Callie Hutton (14 page)

She slanted a look at Penrose
, his long legs stretched in front of him
.
Generations of aristocracy had been bred into those features.
Broad forehead, high cheekbones,
and
a straight
nose above full lips.
He studied the fire, taking unhurried
s
wallows
of brandy. Every time her gaze wandered to his mouth, a spark of aw
areness
clenched
her stomach.

Frustration mounted as she dwelled on how foolish she’d been. With his
handsomeness,
title
,
and money, th
e
man before her could have any woman in England.
Despite what he’d said, w
hy in heaven’s name would he want her?
A little nobody from Boston
,
as Miss Jennings had stated.
Perhaps he merely viewed her as an easy tumble.

She dragged the remnants of her pride around her like a comforting wrap. Once Kitty’s Christmas
eve
ball was over, she would leave
.
Perhaps Miss Jennings had been correct, and if Penrose decided to take a bride, it would be the governess. He didn’t seem too interested in the usual way men of the
ton
pursued a wife. After all, he’d already had years to effect a
business arrangement
during London’s Seasons. As a
duke
,
it was his responsibility to provide the heir, not leave it to his brother
, as he intended
.
 

Penrose drained
his glass,
and
then
set
it
down
, pulling her from her musings.
He
studied her for moment, a
hungry
look in his eyes. Then he
rose and pulled Merry up with both hands, wrapping his arms around her
waist
. “I can
no longer
fight this.” With
out
further warning, he took possession of her mouth, gentl
y
at first, and then with power and persuasion. All her senses screamed, warning her to flee.

He released her
lips
, his warm breath causing her
skin to tingle
as he placed short, feathery kisses behind her ear, down her neck to her jaw. She tilted her head
t
o give him greater access.

“Day and night, thoughts of you in my bed consume me. I
never lose control
. N
ever.” He drew back and looked in her eyes. “Until now.”

Merry licked her dry lips and Penrose groaned. “I want to make love to you, breaking one of my strictest rules about bedding women under my employ.”

“I am not in your employ, but your mother’s
,” she whispered.

He cupped her chin, and brushed his thumb over her lips
, his eyes darkened with desire
.
“What are you saying?”

Indeed. What was she saying? Was she prepared to be bedded and discarded? Could her heart take the blow? Then she made the mistake of gazing into those passion-filled eyes, and inhaled deeply, opting for honesty.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never felt this
way
before,
and I
don’t know what to make of it.”

He took both of her cold hands into his warm ones. “Are you aware of what I’m asking of you?”

She nodded. It was too easy to get lost in the way he looked at her. Her inner voice urged her to leave. Quickly.

His mouth descended again, covering
hers hungrily, and
she
s
urrendered
. Whatever this man wanted from her would be his. She could no longer fight it
,
either. The passion he elicited was more powerful than all the brandy she could
consume
.

He ran his hands over her back, massaging, kneading her flesh. He pulled away, and
leaned his chin on the top of her head, his thumb stroking her cheek.
“Tell me no now, and I will let you go. Or yes
,
if you wish this as much as I do.”
He tilted her chin up.

She hesitated only a moment. “Yes.”

He swept her into his arms and strode to the door. Merry buried her face into his chest, inhaling deeply the scent that was only Penrose. Leather, brandy
,
and Bay Rum.

*

Blood pounding in his ears, Penrose
sprinted up the stairs.
He made short work of the distance to Merry’s room. He shifted her in his arms to open the door, then closed it with a
swift kick of his foot. Thank God his mother slept like the de
ad
and wouldn’t hear them.

Merry slid down his body, every delectable inch of where
t
he
i
r bod
ies
touched
setting
him on fire.
He was drunk on h
er nearness, scent,
and
warmth
, overwhelming him like no other woman in his life. She sh
uddered
, reminding him he held an innocent in his arms.

H
e kissed her first with his eyes, then slowly with his mouth
, nibbling at her lips
. Her slight moan
sent
all his blood to the one place in his body he wanted to join with hers.

Merry slid her palms up his chest and held onto his shoulders as if anchoring herself. He prodded her lips with his tongue, and she opened, allowing him to sweep her brandy-flavored mouth. He leaned back. “I want to see you.”

She drew in a breath,
drawing
his glance to her
full
breasts, the nipples prominent against her
gown
. Quickly his nimble fingers un
tied
the back of
the garment, drawing it down her shoulders. Two perfect
orbs
, their
surging peaks
barely hidden behind a linen chemise, dried up all the moisture in his mouth.

“You don’t wear stays?”

She shook her head slightly, a slight smile gracing her lips. “No.”

