Tempted Read online

  Her brow wrinkled. “So you…”

  “Tidy it up myself. When the linens need to be changed, I leave them in the hallway and new ones are delivered into the adjoining room so I may put them back on.” He sighed. “But here you are.”

  Heat flooded her cheeks. “And do you regret my being here?”

  He shook his head slowly. “No. You fit here.”

  The discomfort she had been feeling bled away with that sweet statement. “I’m glad you think so, and proud to be the first to cross this threshold in what sounds like a very long time.”

  He reached out and caught her hand, dragging her into his arms. As he tilted her head back, he whispered, “Don’t be proud. Just be mine.”

  She didn’t get the chance to respond, for his mouth came down to hers with heated fervor. She met his lips, his tongue, with her own, drowning in the passion of his kiss. Oh, he might be less experienced, but he was certainly a quick study. And he lit her on fire without so much as an effort expended.

  She didn’t know if that spoke of a failing of her own or an appeal of him. Not that it mattered. In this moment, all that mattered was the way he cupped her backside gently, tugging her hips flush with his, letting her feel his desire as his erection probed her stomach.

  “I have tried not to think of you, of this,” he murmured as he backed her toward his bed. “But I couldn’t stop myself. You have infected me, Juliet.”

  She laughed at his choice of words, even as her body tingled when he laid her across his bed and took a place beside her.

  “Infection is not the most romantic notion, I’m afraid,” she said as she began to unfasten his crisp shirt.

  He shoved out of the garment and his jacket in one smooth motion, leaving him naked from the waist up. His heat all but pulsed from him, wrapping around her, drawing her into it and into him.

  “Perhaps not,” he agreed. “Then you have bewitched me, how is that? Taken over my body and my mind in the most inopportune times.”

  “Like when?” she whispered, arching to allow his hands beneath her to the buttons along the back of her simple gown, this time with far more ease than the first time he had undressed her. His fingers brushed her as he worked them free and she held back a sigh of pleasure.

  He pulled the dress forward and off her arms, then leaned in to press hot kisses along her exposed collarbone. “At night before I sleep, thoughts of you like this haunt me,” he began, his voice sometimes muffled when his lips pressed to her. “I wake hard and ready from dreams of you. And even in the middle of the day when I should be focused on all I must do, you are there in the corner of my mind, beckoning, demanding I ride to you wherever you are and do this.”

  His mouth covered her nipple through her thin chemise and she let out a yelp of surprise and pleasure. He smiled against her and sucked harder on the sensitive ridge until she clutched at the bedclothes with both hands.

  “I wish you had come to me one of those times,” she admitted, her voice shaking as he trailed his lips back up her throat. “Because I have only thought of you all this time as well.”

  “And what do you think about?” he asked, pulling at her dress more. She lifted her hips and he tugged it away and tossed it over his shoulder, leaving her only in her chemise.

  “Tasting you,” she admitted on a blush. “All over. Feeling you fill me. You are not alone in being bewitched, Gabriel.”

  “It seems not,” he murmured, and pushed her chemise up to reveal her from the waist down. He opened her legs slightly and his hand settled against her sex.

  Her breath grew short as he lightly traced her, exploring her folds with his fingertip, spreading them open to stroke over her entrance. She shuddered, for his hands were like magic. He seemed to naturally know how hard or softly to touch her, where to press and where to just kiss over her with his fingertips.

  She sat up and leaned into him, kissing him as she found her way to his trouser flap. With a grunt, he got up and stripped the final barrier of cloth away. She grinned at the sight of him, naked and beautiful and oh-so-irresistible.

  “You are quite the specimen, my lord,” she whispered as she reached out to grip his erect cock. He hissed out a breath as she did it, his head dipping back over his shoulders while she stroked him gently. He tensed at the sensations and widened his stance to steady himself. She smiled up at him, wickedness filling her when she stroked over and over, gentle and hard, teasing and pleasuring.

  His hand came down to rest on her shoulder, steadying, but she thought it was also an act of connection. He wanted to touch her while she touched him. But she wasn’t done yet. Oh, far from it. She wanted more.

  She licked her lips and lowered her head. Slowly she dropped her mouth over him, taking him into her as far as she could. He hissed out a broken sound of pleasure and his hand moved from her shoulder to fist in her hair.

  She took that as encouragement and bobbed her head back, taking him almost to the point of popping free from her lips. Then she delved in deeper again. And all the while, she sucked. She licked and stroked with her tongue. His hips began to move in time to her mouth and she reveled in the jerky movements, proof that she could pluck Gabriel’s control when she wished to take it.

  And oh, how she wished to take it. To hear him growl with release, all because of her. There was power in that. And there was also pleasure in it. Gabriel was always so tightly wound, in his head. This act and his pleasure relaxed him, and for a moment, she recognized he was free of all the spinning needs and drives in his mind.

  “Enough,” he moaned from above her, and caught her shoulders. He pulled her free from him, pushing her back across the bed again as he fell against her, pinning her down. His cock pulsed against her sex, not driving in, but tempting her nonetheless.

  “Enough?” she asked, her voice soft because he was right against her. “Is that possible?”

