Deception (12 page)

Dorian stepped in front of her and leaned in until his lips brushed hers. His eyes were a beacon she could not look away from. His kiss sparked delight throughout her body, and she wished they were not in the garden. She wished she was naked beneath him. The kiss had been gentle as a whisper, but when he spoke, his voice was firm. “I do not believe that, Lilly. I believe we would have met and our social statuses meant nothing to me. I would court you no matter your circumstance.”

Closing her eyes, she let the idea flow over her. “That idea is irrational as I’m sure you know.”

“Then you feel no connection to me?”

She could have said no and been done with the idea of courting a man who was far above her rank. It might save them both a great deal of pain and ridicule. Part of her still believed that if they consummated their relationship, he’d tire of her and they could go on as partners until Reece recuperated and returned to duty or Cullum called Dorian back to his former position. After that, she doubted she’d see very much of Dorian Lambert. He might become a memory and perhaps a pleasant one.
Tell him he means nothing.

It was sound advice. Her gut roiled at the idea of lying to him. “I did not say that. I tried to seduce you, for goodness sake.”

“Yes, to rid us both of our desires.” His voice bit with anger.

Touching his cheek, she leaned up and kissed his chin. “I’m sorry if that offends you. I only meant to give us both a bit of pleasure after a very unpleasant situation. I promise you I would not have done so if I did not have feelings for you. At heart, I am a very practical woman. Courting me and believing anything can come of it is naive.”

“So you think a meaningful relationship is impossible. Does that opinion encompass all people or only you and me?”

“I do not pretend to know what is true of all people.”

“Some say there are no demons in the world, but we know it is not true, Lilly. Perhaps your belief is also incorrect.” His hands moved to her shoulders, down her arms, and then he pulled her close and held her.

His scent was woodsy and warm with a touch of vanilla. It was pure Dorian. Her knees weakened. “But we know there are demons in the world.”

“And I know I want to court you no matter the obstacles in my way.”

She pushed away and looked up at him. “Is this wise, Dorian?”

“Maybe not, but I cannot say I care much about wisdom at the moment.”

The drizzle turned to steady rain. He took her hand and led her back to the house. Once inside, they rushed upstairs and into his suite.

Lillian tugged her hand away and stayed in the doorway. She waited for him to turn and look at her. “Nothing has changed since the clearing by the pond, Dorian. I still see no future for us. I know you think lovemaking will change my mind, but I’m not an untested child. I’m a grown woman who knows her own mind. I will not let anything get in the way of my mission. Demon hunting is what I was born for. Nothing else.”

He pulled her across the threshold and closed the door. “You paint a sad picture of your future with only mayhem and death for company. What harm is there in sharing some joy with another?”

She’d never wanted anyone more than she desired Dorian. She’d been used by men and had even found comfort with them on occasion, but the raw need swamping her senses terrified her. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek. It was still smooth from his morning shave. She had to quell an image of a fresh beard and what his jaw might feel like in the night. “Today is a day for indulging in fantasies. That is all we could ever be. One day is all I’m willing to offer you. I will understand if you refuse, but more than that is out of the question.”

He kissed her forehead. “Oh, Lilly, I cannot say no to you a second time. I’m only flesh and blood. But it would be a lie if I told you I intend to stop my attempts at courting you beyond today.”

She should have walked away. He created complications in her already mad life. Her feet would not obey. She wanted more, wanted the dream. But dreams were for people of means. A woman like her could not afford to lose focus. “One day, Dorian.” The words came out on a wisp of breath.

“We shall see, Lilly.” His kiss consumed her, pouring desire into her, and pulled passion from her.

All thoughts of danger and foolishness flew from her mind.
One day just for him, for me.

The kiss was slow, tender, and she trembled at every touch. He explored every inch of her lips and mouth with his roaming tongue and sensual lips, peppered her with tiny kisses.

It was an expression of romance and beauty, everything her life lacked. He continued his discovery, and with every kiss, he gave a bit of himself back to her.

