by Merry Farmer
“You vile devil,” she said, slowing as she approached the line. There was no point in exerting herself anymore. “You are a sneak and a cheat.”
“That may be,” he said, clearly proud of himself beyond reason. “But I am also the winner. And you know what that means.”
Hattie handed her hoop back to the boy she’d borrowed it from, using the gesture to delay the inevitable moment when she would have to meet Adrian’s eyes and admit defeat. Her pride smarted over the whole deal, but an even bigger part of her—her heart and her hopes—danced for joy. Which made her want to roll her eyes at herself. She, Hattie McGovern, the woman who had vowed never to repeat her mother’s mistakes and marry, could barely contain her excitement at losing a bet for her hand in marriage.
“I’m not certain I can abide by the rules of a wager when those rules were broken so egregiously,” she said, glancing sideways at him with a saucy grin.
“Rules that were broken by you as easily as they were by me,” Adrian reminded her, moving toward her like a wolf stalking his prey. He eyed her with hunger and with a spark in his eyes that said he’d won and was about to claim his prize.
The rest of the McGoverns were drawing closer in one, chattering mass. The drama of Miss Sewett was over, and they appeared to be hungry for the next spectacle.
“Perhaps we should let the jury decide,” Hattie said, nodding toward her cousins.
“No.” Adrian’s single word sent a shiver down Hattie’s spine. “The game is up, Hattie. You’re mine, and you can no longer avoid the inevitable.”
“I can if I—oh!”
Before she could form another protest, Adrian lunged toward her, scooping her up and tossing her over one shoulder as though she were a sheaf of wheat. It didn’t matter how much she protested or how hard she kicked or pummeled his back, he carried her easily toward the villa, laughing as he did.
“You can’t pretend you aren’t pleased,” he told her as he walked, jostling her until she gave up struggling and tried to get as comfortable as possible in her awkward position. “You’re the one winning the prize, after all. You get to spend the rest of your life with me and my roguish ways.”
“Oh, yes,” she replied, dripping with sarcasm. “That’s a prize indeed.”
The trouble was, the closer they got to the villa, the more of a prize she believed it was. She knew where they were heading—both literally and figuratively—and the closer they got, the more her insides quivered in expectation.
By the time they entered the house, she was short of breath and buzzing. Adrian didn’t break stride at all as he crossed through the conservatory, the hall, up the stairs, and on to her bedroom. He only put her down when they were safely behind her closed door. Then, he declared his intentions by locking the door and turning to her with fire in his eyes.
“There’s no point in fighting it anymore, mia bella,” he said, grinning at her like Mr. Rossi had grinned at Miss Sewett. Hattie had a hard time not laughing, in spite of feeling that she needed to stay strong. “You and I were meant to be together,” he went on, reaching for her.
Hattie leapt backwards, just out of his reach. “Is that what you think?” she asked, playing coy in spite of the cracks in her resolve.
“It is what I know,” he said, suddenly serious. The shift in his tone was enough for her to let him catch her. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. The way their bodies fit together felt so right. “And I know one other thing as well,” he went on.
“What is that?” Hattie asked, glancing temptingly up at him as she slid her hands up his arms, resting them on his shoulders.
“I know that I love you,” he said with a smile that seemed to encompass his whole body. “I love you now, and I will love you for the rest of my life.”
The tears that stung at Hattie’s eyes came as a complete surprise to her. “I’ve never heard anything so wonderful,” she said.
“Get used to it,” he said. “You’ll be hearing it every day from these lips for the rest of your life.”
She sucked in a breath at the sentimentality that filled her. Before she could let it out, Adrian surged into her, slanting his mouth over hers and kissing her with so much passion that all she could do was cling to him and hum with pleasure. Losing had never felt so wonderful.
The intensity of his kiss deepened, and he shifted his hands to stroke her sides, reaching to cradle one of her breasts. “I will never grow tired of wanting you,” he said, breaking from her lips to rain kisses on her cheeks, her jaw, and her neck. “And I will never stop teasing you into wanting me in return.”
Hattie giggled low in her throat as she tipped her head back to give him greater access. “I think I could live with that.”
She couldn’t find breath to say more. Adrian’s hands traveled to the buttons at the front of her bodice, making quick work of them and spreading the soft material aside so that he could continue his train of kisses. She was just as eager as he was to be rid of their clothing and pushed his jacket off his shoulders. Attempting to undress while Adrian kissed his way to the swell of her breasts made for an awkward dance, but Hattie didn’t care. All she wanted was to feel her skin against his, to wrap herself in his warmth and lose herself in his embrace.
“Whoever invented women’s clothing is an ass,” Adrian said with a teasing frown as he attempted and failed to scoop one of her breasts out of the conservative corset she’d chosen to wear that day.
Hattie laughed, taking a step back from him. “There must be an easier way,” she said, tugging her blouse out from the waistband of her skirt in the least romantic way possible. “Turn around and face that way while you undress and I’ll face this way. That way, neither of us has to see how horribly utilitarian undressing really is in moments like these.”
