The Forgotten Duke

by Sophie Barnes

  She brought her face closer to his and he tightened his grip, curling his fingers into her flesh and holding her steady. Yes…this could work…just like one of the pictures she’d seen in his book.

  Heart pounding, she pressed her mouth to his and placed one hand on his shoulder. But when she attempted to settle herself in his lap, he fought her downward progress while kissing her back. “I won’t let ye make a mistake,” he murmured against her lips even as he claimed her mouth with possessive force.

  She tried to run her hand between them, to touch him as she so desperately longed for him to touch her, but he pushed her away every time, fighting off her advances until she was overcome by exhaustion. Falling back on her haunches, she braced herself against the opposite end of the tub and stared at him. “Being with you would never be a mistake, Carlton.”

  His eyes darkened, revealing the need he felt for her too, before returning to their natural shade. “Ye should rest.” And as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he stood, offering her a full view of his glorious body.

  The blatant display made her feel less confident than she had seconds earlier, so she averted her gaze and waited for him to dry off. Instead, she found herself hauled up into his arms as he lifted her out of the tub. Instinctively, she squealed, earning her a chuckle.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “but it’s too late fer modesty now.” He set her on her feet near the fire and reached for a towel. Moving to stand behind her, he draped it over her shoulders, pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck and then disappeared into the bedroom.

  When he returned, he was wearing a shirt and a pair of breeches. “I brought yer nightgown,” he said and promptly dropped the garment over her head.

  Caught off guard, Regina swayed to one side and was happy to feel his steadying hand at her elbow. She yawned. Perhaps he was right after all. Today had been rather taxing and rest would no doubt do them both good. “Will you stay with me,” she asked, the sudden idea of him leaving her sending a new dart of panic straight through her. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

  “Of course, luv.” He helped her push her arms through the sleeves of the nightgown and lower it over her hips before taking the towel away. “We’ll get some rest together.”

  When Regina woke later, she was uncovered, so she pulled the blanket up over her shoulder, rolled onto her side and reached for Carlton. But the space he’d occupied earlier was now cold and vacant, instilling in her a sense of loss that pushed back the comfort she’d found in his arms and reminded her of the horrid experience she’d had on the barge. She recalled Patrick’s men looking their fill, Naughton’s greedy expression, the dreadful weight of the water dragging her down.

  The recollection brought tears to her eyes. So many men had watched her, stared at her, drooled over what had been poorly hidden beneath the thin veil of the dress she’d been given. And they’d imagined… Those men who had bid on her hadn’t reigned in their despicable thoughts. She’d seen it in their eyes, especially in Naughton’s. The things he’d been planning made drowning look like a fine experience.

  “Oh God.”

  How would she ever get past the shame?

  The creaking of floorboards informed her that someone had entered the room. She swallowed and pressed her face into the pillow, hiding her tears. The mattress dipped and a solid hand settled upon her head, the fingers stroking easily over her hair in a way that made her cry harder. “Patrick sold me, Carlton…” She gasped for air between sobs. “He sold me to Naughton who wanted to…to…” She couldn’t make herself say it, the thought of it alone, of what would have happened to her if Carlton hadn’t arrived in time so sickening it made her heave.

  “It’s all right, luv. None of those people will ever harm ye again.” Carlton wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb, then bent to kiss her closed eyelids. “Patrick an’ his crew have been rounded up an’ hauled off to Newgate.”

  “But what about you?” she choked out. “Wha – what will happen to you?”

  “Because of the men I killed?” She nodded so violently that her forehead made contact with his thigh. His hand stroked down over her neck and across her shoulders. “Agh. I’ll be fine. When the magistrate stopped by an hour ago to inquire about the events, I told ’im the truth. As the rational man he is, he accepts that I did what was necessary in order to save the women who’d been taken.”

  “What about Ida? What about the others?”

  “They’re all safe.”

  “And Scarlet?” She clutched at his sleeve as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “She’s safe as well, luv. Philipa’s takin’ care of her.”

  Regina choked down a sob and then managed to say, “You were right about Reynolds. I can’t believe he would be involved with this sort of thing. He always seemed so nice, so amicable and…and decent.”

  “The worst monsters generally do,” he told her grimly, then altered his tone to a brighter one. “I brought ye somethin’ to eat an’ drink. Can ye sit?”

  Regina wasn’t quite ready to do so. She liked the position she was in with the blanket keeping her warm, her head nestled close to Carlton and his hand moving over her body like she was a cat he was petting. But she also knew that she needed to replenish her energy and that the best way to do so was with food. So she pushed the blanket aside just enough to let her scoot up against the pillows until she reclined in a partial sitting position. Light from an oil lamp placed on the dresser cast the room in a warm yellow hue. It allowed Regina to see Carlton’s face and to see the concern that marred his features.

  He held a piece of ham to her mouth and she bit into it with a sudden hunger that was likely brought on by its smoky smell. “Good girl.” The edge of his mouth drew up at one side in what looked like the beginnings of a smile.

