Chapter Twenty-Five
A s usual, Malcolm woke with the first rays of sunshine. But this was not a usual morning because Adeline was curled next to him, her head in the crook of his shoulder, and her dark corkscrew curls spread over his chest. At some point last night, they had snuggled down under the covers. He gazed down at her profile, partially covered by tendrils of her beautiful hair. She was simply the loveliest creature he had ever set eyes on.
Last night, he had lost control of his better judgment in a fit of utter possessiveness and filled her with his seed. Never before had he allowed himself to come inside a woman. Stupid, perhaps, but he had every intention of making her his wife. Still, he felt like a cad for doing it without her consent. He had also never slept with an innocent—well except for Bridget. He’d thought her an innocent anyway. Hell. He rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand. Everything about Adeline Amberley was new territory. It was useless to compare how he felt about her to anything he used to do in the past.
Sliding his arm carefully out from underneath her head, he propped himself up on one elbow so he could better look down at her. He brushed the strands of hair from her face, but she slept on. He smiled; even her ability to sleep like a rock was endearing. Today, they would start for Bridestone Manor. According to his solicitors, he paid for a caretaker. Hopefully, the house was in livable condition. He still feared the ghosts there, but it would be a safe place for Adeline, and that was what mattered now.
Rolling out of bed, he went behind the screen to piss and use the wash basin to freshen up. When he returned he found Adeline stretching as she blinked sleepily at him. He plucked her spectacles off the nightstand, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently placed them on her nose. “There, now you can admire me properly.”
She smiled, hooking the earpieces over her ears before propping herself up on her elbows. “You look very fine in the morning, Lord Kingsbury. I quite like the view.” A giggle fell from her lips, and Malcolm’s heart turned over in his chest. No timid smile, no soft chuff, a proper girlish giggle from this reserved lady felt like the best accolade he had ever received.
He stood and spun slowly in a circle, raising his arms to the sides. “By all means, enjoy the view.”
More giggles, then a gasp. Malcolm twisted back to see what was wrong. She scrambled to her knees. “Turn around,” she instructed.
He knew immediately what she had noticed, so he complied, turning his back to her. Her fingertips danced between his shoulder blades, tracing his tattoo.
“It’s the North Star,” she murmured.
He nodded, letting her study it for another moment before turning to face her. “When I was a boy my mother had this necklace, a gold pendant of the North Star with a tiny diamond in the center. She gifted it to me when I left for school. She told me that as long as I wore it, I would never be lost. Many years later, it was accidentally torn from around my throat and lost at sea. And I replaced it with this tattoo. A more permanent reminder of my mother.”
“That’s lovely.” Adeline’s eyes were shiny with emotion. “The fortune-teller saw the North Star on my hand.” She lifted her left hand. “She said the North Star would lead me to my new life.”
He grasped her hand and placed a kiss in the middle of her palm. “See, fate.”
Adeline’s puzzled expression turned into a frown. “I don’t believe in fate.”
She may not believe in fate, but he did. He knew bone-deep that this was the woman fate had sent him to love. Now he just needed to convince her. Step one. Seduction. He wrapped his arms around her and tumbled them both back onto the middle of the bed.
*
Later, they sat at breakfast across from Mrs. Shelley and her adolescent son, John. Another couple chatted at the other end of the long table. They were long-term boarders staying for the winter. Malcolm took a bracing sip of tea. The food was excellent, the weather outside sunny, and his girl sat beside him. He couldn’t imagine a better start to the day.
“Where are you folks headed?” Mrs. Shelley asked.
“To my estate in Dorset,” he replied. “It shouldn’t take us more than one day, barring any more unfortunate incidents.”
The gentleman down the table chuckled. “Traveling in the British countryside is always an adventure. The roads must be the worst in Christendom.”
His wife nodded in agreement. “That’s why we are settling for the winter. Mrs. Shelley always takes good care of us.”
“Thanks, deary. You and Mr. Holburn are always welcome at the Red Rooster.” Mrs. Shelley turned back to Malcolm. “Perhaps you could use a driver for your chaise. My son would be happy to earn some extra quid to drive you to Dorset.”
