Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, he regretted that decision instantly. But then Jules’ voice sliced through the muddle and spurred him to action.
“Wolf!” she cried out, fear and panic in her voice.
He looked up and saw a man garbed all in black, trying to drag her away. As she dug in her heels and battered his head with her free hand, the villain grunted and then faced her.
“Hush your blathering, missy.”
The man then took a menacing step toward her, but rather than be cowed, his fiery redhead socked the bastard right in the nose.
Just like Wolf had taught her years ago when they were children.
Sparked to action when the man released her in favor of protecting his face, Wolf jumped to his feet and pummeled his assailant. Fury surged through him as his fists crashed into the hard bones of the man’s face over and over again. But then the darkly clothed man reared up unexpectedly and slammed a fist into Wolf’s gut, causing all the air in his lungs to escape. Yet adrenaline and pure determination pushed Wolf until he cocked his arm back and swung. The blow landed square against the villain’s temple, knocking him out.
By the time he’d subdued the cretin, a small crowd had gathered. Spotting a young boy in rags hovering nearby, he waved him over. With a shilling in his pocket and the promise of a second, the boy was off to retrieve their friends. He refused to either leave Jules or the bastard who attacked her, even for a moment. Hovering over the now-cowering man, Wolf glanced over at Jules, who stood trembling at his side. Reaching out to wrap an arm about her shoulders, he was pleased to see she had found an opportunity to right her clothing before too many people had gathered.
It seemed like hours before Stone, Cooper, and the rest of their group appeared, and even longer for the Metropolitan Police to arrive. By the time the whole mess was sorted out and the uncooperative villain was taken away, there was no doubt in Wolf’s mind that Jules had accumulated another scandal to her credit. There was little doubt that her strolling in the dark gardens of The Crystal Palace—even with her fiancé—would make the rounds. Unfortunately, he doubted greatly that such a scandal would have any impact on Wallthorpe’s determination to marry her, and clearly, he was very determined.
Wolf glanced at Jules, and she looked about as wilted as he felt. It was past time to take her home, so he gathered her in his arms and tipped her face up to his. “You look exhausted. Let me take you home.”
Her green eyes widened. “Home? I don’t think I want to go home right now. I have no desire to be alone.”
Wolf cursed softly, and then turned to the others. “If you all wouldn’t mind finding another way home, I’m going to take Jules with me.” He hesitated, hating to say it, but needing to. “Ros, you’d best come with us as well. I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay alone at your home tonight.”
Flint’s arm curled protectively around Ros. “You’ll take me then as well. I’ll not leave her unprotected while you are tending to Julia.”
There was little chance anyone could have missed the look of relief that crossed Ros’ face as Flint offered his presence. With a nod, the four of them headed off through the gardens to where Wolf’s carriage would be waiting. Many of the spectacle goers had long since left the ball, though some revelers remained. Wolf’s spine tingled and his every sense seemed very much on alert the entire walk to his vehicle. He imagined Flint felt much the same. Once they were settled in his carriage, the tenseness melted from his shoulders, even as his mind began to whirl with questions.
Who was behind the attack?
Because there was little doubt the brute who’d tried to snatch Jules could not have been working on his own recognizance. Of course, only one answer came to mind: it had to be Wallthorpe. Though Wolf also refused to discount Jules’ former lover. Sheik Hassan seemed mighty determined to have her back in his bed as well, and the man had traveled thousands of miles to find her.
He looked down at Julia, who was huddled against his side. He wanted to marry her. Not only was it the best way to protect her, but he was ridiculously in love with her. Despite his efforts to make her fall for him, she had yet to change her mind.
Was tonight’s attack enough to sway her thinking on marriage?
Chapter 21
Julia stood in the foyer of Wolf’s town house as the indomitable Mrs. Gordon put everyone and everything to rights. She wasn’t cheery, she didn’t laugh, she didn’t smile, but she was welcoming in an efficient sort of way. Julia had known her for all of three minutes, and she wouldn’t dare think of crossing the woman.
“Lord Flintshire, you may take your usual room. My ladies, I shall have rooms prepared for you in a trice.”
She turned to hustle off, but stopped as Wolf cleared his throat.
“Mrs. Gordon, Lady Julia will sleep in my quarters.”
Julia looked up, surprised yet overwhelmed with relief at his blunt announcement.
“My lord!” The housekeeper pressed her hand to her chest. “Why, that’s scandalous!”
That his cheeks were dusted pink amused Julia, even as he appeared simultaneously embarrassed and put-upon.
Wolf sighed. “Be that as it may, I shall not sleep separate from her after this evening’s events.”
Flint looked even more uncomfortable than Wolf, but spoke up, as well. “And I’ll need a room adjoining Mrs. Smith’s. We can’t be too careful after tonight’s incident.”
Mrs. Gordon’s brown gaze narrowed, and if she could have thrown daggers at the men, Julia was certain she would have.
“I, for one, shall sleep better knowing Lord Flintshire is close at hand.” Ros spoke so softly that Julia wasn’t certain anyone else heard her. But then Mrs. Gordon’s disapproving brown eyes softened a bit.
