To Seduce an Earl (38 page)

“Gracie,” Alex called out.

She ignored him, not daring to turn. “The day is much too lovely for depressing contemplation!”

The warm air caressed her skin, played with the locks that fell from the chignon at the back of her neck. They had no money, little shelter, yet for the first time in her life she felt free.

The path dipped toward the water and she paused…there on the crest of the small hill, right were the grass gave way to sand, she paused. Their very own oasis. The brilliant blue water sparkled and shone under the setting sun. The waves rolled toward the shore, licking the sand and leaving behind shells and rocks, treasures from the bottom of the ocean. Stunning, lovely, magical.
 

“Perfect,” she whispered.

She heard Alex come to a stop beside her, smelled his musky scent and sensed his very being as if they were connected by some unknown force. Grace turned toward him. “Alex, it’s perfect!”

A smile wavered upon his lips as if he felt that magical pull, but wasn’t quite sure if he could trust the feeling or not. “We swam here as children.”

And perhaps someday their children would as well, although she didn’t dare speak her hopes and dreams aloud. “Come along then!”

She didn’t wait for him but grabbed the sack from his hands and sank into the sand. Still, he merely stood there, a tall shadow that blocked the sun. So be it. She would get his attention.

Grace pulled out a blanket and it spread upon the shore, hoping he didn’t notice the way her hands trembled. He would think her nerves odd and grow suspicious. If she was going to seduce him, she must catch him by surprise. Resting upon her bottom, she kicked off her boots and pulled down her stockings, feeling the burn of his gaze upon her bare calves.

“The water will be cold,” he warned, still refusing to join in the fun.

“I don’t mind.” With a grin, she reached up, latching onto his hand and pulling him down upon the blanket. Reluctantly he settled beside her, but she didn’t miss the way his eyes traveled her face, to her neck, down to the swell of her breasts, completely visible through the fine linen of her shift.

Alex swallowed hard, his gaze jumped back to her face. She knew that look well; that heated desire. Grace felt oddly bold and powerful under his attention.

“What are you doing to me, Gracie?” Was it her imagination or had his breath grown harsh?

“We’re free Alex.
Free
. You have a home, this wonderful spot of land. There is nothing you can’t do.”

He leaned closer to her, his arm brushing hers. “Nothing
we
can’t do,” he said softly.

Her heart swelled with a tenderness that brought a sudden sting of tears to her eyes. Grace jumped to her feet, hiding the emotions she knew were written across her face. “Come swim with me, Alex. There are so many things we’ve yet to experience together.” And she wanted to experience
everything
with him.

“You
do
know how to swim?”

At his question she turned. Alex was working the buttons down his shirt, his muscled chest bare. Had it grown suddenly warm? Grace’s toes curled into the gritty, wet sand.

“Not at all,” she managed in a strangled whisper.

He quirked a brow as he pulled the shirt from his body. Her gaze traveled the thin line of dark hair that trailed into his waistband. How she wanted to run her fingers over those dips and valleys of muscle that traced his abdomen.

“That, we will have to remedy.” He kicked off his boots, watching her, always watching her in a way that left her heated and trembling and so confused by her body’s reaction.

Suddenly nervous, she walked backward, keeping an even pace until her feet touched the bitterly cold, wet sand near the water’s edge. Although Alex was a good stone’s throw away, she felt his nearness all the same.

He surged to his feet, his hands resting at the waistband of his trousers. Temptation trailed a sweet path to that area at the junction of her thighs. Need erupted deep within her core, an aching desire to touch, to be touched. Grace’s fingers curled into the skirt of her shift, her pulse pounding madly under her skin. How many nights had she spent imagining this moment?

With deft fingers, Alex undid the buttons at his trousers and let the material travel down his hard thighs. His erection sprang forward, the tip of that thickened bulb glistening with moisture. The sheer size of him should have frightened her. At the least made her nervous. Instead, she only felt the intense need to finally have him completely.

Utterly naked, he started toward her. Alex had nothing to be ashamed of; Alex was honorable, he was beautiful, he was completely comfortable with his own body. She, on the other hand, had the sudden urge to dig a hole in the sand and hide. The muscles under his skin stretched and flexed as he stalked toward her, a complete work of art. She could merely wait for him, refusing to give into the desire to hide.

“You will live here with me forever, say you will, Gracie.”

The vulnerable emotion within his gaze was almost her undoing.

“I will,” she replied immediately.

He didn’t pause until he was a breath away, so close his body’s heat whispered seductively around her. So close, she felt his hard erection pulse against her lower belly. The evening breeze caressed his hair, the setting sun sending warm, golden rays across his face. Grace couldn’t look away. She wanted to touch him, everywhere. To hold him close. To tell him she cared.
 

Alex reached out, sliding his fingers under the ribbon-thin straps of her shift. Without pause he slowly trailed the material down her arms. Embarrassment and desire mixed in a heated flush that spread throughout her body. Even though the hills were overgrown, anyone could happen upon them. Dare she allow him to undress her completely?

The shift moved lower, past her breasts, brushing over her hardened nipples. The ache between her thighs tightened. Lower still the shift traveled, only to pause at her hips. He left the material there and settled his hands into the curve at her waist. His touch branded her, burned her flesh, until she felt him all the way to her bones. She couldn’t stop him. Didn’t want to stop him.

His warm hands traveled up her body, over her ribcage to the area underneath her breasts. His movements were unhurried, his hands trembling with what could only be desire. Grace held her breath, willing him to move higher. As if knowing her need, he traced his fingers up over the soft mounds to cup her breasts. But he wasn’t done with his torture. No. Softly, his thumbs flicked over the hardened nipples. Grace shivered.

“You are rather perfect, you know,” he whispered.

