The Earl's Secret Bargain (20 page)

The next afternoon
, Toby glanced up from the book he was reading in the drawing room while Orlando taught Regina how to play chess. Though he played the game from time to time, he had no interest in playing it enough to teach it to her. But since she had expressed the desire to learn it, he couldn’t say no when Orlando offered to show her what to do. And that had been all fine and good until Toby realized she was laughing at all the amusing stories Orlando insisted on telling her. If Toby had known his friend was going to be so charming, he would have taught her the boring thing himself.

“I don’t believe that at all,” she said, laughing while she moved her pawn forward.

“I might have exaggerated just a little,” Orlando consented. “Toby did scream and run into the drawing room. But in all fairness, he did think the snake was a common adder.”

Toby grimaced. “Must you tell her that story?”

“She’s already seen your birthmark,” Orlando replied and shrugged.

“Yes
, and thanks to you for slipping a snake into my tub, everyone else who happened to be here that day knows about it, too.”

“You were only eight. No one can fault you for rushing out of your room without covering up first. Now,” Orlando moved his bishop diagonally on the board, “if you were to do that today, it’d be
something to really talk about.”

She chuckled then glanced at Toby and cleared her throat. “You must not tell such stories
, Orlando. It’s not nice. Toby hasn’t told me your most embarrassing moments, so it’s not fair you do that to him.”

“He should
tell you. There are some good ones.” Orlando winked at Toby. “Do you want to tell her about the time I greeted Lady Westfell by the wrong title?”

Her eyebrows rose in interest, but Toby shook his head. “Not really.” He turned his attention back to the book.
“You do it.”

“What title did you call her?” she asked Orlando.

“Lady Wasteful. It was an error. I was nervous.”

“Well, she was wasteful,” Toby added. “She never wore the same clothes twice, would ask for a large plate of food and only eat a couple bites, and…” When he
realized Orlando was telling Regina to move the knight over two squares instead of one, he stopped talking.

“Now, move it up or down,” Orlando said once she moved it over another square.

She moved the knight down and nodded. Then she looked over at Toby. “What were you saying about Lady Westfell?”

“Nothing,” he finally said after a quick debate over whether or not he should make the effort to repeat himself. What did it matter?
Between the two of them, Orlando always had a better way of telling a story.

He turned his attention back to the book but read very little of it. As much as he tried not to let their constant chatter about everything but chess
bother him, the longer the game went, the harder it was for him to sit still. He knew Orlando would never sleep with her, and he didn’t think she was the type who’d take a lover. But he couldn’t help but wonder if she secretly wished she had married Orlando instead of him. Orlando wasn’t deceitful like Pennella, but he was definitely charming.

When they finally decided they’d had enough of chess, it was time to change for dinner, and he
sighed with relief and escorted her to her bedchamber.

***

During dinner, Regina kept glancing at Toby. What was wrong with him? He’d been relaxed the previous evening while they ate. He’d even been talkative that morning. But at some point in the afternoon, he’d become withdrawn, and for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why. Surely, he’d be happy to have his friend here. But the longer into the day they got, the less he engaged in the conversation. She felt it was up to her to respond to Orlando just so he had someone to talk to.

She finally realized what was bothering Toby when she laughed at one of the amusing stories Orland
o told her. In her desire to get along with Toby’s friend, she must have unintentionally done or said something that made Toby worry she’d rather be married to Orlando than him.

When dinner was over, she thanked both gentlemen for a lovely evening and feigned a headache so she could let them spend the rest of their evening without her. In ligh
t of everything, she sensed it was her best recourse. She retired to her bedchamber and let her lady’s maid get her ready for bed.

But instead of going to sleep, she curled up on her settee by the window and read a book she’d been meaning to get to for a while. Just as she reached the fifth chapter, she heard a mov
ement from Toby’s bedchamber and knew he had retired for the evening. She waited until she heard his valet leave before she knocked on the door adjoining their rooms.

He opened the door, his eyes wide. “I thought you’d be asleep.”

“No, I just thought it best if I come up here early and read.” She motioned to his room. “Mind if I come in?”

“Of course not.” He stepped aside to let her in. He shut the door and turned to her. “Do you feel better?”

“I feel fine. I didn’t have a headache.”

“Then why did you say you had one?”

She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled at him. “Because I thought it best, given the circumstances.”

“The circumstance
s?”

“Toby, I want to apologize
for spending so much time with Orlando.”

He let out an uneasy chuckle and headed over to the table. “Orlando’s our guest. You were only being polite.”

“Yes. But he’s also your friend, and I wanted to get to know him because of that. So in the future,” she continued as he lit the candles, “we’d both get to welcome him as our friend.”

“That’s understandable.”

“In my eagerness to get along with him, I might have overdone it.”

He glanced at her. “Orlando’s always been good with people. He makes them feel comfortable. It’s only natural you liked him.”

With a sigh, she watched as he went to the window and started pulling the drapes together. “I do like him, and I’m glad I like him because he’s your friend. But,” she went over to him and placed her hand on his arm, “I love you.”

***

Her meaning took a moment to sink in, and when it did, Toby suddenly felt foolish for thinking she had wished she’d married Orlando instead of him. Because he could see she didn’t. She loved him. And only him.

