by Gaelen Foley
He nodded.
“So let’s bring them into our lives, bring them out into the open. They belong to you, so let’s love them,” she whispered.
Holding on to her hand, he was silent for a moment. “I was never ashamed of my children,” he said quietly. “I hope they never, ever think that. I was only ashamed of myself.”
Felicity gazed at him. It was quite an admission from the Duke of Scandal.
“Well, you need to let that go, my love. Shame serves no purpose. It will only hurt you. You’ve changed, as you said. I know you meant it. You’ve had a new start, with me, and it will be all right. But no more babies from now on,” she whispered, only half in jest, “unless they’re from me.”
“I am so looking forward to that.” He pulled her closer and kissed her on the head.
“I think you’re a good father,” Felicity said after a moment.
“Really?” he asked hopefully.
She nodded, moved by the warmth in his voice. “You did very well back there tonight. You see? All you needed was a little practice. And fewer servants doing everything for you, to force you into doing what you could have done all along.”
“How now, are you saying I’m spoiled, Miss Carvel?” He tilted his head with an indignant little smile.
She grinned. “Maybe a little. But where would you leave it?”
“Humph. We’ll see what you have to say about it once I’ve spoiled you.”
“You’re welcome to try.” Laughing, she tilted her head back and kissed his lips softly.
He looked into her eyes as their kiss ended. “Come home with me tonight,” he breathed. “We have some making up to do, as I recall.”
“Mmm, tempting.”
“We worked hard. We should relax… Take a bath after that little miscreant puked on me.” He laughed softly, then added, “Did you know my house has hot running water? I’m not sure the Prince Regent even has that at Carlton House.”
“See? Spoiled.”
He looked at her. “Very well, you may have a point. Nevertheless. Makes you feel like a Caesar sliding into that thing. Nice, sunken, tiled bath. Classical mosaics… You could spend the night,” he whispered, giving her a caress on her thigh through her skirts. “We can do this quite discreetly, if you’re game.”
“What about Mrs. Brown?”
“She’s not invited,” he said wickedly, in her ear. “Ah, she won’t miss you. Spend the night with me, my darling. I promise, I’ll make it worth your while.”
Felicity shivered with desire at his silken invitation. “What about your neighbors? Society? It’s too risky.”
“Don’t worry, I can get you in and out of my house without being seen. I have a system.”
“Jason!”
“From the old days,” he hastily amended. “The staff will know you’re there, but they’re already in love with you, and nothing I do shocks them anymore.”
“I’ll bet.” She sighed with pleasure as he nuzzled her earlobe.
“Come, my duchess. As I told you, it is my goal in life to spoil you from here on out. I’ll give you a nice hot bath, and then I’ll put you to bed.”
She quivered in spite of herself, well aware what that meant. He was just too naughty and so irresistible. “I suppose…I could come over for a little while…”
“Attagirl.” He pulled her onto his lap with a devilish smile.
She relaxed into his arms and laid her head on his shoulder. “We’re going to be very happy together, aren’t we, Jason?” she asked after a moment.
“Darling, I already am,” he confided softly. “Happier than I’ve ever been, thanks to you.”
“Me too,” she whispered, giving him a tender smile. Then she kissed him once more, her blood already heating in anticipation of the night ahead.
# # #
With her warm body jostling gently on his lap in time with the rocking motion of his carriage, Jason was already aroused and salivating at the prospect of getting her into his bed. He needed to confirm in the most primal way that he hadn’t lost her.
When the vehicle rolled into the coach house and halted amid the familiar scent of horses and hay, he jumped out while his servants saw to the team.
Turning to hand Felicity down from the carriage, he saw the glow in her eyes that told him she, too, was already excited. His pulse quickened with eagerness. His fingers closed around her delicate wrist, then he led her over to the slim, wrought iron spiral staircase that he’d long since had installed in the corner.
Up the steps he hurried her, circling to the top, where the shadows darkened. Then he spirited her into the enclosed, elevated walkway that discreetly connected his home and the coach house. The little covered footbridge with white gingerbread trim along the roof was quite picturesque from the outside. On the inside, their footfalls clomped over the wooden planks of the floor.
“I can’t believe you had this built to accommodate your trysts,” she remarked.
“You can’t?” he asked dryly.
She paused midway through the passage, glancing out one of the narrow windows, through which the moonlight shone. “Nice view of the garden.”
“No dawdling. Come.” Unlocking the door at the end of the passageway, he escorted her into the second story of his house. The rarely used chamber on the receiving end of the passage had once been a garden-facing sitting room with a balcony, so the doors and some of the structural supports had already been in place when he had been wickedly inspired.
But in truth, the passage had been a great convenience for a dedicated rakehell. It stopped nosy neighbors and gossip columnists from spying on him and his various female guests.
Of course, it was unlikely that anyone believed his excuse that he’d only had it built to keep him dry when he had to go out in inclement weather. His Grace wouldn’t want to catch a cold, now, would he? Thankfully, his blood was already quite hot as he whisked his bride-to-be into his house, unseen by prying eyes.
