Tonight or Never (13 page)

Rooted to the spot, the poor maid dropped her load of linens, covering her eyes with her fingers as she caterwauled at the top of her lungs about the heathen ways of rogues.

The moment his lordship had barreled past, sensibilities notwithstanding, said fingers separated, allowing the woman a substantial peek at the muscular backside. She sighed at the fabulous sight.

Realizing no one could hear her righteous outrage, she shrugged. Picking up her pile of linens, she continued on down the hall.

At the maid's screech, Chloe winced. Thank goodness
Grandmere
had kept this wing relatively free of guests! She skidded into a corner, looking for an avenue of escape.

She should have remembered that John had an annoying habit of seeing a matter through. Chloe rubbed her backside in remembrance, ducking into a curtained alcove.

Sights trained on his quarry, John completely ignored the blathering maid. He was too furious to be distracted.
Now where is that little termagant
?

His sights went knowingly to the alcove. The curtain in front was quivering slightly.
Mmm
-hmm
.

He was about to barge his way through the drapery when two violet eyes peeped out to check the area. They widened considerably when realization struck that he was standing right there.

At the same time, John heard voices coming up the far stairwell. It was probably some late-night guests returning to their chambers. And the lord and his lady were standing in the hall without a stitch of clothing on! He winced as he imagined the rumor mill
that
would produce.

He quickly came through the curtain, covering Chloe's mouth with his hand as he backed her into the far corner against the wall.

"Not a sound," he hissed in her ear.

She stared at him over the edge of his hand, eyes enormous. The voices outside got closer.

John leaned into her; his warm, dry skin blanketing her. She felt all of him, the muscles and strength of him, as he held her in place. There was no question that he was seething.

Anger fairly radiated from him—anger and something else she didn't recognize.

"I could take you here—right now—against this wall." His deep voice was a mere undertone. "Did you know that, Chloe?"

She stiffened. The words were not meant to charm; they were meant to give her pause.

She shook her head, her hair brushing his chest.

"But then, there are a lot of things you don't know." He spoke very low against the curve of her throat. His free hand slid down her back to cup her derriere, bringing her in close contact with him.

He was hard and swollen as he pressed their lower bodies together. His manhood throbbed as it skimmed her lower stomach.

Despite her apprehension, the curious part of Chloe wondered what he looked like. He felt very large and she still hadn't seen…

He removed his hand from her mouth, seizing her lips in a punishing kiss. She was not used to John kissing her.
The Lord of Sex
.
Her knees buckled.

His powerful arms held her.

"Why did you lead me to believe you were not a virgin, Chloe-cat?" He spoke quietly, his lips a hairbreadth
from her own
.

The voices were almost upon them now.

Chloe swallowed. She had hoped his anger was due to her
coshing
him on the head, not that other thing. She was not having very much luck tonight!

"You know about that too?" she said in a squeak, disappointed.

His voice rumbled in her ear, the furious murmurs not at all hidden by the sibilant tones he was forced to use to prevent their discovery. "Do you not listen to those rumors you told me of—that I have been with almost half the women in
England?" He exhaled warm breath against her ear. "Of course I knew."

Chloe wasn't sure she heard him correctly. There was an odd note in his voice. She looked up, trying to see him in the darkened alcove, but could not make out his features.

"Answer me, Chloe."

The flat, self-possessed tone alarmed her. However, she noticed that his tender touch was strangely at odds with his vocal demeanor.

Chloe decided it would be best to tell him the real reason. This reason wasn't the entire truth, but he didn't need to know all of that yet.
"B-because you wouldn't have agreed to the plan!"

"Plan?"
Chloe heard the shock in his voice. "Don't tell me you still have that mad notion to—"

"Was I right?" She quickly interrupted him; she had no intentions of answering
that
question.

He hesitated.

So she was right. "See? I couldn't very well tell you, John; you would have gotten the wrong idea." Her double meaning was lost on him.
Which was just as well.
She sighed. This was not easy for her.

The voices faded down the hallway.

"Even so, if you had simply told me tonight, beforehand, I would have been more… careful with you." Surprisingly, his lips pressed her forehead.

Tears filled her eyes. His action, meant to comfort, was a blow to her heart. His affectionate concern was as it had always been—that of a family friend. The kiss he placed on her brow was not the passionate act of a husband or lover.

A tear spilled over the corner of her eye, down her cheek. In the darkened alcove, it splashed on John's hand.

He felt instant remorse. Chloe rarely cried; he must have hurt her terribly when he took her. "Chloe-cat, I'm so sorry." He encircled her in his arms, hugging her to him.

His kind action in conjunction with his total misinterpretation of her behavior made her cry all the more. She buried her face into his chest, trying to stem her tears, but failing.

John wrapped her tighter in his embrace. "Please, sweet, don't…"

"Just
gi
-give me a minute, John."
Chloe
hiccuped
.

He smiled faintly, rubbing his chin on the top of her head. "The tip of your nose is cold."

"It is?" She sniffed.

