will show you to your rooms and then you shall meet Fernando. Perhaps we might talk later?”

Flames danced in the brightly tiled fireplace in the room she and Adrian were to share.

Angeline raised her eyes to Shirley. “When I look at
Dona
Maria, all I can visualize is a woman who let her child go and did not fight for her. I’m angry at what they did to my mother. All I want to hear is their apology.”

“I don’t understand their way of thinking either, and I wouldn’t let one of my own just go off, but I’ve known many a woman who couldn’t go against her husband.” Shirley withdrew a gown from the trunk and shook it out.

“We’re here, now. You can see
Don
Fernando, say your piece, and move on.” Shirley hung the gown in the wardrobe. “But, my lady, there are always two sides to everything.”

At a light tap on the door, Shirley answered it. She stepped aside for Penelope to enter.

“How are you?” Penelope sat beside Angeline. “This must be very difficult, but your grandmother seems truly happy to see you.”

“To be fair, this has to be difficult for her as well,” Angeline replied. She closed her eyes and leaned back, fighting nausea.

“What is it?” Shirley asked. “Is it the wound?”

“No.” Angeline placed her hand on her belly. “The baby.”

Rafael crossed the drawing room as Angeline, Penelope, and Shirley appeared. “I hope all is to your liking.” He smiled a welcome to the three women. “If there is anything you need, please let Rosa know and she will see to it.”

His gaze met Angeline’s. “Father is very weak but he insists he will wait no longer to see you. Do not expect him to say he is sorry,
niña,
for that is not his way. But I believe he has many regrets.”

Angeline closed her eyes and drew in a slow, calming breath. “I don’t understand how he could just let her go and do nothing. What kind of a person does that?”

Maria’s soft, firm voice interrupted. “He is a man who has worked his entire life to build this family. Without his leadership and determination, we would not be what we are.” Her chin lifted.

“At all cost? Is that what you’re saying? Whatever the cost, the end justifies the means?” Angeline thumped her own chest with her fist. “I am one of the costs,
Dona
Maria, and my mother was another. Ask
me
if the price was worth it.” As she felt her composure crumble, Angeline covered her face with her hands, refusing to let them see her distress.

Adrian gently grasped her wrists and brought her hands away from her face. “Easy, my love. I know you’re angry, but do not say something you might later regret.”

Esteban laid a hand on her shoulder. “Angelina, please give us a chance. You will see we are not so bad.”

At the sight of tears glistening in her grandmother’s eyes, Angeline felt a sudden rush of remorse and sympathy for the woman who had also suffered. “I am sorry if I hurt you.”

Maria tipped her head in acknowledgement, still gripping Rafael’s arm.

In an obvious effort to lighten the stress, Esteban lifted Angeline’s chin and a smile slowly played at the corners of his mouth. “We are to have a guest for dinner tonight, Angelina. I did not know he had returned. But as you asked about him, I thought you might like to meet
Don
Philippe Montenegro.”

Angeline’s pulse raced. Struggling to compose her expression, she forced herself to answer calmly. “I would like that,
Tio
Esteban, very much.”

Angeline had no idea what to expect when she finally met
Don
Fernando Cordova. Of all the ways she’d pictured him, not one of them had prepared her for the man reclining on the lounge near the window. His hair, mustache, and goatee were white. Once a tall man, his body now appeared frail and ravaged from the illness that consumed him.

His faded gaze found her and his eyes widened. “They told me you resembled your mother, but not to what extent. Please, come here so I might better see you.” He held out a thin hand and motioned her closer.

Angeline moved forward until she stood beside the chaise. Skin like thin parchment stretched tightly over his prominent cheekbones and straight nose. His shallow breaths came in uneven gasps, followed with frequent fits of coughing.

He had the unblinking watchfulness of a hawk focused on prey. Angeline gathered her courage and met his gaze.

Fernando tilted his head to the side. “You are very beautiful, my dear, just as your mother was. You have her eyes and face, and I hear you also possess her temper.” There was a long, silent, sizing-up moment. “I was told your name is Angelina. May I call you that?”

Angeline slowly inclined her head. “Yes,
Don
Fernando.” As she accepted the frail hand he extended, she was surprised at the strength that still remained.

Fernando stared at her, an unspoken challenge in his eyes. “I realize you must have many questions, as your mother chose not to tell you about us.”

Angeline jerked her hand free. “There was nothing to tell. We were her only family as
you
had
chosen
to disown her.”

Adrian started forward but was stopped by a staying hand from Maria.

“You are right, of course, but she willingly threw all of this away,”—Fernando gestured with his hand—“and—”

He stopped in surprise as Angeline leaned over him.

“
She
threw?” Angeline’s voice rose. “You threw her away, and in doing so you threw me away as well. Do you wish to add your great-grandchild to the list of things you are willing to sacrifice?”

“She gave me no choice.” Fernando’s voice rose, anger and pain mixing. “
She
chose to leave with a man that was not her husband. She did
that
with no concern for any of us, most especially for the man she
had just married, and in front of all those gathered.” Fernando’s voice broke in a fit of coughing.

Angeline gasped and staggered.

Adrian was at his wife’s side in an instant. “Come, my sweet. You should rest.” He caught Shirley’s attention and placed Angeline into her capable hands. After Shirley led Angeline from the room, he spun to face Fernando.

“You were unforgivably cruel. She did not need to learn it that way.” Adrian reached the side of the lounge in two long strides, pointing his finger at Fernando. “Let me make something perfectly clear,
Don
Fernando. She is my wife, and I will protect her from any further hurt. One more incident such as this, and I will take her and leave. Do I make myself clear?”

Fernando’s eyes flashed.

“Is it clear?” Adrian repeated through clenched teeth.

“
Si
, but she is not your wife, is she, Lord Windsford?”

“Tread carefully,
Don
Fernando,” Adrian warned softly. With a nod to Maria, he left the room.

Maria studied the expression on her husband’s face. “Fernando, he is not a man to trifle with. Whatever you are thinking, let it go.”

Fernando glared at her. “Do you presume to tell me what I should do, Maria?”

Maria stiffened. “No, of course not. I will leave you to your rest.” As she passed her sons, she whispered, “I wish a word with the two of you. Go to the study so we may have some privacy.” When they hesitated, she added, “Now.”

Nodding, they obediently followed her to the large, book-filled room.

She regarded them somberly. “Tell me all that has happened. Leave nothing out.”

When they both started to speak at once, they were interrupted by Maria’s very firm, “Stop. Rafael, you begin.”

As Rafael explained what they had been told, she sank onto a nearby chair and waited patiently as they took turns speaking. Occasionally, she gripped the chair arms to control her anger.

Maria raised her gaze to her sons. “Have you told all this to your father?”

“Not all. He does know about Charles Malcolm and Cazador.”

“And apparently he knows the marriage between Angelina and Adrian is not binding.” She thought for a moment. “Do you believe Charles Malcolm might still be alive?”

Rafael’s lips firmed. “He could be. If so, he will most certainly follow her. He will try and make his case to this family and, if possible, kill Lord Adrian. If he were to succeed, Angelina and her brother, James, would most likely fall prey to some
accident
in the near future.”