Lily and the Duke (4 page)

“This,” he whispered into her ear, “is, I believe, what you wanted to see.”

Lily gasped. The gilt-framed painting graced the wall, positioned so that it was visible from the bed. The picture was of a maiden, gowned in vivid crimson, holding a crucifix and cleaning blood from a dead man behind her. Her expression was one of serene contemplation, despite the vile task she undertook. Lily moved closer to the painting, reaching toward it.

“Don’t worry,” she told Daniel. “I won’t touch it. I know better. I just want to… God, it’s wonderful. I want to look closely at his strokes.”

“I know what you mean. It’s almost a psychic touch, isn’t it? You can feel the texture in your mind if you put your fingers close to it.”

“Yes, exactly!” He understood. The duke actually understood how she felt. Lily gazed, drinking it in. “Who is it, do you suppose?”

“St. Praxedis. It’s one of Vermeer’s earlier works. There are some skeptics who don’t think it can be attributed to him, but there has never been any doubt in my mind.”

“St. Praxedis…from the early Catholic Church?”

“Yes, she was elevated to sainthood for her services to the dead bodies of the martyrs. Do you see how she’s holding the crucifix as she cleans the blood from the body? That symbolizes the martyr’s blood mixing with the blood of Christ.”

“My God, he was a genius,” Lily whispered. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. “I wish I could paint like that.”

Daniel moved closer behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, encircling her. Lily absently settled her hands on his and continued to admire the painting.

“Have you ever tried oils?” Daniel asked.

“No, but I’ve always wanted to. My father has had a hard time indulging my artistic side. He would rather I stitch samplers and find a husband. He allows my dalliance with watercolor; however, he feels that oil painting is for more…masculine endeavors. I was never allowed to try them.” She leaned back against him. The nearness of his hard muscled form warmed her through. His breath tickled her cheek. Being in his arms felt…good.

“That’s a pity,” he said. “I’d love to see what you could do with them.”

“So would I, Your Grace.”

He gently turned her around to face him. “Daniel,” he said softly.

“I’m sorry?”

“I want you to use my name. My Christian name.”

“Oh, I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be proper—”

Then his mouth was on hers, slowly sliding over her lips, coaxing them open. He nipped gently at her lower lip, teasing her with his tongue. She sighed as he licked her softly. She was kissing him again. In his bedchamber. She should be fleeing, but her legs wouldn’t move. Didn’t want to move…

He trailed to her cheek and covered it with soft fluttery kisses that felt like the wings of a butterfly, and then slid to her ear and nipped lightly on the lobe.

“Say my name,” he whispered. “I want it to drip from your ruby lips like a fine Bordeaux. I want to feel the silky caress as you whisper it against my neck. I want to hear you sob it into my mouth as I kiss you. Please, Lily. Say my name.”

She shuddered. His husky voice made her knees tremble. Was it possible that underneath this renowned blackguard lurked the soul of a poet? Or was this just a practiced technique in seduction? As he slid his lips over her neck and face and her heart thumped wildly, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Daniel,” she moaned softly. “Oh, Daniel.”

He groaned. “Oh yes, love. Kiss me.”

Despite her better judgment, she responded with innocent eagerness, finding his mouth with hers and letting her tongue wander apprehensively into his warmth. He took her tongue, mated it with his, sucking it gently and then freeing it to explore him. She let it roam over his full lips, sucking them and biting them gently, as little moans escaped from her throat. His lips were firm yet soft on hers, and he tasted of honey. Mmm, delicious. Her blood boiled as his lips meandered over her cheek to her neck.

“God, you smell so heavenly.” He covered her smooth skin with kisses. “I haven’t been able to think about anything but this since last night. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. All I wanted was to see you again.”

He pressed his lips to her neck and covered it with gentle little bites while he roamed his fingers over her hips and up towards her breasts. Gently he slid his hands over her bosom. She gasped as her breasts swelled and her nipples tightened into hard little knobs. He trailed kisses down to the neckline of her gown and then back up to her lips again. Lily panted, trying to get closer to him. When his arousal nudged against her body, a stabbing desire ran through her womb.

“Lily,” he whispered. “Please, Lily.” He urged her toward the bed.

