Hellion at Heart: League of Unweddable Gentlemen, Book 2 Read online

  “You’re touching my arm, my lord.”

  His teasing gleam entered his eyes. “I am.”

  She stood, her eyes level with his neck, his very nice neck that led to an even nicer abdomen that even now, years after she’d seen it last, still made her hands itch to touch. Hallie was sick of denying herself. It was obvious that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. His breathing was deep and although slow, she knew to her very core he was trying to rein in his desire.

  She didn’t want him to.

  Leaning forward she kissed the little dip at the middle of his throat, working her way along his shoulder blade. He sucked in a breath and she gasped as he leaned down, clasping her face and bringing her up to meet his kiss. It was deep and a little wild and sparked her desire.

  She wrapped her arms about his neck and he lifted her off her feet, placing her on the wooden table, taking care not to ruin any of her work. He stood back, ripping at his cravat, never once losing eye contact with her. Hallie bit her lip as he threw off his coat and waistcoat before tugging his shirt free from his breeches and pulling it over his head.

  He was simply beautiful, as perfect as she remembered him. All defined muscles and lines, his stomach taut and flexing with each breath. She ran her hand over him, marveling at his beauty. Heat pooled at her core and she ached to have him.

  “Now it’s your turn.” He reached out and one by one, undid the small buttons that ran down the front of her shirt. Just like him she had breeches on, preferring to wear them instead of dresses when working at dig sites. He slid her shirt free from her breeches and glided it over her shoulders, letting it lay on the table.

  His hand cupped her breast through her stays and she shut her eyes, reveling in the contact that she’d been starved of for so long.

  “So perfect,” he whispered, slipping her stays down her chest and exposing her to his view. She had not been so exposed to a man in years and the urge to cover herself was strong, but she forced her hands upon the table, letting him take his fill of her. Arthur leaned forward and kissed her breast, placing soft, sweet kisses against her nipple. His tongue slipped over her pebbled flesh and she cupped his head, holding him against her.

  “I missed this. All of you.” He made short work of the laces and, throwing them to the floor with little care, bared her to his view. Arthur grabbed her breeches at the front and pulled her off the table to stand. “Now these have to go.”

  Hallie reached down, slipping the buttons free at the fall and sliding them down her legs. She kicked them to the side before meeting Arthur’s heated gaze that threatened to melt her into a liquid mess. She was as naked as a babe and yet, the pleasure on his face, the reverence that she read there, pushed away any doubt or fear.

  Without help, she sat on the table, leaning back on her hands, waiting for him. “Are you going to join me here, my lord?”

  He swallowed, the sound almost audible. “Arthur. Please, call me Arthur.”

  She grinned. “Will you join me here…Arthur?”

  Oh hell yes he would.

  He’d go to hell and back if only he could live the rest of his life with the woman before him. How had he let her go all those years ago? He should have told his friends to damn well stop the carriage and let him out. He should have forced her to take him with her to Egypt and never leave her side. Should have was a tormenting beast he loathed. So many mistakes that he could not take back.

  Need riding him hard, he ripped at his frontfalls and pushed his breeches down and off. He stepped between her legs and a feeling of rightness swamped him. His cock strained between them, and he fought not to rush. To take his time and savor this moment. She wrapped her arms about his shoulders and he kissed her, tasting tea and honey on her sweet lips.

  Reaching down he clasped one of her thighs, taking his time enjoying her warm, soft flesh, slipping his cock against her wet, willing cunny.

  She moaned against his mouth and he nipped her lip. “You like that,” he said, sliding against her heat again and gaining a moan of approval.

  “Oh yes.”

  Her hand traced down his shoulder, down to his waist, before circling his member. Her hand slid down his phallus, teasing him with long, constant strokes and for a moment Arthur thought he saw stars.

  He shut his eyes, enjoying the friction her touch brought forth. His balls tightened and he reached down, stilling her hand. “You’ll make me lose myself.”

  Watching, she guided him into her wet heat. She engulfed him, warm and tight. His body roared to take her, hard and fast, fuck her until they were both spent and gasping for breath.

  God fucking damn it, she felt good.

  Her mouth opened on a sigh and he kissed her, pulling her hard against him, their flesh touching from breast to legs. He thrust into her, and realized it would never be enough. He needed her more than ever before. She wrapped her leg about his hip, holding him against her with her foot. He fucked her, hard and fast. Heedless of where they were or the fact that anyone could come into the tent at any moment.

  She was his, of this he was certain and she would be his wife if he could convince her to take him as her husband.

  Arthur increased his pace, the feel of her willing body, her little gasps and sighs drove him senseless. He pulled back from kissing her, watching her as he took her. Her lips swollen and a little red from his kisses, her eyes cloudy with desire.

  “Yes,” she gasped, watching him, her hands tight on his shoulders as he thrust relentlessly into her heat. She threw her head back, her hair spilling down her spine. He leaned forward, kissing her neck in harsh little pecks. “Just like that. Don’t stop,” she gasped, her white, straight teeth biting her bottom lip.

  Arthur did as she asked, dared not to do anything that would not bring her pleasure.

