Midnight Kisses (Midnight Series) (8 page)

“Danielle, ma chère, if you don’t want to ruin my friendship with Lord Bosworth by alerting him to the fact that I’m being so bold as to make love to you right here on his sofa, I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more quiet,” he mumbled against her lips and enjoyed the flush of red that rose into Danielle’s cheeks as he said it.

Chapter 7

Cheerful and feeling strangely elated and happy, Devlin hurried over to the gentlemen’s club the next morning. He even caught himself whistling a tune as he climbed the stairs; yet he had barely even slept. Ever since he left Danielle at the break of dawn, his mind hadn’t stopped churning. Not only had he replayed their act of love in all its delightful details, he also kept returning to their conversation over and over again. Now that he had tasted Danielle for the first time, he found it inconceivable that Langston would have willingly forgone her charms. But Danielle hadn’t lied to him. Despite his careful tenderness, he had seen the brief pain in her eyes and felt the tiny resistance when she had offered him her virginity as her ultimate gift.

So if Langston really lost his manhood during a science experiment, then why would he spend time in a brothel on the day of his death? Something told Devlin that the resolution to this question would bring him closer to the
Venus
. Yes, he’d been wanting to own that painting of the goddess of love for a long time, but now that Danielle had come into his life, it seemed absolutely essential. Perhaps, or so he desperately hoped, the mysterious powers of the
Venus
might at long last show him the path to love, despite this cursed title of Earl of Windham.

Truth be told, his feelings for Danielle already went far beyond mere physical desire.
Dammit, I’m about to behave like an immature schoolboy
, he thought.

Fortunately, his plans and his desires overlapped perfectly, for he needed to start his quest for the
Venus
by paying Danielle another visit.

Lulu stretched out on the unmade bed, shamelessly spreading her thighs so as to invite Lou to come back to bed.

“By the way, what did the fat man tell you yesterday?” she asked, looking up at him with her eyelids lowered and touching her voluptuous breast. Lou’s eyes followed her every move.

“That he gave it to you good,” Lou replied with scorn in his voice.

Lulu laughed. “Right! Best five seconds of my life,” she scoffed. “I tell you one thing, Lou, he’s not worth the money you’re paying him.”

Lou pulled down his breeches, spread the redhead’s legs farther apart, and pushed into her.

“You’re right, dearie,” he moaned. “Which is why Frank will need to come up with something.” His thrusts came faster, more hectic. “I want the
Venus
!” he called out and let himself sink back down on his whore, spent. “We won’t be able to beat them off with sticks, the horny bastards! Just imagine: if our clients actually fall for you they will keep coming back!”

The thought of that satisfied him more than the quickie with Lulu. When he rolled off her, he pinched her in the breast and, now tired of her, ordered:

“Well, what are you waiting around for? Get back to work, or do you expect the gentlemen downstairs to take care of business themselves?”

With that, he pulled her up by a strand of her bright-red hair and pushed her out the door. That wench really seemed to think she was something special, just because she was the only one he took to bed. But the woman didn’t interest him in the slightest, she only happened to resemble his estranged mother.

Lou scratched his scrotum and pulled his breeches back up. Right now, he had different fish to fry. And he didn’t like it one bit that this Weston was also taking an interest in the
Venus
.

Weston, after all, was a worthy opponent. Not one of those pitiful characters Lou had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. He cursed the day that Langston kicked the bucket. He, Lou, had invested several weeks’ time to gain the scientist’s trust, and just when he thought he had him, that idiot of a guy literally fucked himself to death before delivering him so much as a hint as to the painting’s whereabouts.

Everything else he tried to obtain the necessary information had also failed. Much as he hated it, he now needed to rely on Frank and the fat guy. But the day would come when he would hold the
Venus
in his hands. And then, oh then . . .

“Lady Langston, Lady Bosworth, do come in. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, even though the circumstance under which we meet is an unhappy one.”

“Thank you, Mr. York. Please accept my apologies. I should have been in touch sooner, but . . . ”

The lawyer interrupted Danielle’s apology with a wave of his hand and offered her a chair.

“Please, Madam, don’t even mention it. I understand very well that your . . . personal circumstance has prevented you from setting foot in London. And who could blame you for it?”

Because Danielle did not feel like discussing Matthew’s less than glorious passing yet again, she got straight to the point.

“Mr. York, I am here today because I need to know my financial situation. I intend to sell the house in Essex, and I would like to return to London. But since I am unaware of Matthew’s business and financial matters, I need your help. Can I even afford an apartment in London, Mr. York?”

The lawyer smiled and took off his eyeglasses.

