Never Wager Against Love (Kellington Book Three) (20 page)

“You mean it’s from that era?” Vanessa asked as she peeked
beneath the Holland cover at the velvet upholstery.

“I mean it’s likely from Versailles,” said Arthur as he
heard a very satisfying click.  He swung open the safe door and reached
inside.  The chalice was there, wrapped in a soft cloth.  He held it up to
her.  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?  I have half a mind to suggest to the King
just how much this belongs in the palace, rather than Newcastle’s vault.”

“The duke would hate that,” said Vanessa.  “Please do it.”

“It will be my pleasure, my lady.”  He bent over Vanessa’s
hand to kiss it, then they heard noises in the hall.  He pulled her behind a
tall armoire with a pearl inlay design from the Orient. 

“What’s this?” said the voice of an elderly man in the
corridor.

Hidden from view, Arthur pulled Vanessa closer against him. 
He watched through a crack as the old man opened the door then peered in,
shining his lantern into the treasure room.  After a moment he departed,
shutting the door as he left.  Then he turned the key, effectively locking them
in.  Arthur could feel Vanessa stiffen.

“He locked us in,” she said.

“He did.”

“Can you get us out of here?”

“Eventually.  We may actually be safer here than in our
rooms.  If Newcastle is looking for us, he’ll check there.  I doubt he’ll come
in here.”

“Are you suggesting we stay until morning?”

“Not necessarily.  But we may want to stay here for at least
a while, so we should get comfortable.”  Arthur carefully placed the chalice on
a table that looked like it might have been from the Russian Imperial Court. 
Then he pulled back the Holland cover from the French chaise.  He ran his hand
along the small bed’s surface.  “It’s quite soft.  I believe this will do
nicely.”

“For what?” asked Vanessa, whose heart had suddenly begun to
pound in her chest.

“To make love, of course.”

Vanessa wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly.  She didn’t know
whether she should ask him to repeat the statement or fall directly into his
arms.  She knew she was tempting fate by even considering becoming his lover. 
But it had been a long, eventful night.  The panic of not knowing where he was
earlier was still fresh.  He meant too much to her.  That much was clear.  But
she also knew she didn’t want to walk away without ever experiencing what it
would be like to make love to him.

Arthur knew he should pick the lock and leave the treasure
room.  He should escort Vanessa back to her chamber, where he’d remain on guard
against that bastard Newcastle all night.  Instead, there he was, doing what he
told himself he could not do.  He wanted to make love to her if she would have
him.  It had been agony earlier when he’d come to his senses shackled to the
wall.  A million nightmare scenarios had gone through his head about what
Newcastle might do to her.  He’d come close to pulling the manacles out of the
wall as he’d tugged on the damned things while picking the lock to free
himself.  The cold dread in his stomach told him he cared too much.  The fear
that he couldn’t protect her drove him mad.  He needed to hold her close.  To
come to her as a lover and fill her.  Tomorrow would take care of itself. 
Tonight was for the two of them.

She walked into his arms just as he reached for her.  Their
lips met in an explosion of passion.  All the anger he’d felt at Newcastle, all
the uncertainty of seeing her through the mission, turned into an enormous need
to make her his own.  Tonight.  In that ridiculous room filled with treasures
of immeasurable value.  But no object could compare to the woman who was with
him and the place she’d earned in his heart.  He pushed that disconcerting
thought to the back of his mind, then set himself to relishing every moment
which was unfolding between them.  She was in his arms fully engaged, his for
the night.  And he was tired of being afraid of the future.

He turned her around then began unlacing her dress as he
kissed her neck.  She was reaching back toward him, as if she couldn’t bear to
stop touching him for even a moment.  He kissed each inch that was revealed,
then slid the dress off her body.  As he pulled her back flush against him, he
knew she could feel his achingly hard cock pressed against her arse.  As she
pressed into him he let out a groan, then turned her around and began kissing
her.

