Baron of Clubs: Lords of Scandal Read online

  But as he skimmed his hand down the silk of her flesh, she trembled under him. Worse still, he caught the scent of her sex perfuming the air. She wanted his touch as much as he wished to give it.

  The stocking fell away but he didn’t remove his hand. Instead, he slid it back up the length of her leg. “Lizzie.” His voice sounded half strangled as he dropped his face into the softness of her belly.

  A mistake.

  Because her scent here was even stronger and the temptation…

  “Colton?” she asked, her voice catching on his name. Was it confusion that colored the two syllables of his name or desire?

  He squeezed his eyes shut, his fingers stopping on her thigh just inches from her womanhood.

  He listened to her ragged breath as she threaded her fingers into his hair.

  And then her thighs parted for him. Just a bit, an inch, but he knew…his touch was completely welcome.

  He groaned into her stomach sliding his hand just a bit higher until he brushed the curls at her apex. She cried out, a high-pitched cry that set him to flame even as his finger glided through her slick flesh.

  Holy hell, he wanted more.

  He needed all of her, an ache that throbbed not only in his manhood but beat through every fiber of his body. Even his heartbeat seemed to spell out…take her.

  He jerked his hand back, pulling up into a crouch. “Lizzie.”

  Her name came out sharp and hard, likely because of the effort it took to withdraw, but she winced at the sound of it. “I…” She swallowed and then scrambled under the covers of the bed. “Did I do something?”

  “No.” He stood, his fists clenching at his sides. “Not at all. I promised you I’d wait, and I want to keep that promise.”

  She nodded, her eyes and nose barely visible from under the covers. “All right, then. Good night.”

  He hesitated. Did she think he’d rejected her? He’d managed to do all of it exactly wrong. But if he stayed…

  He’d be joining her in that bed.

  With that in mind, he turned and made his way to his own room and his cold, lonely bed.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Lizzie kept her chin tucked, and her eyes firmly planted on her lap.

  Despite her exhaustion the day before, her night had been…restless.

  When she hadn’t been dreaming of Colton’s caresses, she’d thought about how he’d walked away.

  He’d promised to wait to bed her until their wedding, and she’d appreciated the offer at the time. But the longer they were together…

  The more she wondered why he’d made it and why he held back.

  They’d be married in just a few days.

  Most engaged couples were given time alone. There’d be no harm in intimacy now. Would there?

  Did he not want her?

  Did he find her as naïve as she feared she was?

  “You’ve been very quiet.” Colton’s voice startled her from her thoughts as she lifted her eyes to his, jumping a bit as she did.

  “Just tired.”

  Silence fell again, thick and awkward as she now turned her gaze toward the window, though she hardly noticed the scenery outside.

  The awkwardness was not her imagination evidenced by the fact that he sat on the rear-facing bench rather than next to her today.

  “I’m sorry about last night,” he said, breaking the silence once again.

  She swallowed down a lump. What was he sorry for? Rejecting her? Leaving her aching? Not wanting her? Had she done something wrong? Should she ask him? “I’m sorry too.”

  “For what?”

  Her mouth went dry. “For…for…” She twisted her fingers as she tried to find the words. “I’m sure you’ve a great deal of experience in these matters.”

  “I do.”

  She looked at him again. His matter-of-fact tone only confused her further. “I don’t.”

  His brows drew down low over his eyes. “I know.”

  “Is…” She took a steadying gulp of air. “Is that why we stopped? Last night. Did I do something wrong?”

  His brows arched as he stared at her. At times, he forgot how little experience she had. “Of course not.”

  Some of the tension in her chest eased and she drew in a deep breath of hope. He sounded certain enough. “Then why did you leave?”

  “Because I promised.”

  It was her turn to be completely confused. “I release you from your promise. I was scared that first day, but I’m not anymore.”

  He shook his head and her insides wilted. There was more to his reasons. She knew it.

  He twisted his head, his neck giving a resounding crack. “It’s not that simple.”

  “Why?” the question was out before she could think about it.

  “I want…” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “I want to be a good husband to you, and it starts by upholding my promises and following the few rules I haven’t broken already.”

  Well, that was…that was lovely. Relief coursed through her, and she let her shoulders drop a bit, more relaxed. “You’re not displeased with me?”

  “Displeased?” he growled out, sounding more like a predator than a man. “Lizzie, how could any man be displeased with you?”

  Heat filled her cheeks. “I don’t know. You left rather quickly and I, I don’t know what I’m doing. My mother died when I was ten. No one has even explained—” The words died on her lips.

  Was she really going to confess that she didn’t even understand what occurred during the act between a man and a woman?

  But she didn’t have to. He scrubbed a hand down his face, his eyes going wide. “Christ.”

  She winced. He’d just given her the confirmation that she’d feared. “I’m sure I’ll learn.”

  In response, he let out another deep growl. “Lizzie.”

  She shrunk back, embarrassment making her wish that she could hide. “You likely are used to women who understand how to please you. I—”

  He moved to her side of the carriage, sitting next to her. “What do you wish to know?”

