With a laugh, he brought her down on top of him. She straddled his hips and sat up on him. Trailing her nails down his chest, she smiled at his little hiss.
“Now what?”
His smile set her heart pounding. “Do whatever you like.”
“Oh, I like this,” she said, bending over to swipe her tongue across his nipple.
“What else do you like?”
“There is just so much to like.” She kissed her way across his chest and down his muscled stomach. Reaching his shaft, she wrapped her hand around it and slid her hand down. “Do you like that?”
He groaned in reply.
“What about this?” Gently, she circled the top of his cock with her tongue.
“Far too much,” he whispered, clutching her hair.
“Then you must like this.” She brought him fully into her mouth.
He bucked under her as he groaned. The sensual feel of him in her mouth made her moan. She felt powerful and in control as she slid him in and out.
Suddenly he dragged her back up on top of him. His eyes were almost completely green and filled with a burning desire.
“Ride me, Victoria.” When she didn’t reply or move, he added, “Slide me inside you and it’s just like riding a horse.”
Feeling his hardness at her opening, she glided down on him then stopped. With him fully inside her, she smiled down at him.
“I have never ridden a horse before.”
He groaned and lifted her hips, showing her what she instinctively knew. She removed his hands from her hips and brought them to his sides. She wanted to be in control this time. She wanted to drive him mad with longing until he reached his peak.
Anthony watched her face as she rode him hard. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed making love with a woman as much as he did with her. She was sensual, playful, and definitely not shy. He wanted this to last for hours but the pull of desire was sending him quickly higher.
Her breathing became fast and shallow as she moaned in pleasure. He couldn’t let go yet. He wanted to watch her face when she came, see the passion.
“Somerton,” she moaned as she increased her tempo.
Watching her eyes close and her mouth open as she tightened around him did him in. He brought her hips down so he filled her completely and let go to the passion riding him. He couldn’t ever remember feeling like this with a woman. Sex had always been just a physical release for him. He’d never wanted more.
He still didn’t want more. But with Victoria, something was different.
And he wasn’t certain he liked the feeling.
Victoria finally returned to the reality that she was lying on top of Somerton’s hard body. His fingers splayed her hair across her back. Under her ear, she could hear the sound of his steady heartbeat. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want this moment to end.
“If we don’t get moving soon, we shall miss the luncheon,” he said in a soft tone.
“Must we?”
“Hmm, I am afraid we must. I have a job to do.”
She lifted her head and stared down at him with a smile. “Have I been distracting you today?”
He brought her lips down to his and kissed her tenderly. “Every day,” he muttered.
“All right,” she mumbled, crawling off him. “Do I have time for a bath?”
He glanced up at the clock on the small table. “No,” he replied with a laugh. “And if we don’t hurry, everyone will wonder why we were so late.”
Victoria glanced around and noticed the time. With a gasp, she gathered her clothing and ran for the linen press. “I can’t believe what time it is!”
Somerton followed behind her, dumped his clothes on a chair and poured water into a basin. As she pulled out her undergarments, he brought a cool cloth to her neck. She stilled as he moved the cloth down her chest, under her breasts and arms and lower to her folds. After washing her, he did the same to his body. As much as she wanted to wash him, she had to get dressed.
She pulled on her undergarments and then turned to him. “Will you please lace my stays?”
“Of course, my lady,” he said, then nipped her shoulder.
She giggled. Once her stays were tied, she slipped the gown over her body.
“That is a perfect color on you,” he said, staring at her pale blue silk gown.
“Thank you.” She watched as he changed into his clothing for the afternoon. The urge to forget the luncheon overcame her as he pulled the linen shirt over his hard chest. She wanted to run her fingers through the smattering of fine hair covering his nipples.
“If you keep looking at me like that we will not make the luncheon,” he said. “And as much as I would love to miss it, I believe Hardy would be suspicious if we both were gone.”
She blinked as heat crossed her cheeks. She’d never been one to gawk at a man before, but with him, she could not seem to help herself. “I agree. We need to be at the luncheon.”
She looked away from the temptation. “Does that mean you agree that we should continue our charade?”
“Yes. We shall attempt to make Hardy believe we are unhappy with each other.”
“Very well.”
When he finished dressing, they walked down to the dining room together. They entered the room to find Hardy staring at them from across the room.
“Someone does not look happy to see us together,” Somerton whispered.
“No, he does not.” Victoria glanced at the table to find her seat. Seeing her place card, she said, “He most likely won’t be pleased with the seating arrangements either.”
“And yet, you do not seem terribly distressed to be sitting near me again.”
“Perhaps I should ignore you.”
After taking their seats, Victoria did her best to pay no attention to the man next to her. But every intake of breath brought the redolence of sandalwood. Every movement he made caused her gaze to slide to him. She had thought that after making love with him her desire would be satisfied. The opposite seemed to be happening.