She knew it wasn’t true, but she believed him in that moment. And she believed that he meant the words. Waves licked at her feet, the water cold, yet her body so bloody hot. She must touch him, felt as if she would die if she didn’t.

Eagerly, Grace lifted up on tiptoes and pressed her body to his, her breasts cushioned to his hard chest, his erection pressed to her lower belly. Her only barrier was the thin, linen shift the prevented them from touching completely. “I…I love you, Alex.”

He stiffened, apparently stunned by her admittance. But the surprised look in his gaze fled and the emotion there brought tears to her eyes. Vulnerability. Need. Affection. Grace leaned forward, her mouth just hovering against his. “I need you, Alex. I want you.”

Alex growled low in his throat and lifted her into his arms. Grace instinctively curled against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Her body practically hummed with pleasure… with a knowing of what was to come.

Grace pressed her lips to his neck, breathing in his scent. “Do you want me?”

“Of course I do,” he whispered, his voice catching with an emotion that made her weak.

He dropped to his knees, laying her gently upon the blanket. How beautiful he was, with the backdrop of blue skies that matched his eyes. His hands found her shift, pulling it down, over her hips, the material erotic against her skin. Lower still, until he pulled the shift free from her body. She was naked. Utterly naked.

His hand moved over the curve of her hip. “How perfectly lovely you are.”

As if she was a work of art, Alex lovingly smoothed his hands up her long legs, over the curve of her hips. There, he paused, slipping his hands underneath her so he cupped her lush bottom.

“I had no idea,” she whispered. “How incredibly wonderful a simple touch could feel.”

He grinned. “Only a touch from the right person.”

So very true. How could she ever have thought about marrying Rodrick? Alex’s hands tightened on her bottom, bringing her closer to his body and Grace forgot all about Rodrick and her former life.

She bit her lower lip as aching need pooled low in her belly. Nudging his knee between her thighs, Alex finally stretched his lean body atop hers, warm and heavy. His cock pulsed against the curls hiding her femininity. Grace moaned, lifting her hips, urging him closer.

“How I dream about you at night, think of nothing other than you during the day.”

Her body instantly responded to his words of love. Responded to the friction. No barrier, only skin upon skin. Although she should have felt trapped by the weight of his form, his heat and nearness soaked into her muscles and relaxed her very being.

“I was dead inside before I met you, Gracie.”

His velvet tongue slipped between her lips, delving into her mouth with a punishing kiss that left her breathless and wanting more. More of Alex. All of him. When he pulled away, trailing kisses across her jawline, lower to her neck, she could take it no longer.

“Now, Alex, please.”

Instead of taking her completely, he pressed his mouth to hers, his tongue slipping between her lips once more. How she wanted to touch him! Her hands moved over his broad shoulders, down his arm where her fingers curled into his bulging biceps. He was so damn strong, yet so gentle with her.

Alex’s hand moved to her right thigh, sliding over the silky smooth skin. Grace moaned, shifting her legs further apart. As his hand moved to those soft curls at the junction of her thighs, her need flared with a desire so intense, she thought she might die.

“Please, Alex,” she said, unsure of what she was asking for.

Ever so gently, his finger moved through the curls, lower, between her wet folds.

“I’m trying, Grace, so very hard to go slow.”

“Don’t. I’ve waited too long.” She lifted her head, drawing her tongue up his neck and tasting his salty skin. Alex sucked in a sharp breath, his body trembling. Just when she thought she held all the power, he touched the sensitive bud between her folds. Grace gasped, arching her back as pleasure rippled through her very being.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his breath warm against her ear. “Are you sure you want this?”

How could he ask her now, when she was swimming in a sea of such pleasure, she thought she might drown. “Yes, oh, yes.”

His fingers parted her folds and the rest of her response got lost. Although he had never whispered words of love, it didn’t matter. He showed her that he cared with his gentle touch.

Alex nuzzled the side of his face against her neck, the scruff on his cheek erotically against her sensitive skin. “Do you want me, Gracie?”

“So very much,” she managed.

His finger entered her, slipping into her tight passage. Grace gasped, arching her back and lifting her hips to take him deeper. But it wasn’t enough, never enough. Alex wasn’t done tormenting her. He lowered his head to her neck, pressing gentle kisses to the skin. Lower still he traveled, his warm lips at her collarbone.

Grace squirmed, restless. Just when she thought she’d die from want, she felt his warm breath on her nipple. Grace’s fingernails pierced the skin of his back, a desperate moan of pleasure and need slipping from her lips. She hadn’t known, never could have guessed how wonderful he would feel. His tongue wrapped around the hard bud, drawing the peak into his mouth until pleasure shot from her breasts and down to her womb. The cool, ocean breeze provided start contrast to the heat raging within.

“Alex, please. No more! I need you now.”

He shifted, positioning his erection between her legs. That smooth cock, as velvety as that rose petal she’d touched earlier, slid seductively between her folds. A shiver of desire shook her very soul. She felt the damp tip of his erection, nudging inside of her and let her thighs fall open, wanting all of him.

“How long I’ve wanted this.” Sweat dampened his brow, his jaw clenched with a fierce determination that should have frightened her, yet only made her want him all the more. “How I’ve needed you, Grace. How I’ve wanted you forever.” Alex lifted his hips and thrust into her.

Pleasure mixed with pain…a stinging sensation that gave her pause and made her toes curl. She was no longer a virgin. An odd mixture of feelings swept through her bodies, shock and awe, need, desire, yet no regret. Never. His body was heavy, so heavy. He surrounded her, inside and out, completely fully.

“It will fade,” he whispered, kissing her gently. “The pain.”

But already the stinging sensation was lessening and when he shifted ever so slightly, that deep, aching need swept through her body once more, there, always there, lurking, waiting.