Wedding Night With the Earl

by Amelia Grey

  Miss Wright had shattered that idea his very first night out.

  But what was he to do when fate kept seeing to it that their paths crossed?

  And now at an orphanage, of all places!

  Fate wasn’t fickle after all. It was a menace, creating trouble for him at every turn, knowing he desired Katherine Wright more than he had ever desired another woman, and knowing that he was no saint.

  Katherine’s beautiful, sparkling green eyes smiled at him as he gazed down into their depths. He breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t frightened or angry with him for forcing her to come with him. Hope flared inside him that maybe she had wanted this time alone with him as much as he’d wanted to be alone with her.

  He caressed her soft cheek with his fingertips, letting them slowly trace the outline of her gorgeous lips. His fingers continued to travel down her face to where the ribbon of her bonnet was tied under her chin. He pulled on the end of it and the bow unraveled. With a steady hand, he untied the sash that held her short velvet cape together, letting it slide off her shoulders, drop to the floor, and pool at the back of her feet.

  The neckline of her pale gray dress was just low enough that he could see the gentle billow of her breasts. How glorious it would be if he could completely disrobe her. But that would be far too foolish. Instead, he reached down and kissed each firm swell, then enjoyed hearing the sharp intake of her breath. Adam lifted his head but kept his face very close to hers. He placed his middle finger at the hollow of her throat and let it rest. There he found the telltale sign of her wildly beating pulse and knew excitement was building inside her, too.

  Dropping his coat and hat to the floor, he moved in close to her. “I want to kiss you,” he said huskily and with more feeling than he thought he was capable of.

  “I want you to,” she answered breathlessly.

  Adam bent his head and nuzzled the warm skin of her cheek, letting his nose travel over to her ear. He inhaled the exhilarating scent of fresh-washed hair and would have loved to rip her bonnet off and push his hands into her shiny auburn tresses. For a moment, he kept his nose buried at her temple and indulged himself in that small fantasy as he breathed deeply, drinking in her tempting womanly fragrance. He then let his lips travel to the crook of her neck as he reached down beside her and searched the area around the doorknob.

  “There’s no key,” he said when he looked up at her. “I can’t lock the door.”

  “Does that bother you?” she asked.

  “I’m thinking about the scandal it would cause if someone came in and caught us in here alone together.”

  A twinkle caught in her eyes. “Would it irreparably damage your reputation if we were, my lord?”

  Adam laughed lightly at her clever answer. He boxed her in by flattening his hands on the door near her shoulders and leaning in so close to her that his legs touched her skirts and his chest grazed her breasts. She was just too tempting to resist.

  “My reputation was ruined long before I met you, Miss Wright who is so wrong for me. You are still an innocent. You are the one I’m worried about and you know it.”

  Amusement twitched the corners of her lips and she relaxed more fully against the door. “That is so. Still, I will do my best to protect you from anyone who tries to come into this room.”

  He grinned. “You think you’re that strong?”

  She nodded and said with a teasing smile, “But I hope no one puts me to the test.”

  “So do I, Katherine.” A flash of surprise spread across her lovely face. “You don’t mind if I call you Katherine when we are alone as we are now, do you?”

  “No, of course not. Though it would pain my uncles to hear me say it, I rather like not being so formal all the time.”

  “As do I. You can call me Adam.”

  “All right, Adam. Perhaps you’d like to tell me if there is a reason you pulled me into this room.”

  His breath hitched. “Are you trying to tell me you’re tired of waiting and you want me to get on with this and kiss you?”

  “That is exactly what I’m waiting for you to do,” she said softly.

  Slowly, so as not to startle her, he reached down and slid his hand over hers, engulfing it with gentle pressure, and took hold of her cane. “You won’t need this.”

  A wrinkle formed in her brow and her gloved hand clenched around the handle.

  “Let go. You can trust me, Katherine. I will hold you up.”

