To Seduce a Bride (29 page)

She was restless and feverish by the time Heath brought his mouth down to hers. His tongue delved deep inside, exploring, while his hands stimulated her breasts, gently kneading, his thumbs stroking the sensitive buds.

His taste, his scent, his touch filled her senses. Lily trembled at the feel of him…the eroticism of his kisses, the warmth and strength of his hands…the hard length of his body pinning her to the table…the thick rod of his straining arousal teasing her throbbing, feminine warmth.

She gave a helpless moan as an aching tightness coiled inside her. All she could think about was how Heath's splendid arousal would fill her.

Another sensual shiver rippled through her when his mouth left hers to trail down her throat. Palming her breasts so they were mounded in his hands, he covered a nipple with his hot tongue, laving the sensitive tip, drawing it against his teeth.

When she whimpered, Heath lifted his head briefly. “Do you want me to suckle you, sweeting?”

“Yes,” Lily rasped, her fingers clutching in his silky hair. Anything to bring his mouth back to her breasts.

To her immense relief and gratification, Heath obliged, taking one of her aching nipples and sucking it into the hot wet haven of his mouth.

A frisson of fiery sensation sparked inside her as he suckled her. His mouth was a searing flame upon her bare, aching breasts, while his hands explored her with the same bold seductiveness.

Lily shuddered at the tumult assaulting her. Heat waves spread like velvet shimmers throughout her body until she felt light-headed and liquid with arousal.

Moments later she felt his hand move between her legs. He cupped her woman's mound, his touch sexually possessive, and dipped lower to find the wetness there. Then brushing the point of her pleasure with his thumb, he slid a long finger deep inside her, into the slick, steamy heat of her.

Anticipation screamed through her senses as another streak of fire ignited deep and low inside her.

“Heath, please…”

She could feel the rush of her own blood, could feel the tremors shivering through her.

“As you wish, love.”

His hands parted her legs farther and slowly smoothed up the insides of her naked thighs. Holding them spread wide, he bent down to her belly. Her pulse jumped in a frenzied dance as his lips moved lower, seeking and finding the very core of her.

At the first touch of his mouth, she gave another whimper.

“Yes, sweet angel, let me hear you.”

His voice had become a hoarse murmur, but shortly he fell silent in order to attend her, his tongue rimming the sleek cleft of her femininity and finding the tiny bud hidden there.

Lily gasped even as she put both hands in his hair to hold his face between her burning thighs. His palms continued molding the ripe swells of her breasts as his hot mouth worked its enchanting spell on her sex. Scalding hot, his tongue stroked her, every long flick sending shafts of pleasure spiraling through her, increasing her already intense arousal.

When his lips closed over the bud, sucking in a kiss, the sensation rocked her. Yet Heath went on laving her slowly, savoring, teasing, as if he were engaged in a sensory feast.

Lily clenched her teeth against the delicious torment yet held his head in place with two tight fists as his sinful mouth caressed her in a devastating assault on her senses.

A heartbeat later, his tongue slid inside her. Her breath caught on a sob, and she raised her hips, desperately arching against his ravishing mouth.

His mouth wasn't enough, though. She wanted them joined, wanted to have him deep within her. She needed—
craved
—an end to the savage longing Heath had created in her.

Her hands were actually shaking when she tugged on his hair, urging him higher. At her silent plea, he raised his head.

“Now, Heath…take me now.”

A faint smile wreathed his lips as he made use of the pouch's contents and slid a brandy-soaked sponge inside her.

A sigh rasped from Lily's throat as he positioned himself between her thighs once more, his arms braced on either side of her, his hardness a hot brand against her center. Lily could only think of the enchantment to come, how it would feel to have that swollen length thrusting inside her, filling her. She could feel the heat of his rigid flesh probing her soft folds….

To her dismay, Heath hesitated, remaining poised above her, his gaze smoldering as it played over her face. His eyes had taken on a slumberous look, the golden depths darkening into something both primitive and powerful.