It was as if she could not get enough of him.
The consequences of her actions would most likely end up being heartache. Deep in her heart, she knew they were not meant to be together. There was far too big a difference in their positions. She was a thief. He was a viscount who would someday become an earl.
If she could only toughen her heart against him.
Once the luncheon ended, she met with Hannah to discuss where to place the decorations for the ball tomorrow night. Excitement filled her as she thought about attending her first ball. She entered the room and sighed.
Footmen stood on ladders attaching white festoons to the ceiling. Lord Farleigh was in the corner of the room, directing more servants on how to tie the tree so it would not fall during the dancing. And Hannah was walking directly toward Victoria.
“Anne, come in and help me!” she said with a friendly smile. She took Victoria’s arm and led her to the far end of the room. “I planned on gaming to be set up here, but I just don’t think there is enough room!”
Victoria glanced around and then walked to a closed door, which led to a small salon. “Why don’t you put the gaming room in here?”
“It’s far too small.”
“But wait,” she said, walking to the end of the salon where another door was shut. “This one opens to the library. Why not set up the tables in both rooms?”
Hannah frowned as she walked through the rooms. “I do wonder if that will put those who want to gamble too far away from the others.”
Victoria laughed. “Since it is mostly men who gamble, I think they would prefer it.”
“You may be right.” She glanced around the two rooms and smiled. “I think this will work.”
Hannah linked arms with her. “Now, how are you and Somerton getting along? You both practically ignored each other during luncheon.”
As much as Victoria would love to have a woman to confide in, she could not tell Hannah everythin
g. “We are arguing more.”
“I had heard that.” Hannah sighed. “Somerton is a hard man, Anne. I do understand why it would be difficult to be his mistress.”
“Yes,” she murmured but was lost in thought. From whom did Hannah hear that she and Somerton had been arguing? Could Somerton have planted that seed?
“Well, not to worry,” Hannah said. “I know just the thing to bring Somerton around.”
“Oh?”
Hannah smiled. “You shall find out later.”
Victoria continued assisting Hannah but could not get that ominous statement out of her mind.
Chapter Nineteen
Anthony waited for Victoria to finish having her hair put up by the maid before they walked down to dinner. His frustration with this assignment was growing with every day that passed. Having found no evidence that Hardy was associated with anyone the least bit suspicious, and no evidence of any notes handed to him, Anthony was starting to believe the information he’d received was incorrect.
Even without evidence, Anthony trusted his intuition. It had saved his life on numerous occasions. And his insight was screaming at him that Hardy was involved. Anthony had spent the afternoon secretly trailing Hardy who had done nothing more than speak with a few gentlemen and read in the library.
So why did Anthony feel there was something wrong?
It couldn’t be jealousy over Victoria. She’d told him how disgusting Hardy was to her.
“How do I look?”
Anthony glanced up from his musing and stared at Victoria. With an emerald green and ivory striped silk gown, her hair up in a loose chignon, and a smile on her face, she looked like a perfect lady.
“Somerton?”
He blinked and smirked. “I apologize.” He rose and walked to her. “I fear my thoughts may have been wondering how long it would take to get you out of that dress.”
She laughed softly. “Already?”
“With you?” He pulled her close and kissed her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of lavender. “Always.”
“I do believe you might be insatiable, my lord.”
The comment struck him cold. He’d never found a woman he didn’t tire of within a few days. It reminded him again about how he’d let his attraction to her distract him from his mission. That had to stop.
He pulled away. “We should go down now.”
She frowned at his cold tone, but he didn’t care. He had been letting her get too close and that had to stop. She was no different than any other self-serving woman. Once this job was completed, he would return her to her home. And never think of her again.
As they walked down the stairs, he wondered who she would sit next to tonight. He assumed it would be him. But as they walked into the dining room, he found out differently.
“Why am I next to Hardy again?” she whispered.
“I do not know.”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“You will sit next to him and attempt to glean some information from him,” he replied harshly.
She turned and glared at him. “What is wrong tonight? Have I done something to anger you?”
“There is nothing wrong,” he answered and then left her to find his own seat. Nothing wrong, he thought again. Everything was wrong.
Hannah sat in the chair next to him. “Are you all right this evening, Somerton? You looked a tad angry.”
“I am fine,” he bit out.
Hannah laughed softly. “Of course you are.” She glanced down the table to where Victoria sat. “You do realize that Hardy wants her.”
“He has made that abundantly clear.”
“Yes, he does like his women thin with blond hair.”
He looked over at her. “So, am I to assume you put her there to see if I would become jealous?”
She shook her head with a smile. “No, I sat her there because I knew you would be jealous.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s so interesting to watch. I have never seen or heard of you being jealous with any other woman.” She sipped her wine. “You certainly were not with me.”
