Of Silk and Steam (9 page)

“You’re not his, are you?” Oh, he had the look of the duchess about him—her full mouth, mostly—but not the duke. There was nothing of the duke in his features. Excitement fired in her blood. “You’re a bastard.”

Those fingers tightened.

Mina sucked in a breath, her gaze lifting to his. Barrons’s expression was emotionless, but his eyes… Goodness, she was right!

“An interesting theory. Do you know”—his eyes glittered—“I think I frightened you last night and again just now. Here you are, trying to find something—anything—to put me off balance.”

“That’s not a yes. Or a no.”

He stepped closer, the sounds of the orchestra swirling around them. The hard press of his body was hypnotizing, and he lowered his head to hers, his breath whispering over her lips. “Are you frightened of your attraction to me?”

“I’ll find the truth. You know I will. No matter how hard I have to dig.”

“I am my father’s son. I am
everything
he has made me. And if you dare threaten me”—his voice dropped to a whisper—“you had best be prepared to back up your claims. I know your weaknesses now, Mina.” One hand slid around her waist, dragging her hips tight against his. “I know you want me. The question is, do you truly wish to destroy me, or are you simply trying to find a way to protect yourself from me? From this?” He ground his hips harshly against her.

She sucked in a sharp breath, but there was no escape. No answer. His mouth came down upon hers, hard and brutal, arms crushing her hard against his chest. The world staggered around her, or perhaps that was just them, with Barrons muscling her backward until her back struck the wall. His teeth hit hers, tongue forcing its way into her mouth. Mina’s fingers curled in his coat collar, unable to do anything more against this onslaught than to yield.

Let
us
be
honest. You want to yield
, a secret little part of her whispered.

Music echoed through the ballroom, punctuated with laughter.
Oh
God.
Somehow she managed to turn her head, just enough to whisper, “Not here.”

Stillness leached through him. He bit at her ear, drawing back just enough to look at her, a scorching look that Mina returned. Then she boldly slid her hand into his hair and dragged him back against her, her mouth capturing his soft laugh.

Somewhere a door latch clicked open and he spilled her into the warm darkness of a room—a study perhaps, she couldn’t tell—as he spun her around, her back hitting the door and slamming it shut. And then she was no longer simply
yielding
to him but kissing him back just as hard and fierce as he was, her filigreed claws raking down inside his coat, over his chest, tearing a stolen hiss from him.

“Yes,” he whispered, a fist sinking into her skirts, cupping her bottom. Drawing her leg up until he pressed hard against the aching chasm of her thighs.

Mouth rasping over hers, he bit at her lip, thrusting just a little against her. Capturing her hands, he turned her and forced her up against the door, her breasts crushed against the timber. One knee wedged between her thighs, his teeth scraping against her neck. His tongue darted out to trace the leaping thump of her carotid as his fist curled in the back of her skirts. He forced them higher, cool air whispering over her stockinged calves.

Mina moaned, her nipples hard and aching against her corset. The doorknob pressed into her hip and she had the sudden shocking thought that if anyone turned it, they’d find her here, gasping and writhing as Barrons buried himself beneath her skirts. The rest of the ball was so close, yet nobody would ever suspect what was going on behind the door.

Somehow he had her skirts bunched between them, a hand sliding around her waist to boldly cup her between the thighs. Her eyes shot wide, her breath exhaling on a sharp gasp. The hard press of his body against her back and buttocks gave no yield, driving her directly against that hand. The other held her throat, tilting her head back so that his lips met no resistance when they traced the smooth line of her shoulder.

“Are you frightened of this?” he whispered, teeth sinking into the curve where her neck met her shoulder, sending a devastating ache all the way through her. Hard fingers cupped her, right where she wanted them. “Are you frightened of losing control?”

She couldn’t speak. Could only give a muffled sob as her head fell forward, her forehead resting against the door. “Oh God.”

This weakness in her…this longing… Only he knew of it. Only he could destroy her with a few simple touches.

