Tessa's Redemption (9 page)

* * * *

Alex stared up at the dark ceiling, Tessa curled up against his side. He and Angel had wrought three climaxes out of her tonight, even after their taking of her in the parlor. Their girl was so hot, her entire being so sensitive to their loving, that she melted with them. God, the feel of her tight ass holding him as Angel slid his massive cock in and out of her pussy had been like nothing he’d ever felt before. He wanted to do it again, and soon.

He grinned to himself. Not that licking her pussy as Angel thrust into her mouth wasn’t delightful, too. Then she’d sucked Alex as well, keening with pleasure as Angel fucked her from behind. It was simply astounding.

She’d been so quiet at dinner, though. She wasn’t a woman to prattle on about things, that was true. But a thin line of worry had marred her brow, disappearing only later when she came so hard his ears still rang with her cries.

Had what he and Angel done been too much for her? She came in the parlor, that was undeniable. Yet their conversation before and after Angel’s arrival stuck with him. She still worried over what had happened in the past. She fretted over their living arrangement now. She might have spoken her forgiveness, but it was a poor substitute for having her at last give herself completely, body and soul. Her body they had for certain. Her soul? Maybe Angel should read a few sermons here in their bed to lend some comfort to their girl.

Alex had originally wanted to keep her for himself. However, now that he and Angel had fucked her together, he felt himself shifting his desires to include the man in his future with Tessa. Did he want to keep Angel with them? Did Tessa want to make what they shared a permanent arrangement?

She let out a sigh and burrowed against his neck. Setting aside his worry, he breathed in her scent and it calmed him. Tomorrow would be soon enough to discuss matters with the sainted Angel. Tonight he would take comfort in the knowledge that even after giving herself to Angel so many times now, she still preferred to sleep in
his
arms.

He would take that as a good omen. One of the luckiest days of his life had been the day she’d shown up at his mother’s house, second only to the day she’d come to him after Angel cast her out. He was no fool. He’d been blessed with good fortune and was damned if he would let it slip away from him.

Chapter 10

Alex strolled once more down High Street, alone this afternoon. He’d tried to entice Tessa into a shopping trip, but since their interlude in Angel’s office three days past, she had refused to leave the house. Mrs. Iverson took care of her needs, food and drink and any creature comforts. Alex saw that nothing came up lacking. There was no true need for Tessa to ever venture into the village. He did not, however, wish for her to avoid the place.

He paused in front of the milliner’s. Perhaps he would pay a call on the lecherous lout. He passed two women on their way out, their arms holding packages.

“Why, Mr. Latham,” he drawled, letting the door close behind him.

“Mr. D’Bushey!” the man crowed. “Welcome, welcome!”

Alex threw a glance about the crowded store and arched a brow. “Business must be good.”

“Yes, yes.” Latham stepped closer. “Are you here in Oake to pay a call on Mr. LeClare, perhaps?”

“Of course.” Alex answered. “Although, Mr. LeClare
is
staying at my home. Surely you must know that we speak quite regularly.”

The man went as white as the linens spread on the table before him. “Oh, I…Mr. LeClare has proven very valuable to me.”

“Oh?” Alex asked. “I do recall his saying you have business with him. Of course, that is not all he said.”

Latham’s fat cheeks wobbled as he hurried over to Alex. He motioned wildly for Alex to join him at the back of the store, away from the prying eyes of his patrons, no doubt.

Alex followed at his own pace. “I take it you have something of a private nature to say to me?”

“Pray, do not take offense. I know of your familial connection to, ah, Miss Derbyshire.”

Alex stared at him for a long moment, relishing the unease on his ruddy face. “I do not much like for my cousin’s name to be bandied about the village, Latham. I thought we had discussed this several months ago.”

“Yes, yes!” Latham rushed out. “I merely asked after the lady’s welfare, is all.”

Alex snorted. “Hardly. But as long as you do not persist in tale-carrying, I have no qualms continuing my patronage. And that of my houseguests.”

