Page 31

“ O h, please!” She seemed to choke on whatever imprecation she was about to hurl at him before she scoffed. “I’ve had enough of people’s impressions of me for tonight.”

Henry’s eyes flew wide. “What do you mean?”

Annabelle tilted her head at him then. “I mean, it is your attention that led me here, Your Grace. This dress, the dance… I am done. I left London precisely to avoid this kind of idiocy. I won’t suffer it again just because you merely wish to pass your time with me.”

“You think I am merely passing the time with you?” Now, his voice came out gruff, his annoyance rising with each second he considered the words she was saying.

Because it told him just how much she really didn’t know him, or the extent of the obsession she inspired in him.

“There is not much else to do with a woman of my circumstances, now is there?”

“Your circumstances?” Henry took a step closer. “What precisely do you mean by that?”

“Oh, please.” Her laugh was bitter. “You know exactly what I mean by that. You were the first to throw my status in my face the first time we met. A spinster past her prime. Hardly worthy of anything else but warming the Duke of Marchwood’s bed, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Stop it.” The words were a command and were rough with emotion.

But she seemed to want to drive him out of his mind with anger. “Why? Because I speak the truth? For a man so stiff with rules, you have no qualms throwing caution to the wind to sate your own desires. If you did, you would think about what dancing with me would mean for your daughter’s future?—”

Henry was not about to allow that. He closed the distance between them in two swift strides. His hands gripped her chin as he forced her to look at him.

“Stop this, Annabelle.” His voice was rough, and his warm breath wafted across her face.

Eyes flashing, she spat at him. “I speak nothing but fact, Your Grace. Being associated with me could harm Celia, and I?—”

Henry let out a sigh. “I would have thought you’d have figured out how much I want you by now.

” The confession was torn out of him. “You must have been able to see how I’ve thought of nothing else but you for weeks, even before that kiss.

How watching you in that gown tonight, seeing other men look at you with desire, has nearly driven me to madness. ”

Annabelle’s breath caught, and her cheeks seemed to burn with something close to embarrassment. “Your Grace, you reach for fantasies if you think any men were watching me?—”

“Oh, they were. And I wanted to pull out every one of their eyeballs and feed them to the dogs.”.

He saw the moment she froze and looked up at him in shock.

Oh yes. Annabelle didn’t know just who he was underneath the mask of propriety he wore. She didn’t know of the beastly desires that prowled in the confines of his mind every time he looked at her.

“I… don’t understand…”

“I understand perfectly.” His thumbs brushed across her knuckles.

“I understand that I purchased that gown because I wanted to see you wear it. I understand that I asked you to dance because I wanted to hold you in my arms. I understand that I followed you here because seeing you hurt made me want to tear that ballroom apart with my bare hands.”

“Your Grace. Stop.” Annabelle tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

“No,” he stepped forward. “No, I will not stop. Because you don’t want me to.”

“What—”

“I’ve had enough of this, Annabelle.” Henry’s vision tunneled so that she was the only thing he could see. “I’ve been imagining what it would be like to touch you, to taste you. To be inside you.” The words were stark and uncompromising.

Annabelle gasped. Her cheeks were scorching hot now, and he chuckled at the sight.

“Oh? Is that what it takes to shock you?” He murmured, and she glared at him. “But these are just mere words. I assure you, I can do much more.”

The air between them crackled with tension. Henry could see the resolve wavering in the windows of her eyes and the way her breasts heaved, tempting and tempting him.

“I do not intend to let you play games with me,” she whispered.

Henry held her gaze. “And I do not intend to play games. You seem hellbent on not understanding me.”

“Because I don’t want to be some distraction for you. My reputation may be tarnished, but I’m not going to let you ruin it any further. I am?—”

“Mine.” The word was a growl against her ear as he backed her against the wall. “You’re mine, Annabelle, whether you admit it or not.”

She blinked back at him. Shock was evident in every crevice of her expression before she regained her senses.

“I’m not anyone’s,” she protested between clenched teeth.

“Aren’t you?” His hands braced against the wall on either side of her head, caging her in. “Then why is your pulse racing? Why are you looking at me like you want me to kiss you?”

“I—”

“Aren’t you?” His mouth was inches from hers now. “Tell me to stop then.”

She blinked once, twice. Her hand fell on his chest, and she clutched his shirt.

“Henry…” she murmured, and his skin went up in flames.

“Tell me, darling. Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”

She drew in a sharp breath, glanced down at his lips, then back up at his eyes.

“Kiss me.” She uttered barely a sound. “Kiss me, Henry.”

Finally, he brought his lips to hers.

Heavens. This was paradise.

Swiftly, Annabelle kissed him back with equal fervor as her hands fisted in his shirt so she could pull him closer.

“God, Annabelle,” he breathed against her lips. “I’ve been wanting to do this all evening.”

His hands roamed her body with reverent hunger, tracing the curves emphasized by the emerald silk, and he felt her melt under his touch. When his mouth moved to her throat, she arched into him, and a soft moan escaped her lips.

“So beautiful,” he murmured against her skin. “So perfect.”

He was a thing made of nothing but desire and need right then.

His hands found the fastenings of her gown. Henry was not willing to stop himself any longer. He could barely even remember where they were, and rational thought had gone beyond his reach as his skillful fingers made quick work of her bodice.

