Carnal Deceptions (24 page)

“Woman, what are you doing to me? You’ve got that poison Sloan fed you raging through your veins. Yet look at me.” He held out his hands. They were trembling. “I’ve never wanted anything so much in my life.”

“Your hands are trembling but my entire being is on fire,” she said with a nervous giggle.

She swung off the bed and went to him. Pressing her open mouth to the sleek skin of his muscular chest, she unfastened his trousers. She slid down the length of him, trailing kisses over his stomach as she smoothed his trousers down his legs. When his cock sprang free, her mouth was instantly on it. Her tongue licked the length of the ridge then swirled around the fleshy head, her hands gently squeezing the velvety sacs. His fingers dug into her curls, and he pulled her upward. His chest heaved as he scooped her into his arms and set her hard atop the small stand, which was braced against the wall.

“Ingenious bastard. Sloan had this piece of furniture built for this very thing.”

Why hadn’t she noticed that before? The marble top had been carved to cradle a woman’s buttocks perfectly. And when Tess parted her thighs, she noticed that the front of the stand had been cut away to allow deeper penetration by the male.

His thumb rubbed along her slit. “Had this cottage filled with everything he’d need to give his wife,
my wife
, a thorough fucking.” His midnight blue eyes flashed fiercely.

“Mm. A thorough fucking. I want that.” She leaned back against the wall.

With utter fascination, she watched him plunge into her. She gripped the edges of the stand as her body absorbed stroke after masterful stroke. But it wasn’t enough. Her body craved closer contact with him. She wanted to feel more of his skin against hers. As if he’d read her mind, he lifted her from the table and tossed her on the mattress. He flung the two pillows that were blocking his path to her. One struck the bedpost and the contents spewed out. Counterfeit banknotes littered the bed and floor like confetti.

“Sloan’s money.” She moved to retrieve the notes, but he snatched her back.

“We’ve got more important things to take care of.” He bent her down over the bed and placed a constraining hand at the nape of her neck. Delirious with need, she twitched her bottom at him and listened with satisfaction to his groan. He thrust into her hard, bringing her to her toes. She pushed her face into the bedclothes to muffle a cry. His hand rubbed roughly over the length of her back. With both hands, he took hold of her bottom, lifting it so he could bury himself deeper still. And she found herself responding, opening herself to him, rocking against him. He repeated her name over and over, his voice heavy with need as he filled her with his seed.

She felt fidgety, as if all her nerves were tingling. All she could think was—
I want more, more, more.
She squirmed from his grasp. His hand shot out to grab her back, but she took a seat on the edge of the bed and wrapped herself in the quilt.

There was tension in the set of his broad shoulders as he left the room. He returned with a bottle of wine dangling from his fingers. He threw aside the cork and took a drink straight from the bottle. A red drop glistened on his bottom lip, which he wiped away with the back of his hand.

The intensity of his scrutiny unsettled her. “I haven’t satisfied you yet.” “I don’t think it’s possible.”

He continued to take swigs of wine. For a long while they regarded each other in uneasy silence. When he finally set the bottle down, only half the contents remained. “Then you won’t mind if I satisfy myself. Again.”

“Are you trying to be amusing, Tallon?” She laughed. “You know I would not deny you anything you wished tonight.”

“We’ll see,” he said, his words a dare. “I want you on your hands and knees there.” He pointed to a spot on the floor.

There was no question who was in control of the situation now. Was he taking the fact that she hadn’t found release as a challenge? She quickly rejected that notion. There was a predatory, possessive hunger in the way he was regarding her. He was doing this for himself. The want in his eyes was startling. She hesitated a moment, and he tore the quilt from her hands. Her body trembled in anticipation as she got into the vulnerable position on the rug at his feet. Would he take her from behind again?

He dropped to his knees between her spread legs and stroked her moist, heated cleft with the full length of his cock. A shock ran through her when he pressed the tip tentatively to her anus. Yes. She wanted that. Something deeper, more extreme, more intimate. She rested her face against the soft rug and placed her hands on her buttock cheeks and parted them in invitation. He drew his thumb over her tight, puckered opening. And then he tested her, inserting a finger he’d moistened with her own cream. She jolted a bit at the pressure of his finger inside her.

