“No.” He left without so much as a backward glance, his back and shoulders rigid with the anger he made no effort to hide.
Amanda turned away so as not to see him actually leave, hot tears cascading down her cheeks. His refusal had seemed so decisive. So final. She—
“I had never seen Alex angry before he introduced you to us as his ward,” Emma remarked lightly seconds later as she entered through the open doorway.
Amanda drew in a shuddering and controlling breath, wiping the tears from her cheeks before turning to face the other woman.
“Do not look so alarmed.” Emma chuckled. “I am not here to scold you further. It is my belief both Adam and Alex are better men for having such strong and resourceful women as the two of us in their lives.”
“I am not in Alex’s life!”
“Oh, I think you are,” the other woman mused. “Once you have apologized and taken your punishment, of course.”
“I have nothing I need apologize for!”
“No?” Emma teased. “I believe, if you think on the subject, you will realize you have several things to be sorry for and about. Not least the worry you caused Alex when he feared Juanita Millbrook might shoot you in front of his eyes last night.”
She snorted. “There was never any danger of that.”
“Of course there was,” the other woman chided. “And Alex’s anger with you today was based on that fear.”
Amanda eyed her uncertainly. “You believe, if I apologize, that everything might go back to as it was before?”
Emma smiled. “I am sure it will be better than it was before.”
“How so?”
“That is for you to find out.”
All she had to do was apologize?
Could she do that?
Of course she could, if it meant she had Alex back in her life.
Chapter 14
“What are you doing?”
Amanda made no reply as she continued to hoist up the back of her gown before she bent over the desk in Alex’s study and presented her bared bottom.
He rose slowly to his feet. “Amanda…?”
Unshed tears swam in her eyes when she raised them to meet his. “Emma spoke to me this morning after you left Hawkwood House. I realize now that I owe you an apology. Several of them. I acted impetuously last night and in a manner unbecoming to a lady. That I caused worry to Adam and Emma, and to you, by doing so.”
Alex almost laughed at the thought of Amanda ever acting as a lady should. “And so you have come to me for chastisement?”
“Yes.”
Alex moved to stand behind her, cock straining in his pantaloons and saliva flooding his mouth at the sight of those two delicious mounds bared for punishment. “What else did you do to deserve a spanking?” he prompted gruffly.
“I disobeyed you when I refused to eat luncheon in my bedchamber. I did not wear drawers in the hope of…of enticing you. I came alone and in the dark to Wetherby House late last night. I broke another vase—not that I broke the first one, you now know—but I most certainly broke the second one. And then—then today, I said horrible things to you and made you so angry, you could not even remain in my company.”
Alex’s brows rose. “All that?” In truth, he had not really heard much of what Amanda had to say after she had stated deliberately that she had not worn drawers yesterday in the hope of “enticing” him.
“Yes,” she acknowledged heavily.
Alex ran the palm of his hand over the globes of her bottom, feeling her tremble beneath his touch. “And how many spanks do you think you deserve this time?”
“You said that it would rise by five with each misdemeanor,” she said dutifully.
“Hm.” Alex moved to stand beside her. “I believe you listed seven misdemeanors just now. Add that thirty-five to the fifteen I gave you last time, and it makes a total of fifty—”
“Twenty. You spanked me twenty times last time,” she reminded.
Alex pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing at how miserable Amanda sounded as the count of smacks to her arse rose to fifty-five. She would not be able to sit down for a week if he were to administer such a severe punishment to her backside.
He had been furiously angry with her earlier today, both for having placed herself in danger by confronting Juanita and then refusing to see the danger she had been in.
But that had been several hours ago, and he’d had time to calm down and think logically since then. Amanda had acted swiftly and decisively last night in his defense. But it was the reason why she had which was of importance to him.
Along with the reason why she had left off her drawers, not just yesterday but again now. To entice him?
He quirked one dark brow. “Do you believe yourself capable of accepting fifty-five smacks on your bare arse?”
Amanda swallowed before answering. “If it means I am allowed to come back here to live, then yes, I will take any number of spankings you care to give me.”
“Because you do not wish to return to the school and become a teacher like your friend Miss Marchment?”
“No!” she protested. “Because I do not want to leave— I wish to stay here. With you.”
Ah.
“Why is it so important you come back here to live?” Alex asked lightly as he began to pace the room. “Are Adam and Emma unwelcoming?”
