“Yes,” he said, lowering his mouth to the line of her neck and brushing his lips across the top of her right shoulder. “This is deliberate.” He kissed her shoulder and nipped her tender flesh, even as his fingers stretched across her back, seeking out the ties holding her in her gown. “I plan to deliberately make love to you in such a scandalous way that your reputation would be forever ruined if so much as a hint of what we’ve done were to be made public.”
“Oh, my,” Alice whispered, closing her eyes and leaning her head back as he trailed kisses across the front of her chest.
He found and loosened the ties of her gown, then tugged the bodice lower. Her breasts popped free just as his kisses rained over their tops. His mouth closed firmly around her right nipple. She sighed and made a wicked sound of pleasure as he teased it into a pert point.
“You really do have the most extraordinary breasts,” he purred.
“They’re too big,” she gasped, her legs going wobbly as he brought one hand around to knead a breast and lave his tongue over its nipple.
“I like them big,” he said, glancing up at her with a predatory grin. “There are so many things you can do with a pair of sizable tits.”
His use of vulgar language triggered something delicious inside of her. She wriggled and shifted, doing what little she could to climb out of her restrictive clothing. “Such as?” she asked, breathless.
He seemed to sense what she wanted. He stepped back, walking behind her to undo the rest of the fastenings of her gown, then in front of her to push the whole thing down over her hips. It pooled on the floor around her feet as he went to work on the closures of her stays. Alice had been dressed and undressed by maids countless times in her life, but there was something deliciously erotic about being stripped by a man with such sensuality in his eyes. A fully clothed man at that. Fabian seemed in no hurry to remove his own clothes as he peeled away her layers, leaving her bare.
A needy shiver swirled up in her as he pulled away her stays and chemise, then undid her drawers and pushed them and her stockings down over her legs. “There,” he said when she was fully naked. “If anyone were to come through my bedroom door and see you like this, the scandal would be so great that you would be forced to marry me, no matter your father’s wishes.”
“But your door is locked,” she reminded him, every part of her fluttering. She didn’t know what to do with her hands. The wild idea that she should touch herself while he watched filled her, but she was too overcome with the desire to see him undress to do it.
Fabian glanced over his shoulder at the door, then back at her, one eyebrow raised. “So it is. Anything can happen to a woman when she is in a man’s bedroom with the door locked.”
“Anything?” she echoed, her voice high and thready.
“She might find herself savaged by a man with uncontrollable lusts.” He took a step toward her.
Alice backed up as he stalked her, until her legs hit the side of his bed. “Oh, my.”
“Do you want to be savaged, Alice?” he asked in a voice as dark and velvet as the night sky.
Alice swallowed, her throat going dry. The way he looked at her body, as if he wanted to devour her as thoroughly as he had the night before, left her knees too weak for her to stand much longer. All she could do was nod and blush.
“It’s difficult to be savaged by a man still dressed for a ball,” he said.
It was all the command he needed to give. Alice reached for him, working open the buttons of his jacket with shaking hands. A hint of a grin played across Fabian’s otherwise serious lips as she peeled his jacket back and started on the buttons of his waistcoat. He shrugged out of the jacket and tossed it aside, then disposed of the waistcoat as well as her hands dropped to the falls of his breeches.
His quick intake of breath was all the hint she had that he was pleased with what she was doing. His face remained an implacable mask of seriousness, although his eyes danced with mirth. There was something fun and erotic in the roles they’d fallen into so quickly. She was his submissive slave, helpless against whatever wicked things he wanted to do to her, and he was her master. The game made her bold and free to explore.
“What do you want from me, master?” she asked, blinking up at him as innocently as she could.
The flash of fire in Fabian’s eyes was a clear sign that he wanted to play as much as she did. “I want you to pleasure me,” he growled.
“Anything for you,” she said.
She finished with the fastenings of his breeches, pulled the hem of his shirt up, and slid her hands against his cock as it sprung free. He growled deep in his throat, biting his lip.
“More,” he demanded. “I want you on your knees.”
Every hint of naughty things women could do to men that Felicity and Eliza and the other young ladies at the Herrington’s house party had whispered about swirled back through Alice. She could barely catch her breath as she lowered herself to her knees, her head at the level of Fabian’s hips.
He peeled his shirt off and tossed it aside, then said, “Remove my boots.”
It wasn’t what Alice had expected but she did as she was commanded anyhow. Their game was nearly upended as his boots gave her a devil of a time coming off. There was nothing at all sensual about yanking and tugging while he was forced to step back and lean against the bedpost for balance. Alice caught herself laughing at one point, but that laughter died in her throat when his second boot came off, leaving her staring at his erection as it poked above the sagging front of his breeches.
“Remove my breeches,” Fabian ordered, leaning heavily against the bedpost and resting his arms behind his head.
“Yes, my lord,” Alice said, scooting closer and grasping the garment.
She tugged them down slowly, her senses running riot as she revealed his hips, his thighs, and the alluring sack that was pulled tight beneath his impossibly thick and hard penis. She licked her lips as she studied that part of him, pushing his breeches and stockings down until he was able to step out of them.