The only demons in the room were those she brought with her, and she pushed them aside unwilling to allow the moment to end so soon. Shaking with need, she wrapped her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers through his damp hair.

He groaned deep in his chest and pulled her tighter against him. Tall for a woman, she was still not quite as tall as he. Their bodies fit together as if made that way. Her breasts pressed against his hard chest, her thighs to his, and the juncture between them a perfect resting place for his arousal.

In battle, Lillian’s sight and hearing improved, as did her notice of touch and smell. In Dorian’s arms, it was the same. Every nuance slowed and engulfed her. She wanted to tell him how incredible it was, but only a sigh escaped.

He deepened the kiss while pulling pins from her hair. One at a time, each chimed to the floor.

Her dresses’ clever design allowed her to get into and out of them herself. While pressing kisses along her cheek and neck, Dorian managed to strip her down to her chemise, boots, and weapons. He nibbled her earlobe. “Lilly, tell me you want me. Tell me this is your fantasy too.”

She pushed his damp long-coat off his shoulders and worked the fasteners of his waistcoat. “I want you, Dorian. I want this day with you.”

His groan rumbled in his chest. He moved her hands aside and divested himself of the waistcoat in an instant.

Her fingers shook, making removing her knife belt from her thigh impossible. Before she could get frustrated with the buckle, he was on his knees sliding the leather free and kissing the red mark the belt left behind. Both the sight and the touch left her panting. Her sai blades had long been an extension of herself, but she hadn’t thought the removal of her weapons could be so erotic.

He slid one long knife from her boot and eased it onto the floor. He removed the other blade.

She’d never let anyone else touch her weapons before, and yet it was more than trust that drove her to allow it. She trusted Reece with her life, she’d even had an affair with him long ago, but he never touched her precious blades.

Dorian looked up at her, his eyes filled with passion and something else she couldn’t name. Lillian pushed the chemise from her shoulders and let it fall in a puddle around her feet. Naked except for her high boots, her body hummed with need, and her most sensitive flesh yearned to be touched.

Then he was on his feet again, and she was in his arms. “You are so beautiful, so perfect.”

He lifted her off her feet, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to the bed dominating the room. He made her feel beautiful, young, hopeful, and all of those things were dangerous, but she pushed the worry aside and focused on the fantasy of their one day together.

He caressed her hip, fingers rough with callouses, then traced a path down her legs until one at a time, he removed her boots. They dropped to the floor one hard bang after the other.

Lillian closed her eyes and took in the idea of lying in Dorian’s bed, of being in his life as more than a soldier in the war against the master. After all, this was her fantasy too. She might as well submerge herself in it.

The mattress shifted. “Lilly, look at me.”

She opened her eyes.

He loomed above her, his hair creating a curtain around his face. His eyes were so tender, tears welled up in her own. He’d shed his clothes, and she longed to touch the smattering of dark hair on his muscular chest.

“What’s wrong?” His voice was filled with concern, and he shifted so he was lying beside her. His hand draped across her lower abdomen possessively.

“Nothing. It is all perfect.” A tear escaped.

“Then why are you crying?” He kissed away the evidence of her emotion.

“I’m not quite sure, but I do not know if I have ever been as happy as I am right now.”

Whenever she was candid, he rewarded her with a smile that set her blood on fire. He kissed her shoulder. “I’m happy too, but it does not make me want to cry.”

She rolled on her side. “What does it make you want to do?”

He leaned forward until his lips touched hers. His tongue traced a path around her lips until she opened for him on a gasp.

The impact of the kiss left her panting for her next breath. Juices pooled between her legs. Their tongues danced around each other, came together, and swirled around again.

He pressed his cheek to hers. “I want to make love to you slowly until you scream my name, and then I want to start again. I want to dance with you, eat with you, walk in the garden with you, and work alongside you. I want to see how that fabulous mind works as well, as we find solutions to problems most of the world does not even know exist.”

She laughed. “That is going to be a lot to fit into one day.”

His grin was infectious. “Yes, but we must start somewhere.”