“Not at all. They have both been very kind to me.”
“Even Adam?” he teased.
“The duke has been extremely kind,” she stated emphatically.
“Then why do you wish to come back here?” Alex continued to pace. “Do you miss Cook’s cooking?”
“No.”
“Buckham’s butlering?”
“Is that even a word?”
“Probably not,” Alex drawled.
“I do not— Do you think I might push the skirt of my gown down, at least, if we are to continue this conversation?” She squirmed, causing a delicious wobble to the rounded cheeks of her arse. “It is most uncomfortable being bent across your desk with my bottom on show.”
“Your contrition did not last longer than three minutes!”
She gave a pained frown. “I feel exposed. Vulnerable. Besides, it is no way for a lady to take part in a conversation.”
“Indeed it is not.” Alex stepped forward to land a hard smack across both bottom cheeks. “But you are not just any lady.”
“I can learn to be sedate and obliging like those ladies in Society,” Amanda assured emotionally. “If you will only give me one more chance to prove myself—”
“One or a dozen more chances would not make you into either of those things. Nor,” he added firmly as Amanda would have protested, “would I want you to be.” He reached out to take a gentle hold of her arms to help her to straighten, the skirt of her gown instantly falling about her ankles. “I did not fall in love with nor wish to marry one of those sedate and obliging ladies of Society.”
Amanda stared at him.
Alex was in love and about to marry?
Why had no one told her that? Why had Emma not told her that?
Amanda would not have embarrassed herself, or Alex, by prostrating herself across his desk and baring her bottom if she had known that.
But she would, she knew, still feel as if her heart were breaking at learning he was in love with and about to marry another woman.
Because she loved Alex. With everything that she was or ever could be. She would willingly have changed herself for him if he wanted her to do so. Would have become whatever he wished her to be if she could only have continued to stay here with him.
It was too much to have hoped he could ever come to love her in return. He was the brother of a duke, after all. But she would have treasured any affection Alex chose to give her. Any—
“You,” Alex spoke softly. “I was talking about you, Amanda.”
She blinked up at him. “Me?”
“You,” he repeated gruffly. “I am in love with
you, Amanda Fullerton.” His eyes glowed with the emotion. “With your spirited nature. Your loyalty. Your beauty. I am in love with everything that makes you the unique lady that you undoubtedly are, and I wish more than anything else that you will eventually consider becoming my wife.”
Amanda gaped at him. “I do not— You cannot—”
“I can and I do,” he stated with the same arrogant certainty as his brother. “Never having felt the emotion for any woman before, I was a little late in realizing it is love I feel for you,” he acknowledged self-derisively. “But the incident with the fountain yesterday brought it all into perspective.” He sobered. “I sent you away to protect you from Juanita.”
“And I disobeyed you.”
“As you always do.” He gave a rueful nod. “Believing Juanita might shoot you last night…” He gave a shudder. “Dear God, I believe my heart stopped beating completely when she began to turn and point that pistol at you! If you had not struck her with the vase, I would have had to shoot her in the back,” he acknowledged heavily. “Nothing and no one is allowed to hurt you or take you away from me. Ever.”
Amanda was unsure whether her heart could take all this happiness. Alex loved her! He loved her. Brash, impetuous, unfailingly honest, and far too forward, Amanda Fullerton.
“It is because I love you that you must continue to stay with Adam and Emma for now,” Alex explained gently. “So that I might court and woo you without the temptation of having you here with me at Wetherby House. I realize this is all very sudden for you, nor do I expect you to feel the same way about me yet. But I assure you, I will do everything within my power to ensure that you do so at some time in the future. I am prepared to wait for you for however long that takes—”
“But I do!”
A frown marred his brow. “You do what?”
“I am already in love with you!” Amanda launched herself into Alex’s arms, completely knocking him off balance so that both of them ended up on the floor, Amanda sprawled on top of Alex’s prone body. “I love you, Alex. I love you. I love you.” She peppered his face with quick kisses with each declaration of her feelings for him. “I love you so much that if you do not make love to me soon, I believe I shall expire from my deep desire to belong to you completely.”
“You will expire?” Alex mused.
She nodded fervently. “I will.”
“I cannot possibly allow that to happen.” Alex rolled over so that Amanda now lay beneath him, his hands cradling each side of her face as he looked deeply into her eyes. “Are you sure it is love you feel for me?” His gaze was searching. “I will willingly take whatever scraps of affection you might wish to give me, but I cannot in all conscience take advantage of any feelings of gratitude you might feel toward me.”
