Ruined by the Earl (Marriage by Deceit Book 3)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  He hadn’t heard her entire explanation. It was a good one, he was sure. But after he’d heard her say his name, the rest of the words blurred together. She wasn’t upset with him. She was enjoying his company, and she’d just said his name. It was nice to hear her say it in a way friends might speak to each other.

  “Logan?”

  Blinking, he turned his attention back to her. “What?”

  She sighed. “Perhaps it’s getting late. I can teach you another time.”

  She reached for the reticule, but he stopped her. “No, I want to do this. At least, let me get a feel for it.”

  With a nod, she relented. “All right. As I was saying, when you throw the reticule from one hand to another, you should also keep your elbows at your hips. Now, go on.”

  It sounded simple enough. He threw the reticule to his other hand, his gaze following it.

  “You mustn’t look at it,” she kindly admonished. “Stare straight ahead.”

  Since she happened to be standing right in front of him, that would be an easy thing to do. But his gaze didn’t go to her eyes as he was sure she wanted. It went to her lovely breasts which strained against her dress. He recalled touching and kissing those breasts when he’d caught her bathing. Even now, his fingers itched to caress them and to make her nipples harden. A familiar ache settled in his loins, and the male part of him strained against his trousers, insisting he finish what he started yesterday.

  “Logan,” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed, “are you feeling all right?” She went over to him and touched his forehead. “You look flushed.”

  Her touch was his undoing. He dropped the reticule and brought her into his arms. His lips descended on hers, and, thankfully, she didn’t resist him. Instead, she responded to him. There was a bit of hesitation in the response, but it was a response nonetheless, and he was going to take any positive reaction he could get.

  He’d thought of little else but making love to her, and right now, he was so hard, he was actually in pain. No amount of taking care of things on his own had satisfied him. He needed her. He wanted nothing more than to make her his, and he wanted to do that tonight. He just prayed she was finally willing to let him.

  Keeping his mouth on hers, he gently led her to the bed, going as fast as he dared. There was no need for her to realize he had an ulterior motive. At least not until she was so caught up in the moment, she wanted to keep going. If he could get her to that point, it’d make things a lot easier.

  She parted her lips. Taking that as an invitation, he brushed her tongue with his. She moaned. That was good. Moaning was good. It meant he could keep going. Encouraged, he brought his hands to her behind and caressed it. She’d let him touch her intimately before. She’d even spread her legs to take his fingers deeper into her. Just the memory made his pulse race. How often he’d thought of how warm and wet she was down there.

  That was it. He needed to unbutton his pants. The discomfort was making it too hard to concentrate. He ended the kiss and pulled away from her, quickly undoing the buttons. Once he freed his penis from the confines of his drawers, he breathed a sigh of relief. There. Now he could think more clearly.

  “Logan,” she whispered, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

  Well, she’d said his name without adding the words get away or stop. That was good. It was definitely a step in the right direction.

  He cupped her face in his hands and stroked her cheeks, noting how soft her face was. “You’re perfect, Melissa. I’ll have no other but you.”

  Then he lowered his head and kissed her again, bringing her body right up against his, not at all shy about letting her feel his erection which strained against her abdomen. Something about the fabric of her dress only served to excite him further. With a low groan, he deepened their kiss.

  Once again, he brought his hands back down to her behind. Before long, he had her dress and the shift pulled up to her waist. He should be more patient. Really, he should. But as soon as he touched the bare skin of her thighs, all thoughts of patience dissipated.

  He guided her to the edge of the bed.

  She ended the kiss and glanced behind her.

  “Please don’t fight this,” he whispered as he encouraged her to settle on the bed.

  He was afraid—well, terrified—she might protest, but she removed all of her clothes. He stared at her as she tossed the garments aside. Here, he thought he was going to have to coax her into lovemaking, but she was inviting him. If he wasn’t so eager to be inside her, he might have fainted on the spot. And he didn’t shock easily.

  She took his shaft in her hands and began stroking him. Had he not felt her maidenhead when he’d worked on widening her entrance the other day, he would have sworn she wasn’t a virgin. But he knew without a doubt she was, and that being the case, the fact that she was openly exploring him was an incredibly good sign. She would make a passionate lover.

  While he was in the midst of celebrating his good fortune, she looked up at him and asked, “Will this really penetrate a sensitive spot in my body if we put the pillow under my behind during the act?”

  If she hadn’t been fondling him, he would have understood her question right away. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to ask her where in the world she’d gotten this idea because what she was doing felt so wonderful.

  But then she let go of him and looked him in the eye. “Logan?”

  He blinked and did his best to focus on what she was saying. “What?”

  “Should we tuck a pillow under me during the act? Will that enhance my pleasure?”

  “Who told you about the pillow?” he managed to ask, and try as he might, he couldn’t maintain eye contact with her when his attention was drawn to her lovely, white breasts.

  “I read it in a book.”

  “A book. What book?”

  “The one you have hidden in your trunk.”

  As soon as she said that, he was able to make eye contact with her. “You went through my things?”

