His cock begged to be inside her. He removed his waistcoat and his shirt, but he knew he had to leave his pants on, lest he be enticed to finish before he’d truly gotten started.
Cassandra watched him. He saw no trace of fear in her gaze. She studied his bare chest and licked her lips while moving her body in a way calculated to entice him.
“Little witch. If you think you are hot now, you have no idea how far I can drive you.”
She dropped her gaze to the thick bulge in his pants. “I wouldn’t be so certain if I were you. You hardly appear unaffected.”
“But I know the rewards of delayed gratification.”
“Why wait when I’m ready and I can’t get away?”
Refusing to let her silky words test his control further, he knelt on the bed and stretched over her body until his lips made contact with one of her nipples. As he’d hoped, she lost the ability to taunt him. She writhed under him and cried out as he sucked hard. She begged him to stop, but he was relentless.
***
Wildness pumped through Cassandra’s veins. When she’d seen the woman tied up at the party, she’d wondered how it would feel to be her. Despite her fear of giving up control, part of her had wanted to find out, but she had never imagined how incredibly erotic it would be.
She’d been climbing a precipice of desire since Mark had toyed with her in the alcove. Her release in the carriage had calmed her only momentarily. She didn’t know how much more she could take.
Yet, Mark spoke the truth about the delights of delayed release. When he teased her like this, building her desire until every nerve in her body tingled, reaching her peak was even sweeter.
Mark hands roamed over her body, brushing her breasts, her belly, her thighs, everywhere but the center of her desire. Cassandra closed her eyes, allowing herself to revel in the sensations. His rough, thick fingers slid over her skin. His nails raked lightly down her sides, and the sharpness made her jump.
He replaced his nails with his teeth, nipping the skin of her throat and breasts. As his bites grew rougher, the sensations rode the edge of pain, making her crave the wildness that always exploded in her when they coupled.
Using lips and teeth, Mark traced a line along the center of her belly. Cassandra panicked as she thought how his mouth would torment her raging body. His hands gripped her inner thighs, holding them immobile.
Cassandra arched toward him, pulling desperately at the bonds holding her arms. Mark lowered his mouth until it hovered over the center of her need. His warm breath tickled her mound, but no matter how hard she flexed her hips, she could not reach him.
“Tell me what your body needs.”
Her breath caught, preventing her from saying the words.
“Tell me.” He exhaled slowly, letting his breath caress her. Even that feathery touch made her muscles clench.
“I need you to touch me.” She was desperate to make contact with his mouth. “Please, Mark, I can’t stand it.”
“Where should I touch you?” His voice was so husky she barely heard him.
Her face burned with embarrassment. “Between my legs. Touch me. Lick me. Please!”
She struggled so fiercely she broke his hold on her legs. Her hips bucked, and he brought his mouth down to hers. But he gave her only teasing flicks of his tongue before he pulled back again.
It wasn’t nearly enough. She was so close to climax she could taste it.
“I… Need you… Inside me. Now.” The last of her words came out as a growl.
Mark pulled back. A deep red flush covered his face and neck. His shallow breaths made his chest heave.
“You need this too.” She tried to make her voice low and seductive.
He ran his hand through his hair and stood, letting his gaze move slowly over her writhing form. Ever so slowly, he loosened his breeches and let them drop down his legs. “God, Cassandra. You’re the one who’s restrained, yet I could no more deny you than you could break free and force me to.”
“Take me, Mark. Please. I’m dying to feel you inside me.”
He moved over her, positioning himself to enter her. When he paused, she feared he would hold back.
“Is this what you want?” He brushed the tip of his member against her wetness. My cock inside you?”
She nodded.
“Say it.”
She had lost all sense of embarrassment. She would have said anything to have him. “I need your cock. Now!”
He groaned and drove into her. But when he was fully seated, he held still.
Cassandra squirmed, trying to force him to move. “More! I need more.”
“Take it.” He pulled out and slammed back in, deep and hard.
His rough words, and the feel of him grinding against her were all she needed to find release. Her body exploded in all directions.
Cassandra didn’t know how long it took her to come back to reality, but when she did, he was riding her with short, fast strokes. His thrusts should have hurt, but they didn’t. The brutality was exactly what she needed. Her hips met his on every stroke. She wanted to beg him to untie her, but his pace was so fast she couldn’t gather the breath to speak. All she could do was feel.
He placed his hands on either side of her head and leaned down until their faces were inches apart. A storm of emotions flashed in his eyes—lust, ferocity, and vulnerability. As she looked at him, something passed between them, something deeper than desire. “Watch me pour my seed into you.”
She could not have looked away to save her life. When Mark cried out and stiffened against her, she watched his face as he poured his soul into her with his release. With his final stroke, she tumbled over the edge once more and sank into oblivion.
Cassandra woke in the wee hours of the morning, lying on top of Mark. She vaguely remembered him untying her and pulling her on top of him. She must have slept so deeply she hadn’t moved all night.
Carefully, so as not to wake him, she rolled to the empty side of the bed and slid to the floor. After finding a wrapper, she curled up on the window seat and gazed out at pink clouds, which signaled the approach of dawn.
