The Duke's Love (17 page)

Jake wished it was
that
easy, but he already knew what doing that would cause. “I can’t ask them leave. The gossip mongers would eat it up and
too many people would be harmed,
” Jake drawled. “Join me. I need a stiff drink, while I decide the wisest course
,
” Jake said as he backtracked his way to the study.

“No, I think I am rather tired, but you should go into the library, there is a nice fire blazing and the scotch is in there
,
”
Jordan
urged
with a sly smile. 

Jake needed more than a drink. He needed a woman to warm his bed. A man could only stay sane without
a woman’s comfort
for so long. Ever since he laid eyes on Ana, all other women
had
left his mind. Now
,
whenever he
was even tempted
to sleep with someone, the thought of Ana would creep up and ruin it. Jake stopped trying and instead put his mind on his estates and investments, which was working out better than he could
have
ever hoped.

Jake had more than doubled his income in the last year or so. It was the only proven method to distract him from her, now she was here. It was impossible. The night of the theater where he had her up against the hall came to mind. He remembered those delicious curves and
her satisfying sighs
. How she withered against him and
then
when he dragged her to her room and almost ravished her. He could feel hi
mself becoming aroused.
She was more responsive than he remembered.

Jake strode into the library and came to abrupt halt. Ana was curled up on the couch
,
silently reading by the fire. She had not noticed his entranc
e yet, which was not a surprise
. How could he have been
so
wrong about her? Was she really the type of woman who would play games and walk
out
without a second thought? He slowly closed the door behind him and stepped further into the room, closer to her.

“You’re up late
,
Ana
,
” Jake said softly. He saw Ana jump and drop her book. Jake did not even think about his actions
,
but went over
and slowly hauled
her
up in
to
his arms and
pressed
his lips
o
nto hers.
He was silently giving her a choice.
Jake felt
her momentary
hesitation
, then her acceptance
. He wrapped his arms around her, opened her mouth with his tongue, and took everything he could from her
.
This was what he was missing. Only she could provide it for him.

Jake dragged her down in front of the roaring fire. Jake swelled with satisfaction. He could feel her body giving in to him and he groaned in pleasure. She tasted sweet and smelled like heaven. He wound his hands in her hair pulling it loose and letting it glide between his fingers. He heard Ana gasping with little pleasurable sighs and grew even harder on top of her. She wiggled her body and clung to his shoulders bringing him closer to her.

"Jake….." She whispered.

Jake was more than happy to oblige. He snaked his fingers down to her chest and
caressed
her breasts through the fabric. His lips traveled from her mouth down her chin to her throat. Jake lost all reason. He wanted her. He wanted her moaning and grinding beneath him and he wanted to be inside her. He felt Ana’s fingers over his shirt tugging at the buttons and he lifted and jerked it off of him in one
swift
move and
then
he dove back down and captured her mouth savagely.

“I want you
,
Ana
,
” Jake murmured in her ear and he felt her stiffen. He paused
, not
wanting to go further i
f
she was not willing.

“Jake I can’t do this
,
” s
he whispered back. Only her body and hands were telling another story.

She looked so innocent
,
lying there
be
neath him. Jake inhaled slowly. He gazed down at her and knew the moment was lost. He knew he could easily convince her to give in, but they would both regret it in the morning. He conceded and was about to lift himself off her when he thought he heard the door closing. Closing? He had not even heard it open. He knew Ana heard it too
,
by her sudden stillness. Seconds ticked by and Jake lifted and looked around the fire lit room. He did not see anything out of place and no
one
was
around.

“Maybe we were hearing things
,
” Ana said quietly.

“I’m sorry love, I didn’t mean for this to happen
,
” Jake ignored her comment about the noise.

He knew what he heard. He just wanted to know who it was. “It probably was a servant and they know better to gossip. They couldn’t know who was in here, so it will be fine
,
”
h
e said to her. However, his servants always knocked before entering and they would be abed this time of night. His mother and brother were also in bed, so whoever it was, was a guest
,
and he intended to find out.

Jake regrettably lifted himself off her and moved to peek out the door. He did not see anyone, but it still did not relax him any. Jake looked over at Ana as she was tending to
herself
. She was blushing from head to toe. Her eyes were
looking
everywhere except
at
him.

He found it endearing and he was finding himself feeling lighter and happier with her. Jake realized the attraction and feelings were still there and stronger than before. He just needed to figure out what he was going to do about it. After minutes ticked by, they were both silent with unspoken words. Jake offered her his hand and together they walked to their rooms. Jake was still trying to cool down. Fully aware she was too easy to get to
,
being so close to him at night. He knew with the slightest indication from her
,
would have him joining her
,
and he did not want that to happen. Well, at least not yet.

