“As you can tell,” he said on a low growl, “desire is not the problem. In fact, it’s been killing me trying to stay away from you these past few days. I’ve done my best, but you seem to have a gift for making me forget all my good intentions.”
Bending his head, he took her lips in a kiss that was ravenous and unyielding. With a demanding sweep of his tongue, he plunged into the lush, wet warmth of her mouth, drawing upon her with a sweet suction that made his brain buzz and his hunger spike to feverish heights. Sliding his hands low, he cupped her buttocks and fit her closer, bumping against her in a way that left no doubt as to his needs.
He knew he should set her away, but just as before, he could not, more powerfully intoxicated by her than he’d ever been on liquor or laudanum, even on his most inebriated days. Remembering the satiny slide of her skin and the brazen pleasure of her small, untutored hands moving on him, he craved more, consumed by the need to touch her bare flesh and sheath himself inside her body once again.
Moving with unerring skill, he went to work on the buttons at the back of her gown, opening them one by one by one. He half groaned, half growled at the delay when he parted the sides of her dress to encounter her stays beneath. Forcing himself to go slowly so he didn’t tangle the laces, he loosened each eyelet in turn until the material sagged around her slender frame. Sliding a palm under her chemise, he stroked her naked skin, deepening their kiss with a yearning that was dark and raw and devastating.
Meg shivered, her body engulfed in fire as he played his palms over her spine and back, his kisses leading her toward a rapture from which she knew there could be no return. What little remained of her thinking brain warned her to push him away, to rebuff him as he lately had been rebuffing her. Yet even at further risk to her heart and the complete abasement of her pride, she could not bring herself to deny him, or herself.
I love him, she thought, for good or ill. For always.
Senses sizzling, she gave herself into his keeping, oblivious to everything but the majesty of his touch. A quiver of intense longing pierced her as he arched her over his arm and shoved her bodice down, breaking their kiss to take the tip of one of her breasts in his mouth.
Her eyes slid closed at the enervating pleasure, a low moan keening in her throat. She tried to raise her hands, wanting to cradle his head and sift her fingers through his dark, silky hair, but her sleeves imprisoned her arms at her sides. As if he sensed her dilemma and secretly delighted in it, he tightened his hold. Angling her just so, he raked her with his teeth, then soothed her with his tongue, pausing on occasion to blow a cool stream of air across her nipples that made her tense and twist in his grasp.
An insistent yearning ached between her thighs, begging to be appeased. Yet she refused to be held completely at his mercy. Acting on blind instinct, she moved her hand in search of whatever flesh she could find. The hard width of his muscular thigh came to her first, flexing beneath her wandering fingers as he moaned against her breast. But she wasn’t done. Roaming sideways, she located his shaft, pausing to explore its shape and size as the rampant flesh strained hot and hard against the fabric of his pantaloons. He jerked against her hand as she cupped him, his mouth drawing harder against her breast.
Then suddenly she was being danced backward; one foot, two feet, three, until she was tumbled down onto a waiting chaise. She bounced against the goose down cushions, the short fall driving a bit of the air from her lungs. Cade drove out the rest seconds later, leaving her gasping as he tossed up her skirts and spread her legs wide.
She expected him to take her. Instead he lowered himself to his knees, apparently unhindered by his wounded thigh, and buried his face between her legs. She squirmed as he kissed her where she had never thought a person could be kissed, bucking her hips to be free as his marauding tongue licked and stroked. Reaching up, he caged her hips inside his hands and held her still, compelling her to accept this most intimate of caresses.
With a gliding lick he swirled his tongue around a bit of flesh so sensitive she feared she wouldn’t be able to endure the sensations. The fight went out of her, the pleasure exquisitely, painfully, intense. Helpless, she could only do as Cade and her body commanded, each demanding more in their turn. Angling forward, she pressed herself toward him rather than away, a move in which he seemed to delight as he increased his ministrations. What should have been an embarrassing flood of moisture poured from her womanly core. But again he seemed to approve, lapping at her with an appreciative enjoyment that reminded her of the time she’d watched him eat a sweet, fancy ice at a party. Apparently, she was the dessert this time.
