The Irish Duke (42 page)

James folded a small linen towel and tucked it beneath his pillow.
With any luck I’ll need this before the night is over.

He watched Lu come through the adjoining door into the master bedchamber. He experienced a flaring desire that threatened to consume him. It took him a moment to get it under control. He saw her begin to undo the buttons of her riding habit. “Let me undress you.”

The corners of her mouth went up in a bewitching smile. “I have heard an Irish superstition that green gives a woman power over a man. Are you not afraid that I will drive you to your knees, Abercorn?”

That’s exactly the position I’ll crave once I have you naked
. “Show me no mercy.” He was beside her in two strides, and his fingers finished undoing her buttons and lifting off her riding dress. He turned her about and lifted her hair. “Here is another sensual place my lips cannot resist.” He dipped his head and touched his tongue to the back of her neck. “You taste and smell deliciously feminine.”

A tiny frisson of desire ran down her spine.

From behind, James wrapped one arm about her waist and raised her arm. His lips touched her wrist, and then he dropped a trail of kisses along her arm until he reached her shoulder. He set his mouth close to her ear and blew on the curly tendrils of her hair.

He removed her busk and ruffled drawers then trailed his lips down along the curve of her bare back. He felt her quiver when he kissed her tempting round bottom. When she was naked, save for her stockings and garters, he picked her up and carried her to their bed. He laid her down and spread her tantalizing hair across the pillow.

“You are beautiful in your witchery.”

She reached up and traced her fingers over the sleek contours of his chest muscles. “Aren’t you going to take off my stockings?”

“Later. Green satin garters hold me in thrall.”

She was beginning to realize that a woman’s power over a man had its own potent magic. Her feminine instincts were urging her to be more daring.

His mouth curved into a smile.
Lady Lu, you do possess great power, you just haven’t learned to brandish it. Once you do, it will be devastating.
James allowed his smoldering glance to travel the length of her body. With the towel still about his hips, he knelt above her, straddling her soft thighs that were decorated with the garters. “I’m going to taste you.”

She licked her lower lip and closed her eyes in anticipation of the kiss.

“I’m going to taste you everywhere.”

Her lashes flew up as she felt his lips kiss the tendrils on her mons. She saw his dark head dip low between her thighs. “You must not,” she whispered breathlessly.

“Darling, I must.”

She saw his face become taut and hungry with need. As his mouth moved closer to her secret center she feared he would devour her. She arched her body and in that moment his thumbs touched her cleft and opened her slightly. Then he covered her with his hot mouth and licked her bud delicately with his tongue. The sensations he aroused were so exquisitely pleasurable, she wanted to scream with excitement.

He began to thrust his tongue in and out, longing to make her feel wild and wondrous. She was so small and tight, he could tell that she was still virgin, and he vowed to keep her that way for a while. Making love to her with his mouth aroused him to madness. He would never get enough of her.

As all her senses heightened, she arched into his mouth and cried, “James . . . James!”

James felt her climax as her sugared sheath tightened on his tongue; then he enjoyed her tiny pulsations as she shuddered with pleasure. Before he withdrew, he licked her swollen bud, relishing her cries of bliss.

She lay sprawled before him in wanton splendor, and he threw off the towel and moved up over her to capture her mouth in a passionate kiss. He thrust in his tongue, imitating what he longed to do with his cock, knowing that soon he would impale her with his hard shaft. But not yet, not until she was ready.

Lu tasted herself on his lips and it made her feel wicked. Making love to her with his mouth was addictive. She wanted him to do it again and again.

James was in a fever of arousal. His gut ached from their love play that hadn’t reached its natural conclusion. If he didn’t have release soon he knew that his hard erection would become painful. His body screamed with the pent-up desire that was surging through him. “Touch me, Lu.”

He took possession of her hand and drew it slowly down his body. Then guiding her fingers he wrapped them around his marble- hard shaft. “Grip me firmly,” he directed. As he manipulated her hand, slowly at first, then faster and faster, the hot sliding friction made his blood pound. He could not find release until he imagined he was inside her, with her slim legs wrapped about his body. He pictured her beneath him, writhing, panting, and moaning. Only then did his orgasm start. He held her hand still as his cock bucked and his seed spurt forth like a small fountain. “Thank you, sweetheart.” James reached beneath his pillow for the linen towel.

Louisa buried her face against his shoulder, marveling at the power she had over him. The intimacy between them was a thing to be savored. Here in the big bed, the world receded and left them alone in their own private cocoon. She smiled her secret smile. Tonight when he whispered,
“I love you, Lu
,” she might not be dreaming.

W
hen Louisa awoke, James was leaning on one elbow gazing down at her.

She stretched luxuriously. “Good morning.”

He reached for her hand, dropped a kiss into her palm and closed her fingers over it. “Don’t you think it’s about time that you shared your secret with me, Lady Lu?”

“Secret?” She searched his eyes.

“You never had a miscarriage . . . you were never with child.”

She stared at him in shock.
How on earth did you find out?
She licked lips gone suddenly dry. “What makes you think such a thing?”

“Because, my darling, your hymen is intact. You are still virgin.”

“James . . . I . . .” She bit her lip. “It’s very complicated. Mother didn’t deliberately deceive you.”
O Lord, how can I explain?
“I was the one who deceived you.” She rushed on, “But at the time, it was the lesser of two evils.”
I shouldn’t have said that.

“Marrying me was the lesser of two evils?”