  “Of course, I did. I needed to know why you haven’t made love to me yet.”

  “And you went there to find the answer?”

  “Yes, and I found it. You made me wait so I’d desire you all the more.”

  She was right, of course, but he had no idea how to respond to this new piece of information. Did anyone else’s wife find the book and read it, or was he the only one?

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him in a surprisingly mischievous manner. “Do you mind?”

  A smile slowly spread across his face, and he pulled her closer to him. “No. But I suggest you don’t tell other ladies about it.”

  “I wouldn’t dare. I have my reputation to protect.”

  She had a point. No one would guess she’d read a book describing all sorts of lovemaking techniques. But it only proved he was right about her. She wasn’t the demure lady her family thought her to be.

  “A lot of gentlemen rely on that book to impress their wives,” he said.

  “I gathered as much. So, does the pillow thing work?”

  “I assume it does.”

  “You assume it does?”

  He kissed her lightly on the lips then proceeded to take his clothes off. “The only thing I’ve tried is what we did yesterday. That worked just as the book said it would, so I assume the pillow thing will, too.”

  “Does that mean you haven’t been with a lady before?” she asked, watching him as he tossed aside the last of his clothing.

  “That’s exactly what it means,” he said and got on the bed. “And quite frankly, I don’t have the patience to wait another night for you. Let’s give the pillow a try.”

  Without waiting for her to reply, he grabbed a pillow and gestured for her to lie down. She complied, and he tucked it under her behind. But he didn’t enter her right away. He was so eager to just minutes ago, but knowing she was more than willing to make love to him allowed some of his patience to return.

  And since it had, he took his t
ime in exploring her entire body. The book had drawings, but none of them prepared him for the sheer joy of having a naked lady in front of him.

  He spent considerable time on her breasts. And when he was satisfied with his exploration of them, he turned his attention to the patch of curls between her legs. He was ready to enter her, of course, but he wanted to make sure she was ready for him. This being her first time, he wanted to ease her into it as much as possible. Having read the book, she most likely knew what he was doing, but maybe that was a good thing. Nothing should scare her. She’d been prepared for it.

  He slid his fingers into her. She was wonderfully wet, and this time, her maidenhead wasn’t as tight as before. Deciding it best if he worked on stretching more of it, he returned his attention to doing just that. But to make it pleasurable for her, he lowered his mouth and caressed her sensitive nub with his tongue while he stroked her core.

  “Oh my,” she whispered, gripping his shoulders. “That’s exquisite.”

  Pleased, he continued his ministrations. He had no idea she would be even more vocal than she’d been before, but she was. And better yet, she aided him along, rocking her hips so he could go deeper into her. He found himself moaning along with her. Truly, he didn’t know who was more excited, but there was no doubt her enthusiasm for him definitely increased his enjoyment for this act.

  The familiar cry of pleasure and tightening of her core let him know she’d found completion. He waited for the effects of her orgasm to pass before he repositioned the pillow beneath her. Then, kneeling between her legs, he took one more look at her, feasting his eyes on every inch of her. Was there a more beautiful sight in all of London? He doubted it.

  Her gaze met his, and she murmured his name. He whispered her name and leaned forward. The tip of his erection centered on her, and he dipped into her. He groaned. His efforts had paid off. She was easy to enter. But he rather took pleasure in the teasing part of this moment, so he deliberately moved out then dipped in again, this time a little further but not completely all the way. He repeated the process again, this time going halfway into her, noting little resistance. Good. That meant it shouldn’t hurt her at all. Assured, he allowed himself to go fully into her, a moan escaping his lips.

  She’d been worth the wait. As much as it’d driven him to distraction, it’d been worth it. She lifted her hips and wrapped her legs around his waist, her flesh lightly squeezing him.

  Unable to fight off the urge any longer, he proceeded to make love to her in earnest. Once more, her moans of pleasure filled the room, and this time, he joined her. He intentionally slowed his thrusting to delay the inevitable. But he couldn’t fight it off forever. Closing his eyes, he finally gave himself completely over to it and released his seed. This had to be the best feeling anyone could ever experience. It was definitely the best he’d ever had.

  When his peak ebbed, he collapsed in Melissa’s arms. Had the world not been spinning around him, he would have been able to move. The last thing he wanted to do was crush the poor lady. But she was hugging him and kissing his shoulder, both indicators that he wasn’t crushing her after all.

  His head finally cleared, and he was able to roll off of her. He brought her into his arms, his breathing still heavy. “That was…” He wasn’t sure what word to use to describe what they’d just done.

  “Incredible,” she replied.

  That was the word. “Yes. Incredible.” Better than he imagined it could ever be. And there was no one else he’d rather do it with than her.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next morning, Melissa stirred from her sleep to the sound of horses and carriages. It took her a moment to remember she was at an inn and that the window was open. Gasping, she shot up in the bed. Good heavens! Had someone heard her and Logan last night?

  From beside her, Logan let out a contented sigh. She glanced at him, noting he hadn’t fully woken up yet. She settled back onto the bed and snuggled up to him. She supposed she couldn’t do anything about it if someone overheard them the previous evening. But still…

  Logan brought his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “Good morning, my gazania daisy.”

