He sat back on his heels and pulled her to him until her hips were elevated on his lap. As he slid into her, he teased her clitoris with his thumb. She tossed her head back and forth and gripped his arms.
“Look at me.”
She kept her eyes closed.
He moved in her, making the small stroke their position allowed him.
“Look at me, and I’ll give you what you want.”
Finally, she did as he asked. Her face was flushed and her teeth made indentions in her swollen lower lip. Damp curls lay against her forehead in tight spirals, and the tangled mass of her hair spread across the pillows.
He thrust slowly, and her eyes began to close, so he stopped though it nearly killed him. “You’re not watching me.”
She gazed at him again, and he began to stroke her as his thumb rubbed circles on her center. She pressed against him, moving faster and faster. Her back arched as her body sought what it needed, but her gaze never left his.
He never wanted to leave the warmth of her body. She was perfection. “That’s it. Let go.”
She arched hard against his hand, and her body stiffened. She froze for the space of a breath. Then she fell back against the mattress with a sharp cry, and her body spasmed against his shaft.
Her cry of ferocious delight did him in. He stretched over her so he could thrust more deeply. Once, twice, three times and he flew into oblivion. His seed poured into her, and he collapsed against her body.
CHAPTER NINE
Cassandra lay face down on the bed, her body heavy, loose, and thoroughly relaxed. She wasn’t sure she could move. Not that she wanted to when she could enjoy a few moments of peace.
Heat crept across her cheeks when she thought of her display of animal passion, but far worse was her embarrassment at doing so little to stop Reddington. She would have to explain everything to Mark, but she feared what he might think of her. It would serve her right if he turned her out before she could finish her story.
She took a slow breath and decided to spend a few more delicious minutes in his arms before she had to face her harsh reality. She shortly began to drift toward sleep.
She roused when Mark ran his fingers up and down her arm.
“Cassandra, we need to talk.”
“I know.” She took a deep breath and massaged her temples, trying to stave off the headache she knew would come when she thought of her husband. “I could handle this better if we dressed and talked in your study. That likely sounds silly to you, but I don’t want to talk about my husband while I’m in bed with you.”
He caressed her cheek. “It doesn’t sound silly at all.”
“Thank you.”
He stood and pulled on his breeches and shirt. “I’ll wait for you in my office. Come find me when you are ready.”
“Thank you.” Once again she was struck by how easily Mark moved between gentleness and ferocity.
After closing the door behind him, she leaned her head against it. Unbidden, an image of Reddington pawing at her as he tried to rouse himself filled her mind. She placed her hand over her mouth and slid to the floor. Several moments passed before she was sure she could stand without vomiting.
As her strength returned, anger replaced the nausea. Why did Reddington still have power over her? As long as his memory could make her sick, she would never truly be free.
At least now, she knew she was capable of having relations with a man. What just happened between her and Mark was beautiful without any of the taint Reddington had placed on the sex act.
She pulled on her nightdress and dressing gown and brushed the tangles from her hair. She wanted to take more time to compose herself, but the longer she put off talking to Mark, the harder it would be to confess what she knew about Reddington.
When she reached his study, Mark was seated in a chair by the dying fire. A tea tray sat on the table behind the sofa, and he held a bite-sized tart in his hand. “Would you like a cup of tea or perhaps a brandy to fortify yourself before we talk? Something to eat?”
She looked longingly at the teapot but her stomach churned. “I’m afraid I couldn’t eat or drink anything right now. Maybe later.”
Mark crossed the room to where she stood and took her hands. “Cassandra, I want you to know I hate the thought of what Reddington put you through. If someone had not beaten me to it, I would consider it an honor to call him out and avenge you.”
The solidity of Mark’s body anchored her to the present, and his gentle concern reminded her that if she found the man who wanted her dead, the horror of being Reddington’s wife was over. Even if her scheme to become with child failed, she would no longer have to fear being hurt by her husband or his minions.
But in order to catch the man who wanted her dead, she had to tell Mark everything. He led her to the sofa. Once they were both seated, She squeezed her eyes shut and let words tumble out.
“During the first year of our marriage, I knew little of what Reddington did in London. He only allowed me to accompany him at the height of the Season.”
She realized her hands were shaking, resentment welled up inside her. Why couldn’t she be stronger? She squeezed her hands into tight fists. “Damn him!”
Mark pulled one of her hands to his mouth and placed kisses across her knuckles. “Cassandra, I’m going to make sure no one hurts you anymore.”
She tried to make herself smile, but only managed the slightest curving of her lips. “Thank you.”
She closed her eyes and began telling Mark secrets she wished she could hide. “Reddington often held parties at a special house he rented solely for that purpose, parties I was not allowed to attend.” She stopped and wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes. “I began to hear rumors. Sickening rumors. Finally, I disguised myself as a maid and snuck into one of his gatherings. I discovered that the rumors were true. He was auctioning off women to the highest bidder. The men who won them could force them to do anything.”
