“Mmm, I think I found something you like,” she whispered with a wicked glance up at him. He stared back at her with wide, desire-filled eyes. She edged her mouth lower, lapping at the muscles of his stomach, but this time she let her hand drop down and just brush his manhood.
He moaned as she took him firmly in hand, reveling in the weight of his need, the hardness. Something she had done to him with just a few well-placed caresses. Something she could ease with a few more.
Finally her lips and hand met. It seemed natural to kiss him in the most intimate way, the same way he had kissed her so many times. So she did, catching the moist tip of him between her lips and rubbing her tongue across the sensitive skin there.
Dominic nearly spent himself right then and there. Her mouth was so hot and unexpected against him. There was nothing shy about her touch. And if he hadn’t known better, he wouldn’t have believed there was anything innocent about it, either. She kissed him like a woman who knew exactly where to press her tongue, when to suck ever so gently. When to speed up and when to slow her pace until he wanted to beg for more.
But it wasn’t experience that made her so skilled at this new art of seduction. To his surprise and delight it was the fact that she knew him. In the weeks they’d been wed, she had obviously paid attention when they made love, to the moments that pleased him. Now she was using each one of his weaknesses to bring him to the very brink of oblivion.
“Oh, God, Kat, I need you now,” he ground out, clutching the bedclothes in two fists. He was surprised he didn’t rend the delicate fabric in two as he twisted it and tried to keep himself from taking his pleasure too soon. “Please.”
She glanced up to meet his eyes. Then she nodded. “Yes.”
Slowly, she crawled back up the bed and straddled him. He felt her ready heat when she eased just the tip of him against the cleft between her thighs. Then she shifted her hips forward a fraction and he found himself buried to the hilt in her warm, welcoming body. Home.
He started at that thought. Home? Could something fueled by desire be called home?
She shifted her hips and pleasure rocked him, dulling his thoughts as he put a hand on each of her hips.
Katherine shivered with the feeling of being joined. It amazed her each and every time how perfectly they fit. Like his body had been built for no other purpose than to give her pleasure. To give her comfort.
The thought made her rock forward. Her sentiments were lost in a wave of pleasure so intense she nearly climaxed right away. As she slowly rode him, Dominic leaned up and drew one nipple between his lips. When he sucked ever so gently, an orgasm rippled through her with the power of a wild storm.
She thrashed out a harder rhythm as she let out a wail of pleasure and emotion and need for more. He didn’t disappoint as he grasped her hips and helped her grind against him. She rolled her head back over her shoulders as his fingers pressed into the flesh of her backside, guiding her toward another chance at rapture.
“Say my name,” she begged, wanting him to let go this time as she had lost control so many times before. “Say it, please.”
He pumped into her harder, taking her to the edge she craved so much. She danced along its precipice for only a moment before she could no longer contain her scream of delight. He joined her a brief second later, calling her name while he pulsed hot into her and dragged her down for a possessing kiss.
She lay limp for a long time, liking how solid and warm his body was beneath hers. Finally, he pulled her to his side and gathered her into his arms.
“You know,” he whispered, laughter in his voice. “I think I like it when my Kat has claws.”
Digging her nails playfully into the unyielding plane of his back, she answered, “You haven’t seen my claws yet.”
He laughed as his mouth came down on hers for a long, passionate kiss. But he was more serious when he said, “And I hope I never will.”
Chapter 11
A t the time, Katherine would have invited Napoleon’s army into her home if it would have helped her distance herself from her husband. Instead, she’d chosen Julia.
Dominic’s sister was the perfect answer. Julia would both distract her husband, and give Katherine someone to spend time with. In the past year, Julia had given her sound counsel innumerable times.
But now things were different. The past few nights, she and Dominic made love on much more equal ground. He didn’t just pleasure her, she took control, too. It made her a partner in their lovemaking, not just a willing party.
Even more, it made her feel like a partner in their marriage. For the first time, she felt less afraid. Less like she was teetering on the edge of losing control over her emotions and her reason.
“Exactly why you need the distraction as much as he does,” she muttered as she inspected the guest room the servants had been trying so hard to make presentable.
“Beg your pardon, madam?” the girl in the dressing chamber asked as she poked her head into the bedroom reserved for Julia.
Katherine flushed. “Nothing, Marie. Just woolgathering.”
As the girl returned to her work, Katherine stifled a curse. This newfound feeling of comfort was no blessing. It was exactly what she feared most. Dominic was weaving a spell around her. Already she was dropping her guard. It was too familiar a scenario. First she had given in to his seduction. Then she resigned herself to letting him have her at night, but keeping her sanity during the day.
Now that plan was eroding, too. Chipped away by long kisses in corridors and playful caresses when they were sure no one watched. Her days were becoming as focused on the man as her wanton nights. So perhaps it was she who needed the distraction of a friend, not Dominic.
After all, she was the one who couldn’t seem to keep control over her mind or her heart.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Mallory,” Matthews asked as he came into the room.
Katherine turned to smile at the butler. “Yes?”
