Their encounter last evening left no doubt in her mind Drew desired her, but he had also been honest. He would never settle for one woman, and Lana would never settle for heartache. It had been silly to incite him to jealousy. There was nothing to gain.
She wrung her hands, her body burning with shame. The other evening Lana had teased Drew when she had suggested she was impure, but after her behavior tonight, he would believe her ruined for certain.
Scanning the room, she found her mother occupied by Bollrud and made an instant decision. She would meet Drew and explain her flirtation had been an act, impulsive and appalling. Lana remained an innocent. She must turn her attentions toward finding a husband, and Drew must focus his attentions on someone more suited for his type of play.
Her gaze dropped to the floor as she maneuvered through the crowd, praying no one took notice of her departure. Once in the hallway, Lana hurried toward the blue parlor. An alternate route should keep anyone from witnessing her exit. She would discourage Drew once and for all and return to the dance before her mother noticed her absence.
She stepped into the crisp darkness and shivered. Fog hovered along the ground so that she could barely make out the maze from the veranda. She descended the stone stairs with caution and wandered to the entrance of the hedge maze. Wishing she’d remembered her shawl, she moved farther into the enveloping blackness.
“Drew,” she whispered. Lana rubbed her hands up and down her arms for warmth. “Drew?”
Charming by day, the gardens were menacing in the darkness. The topiary dragons flanking the maze entrance transformed into sinister monsters leering through the mist. Her knees knocked. Perhaps she should return to the house. She could explain her mistake as easily in the light of day. Spinning around to dash back to the house, Lana released a strangled cry. A tall figure approached, his features obliterated by the fog and darkness.
“Where are you going, peach?”
Drew’s warm voice wrapped around her and she melted with relief. “Blast it, Drew. You scared the life out of me.”
“Your body has more sense than you do apparently.” Wicked amusement resonated in his words.
Lana pictured him smiling in that way he had. The smile he had bestowed on her the night he had rescued her from the Eldridge’s tree, the one that left her trembling with anticipation. “I’m surprised you came. It’s not too late to go back, Lana.”
“I’m… I’m not afraid of you.”
She accepted his arm when he joined her at the entrance and followed him into the maze. They stopped after a few steps. Drew released her arm and backed away, placing distance between them.
“I don’t want you to fear me, peach, but you need to understand the risk involved with your choice.”
Choice? Her stomach plunged. She had made a choice, hadn’t she? Knowing what Drew expected of her, she had chosen to follow him outside. Lana risked everything by sneaking away to the garden. She was alone with a notorious rake, and she was contemplating surrendering to him.
In the ballroom, desire had darkened Drew’s eyes to a stormy blue sky, and his body had vibrated with need. God help her, Lana needed him too. Drew offered her passion, an experience she would never know with Lord Bollrud. Giving herself to Drew would violate everything she valued—her integrity, her family’s trust, her mother’s hope for a match with Lord Bollrud. If she gave in to temptation, she would never fulfill her duty to marry for she could never betray her future husband’s trust.
Her hands shook and she swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I do understand the choice I have made.”
“What do you want, Lana?” Drew’s strangled voice jarred her. “Please, make this easy on me. Go back to the house.”
She stepped toward him, reaching out to touch his forearm. “I don’t wish to go back, Drew. I want to be with you.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss on her exposed wrist. “For how long do you wish to be with me?”
Forever. Lana could never speak the truth, or Drew would bolt like a frightened stallion. He quivered under her touch and her heart squeezed. When had she fallen for Andrew Forest, the most unavailable, disreputable man in England? If anyone should run, it should be her.
Drew blew out a long breath. “I don’t wish to hurt you, and I fear I’m only capable of bringing you heartache.”
A flash of disappointment had her blinking back tears. So, it was true. He desired nothing more than a night of passion. She intended to turn away, but her will was weak. “I don’t believe you will hurt me. Please, Drew.”
His fluid movements startled her. He captured her around the waist and pulled her against him. A frisson of apprehension stirred in her belly. Nonetheless, she stood toe-to-toe with him, trying to shore up her courage.
