Undressed by the Earl (23 page)

“It’s hard,” he said at last.

“Will you try?” She held out her hand to his, and he knew that if he turned her down now, it would sever the fragile friendship between them.

He took her hand in his and was startled when she turned to kiss his cheek. The soft brush of her lips burned through him, and he stopped her from pulling back. Instead, he brought his mouth to hers. Her lips were gentle, accepting him, but the invitation was undeniable. When her hands reached up to his hair, he deepened the kiss, pulling her onto his lap.

He didn’t care that she was nestled against his arousal. Her tongue touched his, and a breathless sigh escaped her when he rocked his hips.

He could claim her right now in the coach, lifting her skirts and sinking into her willing flesh. She was trembling against him, her green eyes dark with her own desire.

“I love it when you touch me,” she murmured. “Don’t stop.”

He rewarded her by reaching beneath her gown to touch her leg, moving his hands upward to her inner thigh. Amelia leaned in closer, kissing him hard, and she pressed herself against his arousal.

He knew he shouldn’t continue, for they would reach the inn all too soon. But he found himself giving in to the physical pleasure of caressing her. She was so responsive, her lips swollen from his kiss.

It was as if his mind and body were separate, as he brought her closer to the edge.

“Do you want this?” he asked huskily, when he slipped his fingers inside her wetness.

“I want you,” she breathed.

He rubbed his thumb against her hooded flesh, watching her face. The need to possess her was overwhelming, but he welcomed the physical frustration. He didn’t care that he would be in pain tonight—there was no harm in giving her pleasure.

He would enjoy that, he realized. Watching her come apart was a reward in itself, and there was no need to indulge his own needs.

“Let go,” he ordered, thrusting his hand against her. “Or I’ll keep tormenting you even more.”

She shuddered against him, biting her lower lip, while her eyes remained closed. She was fighting him, and when she reached for his erection, he caught her wrist.

“No. This isn’t about me.”

He moved his mouth to the neckline of her gown. Though he couldn’t free her breasts, he kissed the bared skin. “If I could, I’d take your nipple in my mouth,” he told her. “I’d suckle you hard until you screamed.”

His words forced her past the brink, and she arched against him, a cry escaping as she surrendered to the release. He held her as she went limp against him. His own heart was pounding, his shaft so hard, it was punishment for what he’d done.

But Amelia smiled as if he’d handed her a priceless jewel.

It was a wonder her knees were still functioning. Amelia held the earl’s hand as he led her inside the small room within the inn. After he’d pleasured her in the coach, once again he’d locked away every emotion. It was as if he hadn’t touched her at all.

She didn’t understand the iron control he seemed to possess. It was as if he were a man of stone, one who isolated himself from the moments they shared.

It should have infuriated her. Instead, Amelia took it as a challenge. He might try to separate himself from her, but she wasn’t going to stand back in the shadows. Even if it meant she had to become Eve, tempting him with her body, she would set aside her nerves and bring him the same pleasure he’d given her. She wanted
him
to lose command of his senses, even if it meant surrendering to his needs.

Inside their room, there was only a single bed, and the interior was not particularly clean. For a moment, Amelia wondered if he intended to get a separate room from hers.

When his footman brought in the earl’s belongings, she let out the breath she’d been holding. Then he was intending to stay. She was thankful for it and promised herself that this night she would set aside her inhibitions. But when she saw the sheets, she questioned if they’d been changed since the last guests. There were stains on the coverlet, and the linen appeared almost yellow.

“Is this…the best they could do?” Though she wanted a romantic night with her husband, this room left a great deal to be desired.

David removed his hat and shrugged. “I suppose so. I did ask them to send up water for washing.”

She nodded, suddenly realizing that her earlier wish, to have a bath, was an entirely different matter with a husband present in the room.

When she sat down upon the bed, she heard the terrible creak of the rope bed frame. “I’m not certain this bed will hold both of us.” It appeared as if it would snap beneath her own weight.

“We may end up sleeping on the floor,” he said. “It’s not exactly the best of accommodations.”

“And there may be lice in the mattress.” She shuddered, imagining tiny insects crawling upon her. “I think I’d rather take the floor than risk this bed.”

He seemed to agree with her. “Shall I ask for another room?”

“No. If this is the best they had, I can’t imagine what a lesser room would be.”

There came a knock at the door, and a servant brought in a light supper and a basin of water. The earl directed the man to put their meal down on the table and the basin on the dressing table. Amelia decided to clean the dust from her face and hands before eating and was grateful that the water appeared clean. She had put her bonnet back on when they’d arrived at the inn, but now removed it once more.

After the servant had gone, the earl came forward to wash his own hands. Amelia handed him a linen cloth to dry them, and he stood over her while she dipped her palms in the water and lifted them to her face.

The cool water was welcome, and she closed her eyes, never minding that some of it slid beneath her gown. David passed her the cloth, and she wiped her face and hands.

He remained behind her, and she was conscious of his body heat. Slowly, she pulled the pins from her hair, letting it spill over her shoulders. A moment later, the earl touched her shoulder, pulling his hand through the strands.

“Come and eat with me,” he bade her. Amelia started to follow, but the earl stood where he was for a moment. In his blue eyes, she saw a glimpse of longing, and her body softened with anticipation. She wanted to spend this night in his arms, even if it was on the floor. If it meant giving him the same physical release that he’d granted her, it would be worth it.

The food was bland and the meat a mysterious gray color, but Amelia was so hungry, she hardly cared. Her nerves heightened with every moment, for tonight she would sleep beside her husband.

