The Duke's Indiscretion (9 page)

She'd dimmed the light in her withdrawing room so that he saw only darkness beyond, couldn't hear anything louder than his own quick breathing and the soft crackling of the fire at his side. And then very slowly, from the shadow, she stepped into his bed chamber.

At the first sight of her he felt a trace of irritation that she remained covered by her robe, fastened tightly at her waist. Then a rush of lust as he had never felt before flooded his entire body when he glanced at her feet to see the feathered slippers he'd given her adorning them, peeking out from beneath the chaste silk wrap.

She'd donned his corset, hidden purposely as a manner of seduction, and just considering the pleasure he would have in removing it to view her intimately nearly knocked him to his knees.

It's really going to happen
…

“Jesus,” he whispered as he placed his brandy snifter on the mantel with an unsteady hand, never taking his eyes off the vision.

She seemed to falter as she moved a bit farther inside, her discomfiture apparent as her gaze quickly skimmed his large bed, its dark blue sheets, blankets, and coverlet that he'd lowered for easy entry; the candles he'd arranged for atmosphere, now glowing from atop the night stands on either side of the oak headboard; his leather settee and book-covered end table just behind him. Then at last she captured his gaze and held it.

Colin swallowed, standing tall and inhaling deeply to control his actions and, if honest with himself, his mixed emotions. She looked beautiful, he decided, her curly hair flowing long and thick over one shoulder and down her back to her waist, brushed away from her face that now shone luminously in the dim, flickering light. Brows creased gently, she bit her bottom lip and tugged at the edges of her robe, pulling them tighter at her neck.

“Your grace,” she murmured, her voice hoarse and low.

He smiled faintly. “You're a vision.”

She shifted from one foot to the other. “I'm—I'm sorry it took me so long.”

“You are well worth the wait,” he said reassuringly.

Her lashes fluttered and she glanced around again nervously. “You have a lovely room, sir. Very masculine. And I haven't yet told you how much I appreciate the feminine decor and new furnishings in my bed chamber as well.”

He couldn't decide if she were serious or stalling to make him crazy, but he wasn't about to discuss room decorations now. “Come here, Charlotte,” he ordered softly.

After only a second's pause, she raised her chin a fraction and moved toward him, her high-heeled slippers making a muted clacking noise on the wooden floor.

He began to unbutton his shirt, keeping his gaze on her, knowing he couldn't ask her to undress him their first time; it would be awkward for her since they'd never been together. But that would come later.

She stopped in front of him, only a foot away, glancing to the fire at her left.

“Isn't it a bit warm, sir?”

He frowned, suppressing a chuckle. “I hope so.”

She looked into his eyes, then glanced down to his fingers as he pulled the bottom of his shirt from his trousers and began to remove it.

Hugging herself tightly, she whispered, “Perhaps I should lie down on the bed.”

“The bed?” he repeated. “No, my darling, Lottie. I want you here, for now.”

Her brows creased faintly and she took a step away from him. He reacted by reaching out and grabbing the tied sash at her waist, easily tugging her against him.

She gasped in surprise, but before she could speak, he brought his mouth down hard on hers.

Colin could hardly contain the passion within as it threatened to explode from just the slightest feel of her lips pressed to his. He deepened the kiss immediately, encouraging her to follow his lead as he brought one hand around to cup her head, lacing his fingers through her soft hair. Lifting her hands, she gingerly rested them on his shoulders as she started kissing him back, moving her mouth against his in growing abandonment.

Her compliance ignited him. Of all the women he'd known in his thirty-six years, desire had never felt like
this
, and he relished it, savoring each second as she gradually succumbed to the fire.

With a muffled groan from low in his throat, he pulled the satin sash at her waist until it loosened a bit and her robe fell open for him. For the tiniest slip of a second, he thought she might reach down instinctively to close it again so he quickly moved his lips to brush them across her cheek and neck, to gently tug her earlobe in an effort to make her pulse race, her skin tingle—to make her forget the details and succumb to the hunger.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head back to give him access, losing all reason as she moaned very softly and pressed herself against his warm, delicate touch, her hips grazing the firmness of his erection just enough to push him closer toward a blissful insanity.

