Chapter Twelve
The steady drum of rain against the window glass had the power to lull Michael into a light doze as he lay on his bed.
When the carriage-style clock on his bedside table softly chimed the eleventh hour, he huffed out a breath and stared bleary-eyed at the shadow-filled ceiling.
He’d retired an hour ago and had been obliged to take a dose of laudanum, which made him feel far more tired than before.
A soft tapping on the door to the adjoining dressing room prompted a frown. “Come in.” If it was his valet, the man would have simply entered.
As the door swung silently open, he stared through the darkness until Evvie’s form materialized. She looked much like a wraith in a white nightdress trimmed with soft lace.
“Evangeline? Is all well?” Yet part of him was excited she’d sought him out.
“Yes.” After closing the door, she approached his bed. Her bare feet made no sound on the plush carpet that covered the wooden floor. “I thought you might want company.”
“Why?”
A shrug only lifted one shoulder. Her loose chignon gave a gentleness to her face. “Well then, perhaps it was me who wanted the company. Sometimes, the never-ending rain makes me feel forlorn.”
“Understandable.” What made her cry in the night?
What was she most afraid of? What were her favorite sounds?
Did she favor dogs or cats? Suddenly, he wanted to know far more about her than he did.
But in order to do that, he’d need to talk to her.
As he propped himself against a mound of pillows, he eyed her as she paused at his bedside.
Her hardened nipples were visible through the silk of her attire.
Was she cold or aroused? It didn’t matter, for his mouth watered at the thought of taking one of those tips and teasing it with tongue and teeth. “Is there something I can do for you?”
Would she want a fuck just for the sake of passing the time?
“Not truly. I merely wished to be with you.” If she hadn’t looked at him with those wide eyes that glittered in the dark, he would have sent her on her way, but he was curious and he rather suspected he could deny her nothing.
“Join me.” As his shaft hardened as she drew near, a new thought popped into his mind.
Perhaps he could introduce her to a certain toy tonight.
While she found the footstool to assist her into the high bed, he leaned over, rifled through the drawer in the bedside table, and upon finding the leather-covered phallus, he retrieved it, sliding it under one of the pillows while she climbed on the tick mattress. “Come here.”
“What do you mean? I’m already here.”
That struck him as funny, and a chuckle escaped him. She was the only one to pry any sort of mirth from him in recent months. “Closer.” Then he tugged her to him, encouraged her to sit in front of him between his splayed legs. “Much better.”
“What is the purpose of this position?”
“I just thought to have you someplace where you can’t easily scuttle away.” If he were honest with himself, he rather enjoyed having her all to himself.
“Ah.” When she wriggled, acute sensation went through his hardening shaft. “Are you ever not aroused, Darkemore?”
“Where you are concerned? Apparently not.” At least that wasn’t a lie. “Have you heard from Viscount Echerson lately?”
“Of course not.” Her reply was rather sharper than he’d like. “You have already made your views clear on him, but my brother mentioned him when he visited.”
“Oh? How so?” The mission was still before him, and he needed to remember that was the real reason for this union.
She shrugged. “He said the viscount had something big coming up soon, which was why he wanted to borrow funds.”
“Business?”
“Perhaps. My brother is always trying to invest in things that have no substance. He and Marklesfield were thick as thieves along with Echerson.” She shook her head. “I no longer care.”
Christ, did that mean her brother was in league with Echerson and his traitorous ways? That remained to be seen. If he had to arrest the man, would she despise him? Of course, she would anyway once she found out why he’d married her or discovered exactly what sort of man he truly was.
“Let us change the subject.” Having her in his arms felt better than it should have. “Would you like to hear some of my history from when I was a spy?” he asked in a low voice while brushing his lips along the side of her neck.
“You are volunteering to share something personal with me?” She turned her head in the attempt to look at him. A small frown had taken possession of her mouth. “That goes against everything I know of you to date.”
How much did he appreciate her tart mouth and clever mind? “I’m learning.”
“Why? Do you have an ulterior motive?” A shiver racked her body, and he grinned.
“Perhaps, but I do want to share. It’s time we know about each other.