He continued looking deeply into her eyes as he slid forward, entering her slowly, gliding into her yielding, wet flesh. Lily gasped at the feel of him, huge and hot and urgent, stretching her open. But there was no pain. Only the promise of great pleasure.

Her breath streamed out in a shaky exhalation at the exquisite feeling of being filled by him, by his throbbing heat. When he drove forward all the way, locking them together, she felt deeply, thoroughly possessed.

Still holding her gaze, Heath lowered himself to cover her with his hard body. His hands cupped her breasts, erotically kneading as he began moving inside her.

When he withdrew only to thrust even more deeply, the intense pleasure made them both shudder.

Lily's heart wrenched with exultation at Heath's ardent response…the awed expression that flashed in his eyes as he claimed her. The womanly part of her was thrilled by the depth of his need, but then her own powerful need took control of her body.

She rocked against him with desperate yearning, her inner muscles tightening at the white heat scalding her. Her breathing grew erratic and ragged as his hard, straining form moved against her, branding her with his desire.

Her whimpers turned to moans as her own hips began moving in a rhythm that was ancient, mindless, elemental. She could hear Heath whispering praise for her passion all the while. He was more demanding now, plunging inside her, sending her into a frenzy of need. She felt frantic, unable to get enough of him.

Lily tossed her head wildly, her helpless cries spilling from her throat and filling the hush of the cabin.

Even so, the shattering, searing explosion caught her by surprise. With a scream, she sank her teeth into the raw silk of his bare shoulder as ecstasy ripped through her.

Heath followed right behind. His head thrown back, his neck corded, he drove into her one final time. A hoarse groan burst from him as his climax erupted in a powerful stream.

Lily absorbed his fierceness, her body clenching again and again around him as the firestorm took them both.

In the aftermath, Heath collapsed upon her, his breath as tortured as hers. They clung to each other bonelessly as the fire slowly receded.

The last shimmers of passion were still glowing inside Lily when Heath finally lifted his head. He looked as jolted as she felt, his eyes dazed yet tender as he surveyed her flushed face, her swollen lips.

“Did I hurt you?” he rasped.

“No,” she said hoarsely, offering him a dreamy smile. “Not in the least.”

“Good.” His arms tightened about her for a moment, crushing her naked breasts to his chest. Then keeping her legs wrapped around his hips, Heath lifted her up and carried her to the bunk, where he laid her down.

Searing tenderness filled him as he stretched out beside Lily's warm supple body and drew her close. He was still breathing hard after his powerful climax, still shaken by what had just happened between them.

No woman had ever demolished his sense of reality as Lily did. When he had come inside her and felt her shatter around him, he had splintered in a thousand fragments.

And Lily had experienced their passion as intensely as he did, Heath was certain. She had been pure desire, uninhibited and wild.

Hearing her soft sigh, he held her closer. This was what he craved, he thought, his fingers twining in the dark chestnut strands of her hair. Lily warm and weak from his lovemaking, clinging to him, her heartbeat as uneven as his.

A fierce joy engulfed his heart at the memory of how incredible it felt to be buried inside her. How right it seemed. The strength of his response still startled him.

This was new to him, though, this overpowering need to be with one woman. He had never wanted anyone the way he did Lily.

But then he'd been slightly off kilter since the first moment of meeting her.

And now? Heath wondered. He had to acknowledge that Lily mattered to him in a different way than any woman ever had. She was everything he wanted, everything he desired.

Curious how he'd never thought he needed anyone before Lily. But the sense of completion she gave him only made him realize what he had been missing all this time.

It was not only being with her, sharing her life, that could fulfill him, either. He wanted to be as intense and passionate about life's endeavors as she was.

A quiet smile touched his mouth as he recognized the maze of emotions running through him: Possessiveness and tenderness. Awe. The need to cherish her always. Love.

He was in love with Lily, Heath admitted, marveling at the realization. The feeling had been stealing over him for days now. His pursuit of her might have started as a challenge, but he had fallen hard for her.

