The Hallucinatory Duke (9 page)

“Does that mean…?” Amelia couldn’t find the words to complete her question, but Jack appeared to understand.

“I don’t know what it means. I don’t understand these feelings. But I know I want to spend the next phase of my life—maybe the rest of my life—becoming acquainted, or reacquainted, with you.”

When he pulled her to him, she turned her face upward to give him access to her lips, and he smiled gently before bending to accept her offering. His kiss initially was so filled with tenderness that it almost brought tears to her eyes, but after a few seconds, their mutual need began to build and their kiss became both passionate and fierce. 

Amelia was already breathing heavily when she finally broke away. Joy and desire were now so intermingled within her, she couldn’t keep from smiling. “If you’ll forgive me for saying so, my dear Jack, you’re definitely overdressed for the occasion.”

After all, she’d never bothered to put her robe back on, and her nightshirt was doing a poor job of hiding her hardened nipples.

He returned her smile as he pulled his T-shirt over his head then bent to toss it towards the chair. When he straightened, she stepped into his arms, pressing her breasts against his naked chest.

He would have kissed her again, but she pulled back. “My bedroom,” she said breathlessly. “Can we make it that far?”

He responded by simply picking her up. “We’ll make it.” He licked the side of her face. “God, you taste good.”

She wrapped her arm around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder. “You know, it’s strange.”

He’d taken a couple of steps but immediately stopped. “Strange? Please don’t tell me we’re going to have to deal with more strange encounters of some sort.”

She laughed, causing her breasts to jiggle against his chest, which sent quivers of desire pulsing downward through her torso and deep into her belly. “Don’t stop, for heaven’s sake. I was merely thinking that even your kisses seem familiar.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not as far as I’m concerned. I like thinking that we have some connection in addition to this really, really strong attraction I feel towards you. Does that bother you?”

“Only if it’s going to keep you from going to bed with me.”

“No danger of that. Are you getting tired? You can set me down if you want to.”

“No thanks. I was looking forward to falling onto the bed with you still in my arms. Does that work for you?”

She laughed again. “Depends on whether you fall on top of Wellington or not. You might want to take a quick peek to make sure he isn’t in the centre of the bed.”

Jack just grinned and hefted her in his arms. “Wellington’s a cat. He can move fast if need be.”

Amelia was still laughing a few seconds later when Jack toppled them both onto her bed. If Wellington had been sleeping there, he’d had enough sense to get out of the way.

She immediately kicked off her flip-flops and reached for the waistband of Jack’s jeans. Never had she been so horny and so happy at the same time. Banter with Jack was downright fun, but she was thinking she was going to combust if he didn’t soon get naked and get his hands on her.

She didn’t have to wait long. He pushed her hands away so he could unfasten his jeans. He shoved them off then pushed her nightshirt up above her breasts. She wiggled until she could pull her arms out of the sleeves. He yanked it over her head, tossed it to one side, then cupped both breasts in his hands before pulling back to stare at them.

“You’re absolutely gorgeous.”

She groaned. “I’m glad you approve. Feel free to demonstrate just how you feel about them.”

“You mean like this?” He lowered his head and dragged his tongue across her right nipple.

She pulled in a shuddering breath. “That’s a good start.” She rubbed her hand across his back. His muscles rippled under her palm. “But just be warned, I’m pretty greedy.”

He grinned, took the nipple in his mouth and ran his tongue around the areola.

Amelia grabbed his head and pulled him closer, pressing her breast into his mouth. Then she pushed him away. “Up here,” she moaned. “I want your mouth on my mouth.”

“Your wish, my command, et cetera,” he murmured, giving her nipple a final flick with his tongue before letting her pull him upward until she could plunge her tongue into his mouth.

He allowed her to take the lead for a few minutes, which suited her. She loved entangling her tongue with his. She loved the contrast between the smooth softness of the roof of his mouth and the rough texture of his tongue. She loved the way he tasted of minty mouthwash and bitter coffee.