She drank her wine entirely too fast, and her brain felt fuzzy as a result. But she needed the courage, for what was to come. After the last time, she’d been a little sore, but she wanted to please him. A hundred questions tangled in her mind as she pondered how he would like to be touched.

“I believe that may have been the worst food I’ve ever eaten,” David remarked, pushing it aside with a grimace.

Amelia couldn’t quite form a response, for she was trying to decide what to do now. Should she ask for her maid to come and undress her? Or should she let him do that?

“You’re looking pale,” he remarked. “Are you well enough?”

“Do you think we could get this over with?” she asked. “The more I think about it, the more nervous I am.”

“Get what over with?” he inquired. “Dinner, you mean? I agree. It was awful.”

She swallowed hard, pouring herself a second cup of wine. “No, the part where we”—she glanced back at the narrow bed—“you know.”

“The part where we sleep in a bed where the sheets haven’t been cleaned and the bed is likely infested with vermin?”

He was making fun of her, and she decided that bluntness was best. “No, the part where we make love a second time.”

His eyes narrowed at her, and from the doubtful expression on his face, it was clear he didn’t want to. “Not in that bed,” he said. “We’d be covered in flea bites, and I doubt you’d enjoy it.”

Her cheeks burned with mortification, but she tried again. “On the floor then?”

David took the wineglass from her and shook his head. “Too uncomfortable. Your back would hurt in the morning.” But there was a hint of wickedness in his voice, as if he were teasing her.

She lifted her hair off the back of her neck, closing her eyes for a moment. “You’re avoiding me again, aren’t you?”

“In this instance, yes.” He glanced around the small bedchamber. “Admit it—this is not exactly the best location for a tryst.”

She had to agree on that point. “Then how shall we pass the time?”

“Counting fleas?”

She grimaced at the idea and went over to see if the bed was that terrible. Although she’d been seated in a coach for most of the day, her body ached with exhaustion. The idea of falling into a dreamless sleep was a welcome one.

But when she reached out to touch the coverlet, the mattress squirmed.

Amelia let out a shriek and backed away. “It moved!” She didn’t know what was beneath that coverlet, but she knew that bedding was
not
supposed to do that. If there was a mouse or a rat in the bedding—

She seized a stool and smashed it against the coverlet.

“Most women would be screaming and standing on the table by now,” the earl pointed out.

Amelia glared at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping me? While I don’t relish killing a mouse, neither do I want to sleep with him.”

“This
is
rather entertaining,” he said, leaning back with a gleam in his eye. “I think you should strike it again.”

When she hit the coverlet again, there was a groaning sound, and the center of the mattress sank down.

“I think you killed the bed.” The amusement on his face irritated her. Wasn’t he supposed to be her savior, protecting her from whatever creeping animals were living in the mattress?

“I don’t think either of us should sleep here,” she pronounced. “It’s not clean, and there’s likely a dead rodent inside the straw mattress.” In fact, she wished they could leave the inn entirely. Nothing about this place made her comfortable. “I’d rather sleep in the coach,” she told him. “At least there are no lice or animals inside.”

He shrugged. “Or we could ask for a different room.”

She rubbed her arms, uncertain of what to do. But the earl ordered, “Come with me, and we’ll see if I can find something else.”

Amelia took his arm, still uneasy about their accommodations. But this time, the earl spoke sharply with the innkeeper and made it clear he was displeased by the room. She stepped back, leaving them to argue about it, and in the meantime, she saw that her husband was growing even angrier with the man.

In disgust, he gave the innkeeper a guinea and took her hand. “We’re leaving. I’d rather drive the rest of the night than stay here.”

Amelia wasn’t certain he should have paid the man at all, but she decided not to argue. While their servants gathered up their belongings, the earl led her back outside. They waited within the coach for the driver to hitch up the horses, and he said, “I’m sorry for that. I didn’t think it would be this bad.”

She sent him a wary smile. “At least we had our supper. And we didn’t become the rodent’s supper.”

The earl didn’t smile in return. Instead, his face was taut with tension as he sat across from her. The interior of the coach reminded her of the endless hours of discomfort they had already endured.

“Would you like to lie down?” she suggested. “Perhaps get some sleep?”

He shook his head. “You are welcome to sleep, if you want. I’ll wait until our journey has started again.”

Amelia eyed him for a moment, and said at last, “When I was younger, I used to rest my head in my mother’s lap when I slept on a long journey.”

He said nothing, but moved to the side in wordless invitation. Amelia sat beside him and laid her head down upon the earl’s lap. His hand rested in her hair, and he stroked her temple lightly. It felt good to feel the warmth of his fingers against her skin.

The horses pulled forward, and as the coach continued, the rhythm of the horses was soothing.

And somehow it didn’t matter that she had no bed to rest upon. Castledon was here to keep her safe and to watch over her.

Amelia turned over to look up at David. “Will you kiss me good night?” she asked.

He didn’t answer her at first, and she reached up to his cravat. “Nothing more than a kiss, I promise you.”

Unless you want more
, she thought.

He put his arm around her nape, lifting her up to meet his lips. This time, she wrapped her arms around his neck, opening to him. She offered herself to him in the kiss.

And his mouth opened upon hers, hot and inviting. Dear God, he tasted of sin and unfulfilled longings. Amelia kissed him back, and he nipped at her lips, coaxing her into more.

The swift heat clenched her, pouring over her body until she wanted to touch him. She needed to feel his skin upon hers, his weight pressing her back.

But he withdrew at last, tilting her head away. “Good night, Amelia.”

Her body was already aroused, wanting more than just a kiss. But she acquiesced, focusing her attention on the opposite seat. It gave her the chance to think about how to go about this, how to break down the walls of ice that were shutting her out.