With her deflowering out of the way, he couldn’t wait for their second time together. He knew when a woman wanted him, and the desire radiating from her thrilled him to his core. Perhaps she needed to affirm their bond, as well, after it had been tested by the day’s events.
The awareness between them was intense as he tried to act natural in front of the night footman, who took their coats and offered him a lighted candelabra.
“We do not wish to be disturbed,” Jason said pointedly, taking it from him.
“Yes, Your Grace.” The footman bowed and retreated, well aware what that meant.
As Jason turned back to Felicity, he hoped it wasn’t too obvious to her or the servant that he was already panting for the woman. Truly, though, the plans he had in mind for her tonight were very much a fantasy come true for him.
He laced his fingers through hers and, holding the candle branch in his other hand, led her up the marble staircase into the lofty, shadowed recesses of the third floor and down the hallway to his bedchamber.
She balked just a little at the threshold, staring wide-eyed at his huge, gilded canopy bed.
He kissed her to remind her it was safe. “Welcome,” he murmured.
“To your lair?” she asked with a breathless little catch in her voice.
He tugged her close with an arm around her waist. “Our lair, soon. Make yourself at home.” He stole a kiss and let her go. “I’m going to draw the bath. Don’t run away,” he cajoled her with a playful half-smile as he moved toward the smaller, connecting room.
She tracked him with a vixenish gaze. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.” He stepped into the bathing room, placed the stopper in the drain, and turned on the hot water tap over the elegant, sunken tub. The whole setup had cost him a fortune, from the cistern on the rooftop to the coal furnace heating the water.
But this was one luxury that had proved absolutely worth it. It had soothed his muscles divinely on many occasions after a particularly hard session at the fencing or boxing stu
dios where he trained.
When he returned to his bedchamber, Felicity was wandering around, shyly looking at everything. The rich gold draperies hanging from his canopy bed. The pillows piled against the headboard, with its painted medallion bearing his ducal crest. She gazed at the rug and the white hearth piece. Loath to rush her—indeed, savoring their time together—Jason let her get accustomed to her surroundings and went over to light another few candles.
Felicity glanced at herself as she wandered past the large cheval glass, then paused by his dressing table and took a sniff from the bottle of his cologne, smiling at him. “It smells like you. I love that smell.”
From there, she continued along to the closed French doors leading to the balcony off his bedchamber and pulled the curtains shut. “It’s a very nice room. Quite luxurious…just as I’d expect.”
He folded his arms across his chest, entertained by her interest. “I’m glad you’re pleased.”
Drifting past him, she peered into the bathing room, scanned the mosaics, the tropical plants in urns, the woven rug on the floor, and the basket of plush towels waiting for them. He watched her saunter over to the bathing tub itself and glance into it.
“It’s terribly convenient, isn’t it?” she remarked.
“It is,” he replied, his heart pounding with anticipation.
“It’s starting to get deep,” she said as she came back into the bedroom.
“Then we should get undressed,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant.
“I have buttons,” she warned, turning around and pointing at her back.
“Indeed you do.” He crossed to her at once, his fingers already tingling for the task. He did not point it out, but he was something of an expert at getting women out of their clothing.
Felicity lifted the wispy, golden curls at her nape while he unfastened the buttons there. His fingers continued speedily down her mid-back and into the supple arch of her lower back. She sighed with pleasure when he slipped his hands into her parted gown and touched her hips through her chemise.
“How did I let you talk me into this?” she purred.
“Trust me, you’ll love it,” he bent to whisper in her ear. “May I unlace your stays, milady?”
She nodded. “Please.”
Working quickly and efficiently, he untied the bow and plucked away the ribbon lacing, then trailed his finger down her spine just for fun, and roused a shiver from her before loosening the firm satin panels corseting her slim waist.
She stood limp, letting him do as he pleased, her gown hanging partway off her body. He kissed her on the shoulder as he drew the sleeves off her. As she stepped out of the pool of fabric, he had half a mind to ravish her there and then, but she took the gown away from him and went and laid it neatly over the back of a nearby chair.
The way she smoothed out the wrinkles so carefully did strange things to his heart.
“You are adorable,” he informed her in tender amusement.
She arched a brow at him and returned to him clad in little more than her chemise. He sat her down on a damask chair to rid her of her stockings. He enjoyed the task very much, going down on one knee before her and untying the little ribbons that held the silk stockings to her garters.
Felicity watched him work with fire in her eyes. He ran his hands down each lovely leg as he stripped her stockings from her. Then he rose, leaving her there, and held her gaze as he undressed for her.
He did not mind her watching him at all. He wasn’t vain, but women usually found much to like about his body.
When they were both naked, he drew her to him and kissed her. He was enraptured with the silken warmth of her pressed against him. Kissing her again and again, caressing her neck and hair and her beautiful face, he suddenly remembered to check the bath water.
“Oh, bloody hell! One moment!” She laughed as he made a naked dash back into the bathing room and turned off the tap just in time.
Felicity minced after him with dainty steps, laughing. “Did we cause a flood?”
“Nearly! You distracted me,” he scolded with an intimate smile. Then he nodded at the water. “Well, get in.”
