Someone had to have been watching the house if Helen knew the midwife had visited twice.
If Helen had heard about the midwife, who else might have?
Chapter Twenty-One
Christian stood in front of the mirror tying his cravat. How in the devil had Katherine slipped out of his arms and out of his house without him being aware? His military ways were fast deserting him. Back in the army, he slept so lightly that a mouse scurrying across his tent would have captured his notice. But undoubtedly, she had to return home before the others in her household woke.
In a manner reminiscent of an adolescent love-starved fool, he smiled to himself. Probably because he’d never felt so relaxed after a bout of lovemaking.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Enter.”
Morgan came to stand by his side without his usual brightness. Also missing was his huge smile. One thing about Morgan, he was a morning person. That was one of the reasons why Christian enjoyed his company.
“Your Grace, you called for me?” Morgan never called him that. His valet perused his appearance and nodded in approval.
“When did she leave?” Christian asked, sounding gruff.
“If you mean Lady Meriwether”—Morgan lifted one brow, making it clear he disapproved—“it was slightly after two o’clock this morning.” He pursed his lips for a moment, then continued, “She looked pale, and her clothes and hair were in complete disarray.” Morgan looked down his nose at Christian. “I only hope that Willa didn’t see her like that.”
Christian acknowledged the set down with a nod. “I completely slept through…”
“Her leaving your bedroom?”
Christian narrowed his eyes. “Are you judging me?”
“Of course not,” Morgan answered. “I’m merely making an observation.”
“One well taken.” Christian retied the lopsided knot of his cravat. “I’m going to see her.”
Christian’s valet raised that infuriating eyebrow again. “Indeed?”
He forgot his disapproving valet and thought about Katherine. He had no idea what he was going to say to her. I enjoyed our time together last night, especially the part where we made love. I’d like to do it again. He wanted her like none before. He wanted to see the perfect blush that colored her neck and cheeks when she was aroused. The whimpers that escaped her lips when he touched her.
It all sounded like a bowl of balderdash.
What did he really want to say? I’ve never felt such ease with a woman before in my life. You are the first woman who I trusted enough to share the truth about my family. I physically ache for you. I want to marry you. I want to be the man who lays a rose on your pillow in the morning, holds your hand in the dark, and kisses you as the sun rises.
Morgan scowled at Christian as if he could read his thoughts.
In response, Christian schooled his features. “I should have been the one to take her home. Why didn’t you wake me?”
His valet’s enigmatic visage reminded Christian of a frozen lake. You couldn’t see how much ice was below the surface, and you certainly didn’t want to find out.
“I tried, but it was like waking the dead.” Morgan studied the floor, and the silence echoed around the room like a cannon shot. “Captain,” Morgan bit out. “If I may inquire? When did you say you were calling on Lady Meriwether?”
He grunted noncommittedly. When he found the courage to apologize for not taking her home.
And for not meeting her first, before Meri found her.
“When I escorted her home early in the morning, she didn’t say a word, nor did she look at me.” Morgan lowered his voice. “I know it’s presumptuous, but you need to see her.”
“Of course, I need to see her and make it right. Do you think I’m a philistine?” His valet didn’t answer him, which made Christian feel even more like the scum in a pond. Katherine was intelligent, possessed a lovely humor, and had that rare ability to comfort others when they were hurting.
He’d wanted to give her everything he possessed. He wanted to spend every hour of Katherine’s day, week, and life with her. He’d be content watching her work all day.
He shut his eyes briefly. The truth was, he loved her.
“Thankfully, Willa didn’t meet her at the door,” Morgan added. “I don’t know what I would have said to her if she saw her mistress come into the house at such an hour.”
“Thank you, Morgan, for seeing her home.” Christian turned around and faced his valet. “I’ll leave right now.”
“Shall I accompany you?” Morgan asked.
“That won’t be necessary.” Christian couldn’t tell if his valet’s offer was out of duty or friendship. Either way, he appreciated the support, something he clearly needed. But he’d visit her on his own. It wasn’t every day a man asked a woman to spend the rest of her life with him.
“Just remember, Willa carries a dirk at all times,” Morgan offered unhelpfully.
Christian grunted.
A curt knock sounded on the door. Silent, like a clipper ship cutting through the night, Wheatley appeared in the room.
“Good morning,” Christian called out. He returned his attention to the mirror as he fiddled with his neckcloth. He wanted to look his finest for Katherine today. “I’m on way to see—”
“Lady Meriwether?” With his shoulders thrown back like a soldier at attention, the impertinent butler refused to look at him. “That’s entirely wise, if I may say so, Your Grace.” Wheatley finally regarded him with a stare normally used for unwanted visitors.
“I’m relieved you approve,” Christian answered, not bothering to hide his sarcasm.
Wheatley shrugged. “But the real reason I’m here is to inform you that another shipment has arrived of your brother’s belongings.”
“What is it this time?” Christian asked, clearly not interested.
“Your brother’s … collection of erotic art,” Wheatley said sheepishly. “It’s statuary. Fifty pieces.” The butler sighed.
“Store it in the attic,” Christian answered.
