Charming the Spy (Scandals and Spies Book 4)

by Leighann Dobbs

  Needing an answer, even if it wasn’t the one he hoped, he stepped closer and slid his palm over her jaw, cupping her face. He searched her gaze.

  “Why are you here, Rocky?”

  Damn him, but he hadn’t meant to confess his love for her. He hadn’t even realized he’d felt it, not that strongly, until he’d seen her with Stanley. This upset the tenuous balance between them. Did she hate him? Love him? He didn’t damn well know, and her expression gave away none of the answers he sought.

  She licked her lips. Softly, she admitted, “I want you.”

  Three simple words, but they made him burn. He swallowed hard, not sure if she meant what he thought she did. But then her gaze slipped past him to the bed, the desire evident in her face.

  The urge to kiss her crested over him, but somehow he managed to hold himself still. He ached to press her against his body, to become as close with her as he could possibly get, but he had to be certain she was telling the truth. If she was only saying she did because… He didn’t know why. Some last-ditch attempt to salvage their friendship by turning it into something else. He didn’t think she would do that, but she hadn’t explained herself, hadn’t…

  She hadn’t said she loved him, only that she wanted him.

  It would have to be good enough, because he didn’t know if he had the strength to turn her away. It was taking all his willpower not to succumb to her right here, right now.

  “Are you sure? There’s no…undoing this.” He didn’t know if she was a virgin, and frankly didn’t care. Who she chose to share her body with was her business, but he hoped it would be no one but him from this moment on.

  She nodded, speechless for once in her life.

  Tentatively, he lowered his head enough to lay a hesitant kiss across her lips. A brief touch before he pulled back again. He needed more than a nod. He needed her to convince him. Why him, if she didn’t love him? Why now?

  She licked her lips. The slow slide of her tongue was torture. Although she tried to look away, his hand on her cheek prevented it. He needed to see her eyes.

  “I’m not afraid of this.”

  He was. He was afraid she was doing this for the wrong reasons. He loved her too much to surrender if he knew she’d regret it come the morning.

  “I want you,” she repeated, her voice firmer.

  Heaven help him, but she must. It couldn’t be near the feverish need he felt to claim her, but it was close enough.

  “If I’d never said…”

  Lud, he was an idiot. He couldn’t even force out the words, afraid that she might tell him she didn’t love him back. Better he not know one way or another. At least that way, he could pretend.

  “I’d still want you.” She lowered her gaze to his lips. “But I might not have admitted it.”

  Zeus. That was the battle he had with himself every day. Surely she felt the same for him as he did for her. Please let her feel the same…

  He laid another tentative kiss on her mouth. This time, when he parted, he returned again. He couldn’t help himself. His lips parted this time, but he retreated as she snaked out her tongue to meet his.

  The third time he returned, he’d made his decision. He loved her. She wanted him. He craved her like he’d never craved anyone or anything.

  He melded his mouth to hers, devouring her. He deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers in a hot, fervent dance. Whereas with his previous kisses he’d kept his hands on her back, now he touched her in all the ways he’d wanted to for weeks. He slid one hand around to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he held her steady. His other hand circled her hip as he rounded to her bottom and pulled her closer to him. He ran his hand down her leg, urging it up around his hip. The tight skirts hampered the movement, making him growl with frustration as he pulled them up over her knee before trying again.

  Zeus, yes. She lost her balance and leaned heavily against the door. He pinned her there, their bodies pressing against each other in the most intimate way. He rubbed his growing erection against her, driving them both mad as he kissed her senseless. She clutched at his shoulders and the back of his head as he moved against her. He palmed the globe of her bottom as he lifted her against him. When she slid her hand down his back to his rear, he slid his tongue into her mouth, the thrust a bit desperate. He needed her.

  She released his rear to bring both hands to his chest and the ties on his shirt. She kissed him as she worked the ties free to the point where they stopped at mid chest.