” As she settled against him once more, Michael caressed his fingers up and down her left arm.
Her skin was as soft as satin, and her sweet floral perfume filled the air around him, reminding him of summer days before the world had betrayed him.
“As you said, this union can’t just be about carnal endeavors.
” When she nodded, he shifted, raising her arm so that he could draw the fingers of his other hand up and down the inside of that limb.
“This is a big step for you.” Her eyes had fluttered closed as he transferred his attention to her other arm.
Why the devil did he enjoy being with her so much?
Annoyance burned through his chest, for he would no doubt disappoint her at some point soon, but he strove to keep those emotions in check.
“Perhaps.” In the end, he simply couldn’t make himself talk; sharing was a foreign concept for him. It made a man vulnerable.
“I would enjoy knowing more. You may begin when you’re ready.”
Would he ever be that? “I’d been in the infantry for years before my exemplary record caught the attention of those much more important than me.
But when the day came and I was selected to become a spy, I agreed with alacrity.
” Which had ultimately brought him to this pass.
How could she ever find happiness and fulfillment with such a broken man?
“I imagine the request was quite flattering.” She laid her hand on his left knee. Heat raced up to his groin. “Were you nervous?”
“A bit, but mostly I wished to prove myself. Even though I would become a duke at some point, I wanted to have achievements that were my own and not connected to my father or the title.” For the moment, desire overrode everything else. Touching her was becoming as essential to breathing.
How the hell had that happened? What a fool he was.
“I can understand that.” When she nestled her head into his chest and against his cheek, the warmth of her scattered his tortured thoughts.
Needing a distraction, he applied himself to the task of arousing her, for he knew exactly where he belonged when losing himself in erotic overtures. “My father was opposed to me being a spy. He said it wasn’t an honorable profession, especially for a man who would be a duke.”
She gave into a shiver. “He was your father. It was his duty to try and protect you.”
Daring much, Michael drew his fingers along the bodice of her night dress.
She hadn’t worn the matching wrapper, so that gave him easier access.
The thin silk was cool against his palm but made it all too easy to slip his hand inside and brush a nipple with a finger.
At her quick inhalation, he grinned. “I beg your pardon, Duchess. Shall I stop or continue?” he whispered against the shell of her ear.
“By all means continue.” She tightened her hand on his knee. “In both your seduction and your story.”
“If you are still able to follow a conversation then obviously, I am not pleasuring you correctly.” Yet he couldn’t help himself.
Evangeline tsked her tongue. “Continue with your story, Darkemore, else I’ll leave this bed.”
“Fair enough.” He withdrew his hand to tug the bodice down and easily free her breasts from the fabric.
“My first handful of missions took place in France and Spain. During those years, I had to learn the craft, and that mostly consisted of becoming someone else and of hiding my true identity.” When he took her breasts into his hands, she uttered a shuddering sigh as if she’d wanted him to do that very thing all along.
Gently, he squeezed them, smashed them together while the rosy nipples hardened.
“It also meant I couldn’t give an enemy an advantage; I buried every emotion I’d ever had, distanced myself from everyone I loved in an effort to keep them safe.
” He rolled those pebbled buds, first at their base, and when she softly moaned, he applied more pressure to the tips.
“Good heavens.” Her breathless whisper encouraged him to continue his play, and with each new touch, every caress and stroke of his fingers on her quivering flesh, she arched her back, her legs bending at the knees.
“Were you successful in chasing down England’s enemies?
” A tiny cry escaped her when he flicked his thumbs over her nipples, teasing them with varying levels of friction.
“Mostly. There were also traitors to the Crown. Those were a bit more challenging.” He grinned as she shivered.
Oh, there was so much he wanted to do to her, hours he could fill by sending her to the edge with his fingers and mouth.
He nuzzled beneath her jaw, nipping, and nibbling the satiny skin there while he slipped his hands down her body.
“Three years into my stint as a spy, I was sent to Portugal.” As he licked the side of her neck, kissed that fragrant flesh, he drew up the skirting of her night dress, fought his way through the yards of fabric until he could skim his fingers over the silky skin of her thighs.
“How long were you there?”