Dauntless: Gentlemen of the Order - Book 1
Page 23
She might have protested, attempted to wriggle free, but the feel of being held so close to his hard body proved divine. Love, and an insatiable longing, saw her thread her arms around his neck as he carried her to his bedchamber.
The heavy blue curtains were drawn, blocking out the early morning rays. The smell of Noah’s teasing cologne clung to the air, and she inhaled the potent scent.
“Now, let us deal with the real problem,” he said, lowering her down onto his plush mattress. He crossed the room and locked the door. “Just in case you attempt to escape.”
That wasn’t the reason he held her captive.
He was going to make love to her.
He was going to make it impossible for her to walk away.
Noah returned to stand at the foot of the bed. “I almost lost you tonight. My world collapsed around me as I anticipated you falling down the stairs.” He shrugged out of his coat, and it fell to the floor. “I watched that devil press a pistol to your head. The sheer terror in your eyes will haunt me for the rest of my days.”
“I know,” she whispered, tears welling as she imagined every tragic outcome. “You wanted him to shoot you, but I would give my life to save yours.”
Noah finished unbuttoning his waistcoat, and that hit the floor, too. “Then what makes you think I would let you walk out of my life without protest?”
“You’re a man who takes responsibility seriously,” she countered, though she couldn’t concentrate knowing he was about to discard his cravat, that his shirt would soon follow. “That’s the reason I chose you to take my case.”
A sinful smile played on his lips. “You still maintain that’s the reason you picked me?”
When he drew his shirt over his head, she inhaled a sharp breath. Merciful heaven. The need to press her lips to his bronzed skin danced like a devil inside.
“Your strength of character was evident the first moment we met,” she said, the burning heat between her thighs distracting her, too.
“No, there was more to our first meeting than that.” He unbuttoned the band on his breeches. “Think.”
For a woman who had suffered at the hands of Lord Benham and her publisher, stepping into a room occupied by four powerful men had been unnerving. But the second she locked gazes with Noah Ashwood, she had instinctively known all would be well.
“There was a familiarity, an awareness, a deep sense of comfort in my chest the moment we met. I found you interesting.” Her heart raced the second he tugged off his boots. “I thought you were the most handsome man I had ever seen. I fell in love with you so quickly I’m still struggling to catch my breath.”
His smile widened. “You fascinated me from the beginning, too. It became impossible to deny my need for you, and I knew then this was more than a fleeting infatuation. I knew I’d fall madly in love with you.”
“Noah,” she breathed as he pushed his breeches past his lean hips to reveal his erection.
Oh, her body was aflame.
He palmed the solid length, hummed with pleasure while his emerald eyes held her captive on the bed.
Why did he not touch her?
“You’re trying to seduce me into believing a title doesn’t matter,” she said, desperate to have him spread her wide and push deep into her body.
“No, love, I’m about to show you how good we are together.” He came forward, placed his hands on her knees and pushed her skirts up to her waist. “Marry me. Love me. Bear my children. Become the next Lady Hawkridge if that is our destiny. But whatever fate has in store, I need you.”
Were she not already intoxicated with desire, his words would have left her giddy.
“But I work for a living and cannot deny my creative passions.”
He crawled onto the bed and settled between her thighs. “I work, too, and intend to continue serving the Order.” He pushed into her body. “You’re so wet, Eva.”
The moist sound of their joining heightened her pleasure. “But there’ll be no time—”
“We will manage somehow. We will manage together.”
“Oh, Noah.” She wrapped her thighs around his hips and vowed never to let go.
“Marry me,” he repeated, withdrawing to the point she felt empty without him. “Let me love you.”
“Yes.” She gripped the muscles in his back as he thrust into her body.
“Yes, you’ll marry me? Or yes, you welcome my attentions?”
“Yes, to both. I love you.”
“I love you.” He kissed her then, kissed her and made love to her like a thirsty nomad dying to drink the water.
* * *
Four weeks later
The wedding took place in the chapel on the grounds of Drummond’s Folly, Noah’s rambling estate in Gloucestershire. It was a private affair attended by close friends. In the absence of family, Eva had asked Cole to stand in her father’s stead, an honour he had not refused, but one he had not necessarily welcomed.
Eva looked so stunning in pale blue, Noah could do nothing but stare like a besotted fool. Her bright smile stole the breath from his lungs. Every time she touched her fingers to her mother’s diamond earrings, she dazzled him with her radiant glow. She had been so tormented on the day they met he could not have envisioned her looking so happy. He almost burst with happiness, too, when they were pronounced “Man and Wife together”.
They removed to the house for an informal breakfast. Later, they mingled in the drawing room with their friends. For a while, Noah stood by the hearth, sipping his brandy, watching Eva laugh and thread arms with Sybil Daventry.
“Our wives have become good friends,” Daventry said, moving to stand beside Noah.
“I must thank Sybil for all her help. Eva was most grateful for her advice and company.”
“And I should express my gratitude. My wife made a few choice purchases while selecting garments for your wife’s wedding night.” Daventry brought his brandy goblet to his lips and continued to stare at the ladies. “When it comes to grabbing my attention and making a point, together they can be quite the tour de force.”
“Friendship is important when one has no family,” Noah said.