  Regina swallowed the morsel, then another and a third before he gave her some wine to drink. When she’d had a few sips he gave her some cheese followed by a plum cut into halves and then some more wine.

  “Thank you.” She held his gaze.

  “Ye’re welcome.” A tumultuous emotion she couldn’t put words to appeared on his face. He moved, as if preparing to stand, but Regina reached out. Her hand closed tightly around his wrist, forcing him to stay.

  “I didn’t like finding you gone.”

  “I wasn’t able to sleep,” he confessed.

  “Another bad dream?”

  He shook his head. “Just a series of unpleasant thoughts.”

  She knew what he meant as she stared up at him, at this man who had killed in order to save her. “Please don’t go.” The words were just a soft whisper, easily ignored. But Carlton didn’t do so. He set the plate and glass aside on the table next to the bed and turned more fully toward her. Her grip on his wrist went slack and she eased back against the pillows. “Don’t leave me alone with mine.”

  Understanding flashed in his eyes and he said nothing further. He just kicked off his shoes and pulled back the covers so he could climb into the bed beside her. He nudged her gently until she turned, then pulled her back against his chest, giving her warmth and that wonderful sense of security only he could provide.

  The rich scent of sandalwood filled her nostrils as she breathed him in. One hand settled on her hip while the other one snuck beneath her, offering her head an extra bit of support. His breath fanned over the back of her neck, heating her insides while his heart beat a steady rhythm that chased all her terrible memories away.

  “There’s still a few hours until mornin’,” he murmured. “Ye should probably try to get some more rest.”

  “Will you sleep as well?”

  “I’m goin’ to try.”

  The low rumble of his voice was remarkably calming. She closed her eyes and attempted to do as he suggested, only to find her thoughts moving back to Patrick, the barge, the young girls who’d been there and the men…those lecherous men with their horrid intentions. And then the water…

  On th
e edge between waking and sleeping, she felt the fear of drowning once more. Her body twitched in response and she gasped.

  A firm hand pressed down into her thigh. “Shhh…Ye’re all right, Regina. Ye’re with me now.”

  The tension in her body eased in response to his soothing tone. Shifting, she turned toward him until she was on her back and was able to reach for his hand. When she opened her eyes to remind herself she was no longer on the barge, she was met by his darker gaze. The light from the oil lamp revealed flecks of gold that anchored her mind and reminded her that she was safe.

  “Carlton.” She spoke his name with as much determination as someone who was hanging off a cliff might use to grasp at a rope.

  “Regina.” He didn’t move but held himself utterly still.

  Her heart beat loud against her breast. Nerves bundled together in her belly. He’d kissed her before, several times in fact, including in the bathtub while they’d both been naked. But nothing had ever come of those kisses. He’d always broken it off before either of them could get carried away.

  Yet she sensed that if they kissed again now there would be no retreat – no going back. He’d surrender and so would she, and then they’d be bound together forever. Because it would show him that she accepted his actions, that what he’d done was all right and that no matter what, she needed him more than she’d ever need anyone else.

  And since this was the absolute truth, there was no choice for her but to do as she wished. So she reached for him with every hope that she had for the future, with every dream she had in her heart, and with all the love that she harbored for this incredible man.

  He didn’t resist, and then his mouth was on hers, his soft lips moving beneath the moustache, just as perfectly as they always did. He kissed her as if she were some distant star that he hoped to capture forever, as if she was everything he’d ever wanted and a dream he hoped to hold on to.

  “Please,” she gasped while meeting his mouth with hunger and longing. “I need you.”

  “Christ, Regina.” He deepened the kiss and pulled her closer. With aching slowness, his hand moved over her thigh, bunching her nightgown a little. “I will not take ye,” he muttered, so low she barely heard him.

  “Not even if I ask you to?”

  His only response was a harder kiss than before, both fierce and possessive – the sort that informed her that she was his. At least for this moment in time. So she wound her arms around his neck and allowed her fingers to brush through his hair while his hand crept over her hip.

  He paused there, for what felt like forever, until finally, blessedly, he decided to tend to her need. A helpless whimper rose from her throat the moment he touched her, carefully, reverently, with hands that must have been kissed by magic.

  “Carlton…”

  “Yes, luv?” His voice was low and sensual. “Do ye not like this?”

  He found a spot that caused light to flash behind her eyes as pleasure shot through her veins. “No. I mean yes.” She clutched at his shirt while sensations that left her in awe rushed through her.

  Grinning like the scoundrel he was, Carlton pressed his mouth to hers once again while she, wanton that she apparently was, gave herself up to his ministrations. But when she reached for the placket of his breeches, he pushed her hands away. “I said I wouldn’t take yer innocence, Regina, and that’s a promise I plan to keep.”

  “But, Carlton. I want to…”

  “No,” he told her firmly. And before she was able to argue further, he caught her wrists with his free hand and pinned them against the bed while continuing to use his other to slake her body’s wild cravings.

  Regina gasped, partly from shock and dismay, but mostly because of the pleasure building inside her. It was more intense than anything else she’d ever known, like flames being stoked into an inferno. And when she cried out his name seconds later while ecstasy claimed her, she knew the experience was one she would cherish forever.