His thumb brushed her bottom lip. “So fearless, my little innocent.”
No. Lana wouldn’t allow him to turn her away, not with his arbitrary rules for seduction. “I told you I’m not…”
Drew’s fingers nestled into her hair. Their bodies fused as his supple lips possessed her mouth, his tongue tracing the inner circle of her lips. Their sighs of pleasure merged, expressing the one word repeating in Lana’s head. Yes.
With almost imperceptible movement, he drew her mouth flush against his and dipped his tongue into the recesses. The port on his breath was more intoxicating than the alcohol itself.
Lana’s arms encircled his neck as she pressed herself against him, wanting—needing—to be closer. Was it possible to absorb him, allow his essence to flow through her, making them one? His rapid withdrawal from her embrace left her in daze. Lana sought his warmth again, but Drew held her upper arms to maintain the distance.
“Not here, my sweet.” His words brushed across her like a caress. “I want to do this properly.”
She giggled. How did one go about properly doing the improper? Her eyes had adjusted enough to the dark to see the gleam of white as he grinned.
“I mean I wish to take my time making love to you without risk of discovery,” he amended.
She attempted to concentrate over the rat-a-tat of her heart sounding in her ears. “Where do you suggest?”
“It is early yet. We’ll take the carriage to Shafer Hall and return it before Rich and Pheebs need it.”
“What if someone notices our absence?”
“You shall pen a note for your mother informing her you’re feeling unwell and have retired early. I’ll have the footman deliver it when the carriage returns. I could be any place. No one will guess we are together.”
The weight of his implication slammed into her. He could as easily be in any lady’s bed as hers.
“Lana.” Drew captured her mouth again and kissed her until she almost forgot his words. When he pulled away, he didn’t release her. “I’m not with anyone else. I’m yours, peach.”
For now. Lana wouldn’t fool herself into believing otherwise, but she still thrilled at his admission.
She walked toward the maze entrance. “Let’s be off then.”
“We can’t be seen together. I’ll go to the stable yard first to chat with the groom and coachman. They know to be discreet, but I’ll make certain they have additional motivation. I won’t have them bring the carriage around to the front, so come to the west side of the castle. I’ll wait for you.” Drew enfolded her in his arms and rested his cheek against hers. “You can still change your mind,” he whispered.
She shook her head, loving the security of his embrace and sensation of his skin against hers.
“Don’t dismiss the possibility too hastily. Think about it.” He kissed her temple. “If you don’t come to me, I’ll understand.”
“I won’t keep you waiting.” Lana kissed him once more before he walked away. Their fingers were the last to break contact. “I will be there, Drew. I promise.”
She breathed in deeply and ran her hands along her upper arms as he disappeared into the fog. She wouldn’t change her mind. She would never for
give herself if she didn’t go to the man she loved, and she did love him. At least she could be honest with herself if no one else. And even though Drew didn’t return her love, her sentiment remained the same.
The west side of the castle. Lana stepped from the maze and stopped to get her bearings. Drew’s shadowed frame appeared out of the fog again.
“Did you change your mind?” she called out.
“Quiet, ya worthless whore.”
Her body convulsed and she stumbled backwards, barely maintaining her footing. “Y-you should remember your place. I’m a close friend of the duke and duchess. They shall hear of your transgression.”
The hulking form advanced. “Ya think I work for ’em, bitch.” Hatred dripped from the unfamiliar male voice. His guttural accent and vulgar tongue separated him from the guests at Irvine Caste. “The bloody toffs ain’t ’ere to save ya.”
Nineteen
Lana dashed into the maze. If the cur thought she would subject herself to his abuse willingly, he was even dumber than he sounded.
“Bloody hell.” The man’s heavy footfalls pounded as he gave chase, but she had gotten a good lead.
Thick fog inside the hedges made it impossible to see more than a few inches ahead, but she barreled on, less concerned about falling than being captured.
