The Accidental Courtesan (34 page)

“Still, you want him to love you?”

“I'd be happier if he did.” Noelle hated to admit that she wanted Gavin as desperately in love with her as she was with him.

Eva nodded and started to pace. “I have discovered that it isn't the greatest beauties that men desire most, though their first attraction is usually a pretty face. No, what men want is a woman who intrigues them, who has a certain quality about her that is unforgettable.” Eva pushed to her feet and walked to the tub. “You intrigued your Mister Blackwell when you broke into his bedroom. Now you need to find a way to make absolutely certain he will never be able to forget you.”

“Such as riding through Hyde Park wearing nothing but my hair draped over my breasts?” Noelle's saucy comment was rewarded with an impatient look from her sister.

“That wasn't what I had in mind,” Eva replied. “You know him better than I do. I'm certain you can come up with something grand.”

She patted Noelle's hand and left her to finish her bath. Eva did have a point. If Noelle wanted Gavin to want her desperately, she had to do something outside the usual. She'd have to come up with an intriguing plot to spin his head around until he could think of nothing but her.

But what if she did hook him and he fell desperately in love with her? What if he flung all caution aside and wanted to marry her? Would she give up all the reasons she never wanted to wed and take him as her husband? Could he vow to remain faithful to her for the rest of his days? Could she trust him at his word even if he made that vow?

She leaned her head back and looked at the ceiling. Was it in her best interest to use her parents' miserable marriage as the measure for every relationship? Her two sisters were gloriously happy in spite of their parents' misery. But would their bliss last for the next forty years?

Somehow, deep inside she knew the love matches would hold. Harold loved Margaret deeply, and Eva and Nicholas had a love so rare that people often remarked how envious they were of the profound happiness of the duke and duchess.

Suddenly, Noelle wanted more from Gavin than a tryst. She wanted what Eva and Nicholas had.

She wanted to marry the exasperating American!

With lightness in her heart, she stood abruptly, spilling water all over the floor. An idea took root that would so shock and delight Gavin that it had to work.

She reached for the towel and vigorously scrubbed her skin. Lemon and cinnamon swirled around her from the bath oil. The scent was a step toward the downfall of Gavin Blackwell. But only the first step. She needed to push him off the cliff.

Padding across the floor with damp bare feet, she went to the wardrobe and dug around in the bottom. Once she discovered the items she was looking for, she caught them against her bosom, giggled with delight, and spun round and round until her head whirled.

Before the evening gave way to dawn tomorrow, Gavin would be fully and completely hers.

C
onfidence and an overriding desire to show Gavin she was unforgettable made the climb up the trellis easier the second time around. She'd sent a footman to inquire, discreetly of course, as to the whereabouts of the earl, and learned he was still in Bath with his family. This left the town house, and Gavin, to her.

She'd borrowed Thomas from the courtesan school, knowing he would keep her secrets, and asked him to help her get to the earl's town house undetected. To her surprise, he was quite good at sneak thievery. They passed through several gardens and over a fence without raising an alarm. If there were spies watching the town house, they'd certainly not seen anything unusual.

Eva had a way of finding men who were fiercely loyal, and had shadowy histories, to protect her courtesans. Noelle was pleased to discover Thomas was a perfect, if a bit stoic, partner in mischief.

And he'd promised to continue to watch over her until she was safely inside the house. She was grateful for his help and for his not judging her behavior.

Now, if she could manage to put her feet on level footholds, and not drop to the ground in a bloody heap, she might actually prove to Gavin she was worth his attention.

And love.

If she ever wanted to take up burglary, she might very well have a successful career, she thought, as she managed to get the window open with ease and step into the darkened bedroom. One would think they'd have learned a lesson from her previous break-in and would have locked the window. Obviously, it wasn't a matter of great concern.

Thank goodness.

In a matter of minutes, she was through the green bedroom and into the hallway. A thin trail of light flickered beneath Gavin's door as she paused to steady her heart and to summon up courage. She was about to take a huge plunge into the unknown, and she wanted to be bold. Knocking knees and quivering hands did not an adventuress make.

The door was unlocked and gave naught but a small squeak as she pushed it open and stepped inside. Though the light was low and the room dim, she could see Gavin stretched out on the bed, a sheet partially covering his lower body.

Pity. Still, his finely sculpted chest was flushed with golden firelight and bared for her perusal. She touched her tongue to her bottom lip, her hands aching to caress him, wanting desperately to draw her mouth over his beautiful body.

Unhurried, yet eager to begin the seduction, Noelle took a few steps forward. As she closed the distance, she discovered he was not sleeping, but intently watching her approach.

“Good evening,” she said, stopping in her tracks. She offered him a small, and what she hoped was a confident, smile. “I was passing by with my first mate, Thomas, and saw your light on. With his help, I managed to cleverly avoid the patrol and slip into the garden unseen. I thought I'd pop in for tea and cakes.”

One corner of his mouth cocked up into a crooked grin. “You look like a pirate, Milady.”

Noelle looked down to her uncle's black breeches, which she'd taken and hastily hemmed, and the borrowed white shirt whose sleeves she'd rolled up to the elbows and covered with a dark coat. He was in India and would never miss them. A square of red scarf tied casually around her waist held the trousers up, and another tied her hair back at the neck. Her slippers were out of place for the costume, but her uncle's boots were too big for her to wear when making the climb up the trellis.