  She hesitated a second or two longer and then gradually, finger by finger, let go of the cane, but she kept her gaze on it as Adam leaned it against the door beside her.

  Adam knew what it cost her to put her faith in him, and he gave her a tender smile. He lifted her chin with his fingers, bent his head, and slanted his lips over hers in a slow, tender kiss. A very chaste and proper kiss. Then he raised his head and looked into her eyes again. She remained still except for the heavy rise and fall of her chest.

  “Now, that is the proper way I should have kissed you for the first time,” he said.

  Her gaze raked over his like hot coals. “Perhaps for the first time,” she answered, and then moistened her lips. “That was very nice and fatherly, my lord, but I like it better when you kiss me this way.”

  She rose on her toes, wound her arms around his neck, and placed her lips against his in a hard, demanding kiss. Her attempt was awkward at first, but Adam instantly got her meaning and started helping to show her how to kiss. She was letting him know she had no use for his chaste, proper kisses. And that sent a slow spreading of delicious warmth sizzling through him.

  He circled her small waist and pulled her soft, pliant body into his arms, hugging her tightly against him. She felt as good and right in his arms as she had the last time he’d kissed her. No, better, he thought as hot, throbbing desire for her jolted through him.

  Adam accepted her eager kisses with a deep, unfed hunger gnawing at him. Without prompting, she parted her lips and leaned sensually into him. Impatient to taste her sweetness once again, he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, sweeping it from side to side, plundering its depths. Their raspy, uneven breaths mingled and melted together.

  “Oh, yes,” he whispered on a gasping breath. “I like this much better, too.”

  There was no hint of shyness as she surveyed his back and shoulders with her hands, running them down to his waist and back up and over his shoulders again. He liked the feel of her slender feminine arms cupping him and her exploring hands kneading his muscles as she pressed him closer to her with soft, urgent, relentless movement.

  His lips left hers, and he kissed his way down the long sweep of her neck. At the hollow of her throat, his tongue came out and tasted her heated skin before going lower and leaving a trail of moisture down to her cleavage. She moaned in delight and arched her back, giving him better access to her throat and chest.

  Taking full advantage of her generous response, he slid his hand up her midriff to cup her breast. Her pillow-soft swell filled his palm and sent more heat shooting directly to his manhood. He was gentle, slow, giving her time to adjust to his advancement or tell him no. When she acquiesced with a soft moan of pleasure, he let his hand linger on her breast, satisfying them both.

  The fabric of her dress was thin. His fingers searched for her nipple hidden beneath the fabric of her dress and undergarments. With little effort, he located the tight bud and gently tugged on it, making it tighten and grow harder under his gentle touch.

  A tremor shook her body and she gasped again with pleasure. Her soft sounds of enjoyment and passion spurred Adam to go further to pleasing them both. Fondling her breasts helped ease the longing he’d had to enjoy and relish making love to a woman he truly desired. And knowing she was loving all the heady sensations he aroused in her gave him immense satisfaction, too.

  His lips moved back up to hers once again, and she took them hungrily, intensely, just the way a lover should. Their need for each other grew quickly, sharply. Placing his hands on her wais
t, he pressed her gently against the door once again and fitted himself against her soft womanhood, sending heat like a fire scorching through his veins.

  Her gasp was instant and uneven, but she didn’t push him away. Slowly, not wanting to alarm her or rush her, he continued his onslaught of kisses and caresses. Cautiously, he snaked his arm between her and the door and cupped her buttocks in his palm, pressing her even closer and harder to the throbbing member beneath his trousers.

  She gasped with pleasure and thrust her hips to meet his, surrendering her body to him. A burning heat surged through his loins and a longing filled his heart. He knew he’d desired her the moment he saw her, but he’d never expected to want her so desperately that his body trembled with need at her welcoming response to his touch. An eagerness to completely possess her seared inside him, overwhelming him with the need for only her.

  He swallowed down a moan of pleasure. “You don’t know what you are doing me,” he whispered against her lips.