The butler’s eyes widened.
“Leave it in the front of the house or destroy it if it pleases you,” Christian said in a voice that would brook no dissent. He straightened his coat. “I don’t care what you do with it. I have business to attend to. I’m off to see Lady Meriwether.”
The butler delivered one of his rare smiles, and Christian nodded in acknowledgment. As he exited his dressing room, Wheatley called out a farewell.
“Excellent, Your Grace. Don’t worry about a thing. I know what to do with your half brother’s art collection.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Numbers swam before Katherine’s eyes. Before the shop opened in a couple of hours, she had to complete the bookkeeping today if she wanted to know how much money she had to order materials for the Prince Regent’s linens. Some of the lace would take months to import if she didn’t order it now. The gold thread that the linens required would cost a fortune.
She let out a silent sigh. Her heart wasn’t interested in work today. It wanted Christian, and so did she. They’d shared the deepest intimacy a couple could ever experience, and she’d run out of his bedchamber faster than a spectral being could permeate a stone wall. What could she possibly say to explain her behavior?
Your Grace, I’ve pretended to be a lady of quality and I’m nothing of the sort. By and by, I’m a begging bastard who has no idea whom her father is, but I’ve created a marvelous story about his existence. Did I mention that I’ve been convicted of thievery?
The clock on the wall struck the hour of nine at the same time a knock sounded on the door.
The only person here was Thaddeus Warren, her ex-pugilist bodyguard. Katherine rose from her chair. “Come in, Mr. Warren.”
He peeked his head in. “Oi sorry, milady, but the Duke of Randford is here to see you. Since it’s not opening hours yet, I thought it’d be all right.”
“Thank you. Please send
him in.” Her heart tripped in its beat.
Warren opened the door wider, and Christian stepped into her office with his hat in his hand.
“Good morning, Lady Meriwether.”
Goose bumps ran amok down her arms at the deep thrum of his voice.
“Thank you, Mr. Warren,” Christian said with a smile.
Warren answered with one of his own. “You’re welcome, Your Grace.” He turned his attention to Katherine. “Do you need anything else?”
“No, thank you,” Katherine answered, not taking her eyes off Christian.
After the pugilist walked away, Christian closed her office door with a decisive click.
His eyes blazed, and he was slightly out of breath. He reminded her of a warrior who would defeat any enemy he found in his path.
She’d never seen him so ruggedly handsome. His uncommonly long hair lay against one cheek as if hiding the flush of excitement from her.
She wouldn’t allow it. She walked to him and gently pushed the hair away from his cheek. Though he was clean shaven, the slight stubble tickled her fingers, kissing her palms. All she wanted to do was run her lips over his cheekbones. Then she noticed a sliver of dried blood around his mouth.
“What happened?” Katherine brushed the back of her fingers against his lips, seeking to comfort the split in his skin.
“I was in such a rush to see you, I cut myself shaving.” Christian placed his hand over hers, effectively stopping her caresses.
“Does it hurt?” She couldn’t resist this man. On her tiptoes, she brushed her lips against his.
“Not with you tending it.”
“You’re the first man outside of Mr. Warren and the Secretary to the First Lady of the Bedchamber to enter my office.” The warmth of his hand on hers made every sense come alive with want.
For him. She wanted to bottle such feelings for her own, a memory to carry forever.
“I had to see you.” The seriousness in his eyes was breathtaking.
Her heart pounded against its cage, desperate to reach him. She knew exactly how it felt. She’d surrender everything to him too.
“Why are you here?” she asked softly.
“For this,” he said, then circled his arms around her waist and brought her close. His lips met hers. A deep groan rumbled through him as she opened her mouth so he could deepen the kiss. Chest to chest, the sensuous feel made her tremble. She felt protected enveloped in his arms and allowed herself to revel in the feel.
This wasn’t a simple kiss, but one that possessed every inch of her—completely. She met his boldness with the same. Another moan escaped. Whether it was from him or her, she couldn’t tell. All her awareness was centered on this man who held her as if he’d never let her go.
She broke away to steal a breath. Christian murmured a slight protest before he pressed the small of her back until she was flush against him. The other hand skimmed her work dress from her hips to her breast. He teased by caressing his thumb against the tight nipple then captured her breast in his hand, kneading gently. A riot of sensation careened through her, sending a heaviness to rest in her lower abdomen like it always did when he touched her.
He nibbled on her lips. The iron taste from the blood of his sore lip rested on her tongue. She licked the wound again, as if stealing a part of him for herself. He wanted her, and that hunger fed hers for him, and only him. It also fed a want deep inside to belong to another. Not to have him would be akin to the inability to draw a breath. She’d gladly drown in the force of his passion rather than be smothered in a sea of banality.
Which perfectly defined her ordinary life before Christian.
Everything in her life had been nothing before he’d swept in like a rogue wave.
He gently pushed her against the closest wall and canted his hips toward hers. His hard length branded her through their clothes.
“Christian,” she pleaded against his lips as she sucked in a breath. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on before she fell to her knees.
