Chapter Twenty-Four
M alcolm leaned in close to Adeline’s ear as the other passengers exited the coach. “I expect that our nasty company has followed us. I saw them ride by an hour or so ago.”
Adeline gasped and clutched his hand.
“Let’s keep with the crowd as they enter the inn. Don’t worry, I have a plan.”
“What is it?”
He shook his head. “I’ll tell you inside.” Then he followed the vicar out of the carriage and reached a hand back inside for Adeline. She clutched her carpet bag to her chest with both hands, so he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her to the ground. Then tucking an arm around her shoulders, he followed the other passengers inside.
The inn’s front room had high ceilings striped with fat wood beams. A front desk to the right of the door held a thick guest book. The harried innkeeper helped the other guests ahead of them. A set of double doors opened to a large dining room on the left side of the room. Malcolm immediately noticed the three men hunched over tankards of ale at one of the tables with a view to the front. He quickly turned his attention to the line and the innkeeper. Soon it was their turn.
“I need one room for me and my wife.”
“Yes, sir. How many nights?”
“Just one.”
“Name?”
“The Marquess of Kingsbury.”
The man’s eyes flew up from his guestbook to stare wide-eyed. “My lord, I am afraid I only have one of my more modest rooms left. It has been a busy day for travelers.”
“That’s fine. We will take it.” He had no intention of stepping foot inside the room. “What number?”
“Number four, on the first floor. I can have someone show you the way, my lord.”
Malcolm glanced at the front door where all the luggage had been unloaded. “Unnecessary. We are not idiots. We can find our way.”
“Of course, my lord. I would never… It’s down that way.” The innkeeper pointed to the back of the inn.
Malcolm grabbed the key from the man and then pulled Adeline by the hand over to her trunk. “Let’s head to our room, dear.” He picked up the small trunk and headed down the corridor.
“What is the plan, Kingsbury?” Adeline muttered. “I feel like you are pulling me around like a small child does a rag doll.”
“The plan is to find a back exit and head straight to the stables. We’ll hire a conveyance and get out of here as fast as possible.”
“But it’s already dark. Isn’t it unsafe to be on the road at night?”
“Not as unsafe as being in this inn with those three thugs. I saw them in the dining room. They will surely wait until later and then try to break into our room. But we will not be there.” He glanced down the hallway.
There was no door at the end, but it did intersect with another corridor to the left. When they got to the corner, he could see that the shorter arm had a door at the end. He breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t really have a plan further than sneaking them away from here.
“We don’t need to travel far. Just to the next village, perhaps.”
They exited into the cold night air and onto the back lane behind the inn. To the left, torches from the busy stables glowed through the twilight.
Adeline tapped his shoulder. “Let me take one side.” She pointed to the trunk.
“I’ve got it.”
“Malcolm.” She shot him a sweet but stern look.
He sighed and set down the trunk. They each took a handle and hefted the trunk between them. He adjusted the strap for his satchel so it sat more comfortably across his shoulder. Seeing those three men lying in wait had upset him. His need to protect Adeline was bone-deep, and he knew even with his strength, he wouldn’t be a match for all three of them. He glanced down at her. The determined set of her shoulders and the furrow between her brows meant she was figuring things out. She didn’t appear scared, and he was glad she wasn’t a hysterical-prone woman.
They made their way quickly to the barns. Inside, the horses from the coach they arrived on were being rubbed down, their bridles removed. The next coach wouldn’t leave until six in the morning. Malcolm approached an older man who looked to be in charge. “Sir, I need to rent a post chaise to take my wife to the next village.”
The stable master frowned. “I don’t recommend driving these roads at night. Perhaps stay the night, sir.”
“That’s the problem. There are no rooms left. We need to get to the next inn.” It wasn’t untrue; the innkeeper had given them the last room.
Adeline stepped up next to him and gave a huge yawn while blinking sleepily at the man. “I am so tired these days.” She put a hand to her stomach.
The stable master’s eyes widened. “Well, yes, I understand. I tell you what. I live over the next village west of here. It’s not big enough for a proper inn, but my sister runs a respectable boarding house. I’ll rent you a post chaise, and you can take your wife there for the night. Tell my sister Tom sent you, and she’ll have a room for you. The thing is, I don’t have a driver available.”
