“I’m glad. I know what he did was wrong, but I can understand why he did it and he hardly seemed to have any understanding of what his part in this whole affair entailed.”
“It is often the lowly footmen that bear the brunt in these political messes. Thomas is just another victim.” He squeezed her hand.
Amber and pink streaks began to paint the sky. She eyed the rolling hills against the colorful backdrop and compared them to the conditions in which Thomas had been living. Whatever she did when this was all over, she could not let herself be caged in like that. If she settled somewhere, it would be like the Hampshire countryside—wild and untamed. A space where she could be free.
“You did an outstanding job of getting him to talk.” He peered at her. “What exactly did you say to him?”
“I just told him that we were alike. That we were both outcasts in society. I think Thomas was hurt by that more than anything. He had gone away to fight for his country but came back to nothing and no one and no sympathy for his plight.”
“Do you really think of yourself as an outcast still?”
“I’m not sure. I think I have not found my place in the world yet.”
Reed nodded. “I understand that.”
“You have the ability to blend in wherever you go, Reed. Even if you take your place as the duke, you shall fit in perfectly.”
“Will I?” he murmured.
“I know you will.” She squeezed his hand tight.
The abbey struck a perfect contrast to the soft countryside, its dark silhouette a perfect box shape against the curves of the hills. Several windows glowed from within and an oddly soft sensation struck her.
Reed drove the horse and trap around to the stable and aided her down before handing it over to the groomsmen.
Noah stepped out of the servant’s entrance and leaned against the wall. “Where have you been? Mother has been fussing all day.”
Reed waited until he had stepped into the beckoning light of the hallway before addressing him. “Forgive us, Noah. We had business to attend to.”
“You had business to attend to here.”
“And yet I imagine you handled it all perfectly.”
Noah gave a shrug. “I did but that didn’t stop Mother from fussing.” He scowled at Reed. “Why must you always be so damned secretive?”
“A man must be allowed to have secrets,” Reed declared, tugging off his coat and gloves.
“Ones that involve him sneaking away with a beautiful woman and traipsing through the servant’s quarters?”
Orelia felt her cheeks color, not so much as to what he was implying but because of being called beautiful.
“You shall have your brother all to yourself soon, Noah,” she promised, ensuring she spoke slowly enough so that he could read her lips.
“Well that will be a pity. Does that mean you shan’t be staying much longer?”
She and Reed shared a glance. “I think so.”
“We’ll miss you,” Noah said sincerely. “It’s been pleasant having a female in the house who does not wish to trap us both here forever. Not to mention you’ve done an excellent job of keeping any prospective wives at bay.”
Her heart gave a tiny jab. Once she was gone there was nothing stopping Reed from finding a wife. No scandalous women waiting in the wings to scare away fine, young ladies.
“I am sure once you have some lovely ladies coming to visit, neither of you shall regret my absence.”
“That could not be further from the truth,” Reed said firmly. “Is Mother still up?”
Noah shook his head. “No, she retreated to bed about an hour ago, though she is likely still awake so go quietly.”
“Thanks.” Reed grinned.
“Will you be around tomorrow, or do you have yet more important things to do?” Reed’s brother asked.
“I shall be here. I must take a trip into town in a few days, but I can look things over if you wish me to.”
“I have everything in hand, but you ought to. Mother doesn’t quite trust that I know what I am doing.” Noah grimaced.
“Well I do, and I appreciate everything you do in my stead.” He clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
Noah gave him a look. “Do not think I don’t know what you are doing. You like to pretend you are selfish and idle, but I understand your motivations behind making me take on all the ducal duties.”
Reed pressed his lips together. “I have no idea what you mean. I merely don’t have time for these silly trivialities whilst I am socializing and...what is it mother says?—-gallivanting around the country.”
Orelia watched the exchange between brothers, somewhat envious of their teasing closeness. Why, she could even find herself envious of his mother. At least she cared dearly for them both. What would it be like to be part of such a family? From the little insight she’d had, she could conclude it would be quite lovely.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Reed led Orelia quietly to her room. Thankfully his mother was either asleep or had not heard them creeping up the stairs. He opened her door and she peered up at him, her skin warm in the lamp light. She could have no idea how much he wanted to touch her. How much he’d been longing to all day.
They were onto their man. Things were unfolding quickly. Before long he’d have their culprit and Orelia would have her money. She would fly off and be free, just as she should be.
And he’d be left here. Either playing duke or praying for another job from the government.
And he’d always remember how she tasted.
He eased open her door and she stepped through it, silent.
Searching her gaze, he tried to understand what she might be thinking. Did she wonder about the future? Consider what it will be like to be apart? Did she regret that they had not had more time together? Because he certainly did.
“Good night, Reed,” she said softly. She reached out to touch him but drew her hand back suddenly.
The air wrapped around him like a thick blanket. He struggled to breathe. The flickering glow of flames danced over her skin and made her eyes gleam. She wore only her cheapest gown and yet he could easily say she was as beautiful as when she had dressed up as Spanish nobility.