And winning her hand in marriage was no longer a game to him.

His smile faded as reality reared its taunting head. He considered Lily his wife now, yet she continued to fight him tooth and nail. Somehow he would have to make her accept the inevitability of their marriage.

He would redouble his efforts to woo her, Heath promised himself. It was now imperative that he make Lily fall in love with him.

She wasn't willing to give him her heart yet, he knew. Yet a moment ago when he'd looked deeply into her eyes, he had caught a fleeting glimpse of something hopeful, something infinitely fragile in the dark depths. But then passion had taken over and rendered them both mindless with pleasure.

One thing was certain, however, he swore as he wrapped her more tightly in his arms.

He wasn't going to let her go.

Ever.

Chapter Seventeen

It frightens me that he has won the game, since he now has three more months to court me. How can I possibly resist him for so long?

—Lily to Fanny

As expected, that evening when Lily confessed to Fleur and Chantel about Heath's latest gift, they were not only delighted but impressed by his romantic gesture. How many suitors gave their sweethearts a ship?

The courtesans happily awarded Lord Claybourne another point, bringing his total to ten, and proclaimed him the winner of the game, which sent a surge of panic flooding through Lily. The thought of Heath courting her for three more full months alarmed her, since she couldn't trust herself to be able to resist him for so long.

The past fortnight had proven how vulnerable she was in the face of his persistent pursuit. No matter how determined she was to keep her heart's defenses intact, Lily feared she would eventually lose the battle.

She did
not
want to fall in love with Heath and be tempted to accept his marriage proposal.

Somehow, despite his victory in the game, she had to convince him that she didn't desire him either as a suitor or lover or husband, Lily reflected, trying to calm herself.

Meanwhile she would have to keep him at arm's length. Most certainly she couldn't risk being alone with him ever again. She knew exactly where such intimacy would lead—as today's encounter on board his ship had decidedly proven.

Yet she was honor bound to share his company for part of each day, starting tomorrow evening at the dinner Marcus was holding for Roslyn and her duke.

In dire need of assistance, Lily waylaid Basil directly after supper and begged him to escort her to the dinner the next evening.

Regrettably, Basil looked at her as if she had gone daft. “You know I don't care for fancy dinners and such. And wedding celebrations are the worst.”

“Yes, I know,” Lily agreed, “but I don't want to be alone with Lord Claybourne.”

“Why not?”

“Because I might do something I would forever regret. Please, Basil, you have to help me,” Lily implored. “It won't be too difficult. All you need do is stay by my side for the evening.”

Basil eyed her the same way he'd done when they were children and she had led him into some risky escapade, before he finally emitted a long-suffering sigh. “Very well, but you owe me yet another favor, Lily.”

“Yes, of course, whatever you ask. You are a true gentleman.”

She kissed Basil's cheek in gratitude, overlooking his flush as she turned away and headed for the writing desk in the parlor. She had to send a note to Marcus informing him to expect an additional guest at his dinner. And she had to review her strategy to keep Heath at a distance.

Tomorrow evening, Lily vowed, she would ignore his presence as much as possible and behave with total aloofness. If she was required by politeness to respond to him, she would be perfectly bland and boring. She would not smile or laugh, and she would certainly not allow Heath to provoke her as he was so fond of doing.

Even so, she dreaded the coming encounter. Basil would be her only ally, for she couldn't count on her sisters to take her side when it came to love and matrimony. Not when they were so much in love themselves. Lily still planned to stay the night at Marcus's town house after the dinner so that she could be with her sisters, and so that the next morning she and Arabella could help Roslyn dress for her wedding day.

Lily spent Monday afternoon packing a valise—including the gowns she would wear to the dinner and the wedding—and was ready at five o'clock when Marcus's carriage came to collect her.

Roslyn and Arabella had arrived just ahead of her, and Lily was glad that the bustle of settling into their rooms and having a sisterly coze precluded her dwelling much on Heath.