Her hot fingertips kneaded his shoulders and he inhaled sharply though his teeth, deciding he couldn't wait a moment longer to disrobe her and view her intimately.

“Let me see you,” he urged in a raspy murmur, pulling back just far enough to lightly grasp the edges of the silk at her neck.

Her lashes fluttered up and she gazed into his eyes. “Wha—what?”

“Take the robe off, Charlotte,” he repeated, resting a thumb on her very moist mouth. “I want to see you.”

Embarrassment—or something like it—sent a shiver of uncertainty through her and she shot a fast glance to the enormous bed, then lowered her gaze to the floor. He watched her, hoping she'd remove her clothes herself, tease him with his gift, and after several long seconds of standing motionless before him, she gave him his wish by inhaling deeply and raising her hands to push the soft white satin over her shoulders and arms, letting it fall to the floor.

Colin's breath caught in his chest and he staggered back a foot or so to view her fully by firelight.

She was stunning—a seductive goddess barely concealed by a red satin corset and sheer black lace.

She kept her eyes closed, fisting her hands at her sides, and he had to wonder why she appeared so unsettled when he obviously desired her so much.

“You are more beautiful than my dreams of you, Lottie,” he whispered huskily, his mouth going dry.

She shook her head minutely, but he ignored the reason for such a reaction as he took ardent note of her near-perfect form, from her thick, silky hair that flowed over her shoulders and down her back, to the tips of her toes, which peeked out from under the feathers on her shoes.

His gaze settled momentarily on her exquisite breasts, firm and round, her nipples, taut from arousal, only vaguely discernable through the sheer black lace. Then with deliberate slowness, he followed the line of the corset where it tapered in at her waist before ending just below her navel, parting to the sides to offer him a luscious view of the triangle of light, curling hair that enticed him from between her firm, long legs.

“God, you're perfect,” he breathed, his throat tight with need.

She still hadn't opened her eyes, just silently trembled in front of him. Colin quickly unbuttoned his trousers and pushed them to the floor. Then he reached for her once more and pulled her against his nude body.

She gasped, but before she could protest or struggle, he captured her mouth again in a masterful, unrelenting kiss, coaxing her to abandonment, clutching her tightly so she couldn't back away. She struggled for only a moment or two, then gradually succumbed again when he traced the tip of his tongue across her top lip, then delved deeply inside.

Her fast breathing fused with his as he took in the exquisite feel of her beneath the very provocative corset that grazed his sensitive skin, his erection boldly pressed into the satin that covered her belly. He cupped her head again with one hand while lowering the other to her lace-covered bottom, caressing her through it, letting his own fingers tingle from the sensation.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and began
to kiss him back fervently, boldly daring him with a flick of her tongue on his, letting out a low moan when his hand reached under the lace and touched her directly at the crease of her thigh.

Colin didn't think he'd ever felt such sudden, overwhelming lust for a woman in his entire life. He was, at long last, making love to the intoxicating woman who charged his fantasies, in his own bedroom, as her husband. She would never have another, and he would be the envy of all. The heady thought of being able to take her every night like this, appeasing his desire, nearly drove him to enter her now, standing, to relieve the ache that curled up tighter and tighter inside his body with each passing second.

Keeping his mouth locked with hers, he reached down and grabbed her behind one knee, swiftly lifting her leg so that it rested on his hip.

She abruptly pulled away from his kiss. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice gravelly, face flushed with dewy warmth.

Colin moved his lips to her neck, ignoring her question by instead letting her know exactly what he was about, through touch, by feel.

He gently sucked her soft, heated skin, and she instinctively lifted her head to allow him better access, her breath quickening again, a whimper escaping her. He nuzzled the silky valleys of her throat, drew his tongue across her jawline, lightly sucked her earlobe. Then without warning, he reached under her raised thigh and moved his fingers to the sensitive, innermost softness between her legs, first just grazing the curls with the tips, then growing bolder,
moving deeper between the folds to touch her cleft, finding an abundance of her intimate moisture that slid through his fingers like warm honey.