He sent her a final, sultry look before turning his back on her and shrugging out of his jacket. She rushed through removing her blouse and skirt and unhooking her corset, but the last thing she wanted to do was turn away from Adrian as he undressed. The movement of his muscles as he tore off his jacket, waistcoat, and shirt sent shivers through her. Those shivers formed an exciting ache in her core as he unfastened his trousers and pulled them off. The sight of his back and bare buttocks was so delicious that she forgot to continue with her own undressing as she feasted on the sight.
As it turned out, he was as impatient as she was. When he peeked over his shoulder and found her still in her chemise and drawers, staring at him, his shoulders dropped and he turned to her with a scolding look.
“Breaking the rules yet again, future Lady Whitemarsh?” he asked, planting his hands on his hips.
Unfortunately for her pride, his gesture only served to accentuate his powerful and already half aroused penis. Her mouth dropped open as she let out a sigh of wonder. He was so well-formed in every way. Her heart slammed against her rips, and her sex ached in anticipation of having him deep within her.
“It appears as though you need help,” Adrian said with a smirk. “That or a damn good spanking.”
That was enough to undo her entirely. Hattie scrambled to tug her chemise up over her head, but she wasn’t fast enough. Adrian caught her around the middle while her arms were still raised over her head and tangled in the flimsy garment, tossing her to the bed. He pulled the drawstring of her drawers loose and yanked them off.
“I think I like you this way,” he said as he shoved her knees apart and positioned himself between them. “Tangled up like that, you can’t fight me when I give you what you deserve.”
“And what is—oh!”
She let out a long, passionate cry as he leaned into her, closing a hand over one of her breasts while bringing his mouth down to suckle the other. He knew just how to tease and torment her to bring her the greatest pleasure. His attentions were so perfect that she stopped struggling with her chemise, letting her arms remain tangled and helpless above her.
“And to think,” he said, switching to kiss and nibble he
r other breast. “You were ready to give all this up instead of embracing it as your future.”
She was tempted to reply that she had offered to be his mistress from the start, but words failed her entirely as he brushed his fingertips across her belly to delve into the wet folds of her sex. The twin sensations of his mouth on her breast and his fingers stroking and prodding her, teasing what was to come, was so sensual that she felt herself nearing the edge with record speed.
“You want this, don’t you,” he said, lifting his head slightly so that he could watch what she was certain were her ridiculous facial expressions as the coil of pleasure built within her. “Don’t you?” he asked again, pausing his hand’s teasing.
“Ooh, don’t stop,” she panted. “I’m so close.”
He laughed and resumed his stroking, only far too slowly for her liking. “You are a little minx,” he said. “A naughty little minx.”
She didn’t care that his grin was gloating or that he was clearly full of himself. She wanted to be full of him, and the sooner the better. She met his eyes with a look of challenge, bit her lip, and attempted to grind her hips against his hand to speed things along.
He caught his breath at her eagerness. His expression grew dark and sultry as he shifted the way he stroked her. “Come for me,” he demanded in a voice so low it sent shivers through her. “Come for me, and scream my name when you do.”
“Make me,” she answered him breathlessly.
He met her challenge in an instant, slipping two fingers inside of her to just the right spot while circling her clitoris with his thumb. As desperately as she wanted to hold out and make him work for it, she knew she was at his mercy. The pleasure built to a towering inferno within her, and with a power that pushed her to her limits, she burst into a thundering orgasm.
“Adrian,” she gasped, putting her whole soul into it.
He groaned as she squeezed around his fingers, drawing her pleasure out as long as possible. Just as her pleasure began to subside, he changed position and slammed into her to the hilt. The jolt of pleasure, combined with the feeling of being stretched and spread nearly beyond endurance had her throbbing with the need for more. She cried out in time with each of his hard thrusts, losing herself in the joy of mating with him.
It was raw and beautiful. She had never been so transported in her life. And when his thrusts grew wild, his body tensed, and he cried out as he came inside of her, she cried out his name again. Nothing would ever come close to the pure joy of the two of them joined and pulsing as one being like that. She wouldn’t have given it up for the world.
“I love you,” she panted as the intensity of the pleasure subsided into a glow of perfection that surrounded the both of them. He collapsed atop her, still lodged deep within her as she embraced him fully. “I love you beyond reason.”
It was only later, after the heat of passion had cooled, after they had slid between the sheets of Hattie’s bed and wrapped themselves around each other, that the rest of the events of the afternoon rushed back in on Hattie.
“Oh,” she gasped, her eyes going wide as she clung to Adrian.
“What?” he asked, groggy from the nap they’d fallen into.
“The dark lady,” she said.
Adrian’s eyes snapped open as he came fully awake. “I’d forgotten.”
“We need to tell Asher about her.”
Adrian arched one eyebrow. “Right now?”
