A Most Unsuitable Earl (Regency Collection Book 3) (21 page)

He locked the door and went over to the decanter.  When he saw it was empty, he shook his head.  “Why isn’t this full?”

Leaning back in her chair, she set her quil
l down on the table
.  “Besides you, I have no gentlemen stopping by.”

“Not even a male relative?”

“Only my sister and aunt are in London this time of year.”

“Oh, right.  The Season.  This is your sister’s first Season, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and she’s been to many balls, though she missed the one where you got engaged.”

Noting the smirk on her face, he resigned himself to doing without any wine and removed his cloak.  He draped it over the back of his chair before sitting down.  “You delight in the way my mother managed to get me married off, don’t you?”

She shrugged and fingered her quill.  “You have to admit, it has some humor in it.”

“I’m glad someone thinks so.” Though he
still
didn’t think
what his mother did
was funny, he came to understand most people did.  Clearing his throat, he motioned to the papers in front of her.  “Is this the story you need help with?”

Turning serious, she straightened in her chair and sorted through the papers.  As she pulled a couple out from her pile, she nodded.  “I didn’t expect you to come right away.”

“Well, my father-in-law was on his way over
to my place
.”

“Ah, say no more.  I understand.  I suppose it’s my fortune that you could stop by right away.”

He grabbed a glass from her tray and poured some water into it.  “You need help understanding a gentleman’s perspective?”

“Yes.  If you suspected the lady you loved was a murderer, would you confront her?”

“Probably not.  What if she lied and said no?”

“But what if she told the truth and said yes?”

“And if she was capable of murder, wouldn’t she be capable of lying?”

She grinned.  “Of course, but wouldn’t a hero’s n
eed to protect his lady
make him want to believe her?”

He leaned forward in interest.  “Is your heroine a murderer?”

“No.  She’s innocent
.  It’s just that her uncle
made it look as if she is.”

“If you want to make the book suspenseful, then the hero is going to have to wonder if she did it.”

“I realize that, but I wondered if a gentleman’s urge to believe in a lady’s innocence would interfere with that.”

“Not if he thinks she
made a fool of him.  If there’s one thing gentlemen don’t like, it’s being made a fool of.  We have our pride.”

She shuffled another pile of papers and flipped through them.  “I hadn’t thought of that.” She made a note on one of the papers and slipped it back into the pile.  “The story would take an interesting turn if the hero suspected
the heroine was making a fool of him
.” Looking up at him, she smiled.  “This is why I like talking to you.  You don’t judge me for what I write, and better yet, you help me when I struggle with what I should do with the story.”

“It’s the least I can do for all your lies to the
Tittletattle
.”

“It’s a shame all those scandals didn’t do you any good.”

“Even so, I like to think it was worth it.” He liked to think it saved him for Catherine.  Turning his attention back to Agatha, he asked, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

She scanned the papers and shook her head.  “I think I have everything else I need.  I should have this story ready in a month.  Will you be able to take it to the publisher for me?”

“I’ll be happy to.” He stood up and took his cloak from the chair.  “I must admit that I’m impressed you keep writing even though you haven’t had a story accepted
for publication yet.  I know
some gentlemen who would have given up already.”

“When
you really want something
, you don’t give up,” she replied, smiling at him.  “My family would be humiliated if they knew my secret pleasure, but it is something that brings me great joy and I see no reason to stop.”

“There is no reason to stop.  You have the time, talent and means.  One of these days, you’ll be published.”

“Thank you, Ethan.  You’re a good friend.”

He slipped into his
cloak and pulled the hood
up.  With a nod, he unlocked the
door.  He made sure the hallway was clear before he snuck to the servant
s’
stairs.

When he was safely away from Agatha’s townhouse, he took off the cloak and wiped the sweat from his forehead.  He draped the cloak over his arm and turned in time to see Catherine’s father approaching him.  His first inclination was to pretend he didn’t see him and hurry to White’s, but that was silly.  The duke saw him look in his direction.  He had to be polite enough to offer a greeting.

“Good afternoon, Your Grace,” Ethan said, forcing a smile on his face.

The duke’s
gaze went to the cloak.  “It’s a little hot to be wearing a cloak, isn’t it?”

He laughed.  “I’m not wearing it.  I’m carrying it.”

“Do you take me for a fool? 
You have a thread from the cloak on your shoulder.  That means you were wearing it.”

Ethan resisted the urge to grimace.  Leave it to his father-in-law to pay unnecessary attention to detail.  “I caught a chill earlier, but I’m fine now.”

“A chill?  When it feels like mid-summer?”

“I can’t explain it.  My body goes from hot to cold regardless of the temperature.”

The duke narrowed his eyes at him.  “Really?”

“Yes.  T
he doctor told
me what my condition was, but the name is too long to pronounce
.” All right.  Now he was so nervous that he was rattling off the stupidest lie he could think of.  This had to stop.  Clearing his throat, Ethan shrugged.  “Well, I believe I’ll be off.”

“Oh?  Where are you going?”

“Did you already see Catherine?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m going home.”

The duke’s frown deepened.  “How convenient.”

Ethan wasn’t sure what the duke was getting at, but he decided to pretend he didn’t notice the way the gentleman was scowling at him.  “I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.”

Though the duke didn’t reply, Ethan bowed and smiled, trying his best to appear nonchalant.  He turned from the duke and strode down the street, reminding himself that if he walked too fast, he’d arouse the duke’s suspicions even more.  Good gracious!  Just what did the duke think he was doing anyway? 
On second thought, h
e didn’t want to know.  If his mother and Catherine didn’t enjoy seeing their friends so much, he would haul them off to his country estate right away.

