A Dangerous Temptation

by L. R. Olson

  Chapter 6

  James

  I felt her presence before I saw her in the mirror. A shiver of awareness that whispered across the room. It was as if she had burrowed into my damned soul. I didn’t need to see her, for my body came to life when she was near. Part of me hated her for the control she seemed to wield. But most of me just wanted to fuck her until I lost all sense of being. My hands stilled, my heart leapt into my throat. She stepped into the room, her reflection finding me near the mirror. There was an expression upon her face that told me all I needed to know.

  She was here for me.

  “Jules,” I said, reaching for my cravat with a hand that trembled. “What are you doing here?”

  “Do you come from an honorable family?”

  I paused. Honorable? I had to bite back my laugh. “I suppose that depends on what you mean by honorable. But yes, most of England would consider them honorable.”

  She took a step toward me. “Are you engaged?”

  I paused again, guilt warring with need. My need won. “Not at the moment. Why are you here, Jules?”

  On the outside I looked completely relaxed. But on the inside, my heart slammed wildly within my chest, my pulse heated as I resisted the urge to go to her immediately, have her completely.

  She was flushed, her eyes overly bright. “I…I had nowhere else to go.”

  My mind spun. She was upset about something. If I was a good person, if I had any decency at all, I would order tea, and let her cry upon my shoulder. Unfortunately for her I didn’t have a soul, and I sure as hell had never been decent.

  Coldly, I ignored her obvious pain and draped the cravat around my neck. “I told you to never come here again, unless you—”

  “I do.” She boldly closed the door behind her.

  I stiffened.

  Shite.

  She’d sealed her fate in that moment. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh, or to scoop her up, toss her onto the bed and have my way with her. Slowly, I scanned her body, taking my time, or perhaps giving her a chance to escape. She wore a dark green silk gown, the neckline so low her breasts practically spilled from the bodice.

  The heat in my body flared. Any conscience I might have had fled. She was mine. Completely mine. It was as if she’d been placed on this earth merely to please me. And please me she would.

  I wanted to study her in that dress, memorize every detail so that on those cold, lonely nights I would have the memories to keep me warm. Vaguely, I was aware that the dress was much, much too fine for a woman of little means. Yet, I couldn’t seem to care at the moment. My brain had fallen to mush. I turned as she started toward me, the forgotten cravat hanging from my neck.

  Only a breath away, she paused. The very air between us seemed to vibrate. Her rose scent swirled around me…tempting. So tempting. Those blue eyes had grown dark as sapphires. Slowly, she pulled the neck cloth free, tossing it toward the chair. Good God, I could take no more.

  I reached out, gripping her wrists tightly, too tightly, but I didn’t care if she bruised. I felt twisted to the breaking point, ready to snap. If she was playing yet another game, she would regret her actions. She stared into my eyes with unabashed boldness.

  “Don’t, unless you are willing to see this through,” I said.

  The wench stood on tip-toe and molded her lush mouth to mine. She tasted of mint, of tea, of her. Good God, I could go drunk on her taste. She slid her tongue across my lower lip, kissing me like a whore. With a groan, I gripped her hips and jerked her close. My cock strained against my trousers. The blood pounding through my veins demanded action. I wanted her like I’d never wanted another woman. I couldn’t get enough of her taste, her touch, her very scent. I needed to own her, to brand her as mine so no other man would ever touch her again.

  I thrust my tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. When she moaned, that sweet, wonderful sound, I almost lost any control that remained. She was Helen of Troy and I’d gladly go to war for her. I slid my fingers into her hair, sending her pins scattering to the floor. Those silky locks fell down, tumbling around her shoulders and brushing her back. Hell, I wanted to wrap my hands around those locks and hold her captive. I wanted to feel the silky strands brush across my heated body.

  “Stunning,” I muttered, pressing kisses to her jawline, then down her delicate neck. Her hair was like satin ribbons wrapped around my fingers, tying me to her. Eventually we would need to talk, to discuss the details of this complicated relationship, but first…first I needed to make her mine.