“Thank you,” Malcolm interrupted. “I can drive my wife. No need for an extra man.”
“All right, that’ll be ten guineas.”
Malcolm paid for the chaise and gathered Adeline in his arms while the horse was getting hitched. “You are brilliant,” he whispered into her ear.
She grinned and rubbed her nose along his jaw. “That’s a compliment I can believe.”
“Are you all right spending the night in one room pretending to be man and wife?” He pulled back to see her face.
She bit down on her lower lip. “Yes, I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”
He growled low. “I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
Soon, the chaise was ready. The small conveyance could hold two passengers facing front, with windows on three sides, making the interior feel less cramped. Usually, a postilion would ride the horse pulling the vehicle, but Malcolm didn’t mind taking the job after spending most of the afternoon and evening in the cramped stagecoach. The chaise was lightweight and fast. He prayed they could ride to the next town without encountering any trouble.
The stablemaster must have read the concern in his expression because he clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I have never heard about highwaymen in these parts. The most precarious danger is the poorly maintained roads. Don’t go too fast. Avington is straight west. Take a left on the first road outside of town. It should take you under an hour. My sister is Mrs. Shelley. Her place has a red-painted wooden sign hanging in front. The Red Rooster is what it’s called.”
“Thank you, sir.”
*
Adeline stared sleepily out of the front window at Kingsbury’s broad shoulders under his greatcoat. She should be more frightened. It had, by all accounts, been a frightening day. But instead, her mind wandered to an image of Malcolm’s smiling face as he ate peanuts. How safe she had felt with his strong arm wrapped around her from behind as they cheered at the pig races. And her chest warmed as she thought about his concern for her every step of this trip. She smiled. This was a man she could give herself to, knowing he would take care of her body and her heart.
She was the one who had put them in danger. If she hadn’t taken the artifacts, her father wouldn’t have sent anyone after her. He probably wouldn’t have cared where she was. He had made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t his, and he would be glad when she was gone from his house. The one detail about today that still bothered her was how the blond man with the scar across his cheek had not cared about the artifacts. Instead, he had pulled out a piece of parchment hidden inside the statue. The statue of Artemis, clearly a replica, had been holding her own secret. What could it be?
The moonlight shone brightly onto the road, and they made good time arriving into Avington without any further calamity. Malcolm dismounted. He came around to open the chaise’s door for her. “I hope she will let us in at this late hour. Make sure to do your wide-eyed owl look again.”
“My what?” Her owl look?
“Yes, like that. You look like an adorable owl blinking those luminous whiskey-colored eyes through your spectacles.”
He turned and walked up to the front door of the Red Rooster. Adeline still reeled from the way he described her very ordinary brown eyes. Luminous? She went to stand next to him, trying to channel an adorable owl. The door opened, and a rotund lady in a mob cap and flannel robe stood at the threshold. “Yes?”
“Please excuse the late hour, Mrs. Shelley. Tom sent us. He said you might have a room for me and my wife?”
The lady looked them over from head to toe, and perhaps deciding their clothing was fine enough, she nodded. “If Tom sent ya, then I guess I do. I’ll get my boy to put away your horse in the stable.”
“I can take care of it,” Malcolm said.
She waved a hand as they stepped inside. “Na, he is probably sitting in the kitchen eating me out of home and hearth. It’s his job anyway.”
She pulled a ledger from the drawer of a side table in the foyer, along with a pen and ink pot. Opening it to the middle, she turned. “Sign here. The room’s two quid for the night. Paid in advance.”
Malcolm scrawled his name and fished out the coin for the proprietress. She nodded. “Follow me.”
The room was homey and clean. The proprietress bustled about, lighting two lanterns one on each side of the bed. In the corner was a small fireplace, which, with a bit of coaxing, the fire within began to crackle. In the opposite corner was a screen to create privacy for the necessary. Lord, did she have to use the necessary. After the lady left, Adeline turned to Malcolm. “I must ask you to leave me alone for a few moments. I need to freshen up.”