"Yes, monkey. You must be getting cold—let me take you back to bed." He lifted her in his arms.

When he exited the curtained alcove, the wall sconces cast a dim light on the woman in his arms. She gazed up at him, violet eyes still moist from her recent tears. Her soft lips were slightly puffy from his kisses, her cheeks lightly flushed from the events of the evening.

John stared down at her and that
something
happened to him again.

He wasn't sure what it was, but he recognized the sensation. It was the same damn thing that had happened to him in their bedroom when she had first kissed him.

Their eyes met. Everything around them seemed to fade.

"Let me taste you, Chloe," he whispered.

She raised her mouth for his taking.

John covered her lips. A small sound of pleasure rolled in his throat.

John deepened the kiss, sweeping inside her mouth, drawing on her lips even as he claimed her taste.

This was definitely the kiss of a husband! Chloe thought.

She pulled back, staring deeply into his eyes. With her newfound woman's knowledge, she realized he wanted her.
Really
wanted her.

He began walking determinedly back to the bedroom.

During the entire trip, he never once broke eye contact with her.

Chloe wasn't sure who was more surprised.

He kicked the door shut.

From his demeanor, Chloe half expected him to lean her up and take her against the wall the way he had suggested earlier.

Truth was, John considered it and rejected it. He didn't want her that way.
At least not tonight.

He headed straight to the bed. Lord Sexton knew exactly what he wanted.

No elaborate positions.

No impressive techniques.

Just
her.
Wrapped around him tight.

He laid her gently on the bed, carefully fanning her red hair across the pillows. It was exactly as he had envisioned. His heart pounded in his chest.
She was so damn beautiful
.

Several thick candles illuminated the room and the bed. His raking glance took in everything about her. He had not really had a chance to observe her at his leisure before. Now he afforded himself the pleasure.

He had seen other women, narrower of waist, perhaps, and longer of limb, but none had ever come close to comparing in his eyes.

Chloe had always been perfect to him.

Now more so.

Placing one knee up on the bed, he leaned over her and wrapped a tendril of the red hair around his wrist over and over. With her securely fastened, he came over her.

For some reason, Chloe was more nervous than she was the first time. This time John was going to make love to her.
Completely.
She could see the resolution on his face.

Even though she wanted him, what they had done before had been very painful. While he had been examining her, she had been investigating him as well, and it seemed to her that he was very…
large
. So it was bound to hurt again.

She wasn't sure she was ready for that on top of everything else she had experienced this evening.

Some of her apprehension must have shown, for his hand cradled her cheek. His thumb brushed across her full lips.

Thick black lashes shielded his eyes as he watched his own stroking actions and the play of her full bottom lip under his thumb.

A small tremor shook him, but Chloe felt it.

He raised his eyes to her; they were kindling with emerald fire. His voice was very raw and very determined.

"I'm going to give you so much pleasure…"

Chapter Six

The Players Engage

He was caught in a sensual spell.

When he came over her, the thin chain around his neck dangled in front of her face.

Chloe glanced at the small charm,
then
gasped in shock. It was a carrot.
Her carrot
.
"You—you kept it!"

John arrested his motion, seemingly surprised by her discovery. Either he didn't think she would remember or he had been wearing the charm for so long that he hadn't thought to remove it.

He didn't answer her. Cheekbones turning a dull bronze, he looked away, a muscle working in his jaw. He appeared self-conscious. As if someone had found out something about him he didn't want known.

The charm
! She remembered the day he had given it to her. It was her thirteenth birthday. There were many reasons why she had never forgotten that day.

Every year since she was six, John had given her a little golden charm to add to the bracelet she wore. Each charm had a special significance known only to the two of them, for the charms represented his pet names for her. There was a kitten for "Chloe-cat."
A bear cub for "Chloe-cub."
A parakeet for "Chloe-
keet
."
A monkey for "Chloe-monkey."
A bunny for "Chloe-rabbit."
And a baby elephant for "Chloe-
phant
."

That year he had given her the carrot.

The carrot charm alluded to her hair color; John loved to tease her by calling her "Carrot-top" or "Chloe-carrot," or just plain "Carrot." He knew it really got under her skin, so naturally he used the carrot nicknames the most.

Later that day she had climbed a tree to spy on John and the Lady
Mirot
, who were ensconced on a bench in a secluded part of the garden. Chloe had noticed
them
giving peculiar looks to each other during luncheon and she wanted to see what it was all about.

She soon found out.

Lord Sexton and the lady in question were locked in an amorous embrace, John's hands reaching down the woman's bodice.

A deep, horrible pain had sliced into her heart and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Up until that point, she had assumed that John was hers alone; she knew nothing of his ways with women.

It was the first time in her young life that she was confronted with inconstancy, and she had felt betrayed.

Too young to understand, she had climbed down the tree to face him in her rage. Chloe had never been shy about letting her opinions be known.

When he spotted her out of the corner of his eye, hanging from a branch preparing to jump down, he was both furious at her invading his privacy and concerned for her safety. He released the woman from his hold, yelling out Chloe's name in angry offense.