His Reluctant Lady Read online

  The door opened and her footman smiled. “Welcome home, my lady.”

  Forcing a smile in return, she climbed the rest of the steps and entered the townhouse. “Where is Mister Robinson?”

  “In the drawing room.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. He wasn’t searching through the drawers in her desk, was he? She mentally cursed herself for not hiding her story in a better place. He knew she kept something important in those drawers because he’d almost caught her shoving her papers in them.

  “Would you like something to eat or drink?” the footman asked, bringing her attention back to him.

  “Not now,” she replied.

  He bowed and accepted her hat and gloves before she headed down the hall, her anxiety over Christopher finding out about her stories causing her to hurry to the drawing room. The door was slightly ajar so she peeked through it, relieved when she saw him reclining in a chair, sipping some tea and reading a book. Her eyebrows furrowed as she nudged the door open. Why wasn’t he reading in the library? Pushing the question aside, she entered the room then shut the door behind her.

  He glanced up from his book and smiled at her. “Did you have a pleasant afternoon?”

  “No,” she replied, clasping her hands in front of her. “I,” she cleared her throat, “I’m sorry.”

  Sitting up, he closed the book. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

  “Yes, I do.” Her hands tightened and her gaze went to the floor. “You were being nice to me, and I pushed you away. You didn’t deserve it.”

  “Will you sit with me?” he softly asked.

  She glanced at him as he moved to the settee. Her tension easing, she walked over to the settee and settled next to him, her hands in her lap.

  “I don’t think I appreciated how difficult your first husband was to get along with,” he said.

  “There was no way you could know. I didn’t tell you anything about him.”

  “No, but I gathered you weren’t happy in your first marriage.” When she furrowed her eyebrows, he continued, “It was in the way you talked about marriage.”

  Nodding, she focused on her hands. “My first husband married me because he had to, not because he wanted to. He made it clear that I was nothing but a means to an end. I didn’t expect marriage to lead to a love match, but I assumed there would be a certain level of contentment between us.” She took a deep breath. “He didn’t have an ounce of affection for me.”

  “Are you afraid I’ll be the same way?”

  “No,” she whispered. “Actually, the opposite scares me.”

  “You’re afraid I’ll love you?”

  “I know it sounds absurd.”

  “Not as much as you think,” he said. “You can’t get hurt if you don’t open yourself to someone.” After a moment passed, he gently touched the small of her back. “I understand, Agatha. You don’t need to explain anything else to me if it makes you uncomfortable. I want to be with you because of who you are.”

  “But I’ve done everything I can to push you away.”

  “Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to enjoying a challenge.”

  She dared a look in his direction. “A challenge?”

  “You excite me. You are a mystery to be unwrapped, and I enjoy everything new I learn about you. I love your passionate spirit and witty retorts.” Leaning toward her, he shot her a wicked grin. “I especially love that there’s a scandalous side to you that no one knows about.”

  Her cheeks warmed. “You do?”

  “I do. You are the most fascinating lady I’ve ever met. Your heart is safe with me, should you choose to trust me with it. In the meantime, I hope you remember to laugh. Life is too short to be serious all the time. Lords Ironfist and Lackluster are already getting grey hair and wrinkles.”

  “Oh, they are not,” she replied.

  “They most certainly are. Why, just the other day at White’s, the gentlemen were betting which one had the most grey hairs. They had to pull them all out, so that’s why you don’t think they are greying.”

  Though she knew he was lying in order to humor her, she asked, “And which lord won?”

  “It was a tie. They’re both equally serious and therefore equally older than they should be.”

  At that, she chuckled. “You’re a horrible person, Christopher. After all they’ve done for you, you insist on making jests at their expense.”

  “After all they’ve done for me? I must say I’m hurt by such a cruel remark. Didn’t I tell you about the whole mucking stables and emptying chamber pot thing they both agreed would teach me responsibility? What kind of people do something like that?”

  “Until I know what mischief you did to deserve such punishment, I can’t make a good judgment about their moral character, can I?”

  “Agatha,” he said, his eyes pleading with her to choose his side, “I’m your husband, the person who is nearest and dearest to you. Of course, you’re appalled that they would dare mistreat me the way they did.”

  “Of course,” she replied, not hiding the fact that she didn’t believe him. “Perhaps,” she arched an eyebrow, “just perhaps, you did something you wish to hide from me.”

  “Well, I can assure you that I’m not the same gentleman I used to be.”

  “Ah, so their plan worked. Mucking stalls and emptying chamber pots taught you responsibility after all.”

  “I refuse to acknowledge you said such a thing.”

  “Just because you don’t acknowledge it, it doesn’t mean I didn’t say it.”

  He cupped the side of her face with his hand and his lips brushed hers in an action so light, she almost missed it. “Regardless of what I’ve done, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m now and forever devoted to you.”

  Even as her heart warmed from his confession, she couldn’t help but be curious about his past. “Won’t you give me a hint about why your cousin and his friend punished you?”

