Hunting the Hero (6 page)

Constantine cursed under his breath. For a moment he’d forgotten the exact nature of his lover. She couldn’t just decide to go to London for the pleasure of it. But he could imagine her there, eyes sparkling as brightly as any bauble worn round her throat. She would undoubtedly enjoy the pretense of the opera and Theatre Royal. A shame she could not go unless…
 

His thoughts fled when her hand drifted lower and curled around his length. The tight, possessive grip took his breath away. When her head disappeared beneath the sheets, he struggled to escape. No woman had done this in a very long time. His wife had not particularly liked to pleasure him in this manner.

Calista’s throaty laugh filled his panicked ears. Her tongue licked the head. His pulse exploded as she kissed him, caressed him and took him into her mouth. Constantine flung the covers back to expose her. She knelt at his side, long hair fallen haphazardly to caress his belly and thigh. But her mouth, that gloriously mesmerizing mouth, had him firmly under its spell.

Her cheeks hollowed as she sucked and his world narrowed to that one spot. Calista pumped her hand slowly, licked and kissed and sucked until he couldn’t hold back. He swept her hair over her shoulder so he could see every move she made. She lifted her head. “I take it this pleases you, my lord.”

For an answer, he pushed her head back down. “You damn well know it does so don’t stop.” When she took him back inside her mouth and tongued the sensitive head, he near exploded. What had he done to be so damn fortunate?

The speed of her hand increased, the suction of her mouth grew stronger. Constantine levered up to touch her cheek, prepared to lift her from him at the moment of release. She twisted her head slightly, away from his touch. He frowned. She couldn’t mean to… No woman did.

When she shifted between his legs, pushing his limbs wider to cup his balls, he groaned. Calista was too damn dangerous for her own good. His balls tightened, drawing up tight. His cock ached and when he exploded he didn’t call his wife’s name. He said Calista instead, because he couldn’t think of anything beyond the woman in his bed.

CHAPTER 5

MEREDITH STUDIED THE young woman opposite her. “Now curtsy, glance at me shyly from beneath your lashes, and rise. There. Captivating. The gentlemen you meet will not take their eyes from you.”

The young woman she was tutoring in the intimate arts had come a long way from her rather shy beginnings and should, if she was diligent, exceed her teachers in every way.
 

“Are you sure I’m doing it correctly?” Oralia, the name the girl had assumed from the day of her arrival, worried at her lower lip, giving it a pretty pink glow. “Solange says…”

“Solange has all the subtlety of bull in a china shop. Men do, in fact, know when a woman is being insincere. What you just did so innocently with your lip will enthrall the gentlemen you meet.” Meredith patted the cushion beside her and the coltish young girl forgot her training and practically leapt across the room to sit at her side.

Oralia fussed with her gown. “That was pretty?”

“Very appealing.” Meredith smiled at the girl’s uncertainty. It had taken Meredith far longer to learn how to make the most of the cards that had been dealt to her. She intended to make sure Oralia would not make the same mistakes. She could rise as far as she dreamed if she went about the matter sensibly. “The gentlemen who come to us may believe they come for one reason alone. Sex. But they don’t always want it immediately when they arrive. Sometimes gentlemen like to talk, to be teased, and to be tempted before the inevitable happens. Improving your skills in conversation is vital to doing well and being sought after. Men are
very
fragile creatures. They want to be thought of as desirable and intelligent. They want to believe the fantasy that you only have eyes for them.”

“Of course we do,” Grayling said from the doorway. “No man wants to be chosen solely for his pocketbook.”

Meredith glanced up in surprise and quickly stood. She dropped into a curtsy, rather alarmed that Grayling had overheard her assessment of men. “My lord, I wasn’t informed of your arrival.”

When she rose, his smile was smug. “I asked to surprise you and I’m glad that I managed it. What a fascinating conversation to stumble upon.”
 

He strolled into the room and lifted the hand she held out to his lips. The kiss he pressed to the back was so warm she caught herself swaying toward him.