Conflicting thoughts whirled in her head. She had not thought it possible for Mark to give her more intense pleasure than what they had shared for the last week. But she’d been wrong. From their first kiss, he had made her enjoy every touch of their bodies. But he had been holding a part of himself back, as if he too feared the depth of the connection between them.
That night he had dropped all barriers and opened himself to her completely. She marveled that she had the power to break down his resistance, especially when she’d been restrained. Somehow, she’d pushed his desire so high he had no choice but to let go.
Days ago, she’d wanted him to show her the man he truly was, but now she realized that in making him give more of himself, she’d broken a barrier of her own.
Amanda was right, she’d fallen in love with Mark.
She didn’t want their affair to end, yet it must. Even if Mark wanted it to continue, she wouldn’t be free if she stayed with him. And freedom was what she wanted more than anything. Wasn’t it? Of course it was, she told herself. Why else would she have gone to such extreme measures to procure it?
From their first night together, she’d been unable to hide the deep desire he awoke in her. Her natural response was more powerful than she’d ever dreamed. For the sake of her sanity, she must learn to take pleasure from him without giving her soul as payment. If she didn’t, she would never find the freedom she desired.
Mark stirred and propped himself on his elbow. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Her heart hammered in her chest. How could she continue this affair after admitting her feelings to herself?
Mark swung his legs over the side of the bed and came to join her at the window. “Are your wrists sore? You struggled more than I anticipated.”
He tugged on one of her arms and lifted it to his mouth. He kissed her wrist
, and his lips sent a bolt of desire through her body. “Mmmm. Any more of that, and I won’t be able to stop,” he confessed.
“Do you want to stop?” She lifted her arm and trailed her hand down his chest.
“I would like nothing more than to stay here with you, but I must be going. At this hour, Miss Caroline’s girls will be too worn out to talk, but I hope to catch one of the Lintons at Lucifer’s.”
“I assume you aren’t going to let me accompany you.”
“No. The only women allowed in Lucifer’s are professionals.” He stepped into his breeches, fastened them, and reached for his waistcoat and jacket.
She rose and helped him adjust his clothing. Then she followed him to the door, feeling annoyingly clingy and protective. What had gotten into her? She had always been independent to a fault. Of course, she’d never had anyone worth cosseting once she’d left her sisters behind.
“Be careful.” She stood on tiptoes to kiss him goodbye.
He squeezed her behind. “I will.”
She feared her smile looked rather wistful. “Mark?”
“Yes?”
“Would you be willing to meet my sister tomorrow?”
“Why?”
“She wishes to be acquainted with her big sister’s protector.”
He gave her a wary look. “How much does she know about us?”
“Everything. I wrote to her before I came to Northamberly. She’s been in town all through the fall and winter, and she’s got a dangerous streak of curiosity. It’s possible she has heard something that might be of use to us.”
Mark nodded. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt me to meet her. Just tell me she’s entertaining like you. I don’t think I can bear to take tea with a silly deb.”
Cassandra laughed. “Amanda is never silly.”
“Then you can tell her to expect me.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
An unnaturally large man with a crooked nose and a jagged scar above his left eye guarded the door to Lucifer’s.
“Card?” he demanded as Mark approached.
Mark handed him the requested item. After inspecting it thoroughly, the man flipped through a book that lay open on a podium. “You’re not listed.”
“I do apologize. Lord Langley said I should mention his name. He assured me he would vouch for me.”
“Langley, eh?” The man scratched his head. “I suppose that will do.” He gestured toward a curtain behind his podium.
“Thank you,” Mark muttered as he pushed open the door separating the vestibule from the drawing room where patrons came to take a break from gaming. Cyprians dressed in brightly-colored, sleeveless chemises dotted the room, ready to accompany men to private alcoves should they desire a respite from the tables.
Mark had not been completely honest with Cassandra. There were a few society women at the tables, all attired in garish dresses no doubt foisted on them by seamstresses who claimed such attire was all the rage in France. Some of them had likely attended Langley’s party and would now lose a few thousand pounds before retiring.
Cassandra would be furious if she realized other women of standing were present, but he’d had all he could stand of watching men ogle her.
The next one would have his eye blackened by Mark’s fist. Even Stanton hadn’t been immune from his jealousy. It mattered not that his friend’s audacious behavior was harmless.
He scanned the room, looking for one of the Lintons. He’d only met them once, but fortunately their features were distinctive enough that he could recognize them. They weren’t identical, but they both had square heads and eyes that bugged out, reminding him of a frog. In fact, he would not be surprised to discover their bodies were covered in slime.
Neither of them was in the drawing room, but when he entered the gaming room, he saw Walter Linton, wearing a hideous yellow jacket and standing against the far wall. Linton kept turning from side to side and raising himself on tiptoe as if desperate to find someone in the crowd. Mark would have preferred to talk to Oscar, who had gotten the majority of the brains in the family, but Walter would do.
