Wicked Deception (46 page)

“
Is it your son, or the
father, who keeps you from leaving?”

Catherine bristled at his words. It was
obvious Roth knew of her former relationship with Gabriel. “That is
none of your affair! Gabriel has nothing to do with my staying. He
is married now.”

Caspian raised a curved brow. “A bit
defensive, love. I do not judge you. I only ask if you have a death
wish to stay when so many wish you dead. Your leaving would solve
your problem, you know?”

Catherine felt comfortable with Roth,
enough to discuss matters he had no business knowing. He had earned
that. “I leave in a month, if you must know. Let us just say Lord
Iverleigh came to no agreement with me in regard to my son. That is
what delayed me in leaving.”

“
He holds the boy over your
head, does he?”

“
No!” she said a bit too
quickly and Caspian laughed, a rich sound she found quite
appealing. “He is the boy’s father. It stands to reason he wishes
to raise his son. I have only the rights he allows me.”

Caspian looked sad. “He will not give
you the boy unless you come back to him that much is obvious.
Beware of strings, Catherine, lest you become entangled in
them.”

She looked up at him and was amazed at
how perceptive he was in gauging her difficulty in leaving. “I know
Lord Iverleigh well; you need not warn me.”

Caspian looked surprised at that. “But
why did you not marry him? Would not marriage to him have solved
all of your problems?”

Catherine frowned, realizing she had
probably said too much. “I refused to marry him. He is nothing like
Nicholas. He quite takes over and I find his authority rather
annoying now.”

Caspian chuckled in delight, his eyes
twinkling down at her. “An independent little thing, I see; I like
hearing that. I pity Iverleigh your loss.”

Catherine became conscious of how
suddenly aware of Roth she was, and that she had next to nothing
on. Her heart beat erratically in her breast and a very female part
of her ached under his green-eyes stare.

Caspian smiled down at her. “Do I make
you nervous, Catherine?”

“
God yes!” she whispered in
a rush and he chuckled appreciatively, his eyes meeting hers
warmly.

“
You need not fear me, dear
lady,” he promised her, all humor leaving his gaze in an instant,
replaced with a heated look. “Your welfare is my priority of
late.”

Catherine stared up at him, feeling a
strange pull to the man she knew was inappropriate. Common sense
told her if she showed one bit of the attraction she felt for him,
he would gobble her up like a morsel. “I do not know how to thank
you, Caspian.”

He bowed and smiled down at her. “You
can thank me by making better choices. Lord Iverleigh is not the
man for you, my dear. Nicky would roll over in his grave should you
go back to your former place in his life.”

His words angered her. How did he know
what was good for her? The man followed her around killing men
hired to kill her. How did he know what was in her heart? “You have
no right!” she said with anger in her gaze. “Whatever I decide, it
will be my choice now. Becoming his mistress again wasn’t my plan
at all.”

~ ~ ~

Caspian had his own plans, his eyes
lingering at her neckline where her robe had come undone, falling
open to allow him enough of her heaving bosom to get stiff in his
breeches. He smirked, wondering what angering her further would
achieve. The adorable flush on her cheeks was preferable to the
sallow cast left by her grief. Her emerald eyes were fairly
sparkling now, even in anger.

He dismissed a twinge of guilt he
lusted for Nicky’s widow. Catherine was far too desirable to
ignore, and he was in her bedroom, obviously a place Lord Iverleigh
had not accomplished yet. His loins tightened painfully to think of
taking the raven-haired beauty to her bed, reminding her she was
flesh and blood still.

“
You do what is easiest for
you now,” he accused and snorted derisively, making her gasp in
outrage. “You wouldn’t want to offend His Lordship, so you fall
into line whenever he snaps his fingers. Pitiful really, I thought
you had more pluck.”

“
You go too far!” she said
in a seething tone. “No that any of this is your business, but how
do you know what is good for me?”