  “If I give you a hint will you give me a hint about your secret? What do you hide in the drawer of that desk over there?”

  She followed his gaze as he glanced at the desk. “You didn’t look there?”

  “No. I was on my best behavior while I waited for you to return.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I find that hard to believe.”

  He placed his hand over his heart. “It’s the truth. Now,” he leaned forward and kissed her neck, “do we have a deal?”

  “Are you trying to talk to me or make love to me?” she asked, noting the way he cupped her breast in his hand and kissed her neck again, this time leaving a trail of kisses from the bottom of her ear to the base of her neck.

  “Both.”

  “You can’t do both at once.”

  “Why not?”

  Though she rolled her eyes in exasperation, she couldn’t stop herself from giggling. She took his hand in hers and scooted away from him. “Christopher, I insist you satisfy my curiosity. Give me the hint. What wicked thing did you do?”

  “All right. I’ll tell you. Then you can give me your hint.” He paused for a moment, something she suspected he did to be dramatic, then said, “I haven’t bothered with my studies since I was seventeen.”

  She considered his words but they were too vague for her to figure out. “What else?”

  “That’s all I’m telling you. Now, what’s your hint?”

  She thought of what she might say that would be just as cryptic as what he said. When she came up with a suitable hint, she said, “I entertain things that don’t happen.”

  “You entertain things that don’t happen?”

  She nodded, pleased she’d found a way to confound him.

  “You write fiction?”

  Her smile faltered.

  “Writing a story isn’t something that should embarrass you. Many fine books have been written by wealthy people.” He paused then his eyes grew wide. “Unless you’re writing something that the Ton wouldn’t approve of.” His lips curled into a smi
le. “Why, Agatha, you are such a scandalous lady. My respect for you increases day by day.”

  “I suppose next you’re going to tell me that you know exactly what it is I write?” She wouldn’t put it past him since he was unbelievably clever. She’d like to accuse him of snooping in her desk drawer, but she didn’t think he did it. He probably found the challenge of figuring it out on his own much more enticing. “I don’t know how it is I ended up married to someone who is too smart for my own good.”

  He chuckled and kissed her, a kiss that struck her as more playful than seductive. “I have to be smart if I’m going to be worthy of you. But in case you’re worried, I don’t know what it is you’re writing.”

  “Well, at least I get to hold onto that secret.”

  He gave her another kiss, this time letting his lips linger on hers. “To be fair, I did catch you with the quill on your desk, so I already knew you were writing something. I had an advantage over you. All you know about me is that I happen to like scandalous behavior. I wouldn’t have known you were such a scandalous lady the first time we met, but I was drawn to you. There’s no one more beautiful than you.”

  Recalling the day they met and knowing she’d been disguised as a gentleman, a sly grin crossed her face. As much as he thought he knew so much about her, at least she still had one secret he hadn’t figured out, and she saw no reason to give him even a single hint about it.

  He studied her face. “What are you thinking?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I don’t believe you. You have something else you’re hiding, aren’t you?”

  There was no way she was going to let him know all of her secrets. Guessing it would distract him, she wiggled closer to him, intentionally letting her breasts brush his chest. As she hoped, he lowered his head and kissed her again, this time letting his hands cup her breasts and lightly squeeze them, an action which shot a spark of pleasure straight to her core.

  He ended the kiss and she opened her eyes. “I’m going to lock the door and close the drapes. There’s no sense in anyone being privy to what we’re about to do.”

  Her eyes widened. “Here?” To make sure he understood her, she explained, “You intend to be intimate in this room?”

  “I’d be disappointed if we only kept it to the bedchamber.” He brushed her nipples with his thumbs. “A lady hiding secrets will find the variety exciting as well, I wager.”

  “Hiding secrets and…and…taking care of a husband’s needs outside the bedchamber are two different things.”

  “Not if you take care of my needs in this room and keep it a secret.”

  Before she could even think of a way to stop him from pursuing this alarming idea, he hurried to the door and locked it then went to the windows and pulled the drapes together, allowing them complete privacy from the outside world.

  She rose to stop him, to say that they’d be much better off going to the bedchamber if he was so insistent that it was going to happen, but he wrapped his arms around her and began kissing her again, an action which rendered her helpless, something she thought absurd even as it was happening. How could he have such an affect on her?

  “This really isn’t appropriate,” Agatha whispered, breathless as he kissed her neck.

  “You want this,” he insisted as he pressed her up against a nearby wall.

  “Surely, I don’t,” she lied. Despite her silent urging for her body to stop giving into him—and in the drawing room of all places!—the area between her legs ached for his touch. “No lady could enjoy,” she groaned again as his thumbs teased her nipples, “doing it like this.”

  He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her, his tongue brushing hers. Nothing about this was suitable. A lady didn’t make love outside her bed. Christopher had to have known this. But even as she struggled to protest where this was going, his hands slid down her backside and gripped the dress. For a moment, she worried he was going to rip it in his urgency to take her, but he pulled it up, gentle not to harm the fabric.