  “I would hope the same thing you are doing to me,” she answered, gulping for breath.

  “It is a powerful aphrodisiac to know that you are feeling what I am.”

  “My senses are reeling, my body is trembling, and I feel as if my skin is melting.”

  He smiled against her lips and kissed her again. He was nearing the end of his endurance. His longing to possess her grew frantic. He was desperate for her, and she was willing. Swiftly, he pulled up her skirt, took hold of her injured leg, and pulled it up. His hand landed on the warmth of her bare thigh between her stocking and drawers, making him grow harder. He pulled up her leg higher, holding it with his hip, and slipped his hand around to her firm, round buttocks. He cupped her cheek and pressed her against his throbbing ache while his lips devoured hers.

  His body tensed and tightened at the gratifying feeling. The sensation was so heavenly, so intoxicating, that Adam wanted to forget all his fears of what could happen and just melt into her.

  Aching with wanting, he let go of her buttocks and moved his hand around to her lower stomach and slowly let his hand slide down and cup her womanhood.

  Her breath quickened. Her chest heaved as a tremor shook her body. Adam trembled, too. She was as aroused as he was.

  But sane reasoning infiltrated his senses and told him he must stop before it was too late.

  There would be no going back. If he took her and satisfied them both right now, he’d have to marry her. Even during his wild days, he’d always been a man of honor. He wouldn’t ruin innocents. And he could easily marry Katherine. Already he felt he was her captive. What he couldn’t do was take the chance he might leave her with a child.

  Slowly, painfully, Adam’s body went still. He sucked in a deep, agonizing breath and laid his forehead on the crest of her shoulder. The hand that bunched her skirt and held her leg squeezed tight as his body fought with his mind. His mind insisting he couldn’t go through with this no matter how desperately he wanted her and his body telling him he must have release now, the consequences be damned.

  “No, don’t stop,” she whispered into his ear, cupping his head to her shoulder.

  As soon as he caught his breath, he rasped, “I didn’t come here to seduce you.”

  “I know. I am not afraid of what we are doing.”

  She was eager for his touch, and that made his wanting her all the more difficult. He raised his head and looked deeply into her eyes. “But I am,” he confessed reluctantly.

  “Why?”

  He couldn’t tell her.

  Her hands continued to soothe his back and shoulders. Her eyes were glazed with passion. “I want to continue. Adam, please.”

  He loved the sound of his name falling so delicately from her lips. The first time he’d kissed Katherine, he’d known she was innately passionate. He desperately wanted to teach her all the ways a man and woman could pleasure each other. But no matter how alluring she was, he couldn’t make her his. The thought of her carrying his child frightened the hell out of him.

  “Believe me, it’s not that I don’t want to finish what I started.”

  “I have no doubts, no reservations, about this.”

  As much as it pained him to say it, he murmured, “I have enough for both of us.”

  “Banish them,” she argued firmly. “I am willing.”

  But he wasn’t. The danger for her was too great.

  Adam had no doubt she meant exactly what she said. It was torture having to disappoint her. She deserved the fulfillment and satisfaction his kisses and caresses were promising. He hadn’t delivered on that. As a man, he had an innate reluctance to leave her wanting and unsatisfied.

  Adam damned his fear, but it was real.

  He understood her raw need for consummation. It wasn’t easy for him, either. Human nature was a difficult thing to fight. He understood her wanting, deserving, total release from him.

  He slowly lowered her leg. “I can’t do this to you.”

  Adam started to say more but sensed her withdrawal from him at that comment and knew that it was best to leave their conversation where it was unless she added more to it. With every dram of willpower he possessed, he dropped her dress and stepped away from her.

  She remained calm, leaning against the door, letting it hold her up. He reached down and grabbed her cape from the floor, then fitted it around her shoulders, securing it with the sash. She watched his hands as he then straightened her bonnet that had been knocked askew and retied the ribbon into a bow. He could tell she was in deep thought, but about what, he didn’t know.

