Two Shades of Seduction (14 page)

Desperately, he deepened their kiss to stave off his need to move. When he could wait no longer, he released a groan as his mouth sought the softness of her neck. With each slow, measured stroke, his cock throbbed with a dark need he’d not experienced before. It rang an alarm in the deep recesses of his mind, but his carnal instincts shoved everything aside except the immediate release of his tension.

He knew she needed time to adjust to him, but it was becoming increasingly difficult not to pump hard and fast into her as he sought his own release. In the midst of the battle engulfing him, a soft movement pushed against his hips. He jerked his head up as she tentatively met his thrusts with small ones of her own.

The expression of surprised delight on her face filled him with a strange sensation he couldn’t identify. Nor did he want to. Her body clenched around his cock, and he released a guttural sound from deep inside as what little restraint he possessed evaporated in a split instance.

Blind to everything but her and what she gave him so willingly, he moved hard and fast inside her. With each hard stroke, she met his every thrust with equal zeal. The friction her muscles created as they clenched around him intensified the pleasure of taking her. As his sacs drew up tight, he pushed hard into her one last time before he exploded with a shout.

Every muscle in his body was taut and hard as his release held him rigid inside her. Slowly, the intensity of the moment passed, and he gently lowered himself down on top of her to bury his face in the curve of sweet smelling neck. A soft sigh echoed out of her, and he recognized it as one of satisfaction. Raising his head, he grinned.

“I take it your introductory lesson in pleasure meets with your approval, my lady.”

“Quite,” she said with a smile. “I didn’t realize it could be so…pleasurable.”

An odd look crossed her face, and as her gaze met his there was an emotion swirling in the depths of her hazel eyes that made him frown. The look disappeared so quickly he wondered if he’d imagined it.

“Come, I’m sure your dress is dry now.” He started to move, but her fingers pressed into his shoulders.

“Must we?” The smile she offered him was as sweet as it was enticing. Lowering his head, he gave her a quick kiss.

“Yes, you minx,” he chuckled. “I have no wish for someone to stumble upon us like this, even if we are to be married in the morning.”

“I find that highly unlikely,” she said as he fastened his breeches and pulled on his jacket. She sighed quietly. “But I suppose you’re right. This cottage is the only dry place short of the hall or the keep.”

Quentin stepped forward as Sophie stood up and began to lace up her corset. Gently, he pushed her hands aside to lace the combination garment himself. His gaze met her startled one.

“I am well versed in ladies undergarments, my sweet,” he teased as he tied the laces into a bow at the top of the corset. Another dark emotion clouded her eyes, and he frowned. “What is it, sweetheart? What’s—”

The cottage door flew open before he could finish, and he jerked his head to see Sophie’s brother standing in the doorway shaking off the rain from his clothes.

“Phee, what the devil were you thinking coming out in this downpour,” Hamilton muttered with disgust as he shook off the rain from his overcoat before raising his head. “
Bloody Christ.”

In a long, drawn out moment, all of them stared at one another in varying degrees of outrage, anger, and trepidation. Deep inside a dark laugh mocked Quentin as he experienced humiliation for a second time at the hands of a Townsend brat. Not content with his verbal agreement to their bargain she’d arranged this little drama to seal his fate. He barely had time to acknowledge that fact when Hamilton launched himself forward. Quentin immediately took a defensive stance when Sophie leaped forward to put herself between them.

“
No
, Spencer.
Don’t
,” she cried out.

Angered by her defense of him, Quentin roughly shoved Sophie behind him. Her brother was no match for him. Unlike last time, he wasn’t about to use any restraint. Once again, he’d allowed another Townsend woman to make a fool of him. He sure as hell wasn’t about to give her brother the satisfaction of besting him in a boxing contest.

“I’ll kill you for this, Devlyn.” The younger man glared at him with an expression of outrage Quentin found almost laughable. “You weren’t satisfied with ruining Eleanor you had to prey on Sophie.”

“Eleanor was beyond ruin when I met her, Hamilton,” he said in an icy voice. “And if you
must
know, Sophie came to me. She was the one to initiate her seduction.”

