Antonia's Bargain (7 page)

“There are men who are not as careful in dealing with virgins as I will be. There are

even men who take advantage of their own kin.” He halted in front of her, his blue eyes

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serious, his expression remote. “If you have been violated, I would rather know so that

we can deal with it together.”

“I have not been touched, I assure you.”

He studied her for a long while and slowly nodded. “Then we will continue with

our agreement.”

She let out her breath.

“You look more like a man today, my dear.” He flicked his fingers over the front of

her breeches. “You have filled out.”

“I merely followed your instructions, sir.” Relieved that he had changed the subject,

she held her breath as he studied her cravat. “I hope I pass muster.”

His lips parted in a smile. “Show me how a man walks.”

She strolled away from him, mindful of his gaze on her shoulders and carriage.

“That is much better.” She walked back until she stood in front of him. His long

fingers caught a curl of her hair and pulled her close. “You make a very pretty boy.” His

lips brushed her cheek and she shivered. He moved away and resumed his seat by the

fire.

“Come and join me. Tonight we will discuss how to drink and how to gamble like a

man.” A card table sat between the chairs, an unopened bottle of brandy beside it.

Antonia sat down. “I have never touched strong liquor, sir.”

“Are you sure you aren’t a Methodist?”

“No sir, I’m a woman. We are generally considered too weak and feeble to drink

anything stronger than lemonade or ratafia.”

Gideon opened the bottle. “If you wish to visit men’s clubs, you need to drink like a

man.” He frowned at her. “There is no point in pulling a face. I’m not suggesting you

become a drunkard just that you appear to tolerate strong drink.”

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He sloshed some brandy into the two glasses and gave her one. She sniffed it

gingerly and held it away. “Why would anyone want to drink this? It smells like

decaying plums.”

Gideon drained his glass and set it back on the table. “Perhaps I can make the taste

more palatable for you.” He leaned across and set his hands on her shoulders, bringing

her to her knees in front of him. “Taste my lips.”

Carefully she licked the outline of his mouth; the heat of the brandy stung her

tongue and made her own lips tingle. He opened his mouth, offering her more. Greatly

daring, she slid her tongue inside, enjoying the texture of his mouth, the way his

particular spicy scent mingled with the brandy.

He slid his hand into her hair and angled her head, molding her mouth to his as he

stroked his tongue over hers. She allowed him to take control of the kiss, resting her

hands on his outstretched thighs, feeling the hardness of his bunched muscles beneath

the cloth.

When he drew back, she blinked. “Do you always kiss your male friends like that?”

He held her gaze, his expression serious. “If I desire them, yes.”

Antonia waited for his smile but it didn’t come. She scrambled back to sit on her

seat. “Was there something else you wished to show me?”

He glanced down at his groin. “I believe we had this discussion last week. You

arouse me, I am hard again. You can choose whether you wish to aid me with that

problem or not.”

“You were right. The brandy did taste better on your lips.”

He smiled at her abrupt retreat. “I suggest that from now on you try and drink it

yourself. Kissing me in the middle of a gaming hell to enliven the taste wouldn’t be a

wise idea.”

She contemplated the brown liquid. “Perhaps I might just take a few sips and

pretend to drink the rest.”

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“Aye, I’ve heard some cardsharps tip the contents of their glasses down the inside

of their shirtsleeves in order to appear more drunk than their victims.”

Antonia peered down the cuff of her shirt. “I could probably manage that. I can

practice at home.”

Gideon picked up a pack of cards from the table. “Good, then let us move onto the

more interesting part of our evening. Gambling.”

He expertly shuffled the deck of cards and laid them on the table in front of them.

“Men will wager on anything. Who has the longest cock, whose grasshopper can jump

the highest, who can ride to Brighton in less than an hour. If there is a question about

the outcome of any event, a man can usually find another fool to bet on it.”

“And they say women are the weaker sex.”

Gideon raised an eyebrow. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that remark. Tonight I intend

to teach you how to play piquet.”

Antonia patted her pocket. “I have little money on me, sir. How do you expect me

to gamble?”

He shrugged. “Most men play on credit. Tonight we will play for other things.” He

fingered the lapel of his exquisitely cut coat. “We will play for each other’s clothing.”

Gideon waited to see if she would balk at his suggestion but she relaxed back into

her seat. He picked up the deck of cards and showed it to her. “The game is played with

a thirty-six-card deck by removing all the numbers below six except the aces.”

He reshuffled the cards. “Normally we would cut the cards to determine who

would be the dealer, but in this case, as you are a complete beginner, you will have to

be content with me.”

The game was complex but he was pleased to see she picked it up quickly. After a

couple of practice games, she gathered the deck and handed it to him.

“I am ready to play now, sir.”

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He smiled at her enthusiasm and allowed her to win the early stages, resulting in

the loss of his coat, cravat and waistcoat. Her face flushed with pride as she carefully

laid out a sequence of three cards.

Gideon pretended to sigh. “Alas, you are too good for me.”

She frowned. “I think you are lying, sir.”

He revealed a run of four hearts. “I believe you are right. Take off your coat.”

“I suspect I shall lose more than my coat this evening.”

He risked a glance at her over the top of his cards. “I can promise you that you

won’t lose your precious virginity.”

He’d already calculated exactly how many tricks he could afford to lose and yet still

have her naked by the end of the night. But first, one more loss for him. He played his

cards accordingly. What would she make of his unclothed chest?

After he lost, he took his time removing his shirt and left his breeches unfastened.

Antonia seemed unable to look away from the sight of his uncovered skin. For the first

time, he was glad he’d made some effort to retain his physique since his wife’s death.