Malcolm chuckled. “I’ll go down and fetch the trunk and my bag.”
Once he was gone. Adeline used the chamber pot and also found a stand with fresh water and a small stack of cloths. She hurried to undress from her traveling clothes. Washing away the sweat and dirt from the long day with fresh water left her refreshed. Reluctant to put back on the chemise she had worn all day she rooted around in her bag and pulled out a clean chemise that she had one of the crosses wrapped in and donned it instead.
It fell to mid-calf but was an opaque linen, so still reasonably modest. She looked down at her bare calves and feet, wiggling her toes. Indecent would be fine with her tonight. She knew she wanted Malcolm to take her in his arms and make love to her. Seduction was a foreign concept to her, so perhaps it was better to just stay scantily dressed. Surely, that would be enough to show him what she wanted.
She moved to the bed to sit and began to pull pins from her hair.
The door opened. Malcolm walked in with her trunk and his satchel on top. He set them down and shut the door. She knew the moment he saw her because he froze in place. His gaze roamed over her slowly, pausing at her bare feet. He opened his mouth but then shut it without saying a word. Adeline smiled and continued pulling pins from her hair. A strange but pleasant sense of power thrummed through her at his thunderstruck expression.
“Stop,” he said.
Her hands froze at his command.
He strode across the room. “Allow me. Please.” His voice was a low murmur. His eyes blazed, but not with anger, with something she hoped was desire.
She nodded and stood, turning to present her back to him. A shiver of anticipation traveled down her spine as he pulled pins from her hair. Then he unwound the braids one at a time. His fingers combed through her curls, releasing the hair from the braids. Adeline sighed as he massaged her scalp. She felt him bend and bury his face in her hair.
“How do you still smell so good at the end of the day?” he asked.
She shrugged as he swept her hair back from her neck and turned his attention to kissing a spot behind her ear that made her shiver again.
“Adeline, will you tell me what you fantasized about in the bathtub?” His fingers danced down her neck and across her clavicle.
She started and twisted to look up at him. How could he know? Her cheeks flamed. But he gazed down at her with an intensity that made her embarrassment melt. Perhaps if she told him the truth, he would do the things she had imagined. “I was thinking about you. You were kneeling by the tub and washing me…thoroughly.”
“Mmmm, was I washing here?” He skimmed the backs of his fingers down the curve of one breast.
She nodded. “And across my nipples.”
His hand cupped her breast while his thumb teased over the nipple through the fabric of her nightgown, making it pebble under his touch. “Like this?” His eyes never left hers.
Adeline drowned in the desire she saw there. There was no teasing light, only want, sharp and piercing. His touch felt so good but not exactly right. She shook her head. “No, not gentle. You pinched them. Rolled them between your fingertips.”
He did as she asked, cupping the other breast while he rolled the nipple between his fingertips. Adeline let her head fall back as the sharp sensation traveled straight down to her core.
He leaned in to suck at her neck, peppering kisses up to her jaw. “You are so beautiful. Your skin is so soft. Your breasts so full and delectable. I could nibble on every inch of you.”
Adeline thrust her fingers into his hair. She simply nodded. He could do whatever he wished. Every kiss, every touch was a revelation. She hadn’t any idea that anything could feel as good as his hands exploring her body. He pinched her nipple again, and she let loose a soft moan of approval. What would it feel like to have his mouth there?
Then his head came up, dislodging her grip in his hair.
He stared down at her, concern stamped on his face. “Before I lose my head entirely, are you sure this is what you want, Adeline? Because you are what I want. I have since the first moment you fell off that stool into my arms. But I don’t want to rush you. If you need more time, I will step back, and I will sleep on the floor.”
What? No. Adeline gripped the front of his jacket with both hands. She shook her head. She didn’t want him to step back. To be a bloody gentleman. She wanted him to be hers. This big, gorgeous man who laughed easily, got lost walking down the streets of London, and gazed at her as though he was interested in her thoughts and her feelings. Nobody ever saw her. She was addicted to his attention, and she would have all of it while it lasted. She would hoard his interest, his casual touches, his bone-melting kisses, saving them up for when scandal blew through her family and left her once again on the fringes. Save them for lonely nights.