“You were successful. I am very surprised.”

Grayling glanced at the young woman she had taken under her wing. “Would you care to introduce me?”

Meredith quickly gathered her scattered wits. Where was her mind? This was the perfect opportunity for Oralia to interact with a superior gentleman. If something came of it, a spark of desire, then Oralia could begin work at the House.
 

Meredith pushed aside the sudden pang of resentment while she performed the introductions. Oralia performed an adequate curtsy, glanced up at Grayling from beneath her lashes, and did everything perfectly. Meredith eased back from the pair to give them privacy to speak, trying not to listen too closely for any hint of teasing in the conversation which might signal Grayling’s interest in the young woman. Oralia was very pretty. And young.

Grayling leaned in her direction, caught her arm, and dragged her back against his side. “Not done with you yet.”

Despite her surprise, she could feel her face warming. “Oh?”

His eyes lit up with mirth. “Your protégé has asked a question I cannot answer.”

She frowned at Oralia, noticing the girl’s awestruck expression as she stared at Grayling. Such puppyish devotion had no business for a woman in this trade. “Well?”

The hard edge to her question brought Oralia’s mind back to the room. “I asked His Lordship if he had a mistress. He said you would know.”

“I…” Meredith faced Grayling. He appeared decidedly pleased by her speechlessness. She shrugged haughtily. “Not that I’ve heard. But then my acquaintance with Lord Grayling has been brief. He could have a harem and I’d have no idea.”

“A harem?” He shook his head and clucked his tongue in disapproval. “No, no. I should only need one woman.”

Meredith tensed at the delicate subject they were discussing. After only one night in Gray’s arms, he should not be considering that he needed a mistress. He couldn’t possibly be dissatisfied with their arrangement or he would not have come back. She met Millicent’s gaze. “Perhaps you would like to see to His Lordship’s comfort.”

At the reminder of the first rule of the house—satisfy a guest’s every need—Oralia’s training came to the fore. She encouraged Grayling to sit, brought him brandy, and generally hung on his every word. When her hand landed on his leg with seeming innocence, Grayling sighed heavily and removed it. He shifted his gaze to Meredith. “I’m not here as part of her training.”

“Of course not.” Meredith pressed her lips together over a laugh. “But Oralia needs the practice. No harm.”

“Only to my good mood.” He faced Oralia and pushed away the hand that had crept back onto his thigh. “A pleasure to meet you. I can see you’ve lapped up Calista’s training very thoroughly, but remember to be yourself. There is only one Calista, and I should like to be alone with her now if you don’t mind.”

Oralia’s grin grew sly as she glanced between them. “Very well, my lord. Perhaps I shall see you on another visit.”

“I doubt that,” Gray muttered softly.
 

But Meredith heard and found his assertion rather pleasing. “Let Linnie know I said you are ready to have your gowns chosen, my dear.”

“Oralia,” Grayling said, “do make Mrs. Cohen aware that Calista has earned the rest of her wager from last night.”

With the promise of pretty things in her future and a message from a patron to deliver, Oralia bounced out of the room with a decided spring in her step.

Grayling scowled. “She should be at home under the watchful eyes of her parents.”

Meredith heaved a heavy sigh as she listened to Oralia’s running steps. “That would prove difficult as they were the ones who tossed her out like kitchen scraps.”

Grayling patted the cushion beside him. “She was seduced, I take it.”

Meredith shook her head and remained where she was, remembering the terrible state in which the young girl had arrived. Every door had been slammed in her face. “Raped, by several village boys. Her parents couldn’t get rid of her fast enough.”

Grayling shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Is that what happened to you?”
 

“No,” she said flatly and moved to refill his glass. She struggled to keep her voice level and devoid of resentment. “But situations like Oralia found herself in happen all the time. Luckily, Linnie came across her soon after the incident and brought her here. I’m proud of her progress. At first, she wouldn’t even glance at the footmen without shaking.”