Rolling her head, she buried her face against a throw pillow and let him build her pleasure even higher. Then suddenly, just when she thought she couldn’t stand another moment, he did something with his teeth and tongue that made her scream. She shook, the sound gratefully muffled against the mass of feathers and silk.
Before she had any chance to recover, he lifted his head and dragged her ruthlessly forward so her bottom was balanced on the edge of the chaise. Only dimly aware of his movements, she watched in a daze as he unfastened his falls with impatient hands, shoving the cloth aside to free his eager shaft. Then he was plunging into her, seating himself to the hilt with a pair of solid, forceful thrusts.
This time there was no pain, only a wonderful sense of fullness, a tantalizing stretching that made her want more. Sliding his palms under her legs and bottom, he held her wide for his penetration, pumping into her with long, steady strokes, punctuated by shallower ones that turned her wild. Leaning up, she curled a hand behind his head and bent him down for a rapacious kiss whose fierceness surprised even her. Taking her mouth with an almost savage hunger, he thrust harder, pushing even deeper inside her.
She came on a stunning, shuddering peak, ecstasy filling her in a glorious surge that was shining and shimmering and bright. She rode the wave while Cade claimed his own release, his fists clenched into the cushions on both sides of her head as he shook.
They lay there panting and replete in the aftermath, their flesh still joined as he dropped gentle, lingering kisses on her mouth, cheeks, and temples. Skimming back her tousled hair, Cade buried his lips against her neck and breathed in the honeyed fragrance of her skin. He smiled and nuzzled her, not ready yet for them to part.
In fact, he was already half hard again just thinking about how much she had pleased him. With very little effort, he knew he could easily take her again. Sliding his palms over her thighs, he was toying with the idea of encouraging her to hook her ankles over his shoulders this time when he heard a faint sound. Voices in the hallway. Familiar, feminine voices that were moving slowly his way.
“Christ!” he cursed, springing to his feet in a move that caused a jolt of pain to spear through his leg. Ignoring the discomfort, he yanked his pantaloons into place and fastened a pair of buttons, then pulled Meg up and after him. Her eyes were wide as she clutched her loosened dress and stays to her chest in a desperate attempt to keep herself at least partly clothed. Hurrying her forward, he pulled her across to the far wall.
“Cade, what are you doing?” she whispered.
“Saving us both a great deal of embarrassment.”
Tapping a fist hard against a spot just above the gleaming blue chair rail that ran the length of the room, he hoped he was in time. A hidden panel in the wall creaked open and he dragged Meg through. He sealed it behind them only seconds before the main door to the drawing room was pushed wide, the voices of his mother and sister becoming audible as they entered the room.
“…and that’s when Daphne Throckly told me not to eat the oysters,” said Mallory, her voice muffled as it passed through the wall.
Swathed in an almost stygian darkness, Cade held Meg inside his arms, his back braced against the unfinished wood that lined the passageway. With one small fist curled into the fabric of her sagging bodice, she leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Well, I am only relieved neither of us
consumed any of the shellfish,” the dowager remarked from the other side of the panel. “Poor Lucinda Pettigrew will have a dreadful time living this down. I’m sure the dear woman had no idea her oysters had gone off. In all my years, I cannot recall ever seeing quite so many people become ill at the same time.”
“It was a remarkable sight,” Mallory agreed with a tinge of horrified amazement. “I was going to tell Meg how glad she should be that she stayed home, but she isn’t here. Obviously Croft was mistaken in thinking she was still in the drawing room. Mayhap she has retired to her room to rest because of her headache. Should I check on her, do you think?”
Meg stiffened in his hold and made a small sound. Stroking a reassuring palm over her back, he pressed a kiss to her temple to urge her silence. She settled her forehead against his cravat and quieted.