“Mr. Mallory has returned early from his outing with Lord Malleville. He’s wondering why the household is in such an uproar.” The man’s lip twitched. “What should I tell him?”
She smothered a smile. Matthews, and truth be told, the rest of the staff, remained terrified of Dominic. Not that her husband helped matters by making clear his intentions to rid himself of the estate. Each and every day, Katherine saw the fear in the servants’ eyes, the worry they would be set out in the street with nowhere to go and no reference for another position.
She patted the elderly butler’s hand. “I’ll speak to Mr. Mallory. Where is he now?”
Matthews’ face relaxed when it was clear he wouldn’t be forced to face Dominic. “In his private office, madam.”
“Is he alone?”
“Yes, Lord Malleville retired to refresh himself after their cold ride.” Matthews bowed as he finished.
“Thank you.”
She turned to give Marie a few more instructions, then hurried down the stairs. At Dominic’s office door, she paused. There was no way to gauge her husband’s reaction to her unexpected houseguest. He hated surprises, she had learned, but he adored his sister. He was entirely capable of either roaring like a bear at her announcement or accepting her surprise with pleasure. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
He didn’t seem to hear her, for he didn’t glance up from the pile of papers at his desk. She took the opportunity to stare openly in awe of just how handsome he was. The crisp winter breeze had ruffled his thick hair and the sun had darkened his skin just a bit so his pale eyes stood out like a stormy sea. He had a strangely savage look about him. One that sent a familiar shiver through her.
“I wonder if you plan to say anything, or did you just come in here to enjoy the view?” he asked without looking up.
She grinned. “I always enjoy the view. But I did come to say something.”
He looked her way and she saw laughter in his eyes. And desire. But then, that was always present when he looked at her. An emotion she
craved and feared with equal measure.
“You mean to explain why the servants are in an uproar?” he asked, reaching out to catch her wrist as she came closer to the desk. He placed a warm kiss against it. How was she to concentrate with him doing that? “Matthews wouldn’t tell me a thing. He’s much more loyal to you than he is afraid of me.”
Slowly she extracted her hand from his in the hopes she could regain some equilibrium. “You shouldn’t want them to be afraid of you at all. If you gave them some assurance about their positions…”
He scowled and shook his head, the teasing light fading from his eyes. “Katherine.”
Normally, she would have pressed the subject, but she decided against it. Telling him about Julia might irritate him enough. There was no use pushing him to that state any earlier than was absolutely necessary.
Raising her hands in surrender, she said, “Very well, we won’t talk about the house for the moment. You wanted to know why the servants are in an uproar.”
He nodded as he leaned back against his desk with folded arms. She suddenly felt like she was facing a firing squad.
“The staff is preparing the house for the arrival of another houseguest,” she said, biting her lip as she awaited his response.
He straightened up to attention. “What?”
“I wrote your sister asking her to pay us a visit,” she admitted. “And she should be arriving today.”
“Julia?” he asked with wide eyes. “You invited her here without my permission?”
His tone and demeanor irked her. Katherine glared at him. “I was under the impression this was my home, too. I thought I would be as welcome to have a guest as you are.”
“This isn’t our home,” he said through clenched teeth before he drew a long breath. “Of course you’re welcome to invite people to visit you. I simply would have expected you to inform me. Especially when it’s my own family who will be walking through the door.”
“I thought you’d be pleased. Julia is the only family member you seem to have any regard for,” she said with a frown.
“I will be pleased to see Julia. But my family is very complicated.” He hesitated, searching her face as if he wanted to determine her thoughts and feelings. She shifted under the close scrutiny. “Katherine, there are things you don’t know about me. About my family.”
“I’m aware of that,” she said with a tilt of her head. “Perhaps I would understand better if you told me.”
She had no doubt there were many things she didn’t know. Like why Dominic had run away from the Mallorys at such a young age. Or why he and his brother had such an abiding dislike for each other. Sarah’s implication of some kind of impropriety with Dominic still stung, and had never been confirmed or denied. Katherine hadn’t the courage to ask. What if it was true? She couldn’t bear the thought.
Dominic paused as if struggling for words, and Katherine’s heart leapt at the intent, yet resigned expression on his face. Perhaps she was about to learn the answers to those questions.
There was a light rap at the door before he could say anything. Matthews opened it, and with an apologetic frown, he said, “Excuse me, but Lady Julia is here, Mrs. Mallory.”
She silently cursed the untimely interruption and continued to stare at her husband for a moment before she answered, “Thank you, Matthews. We’ll be out to greet her in a moment.” When the butler departed, she said, “Dominic, what do you want to tell me?”
“Not now. We need more time than this.” He shook his head. Her own frustration was mirrored in his frown. “So much more time. You greet my sister, while I fetch Adrian. He’s never met her.”
Disappointment shook her. She hadn’t realized just how much she wanted a glimpse of Dominic’s heart. His past. No matter the folly in that, or how the desire to know him better was at odds with promises she’d made to herself.
With a shake of her head, she crossed the room to the door, but there she paused. “Dominic?” she said softly.
He glanced up at her with a forced smile. “Yes?”