  “Gazania daisy?”

  “Yes. It’s a flower that opens during the day and closes at night. Though, I suppose it doesn’t fully fit you. You opened yourself up to me quite nicely last night.” He gave her a light squeeze and kissed her again, this time on the lips. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll always be my passionate rose.”

  “Logan,” she leaned up on her elbow so she could get a good look at him, “do you think we were loud last night?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I wasn’t paying much attention.” With a grin, he added, “I was too busy enjoying what we were doing.”

  “The window was open,” she told him, lowering her voice. “What if someone heard us…you know…?”

  She expected him to be as appalled as she was by the notion, but to her surprise, his grin only widened. “Then they’ll know I can satisfy my wife. Now that I think about it, your moans were rather noticeable.”

  She wasn’t sure if he was teasing her or not, but the thought that someone might have heard them—and knew exactly what they were doing—made her face heat with embarrassment.

  Chuckling, he brought her into his arms and kissed her cheek. “You worry too much about what other people think.”

  “Oh sure, it’s easy for you to say. You’re a cad. You don’t care about what’s proper.”

  “You’re right. I don’t. And I prefer it that way. If I spend all my time worrying about what others think, I’ll never be happy because I’ll be too busy trying to please them.”

  “You should care.”

  “If someone can’t accept me the way that I am, they aren’t worth knowing.” He rubbed her back. “You seem to accept me, faults and all.”

  Though she offered a slight shrug, she couldn’t help but smile. “I suppose you’re not so detestable.”

  “Does that mean you don’t have the urge to throw a book at me?”

  Catching his teasing tone, she said, “I haven’t once thrown a book at you.”

  “No, but I’m sure you wanted to several times. Fortunately for me, you’re too much of a lady to give into temptation.”

  “Really, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

  “You can do anything you want.” He wiggled his eyebrows and kissed her again.

  It wasn’t her intention to keep kissing him, but as it turned out, that’s exactly what happened and soon he was making love to her again. But this time, she made sure to mind how loud she moaned.

  ***

  Two days later, the carriage pulled up to the front of Logan’s estate, and Melissa took a deep breath to help steady her nerves.

  From beside her, Logan chuckled.

  She glanced over at him. “What’s so funny? Is something wrong with my hair or clothes?” She checked her reflection in the window. Everything seemed all right.

  He tucked his finger under her chin and turned her face toward his. His mouth descended on hers, and she forgot all about her reflection. She melted in his arms. It was hard to remember this was the same gentleman who’d upset her so greatly not too long ago. In fact, the whole matter seemed silly now that she thought back on it.

  When the kiss ended, he tapped her nose. “You look splendid, my ray of sunshine.”

  Relaxing, she returned his smile. “I hope your family likes me.”

  “What’s not to like? You have a fiery spirit and a kind heart. You’re a lot like my mother and sisters.”

  “You mentioned a brother.”

  “Yes.” His expression turned serious. “I should have told you about Geoffrey sooner, but it was more fun to hold and kiss you. And besides, I’m not sure how to best prepare you for him.”

  She’d gotten so used to him being playful and teasing that it was surprising to see him this way. “What is it, Logan? What happened to him? You said he’s older than you.�
��

  “Yes. Geoffrey is my older brother by four years. He had a habit of going to the gaming hells and drinking too much. Long story short, he lost all the money in our estate, and worse, he got into a significant amount of debt. One of the gentlemen he owed money to challenged him to a duel. I went out to stop them, but when I got there, my brother had shot him. My brother was so overcome with guilt, he hung himself.” She opened her mouth to speak, and he quickly added, “My mother and I caught him before he died.”

  “That’s good then,” she said.

  “It is. But he’s never been the same since. We had a doctor look at him. He’d been hanging long enough so it did something to his mind. He’s not the same person he used to be.” He paused then added, “I don’t understand all of it. I just know he’s not competent enough to be the earl. One might say he’s like a little child. So when you meet him, he won’t act like you’d expect an adult gentleman to behave.”

  She nodded. “And this debt he owed… Did some of my money go to pay it off?”

  “No. Soon after I took the title, I went to London and was able to win enough wagers where I paid the debts off. But, as you’d expect, the thrill of winning was a powerful one, and I continued making wagers. As long as Lord Edon was betting on things, I won all the time. For some reason, he stopped after getting married, and I didn’t have the sense to stop, too. I’d win some but lose others. And eventually, the losses caught up to me, and I found myself in a situation where I was close to putting the estate in trouble.”

  “So then you married me.”

  “Yes.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “That doesn’t change the fact that I’ve given up gambling altogether. And though you might find it hard to believe, I do love you.”

  Smiling, she squeezed his hand in return. “I believe it because, for reasons I can’t explain, I love you, too.”

  He seemed immensely pleased by her confession. “Do you?”

  Sensing he needed to hear it again, she said, “Yes, though I assure you, it was never my intention to do so.”