She helped him disrobe.  Between the two of them, they tore
off his evening clothes and tossed them aside.  Out of the corner of his eye,
he saw his cravat land on a Rubens, but the thought fled his head just as
quickly as it had appeared. Nothing was as important as the two of them being
together skin to skin, heart to heart. 

He picked her up, then lightly tossed her on the chaise lounge. 
He followed her down, and found her lips with his.  She reached for his cock and
the feel of her hand squeezing him almost made him come.  They both explored
with hands and lips.  She wrapped a leg around his hip and his hand found the
curls at the apex of her thighs.  Once again she was wet, hot and ready for
him.  He lifted his head, so he could look into her beautiful eyes. 

“Do you want this?” he asked, his voice but a rasp.  “Do you
really want this?  Tell me you want this as much as I do.  Or if not, now would
be a good time to let me know, so I can go beat my head against the vault.”

“You talk too much, Arthur.  And yes, I want this very
much.”

His cock was swollen beyond endurance.  He positioned
himself at her entrance and rubbed the broad head against her searing heat.  He
wanted to prolong the moment while at the same time was anxious to plunge into
her.  He hadn’t been this excited, this desperate since he’d been a green lad. 
He pressed into her.  She was tight.  Exquisitely so.  He went slowly to ensure
he didn’t hurt her. 

When he was seated fully within her, he stilled, then kissed
her eyelids, her cheeks, her lips, waiting for a sign that she was ready to
continue.  She looked up at him and smiled.  It was a sight both sweet and erotic.

He pulled back slowly, then pressed into her again.  He established
a rhythm that she easily followed.  She met him as a partner in their passion. 
Her hips rising, then pulling back.  He couldn’t get enough of her, and too
soon he found himself quickening the pace.  But she was there with him and he
could recognize the signs of her beckoning climax.

As her breathing grew heavier and she pressed her nails into
his back, he started hurtling toward the point of no return, praying she would
reach heaven before him.  They continued their pace, driving into each other,
sharing their bodies, just as their souls were trying to meet.  Suddenly, she
cried out and the muscles of her passage clamped around him.  It was all he
needed – more than he needed – to let go.  He was barely able to withdraw in
time, as he experienced a climax more powerful than any he’d ever had before. 
He was connected to Vanessa in the most elemental way and they clung to each
other as they hit the peak they’d been searching for.

Moments later, he came back to reality, lying on top of her,
still gasping for air.  He looked down into eyes that were sparkling, a sated
smile on her lips.  He suspected he looked similarly pleasured.  He couldn’t
recall ever feeling that exhausted, that much at peace with the world.  As he
lifted off her, she moved over to give him some room.  But as soon as he rolled
onto his back, he pulled her into his arms.  They fit together as a part of him
always knew they would.  She was there, safe in his arms.  He also knew she was
secure in his heart.  There were so many reasons why a match between them would
not work.  But no excuse felt as true as the feeling of her in his arms.  At
that moment.  And forever.

As Vanessa lay with her head on his chest, feeling the beat
of his heart, she wondered how it had come to that.  Why had she taken a lover
after all that time?  She’d had several offers through the years, some more
honest than others, even if none of them had been particularly honorable.  No
good could come of a relationship with Arthur.  Marriage was certainly out of
the question.  She didn’t think he would simply sleep with her for the length
of their mission, then wish her a nice life once they reached London again.  No
doubt he would offer to make her his mistress, set her up in a house and pay
her a salary.  He seemed awfully set on keeping her from danger, so it made
sense that he would do what he could to provide an alternate living for her
that didn’t expose her to villains on a regular basis.  But, lying as she was
in the circle of his arms, she realized nothing could be as dangerous as falling
in love with Arthur.  And she knew she would if she shared his bed much longer.

At that disturbing thought, she tried to get up, only to
find his arms were locked around her.  “Get some rest, sweeting.  I suspect we
have a full, trying day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“But what if Newcastle were to come in here tonight, or one
of his henchmen?  Surely we don’t want the disadvantage of being unclothed.” 
And surely she could not spend the entire night wrapped in his arms so
intimately and not long to stay there forever

Arthur thought about it for a moment, then reluctantly
agreed.  “As much as I don’t want either of us to move from this position, I
would have to kill Newcastle if he saw you unclothed.   I suggest we get
dressed, then go back to my chamber.”  He kissed her, then with great
reluctance got up and began dressing.

