Wickeds Scandal (The Wickeds) (32 page)

She wrinkled her brow in
consternation.  He had not even a full glass of wine.  Peacock! He
was going to make her undress him.

Alexandra approached the man in front of
her cautiously.  Her hand hovered over the first button on his shirt,
grasping it between her fingers.   Slowly, she undid the button,
enjoying in the feel of the fine lawn and the warmth of the skin underneath. 
The exotic scent of cinnamon that clung to Sutton moved around her.  She
may faint from sheer delight.   She looked up at him.

Sutton’s mouth curled at the corners in
amusement, though his eyes spoke of darker things.

“What is so funny?” she demanded. 
Horrid, adorable, man.

“Not a thing, Badger.  Will you not
help me out of my shirt, or will you just undo the one button?  Should I
call for my valet to instruct you?  You’ve bred livestock, I assumed
undressing your husband would not pose a problem.”  He gave a put upon
sigh.  “I see I was misled.”

She smacked his chest lightly with her
fist.  Beast!  Her hands made quick work of the remainder of the
buttons.  Once undone, she took both edges of the fine lawn in her hands
and pulled the shirt apart, as if she opened an expensive gift.

My Goodness!
  Alexandra sucked in her breath, as
she stared in wonder at the sight of the dragon’s tail.  The tail, dark
green in color, came from the side of his torso and wound around his navel,
seeming to weave in and out through the light dusting of hair on his
abdomen.  Without thinking, she ran her hand over the end of the tail,
pressing her palm against his navel and the smooth planes of his stomach.

The dragon’s tail jumped.  Sutton’s
eyes, dark and unreadable, never left her face.

Emboldened, she stepped behind him. 
Her hands ran over his back and shoulders.

Sutton shifted, allowing one side of his
shirt to dip down.

Alexandra’s fingers traveled to the edge
of the shirt.  She pulled the cloth down the length of his back and tried
not to gasp in wonder as the dragon slowly revealed itself.  The enormity
and beauty of the tattoo stunned her.  Before she could stop herself she
uttered, “Good Lord, Sutton.”

The dragon tattoo, exquisite and
intricate, rivaled anything in Alexandra’s experience, the exceptional skill of
the artist, evident in every brush stroke.  The dragon’s almond-shaped red
eyes, framed by dark sweeping lashes, looked down towards Sutton’s
waist.   The head of the beast tilted regally over Sutton’s left
shoulder.  The body wound down the spine of her husband’s back, each scale
drawn in detail, and outlined in ink that shimmered like gold.   The
dragon’s smaller forearms stretched out, one arm reached for the right side of
Sutton’s back, the other clutched his left shoulder blade, giving the
appearance that the dragon had crawled up Sutton to nest in his neck. The hind
legs disappeared under the animal’s body, only one clawed foot stuck out. The
elongated tail wove around the right side of his torso, getting smaller and
thinner as it wrapped around his right side and approached his navel. 
Sutton stretched and the muscles in his back undulated, making it seem as if
the dragon came to life.   The tattoo was a masterpiece.

“It’s so real looking.  I half expect
it to pounce upon me.”

“The dragon is not who you need to worry
about,” Sutton said lightly.

When he didn’t move, or turn his head,
Alexandra took that as a sign she could explore.  Just touching Sutton,
just letting her fingertips rest against his flesh, filled her with taut
expectation.  Tracing the dragon and feeling Sutton’s muscles bunch
beneath her touch pulled her into a sensual trance.

“It's beautiful, Sutton.  Truly a
work of art.”  She paused in her exploration. The pain he’d endured while
this was etched on his skin must have been excruciating.  She remembered
the comments she’d overheard so long ago at Lady Dobson’s.  Sutton must
feel like an oddity to have a tattoo, and especially one of this magnitude, drawn
on his body.  A rush of tenderness filled her.  The Dowager had been
correct.  Alexandra was madly, deeply and forever in love with Sutton
Reynolds.  

