Lady Alexandra's Lover (11 page)

“But it’s not ladylike to want such things. As ladies, we are supposed to be the sensible gender and rebel against our baser instincts.”

“Yes, that is what convention dictates, is it not? However, we are all human beings, and women have needs just as gentlemen do.”

“Ally! How can you speak of such things? Ladies aren’t supposed to have such thoughts.”

“How can you even say that anymore? You and I have both watched Lily and Rose succumb to their baser desires, and neither of them regretted it one bit. I’ve done a lot of reading, Sophie, and there are parts of the female anatomy that are meant solely for pleasure.”

“My goodness, those cheap novels—if one can even call them such—cannot be relied upon for accurate information.”

“I’m not talking about the novels, though they are terribly amusing and you would do well to read a couple of them. I am talking about basic anatomy. Have you perused the library here at the estate? The earl has myriad reference books, and the library over at Lily and the duke’s estate has even more. You know what a voracious reader I am. I’ve devoured nearly all of them.”

“My goodness, Ally, what on earth could you be speaking about?”

“I’m speaking about sexual desire, Sophie.”

Ally smiled as her sister’s cheeks turned red as a beet.

“No need to be embarrassed, sister dear. Did you know that women have an organ in the body whose sole function is sexual pleasure?”

“Ally, really. Must we discuss this? And of course men have an organ for sexual pleasure as well. Even a lady as naïve as I knows that.”

“Well, of course. But that organ has several functions other than sexual pleasure. Excretion for one, procreation for another. The organ I’m talking about has only one function, and that organ is found only on the female body.”

“You can’t possibly be serious.”

“Oh, I am more than serious. In fact I—”

Ally and her sister both looked up as the parlor door opened swiftly. Evan stood in the doorway, his large frame nearly taking up the entire space.

“Sophie, Alexandra, I must speak with you.”

Sophie, her cheeks still bright red, said, “Of course, Evan, what is it?”

“I’m afraid some business has come up that I cannot ignore. I will not be able to take you to London for the last balls of the season as I promised.”

“Well of course, we understand—”

“The hell we do.” Ally stood, clenching her fists. “I will return to London, with or without you.”

H
attie squirmed beneath me
. “My lady, ’tis not proper. You shouldn’t—”

And then my mouth was upon her. Oh, Amelia, you can’t imagine how sweet the taste of her pussy. If only Christophe had been there and I were sitting on his face grinding into him as I ate my fill of Hattie. She writhed against my probing tongue as I continued to plunder her sweetness. When she finally erupted, convulsing against me, I slowed my attack.

I knew she wasn’t ready to return my favor, and I was willing to wait. But now, she having experienced such sweet diversion for the first time, I hoped it would be easy to convince her to join Christophe and me at our next lesson.

“Hattie, dearest,” I said, “would you like to experience even more pleasure?”

“My lady, I’m not sure there is any pleasure that could be more fulfilling than what I just felt.”

I couldn’t help chuckling a bit, dear Amelia. Such naïvety! And to think, if not for you, I would still be as naïve as innocent Hattie. “My dear, I can assure you that we have only scratched the surface of pleasure. My art instructor, Christophe, has given me amazing gratification, and I wish for you to experience it as well.”

“I don’t know…” She reddened from head to toe and wrapped her arms over her succulent breasts. “What we just did was scandalous enough. I don’t know if I should partake in any more such activities.”

“Didn’t I just tell you only moments ago never to deny yourself pleasure?” I smiled.

“You did, indeed, and I certainly would like to experience more…”

“If you felt being with a woman was scandalous, perhaps you will find being with a man slightly less so.” I raised my eyebrows and smiled again.

“Perhaps…”

And then, Amelia, I knew I had her. I so look forward to my next lesson with Christophe. I hope very much he will bring Mr. Peck with him.

I shall write again when I have more exciting adventures to tell you. Until then, I remain yours, affectionately,

Prudence

A
nd here we go again
. Evan sighed. The woman was bound and determined to get to London. Evan doubted very much it had anything to do with her friend, Miss Hortense Stafford or whomever it was. Knowing Alexandra, she had something completely different up her sleeve. Still, he had made a promise to her, and he hated having to break it. Plus, Sophie certainly deserved to get off this estate and have some amusement, as well. Shy and timid she may be, but she had seemed to enjoy the balls they’d attended at the duke’s estate.