Then he took control again, and she relinquished it gladly, giving herself over to the joys of being loved by a man who knew how to please a woman.

After thoroughly exploring her mouth, he kissed her ear, her temple, and the side of her neck until he’d finally moved his way down her throat and below her collarbone.

She moaned when he paused to lick the sensitive skin all around the outer edges of her breasts. She moaned even louder when he at last moved to the extra-sensitive tips and pulled a nipple into his mouth.

A second later, when he paused and took his mouth away so he could ask a question, she was positive the soft brush of his breath against her nipple would drive her over the edge. She grappled for control while trying to concentrate on his question.

“Is there anything I’m doing that you don’t like? Or anything you’d like that I’m not doing?”

“You’re doing just fine,” she assured him. “If I have any problems or requests, you’ll be the first person I tell.”

“Good to know,” he murmured, a smile in his voice. “I’d hate for the postman to find out before I did.”

She smiled and slapped him on the rear. “Get busy, you. We only have the rest of the night.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She could feel his lips stretch into a grin as he positioned his mouth over her left nipple and began to suck. She pulled in a deep breath then pushed her hand downward between their bodies. She could feel his erection pressing against her belly, but she wanted her hand wrapped around it.

He twisted a bit to ease the pathway she was seeking, and her wish was soon granted. He was warm and hard and soft all at the same time, and she loved squeezing his dick and feeling it twitch. She hoped it would soon be inside her.

But first, she wanted his hands on her mound and inside her folds. She pulled away from him just enough to give her room to spread her legs. “Maybe you could…” She hadn’t didn’t have to finish her sentence. He slid his hand straight down her belly and cupped her for a minute before he eased a finger inside.

“Wow, I love that you’re so wet,” he murmured.

“Oh God, that feels so good. You know what I’d like?”

“Tell me.”

“I’d like for you to make me come this way before you put your dick inside me.”

“Glad to. With my hand or with my mouth?”

“Just your hand, please. My system can only tolerate so much stimulation at one time.”

He laughed softly. “Thanks for being willing to share your needs with me.”

She kept her hand wrapped firmly around his dick. “Are there any suggestions you want to share with me?”

“Hey, I’m not hard to please, no pun intended. Just the knowledge that my dick will soon be inside you is all I need to know.”

Amelia didn’t try to talk any more. She wasn’t sure she would have been able to form a coherent sentence anyway, because his fingers were working magic. Keeping his thumb on her clit, he plunged two fingers inside her. Immediately she thrust her hips up to increase the pressure and seconds later, her climax grabbed her and had her gasping out her release.

“Oh my, that was good,” she said when she could talk again. “No, not good. Great. Very great.” She grinned weakly. “What are you waiting for, Jack? Don’t you have something you mentioned wanting to do?”

He groaned. “Did I? Give me a minute to remember. All the blood seems to have left my brain.”

She laughed just before tilting her hips upward. He guided himself inside her, slowly and gradually, until he was fully encased. When he started moving, she caught his rhythm almost immediately. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so in tune with anyone so quickly before.

He grabbed her ankles and propped her legs on his shoulders. “Okay?” he asked.

“Good,” she replied. “Great. Fantastic.”

He pounded into her and she revelled in the sensations that were building and building and building until—at last—her climax exploded, taking her to heights she’d never experienced before.

He followed almost immediately, and a few seconds later, they had collapsed on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, laughing breathlessly. Amelia snuggled into his arms, loving the feeling of security she found there.

Neither tried to speak for several minutes, and Amelia was quite content to merely lie with her head on his shoulder while her heart rate returned to normal, but she couldn’t help laughing softly when he finally spoke.

“They say that scientific experiments should be repeated numerous times in order to validate the results. Personally, I subscribe to that opinion. How about you?”

“Indubitably,” Amelia responded immediately. “I hope you’re up for another experiment soon. Pun intended.”