“Lady Langston. There is no need to worry. Lord Langston had a very respectable income. Several of his inventions were sold as patents, and his publications continue to bring in money. Not to mention the amount generated from the lawsuit
 . . . 
uh
 . . . 
on account of his
 . . . 
uhm
 . . . 
ailment. All in all, Milady, you are a wealthy woman.”

Danielle felt relieved, but Eliza frowned.

“What ailment?” she inquired.

“Well
 . . . 
hmm, Milady, I don’t know how to explain this, but during one of his experiments, an important component of the set-up malfunctioned. The entire apparatus was pressurized, you see, and
 . . . 
suffice it to say, Lord Langston was struck by said component. The manufacturer of the component was held accountable and made to pay a compensation.”

The entire discussion seemed highly unpleasant for the lawyer, for he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Where exactly was he struck?” Eliza asked.

Danielle jumped to her feet. “It’s a long story which I’m going to tell you sometime. We’ve kept Mr. York long enough. Perhaps we should stop by that house on our way back,” she suggested. “Now that we know I’m able to afford it, I would really like to give it another look.”

Eliza nodded and held her hand out to the lawyer, when the latter suddenly recalled something.

“Oh, Lady Langston!” he exclaimed and slapped the flat of his hand against his forehead. “One more thing. When your husband, God bless his soul, stopped by the last time—and by the way, he seemed very healthy to me when I saw him last, which is why I was so surprised to hear of his demise only a day later—he forgot his bag. I realized right away, and placed it in the safe so I could return it to him in good time, but because of the general confusion surrounding his death, I completely forgot all about it. It was only when I received your note that I remembered the bag.”

He bent under his desk and pulled out a simple leather briefcase.

A few moments later, the carriage was clattering down the cobblestones. It was almost noon, and despite her indisposition the previous night, Eliza seemed to have fully recovered. Danielle briefly considered the possibility that her friend might have left her alone with Devlin on purpose, but she immediately came to the conclusion that Colin, at least, would never have agreed to such an unseemly plan.

But the inquisitive sparkle she noticed in Eliza’s eyes made her reconsider.

“Well, tell me now, what were you talking about with Lord Weston last night? I hope you’ve put your differences to rest?”

Danielle glanced out the carriage window. What they had talked about? She smiled when she thought back to the previous evening.

“You want to make love to me? Here?”

“Yes, Danielle, I do. And there’s nothing you can do or say to stop me.”

He had sealed her mouth with a kiss, wiping away all of her objections, and promised her unspeakable pleasures. While he had made her head swim with his hungry lips, he had at the same time loosened his neckerchief and rid himself of his shirt before lying down with her.

The warm glow of the fire had made his bare skin glisten, and Danielle’s spellbound eyes wandered along the narrow band of dark hair that ran down from his belly button and disappeared inside his waistband. Devlin had smiled and breathed a kiss on her nose.

“You’re not afraid, are you?”

“Devlin, I
 . . . 
will it be as it was with the lady on the sundeck
 . . . 
You remember?”

His roaring laughter had made her blush. She was so painfully inexperienced! Surely he was taking pleasure in her innocence.

“Goodness, no! It won’t be like that at all, Danielle,” he promised, and with a tenderness that came as a shock to her, he had started stripping her shyness away. His kisses were like butterflies on her skin. His hands soft and patient. Over and over, he stoked her passion, pulling her deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of overwhelming emotions. His muscles underneath her fingers were hard and strong. He made her feel safe, and she desperately clung to him as though she were drowning. He pushed her dress farther and farther down until it rustled to the floor.

“You are more beautiful than the
Venus
,” he had whispered, and his hands were shaking when he touched her naked skin over and over again. His kisses came more and more demanding. Danielle realized his rising passions when his tongue danced around her belly button and his hands caressed her breasts. Danielle was trapped in her own lust and passion. She wanted more, and her body knew exactly what to do. When Devlin’s hands slid down and over her hips, she raised her pelvis. That was all the invitation he needed, and when his fingers touched her secret spot, she dug her nails into his back. Delicious shivers ran down her spine, driving her closer and closer toward release; a release she instinctively yearned for but was unable to name.

“Danielle? Are you even listening to me?”

Eliza was visibly displeased as she pointed at the street.

“We’ve arrived! Do you want to get off here, yes or no? I don’t understand why you’ve been ignoring me for the past few minutes!” she grumbled.

Danielle opened the door and descended.

“I’m sorry, I was lost in thought. Buying a house is such a serious decision to make,” Danielle tried to smooth over her friend’s hurt feelings.

Quickly, and so that Eliza wouldn’t notice she had been having erotic dreams in the middle of the day, she continued walking and inspected the house from every possible angle.

“It’s lovely, Danielle. I don’t understand why you’re even hesitating!” Eliza cried out, pushing her fashionable headdress back into place. “It’s a great offer. You should take it.”