Temptation: 3 (Timeless Series)

by Sandy Loyd

  Once he found his voice, he offered a strained, “Kissing’s not a good idea right now.”

  “Why? Don’t you want to kiss me?”

  Parker ignored the hurt in her voice, fighting to rein in his warring emotions. Was she serious? Damn, how could he not want to kiss her again? But she was too tempting, and his need too great.

  He replied honestly, whispering, “Yes. But that’s not the point. If I start, I may not be able to stop.”

  “One kiss.” She kissed his bare chest, the contact shooting white-hot lust straight through his body. “What can it hurt?”

  His manhood responded instantly.

  “I trust you, and a good night kiss will give me a different memory to go to sleep with other than my nightmare.”

  “Penny,” he said a little more firmly, sitting up. “We are not going to kiss. It’s a bad idea.”

  “Please? To make me forget,” she pleaded, bending over him and timidly placing her mouth over his.

  The minute their lips touched, more lust heated Parker’s blood and his tenacious grip on his desires slipped. He knew he should pull away, especially since he still had some semblance of control, but her soft mouth sucked him in farther. Instantly, like a match to dry tinder, need and want burst to life inside his soul, flaming out of control. He could no more stop kissing her than he could stop breathing. Her low moan floated above his head, infiltrating his brain. He fought the impulse to deepen the kiss and returned to some modicum of reality.

  “As much as I love kissing you, we have to stop,” Parker whispered, breaking their contact, reaching deep inside for restraint. He rested his head back on the pillow, bringing her with him in the crook of his arm. When he realized he was still massaging her breast in an unconscious motion, he closed his eyes, willing his hand away from her body, but it wouldn’t budge. He knew he was in serious trouble the minute Penny shook her head and leaned into him, her expressive eyes begging in the moonlit room, clearly telling him she was having none of his rejection.

  “I love kissing you. Please, Parker, don’t stop,” she whispered, her voice as pleading as her eyes.

  He watched in stunned fascination as she lowered her head, brushing her lips over his, using her mouth like a seasoned courtesan, yanking him back into an abyss of desire so hot his blood boiled. He wanted her. The more he kissed her, the more he wanted her. It was like being sucked into a vortex; the harder he fought, the greater its strength. He shook his head, abruptly pulling away. “My God! You kiss like an angel, but we have to stop. Penny,” he ground out, breathing heavily. “This isn’t a good idea. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “I’m enjoying your kisses. Aren’t you enjoying mine?”

  “Yes, but if you continue, I won’t be able to honor my promise to you.”

  “Then I release you from your promise. I trust you and I love kissing you.”

  She kissed him again and again Parker broke away.

  “This will only lead to trouble. I promised Lucas I’d leave you be and I can’t break my word.”

  “We’re no longer on board Lucas’s ship, so that promise no longer holds you. Besides, it’s my decision, not your brother’s, and I’m willing.”

  “I can’t believe this. I must be mad.” He rubbed his hand over his face and stared at the ceiling, praying for divine intervention.

  “Don’t you want me?” she asked, her innocent question more seductive than anything he’d ever heard.

  “Of course I want you, but what about your intended?”

  “This has nothing to do with him,” she stated firmly.

  “Nothing to do with him?” Parker glared at her, totally incensed at the notion. “Penny, he’s your betrothed. You owe him loyalty and fidelity.”

  “I’m not married yet,” Penny hissed, just as incensed. “After we’re married, I’ll be faithful. But until that time, he doesn’t own me. No one does.” When he looked at her as if she had three eyes, she asked, “Why is it men can have countless affairs and no one questions them before marriage?”

  “It’s not the same thing and you know it. We men are animals.”

  “That’s not true,” she said, a quick grin spreading across her face. “Not all men.”

  “You doubt me?” he asked incredulously.

  Penny nodded. “If that were true, then why are you stopping? I want this, Parker. Please. Kiss me,” she whispered, just before her lips found his again. This time, her tentative hands began roaming over his naked upper body, her strokes growing bolder each second. She then undid his trousers and pushed them down, before her hands continued their exploration.

