Taming a Wicked Rake Read online

  She gasped as she reached for his forearms, wanting to touch him. “That’s awful.” Her thoughts went back to their meeting where she’d asked the specifics of the marriage. He had insisted she’d live with him and nowhere else. Having had parents that had always lived together, she hadn’t thought anything of it. But clearly cohabitation meant something to him. She began to realize what she provided in this match.

  “It ceased to matter years ago,” he answered, but his voice was rough as though the memory still caused him pain.

  She stood up on tiptoe and touched her lips to his. “Children deserve love.”

  He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers again. “They do. And I am certain, as a mother, you’ll give that love to ours.”

  He deepened the kiss, slanting her lips open and sliding his tongue against hers. She opened for him willingly, melting into him as he deepened the kiss.

  A sense that being in his arms, kissing him, was where she belonged had her moving closer, the length of her against his hardness.

  He slid his hands from her cheeks, down her neck, sliding along the length of her back until they reached the curve of her behind. He cupped both cheeks, pulling their hips together and she gasped into his mouth as hot tingly need erupted between her legs.

  But he wasn’t done and he lifted her to set her upon a stone pillar. Her legs naturally spread to allow him closer and suddenly the heat and length of him caressed her most intimate area. A wave of desire coursed through her as the touch of him both satisfied and left her yearning for more.

  He began a trail of kisses, hot and needy, down her neck and over her collarbone. He worked several of the buttons at the back of her dress, until the fabric dipped off her shoulders leaving a great deal of skin exposed to the cool night air and his heated touch. She tipped her head back wanting more. So much more. Then, he kissed farther down, licking and tasting her breast. When he dipped two fingers into her dress, one of her mounds popped free of the fabric and he sucked the nipple into his mouth. Her sex throbbed with unmet need and she let out a low moan.

  “Do you like this, darling?” he asked in a rough voice before taking the taut peak back into his mouth, sucking deeply.

  “Yes,” she moaned, winding her fingers through his hair, and holding his head closer.

  “Good,” his voice dropped low. “Tell me you want me to do this to the other.”

  “I want you to do this to the other,” she murmured already pulling his head to the right. Somehow she could sense that he needed this. This touching. She was beginning to realize that part of the reason she’d learned so little about him was that he didn’t like talking about himself and, even more, when he did, he grew upset. If he needed intimacy, she’d give it to him gladly.

  “Say my name when you ask,” he rumbled as he hooked his fingers under the other breast.

  “Adam,” she begged. “Please.”

  He let out a deep groan as his lips took in the other rosy peak.

  She arched her back as her fingers tugged harder at his hair.

  “Maddie,” he ground out between licks and sucks. “I need more of you.”

  Then he slid one of his hands down her skirt. When he reached her ankle, Adam fished under her petticoats sliding his hand up her silk drawers above her knee and up her thigh. Her body pulsed, begging for more, what that was exactly she didn’t understand until he parted the slit and slid his fingers along the seam of her sex.

  That’s when she knew this was what they’d been building toward all along and she cried out, her hips jerking. “Shhhhh, love,” he whispered. “We must be quiet. There will be a time, very soon, when you can be as loud as you wish.”

  She gave a partial nod, completely lost in the sensations spiraling through her body to her core. “I understand.” Then she pulled his face from her chest, capturing his lips into a deep kiss as he continued to touch her most intimate area, pressure building inside her. She wanted him to know that she’d give him whatever he needed. Whatever was necessary. “I…will…love,” she promised with each definite stroke. “You.”

  His fingers stopped. “Maddie,” he warned, his tone hard. “I don’t want your love.”

  They stopped. Locked in position as her eyes slowly came back into focus. “But what you said about our children and you called me—”

  “A mistake.” He withdrew his hand from under her skirts while the other clasped her cheek. “I’ll care for you. See to all your needs. In return I want your fealty. But this is a bargain we’ve struck. One that is bound in honor and compromise and not in emotion. Do we understand each other?

  Maddie blinked, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She held them in as all her desire dried, replaced with a burning pain. “Take your hands off me.”

  He slipped his fingers from her cheek but grabbed her waist and helped her down. She had no choice but to allow him to button her dress. Even women’s clothing conspired against them. Then he offered his elbow. Her hands fisted in her skirts as she refused to take it. Instead she swallowed the lump rising in her throat. The worst part, he’d waited to say this until the contracts had been signed. She had little choice now but to go through with the marriage.

  It was exactly what she’d always feared. She was at his mercy and there wasn’t a thing she could do. Now she’d given herself to a man who claimed he’d never let emotion, love, enter their marriage.

  * * *

  A burning desire to tell her that he’d been too harsh clogged Adam’s throat. But it was better this way. She shouldn’t, couldn’t, start seeing this arrangement as a love match. If he’d had any allusions about that, rehashing his childhood had squashed them. “And Maddie, I don’t wish to discuss my past again. Not my parents and certainly not past relationships. You’ll have my fidelity, but we aren’t sharing our secrets.”

  Maddie didn’t speak, glaring at him with accusation firing in her eyes. Then she turned and began to walk away.