She searched his face for answers, for clues, until she realized just how lost she already was in his eyes. In his life. That wouldn’t do.
“Nothing. I’ll escort Julia to the parlor.”
“Julia.” Katherine entered the foyer just as Matthews closed the door behind her sister-in-law. She held out her arms and enjoyed the comforting warmth of her friend’s embrace. She hadn’t realized how much she missed Julia until that moment.
“Katherine, I’m so pleased to see you with a smile upon your face,” Julia said as she pulled back to look Katherine up and down. “With all the turmoil that surrounded your engagement to one of my brothers and then your marriage to the other, I’ve been worried about you.”
“You’re thoughtful,” Katherine replied with a blush as she took Julia’s arm and led her to the parlor. “But as I told you in my letters, there’s no need to worry about me.”
As she settled into a chair by the fire and accepted Katherine’s offering of tea, Julia cocked her head. “Where is Dominic?”
“I’m afraid I sprung your visit on him as a surprise,” Katherine admitted. “He has a houseguest of his own, so he went up to prepare and inform his friend of your arrival.”
Her sister-in-law pulled a face. “Oh, my brother doesn’t like surprises. Was he very angry?”
Katherine couldn’t help but flash to the surprise she’d given him by making love to him a few days before. It seemed Dominic didn’t mind some shocking things.
When she caught Julia’s eye, she blushed. How could she be thinking such a thing with company in the room? Had she no self-control at all? The thought sobered her immediately.
“D-Dominic was very pleased at the news of your arrival.”
Julia’s eyes narrowed. “Are you certain everything is going well for you? You’re acting a bit strangely.”
Katherine jumped. “What are you talking about?”
“You actually blushed when I mentioned Dominic. And you haven’t asked about Colden or Sarah yet. I thought that would be one of your first questions.” She cocked her head. “I can see your mind turning, but I have no idea what it could be that troubles you so.”
Where was she to start? With the fact that her feelings for Dominic were growing with each passing day? Or perhaps that her obsession with him was mounting at a much faster rate? And that didn’t even begin to touch on the secrets she knew he was keeping. Or the ones she held close to her own heart.
“Katherine?”
She stared at Julia for a long moment. Throughout her yearlong courtship with Cole, she’d grown close to his sister. She’d looked to Julia for counsel and laughter. Now, more than ever, she needed her friend’s good advice.
“Oh, Julia,” she said softly, “I don’t know how to begin.”
Her friend covered her hand. “You can talk to me. I promise you, I’ll keep any confidence you share.”
Katherine drew in a long breath, but before she could speak there was a tap on the door. When it opened, Adrian Malleville stood on the other side. He smiled sheepishly.
“I beg your pardon, Mrs. Mallory. Dominic told me another guest has arrived. We intended to enter together, but he was waylaid by an important message from London. I hope you’ll forgive my…”
He trailed off with suddenly wide eyes. Katherine followed his line of vision to see he was staring at Julia. Even more shocking was that her normally staid sister-in-law was staring back with a sparkle in her eyes Katherine had never seen before. She rose to her feet in surprise.
With effort, she composed herself. “Of course we don’t mind, Baron. Please, come in.”
He stood still as stone for a few moments too long, then seemed to remember where he was and took a few shaky steps into the room.
When neither of her two guests spoke, just continued to stare at each other, Katherine cleared her throat. “Dominic tells me you two haven’t met. Allow me to introduce you. Julia, this is Baron Adrian M
alleville, a good friend of Dominic’s. And Baron, may I present—”
He stepped forward to take Julia’s fingertips and press a kiss to her gloved hand. Julia jolted at the contact as if she’d been shocked, but the small smile on her lips made it clear she didn’t mind.
“Lady Julia Mallory,” Adrian said in a near whisper. “Of course. Your brother has spoken of you many, many times, but I fear he never mentioned just how lovely you are.”
Though Katherine never would have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Julia blushed and then she tittered. Julia Mallory, who Katherine had always known as a sensible spinster, giggled like a schoolgirl with her first crush.
“Oh, my lord, you are too kind.” She withdrew her hand, but only to raise it to her heart. “My brother has spoken of you, as well. I’m very pleased to finally make your acquaintance.”
“As I am to make yours.”
Katherine stared at the pair. It was plain she could have stripped down to her chemise and danced a jig on the window seat and neither one would have paid her the least bit of attention. At present, they only had eyes for each other.
It was the loveliest thing she’d ever seen.
There had always been a sense of loneliness about Julia Mallory, a faded desire to find someone to care for her, no matter how unlikely that was with each passing year. But watching the other woman unfold like a rose in late bloom while Katherine was so torn about her own heart was difficult. It only magnified the trouble of her situation all the more.
Julia laughed at something Adrian said. Her eyes never left his. Katherine sank back onto the settee with a sigh. There would have to be another time to confide in her friend.
“I’m so sorry,” Dominic said as he came into the room. “I needed to read that message. I hope Katherine introduced…you…to…”
He slowed down and came to a stop when only Katherine seemed to notice his entry. His eyes narrowed as he looked from his sister to his friend.
Scandalous Page 15