  A mewling sound and his name spewed from her lips. He gritted his teeth, needing her to shatter about him before he’d take his pleasure. Sweat beaded off their skin, no matter the cool day. And then he felt the strong, pulling shudders around his cock, dragging him along to the road of pleasure. He wrenched free at the last moment, spilling onto the dirt floor beneath the table, his hand working his cock as he watched as Hallie caught her breath and composure.

  She sat up, leaning once again on her arms, one leg swinging idly over the table. A satisfied smile played about her lips. “It should rain more often if that’s how I’m to pass the time here when you visit.”

  He chuckled, stepping between her legs and pulling her close. “You do realize there will be no getting rid of me now.”

  She shrugged one perfect shoulder. “You’re not so bad.”

  He clasped her face. “Neither are you,” he said, kissing her again and losing himself once more in her arms.

  Chapter 13

  The rain unfortunately stopped overnight. The ground up at the dig site was still waterlogged and so Hallie continued cataloguing her finds and sketching them, making a journal and map of everything they had found and where on the map she’d sketched before digging up the trenches.

  Once again she was alone on the dig site, and yet, when she was packing up her pencils and sketchbook it was not Arthur who met her outside to walk her back to the estate, but Mr. Stewart.

  She greeted him with cool civility, having hoped she’d not be caught alone with him again. He was trouble, mostly trouble for her and she was still uncertain how she would survive if he wanted all her money that she earned.

  “How is progress coming along, Miss Evans?”

  “Very well, thank you,” she said, buttoning up her greatcoat and slipping on her broadbrimmed hat and starting back down the hill toward the estate. She had left later than anticipated and in the distance she could see the lights at Baron Bankes’s estate were already alight and shining through the many windows in preparation for the evening festivities.

  “I thought while we had a minute to ourselves we should discuss if you’ve had any further enquiries about similar digs you may be interested in.
You remember our deal of course or do you need reminding?”

  She rounded on him, glaring up at the popinjay. He was a leach that society would expel, any level of society for anyone within half a mile of this man would know he was not good. Rotten to the core like fruit with a worm in it. “You would ruin my life, take everything from me simply because you cannot accept the fact that your cousin was a madman who killed people and almost killed my friend. How dare you, sir.”

  He grabbed her arm, squeezing her hard. She fought not to flinch under his assault. “I would dare, yes. My cousin was innocent and it was only because your friend fucked a duke that she wasn’t caught out for the scheming, lying bitch that she is. My cousin wrote to me, I knew his character better than anyone. The things they accused him of were ludicrous. He would never do any of those things.”

  “Neither would my friend,” she spat back at him, wrenching out of his hold. “And if you touch me again, I’ll bloody your nose. Do you understand that, Mr. Stewart?”

  He laughed, the sound condescending and repellent. “You owe me a debt that will be paid and will continue to be paid until I deem it appropriate for you to stop. Until then, remember I know all about your life in Egypt and the dirty little secret you have. Whatever will Lord Duncannon think when he finds out the woman he’s cock happy for fucked another when abroad? Tell me, Miss Evans,” he said, rubbing his jaw with his hand. “Have you always been free with your wiles?”

  Without thought, she struck him across the face. The crack of the slap ricocheted up her arm and she fisted her hand as pain spiked through her palm.

  “I will give you that one, my dear, but you’ll only get one. The next time you hit me, I’ll hit back.”

  Hallie stood still and watched as he continued down the hill toward the house as if he had not a care in the world. Bastard. Tears burned her eyes and her vision of the woods swam before her. Whatever would she do? Could she tell Lord Duncannon?

  Fear that what Mr. Stewart accused her of put paid to that idea. His lordship would think her fast if she told him the truth. As for her son, that would be the final straw and he would never think of her again knowing she had a child.

  His family would be right in keeping him away from her. She wasn’t pure, not from a great, well-to-do family, nor had she ever wanted to be. He would soon come to realize that his foolish dreams of them were unrealistic.

  Not that she cared as to what his family thought of her, but she wouldn’t put her son in a situation where he would be looked down upon, disregarded and treated unfairly. Not by Arthur and certainly not by his grandmother who was a formidable force in the ton.

  Love had its limits, love for others at least. Her son and her love for him was not a price she was willing to pay to have the man she had started to think of more than she should. To see a life that they could have and dream. If only there weren’t so many other factors that would tear them apart she would try for a life with him.

  But she wasn’t fool enough to follow that thought. Their affection was doomed and so too was their time.

  Arthur found Hallie in the library the following day. She was seated on the floor behind a group of shelving. Baron Bankes had a well-stocked library that looked more like a book store with its many shelves lined up in a row at one end of the room. His lordship had taken most of the houseguests out for a walk down to the river that ran through his estate, but Arthur had remained scarce until they had left.

  He watched her chew her bottom lip as she leaned over an old tome, her hair hastily tied back in a single ribbon, strands of her dark hair slipping over her face. An ache formed in his chest and he cleared his throat, making his presence known.

  She glanced up at him and he had hoped to see pleasure on her features. Instead, all he saw was trepidation and regret. Unease slithered down his spine and he sat, stretching his legs out before him and crossing his feet.