Sarah ducked into the nearest available room to hide from Jake and Ana. They were coming out the library. She had to take deep breaths to calm her nerves and to collect her thoughts. After she was sure the coast was clear, Sarah snuck back into her room. Her mother was still fast asleep. Sarah was furious. Her plan
had
obviously backfired. She wanted to personally apologize for her behavior to Jake and maybe show him how sorry she was. She watched Jake go into the library and she waited a good ten minutes before she quietly slipped in.

The sight that greeted her was not a welcoming one. Jake was on the floor, locked in a passionate embrac
e
with someone! She was livid. It was her idea to seduce him. It should have been her in there. She knew who it was. Most of the household was in bed. How could Jake betray her like this?
Again, Ana had interfered, and again it was all her
fault! She had to get her away from Jake
,
but how
.
Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed. Her mind was in
a turmoil trying to think of what she
could she get away with?

Sarah needed
Jake’s
offer
of marriage
, because she was almost at the age of being considered a spinster
.
Already, the
ton
believed
there was something wrong with her.
There was no way she could endure another
season.
Her parents could obviously not
afford another season
,
even if she wanted one. She wanted the wealth and the title
of being a Duchess
.
There is no way that Ana could be allowed to take it away from her again. The title was hers and hers alone, she
deserved
it.
Sarah thought long and hard about what she could do
to ensure her marriage and how she could keep Ana from ruining her life again
.
She crawled in the bed
beside her snoring mother and closed her eyes
,
trying to think through the noise.
Hours later
, a
fter tossing and turning, she finally
thought of
a decent plan. It was an
absolut
ely
horri
d
idea, but she was desperate.

She sprung off the bed, careful not to disturb her mother and went to her mother’s armoire. Inside was a little case filled with herbs and medicine. She found the medication
that
she was looking for. Her mother had to take medicine for her heart, although she was not sure what was wrong, but it did not matter, it would fit her needs. Surely
,
if she mixed it with something, Ana would get sick and
be
forced to go home, right? She stopped herself. Was she sure that she wanted to do this? She would get a little sick, nothing major, just enough to send her home. Yes. This was what she had to do. No one would ever know.

Katherine was an early riser
, so she
was up before her sons.
They
always did like to sleep late
, s
he mused to herself
.
Some of the guests were already out of bed. Today the men would go on a
fox
hunt
and the women would gather around
to
gossip, have tea and maybe go
shopping
in the local village.
Of course, it
sounded like a bad plan to her
, because it would mean that
Lady Ana would be nowhere near Jake. She sighed
.
The
cost of getting what you want
ed sometimes
meant making concessions.

She could not
afford to
let her plans become too obvious. She had an appointment with an investigator later on in the day
.
Her runner should be getting back with her soon on her inquiry. She needed to know why Ana turned down her son two years ago
,
before she could really proceed.
With her luck, she would find that Ana had madness in her family or maybe she was crazy, but she doubted it.
She could see for herself the intelligence that Ana exhibit
ed
.

Miss Fairchild on the other hand was a thorn in her side. Did she not know the stir she
had
caused at dinner last night? The nerve of the chit! Dinner was a strained and uncomfortable affair. She hoped breakfast turned out better. She sat down and waited for her sons to join her. Some guests were already seated and talking amongst themselves. She was curious to see how the night went when Jake went to his room, knowing that Ana was right across the hall. That was ingenious on her part.
Jordan
entered the room and greeted her with a sunny smile. Jake followed on his heels. Jake looked stony and cross. Katherine noted he
had
not
bothered
to shave this morning. His impeccable image was slowly becoming unraveled. She gave herself a congratulatory pat on the back
,
knowing the reason for his disheveled look. 

Jake threw himself down beside her. “I know what you’re thinking and I want her room moved!” He said with quiet force.

“Now, Jake, how am I to move the room?” She
asked
sweetly.

“You know exactly what
I mean. She is driving me cra
zy,” h
e said gruffly.

“Jake, it has only been two nights and the first one doesn’t really count
,
”
s
he countered his remark.

Jake m
umbled incoherently. “Speak up
,
” Katherine reprimanded.

“I don’t care
,
” Jake replied sullenly.

“Look on the bright side
,
brother
.
You
will be out of the house all day and you won’t
even
see her
,
”
Jordan
butted in.