She shook her head. “You first.”
He did so without hesitation, lifting the stopper to let a little of the water drain out, lest it overflow. But rather than joining him, Felicity suddenly seemed struck shy. She spun away, as though the sight of her future husband stark nude in front of her was too much for the demure little lady. “I think we could use another candle in here.”
Jason grinned and tilted his head to watch her retreat as he settled into the tub. The sight of her curvy bare bottom as she hurried off to fetch the candelabra charmed him.
But then she returned, and with one mouthwatering look at her, he shook his head and sighed. “God, woman,” he uttered in admiration, particularly entranced by the plump contours of her breasts.
Growing bolder, she put her hand on her hip and let him look, lifting her chin a bit. “You like what you see, Duke?”
“The word perfection comes to mind. Sanfratello’s marble goddess is nothing compared to you, my darling.”
“Why, thank you, sir.” With a coy motion of her shoulder, she set the candelabra on a small pedestal and approached cautiously. Jason put his hand out and steadied her so she wouldn’t slip as she joined him in the water.
“Oh, this does feel good,” she admitted, getting comfortable. “You were right. I do feel like an empress.”
“See? I told you.”
Once she had settled in, she flashed a flirtatious smile at him and came closer. “Now, then. Does my dirty boy need a bath?”
He laughed at her naughty approach, then quickly groaned with pleasure as she touched him. Things progressed quickly from there. The water sloshed, the steam rose, bringing out curly tendrils in her golden tresses. Rosy with heat and desire, she looked like an angel, utterly irresistible. He didn’t even try but, instead, gathered her to him and plied her silken body with fine lavender soap, running his hands all over her.
She did the same to him with great care, smoothing away the tension of the day as they went slipping and sliding against each other. He claimed her luscious mouth in a fiery kiss as his lust mounted, his hard, needy cock throbbing against her thigh.
She plunged her hand beneath the waterline and grasped it, stroking him, her palm slick with soap. Unable to bear her teasing anymore, Jason pulled her onto his lap and slowly entered her. On her knees across his thighs, she braced her hands on his wet shoulders.
He hoped this position wasn’t too much for her, considering she was still a neophyte. It was only their second time, though he had done all these things with her many times before in his mind…
The reality exceeded even his wildest dreams. The bathing tub was just a little narrow for them as she rode him, though. She could not spread her lovely legs very wide, but bit by bit, she lowered herself onto his massive erection, taking as much of him as she could. He groaned, intoxicated by her tightness. Then he lay back against the edge of the tub while she rode him, feeling like a veritable king.
She stroked his chest and bent to kiss him. He could feel her trembling. But as good as it was, she was too new at this to take him in all the way in this position. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her sleek, naked waist. “I want you in my bed.”
Her chest heaving, she nodded eagerly.
They barely bothered drying off as they returned to his chamber, and dampened his sheets with their bodies as they slid into his bed.
Then the sweet, satin warmth of her curves yielded to his weight; he moved atop her damp pink body, nudging her legs open nice and wide for him at last. But, hungry for the taste of her, he could not resist pleasuring her for a while, licking her deeply to make sure she was fully ready for him. When she gripped his shoulders, dragging him up again in frantic desperation, he smiled wickedly and complied.
He loved her like this best of all—uninhibited, wild with passion. All signs of the p
rim-and-proper miss that she should never have become long gone. “I want you,” she ground out.
“I noticed,” he teased in a whisper.
“Just take me, you scoundrel!” she begged him with a laugh. Running her hands down his sides and then holding him by the waist, she sought his member and she groaned as he pressed into her again, obliging fellow that he was.
“Oh God, yes, Jason.” Panting, she closed her eyes in relief, lips parted, pleasure etched all over her lovely face with his every thrust.
He took her almost roughly. “You’re all mine, Felicity,” he whispered as she bucked beneath him.
“Always,” she wrenched out breathlessly. “Jason!”
“I love you,” he uttered as he brought her to a crazed climax. She said it back to him in almost incoherent gasps as she came, suddenly bursting into tears of exquisite release.
He was so astonished that he nearly lost his rhythm, but he got it right back, yet his heart was melting even as he reached his own thunderous climax. He was buried to the hilt in her now, but God help him, it was she who had so pierced and penetrated to the very soul of him.
Novice that she was, she did not understand why she was crying, but he did. As his heaving shudders of bliss started to ease, he lowered himself to his elbows atop her and cradled her in his arms, kissing the salt tears off her cheeks. “Shh, it’s all right, sweeting.”
“Oh, Jason. It’s just that I’ve loved you so much for so long,” she sobbed out, hugging him. “I still can’t believe this is all really happening.”
He closed his eyes as his heart clenched, and kissed her forehead. “I know, darling. I feel the same for you. I love you so much it hurts.”
“But it’s wonderful, too,” she said with a sniffle.
You’re wonderful, he thought. “Never leave me,” he breathed.
She shook her head, apparently having lost her voice. He withdrew from her body, then rolled wearily onto his back and held her in his arms, her head resting on his chest.