Temptation Has Green Eyes (22 page)

She still hadn’t finished her tour of the house, but she was in no hurry to do so. Besides, since he’d embraced her plan so enthusiastically, it wouldn’t be there for much longer.

“We should make lists. You know, the rooms and what they need.”

He propped himself up, which only served to bring his cock nearer to her cleft. Already she was dampening for him, her body readying itself for his possession.

“We’ll ask the steward to inventory the wings first. He probably has one ready. Then we can decide what we want and which building materials we can salvage and sell. With the London building boom, we could bring some items to town to sell.”

“Another business?”

He kissed her. “Everything is business.” He rotated his groin, driving his cock closer, but not there yet. “Almost everything.”

“Even then, we’re trying to make a child for the marquisate. An heir,” she pointed out.

“Don’t you want a child?”

More than anything, she discovered. She couldn’t explain it properly, but she tried. “I want to bear a child to you. I want your baby.” She swallowed, knowing she was taking yet another step into the trust of intimacy. He held so many of her secrets now. Just not the one John had vouchsafed to her. She’d have to tell him soon, but not when they were like this. So close.

She’d been giving herself those kinds of excuses for the past three days. If she didn’t tell him before they got back to London, he’d see the information as a betrayal. And it would be, of a sort, because she’d be sending him into battle unarmed. He had to know, even if it meant she wouldn’t have this anymore.

At the thought, alarm sent a bolt of sharp awareness through her, and she swallowed.

He noticed, of course. “What is it?”

Her heart ached. “May I tell you later? There is something… But not here, not like this.”

His eyes turned grave and his mouth flattened. “I don’t like secrets. I’d prefer there were no secrets between us.”

“There won’t be.” Giving a tiny moan, she arched her body toward him. “Later. I’ll tell you later.” What had he turned her into? In three days, he’d shown her so much she wasn’t the same person as she had been when she’d arrived here. Her rationality had turned to mush, together with her resolution.

“How can I resist?” he murmured, coming down to her. He licked her breast until her nipple tingled, and then turned his attention to the other. “You taste of salt and soap and perfume…and me.”

“It doesn’t sound very pleasant,” she said, but she gasped when he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked. He’d learned what she loved along with her, and he used his knowledge to the greatest extent possible to bring her the greatest pleasure. He was very good at that. She gave a grateful moan when he rolled his tongue around the very tip of her breast, where her senses gathered. She’d beg him for more, but he was already giving it to her.

Gently he parted her folds and slid two fingers into her wet crease. He brushed her clitoris as if by accident, watching her face avidly. “Open to me.”

“I’m open.” To prove it, she squirmed against his hand. Her flesh softened.

“I can feel that. Open your eyes. Don’t close them. Watch me. I want to see your every reaction. I want you to see mine.”

Thrills coursed through her, sending her heart pounding. Completely open? Slowly, he pushed a finger inside her. He’d found a spot inside her that sent her
in alt
, and he touched it now, so gently she thought she’d explode.

“I can see you,” he said. “All of you. You love this. When I do this—” He touched her inside again, just stroked it and she flinched, tightened around his finger and then whimpered. “Oh yes,” he murmured. “Just like that. But don’t close your eyes. Your eyes are so expressive. I can see everything you’re thinking.”

“Or I let you believe that,” she murmured as her senses settled enough for her to think again. When he sent shots of sensation through her, her mind stopped working. All her thoughts coalesced in that part of her he was pleasuring. He’d told her the more scurrilous names too, some of which she didn’t know. She delighted in repeating them to him and listening to his chuckle.

He kissed down her body, making humming sounds, the vibrations purring against her skin. “You have the most exquisite navel.” His breath skimmed over her stomach. “Perfection should be celebrated.”

He kissed a tiny ring around the indentation and paused to dip his tongue before travelling further down. He nuzzled into the bush of hair at the apex of her legs. Flicked out his tongue to touch her with the tip of his tongue, gone before she’d registered his presence. Opening her legs, she invited him in. He took it, sucking her bud hard, in fierce contrast to his tenderness of a moment before.

