“Is this what you’ve been keeping from me?” She slowly turned her head from side to side on the pillow. “Such a cruel husband.”
Sitting back on his legs, he took in her sprawled body, open for him to see. The glow of completion shown on every part of her. He savored the sight, not wanting to see it dissipate.
Closing his eyes to extinguish the inferno burning inside him, he gently climbed off of her.
“What are you doing?”
“That’s enough, Grace.” His tone was much too gruff to express the sentiment he felt.
“Don’t you leave. I may not have known”—she waved her hand between them—“all this, but I know what is supposed to happen next.”
“Your ankle—”
“Braiden Everett, you take off your clothes and get into this bed right now.” She slammed her hand down on the mattress.
Despite the turmoil inside him, he smiled. Her anger delighted him. Never before had anyone ordered him the way she continually did.
“Are you sure you know what you’re asking?” Without waiting for reply, he unfastened his shirt and tossed it aside. Then he sat on the edge of the bed to remove his boots. “Because once it starts, there is no stopping. It’s been . . . a very long time for me.”
Talking helped keep his mind occupied with something besides what he was about to do. He couldn’t lose himself. She meant too much to him.
“That is the last time you’ll ever say that.”
Shocked, he held his hand still after unfastening the top button of the fall on his breeches. “Why?”
“Because I don’t intend to let you suffer any longer.”
His heart expanded, filling him with a feeling he’d never experienced before. Something he suspected he’d been fighting for a while now. He loved her. More than he could ever say. But could he tell her? What would it mean to her for him to spout about an emotion he’d denied the existence of?
Instead, he pulled his breeches off and fell on top of her, his mouth capturing hers. Flesh on flesh. The sensation rendered him speechless. The strong connection to someone had been something he’d gone without, and the reemergence made his chest ache.
As he nudged her center, he tried to distract her with his mouth, and his hand on her breast. Slowly sliding in, he threw his head back. Pleasure poured through him, leaving him gasping for air. Tight. Slick. Hot. The slow torture was unbearable.
Meeting up with her barrier, he broke through, completely filling her. She stiffened beneath him, so he remained still, once again capturing her mouth. Although he hated what he was doing to her, nothing had ever felt so good. So right.
Instinct took over when she squirmed. He slid himself in and out, biting his lips to keep from making a sound. Why did he have to enjoy something that gave her pain?
She drew in a sharp breath, then moaned, and his enjoyment dissipated. He couldn’t do this to her. Withdrawing himself completely, he dropped his head beside hers.
“I hate to admit this, but I’m too inexperienced. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” His misery escaped in his words. He felt so worthless.
“I don’t know what you’re doing wrong either, but I’d like you to keep doing it.”
“What?” His head snapped up as he looked down at her.
A blush streaked up her face as she averted her eyes. “Maybe I’m not supposed to, but I liked it.”
Relief melted through his body like snow on a summer’s day. He hadn’t ruined it. Pushing himself back inside, he watched her closely. True to her word, he saw pleasure soften her features, not pain.
Filled with power, he moved within her, over and over, savoring every sound she made, every move she made, and every flash of Heaven in her eyes. Plunging deeper and faster, he relentlessly pursued her until her screams filled the room and her spasms exploded around him. Only then did he join her, releasing himself to soar with the Angels. His angel. His Grace.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here? Just one more week?” Braiden pleaded, but Grace shook her head.
“We have spent a fortnight here already. Surely it is time to return. The doctor said—”
“The doctor will say what I want him to. If you need the excuse, I’ll send for him now.”
“You are insatiable. You just like having me confined to a bed where you have access all times of the day.”
“Partially. The other part is I don’t want to share you.”
She smiled, loving to hear his true feelings. “With your mother? I daresay she would gladly give up any claims to my time.”
“Not her. You. You will take yourself away from me.” He sat on the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Grace, I haven’t been happy for a long time, but with you . . . You are the only joy in my life.”
Elation made her heart skip a beat. He gently brushed her hair off her neck and trailed kisses along her shoulder. As usual, her body responded to his touch. She wanted this. She wanted him. But she wanted him to finish his thoughts more.
Turning, she braced herself on one knee and pulled her other leg around to straddle him. His answering groan gave her great pleasure. Dragging her hands down his chest, she grabbed his shirt and pulled it off of him.
“Tell me more,” she whispered against his skin as she mimicked his earlier kisses.
“More?”
She pushed him back against the mattress, taking care to ensure her foot still hung off the bed. The position awarded her with access to some leverage.
“Yes. I’ve brought you joy. What else?” She grabbed the top of his breeches and tugged one button free.
“Happiness,” he growled when she ran a hand across his length. “Can we talk about this later?”
“If I’m distracting you, I can stop.” She leaned to one side while lifting her knee, but he grabbed her leg, bringing her back down.
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know, as long as you don’t stop.”
