Simply Wicked (20 page)

“You won’t mention me, will you?”

“Of course not. I’ll be the soul of discretion.” He winked at her, stroked a lingering path up Anthony’s leg to his hip and then left, shutting the door behind him.

Marguerite returned her attention to Anthony, who was gazing helplessly at the door. She stripped off her shift. Anthony’s eyes widened and he licked his lips.

“Come here and let me kiss you.”

“
Non
, I haven’t finished with you yet.” She knelt between his legs and took the heavy crown of his shaft into her mouth and sucked hard, used her teeth to draw him deep down her throat.

168 /
Kate Pearce

“Oh God,” he moaned and thrashed under her, his hips trying to lift, his heartbeat pounding loud enough to hear. “Yes, just like that, make me come, make me come hard for you.”

She cupped a hand under his balls and squeezed, brought them tight against the root of his shaft until he started to groan with every pull of her mouth. He climaxed, his cock so far down her throat that she barely had to swallow to take all his cum.

While he recovered, she set about untying him, rubbed at the red spots on his wrists and kissing the soreness away.

“Did you enjoy yourself?”

She dropped the last of the scarves onto the bed. “Yes.”

His smile was slow and lascivious. “So did I.” He continued to watch her as she vainly tried to smooth out the wrinkles in the silk. “I certainly don’t see you as a shy retiring debutante anymore.”

She sniffed. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Perhaps your mother can be wrong. And if she can be wrong about her own daughter, perhaps she can be wrong about our relationship as well.”

She met his gaze. Why had he mentioned her mother? Suddenly she didn’t feel brave and daring anymore. Had she truly wanted to give Anthony what he craved or was she simply trying to prove a point to Helene?

“I never said I was prepared to give you up.”

“But you thought about it, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did. She is my mother; we normally agree on most things.”

He sighed, shoving a hand through his already disordered hair.

“I don’t want to come between you and your mother, but . . .”

She moved closer to him, kissed his stubbled cheek and then his lips with a confidence she was far from feeling. “You won’t.”

He cupped her chin and waited until her eyes met his. “I haven’t shocked you then?”

SIMPLY WICKED / 169

“Not yet.”

“You have certainly shocked me. I didn’t realize you had such a temper, but I’m not complaining.”

Conscious now of the coldness of the room and her naked state, Marguerite slipped off the bed and picked up her corset and petticoats. Despite what he said, she knew she’d behaved appallingly, had lost her temper, allowed two men to see her naked and—even worse—enjoyed every moment of it.

“Let me help you.”

She stood still as Anthony patiently laced her corset and tied the strings at her waist. He dropped her dress over her head, settled it around her and did up the fastenings.

“There, you look beautiful again.”

“Scarcely that.”

He chuckled. “God forbid I offend you. I meant you look presentable.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “What are you going to do about your hair? It looks like a bird’s nest.”

In answer she hunted up some hair pins from the floor and the bed, gave the ends of her hair a quick practiced twist and pinned the mass on the top of her head. She quickly added her bonnet and tied the cream ribbons, then curtsied to Anthony as he stared at her.

“Well, will I do?”

His smile was warm and full of admiration. “Perfectly.” He hesitated, rubbing a hand over his naked chest. “Give me a moment to dress and I’ll escort you home.”

“I think I’d like to go by myself.” She tried to hold his gaze and failed. “Do you mind?”

He stepped back, the laughter dying from his eyes. “Of course not. Perhaps I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Marguerite picked up her gloves and reticule. “That would be lovely.” Why had this suddenly become so difficult? She nodded awkwardly. “Good-bye then.”

170 /
Kate Pearce

He didn’t reply, and she almost tripped in her haste to get to the door and leave. Unexpected sunlight on her face made her pause at the main door. She’d forgotten it was still afternoon.

How long had she allowed herself to be with Anthony and forget the outside world? She needed to get home, take a deep breath and think.

15

What the hell had he done now? Anthony shoved a hand through his hair and stared at the door through which Marguerite had departed. She’d seemed to like tying him up, ex-ulted in it even, so why had she looked so forlorn and uncertain at the end? He sighed and bent to pick up his clothes.