  Her mind went completely blank. “Um.”

  He sighed. “You’re aware that in the midst of your womanhood is a channel.”

  Oh, dear lord. Mortification sent her heart rate skipping, making her pulse thrum wildly in her throat, her ears. She couldn’t believe he planned to explain the act. She nearly told him to stop but then…well, she ought to know before it happened. “Yes.”

  “A man has the precise opposite. A…” he paused, closing his eyes, “staff.”

  Curiosity quickly overrode the embarrassment she felt. “A staff?” Her gaze drifted down toward the juncture of his legs where she’d felt the evidence of that staff on her backside.

  A muscle ticced in his cheek. “That’s right. And a man puts that staff into the woman’s channel.”

  Her own…channel…fluttered. “Oh.” Inadvertently, she squeezed her thighs tighter to try to alleviate the ache that began to pulse. She might have asked if women liked this, but her own body gave her the answer she needed. She wet her lips as she inched a bit closer. “And you’re committed to upholding the rule that we not engage in such behavior until after our wedding?”

  She’d expected his expression to shutter again, close off as it sometimes did. But to her immense satisfaction, he looked over at her, his features tight as if her words tortured him. As if he longed to break his own rules. “There are other things we might do that would not technically require us to break the promise I made.”

  Excitement and relief made her relax back in her seat as her shoulders slumped against the cushioned rest.

  He didn’t find her too silly or childish. And the idea of this man touching her always filled her with such need. “What sort of things?”

  By way of answer, he reached down, skimming her skirts up the length of her leg, exposing her stockings once again. He leaned closer, whispering in her ear. “I could touch you as I did last night.”

  He skimmed his hand past her knee and, rather than answer, she scooted her rear closer to the edge of the bench, giving him better access.

  He leaned over, taking her mouth in his in a fiery kiss that stole her breath even as he swept his tongue along the seam of her lips.

  And when his tongue stroked hers, she roped her hands about his neck, drawing him nearer still.

  The feel of her silken womanhood under the pad of his middle finger had Colton’s cock at full attention.

  Then again, the thing had been aching for days, crying out for release.

  How could Lizzie not know that all he wanted, all he wished for, was her?

  He’d never been so consumed.

  But he had no experience in anything so deeply emotional and he’d been doing his damnedest to ignore the growing connection between them. He’d been attempting to wade into the waters of their relationship, for her sake as much as his, but he had the feeling they were about to plunge into much deeper waters.

  He found the channel he’d just told her about and, as if to illustrate his point, he slipped a finger inside her, parting the tight flesh, as the walls flexed around the digit.

  Pleasure exploded all through him. As tight as she was wet, she moaned into his mouth.

  His cock twitched and a bit of seed leaked from his tip.

  Christ.

  Was she worried about being immature? She turned him into a schoolboy.

  He slid out of her and back in, the heel of his palm pressing against her nub of pleasure. Her arms tightened as her pelvis tilted into him. “Yes,” she hissed into his mouth.

  The walls of her sex quivered around his finger, her fingernails digging into the flesh of his neck.

  He wrapped an arm about her waist, lifting her a bit to
make the angle even better as he pushed back into her.

  She whimpered as he moved faster, sliding in and out of her the way he knew she craved. And his efforts were rewarded when in a few more thrusts, she came apart in his arms, crying out his name.

  Satisfaction washed through him even as his own body ached for a similar release. Constantly touching her had proven to be a sweet sort of torture. He started to withdraw his hand, needing a moment to compose himself. His own breath was coming out so fast that his heart pounded in his ears.

  But she reached down, holding his hand in place, keeping his finger inside her. “Not yet,” she pleaded, a half whimper.

  How could he deny her?

  And then her hand slid to the falls of his breeches, her palm cupping the girth of his cock. “Tell me how you receive pleasure.”

  Words had never come easily to Colton.

  But the thought of detailing what brought him pleasure made more seed leak from the tip. She’d finish him with just a conversation, for fuck’s sake.

  And when he opened his eyes to see her rich brown irises looking at him as though she hung on his every word. As though what he said next were the most important words ever spoken, he nearly came unhinged.

  “Just like I stroked your insides, a man likes to be—”

  She stroked her hand up and down the outside of his breeches, rubbing the length of him. “Show me.”

  There was nothing else to do but move his finger inside her, slowly, as she repeated the motion.

  Colton squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again, attempting to focus. He’d had sex with widows and courtesans. He’d fucked on horseback and in stables, in beds and under the stars.

  But nothing compared to sharing this moment with her. His pants were still on, and this was by far the most erotic experience of his life.

  He slid back inside her with his finger, and she did the same. “I wish I could undo your breeches. Feel your skin.”

  His sac tingled and he knew it wouldn’t be long now. “Lizzie,” he said, his voice ragged and broken as he increased the pace once again, her insides gripping him a second time. Was she responding again?

  He tamped down his own desire, working her flesh as they climbed together. And when she cried out, he let his own orgasm rock through him, groaning out his finish with a satisfaction that numbed every nerve.

