Chapter Forty
Lord Kendrick, Duke of Alton
The maidservant had dimmed the lights in the master suite.
A fire glowed in the fireplace, a luxury I indulged in.
The bed was turned down. Two chairs were situated near the fire, and a bottle of champagne chilled on a side table, along with a cheese plate and fruit.
I hadn’t eaten all day, yet the thought of food turned my stomach.
Lillian hadn’t finished her toilet yet, and I hadn’t seen Colt for hours. He’d dispatched Gavin, and although I was most eager to find out how he accomplished that feat, I was more interested in welcoming him home properly.
The soft creaking of the connecting door opened, and Lillian appeared.
She wore a cream-colored dressing gown, the chemise beneath it sheer silk that showed her nipples and the triangle of hair between her long legs.
Henry had proven to be a master at choosing clothing that enhanced her lithe frame.
“You look beautiful,” I said, reaching out my fingers to her. She laid her palm in my hand and allowed me to bring her into my body. “That gown, or lack thereof, is very becoming on you.”
“Thank you. It was delivered this week when you were gone.” The scent of lilies surrounded her. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips, her breath warm against my skin as she spoke. “It felt like a lifetime. Do you think Colt will think me too forward?”
I lifted a strand of hair and fingered the silky length. “I think he’ll think it perfect.”
Colt entered the room in his shirtsleeves and trousers.
He shut the door behind him. A lock of hair fell over his forehead, and the distinctive line of stubble on his jaw enhanced his appearance rather than detracted.
Like me, he had been traveling all day, but there was an aura of vitality surrounding him.
“Where have you been?” I asked, anticipation for the upcoming night wiping away my exhaustion.
“I was taking care of some last-minute details. Suffice it to say, Gavin will no longer bother you.” He flashed an impish smile. In the time since I had seen him last, he’d changed, and I couldn’t pinpoint how. Or perhaps I was really seeing him for the first time.
“What happened?” Lillian asked, the smile leaving her eyes.
“I would rather not talk about it tonight.” He used his knuckle to bring her chin up.
Compassion softened his expression, along with determination.
“The subject matter is upsetting, and frankly, I have another more immediate concern to discuss with you. It would seem I have lost my old room to Henry. Wherever shall I stay?”
Lillian tilted her head at his teasing, her solemn expression lightening. She cupped his jaw with both hands, spreading kisses across his mouth and cheeks, her enthusiasm contagious. “Oh, Colt, I missed you. Missed you so much.”
Colt drew her into his embrace, holding her tight. He buried his hand in her thick curls. “I missed you too, Lillian. You’re my muse.”
“The feeling is mutual.” She pulled back and brushed her thumb over his bottom lip. “I love you, Colt. My life isn’t complete without you in it.”
“I love you too, Lillian. That’s why I returned to London.” His voice had deepened, and a glimmer of profound emotion enhanced his amber eyes. “I hope you don’t mind that I live here with you? Kendrick was rather persuasive, and I, well, you know how I feel about him. You have always known.”
Warmth flooded my entire being at his earnest words, and I swallowed before rallying.
I had been on an emotional wave for far too long.
The waters had finally settled, and I wanted to enjoy what was before me, the two people I was madly in love with.
“Tonight is a time for celebration. I have ordered champagne. Let us toast our good fortune before I bugger you until you scream.”
“You will bugger me?” Colt lifted a brow while shaking his head. He unfastened his waistcoat, stripping it off and throwing it on the chair behind him. Eagerness oozed from him, imitating my own desire. “I believe Lord Golden kneels at the dark knight’s altar, not the other way around.”
“Moran changed the title from Achilles to Lord Golden. I’m afraid Kendrick is right. However, I have come up with my next title. Would you like to hear it?” Lillian arched her neck and pressed her mouth to the underside of his jaw. Slender fingers moved to the buttons of Colt’s trousers.
“You have begun your next book?” Colt lowered his lashes at her ministrations. Color rode high on his cheekbones as he removed his shirt, leaving his chest bare. Broad shoulders tapered to a lean waist, the muscles of his stomach taut.
Lillian unfastened Colt’s trousers, her mouth moving down his chest. She tongued his nipple and tugged the wool off his hips. My cock swelled at the sight of her seduction. I was envious of the way she skimmed her mouth down his rigid belly.
He licked his lips, eyes glazed with unfulfilled need.
I ached to touch both of them. It had been more than weeks since I bedded him and a week since I had made love to my wife; for love her I did.
Yet still, I held off joining them. The sight of them together fired my blood, adding to my growing desires. “What is the title?” I asked.
“Take A Dive into the Dark Knight.” Lillian straightened and, placing her hands on his shoulders, pushed him into the chair. She projected newfound confidence and showed no hesitation in her seduction of our mutual lover. “It is one of my cleverer turns of phrase.”