  He kissed his way along her jaw to her throat. He loved the sound that she made as he found a sensitive spot. She melted against him and he was only too happy to hold her up. He reveled in the feel of her

  “Speechless?” he asked with a grin, his voice rough.

  “Stop talking and take off your shirt.”

  When he released her, she leaned heavily against the door. Taking a step back, he pulled the shirt over his head and let it drop to the floor. Her gaze devoured the sight of his bare chest, as brazen and unapologetic as she was about everything else in life. As she swept her gaze lower, to the fall of his breeches, he unconsciously drifted his hands in that direction as well. He paused.

  Licking his lips, he stepped closer again and claimed a kiss. As he tilted her back over one arm, he fumbled at the buttons of her dress with his free hand. They loosened, the halves parting to show her gauzy chemise beneath. She sank her fingers into his shoulders, clutching him fiercely as they kissed. It was a heady combination.

  When he straightened, he traced the edge of her chemise as it gaped low across her chest. She sucked in a breath, swelling her breasts. His gaze rapt on her body, he peeled away the dress. Her dusky nipples peaked against her shift, the color hinting at the tantalizing flesh beneath. He traced her areola with the pad of his thumb. She bit her lower lip as she arched into his touch. Lud, she was so responsive. He couldn’t wait to make her writhe in pleasure.

  He didn’t take her invitation, but chased her dress down over her hips. It took some persuasion to get the fabric to leave her body, but once over her hips, it pooled at the floor by her feet.

  He dropped his hand as one last doubt claimed him. He could still walk away, postpone this until a better time. But if he did, he might lose her forever. The dilemma paralyzed him.

  She took the decision out of his hands by toeing off her shoes and climbing onto the bed. She sat on her heels, facing him as she waited for him to join her.

  His hands hovered over the buttons on his breeches. As she shimmied back into the middle of the bed, she gathered the hem of her chemise in her hand and rose onto her knees. When he undid one button, she raised her shift higher, to mid-thigh. He ogled the bare strip of flesh between her chemise and her stockings. He worked another button free. She hiked up her shift by another inch.

  The rest of his buttons came undone in a flurry. With each, she lifted her chemise higher, baring more of her body. By the time he was done, the material bunched around her waist and he couldn’t look away. He wanted to see more of her. He shucked his breeches. A shiver coursed through him at the appreciative look in her eye as she licked her lips.

  His cheeks burned with color. As he joined her on the bed, he helped to strip away her chemise. He tossed it somewhere in the vicinity of his breeches as he laid her back on the coverlet. His gaze was rapt on her body, her round breasts giving way to the curve of her waist, her wide hips, and the graceful column of her legs. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

  “It looks as though it’s your turn to be speechless.”

  He licked his lips. “Rocky, you’re beautiful.” Reverently, he traced the curve of her breast.

  She squirmed. As he flicked his fingers across her erect nipples, she gasped in a breath. And that was before he lowered his mouth. The flick of his tongue and the suction of his mouth made her writhe.

  “Oh…”

  He grinned as he lifted his head. “Like that, do you?” He didn’t give her the opportu
nity to reply, but lowered his head again. This time, he grazed her nipple with his teeth. She arched off the bed with an incoherent cry.

  He shifted closer as he ran his hand over her stomach and dipped between her legs. She opened her legs a bit wider to him as he delved between her folds. His fingers slipped between her hot, wet heat.

  His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “You’re wet. You want this.”

  “I wouldn’t be here other—whoa!”

  He slipped his middle finger through the moisture and into her intimate flesh. He slid as deep as he could reach before he pulled out and added a second finger.

  She gripped his hair. “Oh my. That feels…” She moaned. “Incredible.”

  He shifted position, moving lower on her body with a wicked smile. “It gets better.”

  “Oh, good.” Her breathless voice sent shivers coursing down his spine.

