by Dawn Brower
Besides, he rather like the sight of her tied to the bed. It made his cock harden further in anticipation. Serenity pulled at the binding again. She could try all she wanted to, but there was no way she’d free herself. He’d been schooled in proper knot-tying at a young age. She wasn’t escaping until he was ready to let her go.
“This is not what I had in mind,” she said. “You don’t play fair.”
“I never promised I would,” he retorted. “Now, where were we? He skimmed the edge of her breast with the tip of his finger.”
Her skin was still flushed a nice pink. She liked this development as much as he did. “You’re about to untie me.” Serenity licked her lips. “I want to touch you.”
He laughed. “You already did.” Brandon joined her on the bed. “I promise this will be pleasurable.”
Her answer was to stick her tongue out at him. His lips tilted upward. Soon she’d be screaming in pleasure, and her tongue would find other uses. He brought his hand up to her breast and pinched her hard nipple. Serenity’s groans echoed through the room. That was a start, but it wasn’t enough. He leaned down and drew the nipple into his mouth. She started to thrash underneath him. Brandon moved to her other nipple and repeated his actions, but this time he brought one of his hands down to caress the heat at the center of her thighs. He stroked the swollen nub, making her moan louder with each movement.
“Oh, yes,” she called out. “More, I need more.”
He stopped immediately. She wasn’t allowed to find release yet. Not until he gave her permission. “How bad do you want me to continue?”
“Damn it,” she shouted. “Why are you doing this?”
Brandon leaned down and kissed her chin and then pressed his lips to hers. She lifted her head and met the kiss fervently. He had yet to kiss her between her thighs, and he intended to before the night was over. This was a taste of all he’d wanted from her. He pulled back and stared down at her. Her dark red hair was splayed against the pillow enticingly. She was so damn beautiful.
He brushed his fingers across her delicate flesh. She pressed her core against his palm, attempting to rub herself against him. “Not yet,” he said.
“Please....”
Brandon pushed a finger inside her channel. She moaned as he stroked her core. “Do you want me?”
“You know I do,” she moaned out the words.
“Bad enough to tell me what I want to know?”
Her eyelids fluttered open, widening at his words. “Is this all a game to you?”
“Everything is in life,” he conceded. “But you’re more than that. It’s in my nature to question and hold back. I don’t want that with us. If we’re going to do this, we need full honesty.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Tit for tat?” Serenity pressed herself against him, pushing his finger deeper inside of her. She was so wet for him. “I open myself wide, and you’ll do the same in return?”
Not how he’d have said it... “Yes,” he agreed. “When it’s all said and done, we’ll be stripped even more bare then we are now.” He pulled his finger from her tight channel.
“After,” she said. “Fuck me and then we will unravel each other’s mysteries.”
Brandon reached up and untied the cravat freeing her arms, then joined her on the bed. She sat up and brought her hands to his face, stilling him long enough to kiss him. It fueled his desire to an unbearable degree. He pushed her thighs up and settled himself between them. When he pressed himself inside of her, he groaned as her heat wrapped around his cock like a hot glove. Their first coupling was hot, fast, and exploded through them. Later he would go slower and savor the moment. He couldn’t hold on long enough to do it this time.
When his climax hit, he wasn’t even sure if she’d found hers, but prayed she had. Never in his life had he been this selfish, and he hoped she’d forgive him for it. He needed her too much and now that he had her... Lord save the fool who tried to take her away.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Serenity curled against Brandon. She could think of him that way now. It was more than testing out his name on her tongue. They’d transcended that and taken whatever this was between them to a different level. Formalities had been tossed aside when they’d decided sex trumped everything else. She couldn’t regret that decision. Her entire body hummed with pleasure. The urge to stretch like a cat and purr filled her. Nothing compared to what this man made her feel. If there was something better out there, she hoped she never found it. She wouldn’t be able to survive the aftermath. This encounter had already nearly decimated her.
She trailed her fingers across his chest playfully. “We should’ve done this a long time ago.”
