Chapter Twenty-One
Kitty buried her face in Cordon’s back and forced away the sound of drunken sailors shouting.
Her legs ached from riding astride for the first time in years and her inner thighs were raw from rubbing against the mare’s hide.
The jittering energy that had filled her earlier was gone, replaced by a powerful chill that made her shiver.
She should have been angry with Cordon for deceiving her, but all she could think about was Betty. Her sister was associated with a man who was not only a criminal, but involved in something even Cordon considered dangerous.
But as she’d told him, once Betty had her mind set on something, or someone, she would not stop until she achieved her goal. In Mr. Blaylock’s case, Kitty feared that meant marriage. She would have to hope that Cordon could either threaten or bribe the man.
“Almost there!” Cordon yelled. “They’ll cease pursuing when we leave the park.”
She turned her head enough to glimpse blurred trees turning into houses and other structures as he led Melody down the street back to the stable, at a slower pace now.
She peered over her shoulder, but there was no one behind them.
“How’d you know?” she asked.
“They’ll be on shore leave,” he said. “They won’t want to be caught.
The bobbies will look the other way so long as they keep to themselves, but shouting down a rich street will bring justice down fast.” He steered the horse between two buildings then across a narrow street and down several more alleys until she recognized her surroundings.
They weren’t far from her shop. He pulled the horse up short and then dismounted. “We’re here.”
At least it would be a short walk back this time.
She caressed Melody’s neck. “Who will take care of her?”
“There might be someone nearby who could help.” He removed a sovereign from his pocket and flicked it into the air. An urchin scurried out of the shadows.
Kitty wrapped the cloak tighter around herself.
Cordon gently patted Melody’s rear. “This lovely lady needs to get back to the stable on Mays Lane. Race over and tell whoever is working that Viscount Grayson offers five pounds to whoever comes and retrieves her.” Then he flicked the sovereign toward the boy.
“I’ll give you another when you return with a groom. ”
As the urchin snatched the coin and ran off, Kitty let Cordon help her down, sliding into his arms. Rather than pull away, she wound her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
She had agreed to the ridiculous ride in exchange for his help with Betty, but he’d been one step ahead of her.
He threaded his fingers through her braided hair. “You are most welcome.” He kissed the top of her head, then ran his surprisingly sharp teeth over her neck, eliciting a burst of heat that made her gasp. She clung to him to avoid crumpling to the ground.
“I see I’ve discovered something else you like,” he whispered. Then he repeated the motion. This time, pleasure rippled to her core and made her utter an indignant squeak.
Melody tossed her head, as if objecting to the high-pitched sound.
“Sorry,” Kitty whispered.
He pressed his lips to her jaw and ran his hand down her body to her hips. His questing fingers caused her to twist and squirm as powerful sensations throbbed through her.
“God, Kitty,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You have no idea how much I want to bend you over right here.”
His words only intensified the tension inside her, and she nearly begged him to do exactly as he’d said. She was not so lost to logic that she would be taken in such a manner. But neither could she find any words to deny him.
“Viscount Grayson?” a hesitant voice asked. A young man wearing a striped jacket and black trousers stood a few feet away with the urchin at his side.
She yelped and slid around Cordon, who paid the groom and the urchin and then put an arm around her shoulders. “Come. We should return.”
She clung to his side through the short walk back and eagerly twined her arms around his neck as he opened the door.
He set her down atop her worktable and she reached out until her fingers found the lantern she’d set on earlier that day.
She flicked a match to life and put it to the wick. A gentle glow suffused the shop.
“There you are,” he said. The light cast shadows that made his features even more striking. “I have a present for you.” He reached into his coat pocket and removed a long box.
“Open it.” He grinned. “I think you’ll like what’s inside.”
Kitty lifted the lid and picked up the scarf he had stolen. She wound it about her neck and inhaled the scent of sandalwood. If it hadn’t already been a treasured possession, now it was a reminder of how she had met Cordon.
“Thank you.” She put it aside and retrieved the other item from the box, a long wooden stick made of soft cedar, with a loop at one end. “A switch?” She took both ends of the item in her hands and bent it, proving its flexibility.
“When I was a boy,” he said, “one of my teachers would strike the bare bottom of any student who misbehaved.”
