Rogues, Rakes & Jewels

“Stroke this, love …” he said in a throaty, fever-pitched tone.

And she did, and the feel of it made her shudder once again. She felt alive and powerful with the new need to please him and bring him to a heightened and unrestrained desire for her. She saw his face as she touched him and realized what she could do. She scrambled towards him to kiss its length and lick its rim, and then as a groan escaped him, he lowered her back down onto his cloak and positioned himself. “Easy now, love, you are tight, so tight, and this may hurt a bit …”

Did he know she had never done this? Should she tell him? “I … I have never …”

“Hush, sweetheart, don’t you think I know …?”

In response to that, she decided to show him that she meant to please him and shoved up against him, grinding her hips instinctively to a silent tune, to the dance that would make him hers, and he took her butt in his strong hands and slowed her. “Sweet love … easy … I am going to make you mine but gently … easy …”

“I don’t want gently or easy … I want now and all …”

He moaned and started to push himself inside. She felt his dick making its way through her with delicious sensation, and she met his thrust with vigor.

His voice was almost rough as he said, “My love is so wet and ready …”

And as he pushed further, she stiffened suddenly because he had reached her maidenhead. She thought for one panicked moment that he was too large and that he would tear her apart. Her voice was worried as she told him, “Rye … it won’t fit … it won’t …”

And even as the words were out, he was in and pumping her full of pleasure. “You hot beauty, you—you perfect girl …” He rotated her butt with his hands, working them both into a frenzy. She pounded up against him, and this time when she climaxed, he allowed himself the sweet release …

He held her tightly afterwards and kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips and said, “Hurry, love—I want you to get dressed … we can’t be found like this …”

Jewels heard something in his tone and took it to mean he was protecting himself as well as her.

“No, of course, not … you wouldn’t want anyone to know …” she said in a hurt tone. She thought she understood him and his motive all too well—and a crack found its way to her heart.

“What are you talking about, goose …?”

“Not such a goose that I know you don’t want to worry about a scandal … or anything like it. You must not feel guilty about this. I don’t expect anything of you. No one shall know, and no one shall force you into anything. This was my fault as much as yours …”

He took her shoulders. “Don’t be a fool!”

She was pulling on her undergarments, slipping into her spencer, adjusting her bodice, and not looking at him. She was dressed haphazardly but dressed, and as the hurt blasted away the pleasure, she turned her tear-filled eyes and controlled herself as she tried to hold up her chin. “I expect nothing from you. This …” Her hands waved about helplessly. “Was what I needed at this moment. You were here to fulfill that need—nothing more!”

“Jewelene—” he started.

She hurriedly interrupted him with her hand up as she tried to save her pride. “I was blue-deviled, and you took me away for a time … but I am just fine now … and, Ryker, because I don’t want to be one of your many conquests, I will forget that this ever happened, and please you do the same.”

He made a grab for her shoulders, but she jumped out of his reach. So he put a hand through his dark blond locks and said, “You are being absurd—my sweet, sweet Jewels … don’t you …”

She was already running, throwing over her shoulder, “Leave me be now. You needn’t play the gentleman, because I am no lady fit for you.”

He put himself together, threw on his cloak, and took a moment to stand and think. He had called after her, but she wouldn’t stop to listen to him as she ran towards home. He needed to understand what had he said, what had he done to make it all go so horribly wrong, for, bloody hell … he hadn’t a clue.

He grumbled to himself as he stared after her and thought that he couldn’t have botched things more if he had tried. How was he going to set things to rights? And he had to. He simply had to get this little hellcat of his under control. If anyone could do it, he could, he told himself, but, damn, it was going to be deuced difficult.

Eleven

BABETTE SPARKLED IN a simple gown of blue velvet, but that sparkle did not carry to her eyes, or her heart. She sat at the faro table and made a good attempt to keep her mind on the game. She couldn’t think about Ryker and what had happened between them.

She had been shameless. She had … given herself freely, and it wasn’t fair. Men did it all the time without repercussions—and how could she ever look at him again? What must he think of her? She had now broken every social rule there ever was.

A long silver feather tickled her ear as a voice she knew all too well thrilled her in spite of her resolves. His voice, deep and sensuous, said, “You surprise me. I did not expect you tonight … Babette.”

Ryker’s voice was low and seemed to caress her, and she had to remind herself that he wasn’t speaking to her, he was speaking to Babette, and that helped to anger her out of her blues. “Non? And why iz zhat?” she responded as though not really interested in receiving his reply.

“Many reasons, but, ah you are exquisite, pretty Babette—only look at the puppies all making eyes at you.”

“I care nothing for zhat.”