  Her actions did nothing to quell his raging desire. He couldn’t determine if this was heaven or hell because at the moment he experienced a little of both, and he knew he was sinking fast. When her timid fingers brushed over his bulging erection, he almost disgraced himself. Finally, he couldn’t fight both her and his need any longer. Didn’t see any reason to. Once he overcame his internal battle, he kicked out of his restraining pants. He took over as the pursuer, intent on inflaming her as he was inflamed.

  He fought the pleasure, knowing he should go slower. She was an innocent, but the feel of her wandering hands left him with no will to cease his hurried pace and an overwhelming need to possess her—to stop the flames from consuming him. Her lips and hands were everywhere, yanking the same reaction from him. Damn, he hated himself because he was out of control. The only thing he wanted was to be inside of her. That became his driving force.

  His hand caressed lower, grazing her womanhood. She flinched. The movement acted as a bucket of cold water, drenching his desire, yanking him out of an erotic fog and halting his advance.

  “Why are you stopping?” Penny asked, when it became obvious he’d stilled his movements.

  “I can’t do it. You’re an innocent and it’s not right,” Parker was able to get out after closing his eyes and gaining a bit of his control. At that moment, his body screamed for release. God, he had died and gone to hell for trying to seduce an angel. What had he been thinking?

  “No. You can’t quit.”

  “Yes, I can.” He groaned at her insistent voice and offered a self-deprecating laugh. “Don’t ask me why because I’ll never be able to understand it myself.”

  “Oh no, it’s not your decision.” She pulled her nightgown over her head and threw it on the floor. Daringly, she reached for his manhood, holding it in her hand and stroking, watching him the entire time.

  “Penny,” he ground out in a warning tone, covering her hand. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” he whispered, tormented beyond reason.

  “Yes, I do. I’m ridding myself of a nightmare,” Penny the temptress boldly answered, pulling out of his grasp and growing more courageous. As if knowing she held the secret to providing unlimited pleasure in her fingertips and that she controlled it somehow, her strokes became more insistent.

  Flames shot through his veins. His resistance slipped and slid into the night, along with his reasoning. All his thoughts centered on possessing the angel from heaven, unconcerned over spending an eternity in hell for doing so.

  Parker couldn’t bear her touch one additional minute without exploding in her hands and shaming himself. Once again he became the aggressor, pushing her back on the bed and looming above her. But his finesse ended there. His control spent, he had to possess her. Now. That he’d not readied her properly for her first time no longer mattered. In a fluid movement, he pushed inside her, stopping the second he felt her cringe beneath him…felt her maidenhead.

  He lifted up on his forearms.

  “Are you all right?” he asked through clenched teeth, fighting the urge to plunge deeper into her moist depths.

  She smiled. “Now I know what unleashed power feels like,” she whispered, reaching around his neck and pulling him closer for a hot, soul-searing kiss.

  Her words and mouth seduced him beyond his endurance. When the blonde goddess he possessed shifted beneath hi
m, meeting him stroke for stroke, Parker thrust, veering completely out of control. And though he tried, he couldn’t last long enough to give her pleasure. In seconds, he emptied himself inside her with a mind-numbing release before collapsing on top of her, too sated to stir.

  The earth had surely moved and Parker needed a moment to collect himself. He’d never lost control before. Not like that. And worse! The one tempting woman who caused such actions claimed to be betrothed to another man.

  She stretched beneath him. “So, that’s what it’s all about?” Penny whispered, interrupting his thoughts. “While it is nice, it does seem to be missing something.”

  Hearing the hint of disappointment in her voice, Parker couldn’t help laughing. What irony. Damn if the innocent angel didn’t amuse him, extending his nightmare because he was bound and determined to wipe the discontent from her voice. Parker pushed up on his arms, his smiling gaze caught and held hers. “There’s more. You never gave me a chance to show you. Now that my lust has been sated somewhat, I can finish what you started.”

  Her eyebrows rose in question, clearly not understanding. Another chuckle rumbled from his chest and he flashed a seductive grin.

