The Only One (12 page)

When he met her lips, white-hot heat filled her again. She crawled over him, but he lifted her away.

“We must talk, Alex. We need to get dressed.”

She didn’t like the tone of his voice. Its timbre sounded too much like her brother when he threatened to chastise her. She eyed Giles warily.

“Don’t look so worried,” he said as he tugged a golden strand lying over her breast. “You tempt me beyond good sense.”

Fearing he regretted their interlude, she gulped.

Troubled eyes stared down at her.

“I don’t regret what we did,” Alex blurted out.

“Neither do I.” One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile while his fingers traced her cheek.

She heard the words, saw the sincerity in his expression when he spoke. Still, a pending doom threatened her peace of mind. Suddenly, she didn’t want to hear what he seemed determined to say. Her breath came out in a rush as she threw her arms around his middle, merging their naked flesh together. Could she keep him here forever if she held him tightly enough?

“You do realize this changes things.” His voice rumbled under her ear while his sturdy arms cradled her. Warmth. Security. Safe. Loved. She felt every emotion exuding from his body to hers.

She leaned back. Afraid to ask, needing to hear. “What do you mean?”

“I must speak with your father.”

“You don’t mean to tell him?” she shrieked. “You . . . You can’t!”

“Alex. I won’t tell him I took your virginity. But I will speak with him and ask for your hand.”

Excitement flooded her and made her head spin with happiness.

“You want to marry me?”

“Yes. Are you so surprised?” His grin melted her heart and curled her toes.

“A bit, yes.”

“You chased me until you caught me. Now you don’t know what to do with me?”

“Oh, I know
now
what to do. And you’ll not get a chance to change your mind.” Suddenly, a thought popped into her head and her mouth pursed with worry.

“What is it?” He placed one finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to his.

“Is it because I threw myself at you? Is it because you took my virginity? Do you care anything for me?”

“I care more for you than I ought. I care more for you than I’ve ever felt for any woman. You charmed your way into my heart, little one. What we just shared, nothing compares to the ecstasy I received in your arms.”

“I love you, Giles. I knew you’d be mine.”

His dark hair fell over his brow. Her rugged, strong duke, with his devilish smile. Hers. All hers.

“It’s a shame we wasted so much time.” His thumb caressed her chin.

“
We
?” She punched his shoulder. “You mean
you
. If I had known then what I now know, I would have attacked you.”

“You did,” he teased and pulled her back into his arms.

“Sooner. When you were more vulnerable.” She cuddled closer, rubbing her hand over his chest. “Which is not even in the realm of possibilities, for there is not a vulnerable bone in your body.”

“Wrong, my dear.” He smoothed a curl over her shoulder. “You were too damned tempting. I finally had to succumb.”

“What about now?”

“Hmmm?”

“Can we, um . . . do that again? You um . . . look like . . . Giles? Can I touch you?”

If eyes alone could start a fire, his heated gaze would burn her to cinders. Her hand trembled with want. She couldn’t seem to pull away. Her gaze lowered to him . . .
there
.

“Please, Giles.”

“Yes. You can touch me, Alexandria. I’d like that very much.” She loved the way he said her name, drawing it out like a caress. Looking into the depth of his penetrating stare, she could fall in love with him all over again.

He said yes.

Nerves and anticipation churned within her.

At the touch of her finger, his hardness jerked. A soft sound of surprise escaped her throat. Excitement spurred her on. She covered him with her palm. Hot. Hard. Silky soft.

She stroked him from the satin head down to the base. To her further amazement, it grew. Bigger.

“Careful, my love.”

She glanced up into glazed midnight eyes. He gritted his teeth.

“Am I hurting you?” She tried to withdraw, but he covered her hand with his own.

“No, love.”

Love.
He’d called her ‘love.’ Not once, but twice. In her elation, her fingers tightened around him.

He groaned. Such an intense reaction from such a fleeting touch. A fuse fizzled along her nerve endings, flaring to life. She quivered in anticipation of doing it again.

“I want to please you.” She caressed with her hand while her foot slid along the tense muscles in his legs.

“Anxious, my love?”

“Show me,” she whispered. Rising up, she ran her tongue over his lips, hoping to create a like sensation in him as when he’d created a fire in her blood hot enough to burn through her veins.

“Right there. Stroke me.” While one hand gave direction, his other shoved through her thick hair. He covered her mouth with his, devouring her lips with such passion, sleeping areas of her body flared to life.

