Tempting a Sinner (5 page)

“I was about to suggest that—”

“
Suggest?
You usually order me around like a servant. Do you want me to undress you?” His fingers started working on the back of her dress. “I’d like to see you as naked as I am.”

“But you don’t need to do that. I came to tell you—” She gasped as he made short work of the three buttons on the back of her dress and started on her corset. She tried to get away from him again, but he held her securely with his right arm and used his left to relieve her of her clothing.

“But what if I like being Ben, lying here chained and naked, just waiting for you to come to me so that I can give you pleasure?” He bit her exposed shoulder. “It does have a certain charm to it. I have nothing to do but think of ways of pleasing you so that when you send me back to Madame Helene, you can honestly say that you were completely satisfied.”

She opened her mouth to tell him that he wasn’t Ben, and then sighed instead as he shoved down the bodice of her dress and tossed her unlaced corset to the floor. His hand cupped her breast and then he lifted her again, turning her around until her petticoats and skirts were drawn away from her legs leaving her in just her shift. He dispensed of that in a flash and she was naked, his hands now all over her, her breasts pressed to his chest and her core to his cock.

Perhaps she should tell him
after
he’d pleasured her. A man never took well to being interrupted while in rut, and he would be far more malleable afterward.

With a groan, he dipped his head to her breasts and suckled her, his palm spread over her buttocks, rubbing her against his already wet shaft. She grabbed his shoulder for support as he continued to suck, his teeth grazing her nipple until a shudder of sensation slid straight down to her sex. Her hand fisted in his hair, forcing his head up to meet her mouth so that she could kiss him.

God, if she raised her hips just a little, he’d be inside her rather than rubbing against her already swollen bud. She tried to accomplish her desire, but he wouldn’t let her, his cock a tantalizing inch away from penetrating her fully. With a frustrated sound, she bit his lip. He laughed and continued to slide his cock over her mound, his wet finger now circling her arse as she had done to him on their previous encounter.

He bent his head to her breasts again and eased the tip of his finger inside her arse. She bucked against him. Could a woman come like this? She realized she’d answered her own question as her body clenched around nothing, and she wailed with need.

With a rough sound, he rolled them over and rose over her, his expression savage, and shoved his cock deep with one single thrust. She screamed and he muffled the sound with his mouth as he moved over her, his movements powerful, his body a dominant instrument of pleasure that pumped into her without pause. It was too much, it was too hard, it was—she climaxed again. He drew back long enough to lock her legs over his hips and kept going.

She held on to his shoulders and simply endured the pounding, her body accepting his dominance without question as he filled needs she’d forgotten in her fear and anger and grief.

“Do I please you?”

She opened her eyes to see him staring down at her, his blue eyes narrowed with lust and something else. Something far more dangerous. He drew back his hips and plunged into her again.

“Will you be able to tell Madame that you have been completely satisfied?”

He reached between them and touched her clit, making her move uneasily against him.

“Don’t, I can’t . . .”

“Then you consider yourself completely satisfied?”

She risked a glance down over his body and realized what she should have noticed straight away. He was over her, and the shackle on his right ankle was no longer attached to the chain. She pushed hard on his chest.

“Yes, I’m satisfied, now get off me.”

His smile made her go still.

“Now, why would I do that when I’ve finally got you under me?”

She opened her mouth to scream for Jim, but his hand was quicker. She bit him and it made no difference. With all her strength, she made a fist and tried to punch him in his wounded shoulder, which he’d anticipated, because he avoided her blow with ease.

He was still throbbing inside her, pinning her to the bed, his weight preventing her from moving anywhere.

“What’s my name?”

She swallowed hard. “It’s Benedict. Now let me loose.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He rocked his hips and she shivered. “Why would I do that? Who else has more right to be here and fill you with seed than I do?”

“Don’t!”

He slowly withdrew until his cock was almost free and looked down at where they were joined. “No pleading? Is that because you know I’m right?”

“I’ll beg if you want, I swear it.”

