Simply Forbidden (19 page)

He looked up at her, his dark blue eyes serious. “Actually, yes.”

She caught her breath as he reached out and shoved his hand into her hair and brought her face down to meet his. His kiss
was as hot and passionate as she could have wanted. And she responded to him with all the enthusiasm she could muster.

When he finally relaxed his grip, she stepped away from him. “Good night, then.”

His hands closed around her waist and he lifted her onto his lap. “I haven’t finished yet. Stop wiggling.” His mouth descended again and she was soon lost in his textures and his taste. Her hands slid into his hair and around his neck to keep him close.

He drew her back over his arm, exposing her throat and the curve of her breasts. His hands followed his gaze, owning her inch by inch, touching, teasing, demanding a response from her. She gasped as his lips closed over her nipple and suckled through her thin muslin nightgown.

“Gabriel …”

His teeth tugged at her nipple and his hands seemed to be everywhere, rucking up her nightgown, squeezing her buttocks, and molding her closer and closer to the heat of his erection. He groaned as she undulated her hips and pressed her mound into the swell of his shaft. His fingers slid between them to play with her clit and delve inside her slick folds.

She wasn’t sure how he managed to open his breeches but suddenly she felt his cock against her belly, the heat and wetness making her writhe and moan his name. He lifted her over him and she took him deep, felt him shudder and shake and groan as her tight muscles gripped him hard. She braced her hands on his shoulders and his muscles flexed as her fingernails dug in.

“Bedroom,” he whispered—the sound the merest thread.

“Why not here?” Lisette asked.

He was already lifting her. “Don’t want an audience. Keyes might come back.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and he lurched unsteadily toward the bedroom. They’d barely made the turn into the hallway when he backed her up against the
wall, and, as if unable to contain himself for a moment longer, started thrusting.

Lisette held onto him and was almost disappointed when he managed to move again and make it the rest of the way down the hall and into the bedroom. He shut the door with his foot and bore her down to the bed, his weight fully on her, his cock still pumping hard as if he never intended to stop.

She climaxed and he thrust even faster, bringing her to a new level of pleasure so intense that she tightened her grip on him. She dared him to leave her now that he had taken her this far, incited him to take her even higher through her fear and into the exquisite pleasure she sensed beyond.

He groaned with each long stroke, slid his hands under her buttocks to raise her even higher, and sent her screaming into another wave of bliss so intense it was almost painful. She managed to open her eyes and look up at him; his gaze was focused on her, on his cock as it disappeared into her body, on her face. She touched his cheek and he turned his head to kiss her fingers, never letting up on each long powerful stroke or losing his rhythm as he pounded into her.

“Come for me again.”

“I can’t.” She gasped as he reached between them, found her already sensitive clit and set his thumb on it. She started to convulse around him and scream his name. His thrusts became shorter and more desperate and she felt him gather himself to come, that moment of stillness over her, that moment of weakness when he climaxed and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He collapsed over her, his breathing chaotic, his hand buried deep in her hair. She didn’t protest his weight, even liked the idea of his long, elegant length covering and protecting her.

After a long while, he rolled off her and got out of bed to check that the fire was banked and to light a single candle.
When he got back in the bed, he took off what remained of his clothes. Lisette watched his body emerge with a profound sense of enjoyment. He was hers now. All that rippling muscle and strong frame hers, to have and to touch. She sighed and he looked across at her, deliberately cupped his cock and balls and stroked his thumb along his shaft.

“Aren’t you glad you came to find me?”

She raised her eyebrows. “That’s what you wanted me to do, wasn’t it? You wanted me to have a choice.”

He crawled toward her on all fours until he straddled her again and pulled her nightgown off over her head. “And are you happy with your choice?”

She looked up at him as he leaned over her and she lightly ran her finger down his muscled chest and belly and then along his cock. He shuddered and his shaft jerked against her fingers. “Yes, I’m happy,” she said. “Are you?”

His smile was full of sexual intent. “Not quite, I haven’t heard you beg yet.”

She smiled back at him. “And you never will.”

He moved closer until the crown of his half-erect cock brushed against her mouth. “We’ll see about that, now suck my cock.”

“I won’t be able to scream your name and beg if your cock is in my mouth.”