Perhaps she’d gone along with what he suggested simply to appease him and hadn’t enjoyed herself at all. Dammit, why should she want to watch a man beg? Women wanted strength in a male, the kind of man who’d give them children and protect them from the realities of life.

Anthony paused as he pulled his shirt over his head. But she’d let David stay. In truth, she’d asked for his advice, and she hadn’t needed to do that. He wondered again exactly what had gone on during Marguerite’s short marriage, what had been her relationship with Harry Jones and her husband. Perhaps her frustration at being seen as naïve came from what she had experienced. Had she suspected Justin and Harry were lovers?

She’d seemed almost comfortable being with two men.

172 /
Kate Pearce

“Anthony, you are a fool.”

He said it aloud, could almost hear Marguerite’s distinctive voice echoing the sentiment. He frowned as he tucked his crumpled shirt into his breeches. He stunk more than a fish-monger’s whore. It was definitely time to go home, replace his clothing and decide what to do next.

His father’s mansion was almost as forbidding from the rear as it was from the front. Anthony slipped through the mews and into the kitchen, winked at the cook and started up the back stairs. He paused on the first level to hold the door open for a flustered-looking footman with a laden drinks tray.

He frowned as the sound of raised voices reached him. What in God’s name were his father and Valentin shouting about now? He distinctly heard his name. With a sigh, he stepped into the vast empty hall and walked across to the library. The door was ajar enough for him to see his father confronting Valentin in front of the imposing marble fireplace.

He walked into the room and waited to be noticed, waited in vain as his father started speaking again.

“This is probably your fault, Valentin.”

“I think not. You asked me to speak to him. You were the one who wanted him out of my business and into yours.”

“Only because
you
refuse to face up to your responsibilities.”

Val sighed. “This is not about me. Perhaps if we focused on Anthony, we might find some answers.”

Anthony cleared his throat, and they both swung around to stare at him. His father spoke first. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Staying with a friend.”

“And you didn’t think to let us know?”

“Father, I’m almost twenty-six, not six. Why on earth would you want to know where I am?”

SIMPLY WICKED / 173

“Because . . .” The marquis glared at Valentin, his face still flushed with anger.

“Because you think Valentin has been leading me astray again?” Anthony stared at his brother. “He has been far too busy telling me to insinuate myself into the family business to bother about that.”

“Perhaps Valentin has shown some sense for the first time in his life.”

Val laughed. “Hardly. Can’t you see that because of my interference, Anthony is as angry with you as he is with me?”

“Anthony isn’t angry. He’s always been an excellent son.”

“Unlike me, of course.”

Anthony knocked hard on the desk. “Perhaps you could both shut up and pay some attention to me for a change. I’m sick to death of being either ignored or talked about as if I’m not here.”

The marquis frowned. “I hardly think that’s an appropriate way to speak to your father and older brother. We were worried about you.”

“Really? It’s hard to tell.” Anthony realized he was shaking as waves of heat rolled through him. He took a step forward until he was in between the two men. “You both treat me like a child.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Anthony forced a smile. “You see, sir? You can’t even allow me to have an opinion, can you? Valentin is the only one in this family allowed to do that, isn’t he?”

Val frowned. “He does have a point, Father.”

Anthony snorted. “Don’t try to placate me, Val. I know what you both think.”

“And what is that?”

Anthony swallowed hard and forced himself to look his brother in the eye. “That I’m too soft, too vulnerable, too damned young to make my own decisions.”

174 /
Kate Pearce

“We’ve already had this conversation, Anthony.” Val pulled on his gloves. “I told you what I thought, and you refused to discuss it further. Maybe when you show the maturity to have that discussion, then I, at least, will begin to take you seriously.

I cannot of course speak for our father.”

Briefly Anthony closed his eyes, tried to gather his beleaguered resources. “Just because I was raped when I was nineteen does not make me less of a man.” He took the time to glare at them both. “That’s what you believe, isn’t it? That somehow I need to be protected from myself.”

Horror crossed the marquis’s face followed quickly by pity.

