“Excuse me.” Red-faced, the man darted away.
Nina stepped past Elliot.
“Nina?”
“I should get back to my room.” She took three steps and turned back around. “Who did you come down here to meet?” She knew she didn’t have a right to ask, but she couldn’t halt herself from voicing the question.
As if beyond frustrated, Elliot raked his fingers through his dark hair. “I had no intention of coming down here at all until I went to your room and didn’t get an answer. And let me give you one bit of advice. If you are ever invited to play a game at night with the likes of men like Lord Hibbs, pass.”
Nina realized that. She also realized she’d not come to the maze for any other reason than to see Elliot. She’d not even looked for the Duke of Fernbridge. Not once.
Elliot let out an audible sigh. “I’m returning to the house. Do you wish me to walk you back?”
She nodded. “You went to my room?”
“Yes.” He held out his ungloved hand.
She set her palm against his.
His warm fingers closed around her chilled ones. The heat transferred up her arm and through her body, making her feel less chilled.
“Do you have any idea how to get out of here?” she asked.
He didn’t say anything. Just nodded.
They made several turns through the maze of evergreens and emerged from the same entrance Nina had entered.
As they strode away, a man yelled, “I got you.”
A female squeal drifted through the air, followed by the woman’s laughter.
* * *
Elliot drew in a deep breath. What had Nina been thinking going down there with that lot? Most of them had lost their morality years ago, especially Lord Hibbs. The man could not be trusted. Several of his maids had left his employment with swollen bellies. His wife was nearly as debauched as her husband. Neither thought anything of carrying on sexual affairs outside of their marriage, and they’d initiated Lady Amelia Hampton into their group. The woman had not been faithful to her husband since the week after she’d spoken her vows. Elliot wasn’t a saint, but he would not wish to be associated with any of them.
He glanced at Nina. “Why did you join them? Did you think Fernbridge would be there?”
“I wasn’t sure who would be there.”
“But you thought I would, didn’t you?”
She peered up at him, then, looking away, nodded.
“Nina, I have no interest in associating with the likes of Lord and Lady Hibbs.”
“How about Lady Amelia Hampton?”
He released her hand and faced her. “I might not have lived the life of a saint, but I’ve never cuckolded another man. Never.” Elliot started walking toward the house, his long steps causing Nina to take two steps to his one to catch up.
Shivering, she wrapped her thin shawl tighter.
Damnation. He shrugged out of his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you, Elliot.”
“You’re welcome. What did you say to Lord Hibbs?” he asked.
Even in the dim moonlight, Elliot noticed a flush of red settle on her cheeks. She pulled his jacket closer around her shoulders, then fiddled with one of the buttons lining the front. “I threatened a certain part of his anatomy.”
Elliot blinked. Perhaps he didn’t need to be so concerned about Nina. It appeared the minx knew how to handle men like Hibbs, but sometimes threats didn’t stop such men. He opened the door to the servants’ entrance and motioned her to precede him.
She stepped inside and handed him his coat. As she moved up the winding steps, her skirts swished as they brushed against the stairway’s narrow walls.
He heard her foot slip on one of the worn treads.
Elliot set his hands on her waist to steady her. “Careful,” he whispered.
She turned. Their faces even, her breath ghosted across his lips.
As much as he wanted to kiss her, this was not the place for it. Soon some of the other guests who were down at the maze might return. “Nina.”
“Yes.” Her voice was a throaty whisper.
“We need to get out of here before someone else enters.” He released her waist.
Without a response, she turned and moved up the steps.
When Nina reached the hidden wall panel, he reached above her shoulder and gave the concealed door a slight push. “Is anyone there?” he asked.
“No, the corridor is empty.” She stepped into the hall.
They moved toward her bedchamber. As they reached the corridor that led to his bedchamber, Elliot knew he should take it and leave Nina to navigate her way to her room by herself. If someone saw them together at this hour, it would be disastrous. Yet he remained by her side. He told himself it was for her protection, but the feel of her breath on his mouth while they stood facing each other would not leave him.
They reached her room, and she looked at him. “Do you wish to come inside?”
Without a word, he followed her and closed the door behind them.
Chapter Eighteen
In her dim bedchamber, Nina stared at Elliot, standing by the door. Why had she invited him into her room? A part of her didn’t wish to examine the question. Introspection might reveal too much. She flexed her hand, remembering the warmth of his fingers entwined with hers and the intimacy she’d felt from such a simple act.
As if waiting for her to say something, Elliot remained quiet.
She swallowed and drew in a steadying breath. “I thought perhaps we could move on to lesson three.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
She stepped toward him. “You don’t want to teach me about the third type of kiss?”
He gave a short laugh, but there was no humor in his eyes. He took several steps away from her, then pivoted around. “It might not be the wisest thing for us to do at this moment.”
“Why?” She strode up to him and only stopped when a foot separated them.
He drew the back of his hand softly over her cheek. “It isn’t a good idea.”
