by Emma Brady
"This is my way of thanking you for taking such good care of me. I know I wasn't the easiest patient to deal with." Alex motioned for the footman to begin bringing out the food.
"I'm the one that put you in the bed; I deserve the punishment."
Alex almost choked, reminding himself that she had no idea what those words could mean. "Still, you showed a great deal of patience with me. I wanted to do something special for you."
"This is unexpected, but thank you."
They locked eyes and the air sizzled with intensity. Rachel cleared her throat, and the moment was gone. The food was served and they spent a few minutes eating in silence.
"I'm glad that your leg is doing so much better."
"I still require the cane, but thankfully they are all the rage now thanks to Thomas."
"He does seem to get around very well considering his sight is gone."
"It wasn't always the case. He had to learn how to do everything over again when he lost it."
"I can't imagine how difficult it would be to start life over after such a tragedy."
"The key to starting over is to fully let go of the past. You can't have both."
"Have you been able to let go?"
Alex paused with his fork in the air and thought about it. He knew that he still held so much bitter resentment about what Deckland had done to him. He knew that if he ever got his hands on the man he would beat him severely. Yet, the man was no longer the sole focus of his thoughts.
"I'm working on it." he finally replied.
As they ate, they talked about all sorts of things. She told him more about her childhood, including the faint memories she still had of her mother. Some of them made her eyes tear up, but she didn't stop telling them. Alex listened intently, barely making a comment. He didn't want something he said to stop her. He wanted to hear as much about her as he could.
On his turn, he told her about life growing up in an aristocratic family. His parents were kind but not as affectionate as he would have liked. They died shortly after he had finished school, and he had come home to care for the estate and his little sister. Daphne was the one who had always been affectionate. He would have done anything for her.
The part of his life with Deckland he avoided. She didn't need to know more details than she already did. It would ruin the mood to talk about tragedy. Before long, they were being served the dessert.
"This meal was divine. Perhaps we should try to steal away the cook." Rachel closed her eyes as she took a bite of the sweet pastry sitting in front of her.
Alex watched as she savored it with slow bites and made tiny moaning noises. He had heard those noises before and his cock grew hard at the memory. It was impossible for him to taste his own plate. He just enjoyed watching her eat it.
"I hope you like your women with a little weight on them, since I might decide to have something like that every night."
"If I got to share it with you, I wouldn't mind. I like a little extra softness when I bed a woman."
That got him another one of those hungry looks from her, and he had to shift for comfort in his chair.
"Are we going to be bedding soon?" she asked softly, licking the sweetness of the pasty from her lips.
"Not yet." He was fighting the temptation to skip the other surprise he had planned and get straight to that part of the evening. "I have another surprise for you. This one involves a bit of walking."
She raised one of those graceful eyebrows at him but didn't argue. She took his arm and allowed him to lead her toward Stanhope's pride and joy. The hedge maze had taken him years to grow and design. Now it was considered one of the best in the country. He often threw garden parties so that London society could view and enjoy it. Lovers were often found to be hidden in the privacy it offered.
Inside the tall shrubbery, Stanhope had placed gas lanterns so that those trying to find their way out would not be doing so in the dark. At the dead ends, he had placed beautiful sculptures or topiaries. That way, one wasn’t disappointed if one got lost. Alex had been in it before, but he let Rachel lead them so she could explore the different delights it offered.
They were quiet as they walked, but he could hear leaves rustling in the wind and fountains bubbling in the distance. He enjoyed the fact that they could just exist with other in the silence. It felt satisfying. Eventually, they reached the center, which had a large water fountain and rosebushes surrounding the clearing.
"You found this easily," Rachel said, taking a seat on one of the benches near the fountain. "Have you been here before?"
"A few times."
He saw the spark of anger in her eyes that she tried to hide. It flared the blood in his veins.
"I have never been here with another woman, though."
That calmed her down and he bit back a chuckle.
"This is a spot made for lovers." Alex sat beside her, getting close but not touching her, not yet.
"Is that what we are?" She looked at him from beneath her lashes, tilting her head away as if to be shy.
"There have been many nights spent together saying we are."
"Can I be both your wife and your lover?"
"You can be anything you want to be with me. Lover, wife, enemy, or friend. I will take anything you are willing to give."
"I'm not sure what that is anymore."
He could see himself reflected in her eyes as they began to water. This was not the moment for tears, so he began to place soft kisses across both her cheeks, hoping to stop the fall of them.
"Alex, I ... I have to tell you ..." Her words were muffled by their kissing, but he pulled away to let her speak. "I just ..."
He saw the fear in her eyes and knew how close she was to giving in. Then she blinked and it was gone.
"I want you, Alex."
That wasn't what he had wanted to hear, but it was enough to make his heart pound and his animal instincts take over.