Her fingers flowed around his midsection
as she walked around to face him. Her hands ran up to his face, palms open
against his cheeks.  She loved this beautiful, complicated man with all
her heart.

He pressed an open mouthed kiss on her
palm.  The tip of his tongue darted out against her
skin.    “Turn around.” His voice was husky.   “I feel
that since you have examined my back, the least I can do is return the favor.”

Obedient and awkward, she turned, afraid
he would find her wanting in some way.   “I suppose I shouldn’t ask
if you need direction.  I’m quite sure you’re an expert.”  She
cringed, immediately regretting the note of jealously she heard in her
voice.   Admitting her love for him, if only to herself, made her
feel vulnerable.  The intensity frightened her.

“Shush, Badger.  I have wanted no
woman as I’ve wanted you.”

Warm fingers ran down Alexandra’s
spine.  The dress fell apart as his fingers did their work.  Cool air
sliced down her back. Slowly.  Each time a new portion of her back became
exposed, Sutton’s mouth warmed it. Her legs shook.  Her breasts felt
heavy, almost painful. 

Her wedding dress, a lovely confection of
pale blue silk, fell to her hips. The silk clung to her hips, then, cascaded
down her legs to form a puddle at her feet.

“Turn around.”

Alexandra stepped out of the pool of blue
silk and turned to Sutton.  Her nipples puckered as she faced him. 
She knew he could see her breasts through the sheer fabric of her
chemise.  She covered her breasts with her hands, suddenly embarrassed to
be nearly naked before him. 

“Don’t.”

“Would it be possible, my lord-“

“Sutton.”

Alexandra gave him a look under her
lashes.  Determination was stamped over his handsome face, as if he were a
knight about to siege a castle.  She supposed that was one way of looking
at things.

“Sutton, would it be possible to perhaps
turn down the lamps? I-“

“No.  That is a distinct
impossibility
.”

She forced her hands to her sides and
tried not to tremble under his regard.

He reached forward and pulled the ribbon
that held the top of her chemise together. He pulled the ribbon slowly,
purposefully, until the chemise parted.   His dark hair fell across
his face, his head bent to the task.  The chemise loosened, the ends
barely clinging to her shoulders.  Sutton reached forward abruptly and
wrenched the fabric down with both hands.

Her nipples hardened into points as the
cooler air of the room caressed her exposed flesh.  She turned her head,
unwilling to look at Sutton.

“God, you’re beautiful Alex.”  His
breath drew in sharply.  The dragon’s tail moved as his breathing
deepened. 

Her hands clenched at her sides. 
She wasn’t sure what was expected of her.  The nipples of her breasts
hardened into painful points.  Her eyelids fluttered.  She wanted his
mouth on her breasts.

Sutton growled low in his throat. 
The chemise ripped off her body, fluttering into a wispy heap on the
floor. 

“Pray be careful, my lord.  I only
have –“
            “I’ll buy
you another.  Dozens if that’s what you wish.” 

Alexandra was certain her drawers were
next.  She was not disappointed.  One long finger grabbed the tapes
of her underclothes.  A harsh tug and the sound of fabric tearing met her
ears.  Naked now, except for her garters and hose, she stood before
him.  Feeling wicked and wanton, she met his stare.

The green eyes smoldered as he took in
her stance.  His breathing quickened. 

“Take down your hair.”  It was a
command.

She stretched her arms up, conscious how
the action lifted her breasts.

Sutton watched in rapt silence.  His
gaze flicked from her face to her breasts.

Alexandra pulled out the pins holding
back her mass of hair.  Chestnut spirals struck her shoulders and skimmed
down her naked body to dance against her waist.

Sutton’s arm shot out.  He wound her
hair around his wrist and gently but forcibly pulled her to him.  His
teeth nipped at her ear lobe.  His mouth fell upon hers in a fierce kiss,
demanding she give herself to him.  

Alexandra responded by wrapping her arms
around him. Her breasts rubbed against the hair on his chest.  She
groaned, tortured by the sensation of their bare skin. His arousal, thick and
hard pushed against her. 

