I seriously doubt that. But the way she was thumbing his flat nipples gave him pause, especially when she bent to tug one with her teeth, sending his blood into full roar.
She reached down to toy with the crown of his cock. You were very high-handed with me the last time we made love, you know.
Was I? He struggled to remember it, his mind too fogged with his need for her to think.
You said, My way or not at all. She ran her fingers over the shaft of his cock, making him shiver. You said, I will pleasure you until you beg for more, even if it takes me all night. Still fondling him, she leaned close to whisper, You said, I will taste and touch every part of youas often as I wish, as thoroughly as I wish. That is what I mean to do to you now, Diego.
He groaned. She wanted to punish him for waiting so long to tell her how he felt. And in truth, she deserved that and more. He had been such a fool not to appreciate what she had offered him.
Do as you please with me,
querida,
he managed. Only do not take too long.
A vixenish delight lit her face. Well, she said. This could be fun.
Those words sealed his doom. For what seemed an eternity, she played with him, fondled him, caressed him, until he thought he might die if he could not be inside her.
Just when he was ready to break his promise and throw her down onto the bed, she lifted herself and came down on his cock with a slow descent that sent him into madness.
Dios Santo,
Lucy, he said hoarsely, his hands gripping her shoulders as he thrust up, trying to get her to move. Please,
querida
Are you begging, Diego? she whispered, undulating over him.
Yes, he growled. Take me,
mi amor. Now.
Before I die.
She uttered a luxurious laugh. Even when you beg, youre high-handed.
Then she began to move, so deliciously that he caught her waist and held on for dear life. She was a goddess in motion, seductress and angel in one, the only woman he could ever imagine in his life.
He kissed her mouth, her breasts, her throat, reveling in the glory that was Lucy. And when the blood finally rose in her cheeks and the heat surged inside him until he feared he might not last another moment, she shattered atop him so beautifully that he could hold back no more. With one last deep thrust, he spilled himself inside her, uttering a cry of purest joy.
She was his now. His Lucy. For now and forever. And no one,
nothing,
would ever take her from him again.
Lucy didnt know what had awakened her. A noise? Diegos arm across her belly?
She twisted to look at him, glad that the moon was bright enough to illuminate the room through the open balcony doors. The breeze from the harbor cooled the room only slightly, since Spain in early June was quite a bit warmer than England in early June. His hairy chest glistened with perspiration, his black locks clung damply to his forehead, and hed thrown off most of the sheet, leaving only a swath across his privates.
He was beautiful in his slumber, an orgy of golden skin and leonine muscle, like the painting of Endymion asleep that shed seen at the dukes house.
And he was all hers.
Her breath caught. Diego loved her. She couldnt believe it. He loved her and meant to marry her, for herself alone and not out of any mere sense of honor. She couldnt even worry about what that might mean to their future. With him beside her, she was sure she could do anything.
A noise came from the balcony, startling her.
Is someone there? she whispered.
Lucy? called a familiar voice as the sound of boots landing on iron came to her, followed by a great deal of huffing and puffing. Is that you, girl?
Papa! she cried, and sat up straight in bed. Then she realized she was naked.
Swiftly, she dragged the sheet up around her. Just in time, too, for at that moment Papa appeared in the balcony doorway, still breathing hard.
How did you get here so soon? She fumbled under the sheets for her nightdress, praying it was too dark for him to see. How did you know where to
What is it,
querida?
Diego mumbled as he roused from sleep.
Good Lord.
Papa cursed as his gaze shot to the bed beside her. Who the hell is
that?
Diego shot up, glowering in the direction of the balcony. I must ask you the same question, sir, he growled.
Too late, Lucy realized that Diego had never met Papa. Diego, this is
You bedded her, you damned whoreson? her father shouted, stomping further into the room. You kidnapped my daughter, and then you
bedded
her?
Papa, it is not what you think! She found her nightdress at last and dragged it over her head.
Hostias,
Diego muttered, as he, too, scrambled under the covers to find his clothes.
Now presentable enough, she leaped from the bed to prevent her father from launching himself at Diego. We are going to be married, she said hastily as she grabbed his arm. At once. Today. As soon as possible.
Over my dead body! Papa roared. Were you his reward for dragging you back to the bloody
marqués?
Is that the devils bargain he made?
No! she cried. And who are you to accuse him of anything? Youre the one who helped the sergeant and his lover kidnap me. Youre the one
Um, Lucy, Diego began as he slid out of the bed, wearing only his drawers.
You cant tell me you actually believed his lies! Papa gazed at her with such hurt that it took her aback. Then he whirled on Diego. And
you,
sir, trumping up some tale, portraying me as a villain just to further her wretched grandfathers plans. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
I believed it to be true! Diego protested. I did not know that Don Carlos was lying to me. He lied to everyone. How was I to know
You
you mean its not true? Lucy broke in. She stared at Diego. Everything you told me about Papa and the nurse is a lie?
Diego sighed. As it turns out,
carińo,
Sergeant Crawford really was your father. He married Dońa Catalina, your real mother, against your grandfathers wishes. The story about the nurse was a lie.
She stared at Diego, stunned. So shed been right about Papas good character all along. He had merely helped two lovers escape a wicked father who didnt want them to be together.
Then something awful occurred to her. Oh, Lord, she said, casting Diego an accusing glance. When you came here tonight, you
knew
my grandfather was lying! Thats why you sought me out. Her heart twisted. All that nonsense about the duke and his key? You came because of your blasted honor. You realized youd been tricked, and you wanted to fix it! It had nothing to do with
me.
