She gasped her pleasure. He felt her body tightening. He slowed briefly to press his fingers between them and circle her most sensitive spot.
“Oh, Luke!”
Her body tightened and his control snapped.
“Lord, forgive me, Cassie.”
“Please,” she pleaded.
Luke claimed her mouth and gripped her thighs, digging his fingers into them. The chair creaked and Cassie cried out. Searing pleasure hurtled through him while Cassie stiffened beneath him.
Muscles tight, he kissed her shakily, his pace fierce as her orgasm took hold. He pounded hard into her. One, two, three, then withdrew with scarcely enough time and spilled upon her thigh.
He came to a slow halt and unclenched his jaw. Cassie wrapped her arms around him, and he dropped his head to her chest. Her heart thundered in his ear, matching his own racing pulse. She smoothed her hands over his face and hair, and he thought how ridiculous it was that she was soothing him, yet he could not persuade himself to be anywhere other than here.
A cold fist tried to wrap around his heart, combating the pleasurable warmth still washing through him while he took in the enormity of what he had done.
This had been the biggest mistake of his life.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Vaguely aware of someone moving about the room, Cassie rolled and snapped her eyes open when the edge of her bed vanished. She thrust a hand out and snatched the edge of the loveseat before she toppled to the floor. It seemed she had fallen asleep on the chaise, and when she glanced down, she realized she wore nothing more than her slip.
Stretching languidly, she eased onto her back and peered at Luke, unable to keep the satisfied smile from her face.
“Luke, last night was—” She stopped when he barely spared her a glance. Her stomach dropped.
A scowl upon his face, he fought to tie his neckcloth, giving up after the next attempt and leaving it draped around his neck. The morning had yet to give way to daylight, offering only a gloomy hint of the day to come and the lamps had been doused long before they had fallen asleep. But she saw enough. She saw his haste to leave her.
Aware of the panic fluttering in her chest like a trapped bird, she rose swiftly and moved over to him. She took the neckcloth in hand and tied it efficiently.
“I’m sure your valet could do a better job, but it will do,” she said with a shaky smile.
Everything had changed last night. Or perhaps it hadn’t. Perhaps it had only offered her the growing realization that she wanted so much more than a friend or occasional kissing partner from Luke.
She longed to fall asleep in his arms every night and find out if there was more to the marital bed. Find out what it was like performing the act in a bed. She’d always craved her independence and feared the shackles of marriage but being with Luke gave her freedoms she did not know existed.
The freedom to love being one of them. Dear God, how she loved this man.
“You need not worry,” she murmured after eyeing the clock on the mantlepiece. “No one will be up for another couple of hours.”
“We could have been caught.” The words were uttered tersely.
“But we were not. And we shall be more careful next time.”
“Next time,” he muttered. “Good Lord, Cassie, there won’t be a next time.”
“I—” She stopped and frowned. “Why not?” She tried to swallow past the noose tightening her throat. “I thought that was good. I thought you lo—” She paused and took a deep breath. “I thought you enjoyed that. You wanted more after all.”
He gave a tight smile. “What man would not want more? You are a beautiful woman, Cassie.”
The flattery did nothing to ease the tension in her chest. He might as well have called her hideous for all the sincerity behind the words.
“Where are you going?”
“To end this.”
“Well, you must wait for me.” She glanced at her discarded gown and stockings, slung haplessly on an armchair. She could not very well wear her evening clothes and they were crumpled anyway after Luke’s...attentions.
“You are not going anywhere.” He paced around the room until he spotted his hat that had been knocked under a table. Evidence of their passion was everywhere yet he acted as cool as the early morning air.
“This man attacked me and might very well have been the one who beat Betty. This could be dangerous, Luke.”
He eyed her. “Believe it or not, Cass, I have been in dangerous situations before. I am quite capable of handling one man myself.”
“And if more than one man is involved?”
He shrugged. “I shall manage.”
“This is ridiculous. You cannot simply run off after...what happened last night, and straight into danger.” She folded her arms.
“I can do whatever I wish. I am a rake after all.” His smirk sent a dart of pain straight to her heart.
“A rake,” she repeated softly.
“Yes, Cassie, a rake.” He stepped toward her. “You know, a man who seeks pleasure in the arms of many?”
“I know what a rake is,” she snapped. “But I thought—”
“You thought wrong.” He tapped a finger on her chin, forcing her to meet his hardened gaze. “I tried to be better but what can I say? It’s hard to resist when it is offered so freely.”
“I offered it because...” She gulped. She could hardly confess to her love now, could she? Not when he treated her as though she were no more than one of the ton widows who jumped from bed to bed. “You do not have to leave.”
She winced at her words. Since when had she become a pleading, helpless woman?
“I need to leave before we are discovered.” Luke glanced at the closed door and offered a brief smile. “Just be glad I woke in time or else you’d find yourself trapped with me.”
“I do not care about being caught!”
“You do not mean that,” he said softly.
She lifted her chin. “I do.”