Relieved, he took her into his arms and kissed her. She slid her arms under his and leaned into him, her breasts pressin
g against his chest. Since she was wearing her nightclothes, it afforded a much better feel of her body. He ran his hands down her back and cupped her behind in his hands. She wiggled against him, her abdomen rubbing intimately against his erection. Having not made love to her earlier that day, the kiss made him that much more eager to be with her. Letting go of her, he removed their clothes so there would be nothing else separating them. He took a moment to gaze at her body in the candlelight, noting the way her breath quickened and her skin flushed at his perusal.

“
I like it when you don’t have anything on,” he whispered then drew her back into his arms and brought his lips to hers.

She moaned and deepened the kiss, her tongue tracing his lower lip until he received her into his mouth. She was no longer shy about showing her desire for him, something he was grateful for as she lowered her hands. He lightly squeezed her arms, encouraging her to
touch him intimately so he could feel those wonderful hands around his male hardness that grew thicker in anticipation.

One hand wrapped around his erection while the other cupped his testicles, lightly massaging them. She’d quickly become an expert in learning how to stroke him, starting at the base of his shaft and bringing her hand up in a swift motion that made him groan in pleasure. Oh, she was wonderful. So very wo
nderful. How did he ever get fortunate enough to marry a lady who possessed so much passion beneath the surface? She continued her ministrations, and he murmured his appreciation, his hips moving slightly as she established a rhythm that could very easily make him climax.

“Regina,” he whispered against her mouth then brushed his tongue over hers.

Ending the kiss, he opened his eyes so he could focus on the candelabra in the room, something that effectively simmered his blood enough so he could delay the inevitable.

She released
him then knelt in front of him. Curious, he watched, both in awe and anticipation, as she took him into her mouth. Several times, she twirled her tongue around his tip, starting at its ridge and moving to the slit, an action that made him shiver in pleasure. He gulped and massaged her shoulders, whispering her name and gently rocking his hips so that he could move in and out of her mouth, careful not to go too far in.

Soon. Soon
, he’d be fully inside her body, and he’d plunge deep inside her then. For now, he was content to slide gently in and out of her, and she held him at the base of his shaft to better angle him, heightening the sensation. He let out a groan and focused once more on the candelabra, willing the urge to climax to subside. But every nerve in his body screamed for release, and he knew if he didn’t stop right now, he would lose control.

“Regina,” he rasped and pulled out of her.

His penis protested, but he helped her to her feet. His gaze met hers and he kissed her, his hands going to her breasts and lightly squeezing them. She responded to him, her kisses as anxious as his, signaling her mounting desire. He carried her to the edge of the bed and encouraged her to lie down in front of him. He spread her legs and took note of the wonderful view of her pink flesh, which welcomed him to enter her. He traced her moist flesh and groaned, delighted that she was so wet he could slide easily into her.

He scooted her toward him
then entered her. She let out a contented sigh, and he shifted so he was deeper in her core. He slid almost all the way out of her then back in, using the same slow and controlled movements he’d used when he’d been in her mouth. She groaned and gripped the back of his thighs, pulling him fully into her.

“Eager for me, are you?” he whispered, excited by the way she sta
rted rocking her hips, her expression a mixture of pleasure and pain.

He leaned forward and cupped on
e breast in his hand while he brought his other hand between them and fondled her sensitive nub. She moaned, louder this time, and her flesh squeezed around him. He focused on her face, wanting to watch her as she worked toward her peak, delighting in how he could make her lose control to the point where she started crying out his name, letting him know she was thinking of him during their lovemaking.

She felt like heaven around him, her flesh pulling him deeper into her, and when she cried out in pleasure, he lost what little control he had. He gritted his teeth and shuddered above her, releasing his seed and joining her at the heights of ecstasy. He had wanted to prolong the moment, to give her another orgasm before he finally came, but everything felt much too good. And it wasn’t like this would be their only time making love. He’d make sure she received her pleasure again before the night was over. All
they’d done just now was get warmed up.

Gasping, he collapsed in her arms and embraced her. “I don’t know how it’s possible,” he rasped, “but our time together only gets better.”

She murmured her agreement.

After his head cleared, he spent considerable time kissing her, savoring the moment, assured that she truly wanted to be with him—and only him. “Regina?” he whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for making my life perfect.”

Looking up at him, she cupped the back of his neck and brought his mouth back to hers for another kiss. And before long, they were making love again.

***

“I hope you’ll make it by here again before next year,” Toby told Orlando the next morning as he stood in the entryway to say good-bye to his friend.

“You can always visit me,” Orlando replied. “I have more than enough room for you and your wife, and,” he added as Regina came over to them, “I need to see if she won that last game of chess be
cause she’s good at it or because she just got lucky.”

Toby slipped his arm around her waist and grinned. “I don’t know. I have a feeling she’s smarter than you.”

“Oh, Toby.” She shook her head, but her smile betrayed how flattered she was that he chose to compliment her.

“I don’t care much for the game myself,” he admitted. “I suppose having you around will fin
ally give him someone to play it with, and he prefers a challenge so don’t go easy on him.”

“I won’t,” she promised. “It was a pleasure to get to know you better, Orlando.”

“It’s good to see that my friend is happy,” Orlando told her then shot Toby a pointed look. “Maybe now you’ll smile when you go to London.”

“I smiled.” He glanced at her, noting her raised eyebrows. “I smiled. Often. I was always a happy gentleman.”

“I amend what I said,” Orlando consented. “He’s been happy ever since I came into his life. Before that, all he did was cry.”