Alicia let out a long breath of frustration. “You really are insufferably egotistical. Did you know that?”
“And you have landed Gibson in a lot of trouble. Have you paused to consider that fact?”
When she shook her head in confusion he had the goodness to explain himself.
“I ordered him to remain beside you but you made it impossible for him to obey that order. I can’t tolerate insubordination in servants and shall probably have to dismiss him tomorrow as a consequence.”
Alicia gasped. “Oh, no, it was all my fault. You can’t blame Mr. Gibson.”
“Well, since you claim to be the guilty party, it seems only right that you should take the punishment in his place.”
A slow, predatory smile spread across Nick’s face and Alicia knew she’d somehow played straight into his hands.
“Very well. I beg your pardon, Your Grace, for sending Gibson away. There.” She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Will that do?”
Nick chuckled. “Not nearly. I did warn you that you’d have to endure one of my punishments if you chose to disregard my orders. You’ll soon discover that was no idle threat. And whilst we’re on the subject of your misconduct, did you not refer to me as an idiot when we first met?”
Alicia was unable to stifle a giggle. She’d be willing to strike a wager of her own with the duke that no one else had ever had the courage to refer to him in such terms. “I didn’t know who you were at the time,” she said, biting her lip to stop the giggle growing into a full-scale laugh.
“It’s very poor form to refer to a duke of the realm as an idiot,” he said, his voice a seductive purr in her ear. “In times gone by, people were known to lose their heads for less. I couldn’t bring myself to deprive you of your lovely head,” he said, as though he’d been seriously considering doing so. “But still, such behaviour can’t be allowed to go unpunished.”
“But if I were to apologise, my lord duke?”
Nick shook his head, his eyes alight with laughter. “It’s gone too far for apologies.”
“Then what are we to do about it?”
“What indeed.”
Before she knew what he was about, Nick lifted her from his lap and laid her across it. Furious and blushing wilding, she found herself staring directly at the floor. She struggled but was incapable of escaping the strong arm which held her securely across a pair of muscular thighs.
“What are you doing?” She thrashed about as panic welled within her. “This is preposterous. Let me go at once!”
“What I’m doing, my dear, is reminding you of the consequences when you don’t do as you’re told.”
She felt her skirts being lifted and fresh air peppering her bare buttocks. “Your Grace, please, I’ve apologised.”
“What did you call me?”
“All right, Nicholas. I most humbly beg your pardon if I’ve offended you in any way. Please, there is no necessity to humiliate me like this.”
“Have you stopped to consider that far from being humiliated, you might actually enjoy the chastisement I have in mind for you?”
She most certainly had. Excitement and anticipation invaded every corner of her body. With a speed that defied true conviction, she gave up struggling and lay submissively across his lap. His hand landed on her buttocks, the sound unnaturally loud in the otherwise quiet barn. She cried out in surprise. And tensed her muscles, anticipating pain. Instead, a warm glow worked its way through her insides, a tingling sensation that promised so much and left her anxious for more.
“Oh, I—”
“Shush.” Nick’s lips brushed against her ear. “You must endure your punishment in silence, my love, or it will be the worse for you.”
“But I—”
“I said no talking.” Thwack! “Do you understand me?” She nodded. “You’re permitted to speak when I ask you a question, Alicia.”
“Yes, sir, I understand.”
“Good girl. In that case you deserve a reward.”
His hand came down on her buttocks again. Harder. But this time it slowly circled the small globes, massaging the area he’d just beaten. At the same time, two fingers of his other hand slid smoothly inside her. A third agitated the spot between her legs which already felt as though it was on fire. The combination of pleasure and pain was an explosive amalgamation. She sensed liquid heat building inside her and cried out wantonly as she squirmed against his hand.
“Are you enjoying your punishment, Alicia?”
“Well, I don’t wish to enjoy it, or have anything more to do with you. You’re quite insufferably dictatorial. But I can’t bring myself to lie.” She paused, turning her head sideways in the hope of catching sight of his profile.
Instead of appearing humbled by her admission, he was smiling in an insupportably self-satisfied manner. She wanted to take back her words, or at the very least demonstrate stronger resistance. How weak and predictable she must appear to him. But each time his hand came down, the sensation it left behind was so comprehensively overwhelming, the disappointment when he desisted so acute, that she was unable to think coherently about anything else.
“Is my behaviour so very shocking?”
“No, darling, you’re supposed to enjoy it.” He chuckled when she couldn’t suppress an agonised groan. “Never deny your passionate nature, Alicia, especially not to yourself.”
“Am I permitted to speak if I have a question to ask, Nicholas?”
He sighed. “What’s your question, minx?”
“Why do you feel it necessary to discipline me?” Thwack. “You’ll be gone tomorrow and we’ll never see one another again.”
“You’ve been disobedient and disrespectful. No duke likes to have his authority threatened, you know.” A third finger joined the two already working inside her. His hand again came down on her buttocks, this time a little harder. “Go with the sensation when I spank you, darling, don’t fight against it. If you’re patient, the tingling will turn to pleasure. Then you’ll enjoy it as much as you’re enjoying the feel of my fingers inside you.” Thwack. “That’s right, welcome the feel of it. You are a very attentive pupil, Alicia, I’m pleased with you. Now, tell me how it makes you feel.”