She moaned—and he nearly climaxed.

“Jesus, Lottie…” he said through a fast, pained breath. “I can't wait.”

“Please…”

He knew what she wanted, and he needed to give it to her
now
, before he completely embarrassed himself by coming too early and spilling himself on her bright, red satin corset.

In one smooth action, he lifted her, one arm at her waist, the other under the knee still resting at his hip, carrying her backwards until his calves brushed up against the seat of the settee behind him. He reclaimed her mouth in a heated kiss, doing nothing more until he felt her start to yield again to the passion. Then, clinging to her leg and firmly holding the back of her head so that she couldn't break the contact of his lips against hers, he lowered the two of them as one onto the soft leather.

Startled, she gave a muffled shriek when she landed on his lap, then tried to jerk away from him when her hot, wet cleft touched the tip of his erection.

He held her tightly, fighting for his own control, refusing to let her go as he deepened their kiss, flicking his tongue across hers, grabbing it, sucking it until she whimpered.

She gripped his shoulders so tightly she pinched the skin, only making him hotter, more desperate to be inside of her.

Her wetness smothered him; her lace-covered nip
ples teased his chest. Releasing her leg, he shifted his weight so that she straddled him, then he placed a palm on her breast, caressing for seconds, flicking his thumb across the nipple, then squeezing it gently, the lace scratching him exquisitely. She squirmed again; a low moan escaped her throat, and he didn't think he could take the wait any longer.

In a reckless surrender, he grabbed her hips with both hands, pushing her up just enough to release his erection from beneath its warm heaven. Then he took the base of it in one hand as he finally broke their kiss.

He gazed at her beautiful face, noting her tightly shut eyes, relishing in her heavy breathing, the spark of desire she exuded as she licked her lips.

He gazed down the front of her, clothed by only a small piece of satin and lace, her intimate curls teasing the sensitive skin at the tip of his engorged member.

“I have to be—inside you, Lottie—” he said in a broken murmur, placing himself against her cleft, clenching his teeth in a painfully delicious effort to stay his release. He waited for several unending, agonizing moments—for her to say something, do something. She tensed her body as a tremble passed through her, but otherwise she held steady, eyes squeezed shut, biting down on her lower lip. He couldn't take any more.

He began to guide himself up into her, pulling her hips down to meet his urgency. Immediately he felt a certain unfamiliar tightness, the barrier of her virginity, and for a second or two it disconcerted him. Then she gasped, whimpered, clung to him with her
nails digging into his shoulders, and he was lost.

He came with such force, such intense pleasure, that he thrust up hard inside of her—once, twice, a hundred times. She cried out, attempting to pull away, but he held fast to her hips, clutching them with both hands, his head thrown back, his body bathed in perspiration as he drove himself into her, wanting her to experience the fullness of her own orgasm before he slowed his pace and dared loosen his grip.

She shuddered and he reached behind her, splayed his palm across her spine, and drew her against him, cradling her on his lap, his face in her hair, taking in the feel of her curves, the scent of her skin, while his breathing slowed, his heartbeat calmed.

He held her for a long time, and she didn't make any attempt to move, or speak. She simply melted into him, reveling in the stillness, the closeness between them, as he did.

Finally, he felt himself sliding out of her, and with great reluctance, he placed his palms back on her hips, gently this time, and lifted her up to stand in front of him, noting with some humor that she still wore the ridiculous, high-heeled slippers he'd purchased for her.

“Let's go to bed,” he whispered huskily as he rose beside her, a wave of sleepiness overcoming him.

Inhaling shakily, she turned to find her robe.

“Leave it,” he said, grabbing her hand. He pulled her along with him to his bed and she followed without comment, lying down on the cool sheets at his side after kicking off her shoes.