  “Perhaps not,” he admitted. “But you are teasing me, taking advantage of what you think is my weakness.”

  She shook her head. “When I think of you, Gabriel, I swear that I do not think of you as weak in any way.”

  “But you believe my lack of experience means you can play me like a fiddle.” He smiled and she saw the wickedness in him. Something he hid but made her entire body flare to life even higher. “But you forget something about me.”

  “And that is?” she asked.

  “I’m a very quick study.” He shook his head. “You think that I didn’t relive every moment of when we first made love. Not just for the pleasure of it, but to analyze? You think I don’t know that if I flick your nipple like this…” He accentuated the sentence by stroking his thumb over her. She caught her breath as raw pleasure raced through her, settling between her legs. “…that it makes you moan?”

  She jerked out a nod. “I see that you do.”

  He continued to pluck at her nipples. “That when I cup your backside, you twitch with pleasure? That when I touch your clitoris…” Her eyes went wide and he laughed. “Yes, I know what it all is, Juliet. I study. When I touch you there, you come. And I have a theory that I could make you come when I was inside you too.”

  “I would very much like to test that theory.”

  “Good.” He lifted her hands over her head and nudged her legs wide with his knee. “Then let us do that very thing.”

  He positioned himself at her entrance and met her gaze as he slid slowly, gently inside her. The intimacy of that locked stare made her heart race, not only because it bound them on a deep level, but because she realized he was studying her, marking her pleasure, trying to learn how to give it to her in every way possible.

  She lifted into him, driving him all the way home, and they both took a long breath together.

  “You are like heaven,” he growled. “I have no idea why I waited so long.”

  She smiled and lifted again, forcing a shallow thrust on his part. “You want to know how to make me come when you are inside of
me?”

  He nodded. “Very much.”

  “Then grind against me.”

  He pondered that for a moment, and then began to move, doing exactly what she said. His hips ground against hers with every deep thrust. His pelvis stimulated her clitoris perfectly and she began to arch to meet him, intensifying the sensation of their bodies joining. And she was rewarded richly. Pleasure spiraled from the place their bodies met, erasing all other thought and feeling, taking over her entire body as it built, built toward the ultimate release.

  And just as she reached the precipice, Gabriel dropped his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss that swept her away. As he delved deeply with his tongue, he did the same with his body. Her orgasm hit her and everything else vanished. Pleasure rocked through her, shattering her as she cried out into his mouth and he swallowed her pleasure like it was the finest wine.

  Only when she had collapsed back, her body shaking, did he increase his thrusts. His neck strained, his face grew tense and with a cry, he withdrew from her and came before he flopped down beside her with a grin. They lay there together in silence as they both caught their breath.

  “Were you truly a virgin before a few days ago?” Juliet finally teased as she reached out to trace a light pattern against his bare chest with her nails. “You are becoming quite proficient.”

  “Give me a few more tries,” he said. “I strive to be more than merely proficient.”

  She smiled at him, even though his words made her body tense with pleasure again. “I like this Gabriel,” she said. “A man without troubles, less serious.”

  He stared up at the ceiling above them for a long time. So long that she almost wondered if she had said something wrong. But before she could ask, he let out a sigh.

  “I wish I could be this man,” he said. “That it was possible for me to be free of my troubles, but I fear it is not my nature. Certainly it isn’t my circumstance at present.”

  She placed a hand over his heart with a frown of her own. “Because of your sister.”

  He nodded. “I will never be able to let go of what I must do, Juliet. It must be the most important thing, the driving force in my life until I…until I find her and bring her home. These moments with you are wonderful, but I can’t get so caught up in them that I forget myself.”

  As if to accentuate that statement, he pushed away from the bed, away from her touch, and found his trousers. He slung them on and fastened them before he turned back to her, still exposed on his bed.

  “And even after Claire is back with me, you must see that I am not a man who will ever stop thinking, stop seeking, stop planning. Nothing and no one will change that in the end.”

  She frowned. It seemed he was talking about more than just his nature with her. What he said felt like a dismissal. That she would be a welcome distraction but that he would never want for more.

  That stung, even though she’d never expected more, in truth. They were from different worlds and no promises had been made. In a short time, she would return to Idleridge and the life she loved. These days would be happy memories, ones that would keep her warm on the coldest and loneliest of nights. But she had never fooled herself to think there would be more.

  She just had to keep that in mind now when her heart was swelling with pain. She pushed that pain away and got to her feet.

  “I think anyone would be a fool to think that they could change you, Gabriel.” She pulled her chemise over her head. “I hope you’ll never settle for someone who would try.”

  When she turned, she found him staring at her. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but then he shook his head. “May I help you with your gown?”

  She nodded, grabbing the dress off the ground and stepping into it. She turned her back to him, trying not to react as his warm hands stroked her body while he fastened her back into the dress they had tossed aside a short time before. When she was dressed, she used the mirror on the wall across the room to fix her hair and then smiled at him.

  “I should go, I think. Your mother thinks I’m out shopping with Josie and Audrey.”

