by Macy Barnes
He made his way down kissing a path to her thighs. He looked up to see her eyes closed and her fists clenched at her side. “Open your eyes.” He commanded. She opened them and he was elated at the desire he saw in the depths of her eyes. “Watch me.” He told her as he spread her legs and put his mouth to her center.
She tasted wonderful. He licked and kissed deep inside of her until she was bucking beneath his mouth. He flicked her nub with his thumb all the while working his magic. Just as she was about to come, he drew away and removed his pants. She was panting with need.
“Please, Jonathan do not leave me.” She whispered. His answer was to thrust himself deep inside of her.
A tiny voice in the back of his mind considered the fact he could get her with child, but with every stroke, he pushed it further into the recesses of his mind. He felt her muscles clenching around him, a sign she was about to climax, he lifted her hips, and thrust into her so deep he was almost undone. Everything seemed to fall away. Nothing mattered to him at this moment but the woman beneath him. He rocked harder and harder into her body until at last she cried out in ecstasy.
“Oh, Jonathan.” She moaned. Her body felt completely relaxed. He would not let her stay that way long. He slipped his hand between their bodies and massaged her tight bud as he slowed his strokes to a sensual pace. He felt the exact moment that she began to come again. This time he did not hold back. He pounded into her with a fierceness that startled even him. At last, he reached his peak and once again filled her.
He rolled away from her trying to catch his breath. This was madness. He would have to leave London and return home as soon as they found Olivia. He could not trust himself around Juliet. He knew he would never be able to look at her again without picturing her sprawled beneath him, bringing him the greatest pleasure he had ever known.
~~~*****~~~
Juliet cast a sidelong glance at Jonathan trying to discern his thoughts. Surely, passion such as this could lead to love. He dominated her whole body with a possessiveness she knew he must feel. How would he expect her to be with any other man after experiencing his lovemaking?
She knew how stubborn he could be. That was why he had stormed out earlier; she dried her tears and decided seducing Jonathan would be the only way to get him to commit to her. He might be able to resist her for a while with his heart, but not with his body.
She took in the wonderful sight of his body. His shoulders were broad, and his chest was rigid with muscles. He was very fit and quite attractive. Her eyes wondered lower to his nether regions and she focused on the source of her pleasure. Gads, it was no wonder widowed women took lovers.
She had always heard horror stories about the marriage bed. Enduring her wifely duties would be no trial with Jonathan. She now understood why her brother was so happy recently. Surely, Clinton and Emily shared such a passion.
She knew the instant that regret set on him. He closed his eyes and groaned in frustration. “Juliet, do you not realize what we have done?” he asked quietly. She rolled to her side and slowly trailed her fingers up his chest to his cheek.
“I understand perfectly what we have done, and I have enjoyed every moment.”
He groaned louder. “Did it not occur to you, we could make a child?” Her heart raced at the thought of having his child.
She could only hope they had done so. “And if we have?” she asked. She must know his thoughts on this.
He rose from the bed and started to pace back in forth. She leaned back and absorbed the glorious sight of his naked body, oblivious to his agitation. “I will have to marry you of course!”
“Have to marry me?” Juliet eyed him uncertainly. “You sir, will not have to marry me!” He sounded so begrudged to the fact that Juliet found herself becoming angry. She was not such a horrible person that marriage to her should be a punishment.
“The bloody hell I won’t!” Jonathan said icily. “No child of mine will be born a bastard.” She glared at him. How dare he think to order her about? Her thoughts stuttered to a halt. Olivia should be her first concern at this moment, not Jonathan. What a terrible sister she was being, seducing a man when she should be looking for her missing sibling! Silently calling herself every kind of fool, she began gathering her clothes to dress herself. They must return home at once.
Jonathan frowned as he watched her get dressed. What was going through her pretty little head at the moment? The notion she would think he would sire a child out of wedlock and not give a damn rubbed him wrong. “We must go; Olivia is still at the mercy of kidnappers.” She told him once they were both fully dressed.