“It’s too late for that, Malinda, my sweet, my
wife,
don’t you think?”

Holding her gaze he slowly pushed himself home, and with a sigh started to come deep inside her, each hot pulse making her already sensitive flesh quiver anew. He collapsed over her, and she could do nothing but lie still and try to breathe beneath his considerable weight.

Now she knew what she’d seen in his eyes.

Vengeance.

It seemed hours before he finally found the energy to stir and roll off her. Before she could gather her senses, he put his hand over her mouth and then replaced it with a gag made from her thin shift. He looped the shortened chain around her ankle and tied it closed with a strip torn from her petticoat. Sliding from the bed, he stared down at her.

She looked furious. Her thick auburn hair framed her face and her pale skin was flushed with arousal. He couldn’t resist running his hand down her long flank to the nest of red curls now damp from his seed at the apex of her thighs. She tried to close her knees, but he was quicker, his palm cupping her heat and wetness until she quivered and pushed up into his hand.

Lust roared through him again, and he bent his head and licked his way around the swollen lips of her sex and the raised bud of her clit. His tongue slid easily inside her now. He moved it back and forth until she started to cry out behind her gag, her body tensing in the throes of imminent pleasure.

He continued his exploration, gathering up moisture on his longest finger and sliding it deep into her arse until she bucked against his mouth. His thumb penetrated her cunt and he set his teeth delicately on her clit. She climaxed and he stuffed his other fingers inside her and felt her clench and writhe around him.

He left her on the tangled sheets and went to jam a chair under the latch of the door before lighting more candles and bringing them back to the bed. She kicked out at him as he climbed onto the bed, but he straddled her and held her still. Using his teeth and hands, he tore her petticoat into long strips and, reversing his position, tied her ankles to the posts at the corners of his bed.

When he turned back to her and took hold of her wrists, she tried to punch his wounded shoulder again, the blow glancing off his chest. It hurt, but he ignored the pain. He captured her wrists, bound them together, and tied the ends of the muslin to the headboard. She spluttered something behind her gag. He found himself smiling as he rearranged the pillows so that her head and arse were supported.

He liked seeing her tied up and wished he had the energy to fuck her again. That would have to wait until more important matters had been solved to his satisfaction. Straddling her stomach again, he untied the gag, pressing his hand over her mouth as she tried to screech something. He found Jim’s pocketknife and laid the edge of the sharp blade against her throat.

“If I take my hand away, you must agree not to call for help, or I’ll slit your throat.”

She went still, her furious gaze locked with his. She inclined her head an awkward inch.

“Good girl.” He slowly took away his hand from her mouth. She glared back at him and licked her lips.

“Where did you get that knife?”

“Jim gave it to me.”

“As if he would betray
me
.”

“I forgot you’re the only person who’s allowed to do that, aren’t you?” He pressed the tip of the blade against her skin. “Why did you invite me here?”

“To kill you, of course. Unfortunately, I’m an extremely bad shot.”

“If you’d wanted me to die, you would’ve left me on the driveway to bleed to death.”

“Perhaps I didn’t fancy watching the crows pick at your corpse from my window.”

“From the regretful tone of your voice, I think you would’ve been out there selling tickets. What do you want from me?”

“I didn’t want you to fall off your horse and lose your memory.” She had the audacity to scowl at him. “What an inconsiderate thing to do, but then, when have you ever been anything but?”

“It was not intentional, I assure you. Being trapped in bed and given a false identity was not part of my agenda either.”

“But you were good at being Ben. Perhaps you missed your true career.”

“Perhaps not. I’m used to playing a part, Malinda. You of all people should know that. What do you want?”

“I’ve changed my mind. I came here this evening to tell you that you were free to go.”

“Did those men today scare you?”

“Did you know them?”

He frowned. “One of them, I think. Is that what sparked your sudden desire to set me free? Were they looking for me?”

“No. They were looking for me.” She sighed. “Which means I will have to be leaving this place myself.”