  He watched the sway of her hips in the moonlight, the light shimmering off her glossy mane of hair. Bloody hell, he wanted to unpin that hair and feel it all around him. Her skin had tasted as good as her lips, like lemon and honey, and her breasts had been perfect globes to fill a man’s hand, her dusky nipples a feast.

  His manhood throbbed. Shifting, he considered apologizing. Memories of his parents had both strengthened his desire to lose himself in her sweet touch and his animosity toward those who were supposed to love him. What if Maddie proved the same? Wives didn’t have to love their husbands. His mother had never loved his father. She’d informed her son over and over on the rare occasion they were together.

  And his first fiancée had clearly held no affection for him. He didn’t want Maddie’s promise of affection. He didn’t want to dig up the past and be disappointed when the future held more of the same.

  She climbed the steps of the veranda, her skirts in hand, as she disappeared into the party.

  He sped up, not wanting to lose sight of her. If there was one thing he could give her, it was safety. He’d keep her safe always.

  Entering the throng of onlookers, he saw her making her way toward Bar, but then lost her again. Damn it, why did he let her get so far ahead of him? It was foolishness.

  He scooted between two matrons, searching the crowd between himself and Bar. Finally he spotted her dark hair. She was neither looking back at him or forward at her brother. Instead she stared at the man next to her, Charles Delaney.

  Barely attending the crowd around him, Adam bumped into several people as he barreled toward Maddie and Delaney, but the other man spotted him coming. Fear and anger pumped through him as he pushed faster. Maddie was in danger. Delaney spotted him, the other man’s eyes grew wide before he turned and fled.

  For a moment, Adam wasn’t sure if he should follow Delaney through the crowd or escort Maddie back to her brother. But Delaney’s slighter frame made it easier for him to maneuver in the crowd and he didn’t want to leave Maddie alone aga
in. Her safety was his first concern.

  Making the last push, he reached her side. “What did he want?”

  She looked at him, her face twisting and her eyes hard. “You may stop pretending to care.”

  He placed a hand at her back. “You’ll be my wife. Of course I care.”

  Her eyebrows lifted then. “As long as I don’t ask you any personal questions or verbalize any affection?” She stepped closer then. “You’re intentionally driving me away.” She hesitated for a moment before she asked. “Did you do the same to her?”

  Hot anger burned inside of him as he looked down at her cold blue eyes. He knew she referred to Caroline. “That is none of your business.”

  “It most certainly is,” she fired back.

  He dipped his face so that his nose was in inch from hers. “You’ve no idea what happened—”

  “You’re right. I don’t because you don’t want to share anything with me. Do you want to know why I asked about your parents?”

  He narrowed his gaze, refusing to soften. “Why?”

  “I thought you cared about me and that’s why you gave me my dowry to use as I saw fit. You knew what I needed, and you gave it to me. I wanted to do the same for you. I wanted to give you what you needed.”

  He saw them, then. The tears, sparkling like diamonds, formed in the corners of her eyes. His hands dropped to his sides as his shoulders hunched.

  Bloody bollocks he’d been a complete fool. She wasn’t trying to hurt him, she’d been attempting to fill the voids inside him that had been left empty for so long, he didn’t dare let anyone touch them.

  “Is everything all right?” Bar rumbled behind Maddie.

  “I’ve worn myself out dancing,” Maddie said, all the while staring at him with her look of hurt and pain. All the color had drained from her lovely face as her eyes swam with tears. “Would you please take me home?”

  “Of course,” her brother answered. “Lord Kingsley?”

  “He isn’t coming,” Maddie answered for him. “He’s other business to attend.” Then she turned and placed her hand in her brother’s elbow. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Maddie refused to look back. She stiffened her spine, her shoulders tensed as she resisted the urge. For a brief, shiny moment she’d thought she found a real partner. A man who would stand beside her, support her and in return, she’d do the same for him.

  She’d been wrong. His words tonight had cut her like an actual blade. She ached from then wound they’d inflicted.

  But she didn’t have time to dwell on Adam now. Maddie would decide what she wanted to do about her potential marriage later. She had a more pressing problem.

  Charles Delaney.

  In their three-sentence conversation, he’d dealt a significant blow. “I have proof you penned the letters.”

  “How?” she’d whispered, trying not to let a tremor shake her voice.

  “I managed to get my hands on another of your correspondence. I can prove the handwriting is yours.” His lip curled into a sneer. “My silence will cost you.”

  She’d made no reply as he’d stuffed a small roll of paper in her hand. “Follow the instructions and we will end all of this now.”

  Maddie covered her mouth with her hand. Gads, she had terrible taste in men. She ought to have let Bar pick a husband for her years ago. “Bar. If you could have chosen a man for me, who would you have selected?”

  Bar looked at her as they headed out the door. “What does it matter? I think you’ve ended up just fine with Lord Kingsley.”

  She chewed her lower lip. “You like him?”

  “He’s strong, confident, and sensitive to your needs but takes your safety and reputation seriously.”