He chuckled. “We weren’t ready,” he said. “Or maybe I wasn’t.”
That she could believe. She read his aura to make sure he was as happy as her. His color had changed, and he was no longer shrouded in cleverly hidden deceit. This man had opened up to her, and she wasn’t entirely sure it was a conscious choice. He’d claimed there would be no more secrets between them, but this was different. His aura almost reached out and claimed her. That had never happened before. He’d finally realized they belonged together. It had been a battle from the first moment they met, but one well worth the effort.
“Perhaps,” she conceded. “Before all of this...” She waved her hand over their nakedness. “You had questions. If you want to ask them, now is probably a good time. I’m feeling rather generous.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her until all thoughts left her. If he continued that kind of mad passion, she’d not be able to string two words together. Every touch turned her insides to jelly. Her duke, always and forever. She rather liked that idea.
He pulled back and ran his hand through her hair. “I do have some things to ask you,” he said. “Some of them are rather important to me. But before we get to the life-changing ones, why don’t you tell me about Miss Byrne?”
She scrunched up her nose. Aubriella was the last thing she wanted to talk about. Serenity suspected he already knew on some level what her connection to her stepsister was. She might as well get it out in the open and tell him what he wanted to know. Although, the idea of it still didn’t sit well with her. Her stepsister was up to something here, and she didn’t want to spoil it. She didn’t generally hatch schemes. That was more Serenity’s area of expertise. Aubriella, for all her hissy fits, had a good heart and meant well.
“Must we talk about her?”
His lips tilted upward. “How is she related to you and Genevieve?”
Serenity sighed. If only Lord Thornbury hadn’t mentioned her last name. She should have realized once he uttered it that Brandon would latch on and not let go. That had been the turning point of the conversation. Before that, she’d bet everything that they’d fooled both men. Brandon was more astute than most, but even he wouldn’t have doubted Aubriella’s ire if not for her last name.
“She’s Genevieve’s cousin,” Serenity finally said.
He lifted a brow. “No relation to you? I somehow doubt that, especially with the news you dropped on Genevieve before she returned to your time.”
Before Genevieve had left with her true love, Trenton, Serenity had begged her to save their sister, Peyton. Genevieve hadn’t known they were half sisters, and she’d had to convince her. There wasn’t a lot of love between the four women. Peyton and Serenity were as close as two sisters could be. They’d excluded Genevieve and Aubriella at every opportunity. Now that they were adults, it was a regret both she and Peyton carried with them. Peyton had been sure Genevieve would forgive them both and help save her. She had cancer and Genevieve was a match to give her the transplant she’d needed desperately to live.
“Brie isn’t related to me in the way you’re thinking,” Serenity said. “She really is Eve’s cousin. I’m only related to her through marriage—there’s no blood connecting us. Well, unless you count Eve.”
“That’s rather confusing,” he rubbed his t
emple. “Explain in more detail.”
Serenity took a deep breath and prepared to lay out the details. It was rather complicated and she wasn’t sure she could aptly clarify it for him. “The short story is my mother married Brie’s father. Brie’s and Eve’s fathers are brothers. Eve, Peyton, and I share a mother, but not a father.” That was a mouthful to get out. “They’re Byrnes and we’re Drakes.”
A part of her had been jealous of Aubriella and Genevieve’s relationship to their respective fathers. Aubriella had lost her mother, but her father more than made up for it. Genevieve had her adopted mother as well. They hadn’t lived under the influence of Nora Drake-Byrne. Serenity’s mother wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type.
“Do you not get along with her?” he asked softly.
She frowned. “It’s complicated.” Everything in her life seemed to be...
The time for talking about her stepsister had passed. She was done with the subject for now. She didn’t want to tell him any more. In some ways, it was too painful. Her blood sisters were in another time, perhaps bonding. A part of her would always ache for those lost relationships. She had a choice to make. Return to her time or stay with Brandon. Her heart hurt at the idea of leaving him, but it was equally painful to accept that she’d never see Peyton or Genevieve again.