Putting any thoughts of their previous activities behind him for the moment, he retrieved the body of the man he had killed. Once he had the dead man securely strapped to his horse, he helped her in mounting her mare. He quickly mounted Steele. They made their way back to the estate in complete silence. Juliet looked as if her thoughts were a million miles away. He was unsure if they were of him, or of her sister. One thing was for sure however, once Olivia was safe and sound, he and Juliet must face the consequences of their actions.
Chapter 5
By the time they finally approached her home; Juliet was bone weary. She dreaded telling her family Olivia was not with her. She struggled to think of something to say to explain their long absence, but the truth was that she had no clue.
The butler opened the door before she even made it to the top step and his brow deepened in concern as he realized little Olivia was not with them. “My lady, your grace anxiously awaits you in his study.” He started to remove her jacket and Jonathan reached out to stop him.
“Thank you Beasley, but we must not waste another moment, we will see to our dress once we have talked to the Duke.” Juliet arched an eyebrow at him in question and then realized he had saved her modesty by keeping her covered. Her clothes were in shambles beneath her coat. At least one of them was thinking clearly. She followed him quickly down the hall, both mindless to the trail of water and mud left behind them.
Clinton rose to meet them as they entered; a strained expression on his face. He knew before they told him, they had failed to rescue Olivia. Juliet swallowed hard, preparing to tell her brother of their rescue attempt. Before she could begin talking, Jonathan spoke up and told Clinton what happened. He showed great remorse for killing the only connection available to the kidnappers before questioning him, but no remorse for the actual killing itself.
“Bastard deserved it and a thousand times more.” He stated through clinched teeth. Clinton agreed heartily and looked upon his sister with concern. She tried not to slouch under his gaze. It was not as if he could tell by looking at her what had transpired. Or could he?
After a momentary silence, Clinton asked her if Joe had said or done anything to give indication to who the kidnappers might be. Juliet thought hard. Although she had tried to forget the man’s abusive touch upon her body, she forced herself to remember his words. “He did mention a name.” She snapped her fingers and sat up in her chair. “Alan or maybe it was Albert?” She was unsure.
Clinton jerked in surprise. “Albert? Are you sure Juliet?” He asked her in a rush.
“Yes, I am almost positive it was Albert.” She answered. Clinton jumped up and raced to the door. He barked orders for fresh horses to be prepared while Juliet and Jonathan followed him dumbfounded.
When he finally paused to take a breath, he told Juliet and Jonathan, “I know who has Olivia, we must return to London at once.”
Juliet had to jog to keep her brother’s hurried pace. “Clinton!” She yelled out to him in question.
“Albert is Emily’s uncle. He has every reason to hate me and use my family to extract revenge.” Clinton told her hurriedly. Juliet was confused. Why would Emily’s family dislike Clinton and why would her uncle use a ten-year-old innocent child to punish him? She raced up to her room for a change of clothes. There was no way he was leaving her behind. She would see Olivia home safely.
She mad
e it back downstairs, raced towards the horses out front, and ran into Jonathan. “What do you think you are doing?” he asked her harshly.
“I am going to get my sister you buffoon.” She told him impatiently. “Now, kindly remove your hand from my person.”
He jerked his hand away. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again.” He told her solemnly, looking straight into her eyes.
She softened her expression. “Jonathan, I must go, I can’t sit around and do nothing.” Her eyes pleaded with him for understanding. She knew the moment he accepted her presence. She eyed the horses lined up and made her selection. Clinton raised an eyebrow at her in question but the look she shot him silenced any remarks. It did not take her long to realize she was in for a miserable and exhausting ride. An hour had not passed and she caught herself dozing in and out of sleep.
She knew not how long she was asleep when she felt a strong pair of hands lift her from her horse. She was startled until she realized Jonathan was placing her in front of him on his mount. She relaxed herself against his body and allowed herself to drift into a fitful sleep.