I was glad she found her voice. I just wish she didn’t have to endure abuse from Gavin. My fury over the ordeal sparked anew. I pushed away the anger. Gavin had wasted enough of my time. I had other, more pressing matters to attend to. “It is rather brilliant if I do say so myself.”
“She is brilliant,” Colt said, pressing a kiss to her mouth.
She moved her hand to his cock. I untied the sash to my robe and grabbed the bottle of champagne; my eyes glued to the chair’s inhabitants. With a twist of my wrist, the cork popped off.
Lillian broke the kiss and knelt before him.
Honey brown curls fell down her back. She never looked more beautiful or desirable.
Without an ounce of hesitation, she dragged her tongue along the underside of his cock before swirling it over the head.
Colt watched her out of half slit eyes, his mouth parted.
The connection between the two of them was undeniable. I poured three glasses and waited until the bubbles subsided. She and Colt had shared an intellectual relationship, which had evolved into the physical realm. Glass in hand, I sipped at the cool wine, unbelieving of my good fortune.
“As you can attest, Lillian has been developing her skills at cock-sucking.”
“She is most proficient.” He dragged his hand through her hair, the veins in his arms prominent under his pale skin.
I moved the footstool closer to his chair and angled my body until I was beside him.
I was in no hurry but wished to savor the moment.
Gavin had been right; I liked cock. Well, I liked Colt’s cock. No other man would ever replace him.
With my fingertip, I traced a path down his neck to his collarbone, following it with my mouth.
His skin was fevered, the salty taste of him ambrosia.
He was alive and solid beneath my palm, his breath increasing from our combined seduction.
I leaned in and danced my lips across his nipple, sucking on the flesh.
He arched into my mouth, his other hand slipping beneath the collar of my robe.
“I want you inside me, Kendrick,” Lillian said, her fingers gripping his girth. Feverish eyes met mine before she brought him farther into her throat.
“As you wish.” Winking at Cole, I pressed one last kiss to his mouth before I stood.
I moved behind my wife, admiring the curve of her hips.
The chemise had ridden up, leaving her lovely bottom bare.
Gavin had been wrong about her. I would never grow bored of Lillian in or out of bed, nor could I imagine my life without her in it.
I cupped her between the legs, gliding one finger into her damp heat.
She released a throaty moan, her legs parting even more.
No other woman had, nor would, measure up to her.
I used the slickness of her own essence to play my fingertip over the swollen nub in a series of circles, a move that drove her over the brink more than once.
Slender hands worked Colt’s cock with an amplified tempo, her pussy weeping with need.
I deepened the pressure on her cunny, and she shuddered.
“I believe Lady X is ready for your cock,” Colt said in a low growl. “And before you ask for permission to take her, do not expect an answer. I’ll scream to the rafters if she doesn’t finish what she started.”
He gripped the arm of the chair, the smell of his desire mingling with hers. The redness marring his chest spoke of his great need. I was determined to satisfy my two lovers before thinking about my own fulfillment.
Muffled laughter issued from my wife as she took up the pace once more. With my palms on her hips, I drove my cock into her receptive body. Her snug sheath was almost my undoing. She moved her free hand between her legs, pleasuring herself, which only boosted my desire for her.
The fire crackled in the hearth, and the sound of our labored breathing filled the air. I watched Colt’s familiar face, seeing him with new eyes. I had taken him for granted, and if not for Lillian, I would never have known the joy I felt at this moment.
The tendons of his neck and chest stood out. He planted his feet on the floor with a harsh groan, his hips rising to meet her willing lips. Her inner muscles clenched around my cock; the pressure difficult to resist.
Colt bent down, his seeking lips dancing over her parted ones.
The soft, sensual kisses they shared sent me over the edge.
I allowed the pleasure to flow through me.
With Lillian as my wife and Colt as my lover, I could not express how full my heart was.
I would leave that to the writers in my life.
“Rest my heroes, for I have several scenes that will not write themselves,” Lillian said on a sleepy yawn. “I love being an author, almost as much as I love you both.”
My world existed in a different medium. I now knew what was missing in the sculpture I had made to commemorate my wedding night. Love. It was missing the love in the faces of the people I cared the most about.
I would rectify the mistake at the first available opportunity.
Tonight, there was much more loving to do.
I had been afraid to care for anyone and had almost lost out on what mattered most in life, the connection a man forged with those around him.
Colt would forever be my friend, mentor, and lover.
Lillian would bear my children, and together, we would raise them in a home full of love and friendship.
My marriage had come about on chance. With marble, a sculptor never knew how the grain of the stone would chip. Fate was like that stone. Either it was in your favor, or it wasn’t. I had been blessed that my fate had led me straight to Lillian.
With a little nudge from Colt.