  “I don’t want this to end,” she whispered.

  Thank God. It wouldn’t. Not if I had any say on the matter. I wanted her for a long, long while. In between mistresses at the moment, she was the perfect gift. I found the buttons at the back of her bodice. “It doesn’t have to.”

  Unable to stop myself, I kissed her as I pulled her bodice free. The thought of being deep inside her had my body shaking. Never had I wanted anyone as much as I wanted her. At that moment I didn’t bloody care if she’d slept with the entire town, she would be mine, and she would be mine until I tired of her.

  I dropped her skirts, then lifted her from the pool of material. One heaving breath and her rosy nipples would pop from her corset. Desperately, I reached for the strings. As I did, she boldly started unbuttoning my shirt. I thanked God she was experienced enough not to be the quivering virgin I despised. She shoved the shirt from my shoulders as I pulled her corset free. Slowly, her gaze traveled my chest, down my stomach. Her eyes darkened as she sucked in a sharp breath. Her reaction was enough to feed my arrogance.

  “You make me feel,” she whispered. “Feel free to be myself.”

  My guilt flared but I shoved it aside. She asked too much of me. This was a mere dalliance, did she not understand? I frowned, my knuckles brushing underneath her chin. “You give me too much credit.”

  Before she could respond, I kissed her again.

  When she reached out, her gentle fingertips brushing my skin it felt like I’d never been touched before. A shudder raked my body. She ran her fingers down my chest…lower…lower. My cock pulsed and I had to grit my teeth to keep from lifting her shift and taking her then and there.

  “He’s a God,” she whispered to herself, as if she wasn’t even aware she spoke the words aloud. She tilted her head back and met my gaze. “You’re beautiful.”

  I’d heard the words before, so why was I thrilled like I’d never received a compliment? Pleased in a way that should have embarrassed me? “You’re silly.”

  “I want you.”

  “Christ,” I groaned. A man could only take so much. I scooped her up into my arms and carried her across the room. “You could tempt the pope himself.”

  I tossed her onto my bed. Seeing her there surrounded by my blankets and my scent made me want to roar like a damn lion. She was mine. Only mine. I shoved the trousers from my body. I would be late to the gathering I was supposed to attend, but I didn’t care. Hell, I would sell my damn soul for a moment with Jules.

  Slowly, I leaned over her and reached for the ribbons of her shift. Every harsh breath she took sent her tits surging dangerously close to spilling over the lacy edge of her undergarment. She was no tiny waif, but a lush and curvy woman. She was stunning.

  “You’re too big,” she whispered, staring wide-eyed at my cock.

  I resisted the urge to laugh. “Glad you’re impressed.”

  She pressed her hands into the bedding, as if preparing to sit up. Hell, I couldn’t let her think, couldn’t let her regret coming here, and I sure as hell couldn’t let her leave. “Should…should we slow down?”

  Was she insane? Or was she playing more games? “I’ve waited too long for you. Slow next time.”

  Before she could say more, I crushed my mouth to hers. We did not need to talk. We needed to fuck. To ease the ache that had been throbbing in my cock for days now, ever since she’d watched me bathe. I lowered, pinning her body to the bed. Her dark hair spread across the
white pillows, her chest heaving with each intake of breath. I shoved my knee between her thighs, parting her legs and revealing her femininity. Unable to help myself, I thrust up against her heat, rocking my body against hers. She moaned, her lashes fluttering in ecstasy, her reaction more than pleasing.

  “You’re a greedy wench, aren’t you? You’ve been stifled by this small town.”

  I jerked the straps of her shift down her shoulders until those lush breasts were on display. Her rosy nipples were hardened, eager for my touch. I’d never seen finer breasts. “I’ll show you pleasure, Jules. A pleasure you’ve never known before me. A pleasure that will have you begging for more.”

