A Matter of Sin

by Jess Michaels

  His laugh grew louder and richer with real amusement. “Ah, the lady gives a compliment. That will obtain you your every desire if you keep this up.”

  “Oh, that sounds very promising.” Isabel shot him a quick look and a smile before she said, “Truly, though, I do want to know your thoughts on the book. I assume you’ve looked at it since I returned it to the library that night.”

  He nodded. “I admit I glanced through it, hoping to discover which parts had aroused you most.”

  She blushed and kept her eyes on the pages before her.

  “And I think,” he continued, “that it was written by a person, a lady, who wishes to shock the ton and knows exactly how to do it.”

  She glanced at him, surprised. “So you think it is truly written by a woman of rank?”

  He shrugged. “Perhaps not, but the author’s point of view is decidedly feminine and the language is of someone highly educated. So it follows that she may be exactly what she claims.”

  Together, they looked at the book again. Isabel turned the pages to the middle of the book and stumbled upon a section called “Sin in Another Language” that contained erotic pictures from other countries. The one on this particular page was of an Indian woman, dressed in beautiful robes, her breasts bared and one leg lifted high against her body as a man took her from behind.

  “It is stimulating, whoever wrote it,” Seth added, his voice a bit more gravelly.

  He stroked his fingers through her hair, pulling down what was left of her earlier style and combing the auburn locks around her back and her shoulders gently.

  “But in all my research of your delightful little book—” he whispered.

  She laughed. “Technically, your delightful little book. I stole it, if you recall.”

  He smiled. “In all my research of my book, I never struck upon the spot where you might have read. You are a very tidy reader—there was not a bent page or broken spine left behind as a clue.”

  She smiled, though her heart was beginning to quicken with anticipation. “I have never misused my books, no.”

  “Normally an admirable quality, but not when an investigation is taking place.” He shook his head. “So I am forced to interrogate you directly: Where did you read, Isabel?”

  Isabel shifted as she stared down at the erotic picture on the page before her a second time.

  When she had been silent a moment too long, Seth whispered, “I told you before that I wanted to use this volume as a guide to your pleasure. Help me to do so.”

  Isabel tensed. Seth was offering her permission to do and have done to her everything she had ever dreamed of in her lonely bed.

  And why not? She was here, wasn’t she? This affair was happening. And since it might very well be the only one she ever indulged in, she had to make it perfect or else she might regret what she hadn’t done later.

  Her hands shook as she turned the book back to an earlier chapter. “Oral Explorations” was written as the title in scrolling letters.

  “This,” she admitted softly as she pointed to the page without looking at it. “I read this.”

  Seth’s eyes widened. “I see. And have you any experience with such a thing?”

  She hesitated. “I-it seems wrong to speak to you about the kind of lover my husband was. As if you’ll judge him…or—or me when you hear the details.”

  Seth nodded and his face was serious. “I understand. I never wished to force you to betray a man you loved and married. I won’t ask you about your past again.”

  She nodded, happy she wouldn’t have to admit that Hartley had never done such a sinful thing as the one she now asked for. That she hadn’t even imagined wishing for such a thing until after his death.

  “Roll over,” Seth whispered as he slipped the book from her fingers and placed it on the side table.

  Isabel did so, settling her back against the pillows as she tried to calm her racing heart. Was this truly about to happen? Would Seth really put his mouth on her in such an intimate place? Would she even like such a thing?

  “Breathe,” he whispered as he pressed a brief, warm kiss to her lips. “And allow me to grant you this desire.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded, surrendering herself to him as his mouth glided down the apex of her body with aching slowness. He seemed determined to taste every inch of her as he nuzzled her neck, stroked his tongue over her chest and then settled his mouth over her breast for the second time that night.

  She couldn’t believe the sensations that intimate kiss inspired. The release she had experienced earlier with his lovemaking immediately rushed back to her, bringing her to the edge of ultimate pleasure. He wasn’t even touching her sex and she felt like she could explode as he licked her nipple with long, languid strokes of his rough tongue.

  She moaned softly and turned her head on the pillow as he shifted to the opposite breast.

  “You are the most responsive woman,” he murmured against her skin. “I wonder if there is anything in that book about how much a man can torment a woman with his touch? How long he can keep her right on the edge of release without allowing her pleasure?”

  Isabel’s eyes came open at the idea of such a thing, and she found Seth looking up her body at her with a wicked smile.

  “Perhaps the next time we’re together, eh?” he asked, and then he returned his mouth to her skin and continued his slow voyage down her shaking body.

  He sucked gently as his mouth moved over the pale flesh of her flat belly. He even dipped his tongue briefly into her belly button. Her hips arched like they would have if he had done the same to her sheath.

  Lower and lower he glided, tasting her like she was a feast for a starving man, taking his time almost as if he had the rest of their lives to explore her and wanted to take full advantage of every moment.

  They both knew that was far from true, but in that stolen moment, Isabel could almost forget and see being like this forever.

  But finally he pushed her legs open a fraction and settled between them, his face just inches from her wet and ready sex.