“When I played escort on their many shopping trips, they brought a concerning issue to light.” Daventry glanced around the room. “Where’s Cole?”
Noah looked through the large sash window and scanned the rose garden. “He went for a walk. I don’t expect to see him for the rest of the day.”
Cole struggled with excessive displays of affection, and Noah couldn’t keep his hands off his wife.
Daventry released a weary sigh. “Sybil fears he is slipping deeper into the darkness. Eva believes he will soon be so consumed in misery no one will reach him.”
Noah could not dispute either opinion. “I’ve tried broaching the subject of his wife, but he won’t listen. Guilt eats away at him.”
“Were they in love?”
There were different sorts of love. Noah believed Cole loved Sophia Adair. But Cole had loved Hannah in his own way, too. “They cared for each other.”
Daventry remained silent for a few seconds. “I have something to tell you, and would value your opinion.”
Noah was all ears. “Something about Cole?”
Daventry nodded. “Lady Adair approached me a few days ago, asking to hire Cole as her agent.”
“Her agent?” Hellfire! Cole would go berserk if he knew. “And what is the nature of her dilemma?”
“You must not repeat this to a living soul, but Lady Adair has a secret.” Daventry paused. “Her sister resides at Blackborne. Everyone thinks she lives abroad, for reasons I cannot divulge. But Lady Adair is convinced someone has attempted to abduct her sister and has begged for Cole’s help. I’m told Blackborne is a rather eerie place located in the heart of a haunted wood.”
Noah rubbed his jaw. “I’m not sure a house full of ghosts is the right place for Cole.”
“Sometimes, a man must face his demons.”
While Noah co
nsidered pleading with Daventry to dismiss the idea as folly, instinct said it was a chance for Cole to find redemption. Still, Lady Adair was hardly a poor soul without connections.
“Must I remind you that we do not come to the aid of wealthy members of the ton?” he said.
“No, but Lady Adair has agreed to make a substantial contribution to a women’s refuge. Were it anyone else I would have refused. But I would not be sending Cole to save Sophia Adair. I rather hope the lady might save him.”
Noah feared Cole was beyond saving, that he would always blame himself for his wife’s death. But one had to believe that love could break down walls, cross barriers. “Then you have my support, but be prepared. Cole is certain to refuse.”
“I’ll wait until we return to London tomorrow before informing him of my decision. I don’t want you breaking up a fight between your friends on your wedding day.”
Daventry gripped Noah’s shoulder and agreed to inform him of Cole’s decision before crossing the room to join Sloane and D’Angelo.
The conversation with Daventry occupied Noah’s thoughts until Eva approached. She came up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
“You seem distracted,” she said. “Are you annoyed I’ve left you alone for so long?”
He gathered her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “I could never be annoyed with you. But perhaps now is the right time for me to give you a wedding gift.”
Eva’s eyes widened. “A gift? But I have nothing for you.”
“Love, I can think of many ways you might make amends.”
She batted him playfully on the arm. “All pertaining to us stripping out of these clothes I assume.”
“Undoubtedly.” Noah withdrew the note from his pocket and handed it to her. “Once you’ve read this, I hope you’ll want to ravish me senseless.”
“We could sneak away for half an hour,” she said, quickly peeling back the folds. After squinting to study the missive, she handed it back to him. “You read it. I haven’t my spectacles to hand.”
Noah read the note from Lord Benham granting Eva permission to visit Clara.
Eva slapped her hand to her chest in surprise. “I cannot believe it. How did you—” Excitement danced in her eyes. “Did you bribe him? Threaten him?”
“I gave him my assurance your brother will never set foot on English soil again. And I suggested, as Lady Hawkridge, you would be a good ally. Clara will be welcome in our home, but should you wish to visit Northumberland, I would insist on accompanying you.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Regardless of the fact they were in company, she flung her arms around his neck. “Let’s go for a walk in the garden, somewhere quiet and secluded, so I may show you the depth of my gratitude.”
“Cole is wandering about aimlessly, and we’re sure to stumble upon him. Catching us in a clinch will probably drive him deeper into despair.”
“Then let us retire to our bedchamber.”
“I have a better idea. The study is closer, and you know I’m rather partial to polished surfaces.”
Eva laughed. “Do you intend to perch on the desk and display your muscular thighs to advantage? Like you did on that first day when you were eager to gain my attention?”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “You were so busy scribbling you failed to notice my manly attributes. And though Mr Lydford is willing to publish anything you write, you never did tell me your idea for a plot.”
She arched a brow and lowered her voice. “I thought I could write about a woman who falls madly in love with her enquiry agent while embroiled in a tale of mystery and mayhem.”
Noah moistened his lips. “Intriguing. On their wedding day, does she lead him into the study and have her wicked way? Does she push him back onto the desk and take his manhood into her mouth? Does she straddle his thighs and ride him to Nirvana?”
Eva smiled and captured his hand. “No, I was going to suggest she join him in his business, become the first lady of the Order, but I much prefer your ending.”
Thank you for reading Dauntless.
What is Sophia Adair’s secret?
Amid all her troubles, will she drag Cole from the darkness?
Will Cole banish his demons and seek his heart’s desire?
Find out in …
Raven
Gentlemen of the Order - Book 2
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