He's No Prince Charming (Ever After) (18 page)

And then she felt his mouth on her.

Her shocked gasp ended with a moan. Her hands flew to his head, entwining with the silken curls. Her body tightened as she whimpered with the pure, unadulterated pleasure of it. The roughness of his tongue rasped over her, sending shudders of delight through her. He pushed her legs farther apart, moving deeper inside her.

Danni could hardly take any more.

And just as she thought that, she felt something enter her. Instinctively, she tightened around the invasion, but a pleasant sense of fullness, completeness, flooded her. Gasping, another of Marcus’s fingers slipped inside. He lowered his body onto hers, bringing himself as close as possible. Warming her skin and entangling his legs with hers. Her head fell back and her hips arched. He kissed her neck, moaning with deep pleasure.

She wanted more. So much more.

Her body tightened and she held the sheets in a death grip. Danni bit her lip, trying to hold in the scream tightening her throat. Her heart beat faster as he stroked her center. Her hips lifted, straining for something, having no idea what. She burned hotter and brighter, fingers digging into his hair, his mouth again latched to her breast.

Danni rolled her head over the cool pillow against the growing coil in her. Her body lifted and a sob escaped her as wave after wave of pleasure consumed her.

Warm arms pulled her back against a solid chest. Protective warmth and strength washed over her as her erratic breathing slowed. He gathered her close in his arms, wrapping her in a protective cocoon of contentment and strength. The steady thump of Marcus’s heart lulled her. Wonderment and tenderness throbbed in time with the lingering pleasure between her legs, as a feather-light kiss pressed against the slowing pulse at her neck. Sighing, she snuggled back into his bulk. His voice, still horse with desire, rumbled over her. “So beautiful, little one.”

Rolling in his arms, she rested her head on his collarbone, watching his peaceful face. His lips split with a grin, his eyes still closed. Her heart stuttered at his expression of wonderment. Marcus spoke once more, the word barely audible on his exhale.

“Perfect.”

I
am hideous.”

“You’re perfect.”

He felt his lips tilt in a smile, enjoying the dream. He held Danni in his arms, her eyes shining up at him with all the love and wonder he’d ever fantasized.

He snuggled deeper into the pillow, willing the dream to continue. Holding the small slice of heaven near his heart. His arms tightened, imagining her softness. The murmur of a sigh forced his heart to skip a beat.

Not again!

Marcus dreaded what he’d find. Gulping, he opened his eyes a crack. The bundle in his arms definitely had the right color hair. As her head turned, his stomach balled. It was Danni.

Damn
.

He slammed his lids closed again. Childishly willing her away. Peaking through the slits, he glanced down. Still there. And definitely Danni.

Swiftly extricating himself, he rolled to his side in the direction of the window. His eyes snapped shut again, blocking out the light streaming in. And reality.

How could he have allowed what happened last night?

He gulped, cradling his head between his hands as he sat up. How could he have been so stupid? He’d treated her abominably. Of course, she’d be furious with him.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Danni, safe and seemingly content in the warm nest of the bed. He focused on a faraway point of the white walls, reliving the events of the night before.

Guilt and shame had spurned him to seek her out last night. He had treated her abominably at the stable. He knew she had meant to help him avoid a stressful situation in the crowded taproom, but once again, his anxiety and defensiveness had blinded him. And to compound his actions, he had, for the first time, been consumed with raging jealousy. After a moment of calm in his own room, he knew she had done nothing to entice that damned drunkard. He’d gone straight to her, determined to do whatever was needed to make amends. He had never expected to spill almost every secret he stored in his dark soul.

Brilliant job, Bradley, bloody brilliant.

He rubbed his hand over his face. After everything he’d done, after everything he’d said to her, she’d still given him the greatest gift. She’d touched him softly, as if she loved him. She hadn’t rejected him or his awful past. Danni had behaved as he’d always wanted a woman to—wanted
his
woman to. To accept him as a normal human being, a man,
a whole man
.

And that was the crux of it. Danni wasn’t his and never could be. She would soon belong to another. He didn’t deserve her, despite his title. He had no right to take advantage of her good heart. Her father was committed to have her marry another, just as Marcus was committed to resolving his sister’s dilemma. He must find an heiress to wed. Last night had changed nothing.

Memories of her flawless skin and passionate moans filled his mind. He was a dishonorable brute to have done this with her. He had nothing to offer. And, most important, he was sure she now believed he had changed his mind about Ginny. But he hadn’t. He had no choice. Ginny would be safe with him. He would be kind to her. But he would marry her.