Tess felt him shift position, push himself away a bit. She worried that because of her startled reaction he would find some gentlemanly reason why he couldn’t possibly continue—but instead he placed his hands over hers and spread her cheeks farther apart. She shivered with delight as he leaned over and roughly traced the rim with his tongue. He was getting her wet and ready for him. Then he settled himself between her spread legs again and took hold of her hips, tilting them upward for a better angle. Tess removed her hands from her bottom and used them as a cushion for her face. She held her breath as he pressed the fleshy head against her tight opening. Involuntarily, her body clenched against the coming intrusion. Her legs were shaking.

“Relax, love.” His deep voice seemed to resonate through her.

Tess shut her eyes and told herself to calm down. But her pulse continued to hammer in her ears. She could sense the restraint in his movements as he entered her slowly. His cock felt amazingly hard and impossibly big. An unfamiliar cry escaped her lips as she responded to the pain and pleasure of what he was doing to her. His hands tightened on her hips as he controlled his movements. He was being
too
careful.

“Please. I want more,” she begged. Pressing herself against the floor to give herself some leverage, she pushed back onto his hardness until she could feel his balls against her wet quim.

“Fuck me,” she said bucking against him, letting him know that she was relishing the experience. He soon set up a breath-stealing rhythm. The pain never completely faded, but it was overwhelmed by the wickedly delectable sensation of each thick, invasive

stroke. He moved his hand from her hip and slipped it down to her nether lips. Finding her nub, he teased it between his finger and his thumb. His skillful manipulation of her quim and his deep thrusts from behind soon brought her to the brink. She was joined to the man she loved in a wildly intimate way. The feeling was incredible. Her quim clenched tight and green sparks the color of the bizarre liquor burst behind her eyelids.

She clutched at the rug as she came to an indescribably sweet climax. He collapsed heavily atop her, his warm breath against the nape of her neck as he shuddered inside of her.

“Tess, my love, you’ve done me in.” He reached up and yanked the quilt from the bed to cover them.

She shifted out from beneath his solid body. He flopped onto his back, scooped her up and settled her atop him. Tess nestled her face in the hollow of his chest. The glints of green were just beginning to fade when she drifted off to sleep.

*

Unable to open her eyes fully, Tess raised herself on her forearms and squinted down at her husband. His hands were stacked behind his head and he was staring up at her. Uneasy, she climbed off him and stood with care. Feeling fragile, Tess moved cautiously around the room and retrieved her discarded clothing from the floor. She dragged the chemise over her head. Even the soft fabric of the shift felt rough against her sensitive skin.

“I’m off to find where John parked the carriage overnight,” Tallon said.

Tess turned and found that he was completely clad and already shrugging into his coat, while she was still attempting to fasten her stays.

He watched her struggle with the laces. “Could you use some help?” She refused his offer with a shy shake of her head.

Soon after he’d left, Tess heard the creaking of harness and the wheels of the carriage on the unpaved road outside the cottage. After combing her fingers through her tangled hair, she wrapped herself in his greatcoat and stepped outside to face the day. The thin, gray light seemed to pierce her head. She narrowed her eyes at the assault and pressed her fingers to her temples. Her hands were shaking from the effects of the drugs wearing off.

Her bed partner, on the other hand, looked quite well-rested despite spending such an active night. He smoothed back an errant lock of black hair from his brow. For an unobstructed view of her, she surmised. His intense gaze was trained on her again just as it had been earlier when she’d awoken atop him.

Tess greeted Cyrus who sat beside John the driver atop the box of the sleek coach. A large gray horse was tethered to the back of the coach.

“Where’s your stallion?” she asked.

“Dante abhors London. I would have lost time fetching him from the country.”

“Lord Marcliffe rode like a madman,” the driver said with a chuckle as he opened the coach door for her. “I hadn’t a chance of keeping up with him.”

Once inside, she slid across the bench, retreating from her husband, tucking into a shaded corner of the carriage. There was something disconcerting in the way he stared.