He eased the first two inches of his shaft inside her mouth. “I can wait. It’s a long time until dawn.”

Lisette gave up trying to convince him and concentrated on sucking his cock. Perhaps if she did it really well, he’d be the one begging.

Much later, Gabriel drew Lisette close against his body and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and kissed his chest, her body so relaxed it felt as if he was covered in a silk blanket.

“I’ll take you to see your new home tomorrow.”

She didn’t reply. He wasn’t even sure if she was still awake.
As his wife, she deserved the best and that meant he needed to confront his past. By the end of the week, he hoped to have her established in her proper setting: the house that was his by birth. A house he had never been allowed to claim because of his damnable relatives. Surely it was time to reclaim what was his by right?

“I
s this your home?” Lisette glanced uncertainly at Gabriel as they stared up at the large mansion on Portman Square. It was early evening and the house was lit up and obviously occupied.

“It is my family’s London house. I’ve never lived here.”

“But it appears that someone is. Maybe your solicitor let the house for the Season?”

“Not to my knowledge.” He took her hand in a hard grip as trepidation flooded through his body. “Perhaps we should go in and find out exactly who it is.”

Lisette hurried up the steps beside him and waited while he banged on the knocker. After what seemed like a long while, the door opened a crack and an elderly man peered around the gap.

“Good evening, sir, ma’am. May I help you?”

Ah, so he’d been right all along. Gabriel’s smile wasn’t sweet. “Is the family at home?”

“Yes, sir, everyone is home except the master. But they are just gathering for an early dinner. I doubt they will wish to be disturbed.”

“That’s a shame, because I’m coming in anyway.” Gabriel shoved his hand against the door and pushed it open, drawing Lisette along with him into the spacious white and black tiled entrance hall. A large portrait of an all-too-familiar figure stared down at him from the largest wall. Anger replaced his fear and he fought a ridiculously juvenile urge to hurl himself at the mocking face in the picture and rip it to shreds.

The butler rocked back on his heels and held out his hand. “Sir, how dare you force your way in here. Have you no decency?”

“Do
I
have any decency? More than the people living in
my
damn house have.”

“
Your
house, sir? Are you mad?” The butler readjusted his spectacles and stared up at Gabriel until his mouth dropped open. “Oh, good lord, you are the spit of the old earl.”

Gabriel was already scanning the doorways peeling off from the main lobby. “So I’ve been told. Now tell me where the family is.”

The butler pointed a shaking finger down the longest corridor. “The third door on the left, sir.”

“Thank you, Bridge.”

“You know my name, sir?”

Gabriel paused long enough to look back at the butler. When he spoke, even Lisette cringed at the cold fury in his voice. “Of course I do. You were the man who told the old earl my mother was pregnant. The man who treated me like a piece of misbegotten filth, even though you witnessed the secret wedding that made me the earl’s legitimate heir. I suppose I should be grateful to you for my title and estate.”

Bridge’s face paled. “Gabriel Swanfield,” he whispered. “Lord have mercy.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Gabriel nodded. “But it’s Lord Swanfield to you now, and don’t you ever forget it.”

He turned on his heel and marched down the hall, Lisette
following. When they reached the third set of double doors, he went in without knocking. The four people in the ornate room stared at Gabriel as if they had seen a ghost.

He bowed into the sudden, stricken silence. “Good evening, Mrs. Granger, Cousin Michael, Cousin Elizabeth, and Great Aunt Hortense.”

The tallest of the three females present stepped forward, one hand clasped to her expansive bosom. “Is that really you, Gabriel?”

“Indeed it is, Mrs. Granger.” Gabriel inclined his head a glacial inch. “Didn’t Michael mention that he’d seen me around Town? With his clever tongue, he almost succeeded in making me not want to visit my own house.”

“No, he …”

“It’s a shame that he didn’t succeed, because then you might have had a chance to find somewhere else to live before I discovered you inhabiting my property.”

Mrs. Granger flushed. “This house belongs to the
family
. We have always used it when we’ve come up to Town.”

“No, this house belongs to the
Swanfield family
, and, as I’m the current Earl of Swanfield, you are trespassing.”

Michael stepped forward. “There’s no need to cut up at my mother, Gabriel. She’s right; we’ve always used this house. She’s a Swanfield by birth, so it’s a bit of a tradition for her, actually.” He smiled engagingly. “You told me you weren’t interested in living here, so why shouldn’t we?”