Was it because, like her, he was experiencing the charged air that almost crackled between them? As he held her gaze, she noticed the blacks of his pupils had expanded, taking over a good deal of the blue. Those intense eyes dipped to her mouth.
She held his gaze, challenging him to do what she realized they both desired.
He released a slow breath. “Very well. Lesson three. Put your hand here.” He tapped his index finger over the left side of his chest.
“I thought it didn’t matter where I put my hands when I kissed.”
“For this kiss, it does matter.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant because this was a different type of kiss, or because of the electrical charge snapping like sparks between them. “So, why this spot?”
“Because you will be able to judge whether my heart rate has increased.”
She knew her own heart rate had hitched upward with anticipation. She set her right hand over his lower ribs and skimmed it upward. “There is a problem with this plan.”
“Is there?” A raspy tone infused his voice.
“It’s near impossible with all the garments you’re wearing to tell.” She grasped the lapels of his coat and pushed the garment off his shoulders. It landed on the floor with a soft swish. “This is a hindrance as well,” she said, unfastening the buttons on his waistcoat.
The widening of his eyes conveyed she’d startled him.
She repeated what he’d said to her during their other lesson. “Don’t worry, Elliot. I won’t bite you. Unless you beg me to.” Nina wasn’t sure what was driving her actions or her bold words, but now that she had started down this path, she didn’t want to stop. She thought he would grin at her using his own words, but instead the intensity in his gaze notched up.
“I just might ask you to.” His low laugh sent a pleasant tingling sensation over her skin.
She placed h
er palm over the cotton of his shirt above his heart. “It beats nearly as fast as mine.”
A slow grin lifted his sensual lips. “Is that an invitation for me to find out?”
Was it? The idea of his hands on her breasts had already caused them to tingle and her nipples to peak. She pressed her body to his and wrapped her free hand around his neck. “I think, this close, you might be able to feel it.”
For a brief second, his eyes drifted closed; then, as if she’d broken the last tether of his restraint, he tangled his fingers in her hair and brought his mouth down on hers. The kiss was more demanding than any before. Without preamble, or warning, his tongue entered her mouth and slid against hers.
The sensation was so carnal, so erotic, it caused her to return his passion with the same unrestrained hunger.
Elliot’s palm settled on her hip and skimmed upward to capture the weight of her breast. His thumb swayed against her hardened nipple.
She pulled back.
“Forgive me,” he said.
Nina didn’t want apologies; she wanted more. She worked loose the top buttons that lined the front of her gown.
Elliot watched her, his gaze so scalding, she thought it might make her melt. He’d told her a woman could heighten a man’s desire just by the way she removed her gloves. Obviously, removing one’s dress took that statement to a new level.
“Nina.” There was a warning in his tone, but he didn’t step forward to stop her.
She comprehended she was about to cross a line that, once ventured over, could not be uncrossed, yet she felt almost unable to stop herself. She’d heard women whisper that Elliot was a great lover. Well, the reckless part of her wanted to find out. After unfastening the last button, she shrugged out of her gown. It fell, circling her feet like a coronet.
Elliot’s gaze drifted down her length, and then he was standing in front of her, kissing her again with his mouth and tongue while his hands drifted over her body. Neither of them seemed capable of moving fast enough as they tugged at each other’s clothing until only her chemise and his trousers remained.
So much for the art of removing one’s clothing slowly to heighten desire. They’d already danced around each other for days and they now seemed incapable of restraint. The maelstrom slowed as if the spinning of the world had halted.
His hand molded against her breast. The warmth of his palm filtered through the thin material of her chemise to her skin. She moaned against his mouth.
He responded by increasing the pressure of his hand, while his other one did a slow slide down her back to cup her bum and pull her against him.
Nina understood the hard length in Elliot’s trousers. When younger, she’d asked Caroline how a man and woman made love.
Elliot made a primal noise close to a growl, and then they were at each other again, removing what little clothes remained. She’d barely had a chance to examine the beauty of his naked body when he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. As he stretched out beside her, his mouth sought hers and their bodies tangled together like twisted bramble.
He kissed her neck, her collarbone, and then his mouth moved downward. His lips lightly brushed against the swell of her breasts before his tongue touched the tip of one hardened nipple and drew it into his mouth.
She watched, fascinated by the sight and the feel. Her eyes drifted closed. She centered her mind on the sensations the act drew forth—a restless yearning that grew like a snowball rolling down a hill of wet snow.
His hand slipped over her stomach and lower.
Her skin, already warm, heated under his touch as he slid his fingers over her sex to stroke it.
Wanting more, she arched.
“I know what you want, Nina,” he whispered, “but, believe me, you would regret it in the morning.”
Her mouth was too dry to respond, but she managed enough strength to shake her head.
“Let me do something else that will bring you as much pleasure.” His mouth came down on hers as his finger slipped into her sex, then out again. As he did it again, his palm created pressure on a spot above. A sensation she’d never experienced before grew. It clawed at her.
Shame on Caroline for not explaining this. For not telling her how she would almost want to beg for something that seemed to lie beyond her grasp. She whimpered.