The coach seemed to find every rut in the road. Her brain felt as though it were rattling around in her skull.

“Now that Sloan is finally where he belongs there is no longer any reason—” She jolted upright as his fist slammed into the side of the carriage.

“Do not dare utter a word about leaving me. Will you still see me suffer for tricking you into marriage? Have you not had enough of revenge? Do you wish to destroy me as well?”

“If you’d only let me finish.”

“You are bound to me for life,” he interjected forcefully. “You are my wife. My only love.”

A sudden sob escaped her lips. She tried unsuccessfully to muffle it in the sleeve of the greatcoat. Joy and relief surged through her.

“Bloody wonderful. The thought of staying married to me brings you to tears.”

“I was about to say that there is no longer any reason to remain in London. I am anxious to see your manor in—where is it? Essex or Sussex?”

“Actually, I have one in both,” he answered dryly. “Oh,” she said with a tiny squeak of delight. “Both.”

Tallon unclenched his fists, and his shoulders relaxed. But he rubbed his hands on his trousers as though his palms were sweating. Clearly, something still troubled him.

Tess idly twirled a coil of her hair around her finger and studied him. “In the end, the scheme paid off quite handsomely.”

“Really?”

“Well, there’s one bad man in prison and one
very bad
man in my bed.” “Must I remind you that you were nearly killed?”

“I will admit there were a few snags.” “Last night was curious,” he said abruptly.

A blush crept up her cheeks. Curious, indeed, to have your new bride slide down a bedpost to stimulate her cunt, to use his term, or get down on all fours and beg to be fucked. “How do you mean?” she dared to ask, hoping he wouldn’t embarrass her by bringing up something outrageous she’d said or done.

“Never once did you utter a romantic sentiment. No whispered words of love. The alcohol and herbs had stripped you of inhibitions, yet you hadn’t anything heartfelt to say to me.”

“My mouth was rather occupied.” “It isn’t now,” he said dryly. “Oh, but it could be.”

He shifted uncomfortably, tugging at his trousers. Her words were making him hard. “I would have thought those substances would have worn off by now.”

“They have.”

He regarded her suspiciously from beneath his lowered lids. “Your lips are still swollen from last night, yet you would kneel for me? Why?”

“Purely out of desire for the man I love.”

“No doubt you are taking pity on me. Hell, I practically begged you to say that.” He plucked her off the seat and placed her on his lap. She rubbed her cheek against his unshaven face. She could feel the muscle in his jaw working.

He slipped his hand beneath her neckline and pulled the necklace from her cleavage. He slid the ring onto his finger. “You have been so blinded by your thoughts of revenge you have barely noticed me. Perhaps, now that this is behind us, you could try to devote a bit of thought to your husband.”

Incredulous, she set her hands on his shoulders and held herself away so she could look directly into his eyes. “Now that may be a little difficult to manage. Sparing a bit of time for you, I mean. Considering that I bloody well think of you all day long as it is.”

“Is that true?” His captivating dimple made an appearance. She smiled. “Too true. I love you, Tallon.”

“By God, I have missed that dazzling smile.” He pressed her hand to his heart. She could feel it pounding against her palm.

Nestling snug against his chest, she tucked her head beneath his chin. “This is what happiness feels like. It’s been so long, I’d almost forgotten.”

About the Author

To learn more about Scottie Barrett, please visit
www.scottiebarrett.com
. Send an email to Scottie at
[email protected]
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One woman, two men—the choice of a lifetime and the chance for a perfect future
.

Perfecting Amanda

© 2007 Bonnie Dee

When Amanda McCormick heads west as to create a home of her own and begin a “perfect” marriage with a man she’s never met, gambler Spencer Teague intercepts her. Pretending to be her fiancé, he tricks her into surrendering her virginity.

Amanda hides the misguided affair and forges a relationship with her young husband, Travis. But her secret haunts her when she learns she’s pregnant. Meanwhile, Spencer is haunted by visions of a little girl who demands he find and help Amanda.

Their lives entwine as the three come together in an unexpected relationship that touches—and tortures—them all. Amanda questions whether perfection is attainable and if it’s possible to love two very different kinds of men.