No! Diego cried. I came here for you,
mi amor,
I swear it. You must believe me.
Believe you? Papa snarled. After you lied to her about her own father? He turned accusing eyes on Lucy. Though I still cant believe you thought I could condone anyone stealing a child from her parents.
Why not? came a new voice from the doorway.
Lucy wanted to scream in frustration as her grandfather hobbled in, his eyes filled with rage. Hed obviously been drawn by the noise, since neither Papa nor Diego was
being particularly quiet. Behind him came Nettie, who looked perplexed by the appearance of two men inside Lucys room.
You helped that sergeant steal Catalina from
me,
Don Carlos spat. It might as well have been my granddaughter he stole.
Ah, so the villain himself has joined the party, has he? Papa answered.
Lucy instinctively went to Papas side, but he didnt seem to notice her, his attention narrowed on the
marqués.
Tom didnt steal Catalina, you ass, and you know it, he bit out. You pushed her out by setting up that fool marriage to Álvaro. Catalina despised yer choice of a husband. She tried to do what you wanted, but once she found herself carrying my child, she told me shed rather die than be his wife!
You
were the one who drove her out of here, damn you!
A sudden silence fell across the room. Don Carlos hunched over his cane, his eyes stark with shock and grief, and Diego looked stunned.
But Lucy barely noticed.
My child
. Her mother had been carrying
Papas
child? Not the sergeants?
Suddenly everything fell into place. That was how Papa had known to come to this house. How he had known where to get in. That explained why an unmarried soldier with nothing but a deathbed promise to prompt him would have chosen to take on a little girl! Oh God oh God oh God, she was going to be sick!
Youre
my father? she said in an anguished voice. My
real
father?
What? Papa turned to her, his face blanching as he realized what hed just revealed. Lass! Oh, God, lass, I didnt mean for you to learn of it this way.
He reached for her, but she slapped his hand away, her world shifting so entirely on its axis that she didnt know which way was up.
Apparently, you didnt mean for me to learn of it at all, she choked out. You meant for me to live my whole life feeling like an orphan, like a woman without any family, like a stranger in my own country.
Lass, no, he said hoarsely. I did it for you! Because I loved you. Because I loved your mother.
Not enough to marry her, she spat.
You have to understand, he said, his eyes dark with remorse as words tumbled out of him. I never meant for any of it to happen. I fell in love with Catalina the moment I first saw her at a ball in Gibraltar. I pursued her relentlessly and asked her to marry me. She gave herself to me the night I proposed, but afterward she got scared and refused to marry me, saying she couldnt go against her family. He shot the
marqués
a foul look. She said her father would be publicly humiliated by the broken betrothal.
He threaded his fingers through his hair. But when she realized she was carrying you, she couldnt endure her situation any longer. She escaped to the garrison in Gibraltar, meaning to marry me. Only I had caught the fever that swept Gibraltar in 1803. They told her I was going to die. I was unconscious.
His voice hardened as he glared at Don Carlos. There was no time to waste. Sure that her father would drag her back to marry her forcibly to that bloody Álvaro, she turned to Tom, my best friend, for help. Hed been half in love with her himself, so he offered her marriage to provide a father for her child and protect her from the
marqués.
That way, she wouldnt have to marry a man who
might abuse her once he discovered she was bearing another mans bastard.
Tears rolled down his cheeks. The curse of my life is that I recovered a week later. By then, they were married, and there was naught to be done. Id lost her, and I couldnt do a damned thing about it.
Except adopt your daughter. Her heart broke for him. And for herself. Your own daughter, whom you
lied
to all your life! Why didnt you tell me? After they died
And brand you as a bastard for the rest of your life, the unmarried colonels illegitimate brat? For all intents and purposes, you had legitimate parents. I thought it best to leave it that way. I made you my daughter in every way acceptable to society.
But not to me! she cried. You could have told me privately. Dont you remember how many times I asked about them, and you would tell me nothing? I wanted a mother so badly, and you wouldnt even tell me about her.
The stricken look on his face tore at her, but she fought to ignore it. Oh, lass, I was afraid if I told you, youd go looking for the
marqués.
And when he wrote the regiment last year to ask about you, and they warned me, I
Oh, God! she cried. That was why they put him off! How could you?
Lass, dearest lass
No. Dont. She backed away from him. I dont even know you anymore.
He kept your family from you, the
marqués
cut in, edging closer. You see, dear girl, he doesnt care about you.
She turned on him with a vengeance. And you do? You didnt even come looking for me until after your son died
and you had no more chance of an heir. How could she have been so blind?
More facts fell into place. You had to have known my mother lived with the garrison; we were here for four years. She was just there across the border.
You probably even knew the name of her damned husband when you sent me on my wild-goose chase in England, Diego snapped.
No! Don Carlos cried. I knew she married a soldier but not his name.
When Diego snorted, Papa turned on him. You have some nerve to question
him,
when youre the one who believed his nonsense and did his bidding. Or did you believe it? Youre a famous magician, a master of lies. How do we know you didnt realize it from the first, that you didnt act out of greed?
That was like throwing pitch on a fire. Diego drew himself up with offended dignity. I will have you know, sir, that I acted on the purest of motives.
To gain your property, her grandfather put in with a sneer.
Her father cursed.
You
only acted to get yerself an heir, you bloody, selfish
Enough! Lucy shouted. Enough, all of you! The whole lot of you have been lying and scheming and manipulating my life! Suddenly, she couldnt bear to look at them. Out! Get
out!
For once in your misbegotten lives, leave me
be!