Barrons’s hips ground against her, forcing hers against the mocking cup of his hand. Exquisite sensation streaked through her. She knew what he wanted, and she couldn’t stop herself from giving it to him. She could feel the tension in him relax a little as he felt her capitulation.

“Yes?” he whispered.

She rubbed against him again, aching where he touched her.

“Yes?” he demanded.

And curse her weakening body but she whispered, “Yes.”

Silence filled the room. Only the vague sounds of the ball filtered through the door, mingling with their harsh breathing. Barrons’s hand stilled, then slowly, slowly began gathering up fistfuls of her petticoats. He dragged them up out of his way with a whisper of noise. Mina ached badly at the sudden cease of sensation. She quivered at the thought of what was to come.

Then his lips caressed the sharp mark his teeth had left against her neck and his hand finally fell from her throat, curling possessively down over her breast. “I’ve never been your enemy, Mina,” he whispered.

And then those clever fingers slid through the slit in her drawers until they found hot, wet flesh. Sinfully wet. Betraying her last secret to him.

Mina’s lips parted on a silent gasp as he traced slow, steady circles around where she wanted him most. She couldn’t help herself. Her hand slid between her body and the door, finding his through the acres of petticoats and guiding him exactly where she wanted him.

There.
This time her breath was almost a sob.

“There’s no rush, my love.” His lips nuzzled her ear, but his fingers pressed hard against her and she almost screamed.

She hadn’t been touched in so long, and never like this. Always, always, she’d controlled her liaisons. It went against everything in her to let him do this to her.

Or no, she had no aspirations.

She had no control when it came to him. He was her master, taking the breath from her lungs and the words from her lips. Taking everything he damned well wanted from her and leaving her moaning helplessly like this as he fucked her with his fingers. Sliding just his fingertips inside her until she shamelessly arched her hips to give him better access, silently begging him to fill her.

Thighs falling apart, she couldn’t stop the cascade of sensation. Of his breath, wet against her ear, or his teeth, sinking into the soft flesh of her lobe. Her body was bucking against his hand, pressing harder, wanting the release that he promised. The hand between her legs stroked, delicious tension unfurling, and she bit back a sob. Barrons pressed against her, crushing her body against the door so that she couldn’t move, not even a twitch, forcing her to let his fingers do the work so that she was completely under his control.

“Let it out, Mina.” A hot whisper against her skin. “Let me hear you come.”

A swift shake of the head.
Oh
God.
Her claws raked the door, sinking into the timber. Biting her lip, she relished the small pain as her hips jerked against his touch.

And then it was sweeping over her like a fever. Somewhere a soft moan sounded. Herself. She collapsed against the door, firm hands capturing her and holding her there, quivering, as a strangled sort of noise came from her throat. Fingers brushed against her mouth and she sank her teeth into them, moaning softly as his other hand whispered over her wet skin, making slow, devastating circles with his fingertips that knotted her tight again and pushed her over that exquisite edge. This time she came with a gasp, almost a scream, buried against his fingers.

Mina shook her head, silky hair tumbling down around her shoulders. “Stop,” she begged. “No more.”
I
can’t take any more.

The world dropped away, leaving her a quivering mess. Somehow she found herself in his arms, her face pressed against the smooth, clean linen of his shirt as he held her against the door, making quiet
shushing
noises. A hand, so gentle, stroked over her hair, as if to soothe her in the aftermath of something that had been so shockingly potent, her bones still felt burned to ashes.

Mina clung to him. Time seemed to stop and she could hardly breathe, some part of her not daring to break the spell. She was no stranger to sex, but this…this tenderness… She didn’t understand it. Nor could she pull away from it. This, more than anything, drew her like a moth to a flame. Had any man ever held her in his arms like this, quietly waiting for her to come back to herself?

She knew the answer to that.
No.
She’d never allowed any man to touch her like this, even if he’d had the inclination. Only Barrons didn’t bother to ask.

And she wanted it. She wanted to be weak enough to lean on him, to let him hold her. Someone she could lean against to catch her breath, just for a moment, even though she knew she could never rely on him. Just a fancy, a dream, a foolish little wish. Her fingers flexed in his coat and then she gathered herself and withdrew from his arms, her skirts tumbling down her stockinged legs.