  “Ho!” the driver yelled from his seat. “Thieves abound.”

  He jerked up, Lizzie blinking at him in confusion.

  In a second, he had her skirts down and his pants refastened as he ripped open the bench to pull out a pistol and a short sword.

  The carriage picked up speed, the sound of the horses behind them roaring in his ears. He’d have heard them sooner, but he’d been preoccupied. His chest tightened with worry as he looked back at Lizzie, her eyes wide with fear.

  His jaw clenched. Nothing would happen to her. He’d make certain of that.

  He stuffed the gunpowder into the barrel, leveling the weapon just as the door flew open. The moment a man appeared, he fired.

  Smoke filled the interior of the carriage, but he heard the bullet hit all the same.

  The man fell from his horse, the animal instantly falling back.

  But the pounding of hooves still beat behind them.

  How many were there?

  It didn’t matter. No one was hurting his Lizzie. No one.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The sound of the pistol roared through her ears, wrenching a cry from her lips as she squeezed her eyes shut and dropped down flat onto the bench.

  She heard the yells of men, more pistols, the grunts of fighting as the carriage continued to careen down the road at full speed.

  Lizzie kept her face pressed into the bench.

  Was Colton all right?

  Only that thought spurred her to lift her head and pry open her eyes.

  At that exact moment a man lunged from his horse, landing in the carriage door, his body knocking into Colton’s with such force that she screamed again. Both men fell into the carriage, Colton’s back slamming into the far wall.

  The glint of metal flashed in the dim light as the attacker arced his arm up, and then with a grunt of effort brought the blade down.

  Colton lifted his arm at the same moment she lunged.

  Lizzie wasn’t large but she managed to knock the man off kilter, the force of slamming her body into his enough to steal the air from her lungs as they fell into the rear-facing seat.

  The attacker swiped her with his arm, sending her flying like a doll off him, and she hit the frame hard, seeing stars for a moment.

  When her vision cleared, it was Colton above her, gathering her into his arms.

  “Lizzie,” he croaked gathering her close.

  “I’m all right,” she answered wrapping her arms about his neck. “Are they gone?”

  He nodded. “There were a few left, but they fell back. I’ll have to speak with the constable in the next town. I left a trail of bodies, I’m afraid.”

  Something warm seeped into her back, and she looked over her shoulder to see what it was. She let out a cry. “Colton.”

  He pulled away, giving her a clear view of his arms, one of which was covered in blood.

  “It’s nothing,” he said, shrugging off his coat. “A scratch.”

  But Lizzie knew the cut was far deeper than that as blood dripped down his hand and onto the floor. For a moment, she stared, wondering what to do and then she lifted her dress, revealing her petticoat underneath. After ripping several strips of white cotton, she pulled up his shirt.

  Her heart beat with sick dread. The gash was deep, and it would need to be stitched, but she hadn’t the tools here. Working quickly, she securely wrapped her torn strips around the wound instead.

  “You were fantastic,” Colton whispered as he held out his arm for her to work.

  Her gaze darted to his. Did he really think so? “That’s good. The last crisis I was in, I did nothing but cry. You, Reginald, and Arabella did all the fighting.” She continued to bandage his arm, grimacing as blood seeped through the white fabric. “But I’m afraid I didn’t act quickly enough.”

  “You did. That blade was headed for my chest.”

  The idea he might have been hurt more grievously sent an icy shudder of fear through her nerves. “Are thieves normally so aggressive?”

  Colton shook his head. “Depends. Most times they pull the occupants out of the vehicle and search the carriage, but those men already knew I had a sack of gold. Two of them helped me push out the carriage from the mud the day before yesterday. They must have decided they wanted that bag for themselves.”

  That news made her sit back on her heels. “They helped us only to try and rob us after.”

  “The world is a cruel place.”

  She shook her head. “No wonder my brother is always trying to protect me.”

  Colton touched her face with his fingers. “You’ve been lucky to have him.”

  She leaned into his hand. Had she ruined her relationship with Reginald forever? She’d meant to help and assert her own independence too, but if Reggie were here, would he say that she’d been a fool in the way she’d gone about it?

  Even when she tried to be responsible, was she still behaving like a child?

  The carriage slowed, the horses snorting from the effort. She flicked open the curtain, trying to see how far they had until the next village.

  “Lizzie?”

  “Yes?” She looked back at Colton. His face was pale, and she winced to see him looking unwell.

  “You’ve gone quiet.”

  She shook her head. “Just thinking about my brother.”

  He grimaced. “He’ll come around.”

  “I hope so.”

  They travelled in silence for another hour before they finally reached the next village. Lizzie stepped out of the carriage, her aching muscles hardly able to hold her.

  She’d like nothing better than to fall into bed.

  But now was not the time to think of herself, and so, wrapping an arm about Colton, she propped herself under him like a crutch and started for the inn.

  Shit didn’t even begin to describe how Colton felt as pain lanced through every aching muscle in his body.

  Which was not to say he wasn’t capable of caring for himself. He’d been in worse scrapes than this, but he couldn’t lie.