Hamilton jerked back as if Quentin had hit him. The stunned expression on the younger man’s face made Quentin narrow his eyes at the man. Townsend should have put his brood on the stage. Anger returned to Hamilton’s face as he shook his head.

“You’re a liar,” Hamilton snarled. “Sophie would never willingly come to the man who ruined her sister.”

“
That’s not true
,” Sophie exclaimed as she bolted out from behind him. Quentin didn’t understand why, but he quickly shoved her back behind him in an effort to shield her state of undress.

“Damn it, Sophie, you’re not dressed decently,” he growled.

“A bit late for proper behavior now, don’t you think, Devlyn,” her brother sneered.

“That’s enough, Spencer,” Sophie exclaimed as she pressed her hands into Quentin’s shoulders to stand on tiptoe and look at her brother. “I came here of my own free will.”

“He’s making you say that.” Hate filled Hamilton’s eyes as he glared at Quentin.

“No, Spencer.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sophie shake her head. “We’ve only anticipated our wedding night by a few short hours. We’re to marry tomorrow.”

“
Good God
! Have you lost your mind, Phee! This bastard ruined our sister then failed to do the honorable thing by her.”

“
No.
Don’t you
ever
say that again.” Sophie tried to push her way past Quentin’s extended arm with a strength that surprised him as she continued her tirade. “Eleanor was whoring with one of the stable boys. When she learned she was with child, she tried to trick Quentin into marrying her.”

“I suppose
he
told you that.” Spencer snorted loudly in disgust and jerked his head in Quentin’s direction.

“No, I saw Eleanor and her lover one morning before I went riding.” Sophie tried to step around him once more. Infuriated by her refusal to remain where she was, Quentin drew in a sharp hiss of air as he blocked her way.

“But, Eleanor told me—”

“Eleanor lied to you. You weren’t here, and I could hardly write about something like this,” she said fervently. “When they couldn’t find a way to force Quentin into marrying Eleanor, Father went into a wild rage. In less than two weeks, they’d convinced Andrew to marry her. Then Father set out to destroy Quentin by stealing nearly everything he had.”

For a short moment, Quentin almost found Hamilton’s bewildered expression credible. Even the look of betrayal on the younger man’s face would have been believable if Quentin hadn’t known who his sire was. Behind him, Sophie moved as if to go to her brother.

“
Goddamnit,
Sophie stay where you are,” he bit out as he prevented her from getting past him. She muttered something that he couldn’t make out, but he ignored her.

“Hamilton, I suggest you step outside for a moment. Sophie needs to dress.”

The dazed look on the other man’s face made Quentin’s jaw tighten. He refused to be taken for a fool again. As the cottage door closed behind Hamilton, he slowly turned to face Sophie. One hand pressed to her forehead, she began to pace the floor.

“Dear god, I can’t believe Spencer actually found me—us—here.”

“It is a bit puzzling,” Quentin said with suppressed anger as he watched her pace the floor.

“I know you must be thinking the worst of me,” she said as she stopped and turned to face him.

There was a pink flush to her skin left by their recent lovemaking. Instantly, he remembered how good she felt wrapped around his cock. Despite her deceit, she still filled him with a dark lust that made him want to bed her once more. He crushed the sensation and narrowed his gaze at her.

“Shouldn’t I?” he said in a frigid tone.

This time he didn’t bother to hide his cold anger, and her pretense at confusion only increased his fury. Tension hardened his jaw, drawing his skin up tight until it tugged painfully on the scar slashing across his cheek. Sophie took a quick step back from him, and he narrowed his gaze at her, unconcerned she might be frightened. One hand pressed to her throat, she shook her head slightly.

“I don’t—are you suggesting I arranged for Spencer to find us…” she whispered in horror. For not the first time, Quentin marveled at the exceptional acting skills of the baron’s offspring.

“Didn’t you?” he bit out. “After all, it does seem rather convenient. A small cottage on
my
property. The rain simply made it easier for you to show off your wares more convincingly until your brother arrived.”