  “Did I not measure up to your expectations?”

  “What?” he spit out on a gasp of surprise. “Of course you did.”

  “Then why did you retreat from me?”

  Adam frowned. “I had to. It had nothing to do with you, Katherine. I made sure you felt my need for you and how much I desired you.”

  “Yet you pushed me away.”

  “No,” he argued. “I did not push you away. It was a struggle to leave your arms. I told you I didn’t come to London to find a wife.”

  “I didn’t ask you to marry me.”

  He grunted a laugh. “It’s a good thing you didn’t.”

  “I know how deeply you loved your wife, and I could never take her place.”

  “Annie.” Adam was ashamed to admit even to himself that since he’d met Katherine, he’d seldom thought about the feelings he’d once had for his wife. “Not making you mine just now has nothing to do with her or how I feel about you. As soon as my work is concluded here in London, I will be leaving.”

  Her eyes searched his face for what seemed like forever before she asked, “How long will that be?”

  “Soon.”

  “Then you had best get busy, Adam, if you plan to teach me to dance before you’re off. That is, if you are still so certain you can do it.”

  Her eyes were clear, strong, and determined. Her tone was frosty, but he didn’t mind. After what just happened between them, he deserved more than her wrath. She was probably being kind considering how she could have been reacting.

  “Is that a challenge, Katherine?”

  She jerked at the fingertips of her woolen gloves and slid off first one hand and then the other. She clasped them together and threw them down to the floor at his feet.

  “Does that answer your question, my lord?”

  In a huge way.

  He had no problem with Katherine throwing down her gloves and issuing him a dare. But did she do so because she felt he had insulted her honor, which was the reason most gentlemen threw down the gauntlet, or was she just referencing the familiar ritual’s meaning? Women didn’t usually fight duels; therefore, he couldn’t take her challenge lightly and further insult her.

  He nodded once. “I’d say this makes the challenge official. I accept.”

  Adam reached down and picked up her gloves and gave them back to her.

  Katherine gave him a satisfied smile. She took the gloves, grabbed her cane, then
turned, opened the door, and walked out without saying another word.

  She hadn’t even looked to see if there was anyone in the corridor before rushing away. Oh yes, despite the smile, she was miffed at him for not following through with what he’d started, no matter his reasons. He didn’t blame her. Only himself and his demons.

  Maybe he should have told her he couldn’t run the risk of getting her with child. That would have caused more questions than he wanted to answer. Causing one beautiful lady’s death was enough. He wasn’t strong enough to deny himself a few of her eager kisses and caresses when the opportunity presented itself, but that was all he could do.

  When he’d pulled her into the room, he had thought only to enjoy a few short, sweet kisses that would move agonizingly slowly over her lips. He should have known that his desire for her was too great and he wouldn’t be able to stop.

  The honey-sweet taste of her still lingered in his mouth. Her surrendering sighs echoed in his ears, and despite all the reasons he knew he shouldn’t see her again, he found himself damn glad he was going to see her again. He wanted to see her throw down that cane and dance before he left town. And oh, he wanted so much more, too, but those were thoughts he had to push to the back of his mind.

  Adam was contemplating where he might find a private place he could teach Katherine to dance when he heard Pharaoh barking and Katherine calling to him.

  Hellfire, that couldn’t be good. He’d left the dog in the carriage with Dixon.

  Chapter 19

  Mischief, thou art afoot.

  —Julius Caesar, act 3, scene 2

  Leaving his coat and hat where they lay on the floor, Adam rushed out of the room, raced down the corridor, and bolted out the front door. He saw Katherine standing on the pavement, calling for Pharaoh to come to her. Dixon, with his short, spindly legs, was running after the Pyrenees, who was dragging his leash, barking like a fiend, and chasing a gray rabbit back and forth across the small expanse of lawn in front of the stately old building.