He eyed her for a few moments then shook his head. “Sorry, Little Cassie Fallon, but you cannot change the nature of man. I do not do repeats, especially with inexperienced young women.”
Air refused to enter her lungs for some time. She fought the urge to bend double, such was the agony pooling in her stomach. How could he speak so callously to her? To a woman who had been his friend for so long? To his lover?
***
HAT CLASPED IN both hands, Luke tightened his hold on the brim. It was all he could do not to reach out for her, to kiss her and soothe away the pain he caused. There was no salvaging this—he’d taken everything from her.
But he could stop this from going any further. He could blame his fear last night for making him give in, but he knew better. Cassie had invaded his mind and soul long ago and he could not shake her. The only way of making this any better was to get out of here and put an end to this ridiculous charade of him pretending he was somehow worthy of her.
She had to see him for who he really was.
“I’ll be back once I’ve caught this bastard.” He set his hat on his head. “And then you can go about your business as usual.”
And he could return to his life too. Back to being who he really was—a lowly rake. Perhaps she would go on to marry this duke, perhaps not, but either way he would not have taken the choice from her. Her brother scarcely scraped the back of his mind anymore. This was about Cassie and only Cassie.
“I am coming with you,” she insisted once more.
Luke glanced at her discarded clothes. He had no doubt she would follow him to the textile mill, but she could not do so in her undergarments. He ground his teeth together at the tempting image she created.
Wisps of gray morning light touched her skin, smoothing it to perfection. The gentle rise of her breasts above her stays tempted and her shift skimmed a waist he had held firmly as he’d ploughed into her. His only regret was he’d not taken the time to undress her fully and seal the image of her nude and mag
nificent in his mind.
Another example of the man that he was—he shouldn’t be thinking of her naked. Or curled in his arms. Or waiting for him to come home and kissing him as though he had been gone an eternity. Dear God, he’d never wanted something so badly. To hell with nakedness. He would spend a lifetime with her in her shift and never even catching a glimpse of a breast if he had Cassie to come home to.
“You’ll need to dress,” he said tersely.
“It will take mere moments.”
He shook his head. “I’m not waiting.”
“Please wait, Luke,” she begged. “I need to do this.”
“No.”
She put a hand to his arm, her eyes wide and shimmering. “I investigated this. I figured this out. It is my right.”
“You are a woman, Cass, you have no rights.”
Her eyes flashed. “I am doing this.”
“Why are you so determined to put yourself in danger? Can you not stay home and embroider or take tea like a proper lady?”
“I want to do this. I need to do this.” Her delicate hands fisted into tiny balls. “Everyone thinks I am incapable, even my sisters—”
“This is to prove yourself to your sisters?”
“They’ve solved so many mysteries. Is it so wrong that I should wish to do the same?”
“Mysteries?” he repeated.
“My mother’s investigative society.” She waved a hand at his scowl. “She started a group of female investigators to help other women—those who would be ignored. I will carry on her legacy.”
He released a dry laugh. “So this is what it’s all about? Little Cassie Fallon wishes to prove herself to some silly group of women who believe themselves to be investigators.”
Her expression turned to stone. “I am not little. I am a grown woman. As you experienced only last night.”
He hated himself. Maybe more than she hated him right now. Hated how he had to push her away, how he needed to dismiss her. But he had no choice. “I have been with grown women.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “You are far from grown, Little Cassie.”
The pain that seared through him when her expression crumpled had to surely be as painful as hers. It took all his willpower to step away from her and turn his back. After this, she would never talk to him again most likely. Which was what he wanted, was it not? If only his mind did not war with him and beg him to drop to his knees and ask her forgiveness.
Cassie dashed to snatch her clothes. He used the opportunity to stride out of the room and slam the door shut behind him. He heard her make a sound of annoyance and glanced around. She knew where he was to go and he would not put it past her to follow him, regardless of the danger.
He removed the vase from the nearby marbled console table, set it to the floor and dragged the furniture in front of the door. The door rattled and thudded against the heavy piece of wood.
“Luke!” Cassie cried.
His gut tightened and he hesitated but a moment. Shaking his head to himself, he strode out of the house. Once he found the man responsible for these threats, he could hand him over to the magistrates and there would be no need for him to be under the same roof as Cassie. He might even go to the country for the rest of the Season. Anything to put some distance between them.
Anton would be angry he had left Cassie, but it was far better than Luke creating a scandal and forcing Cassie into marriage with him. Anton would never accept it, he knew that much, and he would not blame him. Cassie’s curiosity would soon abate, leaving her with only regrets that she did not explore her options further. There were many, many more eligible men than him. Men with far less sordid pasts.
He walked for some time before spying a hack and he motioned for it to stop. “St. Saviour’s Dock,” he told the driver. He climbed in, sat and closed his eyes briefly. In all his years as a supposed rake, he’d never been more of a bastard, but for the first time in his life, he had good reason. Cassie deserved more.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Is Luke returned?”
