To Seduce a Bride (17 page)

He set his lips to her soft flesh, nibbling, tantalizing, and elicited a shivery gasp from Lily with his sensual assault. When he drew the tip deep into his mouth, she whimpered and clutched at his shoulders.

Heath savored her for long heated moments, until Lily pleaded with him hoarsely. “Heath…you have to stop.”

“Not until you beg me,” he replied.

She would do no such thing, he knew very well, since she clearly didn't want him to stop. And he wasn't letting her go. Her lithe, supple body was ripe for his touch, eager even. She felt warm and intensely vital in his arms, and the feel of her skin heating under his hands and mouth was enough to drive him mad. Already his erection was throbbing, rigid and swollen with need.

And to his delight, Lily was growing hot and restless at his erotic suckling. Evidently wanting more, she twined her fingers in his hair and pulled, trying to bring his mouth even closer.

However, he eventually brought his delicious feast to an end. Giving her nipples a final kiss, Heath drew back to meet her gaze.

Lily stared at him in dismay as she sat astride his hard thigh, her eyes darkened and wide. Her pulse was pounding in her throat, he could see it.

“Is that the end of your lesson?” she asked breathlessly, disappointment rife in her tone.

Heath smiled. “No, there is much more.” Reaching up, he pulled the ribbon from her hair, letting the glorious chestnut mass cascade over her shoulders. “But we must be circumspect. You look delectable in your breeches, and the thought of peeling them off you is quite devastating, but regrettably we must do with making love fully clothed.”

“Is that possible?” Her expression turned dubious.

“Yes, indeed. I will show you.”

He brought his hands to her hips and shifted beneath her slightly, lifting her up and raising his knee so that she slid toward him.

Lily sucked in a huge, shaky breath at the friction, while her hips instinctively rocked against him.

“That's right, love…ride me.”

Her mouth parted in surprise when she realized what he wanted from her, but she didn't protest when he drew her even closer so that her naked breasts rubbed hot and damp against his bare chest.

His hands guiding her, he moved her lower body in a slow deliberate rhythm. She caught on quickly, and began to rock of her own accord, yet she shut her eyes as her arousal grew.

“No, look at me, angel. I want to see the pleasure in your beautiful eyes.”

He could indeed see pleasure in the dark depths when she obeyed. Pleasure and dazed arousal, as if she didn't quite know what was happening to her.

She writhed against the hard flesh of his thigh, arching in his arms, which made Heath grip her hips harder.

Desire ran through him like fire as her ragged breaths reverberated in his ear. He wanted to drive himself inside her, plunging in hard and deep. She would be slick and swollen and so incredibly hot….

His chest tightened at the image, while his cock throbbed painfully.

His arms shifting to wrap around her, he found her lips again, his thrusting tongue tangling roughly with hers. Her response was urgent and needy. She opened to him fully, letting him ravish her mouth while he rocked her faster, grinding her woman's cleft against him.

Lily felt as if her body was afire. As his thigh moved powerfully against her aching core, her hips surged forward, seeking some nameless relief. She was panting, flushed, feverish with the storm of heat building inside. Her primal instincts had taken control, yet the result still shocked her: The sudden, intense rush of sensation was overwhelming.

She arched convulsively as the world careened around her, sinking her nails into Heath's shoulders. The tide of feeling surged and crashed through her, eliciting a wild cry of abandon from deep in her throat.

When the last shudders quivered through her, Lily collapsed limply against him, her face buried in the curve of his shoulder. Her breasts rose and fell against his naked chest as she tried to make sense of the sensual explosion her body had just endured.

She was amazed by the pleasure. Stunned. Her whole being felt gloriously hot and languid.

And she was certain Heath knew it. He was holding her in his arms, one hand tenderly stroking her hair. When she finally found her voice, it came out in a weak rasp. “That was
not
the lesson I asked for, my lord.”

She felt his lips curve against her hair. “No, but that was the lesson you needed. You can now see what you are missing by swearing off men and marriage.”

“What I see,” Lily retorted feebly, “is that I was mistaken to wear breeches this afternoon. You would not have been so brazen if I were dressed as a lady.”

She heard his smothered laugh. “Loath as I am to contradict you, darling, I couldn't care less what you wear. I would lust after you if you were garbed in sackcloth and ashes.” His mouth pressed a kiss against her temple. “I am more painfully aroused now than I've ever been in my life.”

Suddenly aware of the hard bulge of his swollen manhood through their clothing, Lily tried to ease away, but his arms tightened around her, refusing to release her. “So what did you think of your first taste of passion?” he murmured, nibbling her ear.

Lily's face warmed with embarrassment. “I found it…interesting.”

“Merely interesting?” he repeated skeptically.

“Very well…perhaps it was incredible.”

His laughter this time held satisfaction. “I am gratified. It makes a man swell with pride, to know he has given his lover pleasure.”