“If she took to her bed, she must be sleeping,” Ava said. “If she’s anything like your grandmother when she had one of her megrims, I expect you would do well not to wake her for a while yet.”
Mallory paused. “Yes, you’re right, of course. Truth be told, I could do with a nap myself.”
“And I wouldn’t mind a warm bath.”
Moments later the room grew quiet as the pair departed. Cade stood with Meg, neither speaking as they waited to make certain they were alone again.
“What shall I do if Mallory changes her mind and decides to check on me, after all?” she whispered.
“Tell her you went outside to read and didn’t hear her and Mama arrive home.”
She paused for a moment in consideration. “That might work, I guess. I suppose you have a lot of experience at this sort of thing.”
“At what?” he inquired, humour in his voice. “Hiding in the passageways after a bout of passionate lovemaking?”
“Yes.”
“No. At least never here at home.” Before she had a chance to question him further, he bent to claim her mouth, locating her sweet lips with unerring precision despite the darkness. Long, long moments later he raised his head and traced his hands over the lithe curve of her back, caressing a length of bare skin with his fingertips. “I suppose I ought to help you dress.”
“I suppose you ought,” she agreed. “Do you think it’s safe for us to go back into the drawing room?”
“I wouldn’t, not until we’re both more suitably attired. I believe I can manage by touch alone.”
Meg stood quiescent as he adjusted her stays and tightened the laces, feeling the gentle shiver that ran through her as he fastened her back into her clothes. Once finished, he released her to re-tuck his shirt and check to make sure his falls were buttoned the right way.
“Could we go out through the passageway? Where does this one lead?” she inquired.
“To a guest bedroom, so I don’t think that’s such a good idea, not with the two of us together. Stay here. I’ll go first.”
Listening again, he waited a moment more before popping open the false doorway. Stepping through, he glanced around before signalling for Meg. “It’s clear.”
She emerged, blinking against the afternoon light. “How do I look?” she asked as she walked forward.
Thoroughly ravished, he thought, her eyes extremely blue in her flushed face, her lips swollen and rouged with colour. “Beautiful,” he said with complete sincerity. Reaching out, he smoothed a few escaped tendrils of pale hair. “Hurry on to your room and no one will ever know you weren’t there this entire time.”
“All right.”
But instead of leaving, she hesitated, looking a little lost of a sudden. A glance at the doorway showed it was empty. Stepping close, he gathered her to him for a quick, hard kiss. “Go on,” he commanded. “I’ll see you later.”
Eyes shining an even brighter blue, she nodded. Whirling, she raced from the room. A long minute passed before he followed.
CHAPTER 18
“If there’s naught else, miss, I’ll be off to bed now.”
“Oh, yes, do go on. Good night and sleep well,” Meg told her maid. Having received permission to retire, the young woman dipped her knees in a respectful curtsey and departed.
Meg crossed to her bed, took off the ecru silk robe that matched her nightgown, then climbed in. With a sigh, she relaxed against the soft sheets and plump feather pillows, then let her mind drift.
After leaving Cade that afternoon, she’d gone straight to her bedchamber, grateful not to encounter Mallory or the dowager along the way. Once inside the room, she’d taken the pins from her hair, stripped off her gown, and lay down on the bed in her stays and chemise, her body still aglow from the intense pleasure of Cade’s lovemaking. She’d closed her eyes with thoughts and emotions ebbing through her like an unrelenting tide.
To her great surprise, she’d awakened more than two hours later to a soft tapping at the door. Mallory slipped inside a moment later to check on her and share news of the garden party, the details of which Meg was compelled to pretend she knew nothing about. Her friend also wanted to know if she felt well enough to attend the musical evening for which they were promised.
Briefly she had considered the idea of saying no and remaining home, but decided she needed company more than solitude. She also wanted to see Cade and make certain she could be in the same room with him and not turn the colour of a boiled beet, as memories of their torrid afternoon together flickered through her mind. He’d made love to her once before, but not like today.