How could she explain? “I am sure. You see, you are like a book.”
He raised an eyebrow. “A book?”
“Books fascinate me. I want to crack you open and discover everything about you.” She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. “I want to run my fingers over your pages, admire the flow of your words.” She spread her hands across his chest, then leaned forward to press her nose into his cravat. “I want to smell your pages.” She tugged the cravat loose and slowly unwound it from his throat. “To unravel your story.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I never thought reading could be so seductive.”
“Once I have a new book, I don’t want to put it down until I have explored it fully.” She unbuttoned his vest and untucked his shirt, becoming more frantic to touch his skin. “Too many clothes,” she muttered.
“Let me help with that.” Malcolm chuckled. He shrugged off the vest and with both hands he stripped off his shirt. The muscles in his stomach rippled as he pulled it over his head. “Feel free to explore my pages.”
Oh my . Adeline placed her hands flat against his abdomen. He sucked in a breath. She looked up and found his gaze hot as she danced her fingers slowly up his torso. Her touch met hard muscles and hot skin. His nipples were so different than hers, tan and flat; they had some light blond hair surrounding them. Giving in to her impulse, she leaned forward and licked one. His moan in response gave her the courage to repeat her exploration, and to her surprise, his nipple hardened like hers did. Was she arousing him? When she raised her gaze to his face, his eyes were closed and his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. The firelight flickered across his handsome features.
She wished she could climb him to claim his mouth. Instead, she ran her hands up and around his neck to bring his mouth down to hers. He captured her lips and she no longer had to wonder if she had aroused him. He plundered, his tongue licking into her mouth hot and slick. She stood on her toes to better kiss him back.
His hands gripped her chemise at her hips, tugging it higher and higher. His hand ran up her bare thigh, his touch searing a path to her hip. Then he lifted her up, and she automatically wrapped her legs around him. His strong arms banded around her hips and her back, holding her against him as he pumped his hips against her. Oh my. The hard length of him rubbed against her core, setting her aflame.
She grasped his hair. “Do it again,” she demanded.
He rolled his hips against her core, his hands at her hips to better leverage her.
“That’s divine.” She gasped against his mouth.
“God, Adeline. You’re already so wet I can feel it soaking my trousers. I must have a taste.” He set her down on her feet. In one swift move that had her head spinning, her nightgown was pulled over her head and gone. Then he took a step back and stared at her.
Adeline suddenly felt very self-conscious, but only for a moment because the reverence on his face wiped away any doubts she had about his opinion of her body.
“Exquisite. Utterly exquisite,” he murmured.
He shucked off his shoes. Then, he removed his stockings and trousers. This time, it was Adeline’s turn to let her gaze roam down his body. She had been right in her hypothesis that his body rivaled that of a Greek god. Golden skin covered sleek muscle everywhere the eye wandered. His manhood was thick and hard, standing at attention.
“It is bigger than I have seen of the male anatomy depicted in art. I don’t know if it will…” She knew that it was supposed to slide inside her. It would never fit.
He gripped his length, giving it a slow tug. “Oh, it will fit. But first, I want you to finish telling me what you fantasized about in the bath.” He pulled her against him, his manhood hard and so hot against her stomach. “Specifically, what you were thinking about when you climaxed with my name on your lips.”
“You could hear me!” She backed up out of his arms and raised her hands to cover her flaming cheeks.
He stalked toward her, scooped her up, and tossed her onto the bed. Landing with a squeak, Adeline laughed out loud at the predatory way he climbed on after her. She scooted back, only somewhat alarmed by his intense expression.
“Trying to get out of answering my question? No matter, I can improvise.” He snagged her around the waist and flipped them so she landed on top of his hard chest. “Let’s fulfill my fantasy first. Come here, darling. Sit on my face and let me pleasure you until you scream my name.”
Adeline didn’t have time to try and decipher his naughty words. Malcolm gripped her hips and guided them forward so quickly she fell and grasped the headboard for balance as he shimmied down the bed underneath her.
“Hold on, darling,” was the only warning she received before his tongue lapped at her core.
They moaned in unison.