  She squeezed her eyes shut as she awaited the moment and he made her wait, dragging out the seconds by blowing hot gusts of breath against her sensitive flesh. She twitched each time he did so, reacting violently to the bursts of pleasure that resulted from that action.

  Finally, gently, he peeled her open and revealed her fully to him. She opened her eyes, watching as he examined her. All the humor, all the teasing they had engaged in earlier was gone. It seemed like he had changed, for the man who was looking at her, the one whose warm hands were resting against her thighs, holding her open for examination…this man was a dangerous predator and she was his prey. This man would torment and toy with her all night if he chose to do so and she would be at his utter mercy.

  Even now she begged. “Seth,” she whispered, and her voice cracked.

  He glanced up at her, meeting her eyes. He held her gaze for what seemed like forever, then smiled and lowered his mouth to her.

  Isabel’s blood burned as he dragged his tongue over her sex from one end to the other in a languid, lazy stroke. Over and over, he licked her, using just the right level of pressure against her tingling flesh.

  She stifled a deep groan of pleasure. Great God, she had been right to ask for this act. It was the most intensely pleasurable thing she had ever experienced.

  She fisted her fingers against the sheets, swallowing her mewls and moans of wanton delight. As if he sensed she was holding back, he increased the tempo and pressure of his mouth on her, spearing her sex with one stroke and sucking gently on her sensitive clitoris with the next.

  Isabel began to shake out of control as the wave of pleasure eased toward her. Unlike earlier when she had been hit with it like a thunderbolt, this time it crept and inched, heating her skin, making her legs shake, forcing her to lift her hips wildly as he dragged her into and through an intense orgasm.

  Finally, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out, thras
hing her head against the pillows, tightening her thighs around his shoulders as he drew more and more passion and release from her. When she thought she could give no more, he took it until she was weak against the pillows, her tremors fading until they were only the occasional burst of flickering pleasure.

  He pressed one last warm kiss to her flesh and then slid up the bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down until his lips met hers. He tasted sweet and salty, and she realized with a start that it was her flavor on his lips. He deepened the kiss and she relaxed, drowning in the lazy arousal he brought forth in her yet again.

  But instead of taking her, instead of plunging into her body or asking her to fulfill one of his fantasies because he had done the same for her, he drew back. His gaze was intense on her as he smiled.

  “We should go back,” he whispered.

  She blinked, uncertain she had heard him correctly.

  “Why?” she asked before she thought of the consequences and implications of that question. It revealed far too much to him about her feelings.

  He brushed hair away from her cheek with the back of his hand. “Because it is after two. And while I cannot complain at all about the hour or why we are away so late, I wouldn’t want to utterly exhaust you on our first night together. Nor would I wish to make the others suspicious when we both come to breakfast with bleary eyes tomorrow morning.”

  Isabel froze at that thought. If anyone ever knew what she had done…

  “I suppose you’re right,” she whispered with reluctance as she struggled to sit up.

  She looked around. Her clothing was scattered all over the floor where it had been tossed during the heat of their passion. As she slung her legs over the edge of the bed, she blushed.

  Slowly, she bent to pick up her gown. The blue muslin had never been her favorite, but she realized, as she held it before her, that every time she wore it from now until it was shredded and unwearable, she would think of tonight.

  “Do you need assistance?” Seth asked from behind her.

  She turned and saw he had already pulled his trousers back around his waist and was fastening them. She found she was disappointed that he was half-dressed. That meant the night was truly over.

  “Isabel?” he asked with a quirk of a smile.

  She shook her head. “No, I should be able to manage. My gown fastenings are in the front, if you recall.”

  He took a seat perched on the armrest of one of the chairs set by the fire across the room. “Ah yes, how could I forget such a delightful detail?”

  Isabel slipped her chemise over her head and then looked at him as she began to step into her drawers. He was still watching her and had made no move to finish putting his clothes on.

  “What are you doing?” she asked with a blush.

  “I am being a complete libertine and watching you dress,” he said, his voice rough. “I find it is quite pleasurable.”

  Isabel glanced down. His erection was outlined against his breeches. She shivered at the sight.

  “You do appear uncomfortable, my lord,” she said softly. “Perhaps I shouldn’t go after all.”

  He shut his eyes briefly, and the desire on his face was patently clear.

  “Such temptation. But no. We must part, no matter how little I wish for it. But I swear that I shall save all my desire, all my passion, for our next meeting.”

  Isabel blinked. Their next meeting. She hadn’t been certain he would desire one, but her heart soared at the thought that this night would be repeated.

  “I-I look forward to that,” she whispered, then put her mind to slipping into her gown.

  Facing him fully, she made a slow show of buttoning her dress.

  “Minx,” he growled when she finished, his expression sensual and rather dangerous.

  Isabel laughed and took the arm he offered. Awareness crackled in the very air around them as she touched him. He led her to the cottage door.

  There he faced her, and the teasing between them faded. Isabel stared as he broke the privacy of their temporary sanctuary by opening the door to the outside. To reality.