  He ended the kiss as his hands made contact with her bare flesh, cupping her behind and pulling her against his arousal. She didn’t know why but the fact that he still wore trousers while he separated her legs and wrapped them around his waist seemed like such a deliciously wicked thing. She bit her lower lip as he rocked his hips, his male hardness stroking her sensitive nub. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she helped him along, her hips rocking in rhythm with him.

  Even as good as the contact felt, she longed to feel him against her without any barriers between them. “You wouldn’t enter me right here.” Then, because she thought it might urge him to do it, she added, “It’d be very inappropriate.”

  He chuckled and brought his hand between them where he found the folds of her flesh and lightly traced them. She drew in her breath. Oh, this had to be the most wonderfully wicked thing a gentleman could do to a lady. She shifted so that his fingers could slide into her, her back resting against the wall, hardly aware of where she was as she gave in completely to what they were doing.

  “You’re so wet,” he murmured, his breathing raspy. “You want me to enter you here, to bring you to completion?”

  She let out a soft cry as he stroked her core. Her legs tightened around him and she held onto his shoulders while he unbuttoned his trousers. Her blood raced with excitement. He was going to do it. He was going to take her in this place while they still wore clothes. She’d never been more eager to do anything in her entire life.

  He pressed his penis against her sensitive nub and cupped her behind in his hands, the action allowing her to rock her hips against him once more. “You love it when we make love, don’t you?” he whispered, staring at her, his erection sliding ever so deliciously against her.

  She knew he wanted her to come out and say it, but even as she moved faster, she couldn’t bring herself to admit it. She didn’t know why and at the moment she was far too aroused to care.

  “It’s all right. You don’t have to admit it right now.” He angled himself so that his shaft was pressed more firmly against her, something that made her moan in pleasure. “But soon you will.”

  Before she could respond, he was kissing her again. His tongue sparred with hers, effectively ending any more conversation but making her that much more eager to enjoy him. He guided her hips and she let every wonderful sensation engulf her in the base need for release. It seemed to be such a primitive thing, to be acting this way, but at the moment, she had absolutely no desire to behave like a lady.

  When she found her release, she softly cried out and stilled. He entered her as the waves of pleasure were crashing into her. With a groan, he moved inside her, his actions determined and focused as his thrusting grew faster. And it wasn’t long before he stilled, his body shuddering as his seed spilled into her. She gasped and tightened her hold on him as another orgasm overtook her, this one less intense than the one before but still very pleasurable. He collapsed against her, still holding her protectively in his arms, still buried inside her where she wished he could always be. He brought his mouth back to hers and gave her a lingering kiss, his tongue brushing hers, soft and gentle in the aftermath of their passionate encounter.

  A long moment passed before he pulled away from her, and she let out a sigh of regret. With a cocky grin, he lowered her dress and asked, “Can’t wait until we do it again, hmm?”

  Despite her heavy breathing and the touch of his hands on her breasts as he kissed her neck, she said, “As your wife, I have to make sure you get your pleasure. Apparently, that means wherever you want to receive it.”

  He caressed her bottom. “Be honest, my love. Weren’t you a bit anxious to be with me as well?”

  “Ladies aren’t like gentlemen. They can do very well without it.”

  “Oh?”

  “It’s true. You don’t see me groping you, do you?”

  He chuckled. “You might be hiding your desire for me, but I recall the way you responded to me just now. You were very will
ing to do this.” Grinning, he added, “And in the drawing room during the day. Even though we made love four times last night and then again this morning. I don’t think you can get enough of me.”

  “Before you get smug, may I remind you that the more we do it, the better your chances are of getting a child?”

  “That’s not why you were moaning in pleasure.”

  Sensing the challenge in his statement, she countered, “Well, I thought I’d be polite. A male’s sensibility is a delicate thing.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “My dear Agatha, I’m afraid you are the one who has delicate sensibilities if you can’t admit how much you enjoy making love to me.”

  “You wish it was so but it’s not. A lady could do very well without it. All she really requires is for her husband to talk to her as he would a friend and grace her with hugs and kisses. If he did that and nothing else, she’d be content.”

  “If it’s a challenge you want, then it’s a challenge you shall get.” He kissed her, his tongue briefly touching hers, and shot her a triumphant grin, something she thought rather foolish since he hadn’t won the challenge yet. “I’m going to prove you wrong. You will end up coming to my bed to satisfy your carnal cravings.”

  Appalled he’d even suggest such a thing, she gasped. “Never.”

  He gave her a chaste kiss. “It’ll be my pleasure to prove you wrong.”

  She didn’t hide her amusement. “Considering how you can’t control yourself whether we’re in this room or the bedchamber, I wouldn’t boast too much if I were you.”

  He winked. “You’ll see.”

  She made sure he saw her shake her head before she headed out of the room so she could wash up and change her clothes.