“No, I didn’t mean that.” She took a deep breath. “James, I couldn’t tell you the truth without betraying . . .” Her voice trailed away.

“Without betraying your sister.”

“How did you know?” Lu’s voice was filled with surprise.

“A wild guess,” he said dryly. “It’s no secret to me that Georgy was sexually active.”

“She only confessed to me just before Christmas. She said she would kill herself if anyone learned of her shameful secret.”

“Georgy is far too selfish to kill herself.”

“She’s not selfish!”

“She allowed you to take the blame—I call that selfish.”

“But I’m stronger than Georgy. She was terrified and had no one else to turn to.”

“But you did. You could have turned to me, Lu, and told me in confidence.”

“You would have killed . . .” Her voice again trailed away.

“Teddy Fox? Absolutely, I would have killed him, if he had done it to you. But what’s between him and Georgy is none of my business.”

She searched his face. “James, can you forgive my deceiving you?”

“There is nothing to forgive. You are my heart’s desire. If you hadn’t been coerced, you might never have agreed to marry me.” He winked at her. “By choosing the lesser of two evils you are the Marchioness of Abercorn
until death us do part.”

She went into his outstretched arms and nuzzled his shoulder. “James, I’m so glad you know. You have lifted a weight off my conscience.” She raised her eyes to his. “I should have agreed to marry you long ago. To be precise, I’m sorry I didn’t accept your proposal the night you arranged for me to dance at Covent Garden.”

“I shouldn’t have let you leave. I should have made you my prisoner until you gave in to my demands.”

“Irish devil.” She lifted her lips and kissed him. “I love it when you are dominant.”

“I’ll remember,” he promised.

“What a clever girl you are, Tara.” The raven had hopped onto the windowsill. “You must be feeling adventurous.” Louisa filled the bird’s pot with water. “I’ll go downstairs and get you some food.”

As she moved toward the door, the young raven hopped to the floor and began to follow her. “Come on, then.” When they got to the staircase, Tara hopped down the first two steps and then stopped. “Perhaps you’d like a ride.” She reached down her hand and the raven hopped onto it. Lu carefully lifted the bird to her shoulder then continued descending the stairs with slow steps. She was absolutely thrilled that the raven considered her an ally rather than an enemy.

“I see you have cast another spell,” James teased.

The raven cawed. “Don’t you dare try to steal her affections from me, you womanizer! She’s hungry. I do hope her wing is healing. Perhaps tomorrow we could take her outside and teach her to fly.”

“She knows how to fly, Lu. She just needs to regain her confidence. When you’ve finished tending your charge, we’ll go to the stables and check on the colt. Then I’d like you to join me in the library. I want your ideas on how to redesign a couple of rooms.”

“You don’t really. You’re just trying to boost my confidence.”

He shook his head. “Any more confidence, Lady Lu, and you’ll be wearing the trousers around here.”

Louisa cut up more venison for the raven and watched her eat a few pieces. Then she took her back up to her boudoir where she knew the bird would be safe.

A short time later in the stables, they found Jasmine, suckling her colt. “Sultan looks like he has grown overnight.”

“That’s because his coat is dry and fluffy today. Tomorrow we’ll let them out into one of the paddocks. You’ll enjoy watching him learn to run.”

She drew in a deep breath of appreciation. “I love everything about Ireland.”

In a flash he had his arms around her, and dipped his head to capture her mouth. He caressed her round bottom with his hands. “Tell the truth and shame the devil—it’s the
Irishman
you love.”

“Cocksure sod!”

 

“This room is far too small for a library.” Louisa gazed up at the bookshelves as James stood at the library table looking down at the architectural plans of Barons Court.

“It certainly cannot compare to your father’s magnificent library at Woburn,” he said with regret.

“But James, there’s no reason why we cannot duplicate Woburn’s library. We just need to design it in another chamber that is more spacious.”

“You may have hit upon the solution. We have no shortage of rooms.”

They went in search of a chamber that could be redesigned. Next to the long gallery was a room that was large enough, but it was a bit dark and dismal. “I want my library to have an upper level like your father’s. We could do that here, but it wouldn’t be anywhere near as cheerful and welcoming,” he complained.

“Would it be possible to put a dome in the ceiling like the one in the rotunda? That lovely oval room lets in so much daylight and sunshine.”

James smiled and slipped his arm around her. “See what we can produce when we put our minds together?” He drew her close so that her soft breasts rested against his chest. “Together, I warrant there is no limit to what we can create.”

Louisa drew in a swift breath. There was no mistaking his meaning.
By create, you mean procreate.
A frisson of desire swept through her.
You are breaching all my defenses, James Hamilton. I must double my guard.

That night however, in the big bed, her caution deserted her, as her body responded to his shamelessly. When he brushed his lips against her thigh, or when his fingers stroked her bud with a tantalizing rhythm, or when she felt his hot erection slide across her belly, she writhed, and panted, and cried out her pleasure.

In return she exalted in making him gasp and groan as she cupped his heavy testes and wrapped her teasing fingers around his rigid cock.

 

During the next few days they went fishing in their own river where the shadowy pools teemed with trout. They swam in the lake with the otters that had grown used to them, crept through the woods at night to watch the badgers romp about with their young, and took the young raven out to the park to tempt her to fly.

“James, look! Another raven has just flown into the tree.” She had perched Tara on a low branch.

“Let’s move back toward our horses and watch.”

The new arrival hopped from branch to branch until it reached Tara. They cawed to each other and bobbed their heads in communication.