The Rake and The Rose (A Rake's Mistake)

by Amelia Clearwater

  She stayed hidden and watched.

  He was muttering to himself and suddenly a “Mew!” came from the front of his desk. “What the-“ he leaned over and saw a white ball of fluff and yellow eyes. “Oh god, Precious what the devil are you doing here?” He glanced around, and not seeing anyone, picked the ball of fur up and set her down on his desk.

  Precious pranced back and forth purring, “Well, you are quite nice. Don’t ever let your owner know I said that.” He scratched Precious on the back watching her spine curve. “Cute little thing.” he chuckled "Hm, wonder if you picked that up from your owner," he shook himself. "None of that. I need to work…now just sit there and you won't get into trouble." The cat curled up and went to sleep on his desk corner.

  Considering that Precious was all right, she left and gathered with the women in the tearoom. Lady Deirdre had arrived and was still in a snit.

  “I suppose, I was rather crass,” she muttered behind her fan.

  “I suppose I could have managed my temper.” Charlotte said in the same tone. That was the apology, they both smiled at each other and Lady Deirdre patted the nearby sofa cushion. “Well, if you can stand up to me, you are good company!” All the women laughed.

  “So, did you find Precious?” Lady Anne asked, “I did! Alexander caught her and she’s in his study.”

  “No! I heard he hates cats!” Lady Jessica was in a peal of laughter. Charlotte shrugged. “Oh, I was telling Lady Deirdre I had just learned how to play a new piece! What do you do?”

  Charlotte shrugged “I have no idea!”

  “Why not try to sing?” Lady Deirdre asked with a raised brow. It’s just us Ladies. If you break the glass we won’t tell!” all of the giggled.

  “Well, I’ve never tried it…”

  “You just feel it in your belly and follow the words! Like this!” Anne got up and sang a very pretty melody, one with a romantic way, and sweet in it’s notes.

  Suddenly, Charlotte felt a little prick in her mind. “I think I remember a song actually.”

  O fare you well, I must be gone

  And leave you for a while.

  But wherever I go, I will return,

  If I go ten thousand miles, my dear, If I go ten thousand miles.

  Ten thousand miles it is so far

  To leave me here alone,

  Whilst I may lie, lament and cry,

  And you will not hear my moan, my dear, And you will not hear my moan.

  The crow that is so black, my dear, Shall change his color white;

  And if ever I prove false to thee,

  The day shall turn to night, my dear,

  The day shall turn to night.

  O don't you see that milk-white dove

  A-sitting on yonder tree, Lamenting for her own true love,

  As I lament for thee, my dear,

  As I lament for thee.

  It came easily and she breathed a sigh, and realized that most of them stood with their mouths agape “What?”

  “Oh my that was lovely! I know that song True Lover’s Farewell!”

  “I am amazed I even knew it…” Charlotte admitted and she blushed. Clapping came from the door and she spun around.

  Alexander hadn’t even wanted the kitten in his office, but now it wouldn’t stop following him! It frolicked around his feet and he all but stepped on it “Damn thing.” Hearing a soft soprano come through the tearoom he didn’t recognize had him following. It shocked him that it had been Charlotte. “Lovely, I did not know you could sing so well.”

  “Neither did I!” she chuckled and saw him tiptoe to not crush Precious “No! Don’t do that, you’ll trip him!” She picked the cat up. Precious purred and cuddled into her embrace and Alexander chuckled again

  “Little scoundrel…”

  “I thought you hated cats.” She whispered glancing at him.

  “You grow to like things…even if you are not used to them. And I guess just because my mother’s cat what a hell spawn, this little thing could be better.”

  Her smile was radiant and Alexander felt a bit startled. He noticed the other women glancing at them with confused looks and he shuffled backwards “Well Ladies, I shall adjourn back to my study for this is no place for a man.” With a laugh, he was gone. As he walked back to his study he could not help but feel pieces of the puzzle come together.

  Charlotte watched him leave and nibbled her bottom lip. When he was gone, she turned back to skeptical glances, and a rather accusatory look from Lady Deidre.

  "Are you two..." Lady Anne was grinning ear to ear.

  "Heavens no! We couldn't! Besides he's very...dear to me." she gulped. Is he only that? The feeling in her belly told her different, the one that clenched whenever he was near, the beating of her pulse quickening with each step.

  She was in serious trouble now.

  Alexander sat in his study staring into a glass of bourbon, his head spun and he gritted his teeth against the pounding headache that came with the thought of Charlotte. It wasn't as if he had a choice in the matter…did he?

  Her words echoed to him, "So don't choose!" But he wanted to choose so badly, he wanted her, with the fire kissed hair, the no nonsense attitude and her sense of kindness. What was he going to do? He had to marry and produce heirs…if that blasted Giselle would stay out of the way and not cause Charlotte heartache, he'd marry her, but then what?

  What if she was a courtesan? He couldn't, shouldn't marry her!

