The Seduction of Sebastian St. James (24 page)

Sebastian put his hands on his hips and sighed. “Emma, what else would you like me to take off?”

Wrong question.

With a wink, she motioned with her little finger for him to approach. Things were taking a turn for the worse, and he was quite sure his body had met its limit.

And then when his face neared hers, she reached for his shirt with one hand and pulled him in for an earth shattering kiss.

“You’re forgiven,” she whispered across his lips.

Sebastian growled. “And you, my dear, have not yet been sufficiently punished.” He picked her dripping body up out of the bath and grabbed a towel, wrapping her in it. He carried her to the fireplace and, without giving her any time to protest, alternated between kissing her and drying her off.

Unfortunately, the towel was covering her legs where he wanted to run his hands up and down the smooth pearly expanse of skin. He threw the towel in a frenzy and began raining kisses from her feet all the way up to her knee.

She squealed; he didn’t stop. He continued upward until he thought she might scream. But she didn’t, instead she pulled at his body, obviously needing more of what he had to offer.

****

Emma was quite literally soaring as Sebastian reached around and pushed the towel away from her.

The room once so chilly and tense was now a blazing furnace. As Sebastian’s hands dug into her hair, she felt she was finally home where she belonged. If he had taken advantage of her last night, she might have never believed he truly loved her, that he wanted to marry her. She would have easily thought he did it out of obligation. The man was a rule follower, he didn’t do things halfway. He would never compromise a lady and leave her.

She loved him for that. She loved him for a great many things, especially the way his mouth felt against her feet, and then her calf as he raised it next to his head and began brushing wet kisses all the way up the side of her leg.

Oddly she wasn’t one bit embarrassed, mesmerized, yes, but no shame accompanied his assault, only excitement and pleasure.

Large hands dug into the back of her head as he opened her mouth and suckled her tongue all the while dizzying her with passion.

And then she felt his body leave hers. A sense of emptiness overwhelmed her and then a feeling of burning anticipation took its place. Hastily Sebastian threw down what was remaining of his clothes. His shirt and pantaloons. Fortunately for Emma she had already demanded he remove his clothing, leaving only a few objects to strip off.

Truly, he was beautiful. Everything women accused him of and more. Knowing that he hated being compared to a feminine attribute, she fought for words to describe the masculine beauty standing in front of her. Hard muscles lined his body giving him the dominance of a modern day Adonis. And then as if amused by her obvious assessment, he winked sending her stomach into a fit of butterflies. Now she was nervous.

As he approached her, she leaned forward, careful not to stare too wide eyed at everything he represented, and then somehow she was in his arms, being kissed, being awakened.

Carefully he lifted her onto the bed, still kissing her lips and neck, and then his body was covering hers. Desperate for him to be closer, she clawed at him, moaning for him, needing him more than she needed air.

He was everywhere, her brain seemed to stop working because all she knew was she was desperate for him, ached for him, and only him, the good Duke of Tempest, Sebastian St. James.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Emma awoke in Sebastian’s arms. The moonlight crept in through the windows, casting an angelic hue across his face.

Not always so angelic
, she mused as her mind went back to the night of passion they had shared.

Suddenly grateful he hadn’t allowed himself to be seduced by the women his grandmother had thrown his way, she rested her hand across the bare muscled expanse of his back and laughed as she caressed lower and lower until Sebastian, with a moan, grabbed her wrists and had her on her back.

“Not tired, eh, my little minx?” Nuzzling her neck, he flicked his tongue across her earlobe and continued to kiss her hotly across the sides of her face.

Emma was ready for more of Sebastian. Her body screamed for release. The love they had, the attraction they shared, it was unique—perfect. Her pain was his pain and his pain hers. In that moment lying in his arms in his bed, she knew everything she had fought for years to keep in—the rejection of her family, of her friends, the loss of her reputation—it didn’t matter, because she had love.

Laughter bubbled out of her.

Sebastian tensed.

“I know this is all new to you, Emma, but it must be said that laughing while a man is trying to…please a lady is not necessarily a boon to his confidence.”

“I’m so-so sorry.” Emma giggled, finally able to relax. “It’s not you.”

“Right,” Sebastian grumbled, though he didn’t necessarily push her away.

“I just figured something out, something about myself that I’ve been fighting for years.”

Sebastian leaned down until his face was touching hers. “Care to clue me in on what exactly has you in a fit of giggles while I’m trying to remove every memory of your tragic past from your consciousness?”

Emma was silent. Because what was she to say when the Good Duke of Tempest was talking about removing anything from her body?

“I just need you. I love you. You make me feel…not so ruined. That my reputation, or lack thereof, wasn’t an obstacle for us.” She shrugged, unable to fully explain her feelings.

Sebastian sighed. “Emma, reputation or not, you are perfect and I love you. It was foolish of me to think that by having a spotless reputation I would somehow avenge my parents’ death.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“Ah, I shall tell you my story, if you tell me yours.”

Emma nodded and waited. It was only at the end of the story that she realized tears were pouring down her face. “Oh, Sebastian, I had no idea! I’m sorry. So that’s why you and Rawlings...”

“Yes, though in hindsight it seems ridiculous. I guess it helped me deal with the pain better knowing I could blame him as well as myself.” He shifted so she could face him better. “And what of you, Emma? I know what happened so long ago, but, dearest, why were you in the cabin in the first place?”

“You mean, you don’t know?”

“No?”

“Are you asking or telling?”

“Emma, stop confusing me, I have no idea what you were doing in the cabin, just that it was assumed you met John there to ruin yourself.”

Laughter seemed to escape Emma again. “You married me based on your enemy’s word that I wasn’t ruined?”

