Page 73 of Scandalous: Family Ties and Spies

“Didn’t you?”

“Nae, I dinnae—”

“And yet you just told me there have been numerous times you’ve wanted to serve my stones up on a platter.”

Valeran’s soft accusation floated its way through the air in a soft, gentle breeze of sound that touched her senses in a dark way. It wasn’t unlike the air stirring across the moors, just before the distant rumble of thunder announced a storm was brewing. Amalie trembled, her fingers tightening their grip on the table’s edge.

No, this was something entirely different. The dark clouds rolling toward her weren’t a warning that a storm was coming. The tempest had already arrived, and she was about to be swallowed up in its fury if she didn’t run, the faster the better.

Without a second thought, Amalie leapt to her feet, darted out into the hall, and raced across the foyer, then up the stairs. A glance over her shoulder showed Valeran was nowhere in sight, but she wasn’t fooled for one moment.

The man would definitely come after her. But he would probably take his time about it. He would most likely let her stew as she contemplated all the possible punishments he might inflict on her.

Alarm welled up inside Amalie until it became a tidal wave. She needed to give Valeran time for his anger to cool. She would go see her parents, then ask to spend the night. It would give both of them space. Time for her husband’s seething anger to recede, and for her to compose a heartfelt and sincere apology.

Amalie charged into her room, quickly closing the door behind her, then turning the key in the lock. Her heart pounding in her chest, she leaned back against the door and closed her eyes in relief. It was a respite of little more than a second as she remembered the corridor between their rooms.

Panic streaked through her. Eyes flying open, she froze at the sight of her husband appearing in the doorway of the short passageway. Valeran’s expression was dark with fury, his mouth thinned as he moved toward her. The predatorial way he approached her made her flinch. It took only one breath for her heart to plunge into the pit of her stomach, then rebound and crash against her chest.

Dear God, how had he arrived here before her? The answer eluded her. With nowhere to run, she shrank back against the door, while Valeran closed the distance between them with a stealth that terrified her.

Even despite her fear, she was all too aware of the animalistic power and speed with which he moved. The thought had barely made its way into her head when he reached her. Amalie drew in a breath of dread as his powerful body pushed hers backward until she was pinned between him and the door.

Valeran bent his head toward her, the sound of his breathing quick and shallow as if he’d been running. The back stairs. The man had to have moved like a bolt of lightning the moment she’d left the dining room. His route had only been a few feet longer than hers, but he’d managed to reach her even faster than expected.

She could only assume he’d taken the back stairs two at a time, then entered his chambers seconds after she closed her own door. He had to have already been in the corridor between their rooms as she’d paused to draw in a breath of relief at what she thought had been a narrow escape.

“Valeran—”

“That is the only word you’re allowed to speak until I’m done with you, Amalie.” The quiet resolution in his voice made her heart slam into her chest. Oh God, what did that mean? A jubilant shout echoed in her head. Amalie knew exactly what it meant.

She’d done exactly what she’d set out to do. She’d dismantled the wall she’d built between them the night of the Darlington’s party, but in the process, she’d made her husband furious. Now, she could only wait to see whether he would take her to heaven or hell.

“Please, Valeran—”

“All right, I’ll give you two, because I intend to make you beg tonight, wife. I intend to make you sob for me when I …how did you put it on our wedding night…ah yes, claim my plump little country mouse.” The words scraped painfully against her skin, and she closed her eyes as she fought back the tears choking her as they tried to escape and become sobs.

“Oh God, please, Valeran. I’m sorry. I dinnae mean—”

His mouth silenced her with a brutal, punishing kiss. Desperate to ease his anger, and stay his need to release hell’s fire on her head, Amalie cupped his face with her hands and forced her tongue between his lips. He jerked slightly, before his kiss changed from a disciplinarian touch to a fiery demand.

It was a silent, unrelenting command for her to surrender to him. She didn’t hesitate to yield. She wanted nothing more than to give herself up to him. Her hands pushed at his coat, eager to feel the hard skin of his chest. A frantic need to caress every corded muscle of his glorious body made her fingers tremble. In seconds, his coat and shirt fell to the floor, allowing her fingers to press into flexible molded steel.

Nimble fingers at her back quickly undid her gown. There was no hesitation or fumbling as on their wedding night. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it struck her as odd that he’d not struggled one second to undo her dress tonight as he had with fifty-five buttons. Hands sliding over his chest then downward to his solid hips, she drew in a breath of delight the moment she felt the hard, thickness of his arousal straining to be released from his trousers.

The instant her hand brushed across his erection, a primal sound reverberated out of him. It was a quiet roar that sent her heartbeat skidding wildly out of control. Despite what the an dara sealladh had shown her, it had left her unprepared for this all-consuming need pulsing through her with such powerful, unmitigated force.

Cool air brushed across her skin as her dress and then her chemise slid to the floor. The gentle sweep of long fingers against the side of her breast sent a shudder whipping through her. Fire blew across her skin as his mouth glided over her cheek to her ear. His lips nibbled at her earlobe for a brief second, then continued blazing a trail of heat down the side of her neck.

Completely lost in a pleasure far greater than anything she’d ever imagined, she released a cry of surprised delight as his teeth abraded a nipple that became even harder against the hedonistic touch. His mouth continued to tease and stir her insides with desire and need. Firm lips suckled the opposite nipple, as his fingers rolled and pinched the one he’d already pleasured.

Oh God, this had to be what heaven felt like. This unbelievable, blissful state. Swaying into the hard steel of him, she braced her hands against his waist. Bare skin rippled beneath her fingers as she realized he was now completely naked. Without thinking, her fingers slid off his hips and inward until they stroked the warm, smooth skin pulled taut over his erection.

Tentatively, she began to explore him. Her fingers caressed their way along his hot flesh over a thick ridge of skin all the way to the very tip of him. Wet heat touched her fingertips, and he jerked at her touch, while a rough noise reverberated out of his chest. Roughly pushing her hand away, he caught her hips and tugged her forward until his hot, hard length was nestled against her.

Whimpering as an unfamiliar tug of emotion swept through her, she cried out his name, pleading for more. He grew still against her, then in one powerful move, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. Eager for him to take her to heights she’d only dreamed of, she pulled his head down and caught his lips in a fevered caress.

As her tongue tangle with his, she suddenly realized he’d grown remarkably still. He lifted his head quickly, then with a small toss, threw her onto the mattress and walked out of the room.