Julia bit her lip and admitted her own relief as well. “I wouldn’t sleep a wink without Wolf after nearly being abducted.” She glanced up at him and let her desire show in her eyes. “I may not sleep at all, even with him at my side.”
And just like that, Mrs. Gordon tutted and scooted away to see to their rooms.
Wolf cleared his throat in the awkward silence. “Yes, well. A nip of something bracing seems in order while we wait for our rooms to be prepared. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Half an hour later, Julia found herself in Wolf’s chambers, soaking in a steaming bath before a small fire. It was warm for May, when the sun was shining, but the nights still held a chill. Not to mention the cold fear that still lingered well after the incident. She’d only stopped shaking once they’d settled in Wolf’s carriage and she’d been able to press herself against his side. There was no doubt in her mind, she wouldn’t have been able to sleep in her own bed that night. Though when she’d asked him to stay with her, she’d assumed he would take her to The Market—not his home. But Wolf was always defying expectation—or at least hers.
She hoped Ros was soaking in an equally delightful bath, though with slightly less of an audience than she had at the moment.
Wolf hovered near the tub, looking masculine yet comfortable standing in his shirtsleeves, trousers, and bare feet. “May I get you anything else?”
Julia sighed a little. The worst of her shock and fear proved to be dissipating, along with the tendrils of steam. “I’m quite well at the moment, but thank you.”
He kneeled behind her at the edge of the tub. “Would you allow me to scrub your back?”
She thought about it for a minute, drawing the moment out almost teasingly. But then she raised the scrubbing cloth out of the water. “Mmmm…I think I shall.”
His presence behind her was both reassuring and exciting. Then he leaned close to her ear. “Sit forward, my lady.”
As he reached down into the water and searched out the soap, his wandering hand stroked and caressed all of the flesh he could find. Eventually, he found the small bar and set about his task. The light roughness of the cloth and the slippery feel of the soap combined in a pleasurable way with the pressure he applied to
further relax her tense muscles. She wouldn’t have asked for a bath at such a late hour—and, in fact, hadn’t—but she truly appreciated that Mrs. Gordon had arranged for one so quickly.
Curious, now that her emotions had settled down, she considered who her assailant might have been. There was truly only one logical answer in her mind. “Wolf, do you think the man was sent by Wallthorpe?”
Her bath attendant sighed behind her. “I do suspect that to be true, though I am unwilling to entirely discard the notion that your sheik might also have played a hand in tonight’s events.”
She gasped and half turned in the tub so she could see his face. “You cannot mean that. Tariq is many things, but he is no abductor of women.”
Wolf’s brows rose up to his hairline. “Did he or did he not travel thousands of miles to woo you back into his bed?”
Her cheeks heated, and it had less to do with her bath or the fire, and more to do with discussing her former lover. “He did come to do that, yes, but he had other business interests to attend to as well. I was merely one of a number of concerns on his agenda. Not to mention, I suspect he will be far more occupied with one of his wives in the future, leaving him little time to court me. But I still believe that Tariq would not have done such a thing. Tonight’s dastardly deeds have Wallthorpe’s hands all over it.”
Wolf huffed a little. “I mostly agree, but, out of an abundance of caution, I plan to have both men examined closer. I’d already started checking Wallthorpe’s circumstances, but tomorrow I shall add your sheik to the list as a precaution.”
Anger prickled her skin as she turned back around. “I’m telling you that isn’t necessary. Tariq is no threat.”
Wolf grumbled. “And I am telling you, as a man who once lost you, it is very necessary to eliminate all possibilities.”
“Oh, stupid men,” she mumbled, as she leaned back against the curve of the tub.
He leaned in close to her ear again. “I’m right here, you know, and I can clearly hear you.”
“Well, bully for you.”
She wanted to be angrier, but she understood his desire to be certain about Tariq.
Wolf then dragged the cloth from her upper back to her shoulder, and then moved it across the front of her collarbone. “Pouting does not become you, Jules.”
He was right, but she would not agree so easily. “I am not pouting. I am merely having a difference of opinion with you. But as long as you continue to touch me like that, I am less likely to be so adamant about my opinion.”
He chuckled, but then he hung the cloth over the edge of the tub and stepped away, only to return with a drying sheet. “Come out of that cooling water, before you become chilled and undo all the good the heat did.”
She stood, feeling like Aphrodite rising, and waited for all the water to sluice from her body before she stepped out of the tub. Then he was there, wrapping her in warmth once again. Her heart fluttered in her chest, but she refused to give in to the sensation. Love would only lead to heartache when they parted ways once more.
He finished drying her off and then smacked her bare bottom. “Into the bed with you.”
Laughing, she did as directed, crawling in after bypassing the prim nightgown that lay on a nearby bench. Sleeping in the nude was far more advantageous when lying next to a man like Wolf. And despite the evening’s drama, she found her body pulsing with a need to touch and be touched. Perhaps it was the result of the night’s events, or maybe it was merely being close to a man she desired, but she still wanted him. No, she needed him in a way she had never needed another man. Deep down inside, there was a part of her that still felt cold, and she was certain that only Wolf could thaw it with his desire.
