The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (18 page)

Scarlett’s
knees nearly buckled in relief.  She nodded in response, unable to speak
as she too noticed Georgie’s approach.

“Your
Grace, would you mind if I borrowed Scarlett for a moment?”  Georgie asked
politely.

“Of course
not.  I was about to take my leave in any event.  If you ladies will
excuse me, I will look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.”

“Don’t
forget that you promised me a dance, Your Grace,” Scarlett reminded him.

“I
wouldn’t dream of it,” he assured her with a charming smile.

As they
watched him walk away, Georgie gave Scarlett a knowing look.  “He
certainly is a handsome devil.”

“And here
I thought it was Mr. Brexton who’d caught your fancy,” Scarlett chided with a
teasing smile, refusing to take Georgie’s not so subtle bait.

Taking her
role as chaperone seriously, Georgie regarded Scarlett with a somber
expression.  “I wouldn’t set my sights on the duke if I were you
dear.  His reputation as a rake is well deserved,” she said with a
decisive nod.  “He’s not a man I can foresee hurrying toward the altar any
time soon.”

“You
needn’t worry Georgie, I haven’t set my sights on anyone,” Scarlett fibbed, her
amused tone suggesting that Georgie’s concern was totally unfounded.  “But
I have a feeling someone else may have.”  She raised her eyebrows, giving
Georgie a knowing look.

As
intended, the comment diverted the other woman’s attention from Alec, and soon
Georgie was blushing like a schoolgirl as she regaled Scarlett with a summary
of Mr. Brexton’s brilliant qualities.

Alec had
just donned his greatcoat and hat when Rory and Gavin appeared in the foyer
where he and Colin now stood.  “The boys and I were thinking of heading to
Boodles for an hour or two,” Colin said, motioning toward his brothers. 
“Would you care to join us?”

“Yes, join
us Alec,” Rory said enthusiastically.  “The more the merrier.”

“Though
the opportunity to lighten your pockets is tempting, I’m afraid I have a prior
engagement.”

“With the
Countess of Devon?”  Gavin queried with a meaningful grin.

“Yes Alec,
do tell,” Colin encouraged.  “Are you off to visit the lovely Alicia?”

“I believe
I’ll just thank you all for a wonderful evening and leave it at that.”

“Spoil
sport,” Rory chided as Alec walked to the door.  The others merely shook
their heads, grinning as Alec adjusted the brim of his hat with a jaunty smile,
refusing to confirm or deny their suspicions.

With
nothing more than a parting wave, Alec strode out into the night, leaving the
McPhearson brothers to their speculations.  Unfortunately, and unbeknownst
to them, their teasing banter had the effect of cold water being dashed in his
face.  If they’d had even the slightest inkling as to what his true
intentions were, he doubted that he would have left the McPhearson home in one
piece.  Cursing himself for the deceitful bastard that he was, he realized
that it wasn’t too late to put an end to his reckless folly.  As he walked
the short distance to his own residence, he knew he couldn’t continue to betray
his friendship with Colin a moment longer.  He would meet with Scarlett as
planned, but instead of taking her to his bed, he knew he had to tell her it
was over.

At twenty
past twelve, Scarlett sat on the edge of her bed eagerly tugging on her
boots.  The house was silent, as the servants had already retired for the evening. 
Colin had insisted the party clean up could wait until morning and had sent
their weary staff off to bed as soon as the final guest had departed.  Her
brothers were gone as well, all four having decided to spend the remainder of
the evening, still relatively early by London standards, at one of their clubs.

As she
made her way downstairs her heart was pounding like a drum within her chest,
not from fear of discovery, but from the anticipation of spending the next
several hours in Alec’s arms.  Slipping out through the French doors that
led from the library to the rear garden, she moved quickly and silently. 
Keeping to the shadows, she made her way along the tall hedge that ran nearly
the length of their property.  The air was cold and the wind was just
starting to pick up when at last she reached the old iron gate.  The sky
was overcast, and with the small amount of moonlight the clouds let through she
could have easily missed the narrow portal which was partially overgrown with
vines and foliage.  What if it was locked, or what if it had rusted and
wouldn’t open she thought in sudden panic.  It probably hadn’t been used
since the previous owners, both members of the same family, had come and gone
between the two houses.