Lifting her hands, she grabbed a handful of his hair, holding on as he tasted her, his skill enhanced by the way he’d learned her body over the last few days.

When she heard the sounds he didn’t bother to hide, they impelled her higher. Instead of moving, she held on. If she shifted, she’d dislodge him, and right now she’d do anything not to have that happen.

He sucked and pushed a second finger inside her, and she thought she might just die. Then she looked down at him and found him watching. “No, I won’t close my eyes.” He didn’t have to ask. In any case he had his mouth full. His lapping and sucking made every part of her body sensitive, not just where he was concentrating his attention.

In one, decisive move, he surged up and flipped her over. “Up,” he said. “On your knees.”

“You can’t look at me like that.”

He laughed. “Nothing but the truth now. I don’t need to watch your eyes to know that. I can feel it. Now do as you’re told, wench.”

That made her laugh too, but when he tapped her backside as she gingerly rose up for him, her mirth died. Three days ago, she was a relative innocent. She’d let him lead her to places she had no idea existed, and she wasn’t sure she could live without experiencing them with this man. He was making himself indispensable to her.

He nudged her with his erect cock, and she moaned when she felt his first steady entry. Unspectacular, but then it didn’t need fireworks for her to sigh in eager anticipation. This was her favorite part. Or maybe that was when he entered deep, or maybe when he kissed her, or—it was all perfect.

How had she lived without this?

Pushing deeply inside her, he stilled. “Tell me if I hurt you. You look wonderful like this. Your bottom is rounded, peachy, inviting me to take and take again. I can’t stop where you’re concerned.”

Shreds of courtesy remained, even while she felt his excited entry. He drew nearly out of her in one smooth move and then slid back in again, his move seemingly never-ending. Yes, deep and deeper still, until he nudged her inner walls aside, making a place for himself there.

His place. Totally his.

The next time after he withdrew, he slammed back in, the impact jolting her forward, but he was ready for it. He gripped her waist, dragging her against him to stop her forward momentum.

“Brace yourself, sweetheart. Here we go.”

No mercy now, and none wanted. Deep, hard thrusts, pushing against her with every stroke, taking her. Owning her. She would give anything to have him do this.

“Don’t stop,” she said between gasps. Her arms trembled, threatening to let her down so she locked her elbows to keep herself steady for him.

Sophia was a fast learner, and she put her expertise to use now. If she rocked against him as he drove into her, she could create that smacking sound as their bodies collided and open her body to him as much as possible. As much as she dared.

He roared her name, growled it, ordered her to give everything up to him. “I’ll take care of you,” he said. “Forget everything but me, everything but this,” punctuating his words with harder thrusts until she howled with ecstasy.

But she didn’t come. Instead, he brought her to a plateau of awareness, of a place where his every touch thrilled her, and all she knew was him. All she wanted to know.

At last he curled one arm around her, dragging her closer, and touched her clitoris, pinched it in time to his thrusts. And the currents of sensation turned into a river. Crying his name, she jerked, and her passage tightened around him in involuntary spasms as she lost her breath to her orgasm.

Dimly, his voice rose, and he gave one shout before he jetted his seed deep inside, deeper than he’d been before.

With breathless laughter, he leaned over her, lifted her up so she could rest against him. Then kissed her shoulder and her neck before easing her down on to the sheets and gently withdrawing, as tender now as he’d been fierce a moment before.

“Rest, sweetheart. I’ll order some food and hot water.”

He lifted away from her, leaving her momentarily bereft, before she slid into deep slumber. Before she went completely under, he murmured, “Dream of me.”

She’d certainly do that.

* * * *

He woke her with a gentle kiss and a touch on her shoulder. Smiling, she looked up at his relaxed face, and he smiled back.

“They’ve brought us breakfast in the next room,” he said, referring to the private drawing room attached to the suite. Her boudoir.

She sat up, not bothering to draw the sheet around her. It was a bright spring day, and her husband had seen everything she had to offer. Besides, she wanted to see that glow in his eyes. He didn’t disappoint her. The golden glow returned when he perused her naked body.