Hattie was as reluctant to get out of bed as he was. “We should tell him soon,” she said without enthusiasm.
“True,” Adrian agreed.
Neither of them made a move to get out of bed or untangle themselves. The guilty silence stretched on between them.
“Should we get up and tell him?” Hattie asked. She was more and more aware of his body against hers with each second.
Adrian rolled until she was on her back and settled himself between her legs. “We should tell him,” he said, stealing a long, deep kiss. “But perhaps we should take care of this first.”
He flexed his hips against hers, demonstrating that he was ready to make her his all over again.
Hattie laughed, throwing her arms around his shoulders and surging up for a kiss. “Agreed,” she said, already restless with need.
They would get up and tell Asher everything he needed to know about the dark lady in the olive grove. But first, they needed to get started on the rest of their life together.
Epilogue
Lord Trent McGovern didn’t necessarily consider himself a smart man, but there were certain things that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. He knew that he was too portly to be considered attractive by ladies. He knew that most of the eligible young ladies who had paid him the slightest bit of attention saw only the title he was set to inherit and the fortune that title would bring. He knew that his sister, Hattie, was a shameless flirt, but that she had a good heart, and he knew that Lord Whitemarsh would be good for her.
He also knew that his cousin, Asher, was in far more trouble than he let on.
Which was why he knocked on the frame of the open door to Asher’s room, interrupting him in the middle of helping his valet pack his things so that the family could relocate from Tuscany to Venice.
“Asher,” he said, making his presence known.
Asher jerked up from where he was piling papers and folders together in a small case. “What do you want?” he snapped. A moment later, Asher let out an exhausted breath, closing his eyes, his shoulders sagging. “I’m sorry, Trent. I don’t mean to snap.”
“About that.” Trent took the liberty of walking farther into the room. “I understand you have reason to snap.”
Asher gave him a wary look and continued packing his papers as his valet closed the lid of the trunk that held his clothes. Asher nodded meaningfully at his valet, who promptly left the room.
“A gentleman never has reason to snap,” Asher said, finishing with his papers and closing the small case.
Trent quickly weighed the situation. There didn’t seem to be any point in beating around the bush. “You’re involved in something dangerous.” It wasn’t a question.
Asher lowered his head, staring at the floor for a moment. Trent was patient while his cousin gathered his thoughts. At last, Asher raised his head and admitted, “Yes. But it’s none of your concern.”
It wasn’t the answer Trent wanted. “Does it have something to do with the trouble we had in Paris?” he asked.
Asher nodded slowly. “In a manner of speaking.”
Trent took a step closer to him. “And does it have something to do with this missing spyglass of yours?”
“Yes,” Asher admitted. His expression clouded, as if Trent had come too close to a truth he wasn’t willing to reveal. “But again, it is nothing you need to worry about.”
“I don’t believe that for a moment,” Trent said. There was no malice in his tone, just frankness. “My sister came to me just now. She was distracted with Lord Whitemarsh after the race.” He blushed in spite of himself, knowing full well why it had taken Hattie so long to approach him.
“I take it there will be a McGovern wedding in the near future,” Asher said with a jovial grin.
“Yes,” Trent said. “Whitemarsh succeeded in convincing my sister to marry him. But that wasn’t all she had to say.” When Asher frowned in confusion, Trent went on with, “She informed me that she and Whitemarsh saw what they described as a dark lady looking through your spyglass in the olive grove earlier this afternoon.”
Asher looked as though he’d been struck. “They what?” He marched forward so fast Trent nearly stumbled back. “And they didn’t tell me this right away?”
“As I said, they were distracted.” Trent held up his hands in defense.
“I don’t have time for distractions,” Asher said, mostly to himself. “We must leave for Venice at once.”
“But why?” Trent tried his question again. “What is so important that we need to be in Venice immediately instea
d of in a fortnight, as we’d planned.”
“I appreciate your concern, Trent,” Asher said, losing patience, “but please, mind your own business.”
“I believe this is my business,” Trent insisted. “Especially if our family is in danger.” He paused. “Is the family in danger?”
Asher’s dark frown fell. He rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired and older than his years. “Yes,” he admitted at last. “I’m afraid the family is in danger.”
“And you believe relocating to Venice will help us?”
Asher nodded. “There is someone there who I need to…coordinate certain efforts with as soon as possible.”
“Can you tell me who?” Trent asked.
“No.” Asher shook his head.
Trent let out an impatient breath, then shrugged, forcing himself to be resigned to the situation. “If we must go to Venice, then we must. But rest assured, I will do whatever it takes to protect our family. Even if that means protecting them against you.”
I hope you have enjoyed Hattie and Adrian’s story! The mystery of the McGovern family continues! What is Asher up to anyhow? Can Trent figure out what’s going on and confront Asher? Or will the mysterious wiles of a fortune-teller, Charlotte Salazar, turn his head and send him on an entirely different adventure? Find out soon in Venetian Sunshine!
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