Anthony hated both emotions, needed nothing more to confirm what he’d long suspected. He’d never be worthy in his father’s eyes, even less so now that his father knew the truth.

“I knew there was more to that kidnapping. Why didn’t you tell me?” The marquis avoided Anthony’s gaze and rounded on Val, his voice rising in accusation.

“Oh for God’s sake, Father! This isn’t about Val. It’s about me.”

“Anthony . . .” In an unseen display of unity, Val crossed the rug to stand by the marquis’s side. The formidable likeness between them shocked Anthony to the core. “That really wasn’t helpful.”

Anthony’s hands tightened into fists. How dare Val try to make him feel guilty for speaking the truth. “Did it ever occur to either of you that I like what I do in bed?”

“But you don’t.”

“How the hell do you know?” Anthony realized he was shouting and that he didn’t care who heard him.

“Because I’ve been in every possible sexual situation imaginable, and
I know.
”

“Just because you didn’t enjoy something means I can’t? We are only half brothers. Perhaps my tastes are different from yours.”

SIMPLY WICKED / 175

“How would you know what your tastes are when you’ve allowed them to be dictated by rape?”

The marquis suddenly moved as if to shield Anthony from his brother. “That’s enough, Valentin.”

“But, sir . . .”

“I
said
that’s enough.”

Anthony bowed to his father. “Am I supposed to thank you for saving me from the lash of Val’s tongue? As I’ve been trying to tell you for the last few minutes, I do not need your protec-tion.”

“There is no need to speak to Father like that, Anthony.”

Anthony laughed. “Well, there’s something. I’ve managed to get you defending each other. But then why should I be surprised? It’s always been about you two, hasn’t it? I’m just a side show. My mother and my sisters are all secondary to your precious relationship.”

The marquis’s expression tightened. “You will go and change, present yourself to your mother, who is worried sick about you, and come back to my study.”

Anthony picked up his hat. “I’ll certainly go and see my mother, but I’m not coming back here to be shown the error of my ways or have you feel sorry for me.”

“Then where will you go? This is your home.”

“Actually, this is
your
home, Father, and one day, when he stops being so pigheaded and realizes he wants it, it will be Valentin’s. It’s probably time I found somewhere else to live anyway.”

The marquis lifted his chin, his gray eyes cold. “And how will you afford that when I cut off your allowance?”

“I’ll survive. In truth, thanks to Val, I’m more employable than most other noblemen. Perhaps this is the only way I can prove to you both that I’m not what you think, that I can succeed by myself without being cosseted.”

Valentin smiled. “Good luck.” He shot an irritated glance at 176 /
Kate Pearce

the marquis. “And before you start, I promised Anthony I’d not tell you what happened with Aliabad. I honored that request. It was the least I could do.”

“Valentin,” Anthony said. “I don’t need your pity or guilt either.”

Val turned back, his expression chilly. “My feelings are my own. If I’m not allowed to speculate about yours, don’t you dare do it to me.”

“Agreed.” Anthony nodded at his brother and then at his father. “I’m going to see my mother. I’ll be in touch about the rest of it.”

The marquis swallowed hard and put his hand on the desk as if to steady himself. “I would appreciate that.”

Anthony fought an unheard of desire to kneel at his father’s feet and bawl like a babe. He had to see this through. He had to prove that he was more than capable of running his own life.

“Good morning, sir.”

He turned his back on his brother and his father and hurried up the stairs to his room.

“What do you mean I have visitors? I’m in the bath! Tell them to go away!”

Marguerite glared at Mary, her maid who stood by the door to her bedroom, hands clutched around a drying cloth.

“Not that kind of visitor, my lady, just your family.”

“Tell them I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Yes, my lady. Mrs. Jones is entertaining them quite nicely, but they were asking for you.”

“Help me dress, then.”

Marguerite sighed and stood up, allowing the steaming fra-granced water to stream down her body. After her unexpect-edly erotic afternoon, she’d hoped to bathe, have her dinner in bed, and go to sleep. Her skin still felt hot, as if all her senses were on fire. She wished she’d overcome her fear and stayed to SIMPLY WICKED / 177