“Capital, capital,” Latham said. He brightened and gestured about the store. “Surely you would like to purchase something for Miss Derbyshire this afternoon?”

Alex laughed softly. “You have a set of brass balls, Latham,” he said. “However, I do believe she might like those silk scarves I saw in the window. The pretty blue ones on the left.”

A smile curved the other man’s thick lips. “Let me make a gift of them.” He barked an order to a clerk near the front of the store to retrieve them and faced Alex once more. “It is the least I can do for such a valued customer.”

Alex gave a nod as he waited for the scarves to be wrapped. He took the parcel from the clerk and turned to go. “Have a good day, Latham.”

“Thank you, Mr. D’Bushey! You as well.”

Alex said no more as he left the store.

“Perverted old goat,” he grumbled as he strode toward Angel’s office.

He opened the door to the outer chamber and called out a greeting.

“Come, Alex,” Angel returned from his office.

Alex shut the door to the street and entered Angel’s space. “Good afternoon, Angel.”

Angel held up a hand as he feverishly wrote something on the paper before him. He quickly perused the sheet, gave a nod, and slipped it into a folder. Setting it aside, he raised his head to face Alex. “Good afternoon.”

“Business is good?” Alex asked, far more interested in Angel’s answer than he had been in Latham’s.

“It’s growing,” Angel allowed. He stretched to peer over Alex’s shoulder, a hopeful expression on his face. “Is Tessa not with you?”

“No.” He sat the package of scarves on the desk and sat to face Angel. “I could not entice her to join me this afternoon.”

Angel’s fair brows drew together. “That is not…Alex, I have an inkling that something grave is troubling our girl.”

Alex opened his mouth to correct his words, and then he shut it. Tessa was their girl, in spite of Alex’s intentions when he’d first proposed this arrangement. “I do as well.”

Angel raked his fingers through his hair and leaned back in his chair. “That night we both took her.” The memory of bliss crossed his face, gone in a moment. “Something changed that night. I felt it.”

“I feel it still,” Alex said. The words that had come to him over the past few days rose to the front of his mind. Taking a breath, he forged ahead. “Angel, I love Tessa. I have almost from the start.”

“You admit it at last?” Angel asked.

Alex blinked. “At last? What do you mean?”

Angel fiddled with the papers on his desk, his eyes downcast. “I have seen it, Alex.”

“You’ve seen…I cannot deny it.”

Angel swallowed audibly. “She loves you, too.”

Alex’s heart tripped at the other man’s words. “Tell me you’ve seen that as well?”

“Yes.” Angel let out a sigh. “I can no longer fathom taking her from you.”

Alex felt a blooming in his chest. “God, what fools we’ve been.”

Angel slid him a look. “Explain your meaning, pray?”

“I wanted to keep her to me. She loves you, it is clear to me. And you believe she loves my blighted soul? Astounding.”

Angel folded his hands. “What do we do now?”

Alex shook his head. “I admit that something changed that night. And not just for Tessa.”

Angel smiled now. “
I
admit it surpassed anything I ever thought to experience.” His pretty face reddened. “I never felt anything like it. Alex, I…When I first saw her I was captivated by her beauty.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Alex offered. “It nearly drove me mad.”

Angel shook his head. “No. I asked her to marry me, but I never took the time to know her soul. She is all sweetness and fire, a compelling combination.”

“Our girl is amazing, Angel. We have to find a way to keep her with us.”

“Together?”

Alex blew out a breath. “Yes. Can you see yourself staying with us?”

Angel took a breath then shrugged. “To be perfectly honest, I cannot see myself without the two of you.”

Alex stood and clasped him on the shoulder, letting out a laugh. “Who would have thought it, eh?”

Angel laughed as well. The both of them sobered shortly, however.

“What of Tessa?” Alex asked.

“She seems so withdrawn, save when we’re loving her,” Angel said.