He wanted her so urgently, his body hurt. From his toes to his heart, he ached. He’d spent their entire acquaintance ignoring it—and sometimes not—until he could no longer.
Or could he? Should he risk their mission, their friendship for a brief moment only to pay her off and send her on her way?
He took a step back. He was stronger than this. He’d never met a woman with whom he could not control himself.
“Good night, Orelia,” he said, his voice coming out as though he’d just swallowed rocks.
She went to close the door, slowly, slowly, her gaze never leaving his.
“Damn it,” he hissed, shoving open the door and taking a step across the threshold.
She jumped back with a tiny cry of surprise. He kicked shut the door, his mother be damned. This was his house and he’d stomp around if he damn well liked.
Another swift step and he had her in his arms. One moment later, his mouth was upon hers. She softened instantly to him, her body molding as though made to fit against his.
“I can’t resist anymore,” he growled against her mouth.
“Then do not,” she replied softly.
It was all he needed to hear. Their futures, this mission be damned. If he only had a small amount of time with her, he was going to use it to appreciate her fully.
“I have never met a woman like you.” He kissed her neck before dragging his mouth back to her lips.
Her hands were everywhere, in his hair, touching his face, tugging his shirt, pressing up underneath to feel his back. He shuddered at the touch of her fingers upon his skin.
“I’ve never met a man like you,” she replied, tilting her head back so he could kiss her neck again then down to her collar bone. “I never thought dukes could be like you.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
“Very much so.”
He bundled her to him and edged her over to the bed. Reed managed to slow down enough to lower her carefully and admire the way her hair had spilled loose from its braid and spread across the luxurious silk bedding. She might be in a simple, brown wool gown but she seemed to fit perfectly.
When he joined her on the bed, his impatience gathered pace again. He cupped a breast through the fabric of her gown and she pushed her fingers up under his shirt, tracing a path across his stomach.
She smiled up at him. “You’re very beautiful.”
He could have sworn he nearly blushed. He’d been called many things. Handsome, dashing, rakish. Never beautiful.
“Nowhere near as beautiful as you.”
Orelia definitely did blush and he adored how regularly she did. As good at deception as she was, she could never deceive him.
“You blush a lot,” he murmured.
“Only around you.”
He grinned and came down to kiss her hard. Her body rose like a ship on the ocean to meet his, her breasts pressing up into his chest and her hips thrusting against his arousal.
He released a groan when she did it again. “I have been in agony for too long. You have no idea how hard it has been.”
She slid a hand between their bodies. “I do now.”
“Cheeky wench.”
He pushed her hair from her face and vowed to kiss her into silence. He did, leaving her writhing underneath him. When he shifted to one side and hitched up her skirts, he found her wet with desire. He skimmed a finger over her sensitive nub and watched her eyelids flutter and her pupils darken.
“Orelia, have you ever...?” He paused before pressing a finger into her. He needed to know how experienced she was.
She nodded slowly. “Once.”
He released a breath. As much as he would have liked to have been her first, he had no great ambitions to initiate a virgin. If she had only made love once, it would not be easy, but he could prepare her well enough and ensure she completely forgot whoever it was before.
“Are you jealous?” she asked.
“I could be. But it would hardly be fair now, would it? I am no virgin.”
She smiled softly. “It was a long time ago and I hardly remember. One of my more rebellious moments. If I had been discovered I could have ruined myself in the eyes of my people. I regret that.”
“And yet you are here with me?” He toyed with her folds, making her suck in a sharp breath. He couldn’t help grin at her responsiveness. “You are willing to take that risk with me?”
“You are most likely my husband in their eyes by now. Besides, I will not remain with them any longer. I have no place there, I realize that now.”
“You have a place here,” he said, his voice raw. “In my arms.” He held her close. “Christ, why do you feel so good in my arms?”
She gave a soft smile before he kissed her firm on the lips and eased a finger into her. She was damned tight. The thought of being inside her made his head swim. She gasped against his mouth and he pushed deeper. Lifting her hips, she invited him further and he added another finger.
Using a thumb to tease her, he worked in and out until she was squirming and pleading for more. Reed released her and urged her to sit up. His hands shook as he worked loose the laces of her gown. He pushed them down her shoulders, taking her shift with it and kissed the bare skin he revealed at her back. Goddamn his shaking hands. He was acting like a whelp taking a woman for the first time.
She leaned into his kisses and pulled up his shirt. Reed paused to tug it over his head before easing her dress and undergarments away.
“Dear God,” he murmured, taking in the curve of her breasts and hips. He swept his knuckles over one breast and followed the curve until he brushed past one tight nipple.
Orelia closed her eyes.
Reed shifted off the bed to finish removing his clothes. When he glanced up, he found her eyes open, watching him avidly. A tiny smile curved her lips.
“What is it?”
“You really are beautiful.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Not compared to you.”