  When he leaned down, she met him halfway and he kissed her long and deep. He positioned himself between her legs, lowering himself onto her body. His tip brushed her slick folds and he groaned. The sensation was too potent. He trembled with need. As he broke the kiss to take some of his weight on one elbow, he guided himself into her core.

  They both moaned at the slow slide of his skin against hers. At that moment, there was no question in his mind that they had been made to do this. He thrust deep, savoring the feel of her. The slow pace was maddening, but he wanted this moment to last. He never wanted to be parted from her. If she only wanted him for tonight…

  She curled her fingers into his shoulders. “Can you go faster? Not that I want this to end sooner but—”

  He kissed her. “I know what you mean.” His voice was every bit as breathless as hers. He changed position, rising onto his hands and knees as he quickened his stroke. She wrapped her legs around his hips, lifting herself to meet his thrusts. Each time he sheathed himself fully in her, the slap of skin was almost overpowered by the sound of his groans, coming thicker and thicker together.

  He moaned her name with each stroke, leaving no doubt that he was completely focused on her, here, in this moment. She reached bliss as he cried out. Her body convulsed around him, trying to keep him close, but he pulled out and spurted his hot seed onto her stomach. He shuddered, his arms shaking as he struggled to hold himself upright. Satisfaction radiated through him, making his limbs weak. He wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the bed next to her.

  Not yet. He rolled off the bed, scooping up the first cloth that met his fingers—her chemise. He folded it over before gently wiping his semen from her skin. He dropped the chemise back on the floor as he met her gaze.

  I love you.

  He didn’t dare speak the words again, not after her reaction last time. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her. The nervous flutter in his chest disappeared as she responded to the languorous kiss. When he parted from her, she smiled. He tucked a strand of her hair away from her face before he straightened.

  He blew out the candle next to the bed, dousing them in darkness. The bed dipped as he rejoined her. He tucked her beneath the coverlet, enfolding her body with his. As he threaded his fingers through hers, she let out a blissful sigh and snuggled closer.

  His chest ached. He loved her so much in that moment, squeezed onto the narrow bed and forced to press against one another lest they fall off, that he didn’t know how he would let her go come the morning.

  What would happen now? If he asked her to marry him, would she say yes or would she take it as an insult to her independence? He hugged her closer, burying his face in her thick hair.

  “I love you.” The words were muffled by the tendrils.

  She didn’t respond, not even with a hitch of breath. She was already asleep.

  He traced the length of her arm and whispered, “Please don’t leave.”

  Chapter 23

  Catt expected the next morning to feel different. More profound or maybe even awkward. Instead, he and Rocky rose and went to work as usual. He was no less aware of her presence in the hothouse as they hurried to fill orders. If anything, he found his attention wandering to her more. The only difference was that instead of battling it, whenever they crossed paths he indulged the urge to touch her. Small touches to her arm or cheek, to remind himself that she was still there. They didn’t have time for anything lingering.

  Aside from the usual orders they had to fill, they had the plants that would decorate the house for the masquerade ball to consider. It was a delicate balance. Some blooms could be clipped for delivery, but each plant had to have at least one other, depending on the species, in order to be used as decoration during the masquerade. This meant that, once the orders had been filled, Catt and Rocky ensconced themselves in the hothouse to take a tally of the plants in bloom and inform Lady Belhaven how many more orders they would be able to fill without impacting the decorations for her ball. The number was likely smaller than she hoped.

  In fact, she didn’t seem to believe the sheer numbers of orders that had gone through these past couple weeks and insisted on taking a tour of the hothouse herself. Catt offered his arm and escorted her while Rocky babbled about the health of the plants. By the end of the tour, the old woman clutched Catt’s arm tighter than ever, but she stubbornly refused to sit.

  “Is there anything you can do to coax those buds to bloom faster?”

  In less than a week? Unlikely. Catt exchanged a glance with Rocky, who shrugged.

  “I have a solution I feed the plants at Tenwick Abbey during dry summers. We could try that, but I can’t guarantee it will take effect in time.”