Marcus turned restlessly to gaze at the little ball curled in his side. Danni lay with the scratchy woolen blanket against her pale skin, her hands resting under her cheek. She looked small and fragile. So contrary to her waking self. Unthinking, he reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her face. Another sigh escaped her; her breath skated off his skin.

Shots of lust traveled straight to his groin. A growing dread formed in his gut, tightening his stomach until the back of his throat burned. He’d tasted the forbidden fruit. Could he be stronger than Adam and ignore the temptation Danni presented?

Danni shifted in her sleep, pressing closer to his bare thigh. He gulped, her warmth igniting a simmer beneath his skin.

He was doomed to Dante’s nine circles of hell. He would marry Ginny, and dream of Danni his whole life long.

Gingerly, he freed himself from the blanket, crawled over her, and backed away from the bed. The sheet slipped, further exposing her. He hungrily feasted on the tempting swells of her bosom before reining in the surge of lust. Careful not to touch her, Marcus repositioned the coverlet over her. A sickening thought shot through his heart.

What if she’d let him touch her only because she pitied him? He’d said enough last night to invoke anyone’s sympathetic feelings. He had been a blubbering mess. Danni wanted to solve everyone’s problems. To her, could he have been just another heart to mend?

Glaring out the window, he clenched his fists. No, she wouldn’t use herself like that. Still…if she had… it was just another reason he had to say good-bye to her, and soon. He was a broken man, unfit for any woman, and he would be forever.

Once they found Ginny, he’d bring the girl to Gretna and marry her. Then, he’d deposit Danni back home so she could accept her father’s match and become a happy wife with a happy ending, just as she’d always dreamed. Happily ever after. The end.

He’d never touch her again. Never think about her again. Never long for her again.

He quickly grabbed his jacket from the corner, not sure how he’d managed to remove it. In his haste, he did not stop to check the hall for passersby before he dashed out, closing the door behind him, and scooting across the hall to his own room.

Already missing her warmth, he groaned. How was he ever going to face her again?

Danni stretched, rolling over to the center of the bed. Cool emptiness met her searching hand. Her brow lowered in confusion. Something was missing. Her body felt deliciously languid and heavy.

Images flashed behind her lids. She sat up, grasping the bedsheet to her chest, her body rushing with heat from both embarrassment and renewed longing.

“Oh my,” she whispered, fingers touching her lips and thighs clenched against the warmth in her core. She couldn’t believe what she’d done last night. It had been wonderful—maddeningly, mind-numbingly wonderful. And they hadn’t even made love. Her fingers pressed tighter to her bruised lips. This lovemaking business was far better than Annabel had ever alluded to.

She swallowed against her desire, her hand brushing the cool sheets again. Where was Marcus? Why had he left her? A groan slipped past her fingers and she curled her knees to her chest.

How could she have allowed what happened last night?

What was she thinking? Of course he would leave. He had exposed so much of his emotions, of his past, and was probably terrified that once again she would reject him. Could he not even trust her after last night?

She moaned. Their current circumstances had not changed. Marcus was intent on marrying Ginny. It was the only solution he could see to save his sister. She could no longer paint him as a reprobate fortune hunter. What he was doing was still morally wrong, but he was driven by desperation to protect the only person he’d ever cared for. She could no longer hate him for that. Danni didn’t want to admit it, but in the same circumstances, she might have been driven to kidnap as well.

She knew the simple solution would be to discard the match her father made for her and reveal her identity as an heiress. Her feelings for Marcus were growing each day. He was a wonderful man beneath the harsh exterior. He had treated her with such delicacy and tenderness.

But she hesitated. Her father would be devastated. He had chosen the earl for her with much care. Finding her a loyal and kind husband had been very important to him. How could she tell him that she wanted to refuse a solid, upstanding member of the
ton
, and instead devote her life to a haunted, disfigured marquis from a disreputable family? Her father may have become distant since her mother died, but Danni knew he wanted her to have a loving and stable home. Even Danni was unsure Marcus could offer her those things.

And she so longed for her father to be proud of her and happy again. It had been her hope the match with the earl would improve his outlook since her mother had died. He could embrace his new son-in-law and the future children they would produce. Danni doubted her father would so easily accept Marcus.

And then what about the impact her rejection would have on the earl? Although the arrangements had not yet been formalized, she knew there was an oral agreement between him and her father. Instead of the heart-leaping excitement she knew other girls experienced at the prospect of marriage, her heart had been torn in two. When her father had first introduced his plan, she’d asked him for a proper courtship so she and the earl could learn about each other, and he had kindly agreed, but everyone in their circle eagerly anticipated the announcement.