Jonathan looked down at the sleeping bundle in front of him. Was it just a few hours ago they had made love? His body was painfully aware of her presence and he silently cursed it for its betrayal. She was exhausted, with dark shadows fanning her eyes. Her lips were still rosy from his passionate kisses.
Even though she had been through hell in the past day, it had no bearing on her beauty. Juliet had grown into a lovely and passionate woman. He forced himself to keep his thoughts on the task. He knew the circumstances behind Emily’s background and knew her uncle was probably unstable after Clinton had removed Emily’s inheritance from his grasps a few months earlier. Clinton had saved Emily from her family upon meeting her at the gentlemen’s club her aunt and uncle operated, that in truth rightfully belonged to her.
He studied Clinton’s profile. He looked weary and more than angry. There was little doubt Emily’s uncle kept Olivia at the gentlemen’s club against her will. Clinton rebuked their ownership to the club but allowed them to remain as employees. It also explained the specific demand for their party to leave London. Making them leave the area bought him valuable time to relocate once he realized his first attempt to collect the ransom failed. Jonathan’s back and arm ached but he tightened his grip on Juliet. She stirred and looked up at him sleepily. He placed a kiss to her forehead before he thought about it. She snuggled deeper into his arms. He looked up and met Clinton’s steely gaze. He knew his friend noticed the tender moment. When this ordeal was over, he had no doubt Clinton would demand to know why Jonathan felt comfortable enough to kiss Juliet.
~~~*****~~~
Jonathan pushed his way through the door into Clinton’s room. He was in no mood to explain his actions towards Juliet. Their party had discreetly checked into a small inn down from the gentlemen’s club to formulate a plan to rescue Olivia. Thomas glanced up at him as he walked in. Clinton however, ignored him. He noticed the room fell silent upon his arrival. His stomach clenched at the sight of Juliet sitting in the corner chair. She had freshened up since their arrival and although she was pale, she portrayed a sensual sexiness attired in men’s britches.
She avoided making eye contact with him and abruptly cleared her throat and focused her attention on Thomas. They quickly discussed a plan to send Juliet into the club under the disguise of a delivery boy. Thomas would take her to the club and wait outside while she secretly searched the premises. Jonathan could feel heat rising up the back of his neck. So, this was how it was to be then? She wanted Thomas to take her to the club. He bit back an angry comment. He must have made a noise however because Clinton and Thomas both turned to look at him, but he only raised his eyebrows in response. He would be damned if he would be wrapped around any woman’s finger. Juliet could play games if she wanted to, but he would not participate.
“I think it’s a fine idea for Thomas to be the one to take her.” Jonathan said after a few moments of silence. “After all, he and I both were in and out frequenting different places every night; he should hardly be recognized if someone were to see him.” Juliet shot him a look of loathing at the mention of his and Thomas’s escapades. Jonathan felt strangely triumphant he had struck a nerve.
“Very well, Jonathan.” Clinton said, “You and I will be in the immediate area if Juliet should fail to emerge safely from the club.” Jonathan nodded his head in agreement. He was hardly aware of anything else spoken before they each departed to prepare for the search. Juliet had not looked at him anymore the entire time. He was trying to figure out why it made him feel as if he had lost his best friend.
~~~*****~~~
Juliet’s eyes narrowed as she followed Thomas and Jonathan out of the inn. How dare he mention his liaisons with other women in her presence? He knew she was untried, he had taken her innocence but still felt the need to throw his experiences in her face. She shook herself free of those thoughts. She reviewed the mental layout Thomas had given her of the club. There was a room in the attic that Emily stayed in that he felt might be the place Olivia was being kept. It would be the first place she visited. Although Albert would know what she looked like as a woman, he should not be able to recognize her in the attire she wore. Thomas even reached down, ran his finger through the dirt, and smeared it across her face to give her the look of an unkempt young lad.