  “We must try.” The lines in Lady Belhaven’s face seemed to deepen the longer she remained standing. Her complexion turned waxen, sweat beading on her upper lip. Catt tensed, preparing to catch her should she lose her footing.

  “Are you certain you wouldn’t like to sit down? Perhaps I can get you something. A tonic or a finger of spirits?” It was early in the afternoon, but alcohol might help to fortify her.

  “If you’ll escort me up to my parlor, I’ll be fine. Faulker can fetch me a libation.”

  Catt did as she asked. When the parlor proved empty of footmen or even her grandson—a fact for which Catt was grateful—he found and sent Stefan to her on his return to the hothouse. When he got there, Rocky was busy mixing the solution she intended to give the plants.

  He set to work helping her without question. She’d never shared her recipe with him before, so he waited for her direction. They worked in silence save for her instructions. When a lock of her hair battled free of her coif, he couldn’t resist the urge to tuck it behind her ear. She leaned her cheek into his hand as she worked.

  “I spoke with Lady Belhaven last night.”

  “Oh?” He dropped his hand.

  Finished with her preparation, Rocky divided it between two watering cans. “She told me that she never implemented a rule against marriage or romance beneath her roof.”

  He frowned. “But the Abrahams were so certain…”

  “Indeed. And Lewis informed me of the rule shortly after my arrival.”

  “Why would he, if there isn’t one?”

  She set aside the empty bowl and turned to him. He stood close enough that her skirts brushed against him. He wanted to kiss her, but that would have to wait for their work to be done. This was a serious conversation.

  Rocky’s gaze glittered behind her spectacles as she said, “Why don’t we find Lewis and ask him?”

  She slipped her hand into his and tugged him toward the door. In the corridor, she dropped it again, but his palm still tingled from the contact. He ignored it for the moment and followed her in search of the butler.

  They found him in the unlit sitting room next to the front door. He lounged in a chair pulled up to the window, frosted over with ice crystals but still letting in some of the gray daylight. His expression was vacant. He nursed a tumbler in his hand. On the sideboard, a decanter with amber liquid had the crystal top on askew.


  Catt followed Rocky into the room. Sensing that Lewis was in a troubled state to be drinking in the middle of the day, he shut the door behind him. Privacy might win them more of a confession, if Rocky didn't bungle the opportunity with a lack of diplomacy.

  With a sigh, Lewis swallowed the rest of the libation and got to his feet. He was a little unsteady.

  Rocky frowned. “Are you certain you should be drinking that?”

  Catt bit his tongue. That was precisely the sort of thing he’d feared she’d say. Lewis was relaxed enough to say things he might not normally, but if they put up his guard, he might think twice.

  With a shrug, the older man tottered toward the sideboard. “Lady Belhaven doesn’t notice, so long as there’s always enough to fortify her when she needs it. Her worthless son and that one grandson drink it like water.” He lifted the half-full decanter. “Would you like one?”

  Catt rested his palm in the small of Rocky’s back, trying to caution her with a touch not to say anything brash. He answered for them both. “Thank you, no.”

  “You lied to me, Lewis.” Rocky’s posture stiffened and she crossed her arms.

  The butler glanced to them, his eyes bloodshot. He splashed more alcohol into his glass and returned to the chair. Rocky crossed the room to stand in front of him, so he had no choice except to look at her. Stifling a sigh, Catt followed.

  Still indignant, Rocky said, “You told me there is a rule against marriage in the household. There is no such rule. Lady Belhaven denied it personally.”

  The man grimaced. “There should be. Marriage and affairs among the staff are bad for work.”

  Frowning, Rocky turned to look over her shoulder at Catt. He feathered his hand over her back, reassuring her. If anything, their liaison had helped to bring them together. It wasn’t distracting or in the way—in fact, he’d been more distracted by her when he’d been fighting his attraction to her. Now, free to touch her as he pleased, the tension between them having softened, they worked as one to complete what they needed to. They trusted each other.