She frowned against his smooth bare skin. “We are not lovers.”

“I plan to remedy that very soon.”

Lily sat up to eye him narrowly. “I believe I have some say in the matter.”

“Of course you do. But I suspect after this you won't be quite so stubborn about refusing my offer of marriage.”

“My stubbornness hasn't changed one whit, my lord.”

“Call me Heath.”

It was difficult to think of so illustrious a nobleman in such familiar terms, but she
had
agreed to address him by his given name as a condition of his fencing tutelage. “Very well, but I must warn you, Heath. Seducing me won't make it any easier for you to win our game.”

He smiled lazily. “If winning was easy, I wouldn't enjoy it half so much—and neither would you.”

That was regrettably true, Lily lamented. She found it exhilarating, matching wits with him. Even if she frequently came out the loser, as she had just now.

How had he turned their fencing lesson to his advantage so quickly? Lily wondered with disgust. No doubt because she was an utter weakling where he was concerned. She'd had every intention of withstanding any sensual overtures he made, but her resistance had melted instantly under the searing heat of his kisses.

Heath leaned forward now to place a slow, lingering kiss on her lips, catching her by surprise. He had a wicked mouth—one he kept using to fluster her, Lily thought distractedly as her senses heated again.

Realizing how easily she was surrendering, she forcibly broke away, although when she tried to climb off him, Heath once more prevented her.

“I cannot believe I let this go so far,” she muttered.

“It was the next logical step in our courtship. We both knew it would happen. I'll go so far as to say you wanted it to happen.”

She couldn't deny there was a measure of truth to that accusation, also. She had wanted to know what carnal pleasure was like—and had discovered it beyond her wildest imagination.

When she remained silent, Heath held her gaze intently. “We
will
become lovers, Lily, I have no doubt about it. But when we make love, it will be because you want me for your husband.”

She splayed her hands against his muscular chest, refusing to accept his declaration. “You are indulging in fantasies.”

“If so, they are supremely blissful fantasies. It is even more blissful to contemplate having you in my bed. When we are wed, I will delight in teaching you all about pleasure and passion.”

His pledge conjured wild and reckless images in her mind, but Lily fought their allure. “
When
we are wed?” she repeated. “Your arrogance is astounding.”

At her scoffing tone, challenge glimmered in his hazel eyes. “I can safely promise that you will enjoy our marriage bed. It isn't an exaggeration to say that I am rather gifted at lovemaking.” As if to prove his point, he bent to tauntingly kiss her left nipple.

The sizzle of desire that shot through Lily made her arch and shiver. Alarmed, she pushed at Heath's chest more determinedly this time.

When he at last let her go, she scrambled off his lap and unsteadily turned away to set her camisole and shirt to rights, covering her brazenly exposed bosom. Heath would be a magnificent lover, she had absolutely no doubt.

“I suppose you mean to tell Fleur what transpired between us,” Lily said crossly, “so she will award you more points.”

He was calmly restoring his own clothes to order, she saw out of the corner of her eye. “Certainly not. A gentleman never discusses his amorous accomplishments. This will remain strictly our affair.”

Without responding, she went to the door and unlocked it.

“Does this mean we are finished with our fencing lesson for today?” Heath drawled behind her.

Lily shot a glance over her shoulder at him. “Yes, indeed. I don't care to have any more lessons of any kind from you. I don't trust you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don't trust
me
? Or is it that you cannot trust yourself when you are alone with me?”

Lily didn't answer his deplorably perceptive question. But as she flung open the door and stalked from the room, she couldn't shake the shocking realization that she wanted passion with that enticing, maddening rogue after all.

Chapter Nine

I can now understand why the marquess makes women swoon, but falling in love with him—or any other man—is anathema to me.

—Lily to her sisters

If Lily hoped to avert any more perilous encounters with Heath in the near future, her desire was thwarted that evening when Fleur pointed out that their pupils needed a real live gentleman upon whom to practice their newfound social skills.

As long as he was beleaguering her, Lily decided, she might as well put her unwanted suitor to good use. Thus, she swallowed her disquiet and sent Heath a message at his London town house, enlisting his aid for a class at ten o'clock the next morning.

By surrounding herself with the other boarders, Lily persuaded herself, and avoiding being alone with him, she stood a better chance of resisting him.

She should have realized her ambition was wishful thinking. Seeing Heath so soon after her stunning carnal experience with him brought a host of sensual memories cascading into her mind and body. And although she determinedly pretended disinterest upon greeting him, she couldn't forget a single sensation of yesterday's erotic interlude: The play of rippling chest muscles against her palms. The feel of his hard, powerful body beneath her. The heat of his mouth as he suckled her nipples. The stunning firestorm he had started inside her…

She now understood firsthand why women leaped into his bed and fought for his favor.

