“That can wait,” said Lydia, with a smile for both men.
“Are you really so certain?” asked Anne. “I believe Madame Fournier is most particular about her appointments. You wouldn’t want her to give your gown to someone else, would you?”
Lydia was clearly torn, but the new gown eventually won out. “Until later, my lord, Mr. Parker.” With one last look over her shoulder she quit the room, leaving only Melanie, the two men and Anne.
“That was nicely done of you, Anne,” said Melanie. “I’m not sure either of them would have given Mr. Parker or Lord Henry any peace if they’d stayed. Although, it must be difficult for Angela and Lydia to think of men as anything other than…” Here she colored in spite of herself.
“Potential customers?” supplied Anne with a small smile. “I’m afraid one does get rather used to it as the means to survival. Perhaps Mr. Parker would be more comfortable elsewhere.”
Melanie seemed to agree. “As I said, Richard, you could stay at my aunt and uncle’s.”
“He’ll be fine here,” said Hal.
“Yes, I shall,” said Richard. “I wouldn’t want to impose on the Earl and Countess. Plus, Mitchell House is located close to those areas where I might do the most good and I’m sure Mrs. Cartwright is an excellent housekeeper.”
Anne blushed at the compliment. “May I show you to your room, Mr. Parker?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Cartwright.”
At that, he followed her upstairs to his bedchamber, leaving Melanie alone with Hal.
“I’m afraid Richard shall have to bolt the door tonight against the advances of Lydia and Angela,” said Melanie. “They’re dear girls, but can be quite determined.”
“He may want to nail the window shut as well,” agreed Hal, who’d stepped closer to her now that they were alone. “I can’t like that the man suddenly showed up in London completely unannounced. It seems most havey cavey to me.”
“I am sure it is nothing of the kind.”
“You are far too trusting. What is this Parker to you, anyway?”
“As I told you before,” she said, as she took a step away from him, “he is a dear friend and my compatriot in this mission.”
“He could be your ‘dear friend’ just as easily in Philadelphia. What made him get on a ship and travel across an ocean to see you?”
“You would have to ask him,” she said, moving further away and wondering why the room seemed to have grown smaller just by the presence of Hal Kellington.
“You have no curiosity about it yourself? Is it not odd that he would make this trip now? Your aunt and cousin already suspect his motives.”
“They do not suspect his motives. They simply believe he may have a romantical interest in me.”
That made Hal close the difference between them. “Is that what you wish? Do you want to return to America with your Mr. Parker?”
Mel was just about to tell him it was no concern of his, when he closed the sitting room doors then pulled her toward him. The kiss he gave her quickly became so all encompassing she thought surely they would erupt in flames. Her fingers were once again in his hair and Hal’s hands were exploring her body.
He backed her up to the chaise, then gently laid her down beneath him. She knew this was madness. Anne and Richard might walk in on them at any moment, but the weight of him on her felt so divine that she couldn’t find it in her to tell him to get off. She couldn’t find the breath to say anything.
One of his hands was on her thigh and was slowly pulling her skirts up. She knew she should say something, but couldn’t figure out what it should be, other than “Faster.”
She moved one of her hands down his muscled back and wished she could remove his jacket. She craved the feel of his skin. She couldn’t believe how good it felt to be held by him. Kissed by him. Wanted by him. She’d always wondered why women could give themselves up to the sins of the flesh. But now she had a fairly good idea how easily it could happen.
* * *
Hal was only vaguely aware of where they were and what he was doing with the virginal niece of the Earl of Heffner. Anyone could walk in on them and he would be honor bound to offer marriage. But he didn’t care about anything other than being able to continue kissing her and touching her just as he was doing. What he really wanted to do was bury himself inside her and not come out for a week. Or longer.
She had the softest skin, and curves which were molded for his body. He’d fallen asleep the previous night thinking about the kiss they’d shared in the alley. He’d been offered any number of sexual delights by two experienced prostitutes the evening before. But all he’d wanted was more of the woman he could not have.
He thought about what it would be like to take Melanie against the wall, with her legs wrapped around him. He wanted her on top of him, her breasts bouncing with his every thrust. He groaned to think of her lips on his cock, sucking harder and harder until he couldn’t control the release of his seed. Of course, he could never do any of that with her even if they did marry. She was a lady. Having sex with a lady wife was gentle, mostly clothed and according to schedule. In short, it was everything he didn’t want.
He realized his hand was underneath her skirts, sliding up bare, silken thigh. He slid his fingers over the fine muslin of her drawers then through the slit. He’d kept her so distracted with his kisses – and she’d been keeping him enthralled with her wandering hands – that she hadn’t quite figured out what his fingers were doing. But as he reached the crest of her nestled in the soft hair that was soaked with her arousal, she suddenly stilled. She didn’t even breathe. Nor did she tell him to stop.
He took that as a good sign.
As he stroked, he kissed her ear, sliding his tongue down the whorls as he moved his fingers. He pressed one inside of her. She was so tight he felt a corresponding squeeze around his cock. She grew restless beneath him. He began moving one finger in and out of her, as his hand stroked her clitoris. She bucked beneath him. The heat of her movement spurred him on. He added another finger inside her as he continued to press against her and she bit her lip to keep from moaning aloud.