“My wares…” The appalled look on her face abruptly changed to outrage as she glared at him. “The only wares I had to sell, Lord Devlyn, were the ledgers that would help you restore your fortune.”

“Come now, Sophie, we both know this little play of yours has only one outcome. You wanted to ensure that I held up my end of the bargain. After all, the Devil of Devlyn Keep isn’t an honorable man.”

“That’s not true,” she said fiercely. “You
are
an honorable man. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have come here today. You would have used the ledgers I gave you to exact your revenge
without
holding to our bargain.”

“But you’ve already said you weren’t sure of me, didn’t you,” he snarled as he closed the distance between them in a deliberate manner. “You made certain your brother found us together to ensure our bargain was sealed.”

“I am
not
a liar, my lord, and our agreement is one that can easily be broken.”

Hands on her hips, she glared at him. Unwillingly, he realized that anger became her. She looked like a wild siren with her hazel eyes flashing, and her bosom heaving from her rapid breathing. The sudden urge to bury himself inside her at this very moment made him stiffen. What the hell was wrong with him? Infuriated by his reaction to her, he caught her chin in his hand and stared down into her eyes.

“Again, you question my honor,” he rasped.

“And you have called me a liar.” Sophie jerked away from his grip and crossed the floor to where her riding habit was. “Your intentions regarding our agreement are not in question. Mine are. I refuse to marry a man who believes me to be a liar.”

Quentin stared at her in mute amazement. What the devil was the woman thinking to say she wouldn’t marry him? Her brother had just found her compromised with the Devil of Devlyn Keep. Didn’t the woman understand she had no recourse but to marry him? A fleeting whisper in his head suggested something else as well, but he ignored it.

She wasn’t thinking straight as she’d clearly not considered her father’s reaction to the matter. He had no doubt the baron would beat her for consorting with the enemy. Not to mention anyone learning of this incident would most assuredly question his honor. His integrity was the one thing the baron and Eleanor had left intact. He wasn’t about to lose that last piece of himself.

Quentin quickly followed her, and his fingers wrapped around soft flesh as he tugged her into his arms. Her mouth parted in surprise as she looked up at him, and his body instantly hungered for another taste of her. Christ Jesus, he was out of his mind lusting after this woman.

“If you think I’m going to let you walk away from me, then you’re wrong,” he said with quiet resolve. “Your brother found the two of us together, and you
will
marry me.”

“When pigs fly,” she bit out with a quiet fury.

“My honor is the one thing your father didn’t steal from me. And if you think I’m about to let you destroy my integrity, you’re mistaken.” Quentin ground out between clenched teeth. “Of course you do realize that the moment your brother learns of your decision, he’ll blame me. Naturally, Hamilton will find it necessary to defend your honor, and we both know
I’m
the better fighter.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Who am I to deny your brother satisfaction? I’m more than happy to settle the affair with fists. And as I’ve discovered, your brother has little aptitude for the boxing arena.”

He knew damned well he wouldn’t hurt the boy, but he was banking on Sophie not being sure enough of his restraint. He watched her weighing all her choices before she slowly nodded her head.

“I’ll honor our agreement.” Her body was rigid against his, but it didn’t stop his lust from barreling through him and wanting to feel her body yield beneath his.

“A wise decision,” he said softly.

“The only reason I did so was to save Spencer,” she said in a scathing tone of voice.

“An even wiser decision.” He smiled grimly at her.

“Yes it was. I have no wish to see my brother kill you.”

“Your concern for my well-being is touching.”

“I wasn’t referring to your safety, my lord. I simply have no intention of seeing my brother go to jail for your demise.”

Her contemptuous look sliced through him, and for a brief second he thought he saw a glimmer of pain in her eyes as well. He frowned as she turned away from him. Her back was straight and rigid as she reached for her clothing in a stilted manner. Had he been wrong? Sophie and her brother had both seemed stunned by all had just transpired. Doubt suddenly spread an icy blanket over him. He didn’t like the sensation or where it might take him. With a low-pitched oath, he stormed out of the cottage.