“My apologies to both of you,” he said calmly. “I know you were looking forward to seeing the end of the season. However, there is a problem at one of my businesses in the city of Bath, and I must get it resolved.”

“Well, that is not an issue as I see it,” Alexandra said. “Sophie and I can simply travel to London alone and attend the balls.”

“You know damned well”—Evan jerked when Sophie gasped at his language—“that I cannot allow the two of you to travel to London alone. Look at what happened last time we tried to go. You and I ended up stranded.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Evan, we just won’t travel during the worst rainstorm of the century. Surely that won’t happen again.” Alexandra stomped her foot on the Oriental rug.

“Ally,” Sophie said, “if we can’t go to the balls, it’s not the end of the world. We shall both have our seasons next year.”

“It’s not the damned season—”

Sophie gasped again at Alexandra’s words.

“—I’m concerned about. I just want to have a little bit of fun. Ever since Mother and the earl left on their wedding trip a month ago, we’ve been stuck here. I’ve nearly exhausted all the literature in the library, and I’ve knitted and crocheted so many baby booties that I want to hurl my crumpets.”

“I am very sorry,” Evan said again. “If there were any other way—”

“Of course there is another way,” Alexandra said. “If it’s a chaperone you are concerned about, send us with one of the servants—one you trust completely. I’m sure he would be happy to escort the two of us to the balls in London.”

Oh, Alexandra was beautiful, and when she got that dander up, sexuality just oozed from her pores. Evan felt feral. He wanted to run to her and crush his mouth to hers in a carnal and passionate kiss. But he couldn’t—not in front of Sophie. And not at all, for that matter. She had refused his suit, and she no doubt would not appreciate any more of his attentions. He’d have to hope like hell he hadn’t impregnated her.

The thought of his child growing in her belly filled him with a raw and possessive need. To see her body change, to see a baby born with her chestnut hair… But no. It would be much better if she was not with child.

“Don’t be absurd. I can hardly have the two of you attending London society balls on the arms of a servant.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s just not done, that is why.” He turned and then looked back over his shoulder. “And I’ll not hear one more word about this.”

“Oh, you will hear more than one word about this,” came Alexandra’s voice from behind him. “You can be certain of that.”

Evan closed the door to the parlor a bit more loudly than he meant to. He walked quickly to his office on the first floor. His father, being aware of his business investments, had allowed him to use a room on the estate for his work. He sank down into his leather chair. The musky scent of cowhide wafted to his nose. What was he going to do about Alexandra? She never left his mind. Even when he was focused on work, still her visage tormented him behind his eyes, her berry scent always in his nose, and the touch of her skin a memory beneath his fingertips.

He shuffled some papers on his desk, looking for a particular file, when a knock sounded on the door.

“Yes?” he said.

“It’s Graves, my lord.”

“Yes, Graves, do come in.”

Graves entered with an envelope. “This was just delivered for you.” He laid the message on the desk.

“Thank you,” Evan said. “Tell me, what has been going on about the estate while I’ve been gone?”

“It has been quiet, my lord. We did have one caller.”

“And who was that?”

“Mr. Nathan Landon. He came to call upon Lady Alexandra.”

Jealousy stirred in Evan’s gut. Why was Nathan Landon hanging around Alexandra? Landon was a notorious skirt chaser. The peers put up with him because he was a cousin to the Duke of Lybrook. He wasn’t sure why Lybrook himself had allowed his wife’s cousin to associate with Landon, knowing the type of man he was. An astute businessman, yes, and nice enough—but Evan had seen Landon in many situations that even gentlemen of ill repute would not be seen in. Somehow, he had to steer Alexandra away from Landon. Keeping her out of London would be a good start, but what could he do about Landon coming to call?

