ROMANCE: Paranormal Romance: The Valley (Book One) (Fun, Sexy, Mature Young Adult Vampire Shape Shifter Romance) (5 page)

“Yes sir,” she let out.

“I require that my staff wear uniforms to go about their duties, so you will be required to wear one.”

Ella watched when he moved away from the desk and stepped over to a large wooden cabinet next to the window. He opened it to search inside and she saw the light grey dress in his hand when he moved towards her.

“You need to check if this fits you,” he said.

Ella got to her feet to take the uniform and the silence stretched out as she waited for the Duke to go on.

“Well…,” he said when he sat on the edge of the desk again. “Try it on.”

Ella narrowed her eyes as she stared at him.

“Now?” she asked.

The nod of the Duke’s head set her heartbeat hammering. She considered trying the dress on over her own clothes, but instinctively knew that wasn’t what she was being asked to do. The thought of stripping down to her underwear in front of a stranger filled her with dread although there was a flicker of something else at the back of her mind.

“Come now girl,” Duke Rathbone said. “We haven’t got all day.”

The warmth of embarrassment flushed on her cheeks, but she remembered her vow that she would do whatever was needed to ensure the job remained hers. If that included stripping to her undergarments then she would just get on with it and to her surprise she realized that the flicker in her mind was a tinge of excitement coming through her trepidation.

She turned to face away from the Duke as she removed her cloak and draped it over the chair. Her hands were trembling and it made her fumble with her blouse as she tried to get it over her head, but she eventually managed it. Her breathing became slightly ragged when she then undid the button at her hip and let the long skirt slide down her legs. It left her standing in just a bra and bloomers and she quickly grabbed the uniform to pull it over her head.

“Turn around,” Duke Rathbone instructed her.

Ella obeyed his firm demand immediately and saw his eyes roam over her voluptuous figure. He stood up and moved right in front of her.

“How does it feel?’ he asked.

“It’s a little tight,” she replied and kept her gaze on the floor.

“You look perfect in it,” he told her.

His use of the word perfect resonated in her mind as exactly what the woman in the servant registry said. Ella lifted her gaze to see the way she was being stared at. It suddenly occurred to her why she might be the right person for the job and she didn’t think it was only to do with her skills as a housemaid. Duke Rathbone’s comment about her pretty skin came back to her and his almost lustful gaze seemed to show that he was a man that appreciated a fuller figure woman.

The sudden tension as he stood only inches away from her was palpable, but the spell was broken as he turned away and moved around the desk.

“Mr. Bellamy will show you the servant’s quarters,” he said. “Ask him for the cleaning schedule also and you can start with your duties right away.”

“Yes sir,” Ella said.

She was aware of his gaze on her as she picked up her clothes and moved towards the door. A quick glance over her shoulder when she got there showed that she was still being watched and her last impression of Duke Rathbone was the confident smile that spread across his face. It was the expression of a man that knew what he wanted and after one brief meeting she was almost certain she knew what that was. It sent a rippling shiver trickling down her spine and she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath after leaving the study.

“Be careful,” she cautioned herself, but suspected she wasn’t going to be in control of what happened in the days and weeks that followed.

Ella was still trembling slightly from the encounter with her new employer when she found Mr. Bellamy. He gave her the schedule for her duties before taking her on a quick tour of the property. They ended up in the room that would be hers and she took a few minutes to compose herself then set about the work she needed to do that day.

Her last task involved preparing Duke Rathbone’s bedroom for him to retire and her nervousness grew as she approached the door at nine o’clock. She half expected him to be there, but saw the dark room was empty when she walked inside. The slight flicker of disappointment she experienced was unexpected, but she shrugged it aside and set about doing the work required quickly. Five minutes later she finished and moved across the room to leave. When she stepped out to the hallway, she glanced around the room one final time before closing the door and turning to walk away.

Her startled squeal was loud as she bumped straight in to her employer. Their bodies came together in the dark hallway and she was all too conscious of her soft curves coming up against taut, hard muscles.

“Careful,” Duke Rathbone said and let out a quiet laugh.

“I’m so sorry sir,” Ella mumbled and stepped away as the heat of embarrassment flared on her cheeks.

“No harm done,” he told her. “I would suggest that you carry a candle, so I can see you in the darkness at this late hour.”

              “Yes sir, sorry sir,” Ella replied quickly.

She glanced up and saw the assured smile on his face again and her shallow breathing became more ragged.

“Then again,” Duke Rathbone went on. “Bumping in to your gorgeous figure is nothing for me to complain about, so maybe you shouldn’t carry a candle after all.”