Smiling, she unfastened the rest of his buttons, freeing him. “How do you feel about me?”
“That changes from one moment to the next. Right now I’m frustrated with you.” He reached for her, but she leaned away. “Come on, Grace. Put me out of my misery.”
His chest heaved, and his dark eyes bored into her. In that moment, she knew. He loved her. Joy filled her to almost bursting. Nothing could compare to the feeling of completeness. Why wouldn’t he say the words when she so desperately wanted to hear them?
“I will, after you have put me out of mine.”
He gripped her around the waist and laid her on the bed with her ankle hanging off. Then he climbed on top of her. One of his hands secured hers above her head, while the other lifted her skirts up. The pressure of him poised at her entrance filled her with longing. In such a short time, she’d gone from teaser to the one being teased.
“Do you think you’re in control? That you can use your intoxicating body to bend me to your will?”
Unable to speak, she pressed her lower body against him, forcing the tip of him to slide inside her.
“I see you have no answer for me, so I’ll give you one.” He pushed a fraction of an inch further in. “You’re right. Absolutely right. Right in everything. But this.”
She groaned as he barely moved again. Her desire for talking had long passed. She wanted action now.
Apparently unaffected by what he was doing to her, he continued. “You will not force me to say anything. I will tell you I love you when I’m good and ready.”
Her eyes popped open. Had she heard right? Had he unintentionally admitted he loved her? With one more thrust, he entered her fully.
“I love you, Grace,” he said in a strained voice. “I don’t know how it’s possible, or if it’s wise, but I love you.”
Delight made her giddy, and she laughed. Freeing her hands, she grabbed his face and kissed him. As she attacked his mouth, he began the dance that would lead them both to Heaven.
Once they lay there, depleted yet satisfied, she ran her hand down his cheek. “I love you too, Braiden. I’ve loved you since I was fifteen.”
He let out a long breath. “I don’t deserve you.”
A knock at the door stopped her from being able to reply. Heat scalded her cheeks to realize the carriage had arrived. She was supposed to be getting ready to leave, not lying here with her husband still inside her.
Fortunately Braiden was able to redo his buckskins in a matter of seconds, and before long they were whisked away to Donetic. The Bath Wheelchair gave her the wonderful ability to move about, but someone had to push her from room to room. It also was useless on stairs. Regardless, she loved the small amount of freedom.
“You must be quite pleased to be home,” the dowager duchess said as the two women were taking tea in the drawing room.
“Yes. Being back in the routine provides a bit of normalcy.”
“When you were gone for so long, I thought my son had rid himself of another wife.”
Grace’s mouth dropped open. The woman didn’t look upset. Had she hoped Grace would have died out there alone? In those moments after breaking her ankle, the idea she might never see Braiden again had crossed her mind. Had a hungry animal or highwayman found her before Braiden, the dowager might have had her wish.
Shaking off the thought, Grace forced a smile. The woman hadn’t said anything about wishing her ill. Perhaps Grace misunderstood her comment.
“Braiden can’t rid himself of me so easily.”
With a nod, the dowager poured Grace a cup of tea and handed her the saucer. However, before she could grip it, the woman let go.
Grace yelled as scalding liquid seeped into her dress and burned her legs. Unfortunately, with the wheelchair and her bandaged ankle, there was no escape from the pain.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, my dear,” the dowager exclaimed as she dabbed at the spill with a cloth. “I fear my fingers don’t work very well at my age.”
Fighting back tears, Grace nodded, holding her soaked dress away from her legs. Although the pain had been sharp, no lasting damage had been done. Grace couldn’t hold Braiden’s mother responsible for an accident.
“Don’t worry,” Grace assured in a tight voice. “Would you mind ringing for Mrs. Brodrick? I should go change.”
When the woman clasped the bell pull, it didn’t escape Grace’s notice how her fingers seemed to work fine. Feeling ashamed, Grace looked away. Accidents happened. How could she hold the older woman accountable?
Still, the woman’s smile as Grace was wheeled from the room had been unsettling. Grace decided she needed to watch the dowager closer in the future.
Chapter 14
Sitting behind his desk, Braiden found he couldn’t concentrate on his correspondence. Even the missive from Mr. Spinner with news that he had discovered something about Tabitha’s murder couldn’t move him. Braiden quickly penned a response that Mr. Spinner should join him at Donetic to discuss what he had learned, then he put the matter from his mind.
He and Grace had been back in the manor house for a fortnight, and as he had expected, he hadn’t been able to keep his wife to himself any longer. However, they had fallen into a comfortable relationship.
Having her in his bed every night and waking up with her in his arms each morning gave him more pleasure than he deserved. Overall, his life was verging very close to perfection.
As if in answer to his musings, he heard yelling in the hallway outside his door. He let out an expletive, having known better than to even think of something so pleasant. After all, fate didn’t like him.