  But that didn't change the fact that looking into the bourbon reminded him of the light reflecting in her dark eyes. And so he brooded and sat and he pondered. He paced, when pondering didn’t do a damn bit of good.

  He desperately tried to blot out the ache from the missing heart she had so obviously stolen, without any knowledge of her successful theft.

  CHAPTER 10

  Charlotte lay awake squirming in her bed, disturbing Precious who grumbled and curled up again before dozing off. Her body was on fire, and she was desperate to put it out.

  She attempted to imagine his hands again, running her hands over her own body, but it didn’t work as it did with him. Thunder cracked outside again and lightning struck the sky. She felt as if she would burst into fire and burn the entire estate.

  She couldn’t stand it!

  Charlotte found him in his study, after wandering the hallways trying to get some exercise so she might be tired, she had gone there as though pulled by a string and some unknown force.

  From the doorway she could see that he sat with a glass in front of him filled with an amber liquid and she timidly walked in, the window was open and she felt the breeze through her chemise tightening her skin.

  “Alex, have you been in here all day?” He jumped and looked up. The stubble on his jaw told her as much.

  “What the devil are you doing up Charlotte?” he waved his hand as if sending a child away. “Go to bed…” He took a drink from the glass and regarded her over the rim, after looking at the swishing liquid.

  “I couldn’t sleep.” She walked closer.

  Alexander watched her, the chemise softly tugging at her frame when the breeze came in, and he remembered when he first saw her in the woods. She was far too tempting to be here, alone…with no one to stop them this time. An absolute hunger was upon him, when he recalled her scent and taste. He eyed her with a raised brow, rubbing his jaw to ease the stiffness in it, as rubbing other parts of his person would not be very polite in feminine company.

  What is she doing here? He was already deciding what to do, and each time he came to a conclusion she would appear like mist and wrap him around her delicate little pinky. “What is it you need?” his voice sounded husky and warm.

  "I told you.” She fiddled with the skirt of her chemise.

  "You couldn't sleep,” he said downing the last of his bourbon in a slow gulp. "And how can I help you with that?" he cocked his head to one side. She saw the glassy look in his gaze and his smile was slow, smoldering and wicked.

  "Ho
w do you think you can help me Alex?" Her voice was low, seductive and he nearly fell out of his chair, when he leaned forward in a trance. He wasn't foxed, but his slightly tipsy state did not help matters when it came to his control.

  A flush went up her throat and across her face. It was quite lovely, and he chuckled. "I think I know what you want Sweetling.” He watched, as she seemed to shiver at the fact that he knew what it was and she did not.

  Indeed he most certainly does. She thought with a grin.

  Charlotte came closer still till she was standing in front of his chair now that he had pushed back. She hadn’t moved, but looked almost as if a ghost had come upon him. Her red hair floating in soft strands about her body as the wind blew in. The moonlight reflected off her black eyes. It made them look bottomless; a man could drown in that gaze.

  He scanned her body with his eyes from the petite jaw, down her torso where soft buds poked through the chemise as if in teasing invitation, across her bare arms, and back up. It took all his self-control to not lurch forward and snatch her up. But he realized he was a bit under dressed. His cravat and jacket were off; his shirt loose about his torso and the rest of him laid back. He saw her eyes zone in on the hint of chest from the vee of his neckline. Charlotte’s lips parted as her breath came in short little puffs. Alexander realized he loved that look, and began plotting on how he could keep it.

  She stepped closer and he felt every muscle tense in his body. He could tell she was nervous. Her breathing had kicked up and she eyed him lounging back, his hair mussed up. The glint in his green eyes reminded her of a predator, not one poised for the pounce, but one that preferred to play with it’s catch first.

  She was more than willing to play.

  He moved forward and her flesh goose-pimpled in anticipation. Alexander tugged on her chemise gently so that she stepped forward between his open knees. Her hair blew in the wind again and he swore she was something mythical as it tossed about her body. “You amaze me…” He ground between his teeth the words he feared to let loose.

  “I highly doubt that.” her tone was soft as her skin.

  His hands ran up the length of her body, the fabric feeling confining and irritating to the pads of his fingers and palms. When her eyes closed in enjoyment, he couldn’t help but feel the heat coming off of her skin. "You should not doubt anything I tell you Sweetling." he replied. “I have no reason to lie…”

  “Of course you don’t.”

  Before he even knew what had come over him he was up and had her locked in an embrace, his mouth plundering hers. He was in ecstasy. Charlotte's fingers dove into his hair, stroking and tugging enticingly.

  Alexander slid his hands up her chemise and toyed with her thighs, and her waist, hips and belly. Feeling each tremor of need before he ran his fingers through the patch of curls between her thighs after slipping his fingers into her drawers. The scent was intoxicating and he had hardly done all the things he wanted. Before he even had an idea of what had overcome either of them…most importantly himself. He had her picked up and twined her legs about his waist, unwilling to release the kiss for fear of rebuilding the dam that had broke.