Caspian folded his arms across his
chest with a raised eyebrow. “I have a fair idea of what you need,
but it would only get me slapped for saying it out
loud.”

Her green eyes widened in outrage. The
slap he knew would come was caught by him, his powerful hand
snaking out to grab her small hand before it struck its mark. He
shook his head as he reeled her closer to him, pulling her into the
curve of his arms.

“
You do not want to do
that,” he warned softly. “I do not tolerate abuse from women, even
beautiful ones like you, sweets. If the truth distresses you, I
apologize, but you have options you might not have explored before
Nicky died. You do not need a protector, but a lover.”

She stared up at him, her eyes luminous
and unblinking. “You’re an impertinent man!”

Caspian smiled and his knowing sure
hands slid to the opening of her robe and slid it off her
shoulders, letting it fall to her feet, his eyes never leaving
hers. “I’m going to make love to you, Catherine. When I’m done with
you this night, you will have little cause to complain of me
again,” he said softly and his hands slid to the straps of her
night rail, sliding them down and letting the garment whisper down
her body, leaving her nude to his admiring gaze.

~ ~ ~

She trembled, eyes wide as she stared
up at him, her nipples tightening to hard lush cherries under his
heated gaze. A very distinct wetness had already formed between her
legs. A voice of reason raised every objection to not allow Caspian
to make love to her now. The woman in her could not resist the
desire to know what it felt to be conquered by him.

His eyes were glowing hot as his long,
elegant fingers reached out to cup her burgeoning breasts,
appreciative of their lush fullness. The pads of his fingers
stroked the stiff peaks with knowing pressure. Her lips parted and
an anguished gasp escaped her.

His lips captured hers then, his mouth
taking hers in a fiery kiss as he molded her to his chest, his
tongue mating with hers hungrily. His hands reached down and cupped
her small, curved derriere in his hands, lifting her to rub against
the hardness straining in his breeches.

Catherine was dizzy with the sensation
of his sensual mouth on hers. She moaned under his lips as they
caressed hers, asking not taking. She answered, her arms sliding up
to encircle his neck, desire coursing through her body alarmingly.
Her long legs wrapped around his hips as he rubbed against her, the
rough fabric making her long to feel his bare skin against
hers.

He broke the kiss and his hand stroked
her cheek, his eyes tender and glowing. “I make you no promise of
undying love here, sweet Catherine. That is not what I offer. Only
sweet music and passion”

Her eyes were dark with need as she
strained against him. She knew what he meant. He wanted her. It was
all she could bear right now. Somehow he knew what she needed,
where Gabriel didn’t. She drew his mouth back to hers, gripping
handfuls of his hair at his nape, ripping the ribbon free to feel
his silky hair as he returned to her lips.

Caspian bore her to her bed, not
breaking the hungry kiss, his hands holding her fast. He placed her
on the bed and began to undress slowly, his eyes never leaving
hers.

Catherine felt no shame as she watched
his clothing hit the floor, revealing his beautiful body to her
gaze. His body was lean and his muscles were tight and compact.
When he slid his breeches off his hips she swallowed hard as his
long, curved manhood sprang free, amid the brightest red hair
nested there, like fire around his swollen shaft.

Once he was nude and standing next to
her bed, his hand reached out to her, drawing her near the edge. He
stared down at her, his hands sliding into her long silken mane,
urging her to take his swollen cock into her mouth.

She took him then, her mouth swirling
around him, her hands digging into his lean hips. The heady wanton
reaction to him was making her bold, suckling him urgently until he
pushed her away and eased down beside her.

Catherine sighed as his mouth lowered
to her aching breasts, his lips pulling and sucking at the swollen
nipples with thorough delight. She protested as he began to pull
enough to engage her milk, but soon the sensation evaporated under
the pleasure.

Her soft cries urged him on, her hands
clutching his head to her breast until he drank his fill. She
writhed under his hungry mouth, aching for him to be inside of her.
He lifted his head, the admiration in his eyes warming
her.