No!
This was no love-struck adolescent stealing kisses. This was the Duke of Lybrook, rake extraordinaire and seducer of women. Her heart pounded against her sternum. How had she let this get so far? She pushed Daniel away, the suction of their kiss breaking with a loud smack.

“I can’t do this.” She backed away from him, keeping her hands behind her. She fumbled for a table or a chair, anything to help maintain her balance.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Daniel edged toward her slowly.

“Your Grace, I came up here to see your painting. I-I…apologize for any part I may have played in this…mistake. I…”

“It’s not a mistake. None of it has been a mistake. Please don’t back away from me.”

“I…” She couldn’t finish.

He stood close to her, staring at her with those wonderful eyes. As if it had a mind of its own, her hand shakily reached up to his honey locks, smoothing them. God, his hair was beautiful. It was the color of burnished gold, with highlights of amber, brown, and just a few silvery strands near his temples. It felt like raw silk beneath her fingers.

She snatched her hand away. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He took her hand. “You can touch me. I want you to touch me.”

She pulled her hand away. “No, I can’t. I…need to leave. Thank you, Your Grace, for showing me the Vermeer. I’ll never forget it. It was one of the most precious things anyone has ever done for me.” She turned toward the door.

Daniel touched her arm lightly. “Please don’t go,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Will you have lunch with me? I’ll have a tray sent up.”

“It’s not lunchtime.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. His warmth pressed against her back. “Please, you must let me go.”

“Do you want to go?”

“I want…”

She trembled as he placed his hands on her shoulders. She wanted him. She couldn’t help herself. Something about this beautiful, dangerous man called to her in a way she never thought possible. Unfamiliar emotion and desire flooded her body, her soul. She wanted more of his kisses. She wanted his hands on her skin…her bare skin.

She turned to face him. “I don’t know why you want me,” she said, willing her voice not to crack. “I’m likely to be a frightful bore for you.”

His green eyes sparkled. “Love, there is nothing boring about you.”

“What I mean is…for a man of your experience…an untried maiden would be…”

He chuckled softly.

“Damn it, you know what I mean!”

“Lily, I want
you
. I’ve never wanted a woman this much.” He crushed her to him and inhaled. “God, you smell good. What scent is that? I’ve never smelled anything like it before.”

“It…it’s just clove oil,” Lily said, escaping from his grasp. “I get it from the apothecary. I can’t abide those expensive French perfumes. They make me feel like a powder puff. So I just dab a little clove oil…”

He chuckled again, the skin around his eyes crinkling.

“What is so funny?”

“Nothing. I’m sorry. You’re just…you’re not like any other woman I’ve known.”

“I should hope not.” She tapped her foot. “Likely the women you’re acquainted with are mostly strumpets.”

“Touché. Perhaps it’s time I elevated my standards a bit.”

“And…you want to elevate them with me?”

“God, more than anything.”

“Then you should know,” she said, her pulse racing, “I-I’m not like most women my age. I want different things. I’m looking forward to the coming season about as much as a case of the pox. I have no desire to marry, as I have little use for men.”

Daniel’s full pink lips curved into a half smile. “I wasn’t proposing marriage, love.”

Lily’s skin heated. “Of course not. I didn’t mean to imply that you were.”

“As for your feelings about men—” He winked. “Is it that you prefer the fairer sex?”

Clearly the duke expected to embarrass her. She was quite aware of the writings of Sappho and others and knew some women and men preferred the same sex for intimacy. Lily was inexperienced, yes, but not naïve. She let out a husky giggle. “No, Your Grace. I assure you I have even less use for women. I can’t abide the bubbleheaded idiots who fawn at my brother’s feet, and at yours.”

Daniel laughed softly. “I see, then. If you don’t want a season or marriage, what do you want, Lily?”

She closed her eyes and inhaled. “I want to paint and write and travel. I want to sail around Venice, dine in Paris, spend an entire week in the Louvre. I want to stroll through the vineyards in Burgundy. I want to listen to Mozart in Vienna, climb a mountain in the Swiss Alps. I want to buy silk in the Orient and swim in the Mediterranean sea. I want to see everything Vermeer ever painted.”