  When Penny bestowed on him her siren’s smile, he responded, instantly filling her once more.

  “What have you done to me? Though my need has been met, I still want. Much more than I should,” he whispered as his mouth sought hers. Unhurriedly, he kissed her, gentling his lips, coaxing her, and drawing out her desire a sip at a time. Again his need spiraled. Parker fought doubly hard to keep a tight rein over his body’s reactions. He blocked the craving to plunge wildly into her warmth and concentrated solely on bringing her to completion.

  She moaned. Her hands and lips caressed. Though an innocent angel, she was a natural at lovemaking. His muscles flexed under her fingertips. He gritted his teeth, fighting the fire her touch ignited. Still, he meant to give her a release this time, so he kept his thrusts slow and drawn out. Relief swamped him when she cried out with force and he could let go as his seed burst forth in one long moment of unadulterated bliss.

  When Parker could move again, he pushed up on his elbows and looked down, noticing tears streaking down her face in the moonlit room.

  Her tears unmanned him. This was entirely his fault. He should never have touched her. He rolled over, taking her with him and not breaking contact, so that she was now on top.

  “Shush, shush. It’s all right,” he said, not hiding the emotion he felt.

  His soft words caused her tears to increase. Parker held her, letting her cry, feeling a knot in the pit of his stomach over what had just happened moments ago. Damn, what was he going to do now?

  “I’m sorry, it got out of control. We shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered once her tears subsided.

  “No. It was the most beautiful experience of my life. You’ll never know how tonight has changed me.” Penny lifted up and he glimpsed the honesty in her eyes. “You’ve given me new memories to take the place of those that leave me cold. Thank you. I’ll always treasure the memory of our lovemaking.”

  Her avowal made him even more uncomfortable. Rolling her over to the side, he pulled out of her and went to the wash closet for a wet cloth. When he returned, in an act of servitude because she humbled him, he wiped away the signs of her virginity. He then climbed back into bed and pulled her to him.

  “Get some sleep, angel,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

  Holding Penny close while she peacefully slept, Parker lay awake, thinking of the beguiling woman he held and wondering about her past. What was she hiding? He no longer believed she was meeting her betrothed. No woman who loved another man would yield to him what she had. So that meant she was probably running from one. Well, she wasn’t running anymore because she was marrying him. He didn’t love her. He wouldn’t allow himself to love any woman again after Lady Margaret, but he craved what they’d shared together. There was no way he could let her go after their mating. Lying there now, no more than two hours after having her, he still wanted her.

  Chapter 12

  “There are several ships sailing to America within days, but two are making other stops along the way and none are making port in Baltimore as Lucas’s ship does,” Markham said, after reading the missive from Jones with news about various ships and their schedules. He nodded as Geoff sat down in front of him. “I’m inclined to wait for Lucas. His ship is scheduled to be back in port in three more weeks.”

  “I thought you wanted to sail right away.”

  “I have my reasons, trust me.”

  “I do trust you.” Geoff stood and paced, impatience radiating from him. “But now that I have your blessing, I’m eager to find her.”

  Markham smiled. “If we sail with Lucas, we can keep our trip confidential. Our partnership is a silent one and he’s not in the habit of taking on passengers. Hopefully Kentworth will overlook his ship. No doubt he’s following our trail to find the lady, so no need to make his job any easier. Besides, waiting on Lucas won’t set us back much and this will work to confuse the earl, especially if we act normally.” When Geoff looked at him with eyebrows raised, he added, “Go about your usual business. Quit hiding out in the house as if waiting for news. Take interest in a few of the ladies around town to throw him off more.”

  “All right.” Geoff nodded, concentration moving to a paperweight situated in the middle of Markham’s dark mahogany desk. “I want to be married as soon as we meet up with her.”

  “I expected as much.” Markham leaned into his chair and regarded his brother. “Are you planning on staying in America?” he asked.

  “That was the original plan.” Geoff smiled. “With your support, we can return home after making a tour of it. She’ll reach her majority a month after I turn twenty-one. By then we’ll be married, and the earl’s power over her will be diminished.”