Even with dawn fast approaching, the room was packed with bodies. Mark lost sight of his target for a moment while working his way through the throng. When Walter came into view again, a woman stood with him. A cold sweat broke out across Mark’s body when he realized it was Katherine. Did the bitch have to be everywhere he needed to go?
From the provocative way she touched Walter, it appeared she hadn’t gotten sated at the party. Had she no limits at all? Mark’s stomach churned as he thought how a few months ago this woman had held his heart in her hands.
Mark took a deep breath and continued to approach them. He wondered if Southwood knew what kind of woman he’d married? Probably not. Mark had been her lover for months and hadn’t figured her out. He knew now how lucky he was she’d refused his proposal. Walking around with a stone for a heart was hell, but learning Katherine had cuckolded him would have been worse.
Katherine noticed him first. Walter appeared too taken with her breasts to see anything else. “Why Mark, don’t tell me Langley’s party wasn’t enough for you? I would have thought you’d be in bed by now. If you wish to reconsider the wretchedly rude way you treated me earlier…”
Mark had never hit a woman, but his hand burned to slap Katherine’s smug face. “If you would please excuse us, I need to speak to Mr. Linton.”
Katherine raised her brows, but she started to walk away without saying anything else.
Walter seized her arm. “I’ll find you later. Don’t leave.”
She pushed his hand away with the tips of her fingers, a look of disgust on her face. “You would do well to remember whom you are speaking to.”
What was that about?
“I am looking forward to renewing our acquaintance, Mark.” Katherine brushed past him, letting her fingers trail down his arm.
Both men watched her as she walked away. Mark burned with hatred, but Walter was obviously deeply smitten. Mark could almost pity him.
“So, Foxwood, what can I do for you?” Walter asked when he finally pulled his gaze from Katherine.
“I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”
“How could anyone forget your performance at Lady Southwood’s engagement ball?”
“I did my best to make it a memorable event.” Mark forced his lips into a smile. He wondered what Linton had been doing there. He would not normally be on the guest list of a society matron like Katherine’s mother.
Walter’s smarmy smile deepened. “You certainly succeeded in that. But I take it you are not here to reminisce.”
“I’ve been given to understand that you could assist me in procuring a woman who would submit to the attention of myself and a few friends.”
“Miss Caroline’s or Amelia’s could provide you with the perfect girl.”
“I don’t want a brothel. I need a girl for a private party. Actually, I’d prefer she not be a professional. The fresher the better.”
“Ahhh. Something really special.” Linton eyes lit up as if the very idea stimulated him.
Mark fought against his urge to choke the life from him and continued to play his role. “I’ve grown terribly bored with the usual run of London life. I need some excitement.”
“Excitement doesn’t come cheap.”
“The price is of no consequence as long as I get what I want.”
Linton rubbed his chin as if considering Mark’s comment. “Arrangements like this take time. How quickly do you need the girl?”
Mark had no time to waste, but he appeared nonchalant. “I haven’t set a date for my party. I wanted to be sure you could provide me with the right girl before I did so.”
“I might be able to help you out.” He extracted a card from his wallet. “Call at this address in two days.”
Mark looked down. The address was a townhouse near the one Langley had rented for his party. He wondered if the other residents of that street knew what went on in their
neighbors’ homes. “Thank you. I will see you then.”
Walter nodded. “If that is all, I have other business to attend to.”
“That is all.”
No doubt Linton’s business was coaxing Katherine into bed, but Mark was only too glad to escape the garish decor and the desperation that hung in the air.
As he neared the arched doorway that led to the drawing room, someone grabbed his arm. He turned to find himself face to face with Katherine. “It was you earlier tonight, wasn’t it?” She continued speaking without giving him a chance to respond. “And I am quite certain I recognized your companion. Although I must say I’m a bit amazed at her audacity and yours.”
Damn! It didn’t matter if Katherine knew he’d been at the party, but he had to protect Cassandra. “It is considered gauche even among your set to refer to one’s presence at such an event. It defeats the purpose of being masked.”
She gave him the smile that used to bring him to his knees. “I would have known your delicious body anywhere.”
“You might have known me, but you’re mistaken in thinking yourself acquainted with my companion.”
Katherine tilted her head to the side as she always did when considering something. He remembered a time when he’d found it endearing.
“Perhaps, but that is of no consequence. I’ve been denied the pleasure of your body far too long. A private room is reserved in my name. It can be ours for the rest of the night.”
A red haze clouded his mind. For a moment he could neither speak nor move, else he would strangle her. How dare she think he would come back to her after she humiliated him as she had? “Let me assure you once and for all that your charms do not tempt me in the least.”
“Don’t be silly Mark. You remember how good it was between us. Surely you miss that.”
“During the time we were together, I labored under the misapprehension that you had a heart. I learned my lesson and I’ve sworn off cold-blooded bitches.”
She laughed, a high-pitched titter that sounded as pleasant as fingernails scratching on slate. “You are so melodramatic, Mark. When I told you I was going to marry Southwood, I never meant for us to stop seeing each other. I only wanted to explain that your offer of marriage was misplaced.”
A Carnal Agreement (Regency Intrigue Book 1) Page 14