She clenched her fists and dug her nails into her palms, trying hard not to cry. “Reddington and his friends drugged these women so they would be unable to resist. Sometimes they were beaten. I wanted to believe the women came there freely, that they shared Reddington’s twisted desires. But they didn’t, at least not all of them.”
More tears came, and she paused to swipe at her cheeks. “I wanted to stop them. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I wrote a letter to my cousin Edward. As an MP, he has some measure of influence in London. I thought he might be able to put an end to Reddington’s actions, but Reddington found the letter before I posted it.”
She couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They coursed down her face faster and faster, until she was sobbing so hard she had to force words past the lump in her throat.
“Reddington had never hit me before. I think I was too far beneath his notice for him to expend that much energy on me. But that night, he confronted me about the letter. Then he beat me.” Mark’s arms tightened around hers. “I thought he would kill me.”
Mark pulled her onto his lap, letting her sob against his chest.
“I should have tried again to stop him. I wanted to, but I knew if he caught me again, he would kill me.”
Mark lifted her chin, forcing her to face him. “Cassandra, you did what you could. I’m sure he watched you closely after that. I don’t doubt he would have murdered you.” He caressed her face. “I’m here and I’m going to help you put an end to this once and for all.”
She couldn’t look at Mark any longer, but neither could she pull away. Tucking her head against his chest, she clung to him. He held her while the rest of her tears poured out, stroking her back, and placing feathery kisses against her temple. When her sobs subsided, she leaned back and looked down into his eyes.
“Feel better?”
She nodded.
“Whom would Reddington work with on a plot like this?”
“His closest friends, the Linton twins, were supposed to go to France with him. Apparently they changed
their minds at the last minute. Maybe they knew something had gone wrong.”
“I’ve only met them once,” Mark said. “I found their company nauseating.”
She hugged herself. “The way they stare at me gives me chills.”
“I imagine you are not alone in that sentiment. Do you know of anyone else?”
“A few months before Reddington left for France, I overheard him conversing with Oscar Linton. They kept mentioning someone called The Cat. I didn’t think much of it, plenty of their acquaintances used code names. However, I remember them saying The Cat always brought them the best women. It probably means nothing, but—”
“It’s worth investigating. Anything else?”
She thought for a moment, recalling the last conversations she’d heard before Reddington left. Finally, she shook her head. “No, that’s all. But Mark?”
“Yes?” He brushed her hair back from her face.
“You do not have to help me. Our agreement doesn’t extend to investigating Reddington’s murder, and I—”
He placed a finger against her lips. “I have freely offered my help. I will not be satisfied until everyone who wants to harm you is dead or imprisoned.”
Once again Cassandra had to fight back tears. “Thank you.”
Mark stood and tugged on her hands. “Let’s go back upstairs.”
When they reached her chamber, Mark followed her in and pulled her into his arms. His touch sent warmth spiraling from her core out through her limbs. Even the tips of her fingers and toes melted. But the memories of Reddington were too fresh in her mind, she didn’t want to lay with Mark when she was thinking of her husband.
She pulled back from the kiss. “I’m tired.”
He sat on the bed and pulled her onto his lap. “We will have to work on your stamina. I intend to spend hours enjoying you each night.”
“Mark, please.” She tried to stand, but he held her firmly in place. His thick arousal pressed against her hip, and she had to work to keep her breath steady.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just need to get some sleep.”
“Did I hurt you earlier?”
“No. Not at all.” She smiled to reassure him, unable to bear the look of intense concern on his face. “It was very nice.”
“Nice?” His brows lifted.
“More than nice, wonderful, superb. I’ve never felt anything like it. I never imagined such pleasure existed.”
***
Neither did I. For a moment Mark was afraid he had said the words out loud. But when he looked down at her, he saw no reaction on her face. No other woman, not even Katherine, had affected him in such a way. When he reached his peak, he poured all of himself, body and soul, into Cassandra.
The crazy thing was his feelings should’ve terrified him. He’d come to Northamberly to seclude himself, not to risk his heart again.
He brushed her hair back and let his fingers trail across her cheek. “If you are thinking of Reddington then I must stay and erase those memories.”
She looked up and studied his face. “How did you know?”
“You look fearful. You’ve never been afraid of me before, not even when, perhaps, you should have been.”
She smiled. “You don’t scare me, but I can’t stop thinking about Reddington, about what he did to me and all those other women. I don’t want that to taint anything we do.”
“Give me a chance to help you forget.”
***
His voice was hot in her ear, and she shivered. If anyone could end Reddington’s power over her, it was Mark. But would she be giving up one man’s power for another’s? Of course any woman would rather be in Mark’s thrall than in Reddington’s, but Cassandra wanted independence. She feared the intense feelings Mark stirred in her. “Not now. I need to be alone.”
“You need a man’s warm hands to rub away the chill that bastard has left on you.” As Mark spoke, his hands massaged her hips then slid up over her ribs to tease her breasts. After bringing her nipples to peaks, he pulled her toward him.
“You need to be reminded how very alive you are. No matter what else happens you have defeated Reddington by surviving. Let me prove how free you are. Let me make you fly.”