“I am not jealous. I just don’t trust Hardy or any other man here.”
“Hardy is mostly harmless,” she commented.
Anthony wondered at that. Glancing down the table, he noticed Hardy looking down the bodice of Victoria’s dress. She looked dreadfully uncomfortable as she attempted to speak with him about something. Anthony’s fist tightened around his knife.
He was not jealous.
Only bothered that Victoria had to put up with such a disgusting pig sitting next to her. That was all there was to it.
As dinner ended and the ladies retired to the salon for a poetry reading, Anthony sipped his brandy and eyed Hardy. After a few minutes, Hardy excused himself and departed the room. Anthony followed quickly behind him.
He slipped into the secretary’s office when Hardy walked into the study. The same room Anthony had used to overhear Victoria and Hardy. Anthony prayed she would not be so foolish as to meet him again.
He waited in silence, hearing only the sound of Hardy walking around the room. Finally, the door closed again and he could barely hear the sound of a woman’s voice.
“Tomorrow night at the ball,” she said quietly. “And do not even think about bringing that whore with you when you leave.”
Whore? Hardy hadn’t brought anyone to the party.
“I will do as I wish. If she will leave the bastard and come with me, I will take her.”
“He will kill you.” The woman’s voice sounded familiar but the plaster walls distorted her tone so he could not place it.
“Let him try.”
“He is an extremely dangerous man,” the woman stated. “He will kill you without a thought.”
“Not if I kill him first.”
Dammit! Were they talking about him? If Hardy was talking about killing him or anyone else, Anthony had to warn Victoria. She could not be alone with him again.
“Just get what you came for and return to London. Do exactly what the note says to do and nothing else. You will be paid when the job is completed.”
Now, Anthony had no doubts that Hardy was involved. But who was the woman?
The door shut to the study. Anthony slowly opened the door and looked down the hall only to see a flash of silver silk. He ran down the hall but it was empty by the time he got there. Inhaling deeply, he walked to the salon where the women were waiting for the men. He scanned the room and found five women wearing silver or light gray silk gowns.
Any one of them might be involved.
Victoria watched as Anthony glanced around the room. At first, she assumed he was looking for her. But he continued to stare at several of the ladies and didn’t even glance in her direction. Finally, he walked toward her with a frown.
“I need to speak with you,” he said, sitting on the sofa next to her.
“Where?”
“Follow me.” He left the room with her and opened a door to a small room.
She looked around. “The butler’s pantry?”
“I need a room that is private.”
“What is this about?”
“Hardy is definitely involved.” He wanted to pace but the room was far too confining.
“I thought you already knew that,” she replied.
“There is also a woman involved.” He explained the conversation that he’d overheard from the secretary’s office. “Did you notice any of the women wearing silver silk that came in late after the break for brandy?”
“Many of the women did, Somerton. It is common for us to dash to the retiring room before we sit down again. Even I came back late.”
He nodded slowly. “I understand.”
“Thank you, though,” she said softly.
“For what?” he asked with a deep frown marring his handsome face.
She stood on her toes and kissed his lips. “For trusting me.”
“You weren’t wearing silver silk,” he rep
lied in a harsh tone.
Victoria wondered why he seemed to be withdrawing from her again. She had first noticed his reaction in the bedroom. “Are you angry with me?”
“No.” He turned toward the door. “I have a job to do that is all.”
Was that his way of saying she was getting in the way of his mission?
He faced her again. “I will be next to you most of the night. Do not trust Hardy in any manner.”
“Do you think he really might try to kill you?”
“I don’t know. But the woman mentioned something about Hardy taking a woman along with him. They may have been speaking of you.”
A sliver of fear rolled down her back. “You think he might try to kidnap me?”
“I don’t know!” He pounded his fist on the cabinet. “I never should have brought you along with me.”
He was worried about her. No one had ever worried about her before. She walked to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Feeling him tense, she kissed him gently.
He pressed her close and deepened the kiss. As she slowly pulled back, she said, “You will keep me safe, Somerton.”
“I can’t make you any promises.”
Certain he was talking about more than just her safety, she nodded. “I never asked for promises.”
“We need to return before someone notices us missing.”
“Very well.”
They walked back into the salon as three of the ladies finished singing “The Holly and the Ivy.” Victoria took a seat in the back and Somerton stood behind her. She wondered how Hardy was taking Somerton’s protective act.
Sliding a glance toward Hardy, she saw the anger in his eyes. When he noticed her gaze, she looked away as if afraid to be caught eyeing him. Somerton’s hand landed on her shoulder.
Whether that was for Hardy or herself, she did not know. Somerton’s thumb rubbed the spot where her neck met her shoulder. She shivered. Desire flared from just that simple touch.
Finally, after yet another small group of people sang a different carol, Lady Farleigh announced that tea and lemonade were set out in the dining room.
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