  “Of course. But I-I—”

  “Yes?” She held her breath, though she didn’t know why. What in the world did she want him to say? That she should stay? That he wanted her in his life? The past few moments had more than proven that wasn’t going to happen.

  “I hope I’ll see you again soon,” he said. “You were a great help today.”

  She let him lead her from his chamber and back down to the foyer where he called for her carriage. But after he had helped her into the vehicle and she had moved away from his home and back toward Lady Woodley’s, she sank against the leather seat. She had been utterly satisfied by him, and yet as she drove away, she felt…restless. Like something had been left unsaid or undone.

  But there was nothing that could be between them beyond this. And she would do very well to remember that before she got hurt.

  Chapter Eleven

  Juliet smiled at Vernon as the butler took her coat and gloves, draping them across his forearm with style born from years of service. “Thank you.”

  “Of course. Now should I send a footman or two to the vehicle?”

  She wrinkled her brow. “I—for what purpose?”

  If he was surprised by her response, he did not reveal it. “Are there packages to be retrieved from the carriage after your shopping excursion, Miss Gray?”

  She tensed. That was right, the lie she had told about where she was going. Now she would have to tell another. Lies were like that. They bred.

  “Er, I didn’t find anything to my liking today, I fear.” She dodged his gaze, for it felt like a man like Vernon could read her mind. “I have nothing to be retrieved.”

  The butler gave her a strange look, but nodded. “Very good, miss. Lady Woodley is in the west parlor and said she would like for you to join her once you returned.”

  Juliet smiled, happy to escape the questions about her excursion. “I shall do that right away. And is my father with her?”

  “No, miss. Mr. Gray departed about an hour ago to call on some friends. I believe he is not expected back until after supper.”

  Juliet frowned. That was not an expected answer. Lady Woodley and her father had been all but inseparable in the days since their arrival and her father had never spoken to her about wanting to call on anyone while they were in the city.

  “Is there something wrong, miss?” Vernon pressed.

  She blinked, shaking her head as she realized she had been standing there all but gaping in the foyer. “No. I’ll join Lady Woodley now. Thank you, Vernon.”

  He bowed slightly and left her to her business. She drew in a long breath and headed down the hall to the parlor where Lady Woodley waited. She entered the room, expecting Lady Woodley to be sitting by the fire having tea, perhaps reading a book or some of her correspondence. But as she came in, she saw the dowager standing at the window, staring off into the shadowy garden. The dowager had a faraway look in her eyes, troubled even as she gazed out at the dusky early evening sky.

  “My lady?” Juliet said softly.

  Lady Woodley jumped as she turned to face her. “Oh, hello, my dear. I’m sorry, I suppose I was standing here woolgathering.”

  Juliet entered the room slowly, uncertain if she was intruding even though she had been told to join her hostess. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Would you like to be alone with your thoughts?”

  “No,” Lady Woodley said firmly. “I would not. I’m pleased to see you, Juliet. But you must be cold after being outside. Come in and join me by the fire.”

  Lady Woodley motioned toward two chairs positioned facing the happy flames and Juliet took one. The warmth filled her, chasing away any cold she had felt on the carriage ride back from Gabriel’s.

  “Did you have a good time today?” Lady Woodley asked as she settled into the opposite chair.

  Juliet tensed as her mind flashed back to Gabr
iel’s mouth on her, his hands on her, his body on and inside of her. Then she pushed those memories away. “I—”

  “With Josie and Audrey,” Lady Woodley supplied gently.

  “I-I had a nice afternoon,” she said softly, so she wouldn’t have to tell even more lies.

  But Lady Woodley pressed. “There are so many fine shops in London. Where did you and the girls go?”

  Juliet shifted. “It turned out Josie and Audrey were not available,” she said, not meeting Lady Woodley’s eyes. “So I went out on my own.”

  Lady Woodley arched a delicate brow. “Did you take a maid with you?”

  “No,” Juliet admitted slowly.

  Lady Woodley reached out to cover her hand. “My dear, I know you have unprecedented freedom in Idleridge. Of course you must in your role as healer, but here in London things are different. You cannot go running about unattended.”

  Juliet pursed her lips. “I do not have a maid, my lady. I’m already taking the young woman you have assigned to help me dress away from enough of her normal duties. I cannot expect—”

  “It is for more than mere propriety,” Lady Woodley interrupted. “It is for safety. London can be unsavory in parts and you are a lovely woman, Juliet. You could easily draw the attention of any number of distasteful characters who might follow or harm you.”

  Juliet almost laughed. She could not imagine anyone caring enough to follow her. Certainly not to Gabriel’s house. If they did, they would not leave satisfied. But then she saw the hollow expression in Lady Woodley’s eyes and realized that this subject put Lady Woodley in mind of Claire, lost to her, perhaps forever. And the urge to laugh faded in an instant. This entire family had been damaged by Claire’s departure. There was no one left untouched.

  “Please, do it for me. If something ever happened to you, your father would never forgive me.” Lady Woodley squeezed her hand and Juliet stared at her. There was a strange look on the dowager’s face, the same faraway, troubled one Juliet had seen when she entered the room.