She gulped. “Is this another item on your list?”
“Yes. Specifically, inflicting that same treatment on a willing partner.” He took the item from her numb fingers, then struck the inside of his palm. “Shall I discipline you for speaking in the clearing when I told you not to?”
She imagined the hook hitting her tender rear. There was something so wild about it, that even though part of her was repulsed by the idea, she nodded.
“Bend over with your hands on the table,” he said.
She gulped but removed her cloak and then did as he asked.
He walked behind her and rubbed her bare bottom. “It’s almost a shame to bruise this perfect flesh.” But then there was a whoosh of air, followed by a sharp sensation on her buttocks.
She squeezed her thighs together. The pain was eclipsed by the pleasure of knowing who was doing the disciplining.
“You won’t disobey me again, will you?” Cordon asked. He walked around her in an arc, from one side to the next. Every time he passed directly behind, she tensed, waiting for a sting. When it didn’t come, the anticipation made her insides squirm.
“I might,” she said. “I’m not very good at taking orders.” She released her bite on her cheek, not wanting to damage herself if another strike came. When it didn’t, she peered over her shoulder. He stood there, smiling, patting the hook in his palm. Then, as she watched, he smacked her inner thigh.
The slight sting was nothing compared to the rush of heat that curled in her abdomen. She felt liquid slide down her leg.
“Oh, what’s this?” he asked.
He touched the inside of her shin, then slid up and nudged against her quim.
“She likes it.” He gently rubbed back and forth. Slowly at first, but then with increasing pressure and speed that had her moving against the length of wood as if it were his fingers and not an implement of punishment.
Then he was leaning over her, whispering in her ear. “Such an appetite for pain and pleasure.”
Her heart leaped into her throat as he touched the switch to her entrance and nudged inside. She twisted her hips, trying to take it deeper.
“Why should I give you what you want?” he asked. “You disobeyed me.”
He thrust the switch in and out. It happened so quickly that she cried out, desperate to feel more.
“There’s my hungry, little mouse,” he said. “Touch yourself for me.”
She worked herself in a fury as the combination of his words, the penetration, and his hands on her hips made the pleasure rise like a wave. Then he removed the switch and something smooth and broad touched her entrance.
“I want to take you,” he said. He was so huge, and warm against her cool skin. She reached between her legs to grasp him, but he moved too quickly.
“Please,” she whispered.
“What else do you want?”
Her cheeks burned. “I-I want you to touch me.”
His hands smoothed down her back. “Here?” He squeezed her rear. “Or here?” He leaned over and took her breasts in his hands.
She arched her back. “Yes!”
He tilted his hips. “Like this?”
He was so big and hot, stretching her apart. He latched his mouth to her neck, and a wave of intense pleasure swept down her body, making her spasm so intensely, she would have lost her footing if he hadn’t wrapped an arm around her hips and anchored her in place.
When the pleasure ebbed enough for her to think clearly again, she realized he was still throbbing inside her.
“What now?” she asked.
He licked her ear. “I intend to make you come again.”
She gulped. “I don’t think I can.”
“Allow me?”
She moved her hands out of the way, placing them on the desk instead.
“Once more, at least,” he said as he rubbed her clitoris in a way that quickly brought her back up to the precipice. Then he withdrew his cock fully before slamming back.
She stiffened her legs to keep from collapsing. Being penetrated by him was already intense, but the way he moved was heavenly. She hovered at the edge, wanting desperately to experience that heady rush again.
“I’m…close,” she said between gasping breaths.
He increased the pressure on her clitoris with his thumb and began a steady rhythm, pulling out of her and then sliding deep.
Her whole body felt like it were buzzing, ready to explode at any moment.
Then he ran his teeth along her shoulder and before the pleasure robbed her of her senses, she realized what he’d done.
He’d actually bitten her. Like a lion mounted on a lioness sinking his teeth into her scruff, except there was no pain. It was odd, but it bothered her less than she might have expected. If it pleased him—which it must have because a moment later, he groaned—then she would allow it.
Then something hot and wet dripped down her back. She reached over to wipe it away, only to have him grasp her hand and slam it back onto the desk.
“What is that?” she asked, craning her neck.
“Saliva,” he said. “I apologize. I’ll take care of it.” He ran his tongue along her skin.