Malcolm considered the extra cost, but it would be worth it to sit inside the carriage with Adeline and have someone to handle changing horses. “Yes, that would be excellent. And you can bring the chaise back to your uncle after dropping us off.”
John nodded eagerly at the price Malcolm offered.
“We would like to leave directly after breakfast.” Malcolm glanced at Adeline.
She had been very quiet during the meal. She didn’t appear upset, only deep in thought as she stared down at her plate.
He nudged her. “All right, darling?”
She glanced up. “Pardon?”
“To leave after breakfast?”
“Oh, certainly. That would be fine.”
Malcolm was still worried about Adeline as they sat cozy next to each other in the post chaise, heading south to Dorset. It wasn’t that she seemed upset with him. He couldn’t put a pin in it, but she felt far away.
He squeezed her with the arm he had draped around her shoulders. “Adeline, what are you thinking about?”
“Fate and the North Star.”
He let out a sigh of relief. She was simply mulling. Leave it to Adeline to think so hard about whether she should believe in a concept like fate. “I thought perhaps all that happened yesterday was tumbling down on your head this morning.”
“It is.” She shifted so that she looked up at him. “All the more reason to think about things, people, that come into your life. That man could have killed us yesterday, but he didn’t because of Lucy. Who was he? And what was on that piece of paper he pulled from the statue? And further, I met you in a bookstore, a random occurrence at best, but you knew my brother, and you knew Hartwick’s father, and Lucy’s father was your captain, and well, how does it all connect with you at the center? And you were investigating my father, and my father paid to have Lord Hartwick killed and—”
“Wait, your father paid to have Lord Hartwick killed?”
Adeline nodded. “Yes, the day you came to the house and took me for a walk, I overheard those rough men say that they had done the job of silencing two toffs for my father, and my father replied that they had failed at the task because Hartwick still lived. That is why I was so upset that day. To learn your father is a murderer is a lot to take in.”
“Good Lord. It just becomes worse and worse with your father, doesn’t it?” Malcolm squeezed her again.
“Not my father, really. And maybe that’s not so bad, after all.” She laid her head against his shoulder.
“But what does it have to do with fate?” he asked.
“Why do certain people come into one’s life? How is it that some become important and some are simply transient? And you are connected to all the pieces—the center, the north star, so to speak. I don’t know yet how. That’s what I was thinking about.”
He kissed her hair. “Your brain is amazing, my darling. All I was thinking about was how long I must wait to get under your skirts again. You see, I am but a simple fool for you.”
Adeline laughed. “Whether it is fate or not, I am glad you came into my life. And I am glad we have become lovers.”
Malcolm pulled closed the curtains in front of them. “Well, I take my new role very seriously.” He began to unbutton the front of her bodice.
“There can’t possibly be enough room for us to make love.”
“I beg to differ, my lady. Let me show you what I mean.” He managed to get the top of her dress unbuttoned and off her shoulders, pushing the sleeves down and trapping her arms behind her. The position pushed her luscious tits up and forward, the pink nipples straining against her white chemise. Unable to resist, he bent to lave one nipple with his tongue before giving it a gentle bite.
Her gasp of pleasure flamed his constant desire for her from a simmer into a damn wildfire. He kissed his way up the smooth column of her neck, licking up behind one ear. “Arms out, please,” he instructed.
She gave a wiggle and pulled her arms from the sleeves. He enjoyed every moment of her breasts rubbing against his chest. Then she looked up at him with those curious eyes, waiting for his next direction, making him grow even harder.
He leaned back against the squabs. “Undo the front of my trousers.”
Adeline’s expression grew positively wicked. She leaned forward and walked her fingers slowly up the outline of his erection. He bit back a moan. He was the experienced one, seducing her, wasn’t he? She scooted closer and began to slide each button open, her fingers brushing his cock and making it pulse in anticipation.
“I have been waiting to examine your phallus. Not that I haven’t enjoyed having it inside me.”
Malcolm groaned. Why was it so erotic when she said the word phallus ? Like she was reading out of some textbook on sexual congress for beginners. Unbidden, an image of Adeline naked, reading in bed, captured his imagination. She would read aloud from her erotic book, then peer over the top of her spectacles and beckon him to come act out what she had read.