Somehow she’d muddled through—no one appearing to notice anything untoward, despite the looks that must surely have passed between her and Cade when he arrived to escort all of them out for the evening. Then again, to his family and the rest of the world, they were an engaged couple, so a few warm, lingering looks were only to be expected.
The evening had passed at a slow drip, her earlier malady giving her the perfect excuse for a few moments of inattentiveness here and there. Then finally it was time to come home, Cade large and silent where he sat across from her in the coach. He bid her a pleasant good-night at the top of the stairs, much as he always did, then strode away in the direction of his rooms.
Now, as she lay in bed, her brows drew together at the remembrance. But this time she refused to dwell on all the permutations and possibilities of Cade’s enigmatic behaviour. Her heart, she decided, couldn’t take the speculation. Leaning over, she blew out her bedside candle, then settled back to sleep.
She was drifting off when a creaking sound in the far wall brought her eyelids open. Light from a candle created a gentle amber glow as Cade came through the open panel. He shut it behind him, then approached the bed.
For a long moment he said nothing, shadows flickering over the hard planes of his face as he met her eyes, his tall body garbed in a heavy, black dressing gown, thin leather slippers on his feet. “I shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly.
“Probably not,” she murmured in a velvety whisper.
“I’ll go.”
“If that’s what you want.” She lay there, refusing to invite him this time, but equally incapable of turning him away. As she watched, his gaze roved over her recumbent form, pausing to study her face before tracing the long sweep of her hair where it trailed across her pillow. Her pulse beat a thick rhythm in her throat, yet she stayed still and silent.
Seconds flowed past before he moved, taking three steps forward to set the candlestick he held on the night table. His fingers went to the tie at his waist, freeing the cloth from his body. Laying the garment aside, he revealed his lean-muscled frame, naked and unquestionably aroused.
Tossing back the covers, he joined her between the sheets, heat and hunger radiating from him like a fever. Her lips parted as he leaned over to plunder her mouth, his tongue moving inside for a moist, sultry kiss that made her toes curl and her body weep with desire. Letting her eyelids slide closed, she gave herself over to the magic of his embrace.
But he soon broke their kiss, as though he were compelled to speak, easing his fingers into her hair to cradle her h
ead. “Meg, no matter what happens, I want you to know you’re not to worry.”
Worry?
“You are safe with me.”
Safe? A fist squeezed inside her chest.
“I’ll take care of you. I’ll do what’s—”
She laid her fingers over his lips to stop the last word.
Right.
He’d been about to say right. He was talking about duty. The thought made her go cold.
“Don’t,” she said.
“But—”
“No. I don’t want any promises, not now. Not tonight.” Not ever, if they’re made without love. “Just kiss me.”
“But Meg—”
“Kiss me or I’ll have to make you get out of this bed. And I don’t want to do that.”
His fingers tensed against her cheek. “All right, but it changes nothing.”
It changes everything, she thought, knowing that as long as he didn’t say he did not love her, she could still go on believing there was hope. Even if it was a fool’s dream, she would think what she must, since anything else was intolerable.
He stared into her eyes, clearly warring with the need to say more. But then his expression gentled, his fingers caressing her skin as his thumb moved to graze the full curve of her lower lip in a way that made the breath catch in her lungs.
Without thinking, she slid her tongue forward and licked around the tip of his thumb, sucking against the fleshy digit for a moment before catching it between her teeth in a painless bite.
Hunger flared hot in his eyes, which glittered like a pair of emeralds, while the skin along his jaw grew taut with undisguised need. Yanking his thumb free, he cupped her face between his hands and crushed her mouth to his. She whimpered as he ravished her mouth, meeting the insistent pressure with fervid, frenzied kisses of her own. His tongue thrust and swirled, tangling against hers in languorous strokes that made her quake with longing. Her senses spun in a dizzying maelstrom, intoxicated by his every touch and temptation as he drew her deeper beneath his spell.
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