How to Catch an Elusive Earl (Romancing the Rake 2)

“Love,” he repeated, his lips sliding down the long column of her neck. “I love you so much I ache from it.”

“Oh, Luke. You don’t have to say it. I wanted to help you, not myself.”

He laid her down on the bed, his body covering hers. “I know. That’s one of the reasons I’ll not let you go.” As he pressed his weight on top of hers, he lifted his head. “Now tell me. The land you most want to buy. Is it that piece just across the bridge?”

She gasped, her eyes trained to his. “How did you know?”

Adrianna attempted to pinpoint exactly where this meeting had veered from her agenda, but it was difficult to think with this man cradled between her thighs. “I heard you on that first night,” he answered. “Even then, I was drinking in every word.”

“Every word?” He untied the back of her dress, bringing the neck down her shoulders as his lips kissed all along her collarbone and chest. Her pulse raced as she looked down at the stunning man, holding her in his arms.

He glanced up at her, his fingertips lightly dragging the fabric down even further so that it just covered her breasts. “I’ll try to find a jeweler tomorrow. Is there one in the village?”

She pressed her palms against his back. “In Haversham.”

“Even better.” He gave the fabric another tug, letting her small breasts free. Then he carefully kissed all around the base of one, slowly working his way to the tip until he sucked the entire thing into his mouth. Damn, he loved small breasts.

She fisted his jacket, crying out at the pleasure that ripped through her. “Luke.”

He let go of her breast, his mouth making a small pop. “I’ve been wanting to do that for days.” Then he shifted over and did the same to the other. She squirmed underneath him, the pleasure almost painful.

“Why?” she asked her hand raking up into his hair again. “My chest is hardly noteworthy.”

He sucked a little harder and then let her flesh go. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

He leaned up and shrugged off his jacket, ripping the knot loose on his cravat and shrugging the shirt over his head.

In response, she pulled her arms free of her dress. “If I were smarter, I’d wait until you’d actually proposed.”

He stopped, looking at her with a dark, heavy gaze. “Try to get away from me now, love. You’ll be my wife, I promise you that.”

The words, his look, they took her breath away.

He reached down and brushed the fabric over her hips and down her legs. “Tomorrow, we’re buying that property. We’ll build a home close to your family and we’ll make our life here in Seabridge just as your father has done.”

She swallowed as the dress fell to the floor. “Really?” She leaned up on her elbows. “But if my father takes my sisters to London…”

“We’ll go,” he sighed. “Even though I never want to return. But I know you’ll want to keep them safe.”

That made her smile. She could hear the resistance in his voice. She lay back down, lifting her arms to him. “I’ll need your help. Who better than a rake to know a rake?”

A smile pulled at his lips as he kicked off his boots. “Why don’t I show you why you’ve made an excellent choice choosing a rake for a husband?” Then, rather than kiss her mouth again, he brought his lips to the valley between her breasts. He started kissing slowly down her abdomen, his hands grasping her ribcage.

“What does that mean?”

He kissed lower, past her bellybutton as heat pooled between her thighs. But he didn’t answer as he brushed past her triangle of curls and gently pushed her legs wider. When his tongue flicked out to brush her soft folds, pleasure shot through her body, making her torso curl and her head lift off the bed.

She dug her fingers into his hair, even as he made another pass, applying more pressure. Heaven help her, desire churned in her stomach as she held him tighter to her body. He answered by c

reating a firm rhythm even as he lifted her hips for better access. She could barely breathe or speak as her body tightened until she couldn’t stand the pressure another second and she finally exploded in a shower of stars.

Chapter Fifteen

Luke felt her orgasm, his body so taut, threatening to break. Rising up above her, he looked down at the beautiful picture she made. Her hair fanned out on the bed, her body soft from his lovemaking. Damn. A man could get used to this. No one, in his entire adult life, had ever given to him the way she had. And he’d repay that kindness by using his every waking breath to make her happy. “Love,” he grated out as he came down on top of her. “Let me stay with you for a while before I return to the cottage.”

Her brows drew together even as she lifted her arms to him. “Leave? Why?”

He fell into her embrace, unable to resist. “I’ll not take your maidenhead before our wedding. I might be a rake but—”