Mina pressed her hands against her cheeks. So hot. And she was throbbing too, her body crying out for more, telling her that this was not done yet.

“Mina,” Barrons murmured, lifting a hand to her hot cheek. “Are you all right?”

At that she breathed a laugh. All right? Shocked, broken, shattered. Shaken to the core. But not all right. She didn’t think she’d ever feel like herself again. “I’m fine.”

Leo cupped her face in both hands and forced her gaze to his, trying to see the truth of that. In the darkness, he could barely make out her features, but even here he could see the bottomless black of her eyes. Her hunger.

His heart was pounding, his own need a flush of heat through his veins. That she had let him do that to her… That she had wanted it. Blood and glory, he wanted more—had to hold himself back—for what he saw in her eyes was hunger, but wariness too. She wasn’t ready, and he’d long known this to be a game of patience between them. A game of seduction. He had to take this step by step or he would risk frightening her away.

Letting out a shaky breath, he pressed his lips to her forehead gently, feeling the tremble within her. Eight long years he’d wanted her, and now she was in his arms…but he still didn’t have her. And it was clear from her threat that she was trying to find some way to restore her control of this situation.

Did he dare trust her? She had to be wondering the same thing. So how could he demand she give her body over to him if he did not share some of his intent with her?

His gut clenched, but he forced the words out. “If you want the truth, Mina, you have in your hands information that could ruin me. You could cut at the Duke of Caine while you’re at it, but you’ll never bring your father back. You’ll never slake that empty hole inside yourself that you think vengeance will fill.” His thumb stroked her jaw. “All you’ll do is destroy me. Not him. Me.”

Those dark eyes lifted to his, widening in shock—and then uncertainty.

“Your choice,” he whispered. “I know you’re frightened of what’s happening between us, but in this…you have all the power.”

“You’re a fool,” she blurted out. “To tell me of this.”

“Maybe.” He
was
a fool. When it came to her, he was the worst kind, and damn him for it, but he couldn’t help himself. “Or maybe I think I know you, just a little. Maybe I’m the only one who’ll ever risk getting close enough to know all of you. You can either run from that or ruin me so that you feel safe, but I don’t think you want to.” He brushed that same thumb against her lip, his voice dropping. “But the choice is yours, in this and everything between us. I won’t deny that I want you, Mina, but you’re the one who’s going to have to take that step, and so I choose to trust you with this.”

With that, he took a step back, his hands dropping from her face. Mina stared after him, her fingers brushing against her lips as though she still felt his touch.

Slipping the door open, he paused on the threshold. “You have nothing to fear from me. You never did.”

Then he closed the door behind him, leaving her to gather herself and hoping that he’d made the right decision.

* * *

Mina stared into the fireplace in her study, rolling the cut crystal glass against her lips and seeing nothing. She’d left the ball early, too shattered to stay and make pleasantries when inside she was boiling like a storm.

Choices.

Barrons had all but admitted he was a bastard, and she could pursue this if she wished. She had the ability to finally ruin the Duke of Caine—to bring down the man who’d had a hand in her father’s death.

And in doing so she’d destroy the only man who’d somehow managed to touch beneath her smooth, glossy surface. The only man with the strength of will to match hers. She wouldn’t deny that was part of the attraction. Standing in her gilded ivory tower, she was untouchable—except by Barrons. Nobody else dared try to scale her walls, and she’d thought once that she wished it that way.

I
won’t deny that I want you, Mina…
But the question was, what did he want from her? And could she afford to pay that price?

Damn him, why had he told her the truth? Why had he put this power into her hands, then walked away? She could destroy him; he had to know that.

She owed her father that much.

Didn’t she?

The fire slowly swam back into focus, hot flame licking brutally at wood. Mina stared at it for a moment longer, then turned to the desk with Gow’s incriminating file upon it. Her hands quivered a little as she flipped it open and stared at the photographs.