“I had to see you.” He nipped at her lips. He cupped one breast in his hand, then groaned like a starving man. “God, Katherine, with all this linen around, please tell me you have a bed somewhere?” He dipped his head and sucked lightly on the tender skin of her neck. “Not that we need it, mind you.” His hands seemed to be everywhere, delivering a flurry of movement. Buttons were undone on the back of her gown, ties on her stays were untied, and then cool air met her back.
Christian was undressing her in her very proper and elegant office.
And he wasn’t doing it fast enough.
“Follow me.” Never breaking their kiss, she led him down the private hall. They stopped once as if they needed their kiss to keep going. Eventually, they entered her private sanctuary, a perfect hideaway for them. Without breaking their embrace, she reached behind her and locked the door.
It was the room she’d created for her customers to visit when they were deciding on how to redecorate their bedrooms. A bed stood on a round pedestal dais in the center of the room. Soft candlelight flickered from all sides. It was the very embodiment of romance.
By then, he’d managed to lose his coat, waistcoat, and shirt somewhere between the office and the bedroom. She was no better. Her dress had fallen off her shoulders and rested on her waist. Her stays were nowhere to be seen. With greedy hands, he continued pushing the gown and chemise down her hips.
“What do you think about this bed?” She gasped slightly.
“What bed?” he asked, between the licks and suckles he administered to her hardened nipple, “I’ll die if I don’t have you. You’re all I think about.” He kissed the other neglected nipple then took her breasts in both hands as he studied her body. “You deserve to have a man’s complete attention only on you. And I’m going to be the man that gives it to you.”
She whimpered at the words.
He was worse than dangerous.
He was devastating when he said things like that.
She wanted to tell him how romantic he was, but she didn’t want to argue. Not now. So she glanced down. Never had she seen such an erotic sight. His large hands held her breasts as he rubbed his thumbs over her taut nipples.
“God, you’re so incredibly beautiful,” he whispered, then kissed her again. He trailed his tongue down her neck.
The sensation sent her senses careening. She was wet—achingly wet for him. She should be hesitant, but all she could think about was having him again. By now, they both were naked. Without any hint she was a burden, Christian swept her in his arms, then gently laid her on the bed.
Just as in her dreams, he loomed over her with a labored breath that perfectly matched her own. As their chests rose and fell together in a rhythm they’d created together, they stared at each other. They were carefully balanced on a precipice. One false move by either of them could spell disaster. She could die of a broken heart, and he might go through life alone.
His gaze never left hers as he swept her hair behind her ear while his fingers moved across her cheek. He brushed his nose against hers, then pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “I want to make this pleasurable for you without any pain.”
“I’m ready,” she whispered.
He lowered his body until his chest was against hers. He rocked gently back and forth, his nipples teasing hers. After a moment, he lifted his body from hers and rested on one elbow. He skated his other hand down her body, learning every curve, every dip, every piece of her, inside and out. That was the only way to describe their lovemaking. Anything he asked of her today, she’d gladly give him as long as he continued to look at her the way he was now—like a starving man.
And she was the only sustenance he required.
She whimpered slightly at the change in tempo of their coupling. He turned his attention back to her nipples. They were so hard and puckered that they ached for his touch. All Katherine could do was tilt her hips toward his in a show of need. She was desperate to have him inside her.
But Christian didn’t rush. He murmured her name as his hand crept lower, then even lower.
Her skin tingled in anticipation. “Please,” she begged.
Finally, he touched her center, the one that demanded he attend to it.
She hissed when he stroked her most private part.
“Too much?” he asked, withdrawing his hand.
She grabbed his hand and held it to her. With her other hand, she stroked his cock, hard and thick. “Not enough.”
He groaned in answer and thrust his cock harder against her palm. In response, she rubbed her thumb over the velvety crown, spreading his leaked essence over it. Then she brought her thumb to her mouth and sucked.
He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply before he opened them. It thrilled her deep to her core, the heart of her, to know that she affected him so. He wasn’t always the one in control when he was with her. “Shall I take you in my mouth as you’ve done for me?”
“Later,” he whispered then kissed her soundly, all the while still ministering to her, each stroke making her ache even more.
She bucked into his hand, wanting the release she craved.
“Now.” Her words echoed throughout the darkened room.
He entered her with two fingers, keeping his thumb pressed against the sensitive nub. The waves of pleasure came faster and faster until she closed her eyes. A crest of sensation, a kind she’d never experienced before, rolled through her. It reached deep inside, stealing her breath, and she gasped. Everything within her exploded into a million pieces, then as her body calmed, those same pieces drifted slowly and reassembled.
Christian immediately took her in a gentle, soulful kiss. “Good?”
She panted, desperate to catch her breath. “Very.”
A grin tugged at one side of his mouth. She answered in kind with one of her own.
He balanced on his knees and took her hips in his hands, tilting her toward him. When he had her positioned just right, he held her gaze. “Put me in.”
It wasn’t a demand, but the need in his voice squeezed her heart. In response, it beat double time. She guided his member to her center, and then he pushed in little by little.
A Duke in Time--The Widow Rules Page 26