Moreover, she didn't want to say or do anything to spoil Roslyn's happiness. Roslyn was positively glowing with joy, which made her delicate beauty seem almost incandescent. Thus, Lily prevaricated when questioned about her own welfare, not wanting to mention her courtship troubles. Whenever the conversation veered too close to Lord Claybourne, she steered it away again.

Fortunately Basil arrived early for the dinner in a hired hack. Having already dressed, Lily was there to welcome him and take him into the drawing room, where the company would gather before dinner. So she had time to remind Basil of his promise to remain by her side throughout the evening.

When Arabella and Marcus joined them, followed by Roslyn and Arden, Lily introduced Basil to the two noblemen, explaining that Mr. Eddowes was an old family friend. And she chimed in occasionally when Arabella and Roslyn reminisced with Basil about their childhood days together in Hampshire.

Lady Freemantle appeared shortly after that. Quickly, Lily led Basil across the drawing room to admire a portrait by Gainsborough so she wouldn't have to endure Winifred's vexing machinations. Even so, she couldn't help feeling agitated as she waited for a certain handsome marquess to arrive.

She sensed his presence the moment he walked in. Heath's broad-shouldered form seemed to fill the drawing room, while his magnetism was a powerful lure for all her feminine sensibilities. And when Lily locked gazes with him across the way, the hint of a smile he sent her held an intimacy that made her feel as if they were the only two people in all the world.

She found it nearly impossible to look away, and just as difficult to keep her greeting to a mere nod when Heath approached her. But she responded in monosyllables when he spoke to her. And as soon as possible, she turned her attention to the other guests, dragging Basil with her.

She spent the next ten minutes quizzing the bridegroom about his plans to visit Arden Castle in Kent for the first leg of his wedding journey with his bride. Afterward the duke would take Roslyn to Paris and then travel on to Brittany to visit the former Lady Loring, where Victoria had settled with her new French husband. Lily was constantly aware of Heath, however, and where he was at any given moment.

Then Marcus's sister, Lady Eleanor Pierce, arrived, along with her elderly aunt, Lady Beldon. The vivacious raven-haired beauty kissed Marcus affectionately on the cheek before she sought out Heath and gave him the same fond salutation.

It was absurd to feel a sharp twinge of jealousy at the sweet gesture, Lily knew, yet she couldn't help it. Especially when Lady Eleanor stood there laughing delightedly up at Heath.

Recalling her plan, Lily focused her attention on Basil, pretending to hang on his every word. It dismayed her a little, therefore, when Lady Eleanor brought Heath over to join them and then somehow managed to draw Basil aside, leaving Lily alone with the very man she had earnestly hoped to avoid.

“Will you permit me to take you in to dinner?” was Heath's first remark.

“That is kind of you, my lord,” Lily said in an offhand manner, “but Basil has already offered. You and I won't be seated together at dinner, either.”

“I suppose you made certain of the seating arrangements?”

“Well…yes.”

“Then I will settle for sitting beside you during the wedding tomorrow.”

“I have promised to sit beside Basil tomorrow,” Lily hastened to say.

Heath arched an eyebrow. “You have two sides, do you not? I will sit on your right, and he may have the left. I believe I have earned the privilege. Fleur informs me that they have deemed me the winner of our game.”

“Yes, they have,” Lily said despondently.

“It will be our first time to be seen in public together. Somehow it seems fitting that we will be attending a wedding together.”

“We will not be attending
together,
” she pointed out. “I will be riding to the church with my sisters.”

“As you did for your eldest sister's wedding. I remember the moment you arrived. You captured my attention with your laughter.” Heath smiled as though it was a pleasurable memory.

“Oh? I don't particularly recall meeting
you
then,” Lily lied.

His eyes sparkled with humor. “You wound me, darling. Am I really so forgettable?”

He was no such thing, she thought, trying to ignore the devilish charm dancing in his eyes.

“You cannot say you have forgotten our first kiss in the barn loft, or any of the kisses that followed.”