He slid his hand behind her neck and brought her lips to his for a scorching kiss. She was so responsive, her tongue dipping in to taste and tangle with his. Christ, he could drown in her kisses. Her fingers never left his falls. The last of the buttons undone, they found his cock and petted him gently. A small gasp from her broke their kiss.
“It’s so soft,” she murmured.
“A man doesn’t like to hear that, darling.”
“Oh, I only meant the skin is soft. Not the phallus itself.” Her hand gripped his cock with a hard squeeze that made his eyes roll back at the pleasure.
“Say it again,” he croaked out.
“Say what? Phallus?”
“Yes, it’s so academic and yet so erotic when you say it like that.”
She stroked him from root to tip as she leaned close to his ear, her voice low and sultry. “Phallus.”
Christ. She was a goddamn siren.
Before he could open his eyes, he felt the wet tip of her tongue lap at his cock. When he glanced down at her, her gaze rose to meet his. “Is this all right? I like it when you lick me.”
“Yes, you may do whatever you like, lick it, suck it, rub it like a bottle with a genie in it. Your touch feels divine.”
Count on his researcher to do a thorough job of exploring. Adeline licked up his length, running her tongue around the head of his cock before taking it into her sweet mouth and sucking it. Malcolm moaned again and gripped her hair. He guided her farther down the next time she lapped at the head. “Yes, that’s it, darling, suck it down.”
She did so enthusiastically. Her hand squeezed the base of his cock as she sucked and lapped at his shaft. Christ, he would come too fast if he let her continue and this had not been the plan.
He tugged her gently off his cock. “That’s enough for now.”
She blinked at him, her pupils blown wide with lust. Her lips swollen and slick with spit. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, no, Adeline. You are magnificent. But I want to be inside that sweet pussy. Come here, straddle my lap.”
He helped her maneuver on top of him. Pushing up her skirts, he slid his hands up her thighs slowly until he reached the apex. Adeline clung to his shoulders as the carriage hit a bump. She giggled. He kissed her, needing to capture her joy. He brushed his thumbs into the curls of her mons to tease her clit and found her already soaking wet. Working two fingers inside her, he rubbed his thumb in tight circles on her clit. Her resulting moan had his cock jumping.
He had to be inside her, now. He slid his hands under her buttocks and pulled her closer. “Take my cock in your hand and guide it inside you. You are in charge, Adeline. Take your time.”
But apparently, she disagreed with his suggestion because she guided his cock to her entrance and slid down in one smooth motion until he was seated deep inside her, and they were both moaning.
“I love having you inside me,” she whispered against his lips. “What’s next?”
“Move your hips, roll them up and down.” He gripped her hips and showed her what he meant. “Yes, that’s it.”
Adeline’s brow furrowed as she concentrated on his directions, and he almost came right there. Good Lord, this lady was going to kill him with her straightforward dirty talk, her earnest expressions, and her luscious body. He wanted to wipe the concentration from her face. He wanted her to be unable to think. So, he leaned forward and, ripping aside her chemise, pulled a sweet tit into his mouth, pulling hard at the nipple the way she liked.
Her head fell back and knocked against the curtained window. But he didn’t stop sucking on her as he worked her up and down on his cock with his fingers gripping her ample bottom. She began to whimper, her breath hitching, and he knew she was close to her crisis. She would come first; he gritted his teeth as her pussy strangled his cock. Then she pitched forward, her mouth taking possession of his. Her fingers gripped his hair so hard his scalp tingled. She moaned his name into his mouth as she came. Malcolm followed her over the edge with a low groan of his own.
They both panted as they came down from their orgasms. He cupped her cheek and peppered her lips with small kisses. “Adeline Amberley, you are a goddess.”
“There are so many new things to learn about the act of intercourse.” She smiled down at him. “And you know I have an appetite for learning.”
He laughed. Good Lord, he loved her so much. His heart clenched, knowing all too well that loving someone often meant losing them. Life was too short for so many. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her unique scent, and worked to tamp down the fear that clawed at him. He would enjoy every moment, every day that he could have with this woman. Long ago, after his family died, that was how he decided to live his life. The trouble was that he wanted this to last forever.