Amanda gave a snort. “Have I acted grateful for anything you’ve done for me so far? Or been the type of woman who could be taken advantage of? Have I, Alex?”
“No…” he acknowledged wryly.
“That is because I am an ungrateful brat,” she announced without apology. “But I am an ungrateful brat who has grown to love you so very much,” she added earnestly.
Alex’s eyes glowed. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes. But—”
“I should have known there would be a ‘but’ from my little hellion.” He chuckled.
“I will not share you, Alex,” she told him seriously. “There will be no more comforting or fucking unhappily married ladies.”
“How about happily married ones?”
“Alex!”
“I am referring to you, Amanda. Only you,” he assured seriously. “There will never be anyone else for me. Ever. And I do mean to see that you are very happy and never have reason to regret being married to me.” Alex made the words a vow.
“Thank you.” She kissed him. “I intend to make you very happy too. I would promise the same thing in regard to your not regretting marrying me,” she added ruefully. “But we both know I am incapable of curbing my own impulses.”
Alex laughed happily. “It is because of who and what you are that I love you so very much.” He gazed intently into her eyes. “I love you exactly as you are, Amanda. Exactly,” he repeated for emphasis.
She smiled up at him. “Are you going to make love to me now?”
“Before or after those fifty-five smacks you have accrued?”
Her eyes widened. “You still mean to administer those?”
He nodded. “Five at a time. And in between, I shall make love to you.”
Amanda gave a shiver of delicious anticipation. “And I shall make love to you.”
“I am counting on it,” Alex acknowledged gruffly before his mouth claimed hers and there was no need for further conversation.
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About The Author
Carole Mortimer is a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award 2015, RT Career Achievement Award 2017, RT Pioneer for Romance Award 2014. She was also recognized by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 for her ‘outstanding service to literature’. Carole has written 240 contemporary, Regency and paranormal romance novels.
She is happily married to Peter. They have 6 sons, and live on the beautiful Isle of Man. She also loves to hear from Readers!
Other books by Carole Mortimer
Regency Sinners Series:
Wicked Torment (Regency Sinners 1)
Wicked Surrender (Regency Sinners 2)
Wicked Scandal (Regency Sinners 3)
Wicked Deception (Regency Sinners 4)
Wicked Captive (Regency Sinners 5)
Wicked Temptation (Regency Sinners 6)
Wicked Sinner (Regency Sinners 7)
Wicked Christmas (Regency Sinners 8)
NEW Regency Lovers:
INDECENT (Regency Lovers 1)
OBSESSION (Regency Lovers 2)
CRAVING (Regency Lovers 3)
More books to come in this series
Dragon Hearts – Contemporary paranormal
Nathaniel (Dragon Hearts 1)
Deryk (Dragon Hearts 2)
Bryn (Dragon Hearts 3)
Dylan (Dragon Hearts 4)
Grigor (Dragon Hearts 5)
Garrett (Dragon Hearts 6)
Aeran & Rhys (Dragon Hearts 7)
Regency Unlaced Series:
The Duke’s Mistress (Book 1)
Claimed by the Marquis (Book 2)
Taken by the Earl (Book 3)
Pursued by the Viscount (Book 4)
Desired by a Lord (Book 5)
Captured by a Gentleman (Book 6)
Pleasured by a Duke (Book 7)
Seduced by a Marquis (Book 8)
Tamed by the Earl (Book 9)
Series is now complete
Knight Security Series: Spin-off to ALPHA series
Resisting Alexandre (Knight Security 0.5)
Defying Asher (Knight Security 1)
Challenging Gabriel (Knight Security 2)
Capturing Caleb (Knight Security 3)
Tempting Zander (Knight Security 4)
Enticing Ian (Knight Security 5)
Seducing Ethan (Knight Security 6)
Series now complete
ALPHA Series:
Christmas Alpha (Alpha 1)
Dark Alpha (Alpha 2)
Shadow Alpha (Alpha 3) Author’s 200th Book
Midnight Alpha (Alpha 4)
Renegade Alpha (Alpha 5)
>
Warrior Alpha (Alpha 6)
Rogue Alpha (Alpha 7)
Savage Alpha (Alpha 8)
Series is now complete
Obsession (Regency Lovers 2) Page 12