“Henry,” she gasped as his mouth found the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. “We shouldn’t—someone might?—”

“No one will disturb us,” he assured her, his voice rough with desire. “I locked the door.”

He pushed the gown from her shoulders and stared. Her pale skin was slowly flushing red, and he couldn’t help but track it down towards the top of her breasts.

“My Annabelle,” he hissed, his heartbeat thundering in his ears and yet sounding so far away. “You have no idea how much I have thought about this very thing. So go on. Blush some more for me.”

As if in a trance, he leaned down and pressed his tongue against her collarbone and licked once. She shuddered underneath him, and he groaned against her skin, his manhood throbbing painfully.

“Henry—” she gasped. Her hands roamed across his chest, and her touch only spiked his desire.

He realized that he couldn’t wait anymore. He needed to taste her.

He sank to his knees before her, his eyes dark with worship as he looked up at her.

“Let me taste you,” he whispered. His hands were already pushing up her chemise as his lips trailed against the length of her legs.

They were soft against his tongue, and his nose was filled with the sweet scent of her want.

For him. She wanted him . Right now.

He sank his teeth into the soft flesh of her inner thighs and held her gaze. “Hm?”

“Oh…” Her face was bright red. She was flushed all the way to her chest. The scarlet blush even teased the top of her breasts. “What are you…”

Henry smiled against her thigh before scraping his teeth along her skin. He felt her legs quiver as a fresh gust of her scent hit his nose.

He breathed in deeply, and his mouth watered. “Come on, darling. I remember those books you read at your club. You know precisely what I’m about to do to you.”

“But… You…” Her voice was trembling as she bit her lip.

“What?” He licked the sweat off her skin. “You should know the mechanics of this particular act.”

She huffed, her cheeks still flaming. “I… I do…B-but I thought you…”

“You thought wrong, darling.” A devious smile spread across his lips then, and he saw her eyes widen. “Be a good girl and let me ruin you with my mouth.”

She gasped, and he spread her thighs even wider. Her pink bud opened before his eyes, and her scent perfumed the air around him so much that he did not want to breathe in clean air any longer.

So, he dove right in, covering her with his mouth. His tongue snaked out as he took one slow, thorough lick up and down her slit.

“Oh my,” she moaned. He watched her head fall back against the wall as her juices started dripping down the side of his mouth.

The burst of her unique flavor on his tongue made his manhood pulse. He groaned against her wet, quivering flesh, desperate for more.

He pulled back for a beat to growl, “Look at me, Annabelle.” She opened her eyes to look at him. “Look at me while I taste you. I want to see your face when you fall apart. Just for me.”

She went slack-jawed, but her eyes stayed glued to him. A new rush of her juices flowed onto his tongue, dribbling down the sides of his mouth to run down his neck.

She was excited. Watching him pleasure her was arousing for them both.

“That’s a good girl. Eyes on me.” He groaned and dove into tonguing her in earnest, pushing his tongue into her center. His eyes rolled back at the feel of her inner walls contracting around his tongue.

“Yes! Oh God, yes…” She was moaning, uninhibited and wild.

And her hips—she was thrusting against his mouth, his jaw, his face. Wet. She was so wet that she was dripping all over him.

“Henry,” she moaned. Her hands tangled in his dark hair as he brought her higher and higher. “Oh, God, I?—”

And then, her body convulsed against his face, and her breath became ragged and sharp.

When she slumped, Henry’s strong hands were there to hold her up, even as his mouth continued its ministrations until she was sobbing with the intensity of it.

“Henry. Enough. Please .” She gasped and tugged his hair.

He pulled away reluctantly, kissing her soft thighs, and smiled up at her.

“So?” He asked as his tongue shot out to lick his lips. “Was that as good as you’ve read in your books?”

“I…I can’t feel my legs,” she complained, and Henry chuckled.

That was as good a confirmation of his victory as her admitting it outright.

He rose slowly, gathering her trembling form against his chest and pressing gentle kisses to her temple as she fought to catch her breath.

“Beautiful,” he murmured. “So beautiful.”

A sharp knock at the door shattered the intimate moment, causing them both to freeze.

“Marchwood?”

Everett.

His voice carried clearly through the wooden barrier. “You will have to pardon the intrusion, but many of our guests are very interested in your whereabouts.”

Annabelle’s eyes flew wide with panic. “Oh God,” she whispered. “They’ll know. They’ll see us together and?—”

“Shh.” Henry’s hands were steady and efficient as he helped her adjust her clothing. “I’ll handle this.”

Her gaze dropped to his crotch. “You…”

Henry grinned and whispered, “I’ll be alright, sweetheart.”

Annabelle, spitfire and confident, looked scandalized and curious at the same time.

“Henry, you have to go,” she urged, her voice barely above a whisper. Urgent. “If anyone sees us together like this?—”

“I know.” He pressed a quick, hard kiss to her lips. “But this isn’t over, Annabelle. This is far from over.”

He took deep breaths, causing his arousal to slowly abate, as he moved to the door and paused to ensure she was hidden behind it before opening it just wide enough to slip through.

“Southall, you bastard.” He growled as soon as he met his friend’s cheeky grin. “Since when have you become my watchdog?”

The Marquess chuckled. “You should be thanking me for saving your behind. Now, make yourself look presentable and come back to the ballroom with me.”

He nodded once and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.