Propped against the pillows on the bed—his bed—she allowed the haze of lust to drop over her as she watched him remove his clothes. He stood where she could watch as he divested himself of his shirt, then his trousers, his undershirt, and finally, his drawers. He paused there a moment, letting her look her fill of his body. She took in the thick muscles that roped along his arms, his wide shoulders that tapered to a trim waist, and the long, well-defined legs that carried him. His cock lay long and thick in a semihard state, but it was growing with each moment she observed him.
“Come here, Wolf. I need you. I need to feel you touching me. Again.”
She shivered then, both her need and the cold within her growing again.
He crossed to the bed and climbed in, but he hesitated. “I think it would be best if you simply rested tonight. You have had quite a scare.”
His words warred with the aroused and very erect state of his shaft.
She was absolutely certain about what she needed, and it was not rest. At least not yet. “I did have quite a scare, you are right. For a moment, I feared losing you once more. I feared being taken away, never to see or touch you again. Now, let me be reminded that you are in fact here with me.” She reached out and wrapped her hand around his length. “That I can touch you as I please, and please you as I wish.”
She stroked along his length and watched as all vestiges of chivalry and gentlemanliness disappeared, to be replaced with stark desire.
A soft growl escaped him. “I don’t know if I can be gentle tonight. I fear I’m still rather wound tight, having nearly lost you.”
She pressed a kiss to his jaw, right where a small muscle ticked. “I don’t recall asking you to be gentle. I merely asked you to let me touch you.”
She continued to stroke his cock, gathering the bead of moisture that gathered at the tip and using it to slicken her movement. Done with talking, she focused on doing as she wanted, so she pressed a series of kisses to his chest, and then eased her way down his body as she continued to work his length. Then she reached her objective and quickly engulfed the head of his cock in her mouth. Replacing her hand with her lips, she sank down on him, swallowing him until her lips neared the base of his shaft.
“Bloody hell.” His mumbled words came as he sank his hands into her hair.
She reveled in the power of being able to draw such a response from him so quickly. But never one to sit on her laurels, she dropped one hand down to cup his balls as she continued to suck his cock. And when she stroked the expanse of skin between his sac and his rear opening, his hips bucked, forcing him deeper into her mouth, until he breached her throat.
As big and broad as his body was, he shook with his need to come, and she wanted him to, but as his movements grew more agitated, his hips flexing, driving deep into her throat, she reached back and pushed the tip of her finger into his backside.
He nearly leapt up off the bed. “Fuck, yes!”
As he came down, her finger went a little deeper inside him. Then his balls tensed up in her hand, and suddenly he pulled out of her mouth, rolled her on her back—dislodging her finger from his backside—and came all over her breasts.
Surprised by their sudden shift in positions, she lay there breathing hard as she watched his face tighten in pleasure. Eyes closed, he pumped his cock over and over, spurting his cum until nothing more came out. As he kneeled over her, cock still in his hand, he opened his eyes and looked down at her.
A dark smile played over his lips, an unexpectedly sexy look of desire and possession. “You’re mine, Julia.”
Her eyes widened at the use of her full name versus his pet name for her.
Then he dragged his fingers through his seed and rubbed it into her skin. “You’re mine, and I shall never give you up again. Do you understand?”
Shocked by such a primitive action, she found it hard to choke a simple “yes” past the desire that had clogged her throat. As he continued to rub his semen into her skin, she felt beautiful. Desired. Claimed in a way that unexpectedly appealed to her, and only drove her need for this man higher.
He straddled her stomach and shifted to using both hands to massage her breasts, then shifted to plucking her nipples as the last of his essence disappeared and dried up. “Say it, Julia. Say you understand.”
He pinched her nipples, hard, and she arched up off the bed, loving the bite of pain with the pleasure. “Yes. I understand.”
And she did. She understood that he had claimed her. That somehow, married or not, this was the last man who would ever touch her. And while her mind still struggled with the notion, her body opened and welcomed his claiming. Her heart nearly burst with the joy of it.
Then Wolf eased down her body, and to her utter shock, he licked over her nipple and sucked it into his mouth. Then he followed suit on the other side. As he continued kissing down her body, he paused to look up at her. “You taste of me, because you belong to me. Mine.” His declaration was followed by a low growl, and then returned to moving down her body. When he spread her legs, he smiled again. “I dare say I’ve never seen your pussy so wet. I think you may have appreciated me making my claim as much as I enjoyed making it.”
Aroused and needy, she hurtled right past dirty talk into begging. “Please, Wolf. Lick my pussy. Make me come all over your tongue. I need to feel you inside me, any part of you.”
“Any part?” He slid his pinky inside her pussy.
She moaned, barely feeling the penetration, yet all too aware of it. “More. Please, give me more.”
He placed one hand on her thigh and changed fingers. She couldn’t see what he was doing now, but she could feel something thicker inside her.
He worked the digit in and out a few times. “Better?”
“Don’t tease me. I need you.” She practically cried out the words, her voice cracking at the end.
His Scandalous Viscountess (Lustful Lords Series Book 3) Page 16