Her strokes grew more determined, more forceful. Eyes closed, his head thrown back, his rigid body shuddered. She glanced up to find a grimace on his face.

“Good God, Alex. Tell me you did not practice this.”

“Only with you.” She gripped his shaft tightly and stroked him harder. She needed, wanted more. The tips of her breasts, the pit of her stomach, and . . . oh, between her legs ached.

As if he knew her need, he covered her mound, slipping his finger deep. Her mouth opened in an arousing sigh. His hand teased, gliding in a wicked rhythm that had her writhing and twisting. Yearning.

“Alexandria,” he gasped.

The sound of her name from his throat thrilled her. Heat shot through her body. She pressed closer to his relentless fingers, her hand groping him while a moan slid from her lips. Giles taught her cravings of her own body she’d never realized existed. The depth of this euphoria took her breath.

She clung to him, and kissed him with mindless abandon.

A groan escaped as his tongue twirled with hers. His fingers plunged deep. Pressure burst and shattered in a million tiny pieces. Her limbs grew heavy.

Giles stood and swept her into his arms.

“Hold on to me.”

Limp and sated, she threw her arms around his neck. Snug in his embrace, he carried her to the spring. With each step he took, every beat of her heart sang with love. As the cool water covered them, he swung her legs around his hips. He took her mouth again, his thumbs rubbing the underside of her breasts. His lips left hers and kissed a path over her cheek and along her jaw. He placed a hot, open-mouth kiss in the curve of her neck, holding her tight. In one swift move, he thrust. Sheathed to the hilt, he filled her completely.

And branded her as his forever.

Chapter 18

Giles glanced down the curved mahogany staircase with deliberate intent. No time like the present. Alex wasn’t the sort of wife he’d thought to acquire. But suddenly, she was the only one he wanted. Once he made up his mind he wanted something, he saw no reason to delay. He’d never been one to avoid confrontation. Not that he expected one, but he doubted Carmichael would be thrilled, or give up his daughter eagerly. Giles was about to meet a lion in his own den and ask for his cub.

He’d thought of nothing else since yesterday afternoon when he’d made love with Alex in the secluded lagoon. A buzz of sensation quivered down his spine. He could still smell her essence. Still feel her smooth skin against his fingertips, her soft cries of ecstasy echoing in his ears. God, she’d wrapped around him like a tight-fitting, velvet glove.

While he held her cradled in his arms, deep in his soul he knew she was the one. The woman he belonged with. The only one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

His mind spun with possibilities.

He had a conscience. He’d taken her virginity. A precious gift, though seized in a heated moment, was not to be trampled upon. His honor declared he do the proper thing. Admittedly, his honor had very little to do with wanting Alex. Accepting the difference in their ages, he finally conceded he cared for the girl.

Cared?
He’d bloody well been captivated. He might feel guilty for his rashness, but some part of him had been remarkably pleased, for now she was bound to him. The idea created an unsteady rhythm in his heart. He’d spoken the truth when he told Alex his proposal was not because he’d taken her virginity. Deep down, he wanted her. Amazing, how much delight he received at the thought.

Asking her father for her hand in marriage was no hardship at all. Actually, he looked forward to shackling himself to the spirited vixen. Life would not be dull.

With a spring in his step, he trekked down the stairs and went in search of his host.

“James. I wonder if I might have a moment.” Giles felt at odds greeting him with such a casual address, but the man insisted he be called by his given name. He respected Carmichael and due to the topic Giles wished to discuss, even more reason he should formally address the man properly.

“You have the look of a serious discussion,” James said.

“This is a matter of great import.”

“Very well. Let’s go into my study.”

Giles followed James down the hall into the large room and closed the door behind him. The click of the latch resounded in the silence. Two leather chairs faced a huge oak desk.

“Have a seat.” James gestured with one hand as he strode to the sideboard. Lifting a crystal decanter, he spoke over his shoulder. “I find it better to discuss matters over a glass of brandy. Would you agree?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Giles lowered his tall frame into a cushioned seat of fine padded leather.

James opened a glass door and retrieved a pair of beakers. After pouring a generous portion into both, he handed one to Giles. Then he stepped around behind the desk. His features held no expression—curiosity or otherwise.

“All right, Giles. What do you have on your mind?” Direct and to the point.