When his door burst open, he wasn’t surprised. However the sight of Tabitha’s mother, Lady Lorrian, rendered him speechless. He shot out of his chair. What reason could she possibly have for coming here?
“Your Grace,” Danvers said. “Lady Lorrian has insisted upon seeing you at once.”
“That’s all right.” He waved his butler away. “Please come in, my lady.”
She stepped forward. “How dare you? What do you think you could possibly gain from this?”
Clenching his jaw, he worked at keeping the surprise off his face. The petite woman had never raised her voice to him before. Unlike her daughter, Lady Lorrian possessed an even temper and held a goodness in her. This behavior was in direct contrast to her character.
“From what? I have no idea what you are referring to.”
She thrust a piece of paper at him. After it landed on his desk, he snatched it up. Scanning the contents, Braiden felt ill.
The letter had been addressed to Lady Lorrian and had been signed in his name. The contents told that he had arranged for Tabitha to be murdered in order for him to marry Grace. The explanation of how he felt about his first wife went on in disgusting, inaccurate detail. Who would write such a thing? And to send it to Tabitha’s mother? His stomach rolled.
“Who sent this?” he demanded.
“As you see, your signature is at the bottom. Also the missive holds the Donetic seal.”
Turning the parchment over, the blood drained from his face to see his seal staring back at him. In the past, he’d worn his signet ring every day, but as his attitude about the dukedom soured his outlook, he had locked it in his desk.
Dropping in his chair, he pulled at the locked drawer. It opened without resistance. Fingering the edges of the drawer, he felt scrapes deep into the wood. Someone had broken the lock.
Rifling around, he found the ring. Apparently the culprit didn’t feel the need to keep the prize. Sliding it on his finger, Braiden realized the foolishness of leaving it accessible.
“When did you get this?”
“Close to ten days ago.”
“Almost a fortnight.” Braiden dropped his head against his chair as Lady Lorrian slid onto the sofa.
“You didn’t send it, did you?”
“No. Whoever did this broke into my drawer for the seal.” He rubbed his forehead. The author of the letter had taken advantage of him and Grace being stuck in the hunting cabin. They’d had plenty of time and no chance at discovery.
“Is it true? You promised answers regarding my daughter’s death. The letter explains why I have heard none.”
He leaned forward and looked into her eyes. “You don’t honestly believe that. If you did, you wouldn’t have rushed here alone to confront me. I’m still looking for the answers. I won’t rest until the truth has come out.”
Her gaze dropped to the ground as she nodded. He suspected her eagerness to come here stemmed from her frustration of not knowing what happened to her daughter. He couldn’t blame her.
Suddenly her head popped up. “What about ‘The Unscandal Sheet’? Do you suppose they could help us?”
“How so?”
He’d heard of the sheet but hadn’t cared enough to delve into the purpose of it. From what he recalled, the first mention of the paper occurred around a year ago. Apparently the scandal had been reiterated in detail, then the true story had been listed below. The brave author remained anonymous.
“There is an ad in the newssheets. If you send a missive to the indicated location, they say he will agree to meet you, get the truth about your scandal, and post about it.”
Rubbing his chin, Braiden thought over his options. However, he wasn’t sure in his case it would be wise to have everything publicized. Tabitha’s family had no reason to learn of her lovers or that she’d been expecting a child that didn’t belong to him. No. He would have to do this his way.
“It is something to consider, but I’d like to see if I can come up with the answers first. If I fail, I will contact them.
”
Tears filled the lady’s eyes. “Why did someone write this? In my heart I knew it was false, but it rips me in two to read such a thing.”
“I don’t know. The attack could have been intended for you or for me, but considering the letter came from my house, I shall discover who sent it. In the meantime, please stay for a few days to rest before making the return journey.”
She nodded, looking weary.
After seeing Lady Lorrian into the capable hands of his housekeeper, he called for his butler. The contents of the letter and the fact someone had broken into his desk bothered him more than he cared to admit. Who was this attack addressed to?
“Yes, Your Grace?” Danvers asked.
Braiden held out a pen. “Write your name on the parchment, followed by your position here.”
Confusion skittered across the butler’s face, but he did as bid. Once he finished, Braiden took the paper and carefully examined it against the missive from Lady Lorrian. None of the letters matched in style. Letting out a sigh of relief, Braiden knew he could trust the man.
“Danvers, I need you to take this around to every single staff member and have them do the same as you just did. If they don’t write, I want you to write their names and have them copy in their own hand.”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
He could tell Danvers was burning with questions, but Braiden wasn’t ready to divulge any additional information.
“That will be all.”
With the bow, Danvers left.
Picking up the damning letter, he further examined the contents. The penmanship, although shaky, appeared very legible. In addition, every word had been spelled correctly. The author hadn’t simply been educated in order to barely muddle through. His experiment should help determine who the culprit was, or at least if the person responsible had hired someone to copy his letter and break into Braiden’s desk.
Winning the Duke Page 17