It was another compliment from him and Ella was in no doubt now that his preference was for curvaceous ladies like her. The thought that she might have found the man she dreamed about flitted through her head, but she cleared it away quickly. He was a billionaire Duke from an aristocratic Regency background and she was a lowly maid. They were worlds apart although at that precise moment it didn’t feel like it and her nerves were stretched as the silence surrounded them.

“Goodnight sir,” she said to break it and moved past him.

She didn’t need to look over her shoulder to know she was being watched and it was five minutes after she returned to her room that she regained her composure. It was impossible to stop the fantasy of being with a Duke plaguing her brain as she lay in bed and that only intensified with each encounter over the next few days.

Chapter 3

Ella did begin to wonder if her new employer was just playing a game with her when it got to the last evening before he returned to his country estate and nothing had happened between them. She made her way along the dark hallway to his bedroom as usual for what she suspected would be the last time for a couple of weeks. Moving inside, she stepped across to the bed and was arranging the covers when the flare of light of a candle being lit startled her. She put a hand to her chest as her heartbeat jumped and it raced even faster when she glanced across the room to see her employer sitting on a chair.

“Duke Rathbone,” she let out in a quiet voice. “I didn’t know…”

“Come here,” he ordered her.

Ella froze for an instant, but was compelled to obey him. For once, he wasn’t wearing a jacket and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. The way the material hung open gave a tantalizing glimpse of his muscular chest and there was no stopping the rush of anticipation. His eyes roamed over her as she moved in front of him.

“That uniform does look good on your gorgeous figure,” Duke Rathbone went on.

“Thank you sir,” Ella let out in a hushed voice.

“Are the pretty white undergarments I saw the day you arrived under it?” he asked.

“No sir,” Ella told him. “Mr. Bellamy allowed me to go home one afternoon to collect some of my belongings.”

“Then show me what you’re wearing,” he said in a hoarse voice.

Ella hesitated as nerves flared. The memory of promising to do what it took to remain in the job came to her although she never expected to be in the situation she now found herself. It was one she wanted though and it appeared she was about to act out her fantasies of the past few days. Her breathing became shallow as she reached for the hem of her uniform to drag it up her body. The flush of arousal was intoxicating and she knew she wasn’t the only one feeling it.

The tip of Duke Rathbone’s tongue flitted in and out his mouth as he watched pretty, dark skin being exposed, but he said nothing until Ella dropped the uniform on the floor.

“Yellow,” he commented as he stared at her undergarments. “White material looks better against your pretty skin, so wear that in the future.”

“Yes sir,” Ella replied.

“Now, come closer.”

Her legs trembled as she stepped forward and the sensation got worse as Duke Rathbone leaned towards her and reached out a hand. The soft touch of his fingertips on her curvy thigh was delicious and she let out a slow breath. It made him look up to her face, but his gaze quickly dropped to her large breasts.

“Let me see them,” he told her.

Ella was unable to resist and loosened her bra to let her rounded breasts spill free of the silky material.

“Kneel down in front of me,” Duke Rathbone ordered.

She could hear the hunger in his voice, so did it immediately and her head was rocked by the ferocity of his kiss. The heat of desire flared between her thighs as he brought a hand up to grope her breasts and his lust for her big beautiful curves was all too evident.

Ella let out a gasp as the kiss came to an end and Duke Rathbone immediately ducked his head down to her luscious breasts. His tongue swept across her dark skin and she shuddered as the touch brushed across a nipple. The dark bud was quickly sucked in his mouth to bring it erect and the tingling flush of exhilaration brought out her groan. Her employer’s head moved back and forth across her chest as he teased and tormented her nipples and his gasp came out when he settled down in the chair.

The swell of his erection was there to see as it strained against his breeches and Ella couldn’t tear her eyes from it. She was being somewhat impertinent by the taking the lead, but couldn’t stop herself as she reached out a hand.

Duke Rathbone shuddered as her fingers stroked along the outline of his thickly swollen shaft. He closed his eyes as he was teased by her touch and Ella knew what to do when he pressed his palms on the arms of the chair to lift his butt up. She grabbed at his breeches to drag them down and immediately saw he was naked below. Her eyes opened wide as she stared at the thick veins flushed with hot blood that was making his erection twitch and throb.

She dragged his breeches all the way off before circling her fingers around his erect manhood. The touch was enough to send a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins and she shuddered at the rough touch of the Duke’s fingers groping at her large breasts as she stroked her fingers up and down his full length.

“Use them on me,” he commanded when he let go.