His hand was wet and he was so completely attuned to her that he could smell her arousal. He wanted to bury his face between her legs, drink in her essence until she exploded. But there was no time for that. He thrust both fingers in as he pressed his hand to her. He was just able to capture her scream with his mouth. And he was barely able to keep from spilling his seed in his breeches, but it was a very near thing.
For a moment, they lay there entwined together. They were both breathing hard. His body was still humming with desire, but he had an odd satisfaction, as well. To hold her as she experienced her climax, to help her reach the crest had been one of the most erotic experiences of his life. And he’d had no shortage of experiences. All he could think about was how quickly they could repeat the process, but perhaps with a bit more participation from him the next time.
She opened her eyes and he realized he wanted to know her reaction. He hoped she wouldn’t be missish. And he hoped even more that she wouldn’t demand marriage. As a gentleman, he should, of course, offer. But he wasn’t yet ready to give up his freedom, even if she would make a better wife than any other woman of his acquaintance.
She opened her eyes and a slow smile curved her lips. She reached up to kiss him and he was only too happy to oblige. But then they heard Parker and Anne walking downstairs and it was as if both of them came to their senses at the same moment.
“Oh!” she said, as her cheeks flooded with color and she almost bucked him off her in an effort to stand. “I must…we must.”
She was on her feet, smoothing her skirts back into place. She ran to a mirror and tried to fix her hair, which was hopelessly and quite delightfully mussed. As Hal slowly brought himself to rights – and prayed his jacket would mostly conceal his aching erection – he thought with some satisfaction that he had been the one to bring her to climax and not that dry stick Richard Parker
.
It was most suspicious that he’d come all the way to England. Something about the man was off. No reform leader looked that presentable. He should have a pasty white complexion from spending so much time indoors doing good deeds and studying the Bible or whatever else it was that reformers did.
But this Parker was tanned from being in the sun. Moreover, it looked like he spent time as a pugilist, which was hardly befitting a reformer. Granted, he wasn’t a man of the cloth. But Melanie certainly fawned over him as if he were a saint on earth.
Hal knew better than most that saints did not exist. Every man liked to engage in sin on occasion. He had a feeling this Richard Parker fellow engaged as often as he could. He’d just better not try anything with Melanie.
When Parker and Anne entered the room, Hal drew their attention to a painting on the wall, hoping to give Melanie extra time to finish primping. When she joined them a moment later, she looked much as she did before their interlude, although he was pleased to see that her color was still heightened. He was so pleased that it was everything he could do not to pick her up and carry her off to a bedchamber where they could continue their explorations.
Anne glanced at Melanie more than once, but Parker was completely engrossed with the dreadful painting Hal had remarked upon. After studying it far longer than was warranted, they made plans for the rest of the day.
Anne would oversee dinner, while Melanie and Parker said they would go over plans for the future, as well as continue to catch up on mutual friends and acquaintances. It quickly became obvious there would be no room for Hal in that discussion. Not that he particularly wanted to hear about the well-being of various people he’d never met, but he did want to have at least a few moments alone with Melanie after what they’d shared earlier. If nothing else, he’d like to calm any skittishness she might have. Although she certainly didn’t seem very skittish. She and the Quaker – Hal didn’t care if the man wasn’t technically of that faith – seemed perfectly at ease.
Almost too comfortable with each other.
“Someone needs to escort Miss Sutton home,” said Hal.
“Well, I’m certainly not ready to go now.”
“I shall call back at a later time and pick you up,” he said. Was she willfully misinterpreting his desire to spend a few moments alone with her?
“I assure you there is no need,” said Melanie.
“Indeed,” said Parker, “I would be delighted to perform the honors myself, as well as finally make the acquaintance of the earl and countess.”
“Why would you need to call on the earl?” asked Hal, vexed in spite of himself. If the American do-gooder was intending to ask for her hand in marriage, then Melanie should have told him before their interlude. It was most insulting to think she would use him to gain experience before heading off to a life of religious servitude and ghastly night rails and weekly conjugal visits from her husband. Although he didn’t look like the type to constrain his husbandly duties to once a week.
The blasted man should head back to America – with or without benefit of a ship.
Hal realized he was being unreasonable. So after several minutes of hearing the most recent news from what must be the most boring city on two continents, he took his leave. “Miss Sutton, will you please see me to the door?”
Miss Sutton looked most insultingly unhappy at the prospect, but after a moment she accompanied him to the front door.
“Before you return to your Mr. Parker,” said Hal, interrupting her from fleeing back to safety, “I must tell you I enjoyed our afternoon.”
“I am glad you and Mr. Parker had the chance to meet.”
“That is not the portion of the afternoon to which I refer, as you well know.”
“I can hardly claim any expertise with your thoughts, my lord.”