He laughed. “That’s what I like about you. You’re smart and funny and sexy as hell.”

Amelia cringed, almost expecting her thigh to start burning at Jack’s use of the word
hell,
but when nothing happened, she fully accepted that Jackson and Amy would not be calling on them again.

And in addition, she was now convinced, not only that she and Jack had known each other in the past, but that they were destined to enjoy a happy and fulfilling future together, full of all the passion and love they would need for this life, and any more they might be fortunate enough to experience down the road somewhere.

Also available from Total-E-Bound Publishing:

Rogues of Deception: The Rose’s Bloom

Danielle Lisle

Excerpt

Chapter One

Northern Dorset Forest, England, 1803.

A clear blue sky was a rarity at this time of year. England had the worst weather, apart from Scotland, perhaps, where it rained no matter what the season.

Damon knew he shouldn’t complain, especially on a day as grand as this. The birds were singing, the wind whispered softly as it passed him, and the wildlife rustled in the underbrush. He was not after a small creature. No, he had his sights on a mighty stag. His man of business had mentioned seeing one in the area when he had recently journeyed from London. How prized would the animal look hanging on his wall? Of course, his study was already filled with the heads of other beasts, but Damon would make sure his staff found room for this creature’s massive antlers.

Approaching the large, winding river where he hoped his prey would stop to drink, Damon was surprised to notice a white mare tethered to a fallen tree. The mare raised her head as he approached, though she paid him and his black stallion little mind, finding the greenery below more appealing. He noticed the horse wore a sidesaddle and Damon’s eyebrows drew down as he looked for another steed. The mare was a fine horse, her saddle also of noble quality, yet it was unlikely a lady of nobility would have ridden out alone. A lady would never be found unchaperoned. It could ruin her reputation.

Scanning the tree line along the wide river, he became more puzzled as time progressed. Had the lady come to some harm? Where was she?

A sudden ripple in the water caught his attention. A woman rose, gasping for breath, taking the air deep into her lungs before she laughed, flipping onto her back, floating around as she gazed up at the blue sky.

It took Damon a moment to overcome his shock at the woman’s sudden appearance before he noticed she wore nothing but her slip. A very sheer slip. His eyes moved hungrily over the wet material, which clung to the vibrant curves underneath. The round softness of her breasts and the darker shadow at the apex of her sex intrigued him, as it would any hot-blooded male. His cock hardened as he sat upon his steed, conflicted between twin desires—to watch, or to make the girl aware of his presence? The former won out, and he encouraged his steed backwards, into the thickness of the forest along the river, concealing their presence. He was thankful for the soft splatter of water falling from the small waterfall upstream, masking his steed’s hoof falls.

Unable to bear not viewing her for long, Damon dismounted and tethered his stallion to a branch before hurrying back towards the river, where he perched himself against a tree like a hunter stalking his prey.

The girl, who he could now see clearly to be about eight and ten, perhaps, still floated carelessly on top of the water. She kicked her legs gracefully and ever so slightly, to keep herself from drifting downriver. Upon each movement, as a leg bent, the wet material of her slip clung to her sex, teasing him with glimpses of the hidden treasure.

His cock pulsed in his breeches, reminding Damon it had been too long since he had bedded a woman. Shifting his stance to release the tension behind the fabric, Damon groaned. Instead of easing his discomfort, it seemed to have advanced it. How divine it would feel to sink into the warmth of a woman’s sheath at that moment, pounding into her heavenly softness with the sun’s heat at his back. He shifted his stance again. Blast it!

His mind then travelled over the possibilities of who this woman could be. Several properties surrounded his own and shared access to the river. Her steed indicated she was a lady of quality—her identity could fall to a number of daughters of lords in the area.

The soft and carefree humming of the woman focused his attention back to her tempting body as it floated on the water’s surface. This section of the river was calm, the stream flowing little, yet enough to turn her around, exposing her as a delectable feast for his eyes.