She
reached out her hand, feeling for a latch or a handle.  She thought she
heard a sound on the other side and quietly called out.  “Alec?”

Suddenly
the gate swung open with only a small groan from the aging hinges.  Alec
grasped her arm and pulled her through an instant later.
 
Pushing the gate shut, he took her hand,
drawing her to his side.  “Come with me.”

Silently
they made their way along the hedge until they reached the shadow of the
house.  Guiding her to a door on the east side, they entered what Scarlett
soon discovered was the rear servant’s entrance.  It was dark and she held
tightly to Alec’s hand as he led her down the hall and into a different area of
the house.  Stopping outside a set of massive double doors, Alec opened
one, gently pushed her inside and then shut it firmly behind them.  A fire
was burning in the hearth and several lamps were alit.  Looking around,
she realized they were in the library.  It was very much like the one in
their residence and certainly not his bedchamber she noted, feeling suddenly
uneasy.

Pushing
back the hood of her dark cloak, she turned to Alec, her expression
questioning.  He took her hand and led her over to a small leather sofa.

“Scarlett,
we need to talk,” he said, pulling her down to sit beside him.

Damn!
  Scarlett could tell what was
coming by the tone of his voice and the look on his face, but she wasn’t about
to give in without a fight.  Her mind raced as she sought a means to keep
Alec from saying what she very much feared he was about to say.  She had
to act quickly.  “Is it warm in here,” she asked, rising suddenly from the
sofa.  Grasping the clasp at her throat, she undid her cloak and slid it
from her shoulders, letting it pool onto the floor.  “Oops,” she said,
bending over to pick it up, her motions deliberate and unhurried.  She had
always been a quick learner, and Alec had taught her well.  Seduction now
came as naturally to her as walking, and she intended to make good use of the
newly acquired skill.

Alec’s
mouth went dry at the sight of Scarlett’s body, clad only in a thin, white lawn
shirt and a pair of skintight breeches tucked into a set of tall riding
boots.  As she bent over to retrieve her cloak, the shirt gaped open at
the neck and the pants molded to her petite derriere like a second skin. 
The last time he’d seen Scarlett dressed like that, she had been little more
than a child.  Seeing her now, with her lush feminine curves boldly
outlined by the clinging fabric, was a sight to behold.

Taking
advantage of his momentary surprise, Scarlett moved to stand in front of
him.  She hesitated for one brief moment, and then putting her hands on
his shoulders she lowered herself onto his lap, straddling his muscled
thighs. 
I can’t let you send me away
, she thought to
herself. 
I’ll die if you do.

Instinctively,
Alec’s hands came up and grasped her waist.  He sucked in a ragged breath
as she moved deliberately against his groin.  “Scarlett…”

“Make love
to me, Alec,” she whispered, as she leaned forward, pressing her breasts
against his chest, her faint breath tickling the skin just below his ear. 
“Please.”

As he felt
the tip of her tongue skim ever so lightly along the edge of his jaw, he knew
he was helpless against her intoxicating allure.  Their coming together
was almost frantic in that moment, each of them having been too long without
the other.  Their clothing was shed in record time, and in a matter of
seconds Scarlett was astride him once again, this time in all her naked
glory.  There were no preliminaries, for they were both too
impatient.  Scarlett was already hot and wet when Alec slid into
her.  Their breathing soon became shallow and erratic as their bodies
moved together in perfect symmetry.

Scarlett
arched her head back as Alec’s hands guided her hips up and down, while his
mouth suckled greedily at her breasts.  She rode him in reckless abandon,
clutching desperately at his shoulders as she felt her release coming.  It
was too soon.  She tried to prolong it until finally, unable to hold back
a moment longer, she fell against his chest and spiraled into oblivion. 
I
love you
, she thought, her head falling limply against the side of Alec’s
throat as he pulled from her, finding his own release.

