To Seduce an Earl (28 page)

When he lowered her to the settee she didn’t argue, didn’t even care that they might be caught in a more than compromising situation. Alex followed her down, his hard form pressing into her body.

“You are so lovely,” he whispered, resting his face against the side of her neck, his lips finding the sensitive skin. Grace shivered.

He cupped the sides of her face. “So incredibly lovely.”

As wonderful as his words were, she noted the desperation in his voice and she had the oddest feeling that he needed her to believe him. His hands traveled down her body, his movements almost frantic, so unpracticed, so unlike him. She turned her head and pressed her lips to his temple, offering him comfort in the only way she could.

“God, Gracie, you make me feel.”

He pressed his lips to hers, a soft kiss. A gentle kiss. A kiss he’d never given her before. A kiss that seemed to reach down to her very soul. A kiss that swept through her body and made her want more. How she wished to be closer to him, wanted all of him.

Grace pressed her own lips to his, her tongue tracing his mouth. He groaned, slipped his knee between her legs and spread her thighs as much as her skirts would allow. His hard, lean body settled atop hers, molding perfectly to her form as if they were meant to be together. But no, she wouldn’t think such ridiculous, romantic thoughts. She would only think about the now, this moment, and the wonderful feelings he stirred within.

Alex pulled his lips from hers. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

She couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“I want you all the time.”

And how she wanted him!

His lips found the hollow of her throat while his fingers worked the buttons of her bodice. The world faded and they floated in oblivion, alone, untouchable. Her bodice parted, exposing the edge of her white corset. Her breasts rose sharply with every harsh intake of air.

“So beautiful.” His fingers brushed across the soft mounds, sending shivers over her skin.

He pressed his mouth there, between the valley of her breasts. Agony. Need. Hope. All rippled through her body on a heated wave. His breath was warm, his tongue rough and damp as he licked her skin. Grace groaned, sliding her fingers into his hair.

“You taste amazing,” he whispered.

His fingers went to the strings of her corset, loosening the bindings so she could finally breathe again. Grace tried to help, wiggling beneath him until the straps of her shift lowered. It was a wild, frantic struggle to be as close to him as possible.

“I can’t eat,” he said, his hands brushing hers aside so he could pull her shift lower. Her right breast came free, the nipple a hard, pink bud. His eyes darkened as he cupped the breast, his palm so warm she felt it deep within her soul. “I can’t sleep since tasting you.”

Through her muddled and hazy state, she allowed him to lift her skirts. His hands moved to her legs, sliding over her silk stockings, pulling her skirts higher…higher. She felt his warm breath on her breast right before he lowered, taking her nipple between his lips. A bolt of pleasure struck her core.

Grace arched her back. “Please, Alex.”

She was begging and should have felt the shame of heat. Instead, she felt only desire. He stroked her upper thigh, his fingers resting at her bloomers. “How I’ve wanted to have you completely.”

His hand slid into her undergarments, through the soft curls shielding her femininity. Grace sucked in a sharp breath as the aching need turned into pleasure.

“How I want you, Gracie.”

The hard length of his erection pressed to her thigh. How she wanted to touch him there! To wrap her fingers around the length of him. To show him the pleasure he showed her.

Alex’s fingers slipped between her damp folds. Fevered heat raced through her body. Grace moaned, turning her flushed face into the settee cushion. No one had ever touched her so and she knew it was wrong, knew she should stop him, but she didn’t care.

“How wet you are,” he said, then took the lobe of her ear between his teeth.

Grace bit her lip, lifting her hips, taking his fingers further inside her.

“Come for me, Gracie,” he whispered into her ear.

His finger slid into her tight sheath as his thumb found that sensitive nub hidden in her curls. Lightning branched through her body. Grace cried out. The sensations were too strong, too much even for her aching body. She should have been horrified by her wanton behavior, yet found her hips lifting, rocking against his hand.

“Grace, look at me.” He lifted himself higher, his warm breath brushing her cheek. She heard the slight plea in his voice and turned her head, meeting his gaze. The air between them mingled. His eyes were fierce and emotional and in that moment she knew he truly cared. Something deep within her shifted, time seemed to stand still and nothing existed but them.

“Alex,” she whispered, bemused by the flood of emotion that swept through her body.

Dear God, she
loved
him.

Alex’s finger slipped into her tight sheath. She cried out, arching her back. The ache seeped lower, spreading through her body and tightening in that tender spot between her legs. Her very soul seemed to tremble deep within. Grace shifted, feeling feverish. And Alex, lovely Alex slipped a second finger inside her.
 

“Please,” she whispered, her nails biting into his back through the smooth texture of his jacket.

She no longer felt alone in this world, but part of Alex and he a part of her. Unable to stand the ache any longer, Grace rocked against his hand.

“Come for me, Grace,” he said.

His words were like magic. The aching knot in her womb unwound. Grace cried out as her entire body trembled, her soul exploding into a million white stars. Heaven. For one long moment, she swore she was floating in heaven.

Vaguely she was aware of Alex pressing kisses to her lips, his mouth anchoring her in reality. A reality she no longer feared, but desired.
 

“You’re so sweet,” he whispered against her mouth.

Releasing a harsh, shaky breath, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close. Her heart slammed against his, begging for reprieve, her soul begging for more. He shifted and she was acutely reminded of his steel erection pressing to her thighs. The hum of satisfaction still vibrated within her, but she wanted more. She wanted all of him.

“Alex, please.” She cuddled the bulge of his erection between her thighs. “I want all of you.”

“Grace, my love,” he sighed, resting his forehead to hers. “You don’t know how badly I want to comply, but not here, not now.”

