The Rake's Wicked Proposal

Lucian continued slowly, taking his time as he introduced Grace to all the heady pleasures that awaited her, not wanting to push her too quickly, allowing her time to adjust, to accept those pleasures. His own wants and desires came a poor second to pleasuring Grace.

Minutes, hours later, Lucian knew, as her hips moved restlessly against his, that Grace was ready for more—that her body now cried out for something else, something her body was sure he could give her.

For once in his life Lucian wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. He had known from the first that he could not make love to Grace out here in Lady Humbers’s garden, but his desire for her had been such that he had needed to kiss and touch her. But now he was aware that Grace was too aroused, too needy, for him to just leave her wanting in this way. She needed—craved—release.

Would she allow him that intimacy? Allow him to give her that release with his hands, lips and tongue? Or would he only succeed in shocking her?

It was a dilemma. On the one hand he knew that Grace, once alone, would feel resentful and frustrated if he left her as she was. But on the other she could quite possibly end up hating him if he were to give her the release her body clamoured for.

‘Lucian…?’

It was her whispering of his name, the feverish glitter he could see quite clearly in her eyes, that finally decided Lucian. His lips were against her throat now, and her skin so soft and silky, the perfume of her innocence much headier than any of the spring blossoms that surrounded them.

Grace burned at the touch of Lucian’s lips as he kissed slowly, leisurely, along the length of her throat and down to her breasts. The evening air had cooled her flesh so that his lips and tongue were like fire against her, igniting delicious tremors through her body, increasing the aching heat between her thighs—an ache that made her restless for—

For what?

Grace had no idea. But as Lucian shifted her gown slightly, lifting the hem so that one of his hands could move slowly along the bare length of her thigh, higher and then higher still, creating fire wherever it touched, Grace knew that she could safely leave everything to Lucian, that he knew exactly what he was doing—

‘I assure you, Margaret, I have strolled about the garden and they are not here.’ The sound of Francis Wynter’s irritated voice was unmistakable. ‘You must have missed seeing them when they returned to the ballroom.’

‘I tell you I did not,’ the Duchess of Carlyne came back impatiently. ‘I noticed the moment they came outside together—as did everyone else!’ She sounded distressed by the fact. ‘And I assure you that I have not taken my eyes from the doors for a single moment since.’

Grace stared up wide-eyed at Lucian, knowing by his stillness that he too had recognised both voices in conversation—and heard that they were the subject of it! His expression was grim as he raised a silencing finger in front of her dazed face.

As if Grace needed any warning to remain silent!

The music was still faint and distant, but the voices of Francis Wynter and the Duchess of Carlyne were completely audible. Which meant that they must be standing very close to where Grace lay upon Lucian St Claire’s coat, her own clothing in complete disarray, possibly on the other side of the bushes that surrounded them. If either Francis or her aunt should walk only a little further in this direction—

‘Then they must have returned by another door,’ Francis dismissed briskly. ‘They are probably taking refreshment even as we speak. It is certainly uncomfortably hot enough in the house for that to be the case,’ he added disapprovingly. ‘Come along, Margaret—or no doubt the gossips will start to wonder what you and I are doing out here alone in the garden for so long!’

‘It really is too bad of Grace to behave in this reckless manner…’

The Duchess’s worried voice began to fade as the pair obviously moved back towards the house.

‘I do not blame Grace at all.’ Francis sounded as pompously self-righteous as ever. ‘St Claire has been, and continues to be, a very bad influence upon her! I did warn you and George that this was an unsuitable match, but…’ His voice faded away completely as he and the Duchess obviously returned to the crowded ballroom.