She hated to admit the earl chose her because of her father’s position in Parliament. He was an ambitious man, and had repeatedly told her during their courtship what a wonderful politician’s wife she would be. With his eye firmly fixed on political power and his sterling reputation, she grimaced at the thought of his learning about her elopement agency, not to mention her scandalous behavior these past few days. While she did believe he cared for her, she knew it was more affection than love.

Danni sighed. She had so dreamed of a fairy tale love like that of her parents and the couples she helped elope. She wanted that grand passion, but knew not everyone found it. And lately, in light of her father’s wishes, she’d begun to believe she wanted a husband and children more than she needed the grand passion of a fairy tale. Perhaps she would have to settle for a good life, rather than a grand one.

Danni flushed to think of herself sharing the intimacies of marriage with Lord Rathbourne. She was certain the Earl of Hemsworth would not bring such fire to her heart, but she knew he would care for her and treat her with the utmost respect. She could have a happy ever after with him.

One thing she was certain of: her father and the earl would both suffer great embarrassment at her rejection of the betrothal.

She wasn’t yet ready to risk it all for Marcus. She did not want to marry him because of money. She couldn’t announce her true identity without knowing with certainty that he was as committed to her. She would not risk her relationships with her father and the earl unless she could be sure he loved her just as much. And this situation with Ginny. How could she truly love someone who was capable of hurting Ginny so badly?

And he was so complicated, too. He had a temper when pushed too far. He was so tormented by the past it shadowed his eyes. He was self-conscious and broken in a way Danni wasn’t certain could ever be repaired. She feared for Marcus’s future if he could not find a way to break free from the memories of his father. His soul was unpredictable and…uncertain.

Last night, she’d seen a glimmer of what he could become if he could accept someone’s love. She wanted that for him with all her being.

She could just arrange for Marcus to have the money he needed, if she could manage to convince her father that helping Marcus was a good use of that money. Of course, she would have to do that before she married the earl, as the funds would be transferred to his oversight upon their marriage. Perhaps, if necessary, payments to Caroline and Marcus could be part of the marriage contract. Her heart clenched at the thought. Marcus would be free, and she would not.

Resigned to a life without Marcus, she prepared for the day. They must find Ginny before the rest of this farce could play its final scenes.

Grabbing her belongings, she headed across the hall. Taking a steadying breath, she swung the door open, forcing false cheer into her voice. “Good morning!”

The blond man’s head snapped up. Marcus froze in the act of packing, looking at her with surprise and hesitancy. Danni felt her stomach twist and her palms dampen. What was he going to say? What would he do?

His lips tugged into a frown, and he continued stuffing his blanket into a sack. “Do you have something against knocking, Miss Green?”

Danni opened her mouth, only to snap it shut. She swallowed her embarrassment, muttering, “Seems only when it comes to your room.”

A snort from the giant narrowed her gaze. He placed an extra shirt in the sack and tossed the bag over his shoulder. His movements were stiff and radiated discomfort. Wonderful, she thought grimly, he has no idea how to behave either.

With a sigh, she braced herself for another round of silent Marcus. “Shall we eat in the village?”

He grunted, brushing past her towards the door. She stopped him with a rough yank on his arm.

“That’s it? This is how you will treat me after last night?”

She felt his skin quiver and rise with goose bumps. His features softened when he looked at her.

“I will always long for more, but nothing has changed. I am more determined than ever to find Ginny and bring this tragedy to an end.”

He gently pulled his arm free and strode out the door. Danni stiffened at the mix of regret and sadness the brief contact gave her. Pinning his back with a long, reproving glare, she followed.

This was going to be a long day.

Danni sought out the stall selling meat pies. She tilted her head to better breathe in the heavenly aroma. Her eyes drifted closed. Her mouth watered in anticipation. She took a bite, savoring the explosion of flavor, and when she opened her eyes, she sighed. She so relished this first moment’s peace since she had awoken that morning. Their journey to the village had been completed in strained silence, just as she’d expected. When they’d arrived at the village fair, she and Marcus had separated without speaking.

Danni took another bite of the pie, grateful for a few moments to collect her thoughts. She shifted her pack on her shoulder, feeling the weight of his gift bump her side. She was still reeling from the thoughtfulness of his gift, and how, in her mind, the dress was evidence Marcus could be redeemed. It was a bright spot in an otherwise horrible series of events. Everything else had been a disaster since he’d walked into her bookstore. She really didn’t think the situation could get much worse.