Was he forever to say those words? She opened her mouth to protest when the squeak of the door stunned her into silence. Frantic, Grace hid her face against Alex’s shoulder.

“Time to leave,” a deep voice demanded. There was no surprise to the tone, only insistence.
 

A tremble raked Alex’s frame, a shiver of regret? Need? Unfulfilled desire? She wasn’t sure. She peeked over Alex’s shoulder. A giant of a man stood in the doorway, a man she’d seen before at the brothel. One of Lady Lavender’s guards. He didn’t look shocked, he didn’t seem to care, yet there was no denying that his presence commanded obedience.

Alex pressed his hands into the settee and stood, smoothing down Grace’s skirts. She felt the loss of his warm body as if he’d ripped out her heart. She curled her fingers, resisting the urge to reach out to him. Slowly, Grace settled her feet upon the floorboards, her body spent and quivering. She felt almost faint with emotion, feelings she couldn’t identify and now wouldn’t have time to explore. She wanted to scream, to cry out in frustration. It wasn’t fair!

She surged to her feet, ignoring the guard in the doorway. “Don’t go,” she whispered.
  

Alex didn’t respond, but she noticed the flash of emotion that crossed his hooded eyes. Staring intently at the floor, he grasped her upper arms and pulled her closer. He didn’t kiss her, didn’t agree to stay, but merely buttoned her bodice. His touch was stiff, his mouth pressed into a firm, uncompromising line. A man she didn’t know.

“Alex,” she whispered, trapping his hands against her chest. “You don’t have to go with him. You are not a prisoner.”

His gaze met hers. There was a sadness there that made her ache for him. “Yes, I am.”

“No!” she said a little more harshly this time.

“We leave now,” the big man snapped from the doorway.

Grace threw him a glare. How she hated him! How she hated Lady Lavender!

Alex cupped the sides of her face, forcing her attention back to him. “Oh Grace, what the bloody hell am I going to do without you?”

His words pierced her very heart. Shocked her into silence.

Without another word, without a kiss, or touch, he turned and left her there.

Chapter 15

There was no hope left.

It was better that he acknowledge his bleak reality. He knew Grace cared about him in some way. Of course he cared about her, more than he’d cared about anyone in a long, long while. But what could possibly happen between a whore and a lady? Nothing.

Life would be much simpler if he accepted his fate.

Alex pushed away from the wing back chair where he’d been resting. The same wing back chair he’d sat in every day since starting work at Lady Lavender’s. The same wing backed chair where he’d sat with Grace and realized there was more to the woman than he’d first thought.

He picked up his jacket and slipped his arms through the sleeves. His motions were rehearsed, almost unconscious. There was no feeling attached them. Elegantly dressed, he stared at himself in the gilded mirror hanging on the wall near his bed.

No longer in London, he felt a world away from Grace.

He felt sick. His stomach roiled and for the first time in years he felt as if he’d lose his breakfast. He swiped at the back of his forehead, sweat dampening his hand.

He wished it were influenza.

Hell, he wished it were some wasting disease in which death was sure to come.

But no. He wasn’t so lucky. He knew what made him ill.

Grace.

The woman who had kept him from sleep for three days now. The woman who had tortured his nights with dreams of her lush body. The woman he couldn’t seem to cease thinking about.

Grace.

How could he continue without her? How could he touch another woman when the mere thought left him cold and ill? Alex paced to the windows and stared out on those lavender fields that surrounded the estate. Even in the spring when the plants were mere seedlings, he could still smell their scent.

Completely landlocked. Those fields traveled on forever. He missed his grandfather’s cottage on the coast where they used to visit as a child. A place of warm summers and innocence. A place where anything was possible. He owned that cottage. It had been left to him years ago when he was still a lad. Dare he reclaim his rightful possession? He turned and paced to the hearth where a fire burned that was supposed to be cheerful and bright, but instead seemed spiteful.

No doubt the cottage had fallen into disrepair. Or perhaps his family used it even still when on holiday. Or mayhap they had sold it in order to survive. It would have been easy enough for them to forge his signature. He pushed aside thoughts of the small estate. He didn’t dare think about the client who was to arrive at any moment. He would perform his duty, pretend, as he was so good at pretending. He would not think about Grace.

Grace. He closed his eyes and rested his fisted hands on the mantel. Grace, who questioned his rationale, who made him think, who made him believe in a better life. Grace, who made him feel like a human, like a man.

Oh God, he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t make love to another woman while thinking about Grace. While picturing her sweet lips, while remembering her taste. The door opened. Alex blanched and spun around to face his demise.

Wavers stood in the doorway, his silence condemning.

Breath held, Alex waited for his client to appear. Wavers stepped aside and a woman wearing a brilliant blue dress swept into the room like she’d been here before. A regular then? Yes, for even though her face was covered by black netting, there was something familiar in the way she moved. Alex weaved on his feet, feeling lightheaded, panicked. He couldn’t pretend with a regular, she would know.

“Good…” He’d meant to say good evening, but she turned toward him and in that moment he recognized the flare of those hips, the dip of that waist, that regal bearing. “Good God.”

Gracie. Grace was his client? Euphoria swept through him, but he didn’t dare show his excitement until Wavers left them alone. His hands fisted on his thighs as he resisted the urge to rush toward her. She paused in the middle of the room and even though he couldn’t see her face, he knew she looked at him, could feel the excitement roll off her body like a cool, refreshing breeze. She, too, was holding back.

The moment Wavers shut the door Grace’s shoulders relaxed. She lifted her netting, those familiar features flushed with emotion.