Chapter 24
Colt spent a day between appointments with his tailor and his favourite wine merchants, Berry Brothers and Rudd, stocking up his cellars. He toyed with the notion of attending Peer Ormskirk’s rout party that evening, but frankly, recent days had left him exhausted.
He endeavoured to enjoy a quiet night at home; however, a persistent nagging feeling prevented him from settling. He could not simply ignore the matter of Sarah. Although she had moved on from the events that occurred at Vauxhall, he could not shelve the incident so easily.
Despite having a history of enjoyable flirtation and banter with his friend, Sarah always resisted his many attempts to develop a liaison. Therefore, the boldness she displayed on the night of the masquerade had caught him off guard.
In contrast to Miss Coombes’s expectation that he show her the ways of physical intimacy, Sarah knew what pleasures awaited her and had sought him out for a reciprocal exchange.
Afterwards, he had lingered close to her, curious about her behaviour, and what it meant for them.
He grudgingly admitted that he also hoped she might invite him to escort her home, so that they might discuss what had transpired. Or perhaps make love until dawn.
Instead, once the fireworks concluded, she bade him a curt goodnight and entered a hackney carriage by herself, leaving him to make his way to his own home alone.
Since then, Sarah had not contacted him. In the past, she would descend on his house without notice most days, to take a glass of Madeira or share a spot of gossip, but she had not visited him. This bothered him more than he cared to admit.
With these thoughts in mind, Colt found himself headed towards Curzon Street following supper that evening to call upon his friend.
Fortuitously, Sarah had also declined to attend Peer Ormskirk’s rout, and Colt found her engaged in some delicate needlework by the fireside in her front parlour. She looked up from her sewing frame but did not immediately smile.
Colt hesitated in the threshold. He had hoped Sarah would agree to see him. It would be devastating to have the butler cast him out onto the street.
To his relief, she thanked her butler and requested refreshments for her guest.
When he closed the door, she stood up and placed her hands on her hips, quirking a brow. “I do not believe we had an appointment, Robert?”
“I have never needed to make an appointment before, Sarah.” He watched her dispose of the embroidery on a nearby table and resume her seat, settling the folds of her amber gown around her. In the firelight, she looked like a goddess.
“Did you recover from the masquerade?” she asked.
Colt raked a hand back through his hair. “A few things that occurred have left me rather distracted.”
“How reckless of you to allow such distraction.” Sarah’s tone remained stiff and difficult to read.
Colt retreated into silence as the butler reappeared with a tray laden with sweetmeats, as well as a decanter of cognac, tea and, of course, Madeira.
Sarah thanked him and he disappeared once again.
“Very reckless of me,” he agreed, as he provided them both a small glass of cognac.
“Not as reckless as forgetting one’s engagements, however.”
He looked up to find her dark eyes fixed on him. “What do you mean?”
“Today, while I was in Hyde Park, I ran into Miss Coombes.”
A sinking sensation at once gripped his stomach.
“She was most keen to unburden herself about Vauxhall. About how she had enjoyed the entertainment, but how someone had left her stranded down a dark walk.” Sarah lifted her chin.
Colt fingered the lace at his cuff. “I did say the evening distracted me.”
“You are incorrigible, Robert.”
“I presume no harm came to the chit?”
“Of course not. Georgina happened upon her and saw she came to no grief. Fortunate on all counts, really, for had you not been other-wise distracted who knows what you would have done to her?”
“I would not have done a thing to her, Sarah. With her, perhaps . . .”
She pushed her glass back onto the table and stood, turning away from him and folding her arms across her chest.
Colt also rose. Sarah’s indifference was a pretense, after all. She was jealous.
“I want you,” he said, almost in a growl beside her ear. For a moment, she didn’t pull away, leaning back just slightly so he could feel her warmth. His arousal pressed against her bottom, his body demanding to be noticed.
She whipped around to face him. “I will not be your distraction, Colt. Run along and find one of the dozens of willing maidens fawning after you and leave me be.”
Colt took her hand in his. He kissed her fingers, closing his eyes, pressing her palm against his cheek. “I do not want a maiden. Or anyone else. I only want you, Sarah. Can you not see that? You make me feel . . . desperate,” he whispered.