Oh well.  September wasn’t too far off.  He only had t
o bear with the duke until then
.  He wiped the sweat from his forehead again, this time uncertain if it was because he was hot or because he was dreading seeing the duke again.

In June, Catherine woke up,
entangled in Ethan’s bed sheets and wrapped in his arms.  Had it been cooler in the room, such a situation would have been welcoming.  But since it was
warm
, she was sweaty, and being sweaty led to quite a degree of discomfort.  She pushed a sleeping Ethan away from her and fought the sheets until she was free.  Sitting up in the bed, she fanned her face and scanned the dark room until her gaze settled on the closed window.  Well, there was the problem.  The wind had blown the window shut.

Collecting a few pins from the small table by the bed, she pulled her hair back and pinned it to the top of her head.  The absence of hair on her neck and back was an immediate relief, but she needed
fresh air.  She slipped off the bed and went to the window.  She opened it, making sure it locked into place so the wind wouldn’t
close it again.  The cool wind felt like heaven against her
skin, so
she stood in front of the window.

“Get away from there!”

Surprised, she turned and saw Ethan gesturing for her to get away from the window.  “I don’t need anyone seeing my naked wife.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t thought someone might see her.  She peered out the window.  “There’s no one out there.  I think everyone’s asleep.”

He groaned and sat up.  “Will you please come back to bed?”

She stepped away from the window but let the cool air wafting into the room cool her back.  “I can’t sleep when I’m sweaty.  I need to cool off first.”

“You’ll be the death of me yet.”

“Why?  No one can see me from here.”

Through the moonlight, she saw his exasperated expression.  “And people think I have no sense of propriety.  Catherine, I
forbid you to go
anywhere near the window when you’re
not fully clothed
, unless the curtains are drawn.”

Pleased, she walked over to the bed and climbed in.  “What if you happened to
be the person out there
?” She straddled him
, making sure his erection was nestled between her legs,
and
wrapped her arms around his neck
.  “
Would you want me to linger over there
?”

“That’s irrelevant.”

“Is it?”

She moved her hips, her sensitive nub rubbing his shaft.  When he moaned in pleasure, she leaned forward and kissed
him.  His flesh was warm, and even though the room was still stuffy, she didn’t mind.  When she was making love to him, she didn’t mind the heat so much.  It was when she slept that she preferred to be cool.

When the kiss ended, he wrapped his arms around her so her breasts pressed against his chest.  “If I am the only one at the window, then I’ll be very happy to watch you dance around in all your naked glory.”

Her lips curled up.  “Dance around?  I wasn’t dancing around just now?”

“You might as well have been with the way your breasts were jiggling.”

“Do you like my breasts?” She wondered if he found them lacking since they weren’t as big as what most ladies had but had been too timid to ask the question before.  Now, it seemed like a good time.

“Of course, I do.” He brought one of his hands to her breast and cupped it in his hand.  “What’s not to like?  It’s soft.” He brushed his thumb against her nipple, sending a shiver of delight straight to her core.  “And sensitive.” With a wicked grin, he added, “I
love your breasts
.”

He bowed his head and
brought his mouth to her nipple.  He kissed it before he traced his tongue over it
and
gently tugged on it with his teeth
.  She gasped and squirmed against him, aware of hi
s strengthening erection.
  She rocked her hips until
her nub was firmly over him and focused on the way he tweaked and tugged at her nipple.  His hand went to her other nipple, his fingers gently squeezing it, making the ache between her legs unbearable.

“Ethan,” she whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her onto her back.  Leaning over her, he continued his ministrations over one of her nipples while bringing his hand between her legs.  He found her sensitive nub and caressed it.  Two fingers slid into her core, and he stroked her.  She grasped his arms, threw her head back and moaned. 
Her climax came quickly, crashing into her, engulfing her in a heightened state of pleasure.  She loved how he could make her feel weak and powerful all at once.  And he continued to stroke her core and suck on her nipple to prolong the sensations pulsating through her body.

When she’d ridden the last wave of pleasure, he shifted so that he was between her legs and entered her, slow and purposeful until he was fully inside her.  Her flesh tightened around him and she lifted her hips to better feel him.  He clasped her hands over her head and moved his hips, continuing to take it slow.  She became aware of the tension mounting inside her as he stroked her,
the
ridge at the bottom of his tip working against the sensitive area in her core.  Her hips rose to meet him, aiding him along as he establish
ed a rhythm, going in and out, building to
a
faster pace.

In time, his movements grew faster, his thrusting more insistent, silently demanding she climax again.  And she did.  She cried out and her core squeezed him, her body shuddering beneath him.  He gave her one last thrust before he let out his own cry and stiffened, releasing his seed into her.  She opened her eyes and watched him.  He was utterly handsome when he was receiving pleasure from her body.

When he collapsed in her arms, she smiled and pressed her cheek to his.  Yes, she was sweaty.  More so than before, but she certainly didn’t mind it.  Tomorrow, they’d bathe, preferably together, and she would cool off then.  He remained inside her, something she loved since it made her feel
intimately connected to him, and before long, he fell asleep.  Though she was still awake, she smiled and continued to hold him.  She loved him.  She didn’t know when it happened.  They’d spent a considerable amount of time together since getting married.  Somewhere along the way, she’d given him her heart.  She could only hope that in due time, he might give her his as well.