As their
breathing gradually returned to normal, Alec tangled his fingers in Scarlett’s
hair and drew her lips to his own.  They kissed with the unrestrained
passion of lovers who’d been parted for years, rather than weeks, unable to get
enough of each other now that they were reunited.  Finally Alec drew away,
moving Scarlett aside as he stood and pulled on his trousers.  With a
rakish grin, he picked up her cloak, tossed it on top of her and then scooped
her up into his arms.  “Let’s go, you sultry vixen.”  Barefoot and
bare-chested, he carried Scarlett, her own nakedness covered only by her heavy
cloak, up the stairs, down the hall and into his bedchamber, where they spent
the remainder of the night reacquainting themselves with each other’s bodies in
the comfort of his enormous four-poster bed.  They spoke very little,
content to simply lie quietly, their limbs intertwined, gently brushing their
fingertips lightly along each other’s skin when they weren’t lost to the throes
of their passion.

It was
sheer bliss, and Scarlett never wanted it to end, but unfortunately dawn would
soon be approaching, and she knew she had to return home while it was still
dark.  She wasn’t sad however, for she now knew without a doubt that there
would be many more decadent nights ahead with her hot-blooded duke.  Of
that, she had made certain.

Despite
Alec’s earlier qualms, the past hours had convinced him that despite his best
intentions, he was simply incapable of resisting Scarlett’s potent
allure.  He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, and for a moment he
wondered if he ever would.  It was a ridiculous notion of course, for he
was rational enough to understand that whatever it was between them wouldn’t
last forever.
 
Once the novelty wore off,
their passion would undoubtedly cool and they would gradually lose interest in
one another.  Though he couldn’t foresee it happening any time soon, he
knew that at some point it would.  It was inevitable.  But for now,
his desire for Scarlett was simply too powerful to fight, and he was no longer
going to try, his conscience be dammed.  

“What are
you thinking?” Scarlett asked, tracing her finger down to his navel as she
rested her head on his chest, listening to the gentle thud of his heart beneath
her ear.

“Nothing
of consequence,” he murmured, pulling her up to capture her lips in one last
kiss before the night’s end.

The following evening as Scarlett prepared for the Minton’s
ball, she could think of little other than Alec.  The previous night had
been all she could have hoped for and more.  Months ago, she never would
have believed she could act with such daring audacity and bold confidence, but
now, she knew she would do almost anything to garner the love of her decadent
lord.  As a child, and with her brothers, she had always been self-assured
and full of bravado, and now with Alec, she knew she had to be nothing
less.  She couldn’t risk losing him, for if she did, her heart would
surely break in two.

In deference to Georgie’s wishes, Scarlett had agreed to wear
white on her first social outing.  They had agreed upon a design several
months ago, before Georgie had returned to London.  However, Georgie
hadn’t seen the fabric that Scarlett had selected, and it was anything but
ordinary.  Not a true white, the material was a lustrous cream-color, shot
through with glimmering silver threads that caught and reflected the light
whenever it moved.  Even Scarlett had been somewhat stunned when she’d
seen the finished product.  The bodice was heart shaped and fell off the
shoulder, the fabric caught in intricate rosettes at the tops of her arms,
while the overskirt was spilt down the center and held back with additional,
matching rosettes.  Tiny iridescent beads had been generously adhered to
the gown, making it look as though it had been sprinkled with fairy dust. 
It was breathtaking.  She couldn’t have been more pleased.

She had decided to leave her hair down, and had simply pulled
it back from her face with a set of diamond-encrusted combs that she had
inherited from her grandmother.  Her auburn curls were a stunning contrast
to the color of the gown, and as Scarlett surveyed her appearance in the
mirror, she couldn’t help feeling like a princess.  Grabbing her matching
reticule, she left her bedchamber and went in search of her brothers.