“First, James, let me thank you for your generosity. You have made me feel most welcome in your home.” As soon as he could, he wanted to dispense with decorum and get to the heart of the matter. Carmichael presented himself as a no nonsense sort of man.

“Glad to hear it. Hope Alex is not giving you any trouble.”

Being a self-possessed man, nothing much surprised Giles. He’d learned from experience to keep his mouth shut. However, this took him aback, for James hit dead center on the subject uppermost in his mind.

“Actually, she is the reason I’ve asked for a private audience.”

“Pestering you, is she? I thought as much.” James leaned back in his chair. “She’s my daughter. I know her.”

Giles studied the amber liquid in his glass as he contemplated James words. “I will admit she followed me around, but we’ve become friends.”

“Friends? I think the girl fancies you. Being a man of nobility among other things.”

This time, Giles nearly did cough in astonishment. How astute.

“Cornelia has filled the girl’s head with England’s aristocracy, parties and balls. She spins yarns and praises the English customs, making them appear grand and romantic. Alex soaks up Cornelia’s stories like a sponge dropped into a pan of water.”

“Yes, I overlooked, for a moment, Cornelia lives in England.” A point in his favor. After all, being Alex’s aunt, she could be an ally.

“Loves it there. I’ve asked her to live with me here, but she won’t leave England. My dear sister refuses to reside in a country which she considers barbaric.” James gave a bark of laughter. “England has her share of cut-throats and aristocratic ne’er-do-wells. Glad to leave all that behind me.”

“Yes, you’ve made quite a life for yourself here. A grand plantation. A lovely wife, a fine family. I envy you.”

“A strange statement, coming from a duke.” He raised a brow and placed one hand on his desk. “I know while you’re in America you prefer not to use your title. But you are a highly titled lord of the realm. Why would you envy me?”

“Your family.” Giles took a hefty drink. “I am at a point in my life where I am ready to settle down. As you pointed out, my title demands a certain way of life. To carry on my lineage, I require a wife and must produce an heir.”

James’ gaze bore right through him.

“I am more than fond of Alex. I would ask your permission to court your daughter. As you mentioned, I believe she has taken a fancy to me, and I have developed a
tendre
for her as well. I have several estates, and the ancestral castle. Investments in a profitable shipping line, dabbling in thoroughbreds. I do not make a habit of boasting my wealth—actually not at all—but to give you an idea, I am a wealthy man without my dukedom holdings. So you see, I am able to provide for her, give her everything she could possibly want.”

Giles studied the man’s closed face. James gave no outward sign of his thoughts. At least he wasn’t shouting.

Silence stretched for long moments, before he rose and sauntered over to the window. Giles felt like a lad waiting to receive his comeuppance.

“You have given me a great deal to think about.”

“My intentions are most honorable. With your permission, after a proper amount of time, I plan to ask Alex to be my wife.” May as well get it out there. Let her father know he had more than courtship in mind.

Another moment stretched in time. James nodded his head as if he’d made a decision. Whether he approved the idea or had just plotted Giles’ demise, he uttered not a word, but returned to his chair.

“I find honesty is the best approach to any matter.”

“I would expect no less,” Every muscle in his body tensed.

“Very well. Please, hear me out.”

Those words did not bode well for his cause. The man seemed to hold Giles in high regard, but at the moment he looked like the bearer of bad news. Definitely not in Giles’ favor.

James reached to a carved box on the corner of his desk. Opening the lid, he held the small chest out toward Giles. “A smoke for a serious discussion.”

With years of masking his feelings, Giles had perfected the art. He called on those days of perseverance to aid him now. Lifting a cheroot from the chest, he lit the end. He watched the tobacco fire red as he inhaled, then leaned back, propping an ankle over his opposite knee.

“I appreciate your intentions,” James began. “However, I must ask some questions and express my opinion on a few things.”

“Of course.”

“Alex is my only daughter. I love her very much.” James lit his cigar and tossed the flaming stick into a glass bowl.

And you would more than likely kill me if you knew I’d already touched her.

Giles was not a rogue.
Even when he’d come close to throwing away his heritage, he’d always been a man of honor. Morals. Principles. As his father would say, ‘One makes their own bed and must lie in it.’ The damage done, he was more than willing to lie in the bed of his own making—with Alex.

“An attribute, sir. Your love for your family.”

“Alex is young. I know by English standards she is of a marriageable age. But she is only seventeen. Very impressionable.”

Eighteen in another month, but he saw no need to point out her age to her father.