“
I could not resist, my
sweet minx,” he whispered as he looked up at her apologetically. “I
didn’t mean to steal your child’s milk, but it as sweet as anything
I have ever tasted.”

Catherine nearly wept as his mouth
lowered to the other and soon she was mindless in need, her body
thrashing under his. She whimpered and arched under his thirsty
lips and tongue. Caspian’s mouth left her aching breasts and slid
down her ribcage, nibbling and biting her gently. His tongue left a
blistering trail of heat down her body.

She gasped as his lips slid into the
raven curls between her thighs, his long elegant fingers parting
her folds as his tongue found her. Slow knowing flicks made her
grind her body upward. She met his thrusting tongue with anguished
sobs, her hands gripping his head.

His voracious mouth brought her to a
shattering climax within moments. Her legs wound around his neck,
her hips coming off the bed.

“
Yes, please, oh God, it
feels so good,” she murmured in delight. “Do not stop,
Caspian.”

His answer was to renew his attack upon
the soft bud, stiff with desire that tautened again as she drove
upward to meet his mouth. His hands slid under her to cup her firm
buttocks, bringing her to another fierce climax that left her
sobbing and shaking in his hands.

Caspian eased up and slid over her,
nestling between her thighs, his eyes fierce with desire. He reared
up and thrust deep within her, seated so deeply she would have
screamed aloud had he not cut off the sound with his lips. She
sobbed under his mouth, her body clenched around his like a vice,
her hips meeting each slow, aching thrust with a wildness he
adored.

He pumped determinedly inside her,
staring down into her beautiful face, watching how her passion
grew. He went slowly despite his rampant lust for her. She was
driving him crazed with the way her body moved under his. Her need
matched his. He closed his eyes and groaned with pleasure as she
wrapped her legs around his driving hips, bringing him deeper
within her.

“
Yes, my sweet one, take
me,” he crooned as he moved within her, his body pounding her into
the mattress. “Use me, Catherine. Let me fill you up.”

Her heels dug into his plunging
buttocks, her cries growing. “Oh Caspian, it feels wondrous, do not
stop! Harder, yes that’s it. Do not stop.”

Caspian laughed; a low sensual sound as
her moved intently inside of her. “That’s it; take me, Catherine.
Take your pleasure.”

She did, her body clenching his
tightly, her nails and heels digging into his rocking buttocks now,
crying out softly in abandonment. He lowered his mouth to hers,
cutting off her urgent cries, fearful she would awaken her
household with them.

His body drove hers into the mattress,
grinding her into the bed until she shattered under him, her body
shaking violently as she came to a splintering orgasm. Caspian
closed his eyes in delight as he felt her shudder and grip him
tightly.

Catherine held him fiercely as her body
slaked its needs. She wept against his sweaty chest, feeling more
vitally alive than she had in months. Soon he stiffened and let out
a fierce growl at her ear as he joined her, crying out softly as he
spilled his seed deep within her.

He was twitching above her, his
handsome face contorted as he held himself aloft, groaning as her
slender hips continued to rock against his.

“
Easy, my sweet one, easy,
go slowly,” he whispered as settled within her, easing up on his
elbows to appreciate her beauty.

She was breathing raggedly as he came
down upon her, sinking upon her in the bed, his lips brushing
across hers with a pleased smile. He seemed in no hurry to move,
lying within her contentedly.

The shame she should have felt for this
was markedly absent from her satisfied expression as she looked
dazedly up at him. The contentment in her face made it
glow.

Catherine looked up at him, her face
flushed with pleasure. He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly.
Soon, she was on fire once more, her hips moving with his in a
slow, gentle rhythm that made him harden again.

He stared down at her in wonder and
soon all thoughts of anything else vanished, his mouth taking hers
with feverish hunger. He rose and fell over her, boring her into
the mattress once more, filling her so deep, she bit down on his
shoulder, a scream lodged in her throat.