Elliot’s body shifted downward. He planted soft kisses against her left thigh, while his finger remained in her. Teasing and tormenting. Then his mouth was on her sex. She experienced the slick slide of his tongue.
She should have been shocked, but she was beyond that point. Carnal need outweighed every other thought she possessed. She clenched at the muscles of her sex, and a wave of sensations raced over her, making her legs almost shake with the intensity. Then she was drifting downward. She opened her eyes to see Elliot peering up at her. He understood what had happened to her body more than she did. He moved to her side and pulled her to him.
Nina set her head on his chest. Below her ear, she heard the thump, thump, thump of his heart. She slipped her hand over his thick manhood and stroked him.
The sound of him drawing air between his teeth caused her to glance at him. His eyes were closed. “Might I touch you?”
“It’s best if you don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because we have completed lessons three, four, and five. If you touch me, we will move on to lesson six. If I give you that lesson, tomorrow I will go to your brother and ask for your hand, and you will not marry Fernbridge, but me, when I tell him what transpired.”
He sounded as serious as a vicar at a funeral. “You’re serious?”
“Nina, I want to make love to you more than anything. But I’ve never taken a woman’s virginity. If I take yours, I will feel bound to marry you.”
She felt as if her eyes were pried open with toothpicks. She couldn’t even blink. She’d not thought Elliot would balk at taking a woman’s virginity, but . . .
“Your silence gives me your answer.”
She didn’t want to stop, but neither did she want to marry Elliot. It wasn’t that she didn’t care for him. She cared for him more than she should, but Elliot was too much like her father. She feared marrying him would only lead to the type of heartbreak Mama had lived with.
Elliot got off the bed, tugged on his drawers and trousers, and pulled his shirt over his head. His long fingers worked the button before he put on his remaining garments.
“Good night, Nina.” He slipped out of the room as quietly as he’d entered.
Chapter Nineteen
The following day, after saying good-bye to Caroline and James, Nina sat with Victoria, Elliot, and the Duke of Fernbridge as they traveled in the latter’s carriage to his country residence. Nina hadn’t realized Elliot would be joining them today until she’d stepped outside to see him leaning against the duke’s carriage, his arms crossed over his chest, looking like he was being forced to swallow a bitter pill.
For most of the journey, the duke had talked about his parklands and horseflesh, especially his Arabians. Elliot had spent most of his time staring out the window as if in deep thought, while Nina tried not to spend most of her time thinking about what Elliot had done to her with his mouth and tongue.
The memory of his touch and how it had made her feel caused her body to tingle. She gave an inward sigh. If she were honest with herself, she’d admit how desperately she’d wanted him to kiss her again and bring her to that pinnacle of sensations. The man possessed the ability to make her mind veer to things she shouldn’t be thinking about wanting to do again.
She should never have agreed to his plan. Never spent so much time with him. Yet, his plan had worked. The Duke of Fernbridge’s attentiveness to her was undeniable. Yet now it was Elliot who she wished would engage her in conversation.
If the duke asked for her hand and she accepted, there would be no stargazing on a roof or sleeping under the stars.
The Duke of Fernbridge cleared his throat.
She glanced at him. He had an expectant expression on his face as if awaiting a reply. Had he spoken to her? “Forgive me, Your Grace, did you say something?”
“I asked if you brought your sketchbook.”
“Oh, I had not thought of it.” No, she’d been too preoccupied thinking about last night.
“Well, I’m sure a member of my staff can find you a sketchbook once we arrive. There are dozens of things you will wish to draw. As I said when we visited Lord Hathaway’s folly, my property contains one even larger.”
Elliot finally pulled his gaze away from the window. He peered at the Duke of Fernbridge, though his countenance gave nothing away as to what he was thinking.
Silence settled over the carriage.
Victoria, sitting next to her, glanced up from the book she was reading, and set it on the seat. “Let’s play a game. I will say a word and you must say the first word that comes to your mind. I will start, then Nina, Elliot, and you, Your Grace.”
Fernbridge looked bored with the suggestion, and Elliot maintained his unreadable mask.
Nina didn’t care—anything that would distract her from Elliot would suit her.
Victoria tapped a finger to her cheek. “Carriage. Now your turn, Nina.”
“Horses,” Nina added.
Elliot’s gaze finally shifted to her. “Straddle.”
The way he watched her, along with his word choice, made her stomach flutter with awareness.
Fernbridge scratched the back of his head. “Hunt.”
“Hounds.” Victoria almost bounced on the seat.
“Foxes,” Nina added, trying to ignore the way Elliot peered at her.
The carriage grew quiet.
“Elliot, it is your turn.” Victoria waved a hand at him.
“Caress,” he said.
The duke’s gaze jerked to Elliot.
Victoria giggled.
Nina’s body warmed. Everywhere.
“Elliot,” Victoria chastised. “I don’t think you understand how this game is played. How did you get caress from foxes?”
Thankfully, his heated gaze shifted to Victoria. “Cousin, you said I should say the first thing that came into my mind.”
Never Conspire with a Sinful Baron Page 14