He joined her on the bed then, straddling her legs with his muscularthighs. His head dipped near to her sex as he pressed a kiss to the top of herhand. Gently, he pulled her fingers away and replaced them with his mouth. Hesucked on her, dragging on the bud at her center in the same way he had thenight before. She writhed beneath him, glorying in the raw sensations he evokedin her. His tongue swept over her wet folds, down to her entrance, beforesinking into her.
She snagged handfuls of the bedclothes, mesmerized by thesight of his beautiful mouth working its magic between her legs. He metMaggie’s gaze and flicked his tongue against her, alternating between suckingand entering her with his tongue. Just when she feared she could no longer bearthe pleasure, he switched from his mouth to his fingers, working her into afrenzy as he kissed a path from her belly to her neck. He dropped open-mouthed,ravenous kisses upon her while his long fingers slipped inside her slickpassage. She arched into him, clutching his broad shoulders. He kissed herearlobe, his breath sending more pleasure flitting through her. Then he caughther hand and lowered it between them, settling her once more on his cock.
“Put my cock inside you,” he murmured against her skin.
She rubbed her cheek against the stubble of his whiskers. “Idon’t know how.”
“I’ll show you.” He pressed her fingers around him andguided them to her aching sex. “Can you feel me, darling?”
As he asked the question, he thrust forward until his tipgrazed her. “Yes,” she said, barely able to manage coherent speech any longer.
“Take me inside.” The pressure of his large cock increased.
She tipped her hips up to accommodate him whilesimultaneously pulling him into her drenched slit. He began filling andstretching her. There was a moment of pain as her body adjusted to thestill-new invasion, but it faded as he pushed himself all the way inside.Pleasure shot through her like a huntsman’s arrow finding its expert mark. Heburied his face in her neck, kissing her still as he found his rhythm, slidinggradually into her, then out again. She sensed he was going slow for herbenefit, allowing her to accustom herself to him.
But she wanted it faster. Deeper. She arched against hisevery thrust, matching his pace. Her thighs fell apart to welcome him morefully. His fingers went into her hair as he dragged his mouth back down to herbreasts. He sucked her nipples while he drove into her again and again. Thepull on her highly sensitized breasts was enough to send her careening intoclimax. She shuddered as pure bliss overtook her, making her tighten around hiscock.
He groaned and plunged deeper, harder, quicker. Soon, he waspumping into her, finding his own release. He cried out, throwing his headback, and the warm spurt of his seed filled her. She clamped her legs roundhim, milking his cock for each drop. Her heart beat a thunderous rap againsther chest. Her body tingled with a potent glow of sated desire.
They remained entwined for a few breaths, and then at lasthe rolled to his side, removing his weight from her altogether. She was fairlycertain that none of her limbs were in working order, but her neck obliged herby moving to the left so that she faced Simon. He lay on his back, beautifullynaked and spent, staring at the ceiling. His profile was exceptionally handsome,she noted, more handsome than a man’s profile ought to be really. Almostbeautiful.
It was difficult to believe that after a year of misery andabandonment he was at her side of his own volition. Her feelings for him weresuch a confusing jumble. The old resentments and hurt remained. How was she toever make sense of this new, passionate husband who had taken her life bystorm? She couldn’t forget their past, but neither could she deny theirincredible passion.
He turned to her, his expression guarded in that way of hisnow that their needs had been met. “I expect I should return to my chamberbefore we start tongues truly wagging.”
That was not what she wanted to hear. She frowned at him.“You know as well as I that everyone has been about the same business. There isno gossip here.”
He absentmindedly stroked his stomach. “I’m fairly certaineveryone guessed who we are after the spectacle I created at dinner. I’m afraidthere will be a great deal of gossip now.”
“Ah.” Coldness replaced the wonderful warmth she’d beenenjoying. “You wouldn’t want news to reach Lady Billingsley, would you?”
“I simply don’t wish to be fodder for the gossip mill,” hesaid, but he looked away from her.
He was lying, and she knew it. Would the dreadful womannever cease plaguing her? Maggie wished he had simply fallen asleep instead ofchoosing to speak. His words were like tiny daggers being sunk into her heart.“Do what you must,” she said coolly. If he wanted to leave, she would not beghim to stay, particularly if his heart still remained elsewhere.
Irksome misgivings began shouting to be heard within herhead. He had loved Lady Billingsley for longer than she had even known him. Shehadn’t a chance of winning his love, wasn’t even certain if his love was whatshe was after. Had she been mad to suggest they become lovers for a month?Perhaps she wasn’t made of stern enough stuff. What if she developed tenderfeelings for him? Could she truly watch him walk into the arms of anothermistress and keep her heart intact?
Worry formed a knot in her stomach. He didn’t speak, simplyrose from the bed. She turned her back on him, not wanting to see him sneakingout of the chamber as if he were no better than a thief. Or a rogue sampling akept woman’s charms for the night. The rustling sound of fabric reached herears.
They were strangers once more, it seemed.
His abrupt defection hurt her. She wanted to cut him withwords. Say something ugly, something that would dig beneath his arrogant façadeand go straight to the bone. “If you were this cold with your whore, I’msurprised she didn’t grow bored of you much sooner,” she said before she couldstop herself. It would seem she possessed precious little control where he wasconcerned.
All sounds of rustling fabric disappeared as though they hadnever been. Her words had hit their mark. Though it was cruel of her, sherelished the brief moment of power it gave her over him.
“She was never my whore,” he said at last and with greatrestraint.
“Nor was she your wife,” she reminded him, still refusing togive in to her inner weakling and glance back at him.
“I’m more than aware, Margaret.” She had displeased himenough to earn the use of her full name, it appeared. The sound of him dressingresumed. “I’m going to join in the after-dinner festivities, and I suggest youdo the same. But stay the hell away from the Earl of Ravenscroft.”
She didn’t respond, simply kept her back to him as hestalked from her chamber and slammed the door. It occurred to her that shereally ought to discover precisely who the Earl of Ravenscroft was. And then,like an unwanted gift, it also occurred to her that she was going to have tosuffer the embarrassing fate of ringing her maid to assist her in dressing oncemore. Damn him.
* * * * *
Damn her. The drawing room was ripe with possibility, ladenwith inebriated women wearing scandalously low-cut bodices who wanted nothingmore in the world than to be fucked later that evening. But he had eyes for heralone. He couldn’t decide which was worse, his having agreed to her mad conceptof no other lovers for a month or the sad fact that it didn’t matter.Regardless of his promise to her, he didn’t want another woman. He only wantedthe red-haired siren flirting her head off with the Earl of Ravenscroft.
Clever minx. He had no doubt she had sought him outintentionally. Earlier, he had been itching to get away from her, frustratedwith himself for allowing her to compromise him so completely that everythinghe’d stood for since their marriage had been completely obliterated. His reactionto her scared him. He wanted her in a way he had not wanted any other woman ina very long time, perhaps ever. Including Eleanor.