Brandon stroked her nipple. She hissed out a breath. Was he trying to drive her mad? “Why don’t we get this out so we can move on to more pleasant things,” he suggested. “Tell me why she’s here and what she’s doing with the Earl of Thornbury.”
Serenity swallowed the lump in her throat. Her heart raced in her chest as he continued to stroke her, heightening her awareness. “I don’t know,” she gritted out. “She didn’t exactly have time to explain it to me.”
“But you know something?” He trailed kisses along her jaw and sucked on her ear. His hot breath caressed her neck. “Tell me.”
“I. Don’t. Know.” He was driving her mad. “All I know is she disappeared before Trenton and I came to your house in London months ago. She went through time on her own secret mission. It must involve the earl or she wouldn’t have begged me to keep my mouth shut.”
He lowered his hand to her clit and caressed it with the pad of his thumb. Her breathing hitched with each stroke. “Is that all?”
Serenity wiggled under his skilled hands. He had one hell of a way to interrogate a person. “I think it is time we turned the tables a bit,” she said flipping on top of him. “Two can play this game.”
He brought his hands up to her waist, circling them on her hips. “You want to ride me?”
“Not yet.” She laughed. “You haven’t been a good boy and don’t deserve my attention.” Serenity leaned down and licked his chest. “It’s your turn to tell your dark secrets.”
He groaned. “I don’t have any to tell.”
“Lies,” she countered. “Do I need to remind...”
“No,” he interrupted her. “Don’t tell me that nonsense again. What do you want to know?”
He wasn’t going to give up anything willingly. She wouldn’t push too much; however, there was something bothering her. Brandon never mentioned his dead wife. There was a story there and it might not be the best time to ask, but she couldn’t’ let it go either.
“Tell me about Sebastian’s mother,” she demanded.
He closed his eyes and remained silent for several heartbeats. For a moment, she feared she might have pushed him for something he hadn’t wanted to discuss. Had he loved her that much? Serenity had never truly lost anyone dear to her and hoped she wouldn’t for a very long time. If she lost someone she loved, she might not handle it well.
For a while there she thought Peyton might die, and that had terrified her. If Peyton hadn’t had the vision about Genevieve... She shook the memory away. Genevieve went home and saved Peyton. There was nothing to worry about. Both of her sisters would live a long and happy life. Peyton just needed to find her one true love and all would be right in the world. Serenity was happy with her choice to remain in the nineteenth century. The only sadness she carried was realizing she’d never see her sisters again, or be there when Peyton fell in love. Her future was with Brandon though. Her fate was in the past, and her sisters’ were in the twenty-first century. Serenity made tiny hearts with her fingers on Brandon’s chest as she waited for him to speak.
“Catherine,” he finally said. “Was a frail woman. She had a good heart and she meant well, but I was never the right man for her. She’d have been far happier if she’d married someone—anyone—other than me. For a long time, I didn’t think I was even capable of love.” He trailed his fingers over her belly. “Until Sebastian was born, I thought I had no heart to give anyone. He stole it from the moment he let out his first breath. Unfortunately, his life meant Catherine’s was at an end. She didn’t survive the birth.”
“That’s so sad,” she said. Now she wished she hadn’t asked. It was rather tragic that Sebastian’s mother never had the joy of watching him grow. And poor Sebastian—he desperately wanted a mother and might never have one. “I’m sorry I made you talk about it.”
“It’s all right,” he said austerely. “I said there would be no more secrets between us, and I meant it. You can ask me anything, and I’ll do my best to explain it.”
Something significant had changed between them. His words meant more than he was saying. He trusted her with all his secrets. This man was shrouded in them, and it was an enormous thing he was presenting her with. His life was in her hands, and she could do anything with it she pleased.