  “Thank you for tonight,” Seth whispered as he dropped a kiss to her forehead.

  Isabel could scarcely respond as she looked up at him, reliving all the heated moments they had shared in one passionate burst.

  “Tomorrow,” he whispered. “After the night’s gathering has ended, you will join me here again.”

  She nodded as she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Yes. But if you are going to ‘save’ all your passion for me, then it seems only fair that this time you shall choose something from the book to indulge in during our time together.”

  His eyes went wide at her suggestion, but she didn’t allow him time to respond. Instead she slipped from the cottage and hurried back toward the main house. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt giddy and young and filled with shy and hopeful passion.

  And she never wanted it to end.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Be careful who you share your passions with. An ill-placed word could lead to impossible consequences.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures

  By the next evening, Isabel’s giddy pleasure had faded and all the worries and fears Seth had soothed away with his touch returned in full force. She questioned everything they had shared the night before, from the moral to the social implications. Every time Seth spoke to someone and then glanced her way, she irrationally wondered if he was speaking of his conquest.

  Those worries were certainly not eased by the fact that she hadn’t spoken to him directly all day. He had been busy with various concerns and had made no move to interact with her. Her mind was active with all the things that could mean. None of the options she had struck upon were positive.

  She turned so that she would stop staring at him and found herself face-to-face with a gentleman who, unlike Seth, had made every effort to seek her out during her time in the shire.

  “Why, Sir Gregory,” she said with a friendly smile for the older gentleman who was approaching her with a wide and open expression on his kind face. “I wondered where you were—I had not seen you tonight.”

  Sir Gregory Foxfire gave a flourished bow before he replied, “My invitation to the fete was delivered quite late, my lady. But I could not refuse it, despite the ill-timed arrival. There was too much here to tempt me.”

  He inclined his head toward her and Isabel couldn’t help but blush at the implication that she was at least one reason for his eagerness to attend. Still, even as he flirted with her she felt no stir in her heart, nor in her loins.

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Seth was now speaking to a small group of young ladies who were leaning in toward him like he had hung the moon. She frowned. Clearly she was not on his mind.

  “Well, I am pleased you have come.” She returned her wayward attention to him with a slight smile. “I have enjoyed our conversations.”

  “As have I, my lady.”

  Isabel forced herself to settle into this one. “You’ve lived in this village a good many years, have you not?”

  He nodded. “Oh yes. My father had a little home here, so I visited all my life. I love the simplicity of this place. And now my children love living here as much.”

  “You have children?” she asked.

  The older man smiled and it was clear his feelings toward his offspring were warm indeed. “Two. Adelaide is five and Hugo, seven. Their dear mother departed us two years ago.”

  Isabel nodded with a proper expression of sympathy. She did feel for this man and his young children.

  “I have heard you raised your sisters, did you not?” Sir Gregory asked as he motioned his head toward Serena in the distance. Her sister’s laughter tinkled through the hall, drawing warm smiles from all who heard it. “And a wonderful job you did of it. You are clearly a natural mother figure.”

  Isabel’s smile fell slightly as she realized his implication. That as if by raising her si
sters, she would be more attuned to raising the children of another woman.

  “Thank you,” she said with forced lightness. “I do love my sisters, though I have to wish that circumstances had not forced me to play mama to them.”

  “Of course.” Sir Gregory was serious. “I understand that wish entirely too well myself. But once we are forced into terrible circumstances, we either thrive or falter. It seems you thrived.”

  The pretty compliments and the apparent reasons behind them were beginning to grate on Isabel. She didn’t want to be seen as a martyr who would rise to the occasion. Not by a man courting her, certainly.

  She forced a smile and then looked over the gentleman’s shoulder in the hopes that she could find a means to escape his attention. With relief, she found Grace in the crowd.

  “Oh, I see my friend motioning to me,” she lied. “I must excuse myself, but I hope we will soon speak again.”

  Sir Gregory nodded. “Indeed, my lady.”

  Isabel slipped away with a sigh of relief and made her way to Grace’s side.

  Her friend sipped her drink before she asked, “Is Sir Gregory on the lookout for a new wife and mother to his babes?”

  “Indeed, it seems so.” Isabel sighed. “And apparently I have the characteristics he requires in a new wife.”

  “And what are those exactly?”

  “I raised my sisters and they survived,” Isabel said as she took a glass of her own from the table behind them and sipped from it.

  “Well, if you took on his charges, you might not.” Grace glanced at him. “I have heard his children are little hellions. He cannot keep a governess for more than a week at stretch. A wife cannot escape so easily.”

  Isabel couldn’t help but giggle at her friend’s dry delivery. “Oh, he is a good man, though. And his love for his children is admirable. Only I’m not on the hunt for a good man or to be a replacement mama.”

  “You want a little fun,” Grace suggested.

  With a nod, Isabel said, “Yes, indeed.”

  “And that is why your eyes keep moving in Lord Lyndham’s direction.”

  Isabel froze. She had very purposefully avoided the subject of Seth in her recent conversations with Grace in the hopes that her friend would believe she had lost interest. Apparently not.