“I understand. I treated her like a child, at first. She is a responsible woman for her age.”

“We are talking about my daughter, are we not?” James gave a grin. “Responsible?”

James didn’t need to remind him. Visualizing those breeches caressing her curvaceous bottom, his loins stirred. He shifted in the chair, uncomfortable for the first time since closing the study door.

“I’ve seen the change in her. She’s been wearing dresses and the like. I thought Cornelia’s influence had taken root. Now I see you may have been the one to bring about the transformation.”

Is this the honesty part?

James Carmichael did not dawdle or drag his feet. He spoke his mind and said what he thought straight out. The man sitting across from him sure seemed to be taking a long time getting to the matter Giles sensed lurked just behind his teeth.

“Even Sam and Ben remarked on her appearance. They might tease her and give her a hard time, but they spoil her.”

“I’ve noticed. The bond between each member of your family is in full view for all to see.” A little ache of resentment trickled in his soul. He’d never had a loving family. No siblings. With a dominating father and a mother’s love taken from him at an early age, only bitterness cloaked him in his youth.

“We are close. You would take Alex away from her family?”

The crux of the matter.

“Only if she wants to go. I promise to take care of her. And she would have a family member there. Your sister would help Alex get settled into the scheme of things.”

“Hmmm.” His heavy sigh did not sound encouraging.

“I have a ship. She could visit, and you could come to England to visit her. I would never keep her from her family, or force her to do anything she would not willingly want to do.”

And he wouldn’t. He suddenly realized he would move heaven and earth to give her anything she desired.

“What if you take her to England and she doesn’t like it there?” James leaned forward, bracing his arms on his large oak desk, his dark eyes piercing. “What if she cannot be without her family?”

God forbid that should happen.

When had he become so infatuated with the girl?

“Alex seems like a very spirited girl. She has a craving for adventure. Her aunt would be close by. I would assure they visit frequently. I hope Alex would make her home with me in England. But should she choose to leave, I would bring her back to you.”

A pang stung his beating heart.

“Then I must save you the trouble. Alex may think she is grown up, but she has lived a sheltered life. Cornelia has filled her head with exciting stories, but when it comes right down to the bone, she won’t leave her family. I don’t think she’d survive without us.”

Then his beating heart stopped. His arm hovered, the brandy inches from his lips.

“At first, she’d be excited,” James continued. “Marrying a duke would be grand. Traveling to England would be grand. She’s mentioned going back with Cornelia. But I’m afraid it’s the novelty, the exploration. Embarking on a new adventure. As time passes, when the newness wears off, she will miss her family—her life here.”

“I know I am asking a lot.” Giles stared into intense brown eyes, recognizing the man’s concern. But he did care for Alex, and he would protect her with his life. Now to give her father the assurance he needed.

“I can understand you will miss your daughter. I give you my word as a gentleman, I will keep Alex safe. I will provide her with furnishings she is accustomed to. I can give her anything she desires. I will protect her with my very life.”

“I have no doubt about your intentions or your honor. I trust you would do exactly as you promise. But, what will her life be like? She’ll be a duchess. I know I’m repeating myself when I say this sounds exciting. But what will Alex do? How will the
ton
treat her?”

“They will bloody well treat her with the respect she deserves,” Giles said with abrasive force. At his outburst, he realized his calm facade was disappearing fast. An urchin with chocolate eyes—glowing in passion, radiant with desire, gleaming with love—had stolen his composure. He hadn’t been able to keep a disciplined thought in his bloody brain since meeting the chit.

“The
ton
can be cruel. Alex does not do well following rules. A spirited girl, her impulsive actions are not thought out. Only weeks ago she wore breeches and those of her age taunted her. She has a temper. I love Alex, but I know my daughter. She is rebellious, stubborn, tenacious, at times unmanageable. She would be under scrutiny. Her position would require her to behave a certain way. The first matron who spouted nonsense or insults would receive a tongue lashing. Alex would disgrace you.”

“Alex would and always will come first,” Giles said with resolve. “She will be my wife. She will be above reproach.”

“I would not have her spirit crushed.”

Giles’ voice dropped to a whisper. “Neither would I.” Little snippets of doubt began to invade. Alex loved her family and they doted on her. Could he take her away from them? Would the move crush her spirit? With the brandy in one hand and his cigar in the other, he wondered if either vice would improve his disposition. He expressed a solution for every argument—but one. Her spirit. The one thing he loved about her the most.