He drew her towards him and kissed her, and he could feel her reluctance slip away as she took a handful of his hair in her hand, pulling him towards her. Their passion intensified as quickly as it had done the previous night.
Sarah pulled out of his embrace. “Not here,” she murmured.
She took his hand and led him out of the parlour and straight upstairs to her bedroom.
***
Sarah pushed Colt into her room, towards the immense bed that dominated the far wall.
Draped in heavy damask curtains, it towered above them.
An Indian silk quilt of maroon and gold covered the bed, along with a plethora of pillows.
Her bedroom boasted a fire, well-tended for when the lady of the house wished to retire to bed.
Colt sat to pull off his boots before standing again.
She liberated him of his jacket and used his cravat to pull him towards her, kissing him as he unfastened his shirt. She pushed it from his shoulders, revealing smooth, pale skin firm with muscles, which tightened beneath her touch.
He caught her against him, wrapping his steely arms around her and kissing her deeply while she tugged at his breeches.
The novelty of being undressed by a lady, with such aplomb, intrigued him.
Piece by piece, she shed his layers until he stood completely naked before her.
Sarah remained fully clothed, admiring what she saw.
As her unabashed, hungry gaze swept over his body, Colt became disorientated.
He desperately wished to shield his own eyes—or in some way conceal himself—to avoid feeling so exposed.
Did she notice the way his fingers were twitching at his sides?
Or perhaps the unevenness of his breath?
He was accustomed to giving women what they wanted, but this never involved presenting them with himself.
They never took time to observe him. Sarah’s burning look drove him wild.
He knew his member had grown thick and reached towards her, without so much as a touch.
She splayed her hand across the middle of his chest. The pressure allowed him to detect the rapid thudding of his heart. From the smile that curved her lips, she could feel it too.
Colt reached around her and unclasped the back of her gown, kissing every part of her flesh as it became exposed.
She shrugged out of her dress, and the silken fabric pooled at their feet.
Colt set about peeling away her undergarments. He took off each article of clothing, exploring her curves, and when she finally stood nude before him, he caught his breath. Her dark skin was radiant, and her lines were proportioned, feminine and impeccable. Most of all, she was her.
“Sarah. You are so beautiful,” he murmured and guided her to the bed.
He laid her back against the pillows and hovered over her, kissing her mouth, his tongue impatient.
He needed her with an intensity he could not describe, but he would not rush, determined to savour every moment.
His hand cupped her breast, and he watched her reaction, her mouth opening in pleasure.
He slid down the line of her stomach and across her hip, lingering at the apex of her legs, before he allowed his fingers to submerge in the soft folds at her centre.
Sarah’s thighs dropped apart instinctively, and her flushed body arched against his hand as she moved against his fingers. She closed her eyes with pleasure, a moan escaping her lips.
With true fervour, Colt lowered his mouth, placing tantalising kisses in delicate circles below her beautiful triangle of dense black curls. Sarah uttered a small cry and squirmed beneath him, burrowing her hands into his hair and pulling him towards her.
Confident his manoeuvres were on course, Colt increased the strokes of his tongue, tasting and gliding with confidence. She would explode soon, he knew.
Just when he thought Sarah was about to peak, he caught her eyes. Her gaze seemed to darken, and she gave his hair a small tug, signalling he should stop.
Surprised, Colt sat up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I’m not just one of your women to pleasure, Robert. This is about us. Make love to me.”
So many years he had adored this woman, and she finally wanted this. If only she knew how close his heart came to bursting in that moment.
He kissed her in response and, keeping his face near to hers, lowered his body between her legs, his hardness pressing rigidly against her thigh as her legs curled around his waist.
Colt remained still for a moment, in part to assemble his composure, so he did not humiliate himself by finishing too early for this gorgeous woman.
He took the opportunity to study the image of perfection that gazed up at him.
He traced along the curve of her cheeks and jaw with his thumb.
Her eyelashes were astonishingly long, and she had a tiny freckle beside her left eye.
He inhaled deeply and placed the tip of his cock against her, moving just slightly against the slick creases that shielded her core, lingering there as she writhed beneath him.
“For heaven’s sake, Robert. Fuck me!” she cursed in desperation.