He cupped her breast, testing its weight. “You shouldn’t tempt me,” he said. “You need sustenance. Besides I wanted to tell you something. Lansbury is back from his travels. It seems someone sent for him when we arrived, but he was on the Nottinghamshire estate and it’s taken him this long to get back.” His mouth firmed. “As if we were transgressing on his property. I’m keen to start the work as soon as we can, so I’d like to interview him. But it was your idea, so would you prefer to be present?”

Out of all the husbands she could have chosen, this was the one for her. He wanted her to be with him? Some men would have taken the suggestion she made as their own and taken all the credit for it as well as the responsibility. John would have. Even in the highest throes of her madness for him, she knew that.

The thought of John sent a chill racing through her, and she suppressed a shiver. She would tell him, and if they were dressed, her task would be easier. Naked, she was completely open with him, as he’d encouraged. She couldn’t bear it if he took her news badly while they were in that state that had brought such pleasure to them both. He might spurn her. Better done when they were armored, albeit with every day clothes.

“I’d like to, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll tell him we’ll see him in an hour.” He glanced at her and the corner of his mouth kicked up. “Two. I know women prefer to take their time dressing. Would you like a bath? I can order one for after breakfast.”

A bath would take far too long and would disrupt the house while it heated the water. But she didn’t care. “I’d love a bath.”

“I’ll give the orders. Now come and have your breakfast before it gets cold.”

Before she could leave the bed, he dragged her close and kissed her again. “Don’t think I won’t have you back here as soon as I can. Or yours, it makes no difference. Or the library, or maybe we should try the state bed downstairs.”

Her laugh rang around the room. “And then we can receive all the honored guests there, remembering what we did.”

He snorted. “I don’t think the bed even has sheets on it, but it could be interesting. Imagine the maids walking in on us. There is usually someone there, dusting or cleaning or suchlike. They’d just have to work around us, wouldn’t they?” His smile broke out again. “I rather like the idea of that.”

Taking a deep breath, he drew away and climbed down from the bed. He picked her robe off the floor and offered it to her. “But you have to come here to claim it.”

His wicked grin told her what he wanted her to do. He was daring her. Although she’d become much less shy with him over the last few days, she still balked at the idea of walking around naked. Her modest upbringing went deep. But she put on a sultry smile, recalled the last experience they’d shared in this room, and flung the sheets aside with a flourish. Glancing up at him, she found the footstool and climbed down. Then she sauntered toward him. His eyes darkened, and she presented her back so he could help her into her robe. When he did so, he tightened his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder and, when she turned her head, her mouth.

“You’re deeply tempting,” he murmured against her lips. “We should tell Lansbury to wait.”

“No we should not. Let him make a start with the inventory, and then we can come back to bed.”

He smiled. “So practical. That gives us extra impetus. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can come back here.”

Only when she left the room with him did she realize that not one twinge of fear had accompanied her actions in the last three days. Finally, Max had achieved what she’d tried so hard to do—to dissipate the fear that John had engendered in her. No longer did she flinch when a man touched her intimately, not even in an automatic reaction.

John’s attack had frightened her more than she cared to admit. She’d had to force herself forward, force herself to accept the hand of the man she wanted, to lie down for him, and to take him into her body. In fact, she couldn’t wait until they’d finished with the steward and could get back to their own devices.

After a full breakfast that Sophia felt she deserved, she went to her room where French waited for her with a suitable day gown. Green, a pretty pea-green, not at all like the emerald of her husband’s eyes. She felt strange, dressing for the first time in days, even in something this simple. French didn’t comment, but her thin lips pursed.

When Sophia went through to the drawing room to meet her husband, his appearance almost undid her. Although dressed in country clothes, he appeared more like a man she had met in the city than the man she had spent the last three days with. What a difference clothes made to a person.

However, when she took his hand, he felt the same. She smiled at him and received his warm smile in return. He took her to the small office on the ground floor of the building.