She meant to say no, but all that came out was a sigh. Mark bent to run his tongue along the line of her throat. She didn’t have the strength to fight. Her whole body needed Mark, from the top of her head down to her toes.
"Lie down."
She obeyed Mark's command, settling herself on her back.
Mark knelt between her legs. He gave her teasing, tickling caresses on her belly. Then he slowly worked his way down her legs, avoiding the part of her that throbbed more insistently with every brush of his fingers.
His caresses were sweet torment. On another night, she might’ve let him show her everything he had in mind to enflame her. But she realized with sudden certainty that the only way he could erase her fears of Reddington was to take her swiftly and relentlessly, to thrust so hard and deep she thought of nothing else.
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment at her crude thoughts but she gathered the courage to tell him. “Mark?”
“Mmmm?” he murmured as he began to use his tongue instead of his fingers.
“I need you.”
“I know.”
“Right now. Inside me.”
He looked up. His eyes had taken the predatory gleam he got when he was highly aroused. “Tell me more.”
“I need it fast and hard to make me forget.”
“God, Cassandra, you’re killing me.”
“I—”
“Hush. More talk and I won’t last until I’m inside you.” Cassandra smiled. Baffled once again by the effect mere words had on him.
After testing her readiness, Mark covered her body and thrust to the hilt in one stroke. She gasped. He gave her no time to recover, setting a fast, harsh rhythm. As she had hoped, she forgot everything but the sensations building in her body. When they reached a fever pitch, she clung to Mark and let herself fall toward oblivion.
***
Mark jumped down from Sentinel’s back and reached the door of Reddington Abbey in a few long strides. He knocked insistently, despite the early hour. When a perfectly polished gray-haired man answered the door, Mark presented his card and explained that he had come to speak with Loring.
The man studied the card for a moment. “Good morning, Mr. Foxwood. I’m Loring. I expect your visit has something to do with Lady Reddington.”
“Yes, and also with one of your stable lads, Henry. You have no doubt noticed his absence.”
“Yes, sir. Please come in. I believe it would be best if we spoke in the privacy of the library.”
“Whatever you think best.” Mark followed Loring through one of the doors leading away from the circular foyer.
Mark surveyed the floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with leather-bound volumes. He doubted Reddington had ever touched them, but he smiled when he thought of Cassandra curled by the fire with a book in her hand. Then he shook his head to clear it of the image. What was he doing having such domestic thoughts?
“Would you care for tea or other refreshment?”
“No,” Mark took a seat in one of the cane-backed chairs flanking the small fire place. “I prefer to finish our conversation as quickly as possible.”
“Certainly. What do you know about Henry?”
“He broke into Northamberly last night, intent upon murdering Cassandra.” The color drained from Loring’s face. “He confessed to having been the man who rummaged through her rooms. He’s also the man who shot her.”
“S-shot her?”
“Don’t tell me she neglected to inform you someone shot her as she rode to Northamberly.”
Loring exhaled in a rush. “Oh course she did not inform me. I would have come immediately if I’d known. Was she badly hurt?”
“A bullet grazed her temple, but she is quite recovered. I’ve tried to keep her indoor
s, but she does not listen to reason.”
Loring still looked wan, but he smiled. “Lady Reddington is not an easy person to persuade.”
“Your description is kind in its mildness.”
Loring’s smile widened. “Did you learn anything else from Henry?” Mark summarized what he knew and explained that he intended to go to London to investigate Reddington’s brothel. “Cassandra may want to return home while I am gone. It is imperative she remain inside and under guard at all times. I have my butler, Andrews, and two footmen watching her now. On my orders, they would lend assistance here if needed.”
Loring studied Mark intently. “I will do everything I can to protect her. For all her stubbornness, she is a very special woman. I have no intention of letting anyone hurt her.”
Mark caught the meaning behind Loring’s words, but he ignored the implication that he might be the one to harm Cassandra. She was far too practical to let her heart get involved in their liaison.
“I will send word of Cassandra’s plans as soon as I have spoken with her. This card gives my London address. Contact me if you learn anything new.”
“Of course, sir. I will have my eye on the other servants. If Henry was working for Lord Reddington, chances are there are others.”
Mark thanked the man and left. As he galloped toward home, he tried to decide how best to break the news to Cassandra that he was leaving for London.
***
Cassandra dressed for the day in a pale green gown with minimal decoration and a neckline that hid all her cleavage. She and Mark had to construct a plan for finding Reddington’s killer, and she needed to prevent distractions.
For further security, she added a fichu and pulled a dark blue shawl around her shoulders. Since Cassandra had arrived she and Mark had not spent more than a few minutes in each other’s company before Mark’s lips were on hers and she lost the ability to think.
Despite her attempts at modesty, Mark’s gaze raked her hungrily as soon as she entered the dining room. She shivered when he gave her a particularly feline smile. He looked as if he’d like to eat her for breakfast.
“Good morning, Cassandra.” His seductive smile transformed into a smirk. “I took the liberty of preparing your plate when Mary informed me you were on your way down.”
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