Once he’d flung his clothes in a pile with little care to where they landed, he joined her back on the bed. Scooping her close, he scattered kisses across her chest and dropped down to take a nipple in his mouth. She arched her back, offering herself to him and he pressed a hand under her back to hold her close.
Again he slipped a hand between them, all the while taking every moment to taste the sweetness of her skin. He brought her close to the edge once more.
When she skimmed a hand down to touch his manhood, his vision blurred. He pulled her hand away and eased her back. Her hair now wild about her, her body naked and ready for him, he had to wonder if he was dreaming.
Reed eased apart her legs.
“Do not make me wait,” she pleaded.
He shook his head. “As if I could. I feel like I’ve been waiting for an eternity for this.”
She grasped his arms, urging him forward and she wrapped her legs about his hips. He eased into her gently at first, feeling her accept him inch by inch. Her mouth opened in a silent ‘oh’. He gritted his teeth and prayed he wouldn’t make a fool of himself instantly. He had to wonder, why the hell he had not taken her to bed sooner?
“Reed,” she uttered as he buried himself deep and felt her heat close in around him.
He could not find the words to respond. The world went hazy. Nothing else existed apart from this woman. He focused on her, pressing a shaky kiss to her lips before retreating and pushing deep once more. They both groaned.
Smoothing her hair from her face, he kissed her deeply. Orelia’s hands and nails sketched paths across his back, biting in sometimes when he thrust deep. Her cries of pleasure filled his ears. He should have known Orelia would be so damn responsive. Why, oh why, had he not done this sooner?
Hot pleasure burned through his body. Her heat began to tighten around him. He tensed his jaw and pounded into her harder. The bed rocked and creaked, and Orelia cried out his name. Her whole body stiffened and he watched as her expression crumpled. She sagged, and the pulses of her orgasm willed him on to follow her over the edge.
He thrust once, twice, and third time then followed up with several more quick thrusts. He pulled out and, with a groan, spilled on her stomach. Eyes closed, he focused on the pleasure then opened them to find her staring up at him, her lips parted and her expression a picture of pleasure.
Once he gathered his breath, he gave her a swift kiss. “Wait there.”
Feeling a little too like a newborn lamb, he staggered over to the washbowl and found a cloth. He dipped it in the water and headed back to the bed.
“It will be cold,” he warned.
She sucked in a breath and he cleaned her up before flinging aside the cloth and urging her under the bedding. He took her into his arms. Orelia settled in the crook of his arm, her head tucked into his shoulder. Her fingers played a path across his chest, tracing the dips in it.
“Should you not return to your bed? Your mother shall be scandalized.”
Reed shook his head. “My mother is already scandalized. Besides, you forget my ability to sneak.”
“Oh yes, so I did.”
“But for now, I have no desire to sneak. For now, I want to hold you and taste you, and make love to you several more times.”
“Really?”
“Why are you surprised by that?”
She sighed. “I suppose I thought once you’d had me...”
“I would—what?—cast you aside?”
A smile curved her lips. “Not like that. I know you are a gentleman at heart, Reed. But I did not think you would want more of me.”
“How could I not?” He urged her to look up at him and kissed her. “How could I not?” he murmured once more.
How could he ever not want her? How could he ever let her go?
Though Reed could not claim to have slept much, he rose early. Having sneaked out of Orelia’s room in the early hours and slipped back into his, he’d spent the rest of the morning with a grin on his face as he recalled each moment with her.
Would she still be in bed now? Perhaps recalling their time together too? As much as he needed to focus his attention on this case, he could not help but consider how much he wanted a repeat of last night.
He supposed he’d always known they would be spectacular together or else he would not have fought it so hard.
His mother’s voice echoed against the soaring ceilings of the hallway and he scowled, paused to peer over the bannister and shook his head.
Striding down the stairs, he pushed a hand through his hair and demanded, “What the devil is all this noise?”
His mother turned on him, her eyes bright with fury. “First I have a gypsy girl in my house then some...some vagabond who will not leave! This is too much, Reed. It is too much.”
He peered around his mother to see the vagabond in question.
The man, near filthy from head to toe, wore a battered cap and a jacket torn in several places.
“Reed?” the man asked.
He blinked at him. “Good lord, Ambrose. I take it you made it out of jail then?”
His mother uttered a faint screech.
“What is going on?” Orelia asked as she came down the stairs.
“Mother is about to faint,” Reed said dryly.
The butler, a maid, and Noah had all come to see what the commotion was. Orelia came to his mother’s side and took her arm. It surprised Reed that she did not shy away but apparently, she was so overcome by the sight of Ambrose that she willingly accepted Orelia’s help.
“Do you know this man, Reed?” Noah asked. “Moseley said mother was screeching.”
“I do indeed,” Reed confirmed. “And she was indeed. It seems we might need a little time alone. Can you look after mother for a moment? Ambrose and I shall go into the library.”
“Into the library?” his mother squawked. “You cannot...”
“Go and have some food, Mother,” he said calmly. “You look a little pale.”
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