He contemplated her for a long moment, all his instincts alert. “Who wants you?”

“Obviously, not you.” She favored him with a dismissive glance. “If you let me go, I’ll return what remains of your clothes and money. You can leave tonight.”

“But you asked me to come here.”

“As I said, I was mistaken. I thought—” She briefly closed her eyes. “It doesn’t matter anymore. If I have to go, I can’t leave you here alone, can I?”

“You’re currently tied to my bed. You aren’t going anywhere without my cooperation. What are you afraid of?”

“Nothing!”

“Don’t lie to me.” He caught her chin in his hand and made her look at him. “You’ve been at Alford for quite a while.”

“Yes. No one else seemed to need it. I told the villagers I had your permission to open the house again.”

“And you have made it a profitable enterprise, according to Doris and Jim. Is Doris truly your sister?”

“She’s my half sister. My mother married again.” She hesitated. “I don’t care what happens to me, but I have to protect her and Gwen. Can you at least promise me that no harm will come to anyone here because of what I’ve done to you?”

No harm
. . . There was much he wanted to say about that, but this wasn’t the time or the place. Ruthlessly he concentrated on the matter at hand.

“Malinda, if you felt the need to contact me, a man whom I’m fairly certain you hate, loathe, and despise, things must be pretty dire, indeed.”

She didn’t reply, her lips set in a thin, stubborn line that he was all too familiar with.

“If I promise to help the occupants of this place, I need to know whom I am dealing with.”

“I thought it was you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was told the threat came from you—that you wanted me dead.”

“Why on earth would you think that?”

“Because I am a part of your past that you probably regret and wish to have removed. A man in your position can easily get rid of such a person.”

“You’re my bloody
wife.
”

“That’s not correct.” She glared back at him. “Your father arranged an annulment.”

“My father . . .” He shook his head. “You’ll have to come back to London with me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’ll let you go; we’ll leave within a few days. You can tell your father that I swear never to break my promise and return to England again.”

Every time she spoke, she led him further into a version of the past he didn’t understand. He hated that. His whole life was spent understanding the schemes and plots of others. He couldn’t bear the thought that his own past was a lie. All he knew was that if he let her escape, he’d never be at peace with himself.

“I still don’t understand why you want to kill me. What did I do to you? You are the one who left
me
.”

Her expression turned mulish. “There are good reasons why I left.”

“But what do they have to do with the present? Damn it, Malinda, you didn’t even give me a chance!”

“I wanted to get your attention. I knew the best way to do so would be to slightly inconvenience you, and—”

“
Slightly?
Devil take it, woman, you could’ve murdered me!”

“As I’m an excellent shot, sir, that is extremely unlikely. I simply needed your complete attention and cooperation.”

“You wanted to see me bleeding and in pain?”

“No.” She sighed. “Why did you send that man to threaten me if you came in peace?”

“What man?”

“The thug who threatened to throw us out of the house on the orders of the Keyes family.”

“I didn’t send anyone. I prefer to deal with such matters myself.”

“But you arrived brandishing a pistol!”

“I inhabit a dangerous world. I came armed because I wanted to make certain the information I’d received was truly from you and not a trap.” He fixed her with his most penetrating stare. “And this is irrelevant, Malinda. You had already decided to shoot me on sight. I don’t understand why you hate me.”

She raised her chin. “Your family destroyed mine, isn’t that enough?”

“Mally—” Damn it, she was exasperating, and he was too mentally exhausted to think clearly. “You are coming to London with me.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he kept talking. “If you agree, I’ll get trained men up here to protect your family and your staff from any interference from my father or anyone else. If you don’t come willingly, I’ll take you anyway, and leave them to fend for themselves.”

“I won’t leave until those men are in place.”

“Agreed. It should only take a few days to arrange. Ask Jim and that other servant of yours to come up and see me. I’m sure they’ll know who is trustworthy around here. I’ll pay the locals well until I can supplement them with my own men.”