“It makes me feel wanton and abandoned,” she said, not stopping to consider the question but voicing the first thoughts that came into her head.
“Very good, sweetheart. And what else?”
“Well, in truth, I’d like to experience more of your punishments before you leave here,” she added brazenly.
He let out a throaty chuckle. “Would you indeed. How tiresome.”
“Yes, I dare say my request comes as a vast inconvenience. Do you think it possible that you might manage to feel rampant again soon?”
Nick’s laugh, deep and rich, echoed round the barn. “Perhaps it could be managed.” He paused, a speculative expression gracing his features. “In fact, now that I think about it, perhaps you can feel the extent of my rampancy pushing against you?”
“Oh, is that what it is?” Thwack. “I didn’t realise. But what are we to do about it? We can’t risk being together here. Anyone might come in at any time.”
“Gibson’s outside. He won’t let anyone through the door.”
Nick tilted her upright and seated her on his knee again. Alicia was ashamed of herself for wanting her punishment to continue. But Nick clearly had other plans for her. He loosened the ties on her bodice and feasted his eyes on her breasts, clearly visible beneath the thin material of her chemise. Ladies’ apparel held no secrets for him and he had no difficulty loosening that garment either. Her breasts tumbled into his waiting hands, and with one of his wolfish grins he bent his head to feast on her nipples.
“Are they still sore?” he asked, briefly lifting his head to pose the question.
“Yes, but I rather like the pain so don’t even think about stopping.”
He offered her a mocking bow and resumed his previous occupation. The teasing touch of his tong
ue caused spasms of acute pleasure to ripple through her. She sighed, willing the sensations to continue indefinitely. But it wasn’t to be. Abruptly he released her breasts and stood her on her feet. She felt rather self-conscious, standing before him half dressed.
But it soon became apparent that he’d only stood in order to divest himself of his upper clothing. He threw it with apparent disregard for its welfare onto the soft pile of hay in the corner of the barn. Alicia immediately curled her fingers in the hair that adorned his chest and this time it was Nick who groaned. She glanced down and saw the extent of his rampancy pushing urgently against the fabric of his breeches.
“Is it very uncomfortable?” she asked.
Nick followed the direction of her eyes. “Agony,” he said, laughter in his tone.
Daringly she reached for the buttons that would relieve his torture. His shaft sprang from the opening, solid and angry-looking. Alicia tentatively reached for it and didn’t take fright when it leaped in her hand. She ran her fingers along its length, just as he’d encouraged her to do the previous evening.
“Is that the right thing to do, Nick?”
He sucked in a deep breath. “Yes, darling, absolutely right.” He reseated himself. “Sit over me, love. Kneel on either side of my thighs.”
Alicia considered his request. “Oh, I think I see what you have in mind.”
She scampered to do as he’d asked and sighed with pleasure when his marauding hands reclaimed her breasts. Without being told she lifted her skirts out of the way and hovered above his throbbing shaft. Her body was already on fire, pulsating with need. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined such exquisite feelings of anticipation to be possible. She took hold of Nick, too impatient to wait, and positioned him at her entrance.
“I should have asked you,” he said in a thick voice, “if you’re ready to do this again so soon. Are you not sore?”
“Not at all.”
He regarded her steadily. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t hurt you for the world.”
“Nick! You hurt me more by making me wait.”
“All right.” He smiled and kissed the corner of her mouth tenderly. “You’re the one on top, madam, so I suggest you take the lead.”
“Like this?” She sank down and slowly took a little of him inside her.
“Ah, yes, exactly like that.” He placed his hands on her hips and guided her. “Mmm, that feels so very good. So tight, so warm, so…” He kissed her again as she sank down some more and slowly took all of him inside her. “Sweet Alicia, you’re magnificent!”
She took pleasure from his tortured expression as she rocked gently from side to side. “I begin to understand why people express enthusiasm for this occupation,” she said, her breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps.
“Who have you been discussing such matters with?”
“Well, no one exactly, but I couldn’t help overhearing things some of the lads in the stables used to say. Back in my father’s day I was such a familiar sight in the covering barn that they forgot I was there and frequently made raucous comments as the stallions performed their duties. They likened their activities to their own romantic conquests.”
“Ah, I see.” He thrust upward hard, taking her by surprise. “Oh, I beg your pardon. You’re such a natural at this that I forgot you’re so inexperienced. Did that hurt you?”
“No, quite the reverse.” She smiled at him. “Stop treating me as though I were made of glass and make me feel as you did last night.”
“Well, since you ask so persuasively.”
Nick increased the force and frequency of his upward thrusts. She sank down to meet him and they expressed their pleasure in unison with a series of feral grunts.
“Slow down, love,” he said, restraining her wild, uncoordinated thrashing by holding her hips more firmly. “There’s plenty of time, and it will be more rewarding if you let it build slowly.”