Gabriel stiffened at Michael’s terribly reasonable tone. “Because the house belongs to me, and, now that I am married, I feel I should heed your advice and take possession of my property.”

He glanced at Lisette and she smiled at him encouragingly. He took her hand and drew her forward. “May I present my wife, the new Countess of Swanfield?”

“When did you marry?” His aunt gasped and Michael’s smile
disappeared. “There has been no mention of an engagement in the papers, let alone a marriage.”

“Yesterday.” His gaze swept them all. “So I’m sure you’ll understand why I want you out by the end of the week.”

Mrs. Granger gave a strangled cry and collapsed against Michael’s shoulder. “He is turning us out onto the streets! I always knew he would come back and destroy us one day. Bad blood will always out.”

Gabriel shrugged. “Hardly the streets, ma’am. If I remember correctly, you own a perfectly good house on Half Moon Street. I suggest you kick out your tenants and take possession of that.” He glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece as it chimed the hour. “I won’t add the back rent to what you already owe me, but I will send my solicitor over to check that none of the items belonging to this house, or to the earldom, are accidentally added to your bags.”

“Now he is treating us like thieves!” Mrs. Granger wailed. “What is to become of us?”

“I have no idea, ma’am, and, to be perfectly frank, I can’t say that I care.” Gabriel nodded at them all. “Good evening. Enjoy your dinner.”

He walked out and through the vast echoing hallway. He didn’t pause or draw a breath until his feet hit the flagged paving stones of the street and then he kept going.

“Gabriel?”

He stopped so suddenly that Lisette crashed into him and grabbed his arm for support. He stared down at her worried face and tried to breathe normally. She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Shall we stroll for a while? I don’t think it is going to rain yet.”

He nodded and resumed walking, slowing his pace to match hers and simply concentrating on getting around the corner onto Baker Street. They walked right past the stables of the king’s Life Guards Regiment before he felt able to speak again.

“You probably thought me harsh.”

“Not at all.” She looked up at him, her hazel eyes fierce. “I’m surprised you didn’t pick them up by their hair and throw the lot of them into the gutter.”

It took him a moment to realize she was angry
for
him and not
at
him. “I thought you told me once that I should make a better attempt to understand my family.”

She snorted. “That was before I saw them all staring at you as if you were the devil incarnate. And living in your house, rent free, while they are at odds with you? That smacks of arrogance.”

Gabriel maneuvered around a beggar’s outstretched legs and dropped some coins into his battered cup. “I promised my older cousin William I wouldn’t ruin them.”

Lisette shivered. “If William is the man who confronted you at the ball, he seemed just as bad as the rest of them.”

“He came to see me at my solicitor’s afterward, and offered to help resolve the issues with his father.” Gabriel walked a few more steps before continuing. “He believes his father is no longer capable of managing the estate.”

“Perhaps William simply wants to absolve himself of blame when the whole shady business comes crashing down on his family.”

Gabriel cast Lisette an appreciative smile. “That’s what I originally thought, but he convinced me that his motives went far deeper than that. He truly loves the estate. Remember, he was brought up thinking it would be his until I appeared. I confess I have some sympathy for him.”

“Maybe he’s angling for the position of estate manager when you finally take the reins.”

“I think he’d hate that. He has no love for me. I do believe he has a point about the estate deserving someone willing to serve and protect the people who depend on it. William wouldn’t say
this, but I suspect there are more problems under his father’s stewardship than I might have imagined.”

Lisette stopped and patted his arm. “Then the sooner you gain control of the earldom, the better.”

“Easy for you to say, Lady Swanfield, but not quite so easy to put into practice.” He sighed. “My uncle has many friends at Court and in the government. He was able to gain complete legal control over the estate because of that. Many still consider him a far better administrator than I’ll ever be. The suspicion I fell under in the last few months of the peninsular campaign didn’t help my reputation either.”

He felt a drop of rain on his cheek and realized it was time to turn around and walk back toward Portman Square and their waiting carriage. He kissed Lisette’s gloved hand. “Don’t worry, love. I truly believe that with William’s help I’ll be able to regain my estate completely.”