  A small choking noise squeaked out of her throat. Clearly, her brother was unaware of how rakish Adam’s behavior was whenever he got her alone. “He did tell you that he kissed me.”

  Bar gave her a sideways glance. “Being a gentleman can be difficult when you’ve met the right woman.”

  One of her eyebrows went up. Had her brother had relations with Emily before marriage? “I am not the right woman for Adam. I am the woman who has been foisted upon him.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  “I am,” she answered, her lip curling around the words. “He’s made it clear this is a match of convenience.” She didn’t know why she was telling Bar this now. But the words spilled from her lips. Someone needed to help her sift through the situation.

  “Did he?” Bar asked.

  “Yes.” She drew in a shaky breath. “What was more he made it clear he didn’t want to discuss his failed engagement or his strained relationship with his parents. I’ve been cut off from all emotional dialogue.”

  Bar stopped walking and turned toward her. “Men don’t always process their feelings like women do. It’s why we need you. Try to keep in mind that you might have to help him slowly unravel this one.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Bar, that is terribly insightful.” She wasn’t sure it was true. Adam may just like to keep his distance. His string of lovers proved that. But he also had been very generous in many ways so she couldn’t discount Bar’s words either.

  “I have my moments.” Bar chuckled.

  Maddie crinkled the note that was still tucked in her hand between her fingers. While she wasn’t likely to unwrap the mystery of Adam tonight, she might be able to solve her other nagging problem: what to do about Delaney.

  * * *

  Adam stared at his empty tumbler, the smell of aged scotch still swirling around him. He drummed his fingers on his desk. Inhaling, he shifted his attention to the inky blackness beyond the window. It must be at least two in the morning.

  He stretched in his chair. He should go to bed. But he didn’t want to.

  His cock was still hard as a rock and his mind refused to quiet. Instead, he turned the events of the evening over and over in his mind.

  Rubbing his eyes, he leaned his head back in his chair. He’d dream about Maddie again tonight, he was sure of it. In all honesty, it was likely going to be worse. Now he knew how she tasted, what her breasts looked like and the feel of the silky flesh between her legs. She’d been so soft, wet, and tight.

  And he’d ruined the moment.

  A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. What the bloody hell? “Come in,” he returned, his gruff voice, betraying his annoyance at the interruption.

  The butler appeared in his dressing gown and nightcap. “Forgive me, my lord, but the Marquess of Devon is here to see you. He claims it’s urgent.”

  Swearing under his breath, Adam bolted from his seat and not bothering to wait for Devon to be shown up, he started down the hall toward the stair. “Where is he?”

  “Front sitting room, my lord,” the butler called behind him.

  “Go back to bed, Jameson.” Adam redoubled his pace. Was Bar here to kill him? Did Maddie want to end the engagement? He might rather be dead than lose her. That made him stop in his tracks. Did he really feel that way?

  Losing Caroline had hurt his pride in addition to confirming what he’d always feared. No one would ever love him.

  But Maddie. She’d brought light and heat into his rather grey world. Though to be fair he’d barely noticed how dreary it was until she’d changed his life. Now, he couldn’t go back.

  Damnation, why hadn’t that occurred to him before he’d pushed her away?

  He’d have to beg. If Devon had come to deliver the news, he’d beg first the Marquess and then Maddie. His pride didn’t matter now.

  Reaching the bottom of the steps, he turned toward the sitting room and found Devon standing next to the fire.

  “What’s going on?” he said, skipping any introduction entirely.

  Devon straightened. “I want to talk with you about this evening.”

  Fear trickled down Adam’s spine. “Look, Devon, I—”

  “You may as well call me Bar. That’s what the rest of the family calls
me and you’re about to become a member.”

  That made Adam stop. “You didn’t come here to end the engagement?”

  Bar’s eyebrows went up. “Should I?”

  Adam scrubbed his face with his hands and tossed himself in a chair. “Of course not. But I’m not sure if Maddie agrees.”

  Bar took the seat across from Adam, leaning his elbows on his knees. “My courtship with Emily was not the smoothest. My advice to you, however, is that if you need to make amends, make them. Don’t leave an open wound to fester.”

  Adam dropped his hands. “Good advice.” Then he straightened. “I’ll be over first thing in the morning to do just that.”

  “Excellent,” Bar said, running his fingers through his hands. “While you’re there, can you ask Maddie about what Delaney gave her this evening?”

  “Gave her?” It was not a trickle of fear that washed down his spine but an entire bucket. “What do you mean?”

  “I saw him press something into her hand. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, said I’d imagined it. But she’s more willing to share with you so I was hoping you might be able to question her. Find out the man’s angle. He worries me.”

  “He worries me too,” Adam said as he stood again. Delaney was not done with Maddie and Adam had made her a promise. His stupid pride was getting in the way of keeping his word. If he hadn’t pushed her away this evening, Delaney would never have been able to talk with her. “But I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep her out of harm’s way.”

  Bar stood. “I’m glad you’ll be over first thing. I’ll be even more glad when the I dos have been said.” Bar reached out and shook his hand. “Get some sleep. You’ll need it.”