  Markham sighed. “Somehow, I don’t think it will be that easy. We have to be prepared for his reprisals and make sure he can’t have the marriage annulled somehow. Maybe it would be better to plan an extended stay until well after her birthday and get her with child so an annulment will be completely out of the question.”

  ~~

  “Mrs. Bowers,” Gerald Knightsbridge said to Lytherton Manor’s head housekeeper. Lady Penelope’s loyal staff surely knew much more than they imparted. He’d already spent countless hours riding hundreds of miles to arrive at his ward’s childhood home, all to no avail. His patience had long waned.

  “Do not waste my time.” He added a bit of menace to his voice in an attempt to intimidate the woman in front of him. “Nothing will let me believe you have no knowledge of your daughter Melinda’s whereabouts.” Penelope had to have had help and her maid was also missing. If he found the maid, he’d find his heiress.

  Desperation ruled his actions. His ward had been gone more than a month and time was of the essence. While he still had faith he’d find the bitch, her disappearance filled him with rage.

  “Now, either you tell me or I’ll have no choice but to set you out and let it be known that you stole from the lady. I can assure you, Newgate is not a pleasant place to spend your last years.”

  “You wouldn’t,” Jane Bowers cried, her confident expression crumpling. “You have no cause. I’ve worked here all my life and have always seen the manor well cared for.”

  “That is beside the point,” he said with a sneer, his smile now matching the sinister tone in his voice. “I have no use for thieves. I should’ve fired the lot of you the moment Lady Penelope became my ward. Now talk or I’ll bring you up on charges.”

  Jane cringed in obvious fear as he’d hoped. Her eyes blurred with tears. “Please, my lord, I’ve already told you! I don’t know where the lady went.”

  “That may true, but you do know your daughter’s whereabouts and you will tell me.” His anger erupted. “Now,” he bellowed, pounding the table. He would find her, by God. He’d sail to the ends of the earth for thi
s heiress—his greed and lust demanded it of him. Once he’d gotten his use out of her, both physically and monetarily, she’d be expendable, just like her parents. Little did the couple know they’d signed their death warrants at the same time they’d signed their betrothal agreement. He’d counted heavily on the money she’d bring to the marriage, not to mention the Northumberland mines, property they’d bequeathed to her. Gerald would never let them go.

  Something in his manner must have convinced her he meant his words, because Jane Bowers closed her eyes, letting the tears fall unheeded, before whispering, “Mindy is in America. A farm not far from Baltimore, Maryland. She went to help her sister in her time of need and for a better life than being a servant here in England.”

  “Was that so hard?” His answer was more tears, which became more pronounced when he added, “You’re of no more use to me and I expect you off this property within the hour.”

  “Please, I told you what you wanted.”

  “Yes, and I’m sure you helped her escape. For that, I’ll make certain you won’t find work in any respectable household ever again.”

  “You’re nothing but evil, my lord,” she said, brushing her tears away, her spine stiffening. “I now see why she was so quick to run.”

  Gerald backhanded her, his vicious slap sending her back a step.

  Jane Bowers took a moment to recover, and then she gave a throaty laugh. “You’ll never find her. Even Mindy doesn’t know where she went.” Watching the earl, her scornful laughter increased. “Ah. I see you now ’ave doubts. Good. Try as you might, you’ll never find her, my lord. She hates you.”

  The woman departed the room, her laughter filling the air, fueling Gerald’s rage and mocking him. He had no one to blame but his own lust and stupidity. He’d miscalculated his treatment of her and his actions had the opposite effect of what he’d intended. How had he missed the bitch’s spunk hiding under her cowering, simpering disguise?

  He’d been too hasty in giving her a taste of his needs. But he’d had a hard time resisting her lure. Bloody hell! What an understatement. The girl’s innocence had driven him to distraction. Just thinking about having her under him caused his groin to fill. Slamming his fist on the mantel, he swore. Damn the bitch. She was a curse, bewitching him with her purity.