Cassie pushed between her sisters and noted the console table that sat askew against the wall. That’s what he blocked the door with. Over an hour of banging on the door and no-one had heard her until one of her sisters walked past. Now all three of them and Aunt Sarah followed her as she searched the entrance way then the blue room.
Chastity took her arm. “What is happening, Cassie? And why were you shut in the drawing room?” Her sister glanced her over. “And wearing yesterday’s dress? Were you in there all night?”
Cassie ignored the final two questions. She moved past the four of them to search the blue room. “Have any of you seen Luke?”
Her stomach twisted in dread when she found room by room empty. She’d been trapped in that room for too long. Anything could have happened in that time. After all he said, he might not deserve her sympathy, but she could not help herself—she still loved him and did not wish to see him come to harm.
Eleanor stepped in front of her before she could continue her search. “Luke isn’t here, Cassie. Will you tell us what is happening? You are worrying us.”
She glanced into her sister’s gaze and noted the furrowed brow then looked to all her sisters. Even Aunt Sarah cradled Simon close, her brow knitted with concern.
“We discovered where the man who has been threatening us will be,” she admitted. “And Luke has gone after him. Alone.”
“You’ve still been investigating?” Chastity demanded.
“I could not let the matter drop, not when Eleanor nearly came to harm and someone hurt Betty.” Cassie glanced at the floor. “Besides, I could not let my first investigation be a failure.” She looked between them all. “I could not be a failure,” she muttered.
“Oh, Cassie.” Demeter stepped forward. “You are not a failure, and we have all had investigations where we could not discover the answer.”
Cassie allowed herself to be tugged into her sister’s hold and tried not to be surprised by her usually reticent sister’s affection. She sank into the warm embrace and looked over Demeter’s shoulders at Eleanor who smiled.
“It is true,” Eleanor agreed. “We have all had cases we could not solve.”
“Even me,” added Aunt Sarah.
“Even me,” Chastity added with a grin. “But I do not understand why you did not simply tell us all this? We could have helped.”
“I wanted to do it alone. To prove I’m not just your little sister. You are always saying it—Little Cassie.”
Demeter released her and took a step back with a shake of her head. “We think of you as so much more.”
“Sometimes it does not feel like that,” she murmured.
“I’m sorry,” Chastity said. “I only say it because it is habit, but I shall stop.”
Cassie gave a tiny smile. “I suppose it is not that terrible.”
“So what exactly did you discover?” Eleanor demanded.
Cassie twined her fingers together. “Luke had someone following Mr. Harding. I thought him the person most likely to benefit from Theodore’s death and we were at a loss as to what to do next. But the investigator spotted a man following Mr. Harding. It was the man who...well, he followed me some time ago and was spotted watching the house by Luke.”
Chastity hissed out a breath. “Good Lord, Cassie.”
“I know, I know.” She held up a hand. “I should have told you, but I did not think the threat was real and it only made me more determined to discover what had happened to Jane’s brother.”
Aunt Sarah chuckled. “She’s just like me when I was younger. Your mother never could control me, and I got into all sorts of pickles.” She sighed. “One time, I found myself held down with an extremely notorious rake and I had to ram my knee right into his nether regions.” Her grin expanded. “He folded like a piece of paper.”
“We have all had to knee in the nether regions once or twice,” Chastity agreed.
Wide-eyed, Cassie stared at her sisters. “Y
ou have?”
Chastity lifted a shoulder. “Aunt Sarah showed us how.”
“I can show you too if you like!” Aunt Sarah offered.
“There’s no time. We need to find Luke. I wanted to go with him, but he trapped me in there.” She gestured to the drawing room.
“I’m finding that man more and more appealing these days,” Chastity commented.
Hands to her hips, Cassie gave her sister a pointed look. “He should not have gone alone.”
“No, he should not have done,” Eleanor agreed. “Are you certain he did not take any of the hired men with him?”
“And leave us unprotected?” Cassie shook her head. “Not likely.”
Which made his behavior this morning all the more strange. He had been so determined to defend them all, most especially her, and she had seen the fear in his eyes last night when he thought her harmed. She did not believe that it was out of mere duty to Anton that he worried for her.
Which meant he had pushed her away deliberately—most likely out of some desire to protect her. But why?
“We must go to him,” she pleaded. “He could get hurt and it will be all my fault. He did not even wish to be involved in this matter.”
Eleanor looked to Chastity, who glanced at Demeter. Finally, Chastity nodded. “We shall go to him, but this might take more than a knee to the nether regions. I suggest Aunt Sarah takes her pistol.”
Cassie nodded. Aunt Sarah was an excellent shot, and despite her loathing the things, it would be silly to go up against such a man without a weapon. Especially when Cassie feared it might well be more than one man.
Because if Luke had been right and the man was following Harding, how was it someone had also been seen on their grounds? Not to mention the man who had pushed her down—
the man with the red fingers—had been different to the man following them at the docks.
Deep down, she knew this was bigger than one man. And that meant Luke had gone into the situation entirely unprepared.
***
Secrets of a Duke's Daughter (The Duchess's Investigative Society Book 1) Page 18