He kissed her shoulder again while he gripped her hip and pulled her closer until his hard shaft settled in the crease of her thighs.

She arched her back, increasing the pressure. A flush of heat settled low in her belly.

Dorian groaned and gently nipped her neck just behind her ear, then lower, where her neck and shoulder met, pushed her back into the mattress, and covered her body with his. She wanted to explore his body the way he was devouring hers, but the delight his lips gave was too good to give up yet.

Half expecting him to thrust inside her, the joy when he shifted lower and trailed kisses down her chest was indescribable. When his mouth found her nipple, jolts shot through her, hitting every nerve in waves of fire.

It was too much all at once, and yet she longed for more. Her mouth opened to tell him, but only a low moan pushed out. Everything real slipped away, and she let the swell of pleasure encompass her. Only her fingernails biting the flesh of her palm kept her grounded.

It was the most lovely experience to be so adored by another. Nothing could compare. She waited for him to move so he could enjoy her body, but instead, he continued his journey down, kissing her ribs and stomach. He dipped his tongue into her navel, and she jerked and giggled.

Long tresses shrouded his face as he traveled lower, until he pressed her legs apart and her knees up. Looking up at her, his eyes were intense with emotion. His tongue darted out and tickled her sensitive bud.

“Dorian.”

“Not quite a scream, but we are making progress.” A wicked smile played across his lips before he lowered his head and suckled her.

Intense pleasure swamped and her body tightened. It was too much, and yet she yearned for more.

“You are like honey, my Lilly.” He hummed the words against her flesh.

She’d lost all sense of herself, bucking and gasping while begging for more. He lapped, kissed, sucked, and then his finger pressed at her opening. He waited at the precipice, and she sank onto him. Dorian latched onto her bud and sucked, pushing her to the very edge, then over.

Her orgasm crashed around her. She shook with the intensity of a thousand vibrations. The last wave had passed, and she lay limp before he moved. He held her and cooed in the softest French.

“That was…” She couldn’t quite name what it was.

“Yes?”

“Quite wonderful.”

“I’m glad. I think you are quite wonderful.”

“I have not done anything yet.”

He kissed her cheek. “Watching you come is the most erotic thing I have ever seen. I would give up my own pleasure to see yours again and again.”

She pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips. “Luckily for you, I would not.”

“No?”

She shook her head and grinned while she slid along his cock without allowing penetration. She was so wet and sensitive she might come again and had to stop herself from getting carried away. His expressive eyes made her bold, so she inched her fingers up and rubbed her breasts.

“Dear god, Lilly. You will be the death of me.” He shuddered and gripped her thighs.

Leaning forward, she kissed him deep, wet, and long. His hips rose and fell in rhythm, pressing his shaft against her but not forcing entrance. She broke away from the delight of his mouth and pressed kisses to his chin, neck, and chest. She circled his nipple with her tongue, then gave the other the same treatment.

Dorian moaned and repeated her name as if it were a prayer.

She scooted lower until she was level with his shaft.

“Lilly, you do not need to do this. There is nothing to prove.” He shifted to his elbows, his expression tender.

“What makes you think I am trying to prove anything? You gave me pleasure. I want to give you pleasure. This is an equal partnership, Dorian, or it will never work, not even for this one day.”

“You’re being here gives me far more pleasure than you can possibly know.”

He might have been telling the truth, but when she licked him from base to tip the satisfaction of his growl was enough to make her wet all over again. She quivered with desire as she took him into her mouth. The contrast of soft skin and rigid cock was delicious as she sucked him deep and used her tongue to caress him.

Her name mixed with French and English nonsense fell from his lips. She relished the rush of power from bringing him to a state where he could not form coherent thought.

First sucking, then licking, she fisted his base and stroked up and down. She loved giving him pleasure as much as receiving.

His hips rose to meet her faster and faster.

Dorian jerked away. Before she could protest, he grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her on top of him. Lifting her hips, he positioned himself at her entrance, then allowed her to make the final decision.