  “Lord Duncannon, please join me,” she said, her tone oozing with sarcasm.

  He glanced at her, meeting her eyes. “I had hoped we were past formal titles, Miss Evans. You were Hallie to me yesterday and I was Arthur. Can we not be that again?”

  “What you ask is impossible,” she said, closing the tome hard, eliciting a puff of dust.

  He waved the dust away, coughing. “Nothing is impossible. Your travels abroad and the work that you did there is proof of that.” She glared at the bookcase before her, not looking at him. Whatever was wrong? He mentally retraced everything that had passed between them since yesterday, and they had parted on good terms. Very good in fact.

  She sighed, turning to face him. “You should court someone else, Arthur. You know your family would never accept me and I’ll not ever conform to fit in to make people happy. I will only bring you pain in the long run.”

  He frowned, the idea that she was not good for him an illogical notion. She was perfect for him. Never with anyone else did he have intelligent conversations, she was sweet and honest, unafflicted by the ton, nor was she poisoned by its many barbs.

  “I think not.” He leaned toward her and kissed her cheek. She smelled of lavender, fresh as a spring morning. “I feel I’m falling in love with you, if I have not already.” The despair that crossed her features at his declaration made his gut clench. “Why won’t you let me love you?”

  She shook her head vehemently. “Please trust me when I say that we cannot go anywhere. It’s not fair for either of us if we continue this liaison.”

  “I’m not fickle, Hallie. I’ll not leave you again. I promise.” The day he’d left her in Felday was one mistake that he’d not make again. Ever. He would fight to keep her, fight to make her his wife. “Trust me, please,” he begged, not the least ashamed to. He’d do more than that if only it meant she would give him a chance.

  “You’re so maddening,” she said, giving him a small smile. The first today. The sight of it warmed his heart and he grinned back.

  “What are you reading about?” he asked, looking down at the book she held in her arms, wanting to change the subject and make her forget whatever concerned her regarding them.

  “It’s a book on the Roman Empire. I was sketching another coin that I found yesterday and I wondered if it may have been locally minted, not brought in from abroad. If this book is saying what I think it does, the Romans did do this after their conquest.”

  “How much more do you have to do at the site? There are only a couple weeks left of the house party.”

  “Ah, but you forget I’m not here for the house party, you are. I’m free to stay as long as the dig takes. The original estimate was three months.” A shadow entered her eyes, before she blinked and it was gone.

  What was worrying her? There was something, he was sure of it, just as he was certain she was keeping something from him. In time he hoped she would trust him enough to confide in him.

  “Whatever will I tell Baron Bankes to keep him from sending me away when everyone leaves?”

  She chuckled, lifting her legs to lean on her knees. “That you’re having an illicit affair with his archaeologist and you are unable to leave just yet.”

  “So we’re still having an illicit affair? How daring of us.” He reached out, needing to touch her. He ran his hand about her waist, wishing there were less clothes between them. He longed to feel her soft skin, to hear her sweet sighs of pleasure as he brought her to climax.

  “If you will not listen to reason when it comes to us, then I suppose my only choice is to let you get your fill of me and move on. Is that not what most men do?” She reached out and cupped his cock. Arthur groaned at the contact and her boldness. Damn it, she was so perfect.

  “I’m not most men.” He placed his hand over hers and moved her hand downward, stroking his already hard dick. “For all the fun we may have together, I’m not going anywhere.” She would see that was true soon enough.

  Hallie’s stomach clenched at the feel of him. All masculine perfection and hers to play with if she wanted. Even if it were not foreve
r, she could certainly have him while he was here for the house party.

  Their future was impossible, but here and now was not.

  She moved and straddled him, easy to do since she was wearing breeches. His hands came around and clasped her bottom, pulling her hard against his engorged cock. Heat spiraled through her and she could feel herself grow damp. Hallie moved against him, seeking her own release and pleasure without taking him into her.

  His mouth twitched into a wicked smile and she kissed him, reveling in his need of her, his promises of forever. Promises that she knew could never be, no matter if they pulled at a part of her that longed for stability, for protection for her son and herself.

  “You feel so good in my arms.”

  She moaned through the kiss as a tremor of pleasure coursed through her. “So do you,” she managed. Hallie undulated against him, their breeches the only thing that separated them. That they were doing this in Baron Bankes’s library was not the smartest idea, and yet she could not leave. Not now. She wanted to take her pleasure and forget all her troubles for a moment at least.

  “I want, you.” Arthur broke the kiss. He kissed her jaw, working his way around her neck and up to her ear, biting her lobe. “Damn these breeches.”

  Hallie pushed harder against his manhood, as she undulated in his lap and his breath hitched. His engorged cock was delicious against her and she could take her fill without too much fuss. Nor did she care how much noise they made. Everyone was out, and those who had stayed behind had better places to be than the library. Spasms started low in her core and blossomed throughout and she threw her head back, enjoying the climax as it tore through her body. He kissed her sigh of relief from her lips, quelling the noise. Hallie sagged in his arms, laying her head against his shoulder as they both tried to regain their breath.

  “That was very pleasurable,” she mumbled against his shoulder, placing a small kiss at the base of his neck.