In truth, he needed to resolve this problem at his printing business, but he could easily have one of his associates look into it. It was not a big enough issue to require his presence. God knew he wasn’t the first business owner to deal with the dregs of the city trying to use his business for their own gain. Still, it gave him an excuse to stay in Bath rather than travel to London for the remaining few weeks of the season. And that would keep Alexandra right here where she belonged.

“My lord?”

Evan jerked in his chair. He had quite forgotten that Graves still stood in front of him. “And anyone other than Mr. Landon?”

“No. As I said, it has been quiet.”

“Very well, then. You may go, Graves.”

The door had no sooner closed than Alexandra stormed in, her face red, her fists clenched, her beautiful lips trembling.

“We need to talk,” she said.

“I can’t imagine what about. Other than the fact that I’d appreciate a knock before you barge into my office.”

“You know damned well what we need to talk about. I am going to London. My friend is expecting me. And you promised to escort me to the end of the season balls.”

“Yes, I know that,” he said calmly. “However, as I said before, there is some unforeseen business that requires my attention.”

“Summon your brother. He should be spending his time here anyway. It will be his estate someday. Instead, he’s living it up in London, he and his intended. He should be here taking care of business while your father is out of the country. That is his responsibility, not yours. Why would any business keep you here? You’re nothing but a second son.”

The derision in her words sent an arrow through his heart. She truly did look down upon his station. “My brother is seeing to the estate while he’s in London, and he and his solicitor are due here in a little more than a week.” Evan’s hands shook. Though his legs ached to stand and thunder toward Alexandra, he glued his behind to the chair. “The business to which I’m referring is my own, not the estate’s.”

“What kind of business could you possibly have?”

“That is none of your concern.”

“It certainly is my concern if it’s keeping you from escorting us to London. However, it doesn’t need to be my concern. All you need to do is find someone suitable to take Sophie and me to London. And if you don’t, we will be going alone.”

Unable to hold himself in check any longer, Evan stood, walked around his desk, and grabbed Alexandra’s upper arm, gripping her tightly. “You will respect my authority, and you will not travel to London.”

“I
will
go to London,” she said.

Evan’s body tensed. His cock swelled and pulsed against his trousers. What she did to him! He had to have her.

“You will not!” He slammed his mouth down on hers.

He glided his tongue over the seam of her lips, probing for entrance. They remained tightly sealed. No problem there. He could wait. He nipped at her full lips slowly, suggestively, and then he sucked her lower lip between his own. Her lips had to have been forged by God himself, so perfect they were. And then, with a sigh, she parted them, and he drove his tongue into her mouth. She responded immediately, twirling her tongue around his own, soft groans coming from her throat.

Yes, yes, he had her now. He continued kissing her while he cupped one of her peachy breasts. It swelled beneath his hand. Her dratted corset kept him from feeling the nipple that he knew would be hard under his touch.

She sighed against him, kissing him with passion. And then he jolted. She had gripped his erection through his trousers. He nearly spent right then and there. He was nothing more than a youthful lad with her, so eager was he. He was not inexperienced by any means, but in Alexandra’s presence, all of that drifted away with the wind.

He tore his mouth from hers, regretting the loss almost instantly. “Turn around,” he commanded.

She complied, and he began unfastening her gown.

“What is it about you?” he whispered against her neck. “Why do I ache for you so much? What have you done to me?”

“Faster, Evan. Undress me. I need you.”

She hadn’t answered his question. He worked her buttons as fast as his thick fingers would allow, his breathing more rapid with each new bit of skin he exposed. When her dress sat in a puddle on the floor, he loosened her corset and removed it. He turned her around and brushed her soft chemise off of her shoulders. She stood before him naked but for her drawers, her engorged breasts held out like an offering. Her nipples were puckered and pink. He bent to taste one.

“Oh, yes,” she sighed. “That feels so heavenly.”

He nibbled on the nipple, biting, tugging, sucking. The texture was like silk and the taste like the sweetest pear. He feared he could never get enough of her. He moved to the other nipple while continuing to work the first with his fingers. She moaned, such sweet sounds from her throat. He nipped and tugged until he brushed his hands down her sides and over the swells of her hips, pushing her drawers to the floor. Her dark bush of curls beckoned him. He left her nipples, kissing down her abdomen and then inhaling the earthy scent of her sex. Lord, she intoxicated him. The lips of her pussy were just visible at the apex of the triangle. They were already red and wet. On his knees, he tongued her clitoris.

