If He's Dangerous (13 page)
Authors: Hannah Howell
Chapter 11
After a brief visit with Olympia, who was already on her feet after only one night, Lorelei collected her sketching supplies. She intended to spend time at her favorite spot in the apple orchard. It was one of the few places where she could find some peace, as the children rarely went there. Even Gregor Three would have finished his daily inspection of his precious trees. For just a little while she wanted to be completely alone with her thoughts at a time of the day when her mind was at its sharpest, and sketching often helped her to think.
She settled herself comfortably beneath a tree at the farthest end of the orchard, where there was a cluster of trees that shielded her from view unless one walked too close to them. Gregor Three constantly bemoaned the wild growth of the trees, but he did nothing to change them. The trees were no longer producing a great quantity of fruit, but Lorelei was of the opinion that the apples from these trees were the sweetest.
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As she began to sketch she was not surprised to see Argus's face begin to appear on the paper. She thought of him all the time. At night in her bed she could feel the heat of his hands on her body, taste his kiss on her lips. Despite how he kept pushing her away, she knew they were getting closer to becoming lovers. Each time he kissed her, touched her, the passion between them flared hotter and it took him longer to come to his senses, to recall that he needed to push her away. It was a maddening dance he had pulled her into.
Lorelei knew she had to decide whether or not she would become his lover. She needed to make that decision when her blood was not running hot and her mind was not clouded from the power of his kiss. Taking a lover was not something that should be done lightly or in the blind heat of passion, not when one was the maiden daughter of a duke. Most men insisted on their wives being untouched when they first took them into the marital bed.
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She would be gambling her future on the hope that Argus's desire for her could become love, that it already ran deeper than a man's normal need for a woman, any woman. The question was, could she trust her own judgment? It was not something she had any great experience in. Once her maidenhead was gone, there was no retrieving it just because the man she chose did not want to get married, or could not love her as she loved him.
And she did love him. He was firmly entrenched in her heart, mind, and soul. Sir Argus Wherlocke was the man she wanted at her side for all the days she had left in her life. She wanted to have his children. If he left her, returned to his old life once his enemies were defeated, she knew her heart would always ache for him. She would probably turn into Dear Aunt Lolly the Spinster within a very short time.
She studied the picture she had drawn and sighed, a new tendency that was beginning to annoy her. Argus's face stared back at her with that heated look of desire she so loved to see in his eyes. A man like that was worth any gamble, she thought. So was his love and that was the prize she sought. If nothing else, she mused, if I become his lover and he still leaves me, I will still have some very fine memories to cling to as I do my tatting.
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Argus strode through the orchard and tried not to feel guilty for leaving Olympia alone. He had returned early from the daily search of the duke's lands to see how his sister was faring and to keep her company. She very pithily, and somewhat profanely, told him she ached all over and to go away. Olympia was not a good patient. He grinned. She was, in truth, bad-tempered and foul-mouthed. He suspected he had had the ill luck to arrive just after she had tried to do something that had made every bruise scream in pain and he knew her poor bruised face was part of that. After what he had been through he found it easy enough to sympathize.
It felt good to take a brisk walk in the sun. Too much sitting and riding were not good and had caused some of his healing injuries to ache enough to remind him that they were not fully healed yet. Argus had always believed that a walk was also the perfect way to sort out one's thoughts. That or talking the problem out with someone he trusted. Unfortunately, aside from catching Cornick, the matter that preyed most on his mind was what to do with Lorelei. He was not inclined to discuss that with anyone.
He ached for her, dreamed about making love to her, and could not keep his hands off her. She smiled and his heart skipped like some untried, infatuated boy's. If he was not careful he would begin sighing like some lovelorn maiden. Or making sheep's eyes at her like her young cousin made at Iago. The mere thought of that fate made him shudder.
Last evening he had considered going into the village to relieve the lust twisting up his insides. The girl serving ale at the tavern there had made it very clear that she was more than willing to serve him in a more intimate way, and he was sure she had the experience to sate a man's desires. Of course, she had blessed Iago, Leopold, Wynn, and Todd with the same come-hither look. It was not that which had made him shake away the thought, however. He had not only been reluctant to go, but had experienced a sense of guilt as if he would be betraying Lorelei if he even considered touching another woman. That had scared the lust right out of him.
“Dangerous,” he muttered.
He had exchanged no promises with Lorelei. The kisses they had shared might linger sweetly on his mouth, keeping him constantly randy, but they meant nothing. They certainly never had before with any other woman. Yet, he knew his mind and heart had balked at the mere idea of touching another woman because both were lashed to her like a man tied to the ship's mast in a storm. That made his rational self want to get as far away from Lorelei as he could, as fast as he could, but he was discovering that he was not his usual rational self when it came to Lorelei.
“Most assuredly dangerous.”
“What is most assuredly dangerous?”
It was only the sound of a voice so close at hand when he had thought himself alone that startled Argus, for that musical voice emerging from the trees was already achingly familiar to him. He looked around and finally caught sight of a small foot shod in a red slipper sticking out from under a tree. Stepping into the thick cluster of apple trees, he found Lorelei sitting on the ground, her sketchbook resting on her lap.
“It is dangerous for any of us to be out alone,” he said and, despite the warning from his rational side, he sat down beside her as she quickly closed her sketchbook. “Poor Olympia is clear proof that my enemies are close at hand.”
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“Poor Olympia,” she said. “She is truly quite miserable, but Max assured me that her pain will ease quickly, for he found no serious injuries. Her face suffered the most from that brute's fist. I fear her cheek will be very colorful for quite a while, but Max does not believe there will be any scarring.”
“As long as the pain eases, that will not trouble her overmuch. I hope Max is right for an Olympia in pain is not pleasant company.”