“Wanton.” He whispered.  “Wanton for
me.”

Alexandra didn’t argue.  She nodded
eagerly.  

Sutton twirled her small form towards the
giant bed.  He picked her up as if she were no more than a housecat and
tossed her on the mattress.  Her hair fanned out across the burgundy
coverlet and her legs fell open erotically.

“
One day I will have you spread before
me in nothing but your garters and hose, your very essence open to me.”
 
Alexandra blinked as the words came back to her.  She sat up on her elbows
to see Sutton watching her. 

“You should not doubt me.”  He
remembered as well.

The sound of boots and breeches hitting
the floor met her ears.  He would be on the bed in a moment.  Her
heart raced. 

“Sutton?”

“Mmm?”  The bed sank down on one
end.

“The lamps.  Seduction should take
place in dim light, don’t you agree?”

On his hands and knees, as naked as she,
he approached her.  She could clearly see between his legs. 

“No, I do not.  I wish to see
you.  Everything lovely inch.”

Alexandra stared at the canopy over the
bed.  She had been raised on a working farm.  All male animals were
possessed of the same basic equipment.  Well, at least pigs and cows.

“Alex.”

Sutton sat back on his haunches, a
patient smile hovering on his lips. 

Alexandra looked lower.  A thick
swatch of dark hair nested around his manhood. 

Alexandra assessed the situation. 
She had felt his arousal through his breeches but underestimated its actual
size
.
She bit her lip. It was so large.  It was
much
larger than she’d
anticipated. 

Sutton leered at her.  “Don’t lose your
bravado now, Badger.”

The inky strands of his hair fell,
framing his angelic features.  The dragon peeked over Sutton’s shoulder,
watching her with the same intensity Sutton did.  He got down on all fours
and moved towards her.  An exotic and beautiful tiger, stalking its
prey.  He hovered over her, his hair falling around her shoulders. 
His arousal brushed sensuously against her thigh.

Her eyes never leaving his face, she
moved back against the pillows.

Fingers flicked one nipple.

Alexandra gasped, but she didn’t
move. 

He rubbed the nipple, rolling it between
his finger and thumb.  The green of his eyes seemed deeper, richer, the
flecks of gold lit by fire.  Leaning forward, he took the nipple into the
wet warmth of his mouth.  He grazed the peak with his teeth.

“Oh, dear.”  Alexandra pressed her
head back into the pillows.  A spurt of moisture spread between her
legs.  The wicked feeling returned.

A finger ran through the soft fur of her
womanhood.  He gave a gentle tug before slipping his finger into her
folds.  “Wet already, Alex?” 

Alexandra arched against his hand. 
“Sutton.”  His name stammered from her lips.

“Shush, sweetheart.  I’ll take care
of you.” He pressed feather-light kisses from her breasts to her stomach,
nipping the tender flesh as she writhed beneath him.  His fingers found
the nub of flesh.  Stroking it, he softly he inserted a finger.

Alexandra moaned. 

Another finger was inserted, stretching
her carefully.  More moisture seeped from between the folds of her
sex.  She ached for him to bring her to that precipice, as he had the day
at the Royal Exhibition.  He was preparing her to accept….

“Sutton.”  She panted, as he
continued his ministrations.  Her nerves flamed sensation across her body.
“You must stop.  We must discuss -” She mewled as his finger flicked her
nub. “No matter how well you prepare me, I fear that….
that
….will not
fit!”

Sutton laughed, the sound deep and
erotic. 

“You mean my
cock
?”  His
fingers wiggled inside her.  He pushed in a third finger and she groaned.

“Yes.”  Alexandra was being slowly
tortured.   And she enjoyed it. “I realize that this is probably not
the best time to tell you that it is too large, but I am sure –“

“Alex, don’t be frightened.”  She
felt the touch of his tongue on the sensitive nub and she nearly jolted off the
mattress. “It will only hurt once, a pinch sweetheart.  It cannot be
avoided.  But, your body will take mine in.  I promise.”  He
moved his mouth again.