Vexing the Viscount (14 page)

“It rather suits you,” she said softly, before taking a bite of beef.

“I'm not sure most women would agree. Some say it's rather scratchy.”

“I didn't mind it.” Heat crossed her cheek. “I meant that it wasn't all that bad the few times I felt it.”

“So you like kissing men with beards?” A black brow rose in question.

She looked down. “At least one.”

He resumed his eating and the conversation came to a halt. Tia tried to think of something to say, but nothing came into her mind. Perhaps he was in a hurry to finish eating and move on to other things.

She sipped her wine, hoping for a little courage. She was certain this was the right thing to do. Well, maybe not right, but not wrong, either. She had no false expectations from this. Men like Middleton didn't marry wise women. And that was all right. But she could be his mistress.

As they both finished dinner, he rose and walked to the brandy. “Would you care for some brandy?”

She giggled. “No, thank you. After the last time, I believe I will just finish my wine.”

“As you wish.”

Why did he seem so tense tonight? It wasn't as if this was his first time. She was the one who should be nervous, but it was excitement that flowed through her veins. “Is everything all right, Braden?”

“I am fine.” He drank his brandy down in two large gulps. “Thank you for joining me for dinner.”

“You are welcome.” She slowly rose from her seat, eager to move to the bedroom.

“Good night.”

Good night?
“What do you mean?”

“I am very tired, so I believe I shall retire now. Thank you again for dining with me.” He rose and walked to the door.

What was she supposed to do now? “I thought you might want to talk for a while,” she said, walking up to him.

“No. I'm tired.”

She smiled up at him in what she prayed was a seductive manner, then brought her hands to his chest and slid them around his neck. “Still too tired?”

“Yes, good night.” He broke away from her and opened the door.

Stunned, she looked up at him with tears blinding her sight. “Good night.”

B
raden slammed the door behind her, furious with himself for hurting her feelings. Why did he make that damned vow in the first place? So he'd been with too many women after Penelope. That didn't mean he had to stay a saint. And poor Tia had no idea why he'd just rejected her.

Guilt slid into his gut.

He could hear her crying from the other side of the wall. “Dammit.” He had to talk to her. But the idea of seeing her in that gown would be his undoing. He'd never seen a more erotic and sensual sight than Tia standing in his bedchamber with that red silk dress. He'd wanted to rip it off her and take her to his bed. Instead, he had insulted her.

He had to try to explain to her why he had turned her away. Not that it would ease this agonizing desire he felt for her. He only hoped that she had changed into something less sensual. He walked to her room and stared at the door. Listening, he could hear her crying still, but no sound of anyone else in there. He slowly opened the door to her room and locked it behind him. The last thing he needed was Mrs. Abbott finding him in Tia's room.

“Tia?” She lay across the bed with that damned gown still on her.

“How dare you come into my room uninvited?” She hurled a pillow at him. “Get out!”

“Let me explain,” he said softly, dodging a second pillow thrown toward his head. He walked up to the bed.

“There is nothing to explain,” she replied as she rolled over on her back. “I understand perfectly. You don't want me as your mistress. Do not worry, I will not attempt to seduce you again.”

He couldn't help but stare at her red eyes. But slowly, his gaze slid down her body until he reached her breasts. Laying back like that had cause one breast to move slightly, allowing a slight hint of pink areola to peek out from the black lace. His cock reacted.

“Just let me explain,” he said before looking away from the temptation. He sat on the end of the bed facing the wall and not her. “After Penelope, I went a little mad. Some men drown their sorrows in drink. I drowned myself in other women.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I was reckless and used more women than I can even remember. But trust me, the number was not near one hundred as I've heard rumored. Still, it was more than it should have been.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“After a couple of months, I realized what I was doing and stopped. I was drinking with Adams and another friend when I decided it would be best if I didn't have another woman until I married.”

“That was your vow?” she whispered incredulously.

“Yes.”

“Then why did you press me to become your mistress?”

“I thought you would be insulted and possibly scared off. That way you would go back to the estate.” He sighed. “It was a rather insane plan.”

“No more than me accepting, thinking you would back down.”

He turned and looked back at her. She had scampered back against the headboard and covered herself with a pillow. He hated the vulnerable look he saw in her amber eyes. “I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Tia. I never wanted to do that.”