When she opened her eyes, Daniel was grinning at her.

“Damn it, I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

He moved toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.” He kissed her mouth lightly, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. “I want you just as you are.” He kissed her again. “My God, you’re beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she murmured. Jumbles of thoughts crowded through her mind. She wanted to stay with him. It was improper. She wanted his golden hands on her body. She would be ruined. Her virtue was at stake. But did it matter? She didn’t wish to marry. Yet she wanted every experience life had to offer. Sleeping with the duke was just one more experience, yes? Who better to introduce her to the pleasures of the flesh than a man she was attracted to and who probably had the knowledge and experience of ten men?

But it would hurt. And people might find out and shun her. Her family deserved better.

She looked down at her feet. “I’m afraid.”

“Lily, look at me.” He tilted her chin up to face him. “You have nothing to fear from me. I promise you.”

“It…will hurt.”

“It may. But I’ll do everything I can to help you. It doesn’t have to be unpleasant.”

“I-I will require discretion.”

“Of course. No one will know. You have my word.”

“And I don’t want to… That is, I have no desire for you to get your brat on me.”

She regretted the harsh words, but they didn’t seem to faze him.

“Don’t worry. I can take care of that.”

“How?”

“Just leave it to me. There are several ways to—”

“I don’t want to know,” Lily interrupted. “Just take care of it. Lord, I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”

Daniel pulled her gently into his arms. “I’ll be so good to you. I’ll take care of you. I want to give you pleasure unlike either of us has ever known. Kiss me.” He guided her lips to his.

As she melted into him, she was vaguely aware of his hands working the buttons on the back of her gown and easing it down over her shoulders until it was in a heap on the floor. He turned her around gently, untied the strings of her corset, and carefully removed her stockings and her drawers. Soon she stood before him wearing only her chemise, which left nothing to the imagination.

“You’re absolutely lovely,” Daniel whispered.

He turned her away from him again as he slowly lifted her arms, caressing them lightly, and eased the chemise over her head. He leisurely ran his fingers over her arms, bringing them back to her sides, and then slid one finger up the curve of her spine and back down. She shivered. He untied the ribbon that held her long hair in a braid and gently untangled her thick locks. They fell into waves around her shoulders. He turned her back to face him.

“I want you so much,” he said, his bewitching eyes taking in every inch of her. In one swift movement he gathered her into his arms and carried her to the bed, where he laid her down gently on the silky burgundy.

He undressed himself, leaving his garments in a heap on the floor next to the bed. His stomach was lean and rippled, his chest covered with a smattering of tawny curls. His arms were strong and muscular, and his shoulders, oh, his shoulders. How she wanted to run her hands and her tongue all over the sleek tan warmth of them.

As he came to her, she widened her eyes. His cock was thick and hard…and huge. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.

He grinned and winked at her. “It will fit,” he whispered.

Then his mouth was on hers again, and he sank his tongue into her and moaned softly. His sweet honey flavor devoured what little was left of her resistance. She couldn’t get enough of the silkiness and fire of his mouth. She sucked on his tongue, trying to taste every part of him. He moved his lips along her cheek, to her ear, down her neck, nuzzling and nipping her gently, and then not so gently. When he reached her breasts, he cupped them in his large hands and stared at them for a moment.

“Beautiful,” he said, his voice smoky.

He buried his face between the soft mounds, running his thumbs over her nipples. Slowly he covered them with kisses, easing toward one rosy circle. He licked it gently, swirling his tongue around her nipple until it was a tight bud.
God, so good…
Then he softly breathed on the wetness, and a sweet chill rushed straight to her womb.

“Please,” Lily heard herself moan. “Please.”

Daniel took the nipple into his mouth, licked and sucked it lightly. Lily shuddered and arched against his hard body, grasping the silk of his hair, pulling him closer to her. He kissed his way over to the other nipple, sucking and tugging.

“Daniel, please!”

“Slowly,” he whispered. He trailed his lips down her abdomen to the triangle of glossy black curls. Gently he parted her with his fingers. “Tell me, love, is the rest of you as sweet as your succulent kisses? Your gorgeous breasts?”