“Fled the house, did you?”
“As fast as I could. Have you escaped as well?”
“Well, not from Olympia, for she was pleasant enough when I was there. But I have fled in a way. I come here for the quiet, to have a little time to myself. That can be so difficult at home and one grows very weary of locking oneself in one's bedchamber. Not that that stops anyone from pounding on the door. So, I told a miserably sulking Mr. Pendleton that he might consider the possibility that he is not the only tutor in the world, grabbed my sketchbook, and fled the chaos.”
“And your father will keep him and Miss Baker on even after they are married?”
“Yes. Papa says it is foolish to demand that one's servants remain unwed or achieve a higher state of morality than most of their employees.” She grinned when he laughed. “All he wants is that they do the work they are paid to do, show proper respect, be loyal, and commit no crimes.”
“Very reasonable. So, what have you been drawing?” He reached for the book only to have her slap both hands down on top of it. “No need to be shy. I expect you are very good at drawing.”
“No, really,” she protested as he tugged at the book. “There is nothing of interest in there. My skills are but passable.”
The fact that she was trying so hard to prevent him from looking only made Argus more determined to do so. He kissed her and, when her grip loosened, he snatched the book out from under her hands. Her work was excellent, he thought as he turned the pages, admiring her drawings of places on the Sundun lands and ignoring the glare she was giving him. Then he froze. He was staring at a drawing of himself. He slowly turned the page to find another, and another. When he reached the picture she had been working on when he arrived, his eyes widened. She still made him look far more handsome than he was, or ever could be, but she had caught that look of hunger in his eyes perfectly.
“You are too modest,” he said. “You are very skilled indeed. Your only fault may be that you make me look far more handsome than I am.” He glanced at her drawing. “You have, however, caught that particular look in my eyes perfectly.”
He was probably about to make a big mistake, Argus thought as he set the sketchbook aside. He knew he was going to do it anyway, and he would worry about the consequences later. Looking at the drawings she had made of him, of the hard proof of her admiration of him, had brought his hunger for her roaring to life. She wanted him. It was there to see in her drawings. This would be no seduction but the sating of a mutual hunger, a sharing. Argus found he did not have the strength to turn away from that.
When he looked at her, he found her blushes and unease adorable but was wise enough not to say so. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, letting her feel the hunger she stirred within him. As he had suspected, had indeed hoped, she was quick to respond, making him fully aware that she felt the same sensual greed. Lady Lorelei might be innocent, but she was not hesitant, and he planned to revel in her daring.
Lorelei made no protest as Argus pushed her down onto the ground. There was a look in his eyes that told her he would not be running away this time, would not stir her passion to a feverish height and then push her aside. This time she would get what her body had been clamoring for since the day she had seen him in her garden. The apple orchard on a bright sunny day was not where she had ever expected to have her first experience with the art of lovemaking, but she would not balk now.
She tilted her head back as he kissed her neck and ignored the unlacing of her gown. Lorelei hastily reminded herself that she had never seen any glaring fault in her body, so surely a man enflamed by passion would not do so either. Despite that she barely stopped herself from trying to cross her arms over her chest when he tugged her gown and shift down to her waist.
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Argus sensed Lorelei's shyness and did his best to keep her desire hot enough to burn it away. He wanted to see all of her, touch every inch of her soft skin, and taste her, kissing her from her head to her toes and back again. When he kissed her breasts and then drew the hard tip of one breast deep into his mouth, she arched against him with a soft cry of need, and he knew how to keep her locked tight in passion's hold as he rid her of her clothing.
Lorelei thought she would go up in flames or die from the ache gripping her low in her belly. When Argus ceased tormenting her with his passionate assault on her breasts, she tried to pull him back into her arms. It was not until he sat back on his heels to remove his clothing with an admirable speed that she realized she was naked. She was lying on the ground beneath an apple tree, bathed in sunlight, without one stitch of clothing on.
“Nay,” said Argus, quickly stopping her from trying to cover herself with her hands. “You are beautiful and I like to look at you. Let me look at you.” He kissed the palm of each hand and pressed her arms down beside her body. “And very soon I plan to be as naked as you are.” He slowly released her hands and, when she did not try to cover herself again, he rapidly removed the rest of his clothes.
She was indeed beautiful, full where a woman should be, yet lithe. Argus did not think he had ever seen a woman as beautiful as Lorelei. She had smooth, soft skin that shone golden in the sunlight. Her breasts were full, high, and firm; her nipples a soft pink and temptingly long. The curls at the juncture of her slim, strong thighs were a brighter shade of red than the hair on her head. A tidy little shield of curls he had every intention of becoming intimately acquainted with.
He tossed aside the last of his clothing and looked at her face. The admiration he saw in her expression stroked his vanity as no words ever could and he had to resist the urge to preen before her. Then her gaze settled on his groin and her eyes widened. Argus suddenly realized that, although she had seen him naked, that part of him had always been shielded from her view. By the look on her face, it might have been wise to continue to shield it from her eyes, at least until she knew the pleasure he could give her.
Lorelei thought she could be quite content to stare at a naked Argus for hours. He was all dark skin and lean muscle from his broad chest to his long, strong legs. For such a dark man he did not have an abundance of body hair, and she decided she liked that, liked that there was so much of his smooth warm skin to touch. Then her gaze slipped to his groin and she almost gasped. His man part was not as large as the ones pictured in the books in her father's library, but it was not small either. It stood up hard and long from a nest of black curls. She was just starting to get a little nervous when Argus returned to her arms, all that smooth warm skin she so admired pressed firmly against her. All of her concern about man parts fled as she took the opportunity to touch that beautiful skin everywhere she could reach.
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