“You can run, bu’ ya cain’t ’ide,” the man sang out, taunting her.
Frantic, Lana scooted to the edge of the maze and skimmed her hand along the manicured hedges to orient her to the trail. If she found the secret passage again, maybe she could escape.
Think, Lana. Think. At the first intersection, the directions to Cupid’s chamber flooded her memory. Left. Left. Right. Left. Right. Right.
She hurried her pace, repeating the directions. Now a left.
“I ’ear you, ya li’l slut.” He spit out the venomous words. “And yer gonna pay for makin’ me chase ya.”
Lana’s hand flew to her mouth to hold back the scream building in her throat. No one would hear her except her pursuer, not in the thick hedges.
Another left. She shuffled along, the branches scratching her arm. Right. She listened to determine the man’s location, but the only sound she heard came from her own breathing and pounding heart. Go left. Hurry.
A sharp crack echoed close behind, and she ran blindly into the mist. Go right. One more turn. Almost there. Bursting into the open area, she smothered her cry of despair. She had gone the wrong way.
Panicked, she lurched into the room in search of a place to hide. Five steps in and the Cupid statue loomed into sight. She stumbled into the hedge and flailed her arms, searching for the gap that marked the secret passage.
“Ya like ’ide-an’-seek, do ya?” His voice sounded close. The crescendo of his bootfalls indicated he approached the area where she hid. “I got sumptin to ’ide, inside ya. Aye, a good time you’d ’ave.”
Dear lord, she was going to lose her dinner. Her movements became frenzied as she batted at the hedge. When her hand encountered the small open space, she almost sobbed with relief. Lana shimmied through the hedge just as she detected the man’s heavy footsteps entering the clearing.
Once through the opening, she lifted her skirts and dashed for the stable yard. She had to reach Drew. Perhaps the stranger knew of the secret passage too and pursued her still. Staying focused on her goal, she pushed herself harder, her side stitching painfully.
As she rounded the corner of the castle, the bulky shapes of the carriages rose out of the fog. Where is the Forests’ coach? If the man had eavesdropped on her conversation with Drew, he knew where she was headed. She darted to the first carriage several feet away and pressed her face close to the door in search of the correct insignia.
She heard voices somewhere close to the castle and the groom speaking softly to the horses. Likely, the drivers and footmen gathered near, but with the thick fog hiding them, the servants seemed miles away. Should she yell out for help? She had no way to explain her presence in the stable yard and didn’t wish to draw notice unless she had no choice.
Thudding footsteps rounded the corner of the castle. A scream lodged in her throat and she hurried around the back of the carriage to race to the next one. The door bore the Foxhaven coat of arms. Easing the door open, she scrambled inside.
“Peach, you came.”
Lana dove across the carriage and covered Drew’s mouth. “Be quiet,” she whispered fiercely. She cocked her head and held her breath. The man’s footfalls ran past the back of the carriage. Once she could hear him no more, she released a whooshing breath and dropped her hand. She looked up, and her heart stopped. She was kneeling between Drew’s legs with her hand resting scandalously on his lower belly.
***
Lana’s hand lying against Drew’s abdomen scorched him. When she hadn’t appeared after a while, he thought she had become frightened and returned to the ball. But here she knelt between his thighs, her hand only fractions of an inch from his rapidly growing firmness. He had severely misjudged her. Lana Hillary was no innocent young maiden.
She shifted her weight, brushing against his length. Drew sucked in a sharp breath. He hadn’t bedded a woman since his arrival at Shafer Hall, and her touch was a blend of pain and ecstasy.
Lana’s gaze lifted from his breeches to lock eyes with his, and she trembled. “There was a man…”
Drew had heard the bugger too, but he hadn’t discovered them together. They were safe. He entwined his fingers with her glorious ginger locks and bent forward to kiss her, hoping to quell her anxiety. No one knew of their clandestine activities.
Lana clambered from the carriage floor and threw her arms around him with a whimper.
“I was so frightened.”
“You’re all right, peach. You are safe.”