She seen the rage in Jonathan’s face when Thomas touched her, but he stifled it quickly. Good, he should feel jealous she thought. Who was to say she could not move on from her ordeal with Jonathan? His aloof attitude after their lovemaking was wearing thin on her nerves. She felt so guilty for allowing herself to forget for one moment that Olivia was out there somewhere, possibly hurt.
She climbed into an unmarked hack Thomas that had rented and tried to settle her nerves. She could do this. If she spoke as little as possible and kept herself unnoticed, she could have Olivia back in her arms soon and this horrible nightmare would be over. The hack came to a stop and before she could exit, Thomas grabbed her hand. “Be careful, and remember I am right outside if something should happen.” She gave him an appreciative smile and climbed down.
Making her way quickly to the back, she grabbed a box of kitchen supplies Clinton had planted on the side of the building for her to “deliver”. Pulling her hat down low over her eyes, she beat upon the back entrance door. “Yes, what do you want?” a stout man wearing an apron barked at her.
“Delivery, sir,” she said in timid voice.
“Come on in then, don’t just stand there like a dolt.” The man snapped. She was too relieved to have gained entrance so easy to feel stung by the rude man’s harsh tone. He pointed out the direction to the stockroom and she put the box down with a huff. Clinton could have made it a little lighter.
Once she was sure she was alone, she made her way to the servant’s staircase. According to Clinton and Thomas, this staircase led directly upstairs to an attic room. With her heart in her throat she carefully inched herself up the staircase. Luckily, she encountered no one and stood at the door to the room in a matter of minutes. Taking every precaution, she peered through the keyhole to discern if anyone was in the room.
Seeing nothing, she slowly turned the doorknob, flinching with every squeak it produced. She eased open the door and was greeted with the sight of her tiny sister hog-tied to a small bed. She wasted no time in untying her sister and removing her gag from her mouth. Olivia threw her arms around Juliet’s neck and sobbed. “Shush,” Juliet crooned to her stroking her hair. “We are not out of danger yet little one; I need you to be quiet.” She felt Olivia nodding her head and she quickly picked her sister up and crept back down the staircase. The hard part was going to be getting through the kitchen unnoticed.
She sat Olivia down at the end of the stairs and snuck a glance around the corner. A skinny young maid was approaching humming under her breath. She reached out her hand and stopped her. “Do you know where the cook is, someone wa
s complaining about the food and he is needed out front.”
“Oh, dear, I will get him right away!” she scurried away. Juliet listened as she went to the kitchen to relay the message to the cook. The cook shouted an obscenity and made his way out of the kitchen. She snatched Olivia up and ran towards the back entrance as if the devil himself were upon her heels.
Chapter 6
Once Clinton was satisfied with Olivia’s well being, he wasted no time in loading both Juliet and Olivia in the rented hack to head back to the estates. Juliet felt a pang of disappointment when Thomas climbed in the hack with them instead of Jonathan. She tried to keep her face expressionless, but apparently, Thomas noticed. He shrugged his shoulders to let her know he was unsure as to why he was chosen as their escort back home.
After a couple hours of silence, Juliet finally asked Thomas what Clinton and Jonathan had stayed behind before in London. Olivia was fast asleep, eased in peace by Juliet’s gentle stroking of her hair.
“They are going to make sure that Albert Turner spends the rest of his life rotting in a prison.”
She raised her eyebrows in question. “How are they even sure he was there in the first place? Someone could have been keeping Olivia at the club while Albert is pulling the strings elsewhere.”
Thomas pondered for a moment. “You could be correct, however we have nothing to fear, I will see you both home safely.”
They fell back into a comfortable silence. Juliet peeked from under her lashes and surveyed Thomas. She could see why Elisabeth was smitten. He was a very handsome man. He had an aloofness about him, which was quite distracting, as if he kept every one at arm’s length. She stared down at her sister’s tear stained face and said a quick prayer of thanks that Olivia was unharmed. Her mother would be so happy and relieved. Poor Olivia more than likely would not be let out of any of their sights ever again.