Sebastian paused. “I love you. Of course I did.”

Sighing, Emma kissed him across his bare chest. “I was dancing.”

The air crackled with excitement. “Dancing?”

“Mmm, dancing – like a gypsy.”

“Oh, saints above. Do you still know…”

Moving her hips ever so slightly, she giggled and then raised her hands. Though she was lying down, she was convinced he fully understood the answer to that question.

“Oh, Sebastian?” Breathlessly she waited for his response as he peeled the blankets from her warm body, exposing her flesh to his eyes as well as the cold of the night.

“Mmm…what is it?” Distracted man.

“Your grandmother suggested I seduce you.”

“And that should shock me because?” he asked, now apparently fascinated with the way her arm curved around his neck as he kissed her shoulder.

“Because I tried.”

He stilled. “I’m sorry. You
tried
to drive me mad with lust?”

Guiltily she nodded.

“This wouldn’t by any chance have anything to do with the visit you paid to my room, would it?”

Emma looked away.

“Well.” Sebastian pulled the blankets entirely from her body. “I think it goes without saying that you should be punished.”

“And how, pray tell, are you going to punish me?”

Wicked intent gleamed in his eyes. “You have the rest of the night to find out, my sweet.”

And she did. Oh how she did.

****

Odd the feeling one gets when he’s married. Sebastian couldn’t wipe the smug grin off his face if he tried. Pride had a little to do with it, sure. He was proud to have Emma as a wife, and proud he had spent most the night pleasuring his wife all the while trying to figure out why he hadn’t married her sooner.

Emma had
snorted and said because most men are idiots.

Considering the circumstances, he had to agree, though he would never admit it to anyone.

Their carriage came to a halt in front of Renwick House. Sebastian was more than excited to bring Emma inside. She was in desperate need of her belongings as well as a new dress, and well, he was in desperate need of Emma. But somehow the thought of him and his wife christening any of the rooms underneath Nicholas’s ownership felt slightly wrong. So he managed to arrange for Emma to move her things into his townhome as soon as possible. His sister and her two friends would most likely still be in attendance, but this time he wasn’t a lone bachelor under the roof with three green girls. He was with his wife. The new Duchess of Tempest.

Oh how he longed for the season to be over so he could take her to his estate in Somerset. Groves Castle would be a fairy tale to Emma.

 
He helped Emma out of the carriage, smiling as her eyes scanned his body appreciatively. Yes, marriage was good.

Feeling the sudden urge to hum, he hooked her arm within his and walked along beside her, nearly skipping as they knocked on the door.

Naturally they were ushered in immediately.

The salon was empty. Sebastian used the opportunity to kiss Emma on the mouth. How was it she always tasted so good?

And then he heard a throat clear.

Turning, he bit back a curse as Nicholas stood at the door, arms crossed. “Found her, did you?”

Sebastian’s brain worked slowly, how exactly did one explain anything to Nicholas? All brooding and dark at the doorway. Sebastian had a half a mind to wait until Sara entered before telling his friend he had, in fact, married Emma sooner rather than later.

“Oh, Emma!” Sara burst into the room and pulled Emma into a hug.

Samuel was close behind. “Your grace, your grace!” The chubby little fellow ran at Sebastian full speed. Wondering if he should brace for impact, he readied his body as much as possible as Samuel clamped onto his leg in a fierce hug. “And Miss Emma!” He hugged her leg too, then stood between the two of them hands on hips. “Your grace?”

“Yes, Samuel?” Sebastian took a knee.

“Emma’s not sad anymore. What did you do to make her not sad anymore?”

Emma gasped then started choking with laughter while Sebastian met the steely eyes of Nicholas Renwick. Samuel, innocent chap he was, stood there awaiting an answer.

“I—I love her, Samuel. That makes Emma happy.”

He shrugged then looked perplexed as if love had never occurred to him. “Oh,” he said, then exited the room.

The minute Samuel left, Nicholas closed the doors. “If you compromised her before we had a chance to announce your marriage or get you married. If you ruined her, Seb, I’ll—”

“We’re married!” Emma announced, throwing her arms around Sara’s neck.

Nicholas’s eyes darted to Sebastian’s. “Is that true? You married her? You—oh, I need to sit.” Nicholas sat on the nearby chair. “You, the Good Duke of Tempest, eloped to Gretna Green?”

Sara patted Nicholas on the arm. “Honestly, Nicholas. I don’t see a need to be so dramatic. They are in love, and it was what was best for Emma at the time.” She shook her head in reproach then grinned. “Emma, are you going to Somerset then? I hear the family seat is beautiful, it’s—”

“They must announce it at the ball before they go anywhere.”

“It?” Sebastian asked.

“Your marriage, of course. Otherwise people will think you
had
to get married.”

Sebastian felt himself get angry. “And why should it matter? I have no care for my reputation.”

“It wasn’t your reputation I was thinking of, but your duchess’s.” Nicholas stepped to the desk where the invitations sat. “I also believe your grandmother would be pleased to have your bride introduced at one of the Season’s balls. You know she’ll just follow you to Somerset if you don’t.” Nicholas grinned. “Aha! Here it is. We haven’t yet accepted, but I think it shall be the best ball to attend.”

Emma approached Nicholas. “Which ball?”

Nicholas’s eyes flashed to Sebastian’s before once again resting on Emma’s. “The Von Olversteen Masquerade ball.”

“But…” Emma backed away. “That’s the ball my parents—”

“It’s the only one they said they would be attending this Season, yes,” Nicholas finished. “And it’s about time they realize the prize they have in their possession. And now a duchess. What do you say, Sebastian?”