She nodded, but a lone tear fell down her cheek.

Staring back at her, he knew he had to make this right. But he had no idea what to do. “Can you forgive me?”

Again she nodded.

“Do you want me? Is that why you tried to seduce me?” This was a dangerous conversation.

“Yes,” she whispered so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

“Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?”

“Yes.”

“You do?”

A slow smile brought her lips upward. “Far more than you think I do. When you were in the throes of your fever, you also had a hallucination. A very erotic hallucination.”

He cringed. “Did I say some things I shouldn't have in front of you?”

“You did far more than that.”

“Well, you must tell me,” he demanded.

“Very well. You reached for a certain hard part of your body and stroked yourself while imagining it was my mouth on you.”

“Hell,” he muttered. “Did I?”

“Yes, calling my name.”

“Bloody hell.” Her fingers skimmed up his back. God, when had she moved?

“So tell me, if I did that right now, would that be breaking your vow?”

She wanted to . . . Lord. “No,” he said before even considering the question. He wanted her mouth on him so badly he would have said anything.

She wrapped her arms around his chest and softly kissed his neck. She slid her hands down his chest to the buttons on his trousers. He should stop her. But the idea of her fingers or her mouth on his cock almost made him come. Once she had his trousers unbuttoned, she moved off the bed to face him.

“Please take that gown off,” he whispered. “I want to see all of you.”

“Very well.” She turned her back to him. “I will need some assistance.”

He rose off the bed and then unbuttoned her dress and skimmed it down over her body. With shaking hands, he untied her stays until they dropped to the floor. He was never going to be able to do this. Desire for her drummed through his body, making his shaft stiffen even more.

“Well?” she asked when he had paused. “Do you want me to take off my shift?”

“No,” he rasped. He wanted to undress her completely. He wanted so much more than that, but there was only one way he could have her without breaking his vow.

He grasped the cotton fabric of her shift. Slowly, he lifted the fabric, revealing more of her pale skin to his gaze. As the fabric lifted over her rounded derrière, he wanted to stop and just stare at those mounds. Dear God, she hadn't even worn drawers at dinner. He continued to raise the undergarment up and over her head, leaving her in just her stockings and shoes.

Unable to resist, he kissed down her back over her derrière to the top of her stockings. He untied them both so they fell to her ankle. He skimmed his fingers down her trim legs, then lifted one foot, then the other, to remove her shoes and stockings. He kissed the length of her legs before slipping one finger into the crevice of her bottom.

She gasped as his finger slid over one hole before finding the moisture of her folds. She was so wet for him. The thought that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her almost made him throw her on the bed and delve deep inside her. Instead, his finger slipped inside her.

“Braden,” she groaned as her hips undulated. “Oh, please.”

“Not yet.” He slipped his finger out to move it forward over her sensitive nub.

“Oh my, what are you doing?”

“Pleasuring you, sweetheart. Just enjoy the sensations. Let it happen.” He could feel her trembling and knew she had to be getting close. He slipped a finger into her tight wetness as his other hand continued to rub her clitoris.

“Oh my God,” she whispered as her climax rippled through her. She bent over to hold the chair in front of her as the spasms continued. “What was that?” she finally asked.

“The reason people do this,” Braden said with a smile. Her face was flushed and her eyes large. With her leaning over the chair with her bottom in the air, all he wanted to do was rip off his trousers and sink into her. She was a virgin, he reminded himself. Her first time couldn't be from behind, holding a chair.

Damn.

He helped her to straighten up and then turned her in his arms. She slipped her arms around his neck and then kissed him. She was the most incredible woman he'd ever met. As her tongue played with his, he pressed her hips to his, reminding her of her intention. Slowly, she pulled away with a smile. Her full lips were swollen from their kisses.

“If I am to be naked, so are you, my lord.” She grazed her hands up his chest and slipped the jacket off his shoulders. She then worked on the small buttons holding his shirt closed. Once they opened for her, she tugged the shirttail out of his trousers and whipped the garment over his head. He moaned softly as her fingers played with the soft matte of hair on his chest. Her lips replaced her fingers and hot kisses crossed his chest until she found a nipple. She flicked one with her tongue until he groaned.