“What am I to do with you, Miss Chambers?” He chuckled.

She regarded him with half closed eyelids
, her voice deepened with desire
. “Make love to me?”

With n
o idea how sensuous
she
sounded, she’d almost brought him to his knees. He released the grip he had on her gown and it hit the floor in a rustle of fabric. A flick of his fingers, and the straps of her chemise slid down her arms. He sucked in a breath at the creaminess of her skin, the
pouting of her
rose-colored
nipples.

Gently he eased her onto the bed,
stretching out
alongside her. He fondled one generous
breast
, its nipple marble hard. When she arched her back in response to his touch, his tongue
licked
a path from her neck to nip at the rosy peak. She drew in a sharp breath as he suckled.

He
shifted
his head to
nuzzle and
kiss her other breast. “I love your response to me.”
He eased up on his elbow and tucked a curl behind her ear. “I don’t want to frighten you, sweetheart. Do you know what will happen?”

“I think so. Will it…will it hurt?”

Penrose ran his fingertips over her forehead, down her cheek to her chin. “Since you are an innocent, it will hurt a bit at first. But then I assure you, the pleasure that awaits you will more than make up for it.”

“Why am I the only one with no clothes on?” The mirth in her eyes eased his concern about her fears.

“I’ll correct that situation right now.” He stood and
tugged
his shirt
from
his breeches.

*

Merry’s eyes widened at the sight of the bulge in the front of Penrose’s
trousers
. Then her gaze drifted up to his chest where he
’d
unbuttoned his
white linen
shirt and pu
lled it off. Her breath hitched
and her stomach slid to her feet. All that golden skin, with lightly feathered dark hair down the center, leading to a place below his waist.
She didn’t realize she’d licked her lips until she heard his groan.

“Don’t do that, or this will be over before it starts.” His voice sounded strained.

Her eyelids snapped open and she stared at his flushed face. A sense of power rushed through her to know she could
wring
such a
response
from
this confident, arrogant man.

He stared at her for a moment before shoving his breeches down.

Oh my God.
That will never fit!

“Yes it will.”

She felt the heat rise to her face, not realizing she’d
spoken a
loud.

Penrose
climbed on the bed
and ran his hand down her cheek
. “Don’t think so hard. Let me be concerned about how this will happen.” He gathered her into his arms, once more kissing her with
enough
passion to turn her brain into mush and
force any
thoughts about size and fitting,
to
fl
ee
from her brain.

His
strong
hands skimmed up the sensiti
zed
skin of her back to
grasp
her shoulders, bringing the
ir bodies
together to rub her soft breasts against his hair-roughened chest.
He nuzzled her neck, and she could feel his uneven breathing as he held her close to whisper into her ear. “
You set me on fire, my beautiful vixen.”

In a feathered touch, his fingers drifted over her
ribs
from under her arm to her hip, where he kneaded the globes of her bottom. No longer
able
to deny herself, she
slid
her hand to Penrose’s waist, her hand wandering below until she reached that part of him that throbbed, almost as if had a life of its own.

She gasped at the feel of silk over steel. Her eyes met his as he groaned.

“Do you see what I mean? This is what you do to me.”

His hand caressed the
silky
skin of her thigh, moving slowly up until he c
overed
her
mons
. His thumb circled her
most private
place, and her legs fell o
pen almost of their own accord, wanting more of the delicious feelings he evoked. He
slid
his finger into her body. “You’re so tight.”

“I told you it wouldn’t fit.” Would they have to stop? Maybe Penrose could think of something to ma
ke it work,
for
she didn’t want
this
to end yet
.

He
added
another finger, stretching
her
. “Don’t worry,
sweetheart
.”

Her body seemed to be melting down there.
The sound
of
his fingers working her opening
brought a moan from deep inside her.

“Stop thinking,” he whispered before taking possession of her mouth again. Passion pounded the blood through her heart, chest and head. And where his fingers worked their magic, something
began to
build.

He pulled back and regarded her from heavy-lidded eyes.
Her finger
s
traced the beauty of his face. Scratchy along his jaw, smooth over his cheeks, and strong everywhere. When she reached his silky hair, she ran her fingers through it
, urging his head back to her mouth.

“I’m sorry
,
love,
but I need you now.”
He spoke against her lips.

Penrose
shifted and covered her body, settling between her legs. Rising on his elbows, he brushed the
damp
hair from her forehead, and brought his head down in another soul-searing kiss.

She ran her hands over the sleek
,
smooth skin of his back. His muscles rippled under her palms as he moved. He was all hardness where she was soft. A lithe and powerful animal.