He casually flexed his biceps. How would her fingers feel against his flesh, her mouth

on his nipple?

With a deliberate effort, he returned his thoughts to the cards, even more

determined to see her naked in the least possible time.

Antonia tried to calculate the worth of her hand for the ternary phrase of the game.

Despite her early successes, she seemed destined to lose. She slapped down her cards.

“Three jacks.”

“Four queens. Take off your waistcoat and cravat.”

With trembling fingers, Antonia complied. Now, only her shirt protected her from

Gideon’s gaze. How many tricks did she need to win in the final stage of the game to

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prevent herself from ending up naked? Gideon stretched and the candlelight burnished

his muscular frame. She wanted to lean forward and taste his golden skin.

“Are you ready for the final stage, sir?”

He shook his head as he tallied the scores. “Unfortunately, you have lost again.”

“I know that, can’t we move on?”

He showed her the score sheet. “I claim a repique. I have thirty points in hand.”

“That can’t be right!” She grabbed the sheet from him and did the calculation in her

head. “Damnation. You are not going to demand another forfeit, are you?”

“Of course I am. Take off your shirt.”

She glared at him for one hopeless second before wrenching the shirt over her head.

“Are you satisfied now?”

Suddenly it was hard to breathe. She reminded herself that he had seen her like this

before. He reached out and ran his finger along the line of the linen binding her breasts.

Her nipples became instantly erect.

“Not really. You haven’t removed the linen binding your breasts.”

“You will have to win that privilege.” She picked up her remaining cards and

studied them carefully, trying to ignore the heat of the fire on her bare skin and the

weight of Gideon’s stare. She laid out her next card. He placed one on top.

“My trick, I believe,” Gideon said, his voice calm.

Antonia stared down at the card table. He was right, drat him. “May I remove my

breeches instead?”

“No. I want to see your breasts.”

With all her courage, she got to her feet and slowly removed the linen bindings. She

closed her eyes as Gideon rose too and moved toward her. With a soft growl, he settled

his mouth over her breast and drew it fully into his mouth. Awash with unfamiliar

sensations, Antonia could only grab his hair and drag him closer. Soon her nipple

throbbed in time to her heartbeat and her ragged breaths. He used his fingers to rub her

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other breast to complete her torment before changing sides. The ache between her legs

intensified and she slanted her mound against the curve of his hard thigh in an

instinctive search for release.

Her hands skimmed his naked back, dropped below the line of his opened breeches

and met the rounded muscles of his buttocks. He groaned deep in his throat and jerked

his hips against hers. When he abruptly set her away from him, she found it almost

impossible to stay upright.

“We haven’t finished our game yet,” Gideon said. “We have one last hand to play.”

She sank down onto the floor at his feet, uncaring of her nakedness, aware that her

nipples stood out stiff and proud from his suckling. She yearned to drag them across

the golden hair on his chest to renew the rough sensations he roused in her. Blindly, she

stared at her cards. She couldn’t even remember how to play the game. What else did

Gideon intend to do with her?

She lost again and closed her eyes, waiting for his next command.

“I will give you a choice.”

His words made her shiver with a mixture of longing and fear.

“You can remove your breeches or help me with what is contained in mine.”

“Surely, as a gentleman, you will not make me do either of these things.”

He laughed, a hint of steel in the sound. “A gentleman always pays his debts and

that is what you wish to be, is it not? I will not allow you to shirk yours.”

She opened her eyes. If she failed to choose, he would probably refuse to help her

with her charade. Which path was less hazardous? Exposing her lower body to him or

exploring his? She wanted to touch him so badly.

“I will help you with your breeches.”

He smiled down at her, one hand resting over the swell of his cock. “There is no

need to sound so miserable. You might find you enjoy the experience.”

Antonia knelt up and laid a hand on his knee. “I will do my best to satisfy you, sir.”

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His fingers closed under her chin and brought her head up. “My name is Gideon. In

such an intimate moment, I think you should use it.”

She swallowed as he absently toyed with her nipple, sending stabs of pure lust

straight to her sex. He took her hand from his knee and placed it beneath the open panel

of his breeches. She almost gasped at the heat of his flesh and the steady thrum of the

pulse beating through his shaft. He closed his fingers over hers, guiding them around

the base of his cock. Thick coarse hair brushed the backs of her knuckles as she gripped

him tighter.

“Now, follow my movements.” He shifted his fingers until they worked his shaft,

leading hers into the rhythm he required. She forgot about the strangeness of her

position and concentrated on the hard slick feel of his flesh beneath her fingers and the

wetness that soon coated them. His hips rocked into the movement and his widespread

thighs brushed her sides as he moved.

“You have it now, don’t stop.”

He removed his hand, leaving her to work his cock by herself. Enthralled, she

inhaled the salty musk of his seed and slid her fingers farther up. She shaped the

bulbous head of his crown and the thick vein which ran beneath the head. He groaned

and brought his wet fingers to her breast, his mouth to her mouth, enclosing her in a

tangle of ferocious desire and need.

She pulled his shirt and breeches away to reveal his erection so that she could study

her fingers clasped around it. His stomach muscles contracted as she stared at him,

“Do you like my cock?”

She nodded, still absorbed in her contemplation of this most male of mysteries. “It

is threatening and yet, so perfect.”

“Threatening?”

She licked her lips and he tugged her nipple hard. “Because I know it has to fit

inside me and I cannot imagine how that could happen without pain. It looks too big.”

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“It would fit. I would make sure of that.” He slid his hand between her legs. “You