  I took a nipple into my mouth and caressed the other breast with my free hand. She groaned, wiggling underneath me. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. I couldn’t stop tasting…sucking…licking. Hell, even if the Queen herself had entered the room, I wouldn’t stop. The primal urge within me would not be sated until I had her completely. Only her.

  I tore my mouth away and pulled the shift down her body. “God, you taste lovely.”

  Unable to stop myself, I pressed my mouth to her flat stomach. My cock flared, pulsing with the need for release. I was going to spill my seed like a damn lad with his first woman.

  “James,” she said, her voice full of hesitation.

  I continued to trail kisses toward the nest of curls shielding her femininity. Like someone desperate, I needed to taste her fully. Have her completely. There was nothing better than knowing you could make a woman come just by a flick of your tongue in the right place. Nothing more delicious than the taste of a woman.

  She squirmed underneath my weight. “I don’t think…”

  With greedy hands, I parted her thighs. Pink, wet, gorgeous. I lowered my head and I slid my tongue between her sweet folds. She cried out, arching her back and urging me onward. Her reaction was exactly as I expected, and needed. I could make her forget her ridiculous games.

  As my tongue delved into her tight sheath, my thumb found that sensitive bud. I took delight in torturing her with pleasure. Delight in hearing her moans. Her hips began to move, arching up with each stroke, desperate for more. She was wanton. Her hands twisted within the sheets, a fine sheen of sweat covering her lush body. I knew the moment she was going to give into her desires, her body was so easy to read.

  She cried out as she came against my mouth. “James!”

  I knew how to please a woman. I’d had years of experience. While some men found no interest in bringing a woman enjoyment, I’d found it only added to the experience. And watching Jules find her release was more seductive than anything I’d ever witnessed. The ache in my cock only flared, demanding attention. I finally pulled away, her womanly scent clinging to me.

  “My turn,” I muttered, as I moved up her body like an animal on the hunt. I felt wild, barely in control. Desperate. She was only vaguely aware as I shifted my knee between her thighs. Her eyes still held that hazy look of passion as I pressed the swollen tip of my cock to her entrance.

  Mine.

  She would be mine.

  “Spread your legs,” I demanded.

  With a whimper she opened for me. Unable to hold back any longer, I thrust forward in one surge, entering her fully, completely. She was so wet, so ready that I barely felt the resistance as I tore through her maidenhood. But it had been there. Oh, I was only too aware that it had been there.

  She gasped, pushing against me, horrified by the intrusion. I was aware as I settled atop her that she was too tight to be a whore. Too tight to be anything other than a virgin. She’d lied. I lifted up just enough to cup the sides of her face. Tears of pain glistened in her blue eyes. I would not feel guilty. I would not.

  “Damn you,” I hissed.

  Would I have slept with her if I’d known? Probably. But I might have been gentler. It didn’t matter, I was too far gone. I pulled out, only to thrust into her again, and again. Even though she’d lied I still wanted her with a desperation that could not be ignored. Every thrust sent me deeper into her tight passage, teetering on the brink of completion.

  Her cries turned into moans of pleasure as she lifted her hips and tightened her legs around me. In the back of my mind was the taunting realization that this could all be some sort of trap, she could be trying to force marriage, but I couldn’t seem to care.

  Our bodies found a natural rhythm, rocking together as one so that the bed shifted across the floorboards, hitting the wall with a thud. As much as I wanted to hate her, I couldn’t. Her moans of pleasure only fed the seductive beast deep within me. When her nails bit into my back and I felt her body tighten with her own release, I could hold back no longer and thrust into her, spilling my seed. I lost myself completely and utterly.

  I knew I would never go to heaven, but this…this moment with Jules was as close as I would come. Completely spent, I collapsed atop her. She’d taken a part of my body, my black soul. I felt drained of life. I was supposed to pull out. With every other woman I’d managed to spill my seed on her belly, or the bedding. But not Jules. Hell, I’d actually come inside her.

  Shite.