  Charlotte was faintly aware that they were moving. He relinquished her mouth in favor of her shoulder, as he looked where he was going. When her teeth nipped the juncture between his neck and shoulder through the shirt, he bit back a groan. His arms had welded her upper body closer to his. She tightened her legs about his waist and it happened again, that shudder that ripped through the muscle and sinew of his form and back.

  The scent of him, male and musk and hints of the scent she knew as purely Alex. She ran her tongue along his throat earning a yank against the curls of her hair gentle but sure, just as she expected…He tasted of that earthy and dark taste, like rich Indian tea steeped with just a bit of tangy salty bite and a sting of alcohol on his lips.

  "You taste wonderful." she purred low in her throat and felt his body constrict as he groaned. How glorious! Can I make it happen again?

  Despite feeling so wanton, her entire being hummed where his hands and body touched her and the throbbing between her thighs seemed eased when she rocked her hips against his tensed abdomen feeling the fabric become damp and warm. Before she could register what the action would receive in response, she was pressed against the hallway wall, his hips pinning her body to it letting his arms and hands free to roam.

  “Had I known you wanted your reward so eagerly, I’d have just laid you upon my desk.” Alexander’s voice sounded so different like this. He never spoke like this to anyone…just to her. Just for me…I cause this.

  A primal thrill went through her when his hands rubbed up and down her body, fettering against the clothing. It made it all the more tantalizing, the rub of linen and the contrast from the chill spring air-cooled fabric and his hot hands. It was enough to make her go mad. “Alex…I’m burning up…” she gasped and her eyes shut against the burning aches that ran through her flesh.

  The low laugh made her tremble "I can’t do exactly what I want…yet. But I think I can make it so you only think of me.” With that his fingers darted between her thighs and stroked the damp curls between. He locked his mouth with hers swallowing her gasps.

  If you only knew that was already the case Alex…

  Alexander’s mind was a whirl of physical pleasure. Her soft body latched onto him, her skin cool and supple, and her hair… He delved a hand into the mass of flame he loved, as the other gently prodded her below feeling her body open for his exploring fingers.

  “To think I first cursed the day you appeared at first,” he groaned out dragging his teeth along her bared jaw gently while pressing his index finger into her body. Her reaction was to sink her sharp little teeth into his neck to stifle the moan in her throat. He didn’t know which he enjoyed more.

  “To think I wanted you to leave as soon as possible…” the thought made his heart feel as if it would explode, and he pressed his chest to her body claiming her mouth in an unyielding kiss of possession, with a few more strong presses against a spot that stood out to his finger tips, and one circular movement of his palm against the nerve that cried for attention. She trembled and broke into a wave of shudders.

  “You can’t leave now…No, I won’t allow it,” He growled against her lips, when he felt her yield it made it all the more sweeter

  "Alex?" she sounded panicked, her soft skin pink and aroused as he finally got her to where she needed to be.

  She felt his fingers delve no deeper than needed, but her body clutched at the two and relaxed around them. The sensations frightened her, as she felt her body tremble before that near painful rush of release hit her, and then…relaxation. She melted like wax to an open flame.

  "Oh, Alexander." she mumbled into his neck kissing the soft bite mark there.

  “My Sweetling. Seeing that rat claw at you was too much. You cannot do that to me, ever again. Do you understand?" His voice was strained and quiet, as if saying it too loud would shatter his restraint. He held her head still by her hair, his other fingers caught with her body’s embrace.

  "Yes." it was a hint of a whisper, her heart swelling with the tender gaze he gave her

  "You're mine. Understand?” When she nodded unable to form words it seemed he kept his gaze locked on hers before licking his fingers clean. She nearly passed out at the sight. He cupped her face in his hands tracing his thumbs along her lips moist and swollen from his kiss. Charlotte's half lidded eyes shone with appreciation and relaxation, but she wanted more.

  No she needed more.

  "Good Sweetling." He seemed to regard her in a haze and rocked his body between her thighs causing lightning to shoot down her spine

  "What…” her eyes widened at the feeling but he kept going.

  "I'm going to take you to my rooms…" He murmured hotly into her ear. She shivered "I'm going to lay you on my bed-" His hands clutched possessively at her and Charlotte squirmed closer. "And I'm going to kiss-" he cut off what h
e was about to say and she let out a mewling protest against his jaw.

  Kiss what! She mentally snarled.

  The sound of footsteps shocked him from his observation of such a beautiful sight and his seduction. He held her closer and bolted down the hall in quick strides, opened her door and shut it behind them. “Shhh.” Her panting against him made his entire body throb. Through heavy breathing he managed to say what he needed to, “Easy, Sweetling.” He set her on the bed and went through the door that connected his rooms to her's. And exited his own bedroom doors. He saw Giselle with a candle “May I help you, Aunt?”

  She looked suspicious “No, I just thought I heard someone up…”