Fortunately Fleur and Chantel were there to take the lead in their class, introducing Lord Claybourne to the girls and setting the scene for the upcoming soiree.

Lily hadn't expected his impact to be so remarkable, however. She watched as Heath effortlessly charmed the entire gathering of females, putting them at ease and making them laugh. By the end of the session, they were practically swooning over him. Yet he parried Ada Shaw's brazen overtures expertly and fended off Sally Nead's flirtation good-naturedly.

He could woo the birds out of their trees, Lily thought morosely.

It was his effort with shy Peg Wallace, however, that warmed her heart. Peg's timidity melted under his gentle attentions, and Lily felt compelled to thank him for his kindness when the class ended.

She did so by drawing Heath aside a little way. “I think it only fitting,” she added reluctantly, “that Fleur award you another point for helping our pupils today.”

“Are you certain you wish to be so generous?” he asked, his sensual lips uptilting in amusement. “With the point they granted me for your fencing lesson yesterday, that will bring my total to seven. At this rate, I may very well win our game.”

Lily winced. She most certainly did not want him to win the right to extend his courtship for three more endless months. But she felt she needed to be fair. “You deserve to be rewarded in this instance.”

“I am willing to exchange some points if you will accompany me to a play at Drury Lane this evening.”

She couldn't help but smile at his persistence. She had no doubt that his invitation to the theater was a ploy to get her alone in an even more intimate setting. “Sadly, I must decline. I don't wish to be seen in public with you, remember? Besides, you have already used up your allotted time with me today.”

He gave her a smile of heart-stopping charm. “I had to try. Then I will see you tomorrow at Lady Freemantle's garden party? I would offer my escort, but I suspect it is too much to ask for you to ride with me in my carriage.”

“Thank you, but I am riding with Fanny,” Lily was glad to say. Chiswick was some half dozen miles from London's Mayfair district, and under no circumstances did she want to be alone with Heath for so long. Just standing this close to him in a roomful of people was unsettling enough.

And a new tension filled her stomach when he brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed her fingers.

Lily forced herself to remain calm, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had so much power over her. But when he took his leave, she stood there for a deplorably long moment afterward, feeling the warm tingling in her fingers where his lips had brushed.

         

When Saturday dawned cool and cloudy, Lily hoped the rain would hold off for Winifred's garden party. After conducting morning classes for the academy, she donned a fashionable gown of pale green sprigged muslin with a matching bonnet for the occasion.

Fanny was dressed even more stylishly, Lily saw when the carriage arrived to pick her up, no doubt in order to face the supercilious gentry who were sure to attend.

But the guests were not Fanny's chief concern; instead it was Mick O'Rourke.

“I wrote a long letter to him, explaining our plan to repay the debt,” Fanny told Lily as soon as they were on their way, “but I never received a reply. I admit it worries me.”

“Do you expect him to retaliate for what I did the other day?” Lily asked, frowning.

“I don't know. It's possible he is waiting for me to come to him on bended knee to beg him to relent.”

“You should not have to prostrate yourself before him,” Lily declared militantly. “Especially when the debt is not even yours.”

“I know. But I may have no choice if he wants his money at once.”

Lily's frown deepened. “If you like, I can sound out Winifred this afternoon to see if she would be willing to contribute the funds immediately.”

“You might mention it to gain a feel for her willingness,” Fanny replied. “But hopefully, after the soiree on Monday we won't need her financial backing.”

They spoke about preparations for the soiree then, and discussed last-minute details. Fanny intended to send her dresser to the boardinghouse to help the girls with their gowns and hair, and Lily wanted her three favorites to have special attention to improve their chances of landing new patrons.

When she and Fanny arrived at Freemantle Park, Lily found her sisters already there before her, on the terrace overlooking the magnificent gardens. Immediately upon spying her, Arabella and Roslyn left the gathering to embrace her warmly. And after a fond reunion with Fanny, they drew Lily inside to a quiet parlor so they could have some privacy.

Lily was rather surprised to discover how fervently glad she was to see her sisters. They had written to each other frequently in the past weeks since Arabella's wedding, but it wasn't the same as being able to talk and laugh together in person. Moreover, a good deal had happened since then. Particularly Roslyn's betrothal to the Duke of Arden.

Arabella looked beautiful and sophisticated as usual, Lily thought, but Roslyn's pale golden beauty was even more exquisite since she was positively glowing.

“Are you certain you have made the right choice about marrying Arden, Rose?” Lily asked once the elementary details had been recounted. “You still have time to change your mind. There are ten more days before your wedding, when your decision becomes irreversible.”

Roslyn smiled wryly while Arabella laughed.

“That is exactly the attitude we expected from you, dearest Lily,” Arabella said. “We know how much you despise the very thought of marriage. But Roslyn has always been more open to the idea than either you or I.”