That left him fully naked in front of her. He stood with his feet slightly apart, watching her with heavy-lidded eyes.
“I want you to swallow my cock,” he said in a voice that resonated with desire and command. “As deep as you can. I want to see your lips tight around the base and hear you moan with pleasure as you sheath me.”
“Yes, my lord,” she managed in a shaky voice, aching with sinful desire.
She reached for him, caressing his sack and stroking his length. Prickles of desire broke out across her skin and her sex ached so desperately that she could feel it weeping. That only encouraged her to lean forward, bringing her mouth to the tip of his cock to tease and test it with a kiss.
The salty taste of him set her heart beating faster. He was hot and hard in her hand, and curiosity raged within her. She knew what he felt like stretching her cunny, but she wanted to know what he would feel like in her mouth. She opened her mouth over his tip, tasting more of him and running her tongue across his slit. He sucked in a breath and groaned, tension rippling off of him.
He liked it. He liked what she was doing. That knowledge encouraged her. It filled her with power as she took a breath and drew more of him into her mouth. It was a strange sensation, like taking a bite of a delicious treat that was just a bit too much for her. Her tongue slipped along the underside of his cock as she slowly bore down on him, taking in as much of him as she could. He let out a wordless sound of delicious frustration and shifted his hips forward.
A moment of panic hit her as he went too far, nearly choking her. That panic quickly faded as she pulled back and took him in again on her own terms. She took her cues from him, sliding him in and out of her mouth, slowly at first, but with increasing speed and depth as he responded. She peeked up, excited by the look of abandonment on his face as she swallowed him. The look left her feeling paradoxically in control, and she gripped his thighs and made a long, low sound of pleasure.
�
�You’d be ruined if anyone saw you with my cock down your throat,” he growled. “So you’ll have to marry me now.”
“I never want to marry anyone else,” she said, taking a moment to breathe. “You’re the only man I’ll ever want.”
She drew him into her mouth again, teasing him with her tongue for a moment before steeling her nerve and taking in as much of him as she could. She let him fill her, moving on him with sureness of purpose until she could feel his body tense, near release.
“Dear God,” he gasped at last, pushing at her shoulders so that she rocked away from him. His cock sprung free, standing straight up between them. “Not like this,” he growled.
She opened her mouth to ask what he wanted, but no sound came out before he scooped her under her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. He practically threw her onto the bed, then grabbed her knees and wrenched them apart. He wore a look of absolute concentration that bordered on desperation as he spread her. With another, swift, strong movement, he pulled her hips right to the edge of the bed then plunged into her.
The surprise of being impaled without warning only added to the deep, thundering pleasure as he moved inside of her. He braced himself on the bed and thrust into her hard and fast. There was no doubt at all that he was claiming her as fiercely as any warrior had ever claimed a woman as his own, and within seconds, Alice teetered on the edge of ecstasy. She was wicked to love the way he used her, without mercy but with so much pleasure. A proper young lady would blush and weep at the brutish way he took her. But it felt so good that she throbbed into orgasm in short order, not caring if she was a shameless wanton for loving the way he mastered her.
Moments later, Fabian cried out as he spilled himself inside of her. His thrusts slowed, but the intensity of sensuality and the heat between them barely lessened. He climbed fully onto the bed with her, shifting her into his arms and entwining their sweating bodies in a knot that no one, not even her father, could untangle.
“Never doubt that I want you,” he panted, brushing his hands over her sides and breasts as though they were just getting started instead of finishing. “You’ve endeared yourself to me in so many ways, including this one.”
“I meant it when I said I never want to be with another man for the rest of my life,” she said, as breathless as he was. “You can do anything you want to me, use me in any way you see fit. I love it and I—” She hesitated, uncertain whether she wanted to lay herself completely bare. A heartbeat later, she knew she did. “I love you,” she said.
He tensed for a moment before relaxing, like a flag unfurling. “Darling,” he said, rolling her to her back and cradling her breast. “I love you too.”
Alice smiled, feeling safe and at peace for the first time in so long she couldn’t remember. Everything would work out the way it should after all.
“Now,” Fabian continued, mischief back in his eyes. “Let’s see how many times I can make you come before we’re too exhausted to move.”
Chapter 8
For the second time within a week, Fabian awoke with Alice nestled in his arms. He grinned and shifted to cradle her body more fully with his, deep contentment infusing him. The first, cold rays of December light, the dawning of Christmas Eve day, peeked through the gaps in the heavy curtains covering his windows. The fire in the grate crackled merrily, hinting that the maid had crept in to light the fire earlier. The bed was toasty and comfortable, and Fabian counted himself the luckiest man in the world.
He nuzzled against Alice’s hair, which had been taken down after their first round of love-making and now rested in soft waves across the pillow and her shoulders. He stroked a hand along her side, loving the soft warmth of her curves. She smelled of heaven itself—the fading scent of perfume, the salt of her skin, and a hint of musk leftover from their night together. She’d been mind-bogglingly experimental and free with her sexuality. He’d gotten carried away and was more demanding of her than he should have been, but Alice had seemed to enjoy their bedsport as much as he had.