“Do you like that?” she asked innocently.

“Yes.” He was barely able to speak.

“Me too.” Her lips continued downward until barred by his loose trousers. She pulled them down over his hips with his drawers at the same time. His cock sprang free from its confinement, bobbing in front of her. “I wondered what this looked like,” she whispered, grazing her nails up the hard length of him.

“Tia,” he groaned.

“I liked watching you when you were hallucinating,” she admitted. “I wanted to pull the coverlet down so I could see everything, but I didn't.”

Just the idea of her watching as he masturbated made him groan again. “Tia, you are driving me mad.”

“Good,” she said, before enveloping him in her warm mouth.

She slid him in and out until he was shaking with desire. “Tia.” He was so close to the edge he had to stop her. “Stop, sweetheart, please.”

Slowly, she slid him out and looked up at him. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“God no, far too right.” He lifted her up and pressed her body to his. The feel of her skin on his was incredible. And felt more right than any other woman he'd been with. “I am making love to you now.”

Tia's brows furrowed. “What about your vow? You rejected me earlier and now it is all right. Why?”

“Not now, Tia. We'll talk about that later.”

Before she could utter another word, his lips were on hers. His tongue warred for dominance and she let him have it. The sensation of her breasts against his hard chest made them tingle. Moisture pooled between her legs in anticipation. She wanted to feel that hard shaft filling her completely.

Gently, he moved them both to the bed and lay on top of her. He trailed kisses down her throat until he reached one taut nipple aching for his touch. He plucked it with his mouth, finally drawing the tight bud into his mouth and suckling. Tia arched her back as if to get closer to something. She doubted she could feel a climax like the one she did a while ago. Certainly, that couldn't happen more than once in a night.

Her hips rubbed against his, trying to ease the pressure building inside her. He slipped his finger between her legs and rubbed that special spot again.

“Braden,” she moaned as the pressure grew more intense.

“Shh, Tia, I'm here.”

She felt his shaft at her opening, pressing forward, eager to get deep inside her.

“You're so tight, sweetheart. This is going to hurt,” he mumbled against her neck. “I'm sorry.” He plunged inside her.

“Oh God,” she exclaimed, not expecting it to hurt that much.

“I'm sorry,” he said. He kissed the tears that fell. “I'm sorry.”

“I'm all right,” she lied. Right now she felt as if she'd been ripped asunder. His thickness filled her, but the ache was still there.

“Shh, just give it some time.” He kissed her softly. “Relax, the worst is over. Soon it will be nothing but pleasure.”

How could that be possible? But as he kissed her lips and then down her neck, her body softened. Slowly, the ache eased. He reached between them and found her nub again. As he rubbed her there, she closed her eyes to the sensation. Moisture slickened her passage and as he moved slowly, she shivered.

“All right?” he whispered.

“Yes.”

“I'm going as slowly as I can, but I'm so close, Tia.”

“Please, keep rubbing me there.”

“You do it,” he moved her hand down to her clitoris.

Feeling through her wet folds, she found it and rubbed as he slowly slid out. Her body tightened. “Oh my,” she moaned.

“That's it, sweetheart. Rub harder.”

She did as he suggested, just as he glided back inside of her. The pressure came back and slammed into her, arching her back as she trembled from the feeling of her climax. “Braden,” she exclaimed.

“Oh God,” he moaned before thrusting twice more and then stilling over her body. “Tia, oh God, Tia.”

Both spent the next few minutes trying to catch their breath and realizing what they had done. For Tia, it was a strange experience to have a man lounging on top of her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Slowly, she felt his flaccid member start to slide out of her. For a brief moment, she felt empty inside. As if he was supposed to be inside of her forever.

He finally rolled off her and then brought her to rest her head against his chest. She could hear his strong heartbeat pounding in her ear. Something about that sound made her feel safe in the cradle of his arms. But another part of her felt guilt for making him break his vow.

“Braden,” she whispered, looking up at his blue eyes.

“Yes?”

“I'm sorry.”

“For what?” he asked with a frown.

“Making you break your vow.”

He smiled slowly. “You did not make me break my vow. I vowed never to take another woman except my wife.”

“Exactly. And I do not believe I am your wife.”

“No yet,” he said softly. “But you will be.”