“Oh,” she sighed. “I was just telling Sophie earlier that there was an organ on the female body that was meant solely for pleasure.” Her breaths came rapidly. “She didn’t…believe me…”

Evan chuckled. He continued licking her for a few moments but then ceased. “Turn around, sweet, and sit on the edge of my desk. And then spread your legs for me.”

She obeyed, and there she was, glistening and pink, engorged and beautiful, just waiting for him to plunder her. He slid his tongue from the bottom of her opening to her clitoris, stopping to suck on the tight nub. She gasped. Yes, it was an interesting little part of the female body, one he’d learned to love. Nothing was better than bringing a woman pleasure, and that little nub of nerve endings was the key to the process. Not to mention it was close to that part of her that held him so beautifully, hugged him so tightly, and gave him the utmost pleasure.

He continued to lick her sweet pussy, circling her opening, rubbing his cheeks against her wetness. Pure heaven. Here she was, bared for his pleasure, while he was still fully clothed. His cock pulsated against his britches, longing for release—release that only she could grant him. Would she take him between those ruby lips? Suddenly, he wanted that more than his next moment on this earth, to have those luscious full lips pleasuring him. But he didn’t want to scare her. He would settle for being embedded in her lovely cunt.

She writhed on the desk, squirming, gasping, groaning. “I’m going to climax, Evan, please, please!”

He thrust two fingers into her, and she shattered around him, her walls clamping down around his fingers as the orgasm took her. God, she was beautiful. All women looked beautiful in ecstasy, but Alexandra—she was something special, something unique. Her flushed cheeks, her swollen lips, her rosy engorged breasts, her silky hair tumbling free from its confined style—she was simply stunning.

He stood hastily, unbuckling and unbuttoning his trousers. His cock was thick and swollen, and it ached to be inside her sweet suction. With one smooth thrust, he plunged inside of her. She hugged him so completely, he nearly spent as soon as he was all the way in. His body still ached from the carriage accident, but in his lust he hardly felt it. He held himself in check for several seconds, breathing, focusing, until he could withdraw and thrust in again.

“God, what you do to me.” He clenched his teeth. “You embrace me so completely, hold me so securely.” He thrust again. “Kiss me, Alexandra.”

Their lips met and their tongues tangled. He took her, branded her, plunged in and out of her body. He broke away from the kiss and sucked in a much-needed breath.

“Oh, Evan,” she said. “I-I… I am going to come again!”

She let out a scream, and he clamped his mouth onto hers again to muffle it. Her slick walls contracted against his hard cock, milking him, and soon he was joining her in orgasm. This time, he remembered to pull out, and his seed spewed upon the milky-white skin of her belly. As good as the release felt, it paled in comparison to the two times he had come inside of her. He panted, pulling her close.

“Why did you do that?” she asked.

“Do what?” He continued to breathe rapidly.

“Pull out?”

Reality struck, and he pulled slightly away from her. “You know damned well why I did that. I don’t want to get you with child.”

“Isn’t that a moot point now?”

“Absolutely not,” he said. “Why tempt fate?”

“I suppose you’re right.” She slipped off the desk, picked up her drawers from the floor, and stepped into them. “It’s just that…”

“It’s just that, what?”

“It’s just that… I liked it when you…you know…inside me.”

He shuddered. He had liked it as well. In fact, at this very moment, he could think of nothing he would like more than to release inside her every night. But this needed to stop. Just moments before, she’d been putting him down as being only a second son. Clearly, she was not the woman for him. If only they could fight this attraction that boiled between them. They would have to put a stop to it once their parents returned from their wedding trip. What would his father and her mother say? They had left her in his care, trusted him to see to her and Sophie’s best interests. Taking her to bed had not been on that agenda. He wanted to tell her he liked it too, that coming outside her body had not satisfied him nearly as much. But he held those words back and quickly pulled up his trousers and fastened them.