He dropped his mouth to hers, testing her receptivity. When her lips parted beneath his, he groaned and swept his tongue inside her sweet little mouth, greedily consuming her kisses. She pressed her supple body against his harder one, clutching him tight.
Dear God, she was a passionate one. Drew couldn’t wait any longer. With frenetic movements, they tore at each other’s clothing. She tugged at his cravat, loosening it in no time. He gently grasped her hair, tilting her head back so he could nibble along her elegant neck. When his lips trailed to the swells of her breasts, Lana rewarded him with a delightfully lustful moan that made him even harder.
Shoving her skirts around her waist, Drew deftly untied her drawers to rid her of the unnecessary hindrance before hauling the front of her bodice down. One at a time, her pert breasts burst free. Cupping the soft flesh, he grazed his thumb over one nipple while his tongue stroked across the distended tip of her other mound. Her cool skin heated under his fingers.
She murmured her pleasure as he arched her backwards, supporting her weight with his arm and swirling his tongue over her breast before closing his mouth around her nipple. Lana dug her fingers into his hair, her nails lightly scraping his scalp, and urged him to take more of her.
Lily of the valley coiled around him, reminding him of their first encounter and heating his blood. Drew had dreamed of making love to Lana the first night in the garden. Now that he held her, he couldn’t believe he’d waited this long. Everything about her aroused him, her smell, her taste, those erotic little noises she made.
His free hand slid up her silky thigh.
“Oh,” she responded as if surprised when he explored the opening between her legs.
She was creamy and hot beneath his fingers, the discovery causing a husky groan to lodge in his throat. He gently stroked her pleasure spot, and she bucked against his hand with a strangled cry.
“Oh, Drew.”
He loved the breathy quality of her voice and his name on her lips. When he grinned up at her, she kissed him with a wildness he matched. Their tongues wrestled until the drive to become part of her overwhelmed all else.
“I want to be inside you, Lana.”
“Yes,” she whispered, he
r slender fingers unfastening his breeches. Pushing the front fall down to release him, she ran the backs of her fingers along his hardened length. Waves of lust engulfed him, the intensity sudden and staggering.
“Come here.” He captured her wrist to end the exquisite torture before he shamed himself, and then lifted her to straddle his lap. As she lifted her skirts, he probed her luxurious softness. Positioning himself at her entrance, he clutched her hips and roughly pulled her down on him in one swift movement.
A tiny whimper broke through the blinding haze of lust that gripped him. Lana’s body had resisted his entrance.
He didn’t move, his breathing ragged as he fought the urge to plunge deeper. “Lana?”
She cupped his face with both palms and kissed him tenderly. When she pulled back, her beautiful eyes held his. “Please, don’t stop.” She adjusted her weight and gasped as the change of position sheathed him to the hilt, her nubile body gripping his shaft tightly. He’d never experienced anything as divine, never.
Withdrawing from her only made him desperate to bury himself deep again. A few thrusts sent him soaring. His release hit him like a tidal wave, unexpected and powerful. His breath came in pants and his heart beat a heavy rhythm against his ribs. He hugged Lana close as her body held him snug inside her. He loved the feel of her and the sweet scent of her perfume combined with her own essence.
He caressed her back up to her neck and down again until his world righted itself. Lifting Lana, he placed her across his lap and cradled her against his chest. He kissed her, slowly, tenderly. “Your turn, my little peach.”
He gingerly caressed the curls between her thighs, careful to bring her no more pain. Lana’s head lolled back, a sensual moan escaping her parted lips. Devil take it, she was receptive to his touch. His fingers glided along her luxurious skin, stealing their way inside briefly before withdrawing to stroke her pleasure bud. He did this again and again, slowly at first then gradually increasing speed as her excitement grew. The tensing of her muscles and sudden outpouring of moaning sighs signaled her own moment of satisfaction. How exquisitely pleasurable to observe as she surrendered to ecstasy. Drew’s chest filled with tenderness for his lovely forbidden fruit.
Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel Page 13