The Deception (Baron 3)

And he moved between her legs, kissing her belly, his fingers probing her, finding her and sliding into her. When his mouth touched her, she lurched upward, panting so hard she wondered if her heart would burst.

She yelled his name. He raised his head a moment, and grinned up at her, a very male grin, filled with pleasure and satisfaction. “Hold still. No, twist and turn about as much as you want. Yell, Evangeline. Yes, that’s it. Now, come to me again.” Any embarrassment disappeared in an instant. She bit his shoulder, her fingers tangling in his hair, and she cried, her pleasure was so intense and binding. As she flew out of control, he jerked away from her, pulled her thighs wide, and came into her hard.

She was hot and so tight he gritted his teeth not to tear through her. He slowed himself, but it was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He was stretching her. He looked down at her face and saw that she was still now, no longer squirming beneath him. Now she was staring at him.

She was afraid. He saw it clearly on her face, but he didn’t understand. God, he wanted her so badly. He went into her more deeply. She moaned, her hands grabbing his arms to hold him still.

“Hold still, Evangeline, it will be all right. Just hold still for me. You’ll become used to me. I’m going as slowly as I can.” And he eased deeper, and her fingers dug deeper into his arms.

“No, please stop, please. It hurts. I didn’t think it would hurt. You told me you wouldn’t hurt me. I believed you.”

He made himself stop. He held himself perfectly still as he balanced himself over her on his hands. “Get used to me. Yes, you can do it.”

She eased, just a bit, and he went deeper. Then he froze. He stared down at her, disbelieving. He was butting against her maidenhead. Her damned maidenhead. Dearly departed saintly André had never existed. Her eyes were wide upon his face as he stared at her. And he thought the words very clearly: You didn’t even realize I would know you were a virgin. Just thinking those words made him go mad.

Before either of them could breathe another breath, he drove forward. “I know it hurts. Just hang onto me.”

She screamed, but this time it was pain, not pleasure, that tightened her body, that made her muscles lock. “No, hold on. Don’t fight me. There, I’ll hold still. I’m inside you now, all the way inside you, and you won’t have any more pain. Hold still for me. That’s right.” He ducked his head down and kissed her, hard and deep as he was in her body.

She moved, and it nearly drove him over the edge. “Lie still. You must or I’ll be gone from you.”

“No, I want you to stay with me,” she said, kissing and biting his throat, his shoulders. “Why did it hurt?” He laughed, then moaned as once again she shifted beneath him. “It won’t ever hurt again.”

She was trembling beneath him. He didn’t know whether it was still pain or if his weight was too much for her. In another moment, though, it didn’t matter. She moved once again, and it was over for him. He gritted his teeth against the power of his need, his voice deep and hoarse. “I’ve tried, I’ve truly tried to distract myself, and you, but it’s just no good.”

He tried to calm himself, to move just a bit inside her, but it was no good, just no damned good. He heaved over her like a savage, groaned into her mouth like a madman, and then he flew apart, reveling in every moment, knowing more pleasure than he’d ever imagined possible.

As he calmed, as he kissed her ear, he heard her say, “I love you. I’ve loved you probably from that first evening in your library when you thought I was a former mistress. I’ll love you forever.”

He managed to pull himself up on his elbows. He smiled down at her. “Good,” he said. “I know.” He collapsed over her, his head on the pillow beside hers. “Never,” he said, close to her ear, “never will I let you out of my sight again.”

Chapter 34

He waited for her to say more, but she didn’t.

He came up over her again, balancing himself on his elbows.

He saw her bite her lower lip, and close her eyes before he could look at her, but still, she wasn’t fast enough. He saw a wrenching pain. He felt instant, blinding fury. “What the hell is going on, Evangeline?”

She looked at him, felt him still deep inside her, felt the tensing and easing of her muscles around him, and said, “I didn’t mean to say that. It was very nice, but it’s over now, even though you’re still inside me and I’ve never felt anything like this in my life, and I don’t want it to stop, ever.” “Now there’s a bit of news.” She refused to rise to the bait, which was probably a good thing, since she didn’t understand. She said nothing because there was nothing more to say.

“I’m crushing you,” he said, and pulled out of her. He rolled onto his back, grabbing her as he moved, and pulled her against him. He felt her sigh deeply as she pressed her face against his shoulder. Her hand was palm down on his belly. He kissed her forehead and said, “You make me nearly blind with rage when you refuse to trust me. I believe you have a lot to tell me now.”

She tried to rear up, but he held her down. “Talk to me,” he said. “Now. Trust me.”

She bit his shoulder, then raised her head and yelled right in his face, “Why can’t you leave me alone? Why must you push and shove and prod? You’re worse than a nanny I had for a very short time when I was six years old. She picked, picked, picked. Just stop it. I have nothing at all to say to you, nothing. Leave me alone, your grace.”

“Your grace? For God’s sake, woman, we have just made love—can’t you bring yourself to call me by my name?”

“You’re ‘The Duke’ to me. That’s your name.” “Very well,” he said. “I can bear that for the moment. I’m a title to you. Dear God, you will age me before my time.” He squeezed her very hard against him. He waited a few moments. “All right. Talk to me, now.”

Another lie, Evangeline. You must lie to him again. No, redo the lie, make him believe you this time. It’s over. Her voice was muddled, for she could not bring herself to look at him. “I don’t love you. It’s merely that you pushed me to feel such things that just forced the words out of me. I believe that’s how men make women succumb to them. They make them feel these wild feelings, make them drop their wits to the floor, and it’s all over for the women. Indeed, you’re unquestionably the most exciting man I’ve yet met. Thank you for the pleasure. It’s all I wanted from you, nothing more. I already told you that. Believe it.” She tried to pull away from him, but he held her firmly against him. What was he thinking? Would he yell at her? To her bewilderment, he burst out laughing. He laughed and laughed. She wanted to kill him.

Finally he said, “I’m glad you didn’t spit all that out when I was inside you. It would have shriveled me fast.” And he laughed some more. “It’s the truth. Let me go. Leave me alone.” “So I’m the most skilled of all your lovers to date?” “Even though it will puff you up all the more, I told you the truth. Yes, damn you.” “Even though I hurt you?”

“I felt immense pleasure first. I suppose it’s a fair enough trade.”

“Normally it doesn’t hurt the woman at all. Didn’t you know that?” “Certainly. You’re large.”