“Then we have just as much right to help you as you do us.” She frowned. “Unless you’re suggesting we’re not as capable because we are female.”
“How on earth did you assume that from what I said?” Julian asked. “I already have the upper hand with Percival Walcott. He’s lost in the courts. All he has left is his constant complaining.”
“But he’s attempting to blacken the reputations of those who are associated with you,” Carenza said gently. “That’s why it’s important to hold the ball.”
He studied her for a long moment and then nodded. “Fair enough.”
“You’reagreeingwith me?”
“I am capable of conceding a point, Carenza.”
“When?”
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Did Allegra say that we won’t be disturbed for the next few hours, or did I misunderstand her?”
“Oh, now I see. You’re being conciliatory, because you want me to take you to bed.”
“Am I succeeding?”
“Yes, but only because I am desperate to be touched.”
He drew her to her feet. “How desperate?”
Her sultry smile woke a fire in his body. “Very.”
“Then come along.” He marched her toward the door. “It’s one of those rare moments when we’re both thinking alike. We can continue our argument later.”
She took him into her bedchamber, and he made certain to lock all the doors from the inside. Her room was at the back of the house, looking out over the garden and the mews beyond, which meant no one could see them.
They undressed each other slowly, enjoying the need not to rush for a change. Despite the sunlight filtering through the windows, it wasn’t warm and Carenza’s nipples were tight. She shivered when he cupped her breast and took one nipple into his mouth.
“That’s lovely.”
“I can do so much more,” Julian said as he used his fingers on her other breast and slid his other hand between her legs to find her wet and waiting for him. “You smell delicious.”
“That’s need.” She groaned as his thumb brushed her clit, and she moved sensuously against his hand. “I never realized …”
He raised his head to look at her. “What?”
Her smile was awkward. “Nothing.”
He led her over to the bed and stripped the covers away so that she could lie down on the sheets. He climbed up and straddled her, his hips pinning her to the bed. “What hadn’t you realized?”
She sighed. “Trust you to never let anything go.”
“It is one of my most infuriating traits,” he agreed as he stroked her breasts and pinched her nipples. He’d missed her—he’d missed this. “I suspect you were about to comment that you’d never realized how good having sex could be until you’d bedded me.”
“As Hector was my only other lover, that’s hardly much of a compliment.”
“I’m hurt.” He set his teeth on her nipple, making her squeak. “Perhaps I’ll make you reconsider that statement.” He licked the place he’d nipped, and she groaned, her hips rolling helplessly beneath his. “Should I fuck you hard enough to make you sore? Your nipples chafing against your stays, your clit throbbing against the starch of your petticoats? We both know how much you like that.” He slid three fingers inside her. “Shall I stretch you here with my cock ramming into you, without thought of your comfort, concerned only with my desires?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “All of that.”
He set the crown of his cock at her entrance and slid home, making them both gasp. “And there’s more to play with, my darling. I could thrust into your mouth until your lips are tired from sucking me. Or take you here.” He fingered the tight bud of her arse. “Hard.”
She came so suddenly that it almost caught him off guard. He had to grit his teeth and hold her still until he mastered the urge to come with her.
“So very eager,” he murmured as she quivered in his arms, his heartbeat mirrored in the throb of his cock. “Now, what else have you realized?”