“But I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
“Oh, you can wait.”
“But if I can’t?” she asked, moving again but more slowly, taking every inch of him more deeply inside her still.
“Then I shall have to devise more fiendish chastisements. I’ve already told you that I can’t have disobedient women under my charge.”
“How many women exactly do you have under your charge who engage in this type of activity with you?
“None of your business,” he said, tweaking her nose.
“No,” she said, sighing, “I suppose it’s not.”
She deliberately increased her pace again, enjoying the sublime feel of her unfettered breasts bouncing against the abrasive hair on his chest. His eyes were focused on her face. They softened as she observed him, his expression no longer arrogant but full of desperate-seeming passion. “And I shan’t be able to persuade you to confide in me since you leave tomorrow to collect your bride.”
“Yes indeed, but we still have tonight.”
She felt a small pang of regret when he didn’t deny his intention to collect his bride but was too far gone to dwell upon it. They were here together now, she was on the brink of release, and he’d expressed his intention of visiting her again that night. But still, the tiny portion of her brain still capable of rational thought put up objections to her easy capitulation.
“On second thought, perhaps it wouldn’t be advisable for you to visit my chamber again. Oh, heavens, Nick.” She let out a prolonged groan. “Whatever you just did, please do it again!”
“Not advisable?” He slowed his thrusts, eliciting another loud protest from her.
“We’ll discuss it later. Just don’t stop now, I beg you!”
Nick’s thrusting picked up rhythm again. His hands left her hips and returned to her nipples, agitating and teasing until she cried out with the combination of pleasure and pain. The sensation sent piquant thrills cascading through her, straight to the place where they were joined. Every nerve in her body sang in sweet harmony with its neighbour, sending dizzying shock waves chasing one another through her bloodstream. Drugging her mind.
“Nick, please!”
“Please what, darling?” He cocked an innocent brow, giving the impression that he could carry on like this for hours.
“You know!”
“Do I?”
“Stop it! Stop playing games with me,” she cried, truly anguished.
He laughed, slowing his movements until they were almost nonexistent. Taunting her, driving her wild.
“All right, you win.” She tossed her head, sending her hair cascading over her face. “Give me what I desire now, and I’ll allow you to come to my chamber this evening after all.”
“Thank you. But is that all you’ll allow?”
“You’re being unfair! You know I’ll agree to anything you say at this particular moment.”
He chuckled. “That’s because you’re in a state of complete truthfulness. At this moment you can think of only one thing and have forgotten about so-called respectability. Don’t deny yourself what you most desire because you fear it would be frowned upon. Having a passionate and inquisitive nature is not something you should ever reproach yourself for.”
His breathing was becoming increasingly laboured, causing Alicia to suspect that he wasn’t nearly so in control as he’d have her believe. It was empowering to know that she’d reduced him to that state. Dare she call his bluff and pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about? She dismissed the idea almost as soon as it filtered into her head. Now wasn’t the time to play mind games with a master.
“You may devise any new punishments for me that you wish,” she said breathlessly.
“Now that,” he said with a tender smile, “is the sort of offer no gentleman could possibly resist. The prospect of teaching you a little respect will sustain me through the rest of the day with your insufferable family.” His thrusting became primeval. “All right, sweetheart, you have my permission to take your pleasure now.”
His words we
re accompanied by several more brutal thrusts and Alicia shattered. A series of prurient noises escaped her lips as peaks of the most pulsating pleasure fizzed through her entire body, each wave stronger and more dynamic than its predecessor. She opened her eyes wide and stared at Nick in stupefaction. What she’d felt last night was nothing in comparison to this.
“That’s right, Alicia,” he said, his voice thick with passion. “Ride it for all it’s worth. It’s all for you, every inch of it.”
He reclaimed her sensitised nipples as she thrashed against his rigid shaft. Instinctively she moved hard and fast, her hair falling over her shoulders in a wild tangle, until the sensation started to fade and she crumpled on top of him, breathless and spent.
“And that,” he said, gathering her in his arms, “is nothing compared to what you’ll feel tonight. On that you have my solemn word.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Come, we should return to the house.” Nick retied Alicia’s chemise. “If we’re both late for luncheon it will be remarked upon.”
“Yes indeed, that would never do.”
Nick was taken aback by the bitterness of her response and equally confused by his own lack of restraint. His actions had complicated an already delicate situation. It hadn’t been his intention to ravish her when he’d sought her out in the barn, but something about her made him abandon his principles and throw caution to the wind. And it was more than mere lust. A tenderness he’d seldom experienced permeated his body as he pulled her into his arms and sought to reassure, himself as much as her.
“What troubles you, Alicia?” He brushed the hair gently away from the dressing on her temple.
“Oh, nothing, other than the trifling fact that, according to you, a member of my family is attempting to kill me.”
Nick didn’t believe her. “When a lady says nothing is troubling her in such a tone, I know she has something on her mind. Tell me what it is, Alicia, and I’ll make it go away.”
She lowered her eyes and turned her head away. “As you just pointed out, we’ll be late for luncheon.”
Of Dukes and Deceptions Page 18