Her lips parted at the very naughty twist on her concept of a game. She worried her lip slightly and bent her head as heat rushed to her cheeks. “I—”
“Come now,” he said, pushing to his feet. “How is that question much different from guessing the number of steps from one side of a room to another?”
She gathered herself as best she could and cleared her throat. “It is very different, Your Grace. You see, there are many elements to a kiss. Sometimes one seems to bleed into another, so do you count those as one kiss or two or three?” Her breath came shorter as he moved in her direction slowly. “And then…and then there are the locations of the kisses. Are you asking how many times you have kissed my lips? Or does a kiss to the hand count? Or the neck? Or the…the…”
She trailed off, her words fading as he moved even closer. He felt very big now. Like he filled all the space in the room and in her mind. She struggled to continue speaking.
“And then there is the question of initiation,” she continued. “You asked how many times you’ve kissed me. So I now have to think of any times I kissed you. Or kissed you back or—”
“Marianne,” he said. That single word stopped her. She tracked his hand as he reached down to catch her arm. He brought her to her feet gently, and then she was against his broad chest, his full lips a breath from hers. “Here is an easier question. How long will it take to get to my chamber? Because I tire of this game and would like to play another.”
She blinked up at him, drawn in by everything about him. Then she leaned up and brushed her lips to his. He deepened the kiss, his fingers digging into her arms as he fought, very obviously, with an animal drive to claim her without regard for where they were. She almost wished he would, at that.
“Come with me,” he whispered, taking her hand and guiding her from the room.
She followed, silenced at last by the heat of his desire, by the trembling response of her own. For the moment she would set aside the confusion he created in her. For the moment all she would do was surrender.
Chapter Nine
It had been a week since her arrival at Alexander’s estate, and Marianne was no less confused by her role here than she had been the afternoon she arrived. The place was beautiful, of course, despite its stark emptiness. The gardens were perfect, the library filled with books to occupy her time, and her room was pretty and comfortable.
The servants treated her with nothing but respect, regardless of the fact that she was obviously here as a sexual plaything for their master. Even when she overheard them, when they didn’t know she was there, she’d never caught a one of them say a cross word about Alexander. They were cautious around him, but it was evident he was truly liked by those who served him.
And it wasn’t that Alexander didn’t spend time with her. They shared meals in the evenings and then retired to his bedchamber together, where he made love to her until her body shook and she feared she could take no more pleasure. She was slowly being molded to his desires and she reveled in the awakening his touch provided.
Beyond the physical, though, she was not satisfied. Alexander could talk about literature, politics, science, and she enjoyed their discourse on those subjects. But the moment she tried to talk to him about anything personal, he withdrew. Or more accurately, he distracted her with his mouth and his hands and his cock.
Now she stood in the library, staring up at the great shelves lined with well-worn books, and she huffed out a breath. These were not the subjects she wished to explore. She wanted to know more about the man who had taken her as a lover, as a mistress. She wanted to understand why he was so afraid to get close to her. She wanted to know how he’d gotten the scars both on his face and in his heart.
Outside she heard the rustle of a maid’s skirts, and she stepped out of the library and into the hall to find a young woman dusting a table.
“Excuse me?” Marianne said.
The young woman turned toward her. “Yes, my lady? Is there something you need?”
Marianne hesitated. She spent most days alone, locked away from the man who had brought her here. Today, that was not enough.
“Do you know where His Grace is this morning?” Marianne asked, trying not to frown. He had left his bed early in the day without anything but a brief kiss for her naked shoulder. Of course, that was his way.
“I believe he rode into the village,” the maid said.
Marianne shifted, disappointed that there would be no opportunity for her to speak to him directly. At least not right then, when her courage was up. “Do you know when he’ll return?”
“I’m sorry, my lady, I don’t,” the girl said, her cheeks darkening as she avoided Marianne’s gaze. “He often goes to the village to meet with his tenants and do other business. That’s all I know.”
Marianne nodded. “Thank you, you’ve been a great help.”
She moved past the girl, allowing her to return to her work, but as she walked, she pondered. If Alexander was gone for the day, that meant she would have a bit more freedom than when he was here in the house. And if she wanted to know more about him…well, she had a pretty good idea of where to start looking for that information.
She cast a glance over her shoulder, but the young woman in the hall had turned her back to continue her duties. Marianne sighed and walked swiftly down the hall. She stopped at the door to Alexander’s study. His fortress. His cell.
She tried it and found it unlocked, so she slipped inside and shut it behind her before anyone could see her and tell her not to enter his room without him present.
As she leaned against the barrier, she shook her head. “Of course, he’s not trying to lock them out. They’re all too afraid to violate his orders not to come in.”
She drew a long breath and looked around. She’d been in this room only once, on the day she’d arrived at the estate. She blushed as she thought of dropping to her knees and taking Alexander into her mouth for the first time. Her body hummed with the thought, as it was becoming an act she truly enjoyed and did often. Pleasuring him, making him lose control…shelikedit.
She shook her head. She hadn’t come in here to think about the physical acts she wantonly enjoyed—she was here to see if she could learn something about the man who performed them on her. And she assumed he would be back at some point, so she put her mind to the task at hand at last.