  I could barely move. Didn’t want to leave her tight, hot sheath. I had to. I pulled away from her and rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. What the hell had she done to me? The bitch had portrayed herself as someone she wasn’t. She had teased and taunted, leading me upon a merry journey.

  Trap, a voice in my mind cried out.

  It had been a trap set by some poor country girl in order to force me into marriage. She’d known who I was all along. And I’d fallen for her completely and utterly. She’d find out soon enough no one forced me to do anything.

  “My...my father has money,” she whispered.

  I felt icy cold. “What?”

  She had pulled the blanket to her chest and clasped it against her like the inexperienced maiden she was, suddenly embarrassed by her nudity. “I’m saying that when we marry, you will get some compensation.”

  “Marry?” So, she didn’t want money. She wanted a titled life. I rolled off the bed and surged to my feet, my anger palpable. Not that I would show it. Never show what you were feeling, they could use it against you. The one useful thing my father had taught me. She had lied. Used me. But what made me angriest was that I had fallen for her ruse. I’d sworn five years ago that I would not be manipulated again. Ever.

  Suddenly everything I’d tried to forget came crashing down around me. Memories long since buried that clawed and burned their way to the surface and all because of Jules.

  She would pay.

  Her brows drew together in confusion. Her lips were swollen from my kisses, her body flushed from sex. She looked…different in some way. I’d wanted to brand her and I had.

  “You did say we would come to an agreement.”

  Had she invented some pretty proposal, some happily ever after in her naïve imagination?

  “As my mistress.” I practically seethed. And I knew in that moment how I could hurt her so completely that it would destroy whatever heart she had. This entire relationship had been a game and she thought she’d won.

  Think again, sweetheart.

  I moved across the room to the pitcher of water and cleaned my cock. Her virgin’s blood marked my member, branding me. I hated seeing the red upon my skin, the reminder of what I’d done. Hated that I’d been duped again. Part of me understood why she had tried to trap me, and could even respect her for it. Yes, I understood, but I didn’t care.

  “What do you want, Jules? A cuddle? Would you like me to stay in bed and chat until the wee hours of the morning about our dreams and hopes of a future?”

  I could see her reflection in the washing stand mirror. Her cheeks had grown bright red. She searched my eyes, hoping to find some sort of compassion within their depths. She would find nothing.

  “I suppose now is as good a time as ever to make sure you understand the rules. One, I never chat with my mistresses. Two, I never stay
overnight with them. Three, it’s always just sex, my dear.”

  “You…you wanted me to be your mistress?”

  I never made the same mistake twice. It was time to get rid of Jules. I released a harsh laugh as I moved to the dressing mirror where I’d discarded my clothing only moments before. “What else? I doubt my fiancé will approve, but then she needn’t know.”

  “Fiancé?” she whispered, the horror in her voice apparent.

  I didn’t respond, merely dressed in a leisurely manner. But if she would have looked closely, she would have noticed my hands shaking with unspent emotion. Hell, my body felt afire with the need to scream at her. But she would not have any idea.

  I picked up my jacket and turned to face her. “Do let me know if you’ve decided to stay on. We’ll have to find you an apartment in London, as I doubt your town friends will look favorably upon you when you become my whore.”

  Still she didn’t say a word, merely stared at me with wide, confused eyes. I hated her for what she’d done. But I hated myself even more for the way my body reacted. Even now seeing her sitting upon my bed fed the beast, and I only wanted to crawl back underneath those covers and have her again…and again.

  Hell, I couldn’t look her in the eyes. It was too much.

  “Do let me know your answer. I think we’d get on splendidly.” I turned and strolled unhurried toward the door, praying she’d be gone when I returned, for I didn’t think I’d have the fortitude to resist her again.

  Chapter 7

  Julianna

  I’d heard the word bastard in town when I’d been eight years of age but of course I hadn’t known what it meant. I was merely a child at the time, with no clue as to what lay out there in the world.

  “Father, what’s a bastard?” I had asked innocently.

  He’d ruffled my hair. “It’s when a child is born out of wedlock, my dear.”