Because Roslyn had not been witness to their father's physical brutality as
she
had, Lily thought to herself. Nor had Roslyn been forsaken by a fiancé who professed to love her, as Arabella had been during her first betrothal.

“I must say you
seem
happy, Rose,” Lily admitted.

Roslyn's smile softened. “Ecstatically so. What about you, Lily? Are you happy, living in London with Fanny's friends and boarders?”

“Yes, indeed,” she answered truthfully. “It is extremely fulfilling, being able to teach those women and improve their self-esteem. I can actually see them blossom day by day. They are far more eager to learn than our students at the Freemantle Academy ever were. Possibly because they know how hard life can be, having to earn their own livings instead of being born to wealth and comfort.”

“So what about Lord Claybourne?” Arabella wanted to know.

“What about him?” she hedged.

“How is your courtship progressing? I doubt you welcomed his romantic attentions.”

“Of course not. I am only enduring him so he will bring some suitable gentlemen to the soiree on Monday evening.”

“But Claybourne is a delightfully charming man,” Roslyn pointed out. “Clever and quick-witted and charismatic. I should think you would find the challenge he presents at least a little exciting.”

Lily couldn't deny that Heath was dynamic and exciting. Around him she felt exhilarated, her wits and senses alive and on full alert. And since he'd begun his pursuit, her life was far livelier than it had ever been.

Which was what made him so dangerous. If she felt this way about him after less than a week, how could she fight her deplorable attraction to him if he actually won their game?

“Perhaps, but I won't even consider accepting his proposal. I am perfectly content as I am. Especially now that I've begun to reconsider my future. I want to find a way to aid women like our boarders. To help them seek better lives.”

“That is certainly an admirable goal,” Roslyn remarked, “but helping indigent women and having a husband are not mutually exclusive.”

Lily eyed her sisters with growing impatience. “If you mean to quiz me so relentlessly about Lord Claybourne, I think I will leave.”

“Don't be absurd,” Arabella chided amiably. “It is just that we both fell in love with our ideal mates, and we want you to have the same chance at happiness. You should at least give Claybourne's courtship a chance.”

Lily shook her head adamantly. She never wanted to fall in love, and she never wanted to marry. She had vowed never to let any man have such irrevocable power over her, and she wouldn't change her long-held beliefs simply because one possessed a nearly irresistible charm.

“I cannot trust him enough,” Lily said simply.

“He may be nothing like our father. Marcus certainly isn't.”

“Nor is Drew,” Roslyn chimed in. “Lord Claybourne seems nothing like Papa, Lily.”

No, Heath seemed very different, Lily acknowledged. She could see the kindness in him, the gentleness, the humor. And he hadn't tried to control her or dictate to her, the way their father had ruthlessly done their mother. Nor had he physically threatened her. Instead he had protected and defended her—

“I cannot imagine that you are
afraid
of him, Lily,” Arabella commented thoughtfully.

No, it was her response to him that made her afraid. She was frightened of the desire he made her feel. She had never wanted that kind of intimacy with a man, but now she found herself thinking of it constantly.

The irony was almost amusing. Just a few short months ago, she had warned Arabella about giving in to Marcus's masculine allure. But now she understood the powerful temptation her sister had faced.

“You really should not condemn all men simply because of what Papa did”—Arabella smiled ruefully—“even though I felt exactly that way before I fell in love with Marcus. I know many noblemen have been raised to be selfish and uncaring, and such men are not even capable of love, but Claybourne could prove to be another exception.”

Lily had no idea if Heath was capable of love. She had seen glimpses of his magnanimity in the past few days—although that could be merely because he was trying to win their game.

But the state of his heart didn't matter to her in the least, she reminded herself, stiffening her spine. “Belle, I truly don't wish to discuss this any further.”

Her eldest sister pressed her lips together, as if wanting to argue, but then her expression softened. “You are right, of course. You must discover love on your own, Lily. So we won't push you any further. But you do realize that Winifred is still set on matchmaking? She knows all about Claybourne's courtship of you.”

Lily's brow furrowed. “How did she find out?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps he told her.”

It would be just like him to secure Winifred as an ally, Lily thought in exasperation.

“Regardless of Winifred's intentions,” Roslyn interrupted, “we should rejoin her party. You haven't met Constance yet, Lily, or the children. You will love the children, I'm sure.”

From Roslyn's letters, she had heard the remarkable story of how Winifred had taken in her late husband's mistress and three illegitimate children. In fact, the garden party was being held in honor of Constance Baines, to introduce her to the local gentry. Reportedly Constance was almost completely recovered from the grave illness that had nearly taken her life.

“I very much want to meet them,” Lily said, linking arms with both her sisters. “And I brought the children presents, Rose, so I can spoil them as you suggested.”

Roslyn's laughter was soft and tender. “They desperately need a bit of spoiling, they've had so little of it in their lives.”