Seducing the Rake (Mad, Bad and Dangerous Heroes) (56 page)

Chessy shivered as his fingers traced a path across her naked breast.

“And I thought I would die if I couldn’t touch you the same way.” His voice was hoarse. “I mean to do it right now, Cricket.”

“T-Tony. Oh, please…” Somehow Chessy never got around to that other word—the
no
she knew she should be saying. And then her breath fled as his long fingers found her swelling softness.

“Ummmmm.”

Silence. Small, suggestive wiggling movements. And then a soft sigh.

“Well, Cricket?”

“I—” Chessy shivered as he ran his nail gently over the pouting terminus of her breast. “You must—” She swallowed audibly. “You must s-stop.” Her lashes fell, masking the sudden hunger in her eyes. “It—it cannot be good for you.”

“If I stop, it will be even
worse,”
he growled.

Chessy trembled at the gentle stroking of his fingers. Heat began to course through her. “Then—then perhaps you could do that again. Just once more. Surely that c-can’t hurt you “

He did. Chessy sighed.

And this time her wriggling was most urgent. Then abruptly she frowned. “What about your mistress?”

“Germaine has sought comfort with a gray-haired viscount. I never saw her again—not after that night, you know.”

“I’m glad to hear it, you rake. But where did you learn—” Her eyes darkened. “Not from
her.
That wretched Louisa Landringham! Just the thought of you—you and her—”

“Hush, harridan! I never touched Louisa. That was the reason she hated me, if you must know.”

Chessy went very still. “Oh.” It was a small, wondering sound. “Not ever?”

“Not once, you intractable creature. And Louisa will not be tormenting anyone for quite a while, I think.”

“Oh, Tony, what did you do to her? Nothing—terrible, I hope.”

“I suppose it all depends on your point of view. I simply gave her a choice.” His expression hardened.

“Have you forgotten that she nearly had you killed?”

“She did not succeed.”

“And that is the
only
reason she got off so lightly. Since you’re dying to know, I’ll tell you. I gave her a choice of being turned over to the magistrate or going off to Macao.”

Chessy’s eyes widened.

“To work in one of the pleasure boats,” Morland added grimly.

“Oh, you didn’t! But she—”

“My dear Chessy, the woman will probably find it a positive delight. She’s had more than a little experience with the pillow book already, from what Andrew said. At least this will keep her out of
our
hair. And a lot of men in London will sleep safer tonight with her far, far away.”

“Then you really didn’t—you two weren’t—”

Morland clicked his tongue. “Foolish, my dear. Unforgivably foolish.”

Chessy’s brow creased. “But everyone said—” She colored faintly.

Morland gave her a knowing look. “Ah, my sweet, don’t tell me an intelligent woman like yourself believes everything she hears.”

Chessy sniffed. “One would have to be
deaf
not to hear the stories about
you,
my lord.”

“Intrigued you, did they?”

“Of course not!” But the faint flush that stained Chessy’s cheeks belied her protest.

“Fascinating, were they? Shameful? Totally outrageous?”

“So they were. And you seem positively proud of it!”

Morland made her a lazy little bow. “I try my best. One has an image to maintain, after all.” Then he caught her wrists with surprising strength and pressed them down against the silken coverlet.

“Stop that right now, Tony Langford! Otherwise I’ll call my father in here to hold you down while I administer your next dose of medicinal tea!”

“Your father? I’m vastly sorry, love, but you’ll find Jamie is unavailable right now. He and your mother are busy making up for all those lost years.”

Chessy gave him a tremulous smile. “Are they really? Oh, Tony, I’m so glad … My mother,” she said slowly. Wonderingly. “I never thought I would have a chance to meet her. To know her…”

“You have accepted what has happened? Even though it hurt you deeply?”

Chessy stared off at the sunlit hills, remembering the encounter with her father and the white-faced woman she now knew was her mother. She had been stunned, left trembling and speechless at the news they had broken to her in the silence of Sevenoaks’ sunny front parlor.

In the wake of Chessy’s shock had come anger. How could Elizabeth have left her husband and child like that? And why had she never tried to repair the estrangement in the long years that followed?

Afterward Chessy realized her anger was for her father as much as for herself. She knew he had suffered deeply and in silence, and that he had remained true to his wife in his heart. It also explained why he had refused to remarry and grew adept at parrying the matrimonial attempts of widows and sly-faced debutantes alike.

But when Elizabeth began to cry, agreeing that all was as Chessy charged, that she could never be forgiven for her wickedness, Chessy felt her anger fade. Like yellow sand carried before the seething currents of China’s Yellow River, her bitterness, too, was swept away.

This was no time for bitterness or regrets. She had found her mother again, the mother she’d thought long dead. They would nave years before them—long and happy years to rebuild their past, and the rest of a lifetime to share in laughter and understanding.

They’d embraced then, anger and remorse forgotten. They were only mother and daughter then, only two people cruelly separated, and then reunited with equally cavalier unpredictability.

And a beaming James Cameron had caught them both close, pronouncing them the two most beautiful creatures on the face of God’s green earth.

Remembering that afternoon, Chessy smiled wistfully and looked at Tony. “I
have
accepted it. At least I think I have.” And as she spoke she knew it was true. Why wallow in bitterness when the future was open for them to start all over? “She’s—she’s lovely, isn’t she? My mother,” she repeated softly. “I am very lucky to have found her again.”

“As she was lucky to find you. And she is no lovelier than her daughter,” the Earl of Morland said huskily, wiping the single tear from her cheek.

At his movement the folds of Chessy’s peignoir drifted further apart, framing her ivory beauty from knee to shoulder. Only her sash lay across her, gleaming at her slender waist.