“She writes letters to her family, Angel. Letters she refuses to let me post. And today? She declined a ride into the village. I’m sure it is because of what the villagers are saying.”

Angel frowned. “No one will make our Tessa hide from the world.”

Alex thought for a moment. “We have to convince her that we love her. That she isn’t just a…What did she tell me after that time in your office? Ah, she said she wasn’t merely a plaything.”

“She is unaware of just how right she was. She is everything, Alex.”

“But will she believe us if we tell her so?”

Angel wore a look of contemplation then shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Alex stood. “Are you finished here?”

“Yes. What of my horse?”

“My driver will see it secured behind us. You and I have much to discuss on the short ride back home.”

* * * *

Tessa stared at the sheet of paper before her. It was blank, save for her little sister’s name. She couldn’t bear to write another letter to the girl. What was the point? She would never let Alex send it. To allow her family to know about her situation would mean admitting that she let herself be carried away by her passions and emotions. Just like her fall with Alex years ago, she’d thrown herself under the direct influence of another.

She laughed without humor. “Even worse than that. I am now under the control of
two
men.”

Two men who argued almost unceasingly over everything involving her life. The other night, after they’d argued over the temperature of the room, for goodness sake, she had had enough. And yet she had eagerly welcomed both of them into her body again. She craved them, which made her a weaker soul than she’d worried she’d become when she agreed to Alex’s naughty proposition.

She couldn’t go home. She had fallen so far below those poor but decent people. She could move into the village. Work as a clerk in the milliner’s, perhaps. Mr. Latham was always kind to her, though after what Angel and Alex had discussed that afternoon last week she guessed that the shopkeeper traded in gossip as well as hats and fripperies.

The Rooster’s Comb could undoubtedly use a new serving maid. She’d served her father for years and helped her mother in the kitchen. She gave a nod. It was a sound plan. She wiped at the tears suddenly on her cheeks. It was a pity that her plan gave no consideration to her primary concern.

She was hopelessly in love with two men who considered her nothing more than a bauble to fight and fuss over. She stared at the paper, her dear sister’s name blurring through her tears. Crying out in frustration, she crumpled it up and threw it to the floor.

“Tessa?” she heard Alex say from the doorway.

She looked up to see Alex and Angel standing there, identical expressions on their faces for once in their short association. They looked both concerned and curious.

She would not take note of how lovely they both looked, though. Alex’s dark sensuality set beside Angel’s bright beauty was an intoxicating combination.

“Yes,” she managed to answer.

“What is troubling you?” Angel asked, coming closer.

She sniffed and smiled up at him. “Nothing.”

“Bollocks,” Alex said, striding over to join them. “Look at me.”

She took a breath and looked into his eyes. What did he see? A woman longing to stand on her own two feet? Or the object of sexual desire that kept the two men entertained for the time being.

“You’ve been crying,” Alex said. He toed the crumpled paper and sneered. “Writing another letter to your family.”

She waved a hand and turned away. “I will not send it, Alex. It is of no consequence.”

He muttered something and Angel took her hand. “We have something to say to you, Tessa.” He appeared nervous, almost like he’d looked on the night before their wedding when he admitted to his indiscretions in London. “I daresay it is something that should have been said weeks ago.”

Tessa blinked and looked to Alex. He wore a grave expression. A cold realization settled on her. “Oh, no,” she murmured.

This is what she wanted, was it not? To be set free to make her own way? With the prospect before her she felt her breath leave her in a rush. “Say it then, Angel.” She trembled but stood her ground. “Alex, do just state your intentions.”

“Our intentions?” To her surprise, he laughed softly. “Tessa, our intentions are honorable.”

“Honorable?” she whispered.

Angel smiled. “As honorable as we can arrange, love.”

“W–What?” she asked.

They each took one of her hands in theirs.

“We want to live with you,” Angel said.

“Forever, here in this house,” Alex put in.

She looked from one to the other, seeing only determination. Anger, hot and sharp, suffused her.

“Absolutely not!” she shouted.