They walked for a while in silence, although Gabriel took comfort in Lisette’s presence at his side. He suspected he’d never have been able to get through the “visit” with his family if she hadn’t been there.

“Is your uncle not in good health?”

Gabriel grimaced. “Apparently not. I haven’t seen him for years.”

“Why not? I doubt he could hurt you now.”

He stopped walking. “I know that, but …”

He glanced down at her tranquil expression, aware that he’d been spilling out his feelings like a small child and she hadn’t seemed to mind at all.

She studied his face. “When I first met my mother, I could hardly believe we were related. She looked like a fairy princess, far too young and delicate to have ever given birth to a child, let alone three of them.”

“She certainly looks younger than she is.”

“But when I started to get to know her, I realized that she
had made choices she deeply regretted and that she was only human after all.” She looked up at him. “Perhaps if you could stop seeing your uncle as the personification of evil, you might see him for what he really is: a sad old man who is dying, a man who made mistakes.”

“The man you just told me to throw out of my house.”

Lisette sighed. “Don’t be difficult, Gabriel. You know what I mean.”

“And if I don’t choose to forgive him?”

“Then who do you hurt most? Him or you?”

He started walking again, this time without reclaiming her hand. “Don’t try and tangle me up in all this emotional womanly thinking. I don’t like him, I don’t want to understand him, and I certainly don’t want to forgive him.”

“And that’s it, is it?”

Their carriage came into view on the corner of Baker Street and Gabriel increased his pace. “Yes.”

He opened the door of the carriage, helped Lisette inside, then climbed in himself.

“I can see why you don’t get on with each other.” Her smile was full of false commiseration.

“Why is that?”

“Because you are both too stubborn to admit a fault.”

“I am not at fault. I was a child. He took everything I valued away from me, kept me from my home, my heritage, my family.” He glowered at her. “
He
is at fault.”

“And now you are in your prime and he is an old man.”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And nothing! He deserves everything that happens to him. I don’t give a damn whether he lives or dies.”

She sat forward, her smile gone. “And what exactly do you give a damn about, Gabriel?”

“You?”

She sighed. “Now you are trying to change the subject.” She looked out of the window. “Do you really wish to live at Swan-field House?”

He shrugged. “It is my family home and is certainly more suitable for you than my lodgings.”

“I don’t mind them. In fact I find them quite charming.”

“You’ll change your mind when you hear the rest of the tenants carousing or running races up and down the stairs while in their cups.”

“You forget, I spent rather a lot of my time at the pleasure house. It was rarely quiet there.”

Unbidden, an image of her playing with his cock in his tight pantaloons flashed through his brain and he was instantly aroused. He forced his thoughts into less dangerous waters. He was a married man now and his responsibilities had changed considerably. Lisette would be in his bed and in his arms every night.

He cleared his throat. “Do you wish to go and visit your parents today?”

She grimaced. “I don’t think so. I’m still not quite ready to see them yet.”

“And you think I’m stubborn,” he muttered under his breath but she still heard him.

“At least I’m thinking about it. Compared to the sins of your family, mine do seem rather mild.” She considered him, her head angled to one side. “Did you say your uncle sent you away to school?”

“He did. It was the sort of school for boys whose parents didn’t care to see them much and didn’t want to know what happened to them while they were at the school.” He grimaced. “I wasn’t allowed home at all for seven years. Eventually, I escaped and joined the army, which seemed quite pleasant after my school experiences.”

“You enlisted?”

“Yes. When I was sixteen. Unfortunately, I was discovered by my uncle, and, due to my ‘rank,’ and because he couldn’t afford to lose face, I was forced to train as an officer.”

“I was sent away to school as well.”

“Yes, I believe you said you were educated in France.”

“Mother sent me and Christian away when we reached our first birthday.”

Gabriel sat up. “I didn’t realize you were that young.”

“She couldn’t really keep us and start her business. She had no husband, and she needed the money to survive and to pay for our care.” She sighed. “And then, of course, after the war started it was almost impossible for her to either visit us or bring us home.” She met his gaze. “Maman was imprisoned during the Revolution and barely escaped with her life. She was terrified that it would happen to her again if she tried to reclaim us.”

He found himself frowning on her behalf. She made it all sound like an amusing lark and he suspected it had been anything but. “How old were you when she finally came for you?”