Her smile wobbled as she met his gaze. Tears were threatening to fall, but she managed to hold them back. The wave of emotions that washed over her were overwhelming. She loved this man more than she’d ever believed possible. “Ditto,” she replied. “I like this no secrets thing.” Though she kept one close to her heart. She wasn’t ready to say she loved him aloud. The time wasn’t right—yet.
“Come here, pretty lady,” he said as he pulled her close. “Tomorrow we’re going to talk more, and you’re going to introduce me to your relation formally.” He kissed her jaw and then her lips. “Then we’re going to handle this mess in Swinton.” He pressed his lips to her ear. “And later, when everything is settled, you’re going to marry me for real.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. Of course her duke would fail to actually ask her if she wanted to marry him. When he brought it up again, she’d make sure he realized the error of his ways. He must love her, or he wouldn’t insist on a wedding. That didn’t mean she didn’t want the words and promises spoken aloud. She certainly hoped he wasn’t being old-fashioned and thought sex meant he had to marry her. If so, she’d knee him in the balls. She wanted love or nothing at all. She didn’t want a man who’d believed compromising her virtue meant they were stuck together forever.
“If I could give you one thing,” she said. “I’d let you see you the way I do. The way you glow...” Her voice trailed off. He was missing so much that would simply amaze him. She adored the way he loved her.
He chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it.” Brandon lifted her and set her over his cock. “Now, you promised you’d ride me. Show me how skilled you are, my dear.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Serenity lifted her hips and then pressed back down. He felt so damn good inside of her. This was something she’d never tire of. He closed his eyes and moaned loudly. She repeated the action over and over again until she was breathless from the exertion. He opened his eyes and wrapped his large hands around her hips, then helped her quicken the pace. His hips moved under hers until they were both rocking back and forth on the precipice of exploding.
“So good,” he groaned out.
Serenity clenched her inner muscles and was rewarded with his moans. He paid her in kind by rubbing her clit and she was the one filling the room with her sounds of pleasure. When she climaxed, the room spun and she couldn’t stay upright. He caught her as he fell into bliss with her. T
hey rolled to their sides, holding on to each other tightly.
In some ways, she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. She did know one thing for certain. Loving him was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she couldn’t be more grateful fate had led her to him. As long as she had him, she’d never be alone again. She’d finally found where she belonged and nothing or no one would take that away from her.
CHAPTER NINE
Brandon woke and reached for Serenity. He hadn’t slept that hard or soundly in his life. He sat up abruptly when she wasn’t anywhere to be found. He searched the room and it was completely empty. Where could she have gone off to? He swung his legs over the side of the bed and dressed as quickly as possible. Wherever she’d taken herself to, he’d find her. He didn’t like the idea of her being off on her own. She might be an independent woman from the future, but she was still prey to the lesser parts of society. The brigands and thieves would think nothing of stealing from her or worse.
He rushed down to the common area of the inn. It was quiet, which wasn’t much of a surprise. At this time of day people were either still sleeping or already on the next leg of their journey. The sun had barely risen in the sky and breakfast wasn’t even being served. The tavern part of the Stallion and Snapdragon was closed until afternoon. The ladies’ side had a few women sitting down for tea and a light repast. Serenity wasn’t one of them. Brandon wasn’t the sort to panic normally, but if she didn’t appear before him soon, he might give into the urge.
“Your Grace,” the owner of the inn said as he approached. “We didn’t expect you to wake for a while yet. Your wife has been keeping mine company for an hour now.”
Thank God. “Bogsworth, it’s good to see you,” he said. “Could you direct me to where I might find her?
“She’s in the back garden with the misses and the other lady.”
The other lady could very well be Miss Byrne. Brandon nodded at Bogsworth and headed in the path as directed. He was anxious to see Serenity. When they were alone, he’d spank her for her impertinence. How dare she leave their bed without alerting him to it. If she’d mentioned it... Hell, who was he kidding. He’d have made love to her again and they’d both still be there. If she wanted to leave it, silently was her only option. Though that begged the question why she’d want to do so. There was supposed to be no secrets between them any longer. That was the whole point of bearing their souls to each other through the night.