God, the feel of his mouth on her was more erotic than any text she had ever read. There was no way to describe the utter combustion her body experienced as his tongue flicked over her pearl. Her fingers clutched the wooden headboard so hard her knuckles turned white.
“Oh God, Malcolm.”
His fingers kneaded her bottom as he devoured her sex. It was the only way to describe the way he licked and sucked at her most sensitive bits. She lost control as the pleasure tore through her, building and building. She frantically rolled her hips, directing him to where it felt best. She moaned and whimpered as his tongue stroked over and over her clit. “Malcolm…oh don’t stop. I’m so close.” She closed her eyes and gasped as her orgasm struck her like lightning coursing through her body. “Yes! Malcolm,” she shouted.
His kisses became softer as she came down from her crisis. He licked gently and turned his head to kiss the inside of her thigh.
Adeline hung her head down and sucked in much-needed air. She opened her eyes and found his green eyes staring up at her. “Oh my, am I suffocating you?” She raised a leg to climb off his face, but he chased her as she inelegantly tried to scramble off and fell onto her back on the bed.
His grinning face appeared above her as he caged her with his arms. His chin was smeared with her wetness, his lips glistening with it.
How embarrassing. She closed her eyes.
“What’s wrong, darling?”
She gestured weakly to his face. “I got you all wet.”
He passed the back of one hand across his chin. “I hope so. Damn, you are delicious.” Then he leaned in and kissed her, his tongue dipping in to tangle with hers. Sharing the taste of her, so filthy…and he was right, delicious. “I want you wet and ready for me.”
Adeline felt his hard length press against her entrance. She opened her knees so that his hips could sink between her legs. She wanted to touch his manhood, to explore and see what the texture of the skin felt like. But exploring might have to be for later because Malcolm had his length in one hand and rubbed it over her oversensitive clit, making her eyes roll back at the pleasure. Then it was back at her entrance. He pressed forward slowly, filling her inch by inch. The stretch burned a bit, but all that wetness he had wrung from her eased the way.
He let out a low growl as he fully seated himself inside her. “Are you all right, darling?”
She nodded and wiggled her hips a little. She put her hand on his chest. “I like it when you rumble like that. That was my fantasy in the bath. You scowled at me and told me how dirty I was and how I needed to be taken care of. Then you instructed me exactly how you would pleasure me.”
“Christ, Adeline, you will kill me with the words that spill from those lips. I will always take care to bring you pleasure. I promise. Raise your hips up.”
She did as he asked, and he began to move, pulling out and angling back inside her. “That’s it, darling, you feel so good strangling my cock.” He slid an arm under her waist, arching her back off the bed and giving him access to her breasts. His tongue laved at one, then sucked it into his hot mouth.
Adeline cried out. Her imagination didn’t hold a candle to the overwhelming sensations of being clasped in Malcolm’s embrace as he claimed her body as his. She wrapped a leg up around his flank and was rewarded with another rumble from him as he moaned against her nipple and pressed deeper inside her.
“Christ, you feel so good.” He began to pump his hips faster, almost frantically.
Was he chasing his own orgasm? She lifted her hips to meet each of his thrusts, wanting to give him the kind of pleasure he’d given her. His pleasure became hers also, and she began to feel as frantic as each thrust of his hips pushed her higher and higher. And then she was flying over the cliff. Soaring as her orgasm flooded through her. Malcolm buried his face in her neck, muffling his hoarse shout as he pulsed inside her. Adeline ran her fingers through his thick hair and down his back, enjoying the weight of his body, pinning her to the bed.
His lips peppered kisses in the hollow where her neck met her shoulder. Pushing up with his hands, he captured her lips. The kiss was soft and sultry, as though he could kiss her endlessly. Adeline sighed at the pleasurable thought. Perhaps they could stay in this room forever, making love and ignoring the outside world full of thugs, awful fathers, and stolen artifacts.
Malcolm slid off her to lie on his side next to her, one heavy arm wrapped around her waist to keep her close. He nuzzled into her hair and murmured sleepily, “Mine.”
She snuggled into his warmth. How badly she wanted to be his, not just for now but for always.