Chapter Three #3
“I quite agree.” Yet she pulled away. “I suspect we don’t have much time tonight.
” Quickly, she slipped from the sofa to kneel on the floor between his splayed knees.
“Please indulge me.” Her fingers were at his frontfalls.
Seconds later, the buttons popped from their holes, and all too soon, his thick length fell into her palm.
“What the devil are you doing?” But he knew, for he wasn’t a nodcock.
“I am doing whatever I want for the first time in nearly eleven years.” She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and slowly but firmly pumped her hand up and down.
Heated sensations ran riot through his veins as sharp awareness shivered over his person.
“Oh, God.” If he found that intense, he nearly vaulted off the sofa when the lady leaned forward and took his shaft into the warm cavern of her mouth.
Seeing her lips wrapped around his member almost had him shooting off his wad prematurely.
And then she began to move.
Despite the fact he was always in control when it came to bedroom endeavors, this act being performed on him right now in the home of a stranger while a ball was going on had the power to transport him to another realm.
Shit, but he wanted nothing more than to fuck her mouth, hard and fast, until he came.
As his gaze met hers, the look in her eyes begged him for it as she worked him over.
“You have awakened the beast, my dear,” he murmured as he put his good hand to her nape to hold her steady. “I hope you’re ready to take me at full strength.” Would she enjoy how he filled her mouth, take him down her throat?
Seconds before he thrust, the library door opened.
“And here you’ll find my husband’s collection of Shakespeare’s works. He meticulously collected them for several years before he had them all.”
The voice of his host’s wife completely shattered the spell Lady Evangeline had woven around him. As he glanced her way, he slowly became aware of a handful of other guests trailing into the room after her—Steppingford included, as well as Udolpho’s wife, Anne.
“Shit.” With nothing else to do, Michael withdrew from the lady’s mouth. To her credit, Evangeline moved away. As she stood, she put her clothing to rights with a deep blush spreading over her cheeks.
“Oh, dear. My apologies,” she murmured and half-turned away.
It wasn’t ideal, of course, but he felt a bit more lax about being found out and decided to make a joke of it.
“If the lot of you wish to get off by watching the lady service me, you’re welcome, of course.
” As he spoke, he rose to his feet then awkwardly did up the buttons of his frontfalls with his one hand.
“At times, watching someone else heightens our own needs.”
“For shame, Your Grace!” the hostess said with a red face and rounded eyes while she tried to look everywhere but at him.
And then the worst possible outcome happened. The night’s host sailed into the room, took a swift assessment, and immediately launched into protective mode. “What is the meaning of this?” He put an arm about his wife’s waist and ushered her from the room with a few of the other ladies.
“Such prudish behavior, Morton,” Michael said with the tisk of his tongue.
“Never thought you’d turned into such.” When he happened to catch Steppingford’s eye, and the other man winked and gave an imperceptible nod, he realized his friend had no doubt orchestrated this moment.
For what? His own perverse pleasure? Or to accelerate Michael’s getting close to the widow?
“Can you blame him, Darkemore?” Steppingford asked as he worked to contain his glee. “This is hardly the time or place for such a thing. To say nothing that you’ve abused our host’s hospitality.”
What was this, then? As Mrs. Cunningham went immediately to Lady Evangeline’s side, Michael shook his head. What game was Steppingford playing at? But when Lord Morton returned to the room and glared, he heaved out a breath. Perhaps this would prove a good next step into drawing out his quarry.
“Can a man—and a duke at that—not have a private moment with his fiancée?”
“What the devil?” Morton stared. His graying brown hair seemed even thinner in the anemic candlelight.
Dual gasps issued from both Udolpho’s wife as well as his would-be carnal partner.
Lady Evangeline stared at him with confusion and shock warring for dominance in her expression, but when he raised an eyebrow, she gave a slight nod. “Darkemore is correct. He and I were carried away by passion after we’d come to an understanding moments before everyone burst into the room.”
He allowed a small, tight grin. How lovely that she’d gone along with his bit of fiction.
Why she had, he didn’t know and didn’t much care in this moment, but he was interested in finishing what they’d started.
Perhaps getting close to her was the most direct path to finding the Jackal.
Once he put the man down, he’d take his leave of the lady, break the faux engagement, give her a hefty payment for her troubles, and then vanish back to Cornwall.
Yet there was still much to do before any of that could happen. Damn it all to hell.