The Earl's Desire (26 page)

“
Ah, Miss Green, I do hope that you have enjoyed your dinner this evening?” Merrick said.

“
Yes, my lord, dinner was very enjoyable this evening,” the woman replied. “My lord, is there something special that you’re going to announce at the ball?”

“
Yes, I have an announcement to make at the ball,” Merrick said.