A man could do much worse for himself when it came to marrying. One more day and he and Alice would be joined forever in the sight of God and man.
He had just circled his hand around to her belly and was debating starting the morning by stroking her into orgasm when an urgent knock sounded on his door.
“Fabian.” Matthew’s voice was as serious as the grave. “Wake up and look lively.”
A deep frown creased Fabian’s brow and he was tempted to shout all sorts of profanities at his friend, but sense took over. Matthew wouldn’t interrupt a perfect morning unless something had happened.
“What’s going on?” Alice asked, coming awake slowly. She twisted to her back and slowly pushed herself to sit, rubbing her eyes. She made no effort to keep the bedcovers from sliding down to her waist, exposing her glorious breasts.
Fabian sat as well, fighting to resist the urge to ogle her beautiful form or to forget about whatever Matthew was trying to warn him of to make love to her again. “Something must have happened,” he said instead, scooting to the edge of the bed and standing.
Alice made a giggling sound of delight, and when Fabian glanced back at her, she was grinning at him and looking like the perfect picture of a debauched woman. Her hair was disheveled, her skin flush with desire, and her eyes sleepy with satiety and a hint of eagerness for more. Fabian couldn’t help but turn abruptly and walk back to the bed.
He leaned over to kiss her soundly, grabbing the headboard and pressing her back against it. “I wish there were time for me to thoroughly ravish you again,” he said, his body urging him on and his cock stiffening. “As of tomorrow, I won’t let anything or anyone keep me from burying myself deep within you as often as I’d like.”
Alice hummed low in her throat, circling her arms around his neck. “I’ll be yours to command,” she said. “Patience truly does have its rewards.”
He kissed her one final time, then pulled away and set to work washing and dressing as fast as possible. Alice dragged herself out of bed and made an attempt to tidy herself and dress as well. They made only minimal progress before another knock sounded at the door.
“Fabian, you’re needed at once.” This time it was Georgette’s voice that drifted conspiratorially through the door. “And Alice, if you’re in there, hurry back to your room with all haste. It…it may already be too late.”
Fabian’s brow shot up at the direness in Georgette’s warning. He exchanged a glance with Alice, who had gone slightly pale. There was less shock in her expression than there was dread, as if she knew what kind of horror awaited them.
They checked themselves one final time to be certain they were presentable, then Fabian crossed to the door and peeked into the hall.
“It’s clear,” he said, gesturing for Alice to come forward.
She skipped over to him and took his hand, and they proceeded into the hall. It would likely be as damning for them to be seen together so early in the morning, slipping quietly through the upstairs halls, as it would have been for anyone to walk in on them in the throes of passion the night before, but Fabian no longer cared. Alice would be his wife in just over twenty-four hours, and she needed his protection. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever was afoot in the house, her father had something to do with it.
As it turned out, he was right, but not in a way he expected.
“Thieves,” his mother said, fury in her eyes, as he and Alice joined the rest of the family in the breakfast room. “Our house has been infiltrated with thieves.”
Prickles raced down Fabian’s back as he let go of Alice’s hand to cross to his mother and greet her with a kiss to her cheek. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lord Stanhope move from the spot where he’d been standing at the side of the room—a spot that seemed designed to allow him to be unobtrusive while observing everything—and over to Alice’s side. Fabian wanted to rush to Alice and defend her against whatever evil her father was planning, but his mother had already gripped h
is arm with worried desperation and was looking at him for help.
“What has been stolen?” he asked, shifting so that he could address his mother and still keep a full eye on Alice.
“All manner of things,” his mother said. “Jewels that were removed from our guests throughout the night, valuable objects throughout the house, and even a purse that was taken from Lord Aylesbury’s room.”
“The items are small,” the duke added, coming to stand by Fabian’s mother’s side, “but taken together, they are of considerable value.”
“It chills me to the bone to think that we have somehow allowed a thief into our midst,” his mother said, letting go of Fabian and clinging to her husband’s arm instead. “Who could have done such a thing?”
Fabian was certain he knew exactly who could do it. But when he turned a sharp glare to Lord Stanhope, he found the bastard clutching Alice’s arm, hissing something in her ear. Alice had gone white and leaned away from her father, but it was clear he wouldn’t let her go anywhere.
Alice’s heart felt as heavy as a stone as it sank into her stomach. She never should have left Fabian’s side. She should have followed him when he approached his mother. Now, with her father’s hands clamped around her arm, she felt well and truly trapped.
“I will not let that bitch, Lady Georgette, humiliate me this way,” her father growled into her ear. “She had a fiancé waiting for her all along. The engagement was announced late in the ball last night.” He paused. “I noticed you were absent.”
“I…I’d gone to bed,” Alice whispered, peeking sideways to where Fabian was talking with his mother and the duke.
“Yes, you had,” her father said, lasciviousness thick in his tone. The way he looked at her made Alice’s skin crawl. “Fortunately, your whoring will help me in the long run.”
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