“No tremble in her hands when she touched me,” he told her.

Meredith raised a brow. “I noticed that.”

“And I noticed you watching and pretending not to.” He placed his glass on a nearby table. “What game are you playing now? Are you bored with me already?”

“No,” she answered truthfully. But his question made her uncomfortable. In fact, she feared herself in danger of making a superior fool of herself. She shrugged, hoping the gesture conveyed a practical response rather than an emotional one. “But if you’d have shown the least bit of interest in Oralia, I would have left the room.”

He pressed his lips together firmly, sucked in a breath, and when he let it go he held out his hand. “Come here,” he said softly, a hint of steel in his voice. The same tone he’d used last night in bed. She trembled because that voice had the power to make her forget everything but pleasing him.

Meredith slowly moved closer and then let out a small shriek as Grayling tugged her onto his lap. His hand covered her breast. “Not one bit of interest. The only woman I want today is in my arms right now.”

He kissed her lips, sucking gently on the lower one before a growl left his chest. “Don’t ever do that again. I’m not a plaything for your associates.”

Despite the warnings in her head, Meredith threaded her arms around his neck and clung to the dangerously tempting lord. “No?”

“No.”

Before she realized what had happened, she was flat on her back beneath him. She blinked up into his frowning face.
 

He brushed his warm fingers over her cold cheeks. “Do you never stay warm?”

It was impossible to shrug in this position, so she settled for wrapping her arms around his waist, beneath his coat, soaking in his remarkable body heat. “I’ve always been susceptible to chill.”

He fingered her thin gown. “This isn’t sufficient. Come, I have gifts for you.”

“Where?”

“Wherever the footman took the parcels. I imagine a single question will be sufficient to locate them.” He stood. “Although, seeing you like this has given me other ideas for the afternoon.”

With a decidedly wicked grin, Meredith smoothed the wrinkles from her gown. “I hadn’t expected you so early.”

He shrugged. “My daughters have gone to stay with the friend I mentioned for a few days and I had nothing else pressing to do for the estate. I thought to spend the night with you again, if you are agreeable.”

A small bubble of happiness crowded her lungs, making speech impossible for a time. Eventually she convinced herself she was overreacting to the news and hurried into the hall. A footman loitered nearby. “William?”

“His Lordship’s gifts were taken upstairs. Mrs. Cohen felt the room you used last night would suit today as well.”
 

A deep, rumbling laugh echoed behind her as she made her way upstairs. Each step toward that large bed brought fresh doubts about further association with Grayling. She might just be in danger of truly liking him.

At the door, she glanced over her shoulder. Gray’s attention was fixed on her rear. As she crossed the threshold, she made sure to sway her hips in an exaggerated fashion. He laughed again and slammed the door shut behind them before hurrying to toss more fuel on the fire to drive the chill from room.

The bed was covered in brown-wrapped parcels. One even had a pretty pink bow. Puzzled, she pulled on the ribbon to open it. A white fur wrap spilled out and she gasped at the extravagant gift. She’d expected another sheer dress to replace the one he’d destroyed, not a garment suitable for the outdoors. She peeked at him as he settled on the far side of the bed. His gifts were rather lavish given they’d only met twenty hours ago. Unable to resist, she pulled the fur against her cheek, feeling the rich warmth drive the chill from her skin. “However did you manage this?”

“I had a word to the abbess before I left this morning. She was kind enough to give me directions to your modiste. I confess, I may have gotten carried away, but at least I will have the satisfaction of knowing you should be warm in my absence.”

“Are you going somewhere?”

“Not yet.”

Meredith glanced at the other parcels and, feeling as if the best Christmas ever had come early, quickly unwrapped them all. Grayling had replaced her torn gown with a blue velvet carriage dress complete with stiff, high ruff, provided a matching deep muff to the wrap, and a completely practical pair of half boots. “I appreciate the gifts, but why should you do such a thing?”