Moments later, they were inching through the corridors in
the dark, after Arthur picked the lock to the treasure room door.  He was
carrying the broadsword, looking so much like a medieval knight Vanessa had to
smile.  She cradled the chalice in her arms.  They met no servants as they made
their way to the guest rooms, but when they reached Arthur’s chamber, Vanessa
refused to go in. 

“But Newcastle may very well go back to your room,” cautioned
Arthur.  “You’ll be safe in my arms, here.”

Vanessa had no doubt she’d be safe from Newcastle, but her
heart would be very much at risk.  “I will not live in fear Arthur.  Besides, I
can take care of myself.  After all, I already fought him off once today.  I
doubt his ego will risk being defeated a second time.  But thank you for a
lovely evening, my lord.”

With that, she rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek,
then turned and walked down the corridor to her room.

Arthur couldn’t believe it.  She’d kissed his cheek.  His
cheek!  Like she was a maiden aunt and he a lad in short pants.  His eyes
narrowed as he watched her walk down the hall.  He’d had plans for the rest of
the night.  And not one of them had involved kissing anything as innocent as a
cheek.  And he’d be damned if he risked Newcastle trying to assault her again. 
He entered his chamber, grabbed both of the pistols he’d taken from her
saddlebags, then carried them and the damned sword down the hall.

 A quick pick of the lock let him into her sitting room.  He
quietly opened her bed chamber door to assure himself she was safely inside. 
She was.  And already in bed.  For a moment, he weighed entering her chamber
and persuading her to spend the night in more pleasurable pursuits.  But in the
end, he left the door ajar – the better to hear her if she needed help, then
made himself as comfortable as possible on the settee, which was too short for
him.  He groaned as he thought of the night ahead.  He wished he could be
holding her to his chest as he fell into a sated slumber. 

Next time. Because there had to be a next time.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Arthur woke as the first rays of sunshine streamed into the
sitting room.  He was immediately aware of the ache in his neck from sleeping
in such an awkward position.   But that was far from his primary concern.  He
rose, rubbed his neck, then looked in on Vanessa. 

She was still asleep, her fiery hair spread across the
pillows.  She looked so peaceful in sleep, the angelic side to the warrior he knew
her to be.  He smiled as he thought of the previous night, as she’d carried
that sword into the bowels of the castle to rescue him.   And he had no doubt
that she would’ve bested any man who got in her way.

He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with her and
continue the journey they’d begun in the treasure room.  He would kiss her
awake, ready her with his fingers, then slide into her as she welcomed him
home.

Home.  He’d be damned.  But she really had felt like home.

As if reading his thoughts, she slowly awakened.  She looked
around the room with bleary eyes, then saw him.  The smile she gave him was
brilliant.  He started toward her, but was stopped by the sound of rigorous
knocking on the castle’s main doors, which echoed up the stairs.  The two of
them looked at each other, unsure of who would be trying to gain entry to the
duke’s house with such vehemence.  Surely Mortimer and Cassidy wouldn’t
announce themselves in such a way.  But Vanessa flew out of bed and put on a
dressing gown, as Arthur picked up his pistols once again.

They hurried through the corridors, then down the stairs to
the great hall.  The hastily dressed butler answered the door, as a few
servants were preparing the house for another day.  The butler blocked their
view, so they couldn’t see who was calling.  Finally, they got a clear look at
the man, then Vanessa fairly jumped up and down with excitement.  “Lawrence!”
she said, as she descended the staircase and fairly flew to his side.

For his part, this “Lawrence” was obviously quite happy to
see her, as well, as they embraced.  Arthur’s brows lowered as he noticed the
unwanted Lawrence moving one of his hands down her back toward her lovely
bottom.  Arthur wanted to remove his hand from her person immediately.  A punch
to the jaw would not go amiss.