“My lord!” Lily hissed in a repressive undertone, glancing around to see if he had been overheard.

“Are we back to ‘my lord' now? What have I done to earn such disdain?”

“You can hardly object to the term,” she retorted. “You know that ‘my lord' is the proper form of address when we are in polite company.”

“I can accept that as long as you call me by my given name in private.”

Somewhat agitated, Lily looked away, searching for Basil.

“Do you expect Eddowes to come to your rescue?” Heath asked curiously. “What is he now, your protector?”

“Of a sort,” Lily replied, aware of the desperation in her thinking.

“You seem very fond of him.”

“I am indeed. We have known each other since we were in leading strings.”

Heath reached up to touch her chin, bringing her gaze back to his. “I think you have grown a little fond of me, too, Lily.”

She couldn't issue an honest denial, no matter how much she wanted to. “Against my better judgment,” Lily murmured, finally looking straight at him. “But simply because I hold you in affection doesn't mean I wish to marry you or spend the rest of my life with you.”

“
Do
you hold me in affection, sweeting?” Heath asked, his tone a tender tease.

Lily pressed her lips together. “That was a slip of the tongue. I consider you a friend, nothing more.”

“I think we have gone far beyond mere friendship. I have been inside of you, remember?”

“Will you stop that!” Lily demanded in frustration.

Thankfully, she was spared from further provocation when Marcus's butler, Hobbs, appeared and announced that dinner was served.

Even more thankfully, Heath made no effort to approach her again that evening. Instead, he spent much of the time with Lady Eleanor—an unexpected turn of events that strangely unsettled Lily.

The image of them laughing together stayed with her as she tossed and turned in her solitary bed that night, no matter how much she tried not to think of Heath with the lively, lovely Lady Eleanor.

Lily woke late the following morning, weary and bleary-eyed, but she made a concerted effort to be cheerful when she and Arabella gathered in Roslyn's bedchamber to help her bathe and dress. It was not too difficult since Roslyn's high spirits were infectious. Lily couldn't help but be sad, however, that she was losing her other sister.

Roslyn eventually noticed her melancholy and commented on it. “Lily, I know you would rather I didn't marry Drew, but I love him dearly. More than I thought it was possible to love anyone.”

“That is quite obvious,” Arabella interjected with a fond smile at Roslyn, “from the way you look at him. And he spent the entire evening gazing adoringly at you. It is frankly remarkable to see the elusive, cynical Duke of Arden wearing his heart on his sleeve for all to see.”

“I don't object to you marrying him if you are happy, Rose,” Lily said, feeling her throat ache with love for her sister.

“I
am
happy, truly. I can only wish you the same happiness, Lily, with a man as wonderful as Drew.”

A wonderful man like Heath,
Lily found herself thinking.
A man who was tender and generous and gentle and strong….

For a fleeting moment, Lily caught herself imagining that she was the one preparing for her wedding day just now, eager to become Heath's bride. Doubtless, it was her unsteady emotions making her harbor such foolish musings. She should know better.

With a deliberate effort she shrugged off her nonsensical reflections and managed a laugh. “Your idea of happiness and mine are quite different, Rose. I would not be happy as a wife. But I must say that I am highly envious of your trip to Paris and Brittany. That is kind of Arden to take you to see Mama.”

“Indeed. But he realizes how much it means to me after we were estranged from her for so long.” Roslyn shook her head. “We are on much better terms with Mama than Drew is with his mother. And I admit I am very glad that the duchess will be remaining here in London after our wedding.”

Lily understood her sister's sentiment, since she'd heard how cold and haughty the Duchess of Arden was. “The duke told me last night that you mean to remain at Arden Castle for the first week of your wedding journey.”

“Yes. Drew wants to have his family home to ourselves for a time, so he gave his mother an ultimatum—and she promised to make herself scarce for the duration of our visit to Kent.”

Arabella nodded in sympathy. “And you won't have to endure the duchess's company much after you are wed.”