“That is why I was traveling through the neighborhood.” She shucked off the coat and shifted her hips to a jaunty angle. “I was on my way to steal a ship to sail the seven seas. And since we are friends, and you saved my life, I couldn't leave these shores behind without saying good-bye or making a heartfelt apology for my earlier behavior.”

His mouth twitched. “I accept your apology.” He locked his hands behind his head and nodded. “Well, good-bye, then. Be sure to write.”

The casual farewell didn't match the heat and intensity in his eyes as he lowered his attention in a sweeping path over the oversized shirt to where her nipples pressed the fabric in tight buds. He knew her game and was as open to playing as she was. The night was theirs to explore.

“Certainly, a life saved calls for a more enthusiastic farewell, my dear Mister Blackwell.” She reached up to untie the scarf from her hair. The effort caused the shirt to stretch over her unbound breasts. She knew rosy flesh showed through the thin cloth. His breathing stopped.

She'd breached his reserve.

A shake of her head tumbled her hair over her shoulders and down her back. She had his full attention. He'd never allow her to leave the room now, game or not. They both knew how the evening would end and eagerly welcomed the hours ahead.

“You have beautiful hair, My Lady pirate,” he said softly. Gavin shifted, and Noelle saw proof of his arousal beneath the sheet. He was steely hard. “You should never wear it bound.”

Several strands fell over her eye. She peered at him from beneath the silky mass. “I do think my hair has merit.” She reached for the scarf tenuously holding up the large breeches. “I have always wondered about my legs. I used to think them skinny. Perhaps you can offer an opinion.” With a tug, the trousers were around her ankles. She casually kicked them aside.

Gavin jerked his eyes wide. The move had been unexpected, and had the hoped-for effect on him. Noelle smiled seductively and slowly peeled off her garters and stockings. She let them flutter to the floor. Only a little wedge of shirttail kept him from viewing the patch of pale curls at the vee of her thighs.

She turned this way and that, assuring herself he could see her legs from all angles. She had been a skinny child. No more. She thought her legs one of her best features. From the look on his face, he wasn't disappointed.

“They're passable.” His voice was tight. He shifted, and Noelle suspected his erection was growing painful. She understood from the courtesans how men sometimes found full arousal uncomfortable. She intended to raise the stakes until he was mad for her body.

“Passable?” She frowned. She knew he teased. He couldn't keep his eyes off her thighs. “Then I shall cover them so as not to offend.” She turned sideways and bent to retrieve the trousers. The shirt slid up to expose the curve of one hip and buttock.

A groan broke from him. “Don't you dare touch those trousers.”

Slowly, Noelle straightened, leaving the trousers where they lay. She opened her eyes wide. “Hmm. There must be something about me you find interesting besides my hair?” She tapped a fingertip on her chin. “I think I know.” With deliberate slowness, she slid her hands down her body to catch up the hem of the shirt with her fingers. She turned around on her toes.

She lifted the hem just enough to expose a tiny bit of the lower cleft of her bottom.

“Dear God, woman.” His voice was hoarse and tight. Noelle squelched a laugh. She dropped the hem and spun back. “Clearly my rump is not to your liking either. You seem pained to look upon it.” His face was flushed, and she was certain there was a dotting of sweat on his brow. His body was tense, coiled, and hard. And so very wonderful.

He was nearing the point of breaking. It wouldn't take much to throw him off the cliff. So she reclaimed the hem with both hands and grinned wickedly.

“Perhaps this is more to your liking, sir.” With one swoop, she drew the shirt up over her body and cast it aside. Her hair fell in waves about her. She was fully bared to his eyes.

“You are a wicked wench, Lady Seymour.”

Noelle hadn't had time to savor her victory when he launched himself from the bed and padded barefoot to her, his fully aroused male member saluting like a steel staff as he walked. Clearly the man was unashamed of his body. From what she could see, he had no reason to be anything but confident.

She let out a small yelp as he bent to lift her and carried her to the bed. Gavin dropped her in the center with a bounce. She had just enough time to gasp before he was over her and claiming her mouth in a bruising kiss.

Ripples of pleasure flashed over her skin. He lowered himself enough to tease her with parts of his muscled frame as he brushed against her bare body with his equally naked hips and chest. The friction of their skin aroused her further.

He kissed her breathless, plunging his tongue into her mouth, mating their tongues together. When he finally lifted his head, she fell deep into his intense eyes.

“You drive me to madness, love.” He dragged his mouth over hers, briefly, and then trailed kisses across her jaw and down the side of her neck.

“I want you so desperately,” she breathed, and ran her hands through the thick softness of his hair. He rained kisses over her shoulder blades, down between her breasts, then up to pull a nipple into his mouth.

Noelle let out a cry-gasp. The pleasure of his sucking mouth left her weightless. He laved the peak with his mouth and tweaked the other nipple with his fingertips. She felt like she was floating outside of her body, but oddly, she wasn't afraid. She watched him tease and delight her with his mouth, until he lifted his face to grin into her eyes.

“If you like that, you will love this.” He pushed backward down her body, kissing and caressing the entire length in slow, measured strokes. Her sighs encouraged him, and he occasionally grinned against her skin. Before she could collect clues to his ultimate intentions, he had her legs spread and all but the top of his head had disappeared between her thighs.

A thrill of alarm broke through her the second she felt warm breath on the tight nub, the core of her femininity. She tried to close her legs. His seeking mouth wouldn't allow her to succumb to embarrassment. His tongue brushed across the pulsing spot, and she cried out as a thrill of pleasure arched her backward. He had delighted her body with his mouth for a time when she felt him slip a fingertip inside her damp sheath.