“It’s Hal. And while you claim no expertise with my thoughts, you do have at least a passing familiarity with my body.” He was gratified to see that her reserve broke enough to allow a blush. “A familiarity I hope to further explore. Only name the time and I shall find a place, my lovely Melanie.” He leaned in as if to kiss her.
She ducked.
Most decidedly not the reaction he was hoping for.
“I believe, Lord Henry, that it would be most unwise to continue our liaison. But thank you just the same. I had a lovely time.”
A lovely time. As if she’d been to tea. This was outside of enough, thought Hal. He would have understood if she’d been embarrassed, confused or even angry. But the chit seemed to be rejecting him for no reason he could readily discern. Unless… “Are you and your Mr. Parker going to be married? Is that why you’re rushing me out the door?”
“I am hardly rushing you anywhere, my lord, especially when you stand there no more movable than stone. And my relationship with Mr. Parker is none of your concern. However, I should apologize for my behavior in the parlor. I had never experienced any of that and I thank you for taking me through it.”
“I was not a St. Bernard pulling you to safety,” said Hal, barely keeping his voice below a roar.
“Thank you for the clarification. I had never done any of that with a man before, although I, uh, have done some exploration on my own.” Here, her face flooded with color. “I am most appreciative of your efforts.”
Exploration on her own. Hal had never, even in the height of his considerable debauchery, been as hard as he was at that very moment. He’d never wanted anyone so much. He’d never been aching with so much need. He had no words with which to answer her. He was almost certain his jaw was hanging open.
“But that is neither here nor there,” she said quickly. “What happened earlier can never happen again. Thank you for bringing us back to the boarding house and your assistance of the past several days. But now that Mr. Parker has come to town, I shan’t need your help any longer. Thank you, Lord Henry and good day to you.” She smiled, curtsied and shut the door.
And Hal was at a complete loss of what to do next.
* * *
Leaning against the door, Mel was hardly able to breathe. She could not believe the events of the afternoon, starting with Richard’s unexpected visit. She wasn’t sure what he was about in coming to London, but she had a feeling there was more to his visit than he was letting on. And then Hal.
Hal.
It hadn’t escaped her that his odd behavior at the docks might have been jealousy. It pleased her in a way she didn’t want to be pleased. Lord Henry Kellington was simply not a man to fall in love with. That wasn’t exactly true. She had a feeling just about every woman who fell into his path thought herself in love with him. But he certainly was not husband material.
He was a rake. One who’d slept with countless prostitutes and matrons of the ton. And if she wasn’t much more careful, he was likely to make another conquest in her. How awful that would be.
How wonderful it would feel.
It would be ruinous to become engaged in a liaison with the man. While she didn’t care that much about the censure of society where she was concerned, she certainly didn’t want to ruin Mary’s chances of a good match or embarrass the aunt and uncle who had been so kind to her.
Marriage to Hal was simply out of the question. It’s not that she didn’t want to get married. Quite the contrary. Since the death of her parents, she’d longed to be loved completely. Her aunt in America might have been fond of her, but hadn’t been a woman with a strong maternal instinct. She believed her aunt, uncle and cousin in London did truly love her, but they were also caught up in their own lives – as they should be. As kind as they were to her, she still felt like an outsider looking in. She longed to have a husband who was clearly devoted to her, as she would be to him. And she yearned for the children that union would produce.
It was clear that Hal Kellington would never remain faithful to her or any woman. And she certainly would not tolerate a husband who strayed. There was a certain distance at which he kept himself from others, as if the popular jester w
as the only side he permitted people to see.
She wanted more than that from a husband. She wanted a marriage where they both could share their love, their fears, their past hurts. She had no doubt he would be an excellent lover. Indeed, the extraordinary journey he’d already taken her on was but a glimpse of what he would make her feel if she came to his bed.
But she couldn’t do that. Not if she wanted to keep her heart whole. It would be best to stop seeing Hal Kellington. No matter how much it hurt to do so.
CHAPTER TEN
Sonia Kinne was tired, cold and sore from the previous night’s entertainments. She’d told her employer Aurelia Thurmond that she was to visit a sick relation in Seven Dials. Madame was clearly skeptical, but said she’d allow it as long as Sonia was back in time for the evening business. She also warned Sonia not to catch anything from her “sick relation.”
Sonia had curtsied and “yes, ma’am'd” the old cow, but then gone on her way. She didn’t care that Madame had seen through her excuse. She wouldn’t have believed it, either. She was on her way to meet a bloke, of course. One she’d very recently met. He wasn’t like the normal coves. This one was an actual gentleman.
The address he’d given her was a bit unusual. It was near the docks in an area cluttered with warehouses. She’d done business there before, of course. Between the sailors and merchants in the area, she’d seen the inside of more than a few warehouses. Truth be told, she’d had her back up against the door of several, as well.
But the bloke she’d met had been a toff. Perhaps he owned one of these warehouses. Or maybe he was an opium eater and his den was in the area. Nothing would surprise her. She’d often thought that being a whore taught you more than anything you could learn in school. Not that she’d ever been, of course. But it seemed to be the case.
Never Run From Love (Kellington Book Four) Page 11