His lust for her was clear as he shifted forward on the seat until his butt was perched right on the edge. Ella was breathing heavily as she gripped her breasts to bring them together and dropped spit in her cleavage to lubricate her skin. Duke Rathbone tensed when she leaned forward to surround his stiff shaft with her smooth, dark curves and his grunt of enjoyment was loud as she stroked them up and down to pleasure him. Her own excitement swelled as she watched the tip of his erection pop out of her slippery cleavage and she eventually squashed her breasts tightly together to trap hot, hard flesh between and ducked her head down.

Her tongue swept over the exposed head to bring out her arousal and she was all too aware of how wet the gusset of her bloomers was becoming. She kissed on the very tip of Duke Rathbone’s erection then let her mouth slide over it, as she kept it engulfed in her cleavage. He squirmed and writhed in the seat as his lust grew stronger until he was forced to take control before it got too much for him.

He made Ella move away slightly and she looked up at him. The sight of her cute face and soft lips was too much for him to resist and he sprang to his feet, with her still on her knees. A step forward showed what he wanted and he shuddered as she grabbed hold of his erection. He combed his fingers in her long hair and gripped hold to keep some control, but closed his eyes when she pressed her lips on the tip of his stiff shaft.

Duke Rathbone clenched his buttocks tightly when his cock was taken in the wet, warmth of her mouth and the tension gripped his muscles as she began to bob her head. He tightened the grip on her hair to keep her movements slow, but the touch of her soft lips sliding along his swollen manhood was almost too much to bear. It was too good to give up though and he enjoyed it for as long as he could before releasing his grip on Ella’s hair then seizing her arm to drag her up to her feet.

“The bed,” he told her and pushed her towards it.

Her bloomers were being dragged down immediately to reveal her large, rounded ass cheeks and Duke Rathbone was groping them before they even reached the bed. He pushed her face down when they got to it and fell on her soft, curvaceous figure with relish. Ella grasped the bedcovers with tight fists as his erection was trapped in the crease of her ass. The way her employer was already humping against her made her think he would take her right away, but it quickly became clear he wanted more.

He got up to take off his shirt and Ella saw his naked body in all its glory when she was rolled on her back. The tip of his erection almost reached his navel and her gaze traveled up a muscular torso. Her squeal was loud when her legs were roughly spread apart. Duke Rathbone went after what he wanted by ducking his head down between her thick thighs. The prickly stubble on his chin grazed against her sensitive skin and sent ribbons of hot delight running up her legs.

Her breath came out in ragged gasps while he enjoyed her taste and her muscles went taut to make her body arch as his tongue slid along her swollen lips. It was her first experience of a man going down on her and it set her body alight. She squirmed as the Duke’s stiff tongue slid inside and the way he lashed it around to grind on her slick inner skin sent her climbing towards an orgasm. Her hands clenched to fists as she gripped the bedcovers and the fire burned brightly between her thighs as she was expertly licked out by an experienced man.

The build up of pressure was unstoppable until an eruption of heat unleashed the climax on her quivering body.  Ella brought a hand up to her face and forced her mouth against her wrist to hold in the desperate cry as she was overwhelmed by the surge of burning, pulsing pleasure that ripped through her body. Duke Rathbone’s tongue continued to ravish her inner depths as the hot spasms of orgasm carried her to a breathless high that wracked her with shudders.

Her body went limp as she was released from the ecstasy and it was the signal for Duke Rathbone to finish taking what he wanted from her. He pulled his tongue out to throw himself on top of her soft curves. The touch of his taut muscles pinned her down to the bed and she groaned as he got himself in position. His mouth ravaged hers as he thrust his hips forward to push every last inch of his erect length in her.

Their lips parted as he lifted himself up on straightened arms and her big, beautiful curves were shaken by the ferocity of his animal lust. She stared up at his face as he slammed his hips between her spread open thighs. It hammered his stiff, swollen length inside her wet pussy to continue the pleasure of the rampant sex and she grabbed hold of her breasts to stop them bouncing around as the Duke made her his own.

The sound of his grunts grew louder as he quickened the pace of his efforts until the pure bliss of the frantic lovemaking overcame him. He drove deep inside Ella’s pussy as he dropped down on her and his body convulsed as the thick rush of cum exploded inside her. His groans of delight were loud as his body bucked against her curves to send more streams of white splashing in her pussy and it was only when his heavy sacs were emptied of everything that he was released from the shudders of his climax.

His weight pressed down on her as the exhaustion gripped hold and she could hear his ragged breathing in her ear.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered when he caught his breath. “And you’re mine now.”

“I am,” Ella agreed straight away and knew she meant it. “I’ll be ready whenever you want me.”

She eventually returned to her own room and there was a slight disappointment to the thought that he wouldn’t want her again for a couple of weeks.