“Tessa…” Angel began.

“I will not continue to indulge in such a sinful manner, Angel. With either one of you, Alex.”

“Tessa mine,” Alex put in.

“Yours?” She let out a harsh laugh. “Yours. Of course. Until Angel wants to fuck me. Then you’ll watch until your jealousy gets the better of you.”

Alex shook his head wildly. “No, love. That might have been true the first time—”

“The first time, the last time. It makes no difference. Alex, admit it. You fight like two dogs over the last scrap of meat in the larder.”

“Do not speak so of yourself, Tessa,” Angel implored. “I assure you, we do not think of you that way.”

She rounded on him. “No. Truth be told, the two of you only think of yourselves. Well, I will no longer be a property to be bartered over and bargained for.”

Alex pulled her to him, holding her tight as he rained kisses on her hair, her cheek. “Tessa, love. I was wrong to propose this arrangement like I did. It was selfish of me.”

She stilled and looked up at him. “What?”

“I was selfish, but I had good reason. I was afraid you would leave me otherwise. Tessa, I love you.”

Gone was the smooth sexuality, the playful, teasing rake. In that man’s place was a sincere lover with raw emotion clear in his gaze. Her heart beat slowly, fearfully. Could she trust this Alex?

“You love me?” she asked.

He nodded. “I have from the start. I was afraid to tell you.” He smiled that Alex smile. “I didn’t think you would believe me.”

And in that instant, she did. “Oh, Alex.”

He kissed her then pulled back to motion to Angel. “Tell her your piece, Angel.”

Angel stepped close to them and cupped her face in his gentle hands. “I am more sorry than I can say for the horrid way I treated you the night before our wedding.”

The last thing she wished to do was to relive that night. “Angel, don’t.”

“I love you,” Angel went on.

He kissed her, his tongue stroking hers as Alex continued to nuzzle her neck. Oh, the two of them made her feel so good! Although the act nearly killed her, she pulled away from both of them.

“Do give me a moment!” she said.

They looked at each other once again, appearing for all the world like two men teetering on the edge. Not of passion this time, no. Of love.

“I love you both,” she admitted on a sigh.

They stared at her in stunned silence for the space of a heartbeat, then shouted out their relief and apparent joy. This was what she wanted. This was what she needed.

“What happened between us, Alex,” she began. “Two years ago. It is in the past. And Angel, you sent me to Alex.”

“What are you saying, love?” Alex asked.

“We will live together, Alex.” She stroked his face, running her fingers over his delicious mouth. “And you shall not fight over me, Angel?” She touched his face as well, and he turned to place a kiss in her palm. Standing so close to them, feeling their heat, roused her. Oh, she was indeed a wanton, but she was loved!

Walking from them, she went to the parlor doors and locked them tight. She turned with a slow smile, feeling power course through her body.

“Tessa?” Angel asked, his hot eyes running over her.

“What are you about?” Alex asked, his body rigid with growing desire.

“If we are to make a life together, there have to be some changes,” she said.

She walked back to them, running her hands over their chests to stroke their cocks through their trousers. They grew hard beneath her palms as they each gave a low groan.

“Changes?” Angel asked.

“Yes. I am to be considered a part of this odd household of ours, not a pretty trinket to set on the mantle when you to are finished playing with it.” She released Angel’s shaft from his trousers. “And I shall be allowed to direct our love play now and again.”

Alex chuckled then let out a moan as she freed his cock in turn. “Anything you wish, Tessa.”

“Angel?” she asked, stroking the broad head of his magnificent cock.

Angel closed his eyes and let his head fall back. “Christ, yes,” he answered.

Feeling empowered for the first time since running to Alex after Angel’s desertion, she grinned.

By the time they were a tangle of satisfaction on the parlor’s fine carpet, she knew she had made the right decision. She’d thought that nothing could rid her of the sins she carried, the mistakes she’d made. But by choosing to live her life with the two men she loved, they were all washed clean.