  17

  Propped on his forearm, Carlton watched the woman who slept in his bed. She’d cracked his chest wide open and left him vulnerable to the worst kind of heartache imaginable. He knew this because of how close he’d come to losing her. In that moment of uncertainty, when the balance could have tipped either way, he’d learned what hell really was: a world without Regina in it.

  His heart beat now, slow and steady. It expanded each time her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks, whenever she muttered something in response to the dream she was having, and as she snuggled closer to where he was resting. This innocent woman, so different from him that she might as well be a mythical creature, had walked into the darkness he’d lived in for twenty years and filled it with sunshine.

  Oh, how he wished he could make her his forever.

  He sighed in response to the gnawing ache that was building inside him. If Hedgewick hadn’t done what he’d done, Carlton could have grown up to court her properly, in a glittering ballroom just like she deserved.

  Leaning in, he ignored the tight squeeze of his throat and pressed a kiss to her brow. It wasn’t just his life her father had stolen that day twenty years ago, but hers as well. She could have lived up to her parents’ expectations and married the heir to a dukedom. She could have married him.

  But now…

  He shook his head to rid himself of such a fanciful notion. Eventually, justice would come to call at his door and when it did, he wanted Regina gone.

  In the meantime however, he’d do his best to make sure she never forgot him.

  So he kissed her again, waking her gently with sweet caresses until she reached out and drew him closer. “Good mornin’, luv.” His hand moved between her thighs, giving her all that he could while punishing himself with restraint. The way she responded to him alone, with gasps and moans, was almost enough to make him spend. Hell, his body ached for it in a way it had never ached before.

  But he resisted. Even as he watched her give up control and welcome the onslaught of pleasure.

  Instead, he withdrew his hand and claimed her mouth. He kissed her with every bit of need bursting through him, showing her exactly what he craved without using words and without any added touch. When he finally broke the kiss and stood, she was as breathless as he, her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly swollen.

  Eyes the most perfect shade of sapphire blue gazed back at him in wonder. And then she said the one thing capable of bringing him to his knees. “What about you?”

  “I’ll be fine,” he told her gruffly, his voice like gravel.

  “I don’t think—”

  “There’s no need for further discussion.”

  “But I would like to—”

  “No!” Whatever it was she’d like to do, he didn’t want to hear it. Just the very idea of her touching him as he’d touched her or… “No,” he repeated and turned away, his muscles bunched tight across his shoulders, his hands clenched into a pair of hard fists that would drive the very devil away. He crossed to the parlor and grabbed a half-empty glass of brandy from the night before. Downing the remainder of the liquid, he appreciated the biting effect it had on his tongue and the burn it created in his throat.

  Directing his mind toward Hedgewick, to that moment in time when he’d realized he’d lost his father forever, he felt his arousal ease and abate. Christ, the effect Regina had on him… He glanced over his shoulder and saw she was now in the process of dressing. There was something intimate about that, about watching her pull up her stockings and tie her stays. Perhaps because he’d never watched any other woman do so. The women he’d had in the past had always risen after he’d gone downstairs. They’d taken the money he’d left for them on the nightstand and let themselves out without any words of parting.

  So this was different. Not only because he would never treat Regina like she was a whore, but because it felt like they were already husband and wife.

  He shook himself to banish such a ridiculous notion. But not before he recognized the danger she posed
to his heart. Here was a woman with the power to destroy him in ways no one else would ever be able to do.

  She turned slightly while pushing her arms through the sleeves. The fabric fell easily over her hips and knees until it reached all the way to her toes. Nimbly, she went to work on the fastenings while he, besotted fool that he was, stood mesmerized.

  “I’d like ye with me today,” he said, the words escaping his mouth before his brain was finished processing them.

  Her eyes met his, the surprise there as great as his. What the devil had he just said?

  “Downstairs?” she asked as if needing clarification.

  He nodded, his body apparently choosing to act on its own accord. “Ye’ve been here fer three weeks and until ye receive word from Yates...” He paused when she looked away and mentally kicked himself for his insensitivity. Clearing his throat, he then said, “I think it’s time fer us to risk it, unless ye want to stay up here ferever.”

  “I’d rather not.”

  “Very well then. It’s settled.” Part of his brain warned him not to do this, but he ignored it. After almost losing her yesterday, and after showing her what her body was capable of, the bond that had forged between them was too close for him to consider leaving her upstairs alone all day. He wanted her by his side where he could see her. But there was also the chance of her being recognized, and a selfish part of him wondered if that might not be for the best.

  There was no doubt in his mind that her discovery would bring about certain events – events he no longer had the strength to put into motion himself. Partly because he was loathe to part with her and partly because he didn’t want to see her hurt. But he’d waited twenty years for this chance to seek revenge on behalf of his father and he’d known her less than a month. To dismiss this singular goal for her was something he knew he would live to regret. So he was torn, unable to act, unless the decision to do so was made for him.

  Grimly, he decided that he would let fate lead the way.