“Ah, Cricket, I was wrong. You are not as beautiful as you were ten years ago. You are
even more
beautiful.” And then his mouth skimmed her sweetly pouting breast, at the same spot where the water droplet had tormented him a decade before.

“N-no, Tony, you mustn’t! You
cannot.
This will only lead to—”

“Hush, woman! I’m busy maintaining my reputation.” His lips curved against her, strong and suckling and utterly implacable.

“T-Tony! Oh, p-please…”

Only when she was taut beneath his lips did he release her. He smiled darkly as he surveyed his handiwork. “Nice. Yes,
very
nice, Miss Cameron. Now that that particular bit of business is settled, you can give me your foul liquid and be done with it.” He sat back calmly against the pillows.

“Done?” Chessy could only stare. “B-business?”

“Quite. There will be no more of
that
until after our errant cleric finishes his work. I’ll take no chance of further aspersions upon your reputation.” He studied her darkly. “Especially not now, since I’ve satisfied myself that there is nothing between you and that stony-faced fellow you studied with at Shao-lin.”

Chessy’s fingers curved into the crisp sheets. She was growing angrier by the second.

“Of course, I had to be sure first. If there had been anything between the two of you, I would have had to do something drastic.”

“Drastic?”

“To
him.
That great cave creature who never seems to smile.” Tony’s frown grew. “Except at you.”

“Ah. You mean Conn.”

“Oh, we’re to first names, are we?”

Chessy gave Tony a confiding smile. “Well, it’s really Jean-Luc Connor MacKinnon, but no one could pronounce that at Shao-lin, so we came up with Conn. Considering that he’s part French, part Scot, and part Manchu prince, it seemed appropriate to give his name a Chinese intonation.
Khan.
” She demonstrated. “
Khaaaan.
You see?”

Tony’s face was thunderous. “I rather think I do. A pity I can’t boot the fellow out on his backside. But under the circumstances, considering the assistance he gave you and the children…”

“Oh, Tony, you’re jealous!” Chessy gave a delighted laugh.

“I? Jealous?” One bronze brow arched skyward. “Don’t be absurd, woman.”

“You
are,
you great fraud! Right down to the tips of your arrogant toes.”

“Nonsense,” Morland said loftily.

“You are, you are!” Chessy clapped her hands.

“Well, perhaps an iota or two.” The earl frowned. “After all, you and that brooding fellow
were
immured together, training day after day, week after week.”

Chessy gave him a devilish smile. “Month after month,” she purred.

In a trice she was on her back, with her arms caught firmly above her head. Tony’s eyes were glittering. “You like to live dangerously, woman.”

“Very dangerously, my lord.” Her tongue slid suggestively across her full lower lip. “But what about your promise?” she asked innocently. “I distinctly remember your saying that there would be no more of
this.
Not until after we were married.”

Again the dusky lashes swept down, veiling Chessy’s eyes. “Can it be that you’ve changed your mind, my lord?”

Her expression was all innocence—considering that she was lying nearly naked beneath him. And her smile could have melted ice in December.

The earl muttered irritably beneath his breath.

“What did you say, my love?”

“I said, you stubborn creature, that you are going to be sorry for this. Very sorry, I promise you. I am going to work you like the very devil until you can write
every
word in
every
book in my whole library.” His palm cupped the silky warmth of her breast and a shudder went through him.

“Indeed? I suppose that means a great deal of investigation.” Chessy’s eyes centered on Tony’s lips. “All sorts of personal … scrutiny. To be sure I’ve learned everything you have to teach me—”

As she spoke, Chessy moved slightly, ensuring that the silk skirt of her peignoir slid the rest of the way from her creamy thighs.

Now the only scrap of clothing left was the dark length of her sash.

Trailing across her slender waist, across her creamy nakedness, the swath of amethyst was unspeakably erotic.

Morland closed his eyes and prayed for patience. And barring patience, at least some vestige of sanity.

“That
is
the only way you can be certain I’ve learned these, ah, lessons, is it not, my lord?”

Her look was guileless, but her voice was husky with need.

The combination stole Tony’s breath away.

“Ah, love, you’ll be the very death of me! I was safer at Salamanca with Napoleon’s
voltigeurs,
I think.”

“I devoutly hope not.” Chessy smiled slightly as she felt the hard thrust of his manhood against her thigh. “And I rather think you have the same thought in mind, my lord. Despite all your protestations.”

“Chessy, one of these days, so help me—”

“Why not right now?”

“Are you
always
this stubborn, woman?”

Chessy slanted him a smile. “Is that a yes or a no, my love?”

“I’m not sure. I’m trying to decide whether to kiss you or throttle you.”

“Kissing sounds much the nicer choice.” Chessy’s hip moved delicately against his thigh. She felt Morland’s telltale quiver, followed by the awesome tensing of male muscle too long denied. “Besides, I’ve already begun my lessons.” She gave him a proud smile. “Elspeth has been instructing me.”

Morland rolled his eyes skyward. “Elspeth? May the good Lord preserve us.”

“Just watch, you arrogant man.” Biting her lip with concentration, Chessy leaned forward and begin tracing letters against Morland’s thigh.

Somehow, despite the fire that blazed to life at her touch, the earl managed to keep from moving. He watched her face as she concentrated on her task.

It was the face of a fighter. The face of someone determined, stubborn, and wonderfully alive. The sight made him offer a silent prayer of thanks to heaven for protecting her through the last dangerous weeks.

And then he swallowed as he realized exactly what her fingers were tracing upon his naked thigh.

I L-O-V-E Y-O-

He didn’t wait for her to finish. The E was backward and the
Y
was crooked, but they were still the most beautiful letters Tony Morland had ever witnessed.