He pulled her in, crushing her body against his as his mouth explored hers. Their tongues tangled and he found it difficult to think about anything but savoring more. He dropped his cane and his hands were all over her back grasping for the fastening of her gown. Normally it wouldn’t take him so long to undress a woman, but he found his hands were unsteady this time and he couldn’t get to all of them.
“Let me help.” Rachel said.
She turned her back to him so he could see what he was doing better. He missed the taste of her but knew this would be better to get her unclothed. She swept her hair to the side and he began with the fastenings of the dress. With each inch he undid, a little more of her skin would show. It didn’t take long to realize she wore nothing underneath the red silk. Knowing they had sat there all evening, with her being so close to naked made his hard erection grow a little more.
Halfway down her back, Alex got an idea. He plucked one of the crimson roses from the nearest bush and trailed it across her exposed skin. It startled her, but she didn’t move away. Inch by inch, Alex stretched out the moments by going as slowly as he could. He listened to the sound of her breathing as it quickened and felt his own chest moving more rapidly to match. As the soft petals brushed down her spine, she gasped.
Placing the stem of the rose between his teeth, Alex took the next step by slipping his hands under the shoulders of her gown and pushing it off of her body. The fabric made no sound as it pooled at her feet, but Alex heard his own reaction in the form of a groan. Looking at just the backside of her was sweet torture. The way her narrow waist ran down to the rounded buttocks and stretched into her shapely legs was a figure he love to watch. He could have spent hours memorizing each curve, but she turned and gave him a look over her shoulder, one of pure lust and longing, letting him know not to take too long.
She would have expected him to turn her around again, but Alex had something sweeter in mind. Coming up behind her, he pressed in close and placed his head over her shoulder. He could look down from that spot and see her luscious body from the front. The wa
y her breasts were already perked up made it the perfect vantage point. He reached around her, cupping them in his palms. The rose in his mouth tickled her neck and she giggled at first. Then his thumbs began to rub her already hard nipples and the laughter faded.
“Be very still.” Alex told her after taking the rose from his mouth.
He wrapped one arm around her waist, helping to keep her tight against his body. With the other, he brought the rose up to brush across her lips. It only lingered there a moment before beginning the descent down her neck to trail across her collar bone. He could feel she was holding her breath. The flower circled her left breast first, coming close to the peak but then moving away to tease the other one. The petals fluttered as she trembled against him.
“How does it feel?” he asked, placing delicate kisses along the crook of her neck.
“Soft.”
“Soft on soft, my favorite.”
He ran the rose down the length of her trim stomach to the place where her legs met. Her let the flower drop at her feet, reaching between them. He made sure that the other arm was still tight around her waist for good measure, he let his finger begin to explore where her body was already wet and waiting for him. As expected, she jolted forward when he made contact with her sensitive flesh and rubbed her most delicate nub. He kept a tight grip on her body so she didn’t fall down.
He let her rock against him, rubbing along the erection still contained in his clothes as he stroked and stroked her into a climax. He savored the feeling of her shuddering in his arms.
“Can you stand on your own?” Alex whispered in her ear.
“If it means more of that, I will try.”
Alex chuckled. He rushed to remove his own clothing, wanting to be as bare as she was. He wanted to feel as much skin on skin contact as possible. He didn’t want to move away from her, so he pulled and tugged them while still standing. He realized that was a mistake when he tried to pull off his trousers and got his injured leg stuck in them. Suddenly, the world flipped over and he was on his back, his leg throbbing in pain.
“Alex!”
He could feel Rachel falling to her knees beside him but his eyes were closed from the pain. She leaned over him, placing warm hands on his chest and letting her hair fall across his skin.
“Are you all right?”
The throbbing in his leg had lessened now that he no longer had weight on it. As long as he didn’t try to stand, he would be fine. As he realized that meant dampening their sexual activities, Alex sighed. His eyes opened and he saw the look of concern on her face.
“I should have listened to the doctor. I’m afraid I might have ruined the evening.”
Rachel leaned down, kissing him with those sweet lips. His manhood was still hoping for more and twitched against his leg. Rachel noticed.
“Would it hurt you further if we continued with you on your back?”
He pictured her on top of him, riding him with her hair tossed back and could barely manage to answer.
“No.” He croaked, his entire body suddenly tight with anticipation.
She looked him over, most likely trying to figure out how to manage the mechanics of it. She took his hard length in her hands and he felt he might perish from the softness against him. Then she did what he had hoped for and positioned her wet opening above him. It was a tight, wonderful fit.
He watched the way her eyes got big when she stretched around him. He didn’t want to rush so he remained still while she explored the feel of the new position. She became comfortable with it and soon began moving against him. Now he could help by holding her hips and matching her rhythm. Those dark brown eyes locked with his as she rode him harder and faster, finally bring him to his release. He felt her body give in to the pleasure again before collapsing against him. They both lay there panting until they got enough air in their lungs to speak.
"I'm never going to get the scent of roses out of my hair."
Rachel was speaking, but Alex could barely hear what she was saying over the sound of his own pounding heartbeat. The cool grass tickled his shoulders and back while Rachel lay across his chest. They were both bared to the sky, having tossed their clothes aside in the rush of their passion. Above them, the moon was full and glowing, casting a bright light on everything. Alex felt like he was lying in a wonderland of pleasure.
"I don't normally enjoy flowers. I always thought they were too delicate. This might change my mind about them." Rachel said, a languid smile on her face.
"Should we plant roses in our own garden, then?"
"Perhaps one or two bushes wouldn't be a bother."
"I will fetch a gardener in the morning."
The two of them were silent for a few moments, just holding each other and breathing in matching patterns. Alex regretted that they would have to move soon, but they couldn't spend the night in Stanhope’s garden. As they dressed, Rachel was the first one to speak.
"This was a very lovely gesture. I have never been to such a beautiful place."
"Did your mother enjoy flowers?"
"I can't remember. I was very young when my mother passed away. My memories of her are very vague."
"Didn't your father speak about her?"
"Not very often. I think it hurt him to remember her."
Alex had many memories of his parents, but none of them reflected that level of deep affection. He grew up believing that marriage was a companionable arrangement not given to dramatic emotions. His own feelings about his wife were already too deep to match his parents union. He would be wretched if anything happened to her.
"Does she still have family in Spain?"
"I'm not sure. I thought about traveling there when I was younger, but now I worry I might not like the answers I find."
"We could go there one day. You won't have to face the answers alone."
Her hair fell across her shoulder as she looked at him over it and smiled. "I would like that."
The evening hadn't gone as planned, but it had still been a success. She was beginning to warm up to him, and that meant he was getting closer to her true feelings.
CHAPTER 14
RACHEL FELT AT EASE as she stood near the edge of the dancefloor watching Daphne twirl around with another gentleman. Her new sister was starting to come out of her shell and they were taking notice. Perhaps one of the young men would catch her fancy and she would reconsider her ideas about finding marriage.
Around her the ladies she was with were discussing upcoming events. Rachel was only half listening, since she had sent her responses already. It felt nice to be included but her mind was on something else. She was wondering where her husband had gone off to. With his leg injury he couldn’t dance, so he should be lingering in the crowd but she hadn’t seen him for quite some time. When she couldn’t find him, Rachel excused herself to go search for him.
“Still continuing the charade I see.” Lady Harris stepped from the crowd and directly into Rachel’s path.
“What charade is that?” Rachel felt bothered by the women, so she didn’t hide it from her tone.
“Pretending to be one of us, one of the ton. We both know that you are not.”
“I’m married to a peer, so I believe that means I am.”
Lady Harris laughed, making the long earring she wore bob back and forth. She was dressed smartly for a woman her age, fashionable but not garish. Something fitting a woman with influence.
“I have looked into your past. I know what kind of family you come from and if they knew, you would be removed immediately.” The woman raised one eyebrow as a challenge.
That made Rachel feel a chill across her skin. “What did you find out?”
“I know who your father is and what he does for a living.”
That would be a disaster if she told.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“You don’t? You have forgotten the Raven Club so quickly?”
Lady Harris said those words in barely a whisper. So
softly that only Rachel could here. It was enough to have an effect though. Rachel felt her cheeks flush and there would be no more pretending ignorance.
“What do you want?” she asked, knowing the Lady could have said it loudly enough for the entire room to hear but didn’t.
“Nothing as of yet, but I wanted you to know that your success depends on me keeping this a secret. “
“So now I’m indebted to you?”
“Yes. I imagine at some point in the future I will require some assistance. When I do I expect you to give it.”
“What kind of assistance?” Rachel hated playing when she didn’t know the stakes.
“Nothing more unsavory than what your father has done, I imagine but I don’t know exactly. I just like to have people owe me favors.”
Rachel wondered how many other people in the room owed her something. Lady Harris might have been a powerful boss if she had been a man.
“Do we understand each other?” Lady Harris asked.
Rachel was gritting her teeth as she nodded her head. This evening proved that she had become a success in society, so now she had something to lose. Dealing with that shrew would have to come later. For now, she just wanted to find Alex.
He was lingering near the doorway that led out to the gardens. He was already smiling slightly, but when he saw her it lit up into the biggest grin. That reaction made her stomach flutter and she found she couldn’t help but smile back. Without words, he took her hand and led her out of the ballroom.
Outside the air was cooler and there were less people. Especially in the corner that Alex took her to. The anticipation of what might happen, once they were alone made her shiver.
“You seem to have blossomed, my wife.”
Alex came in close enough that their bodies pressed together and the words were whispered hotly in her ear. She inhaled the masculine scent of him, letting his heat soak through both their clothes. She was grateful she wore the cool silk gown with the low-rounded neckline, in hopes he might place a few kisses along the exposed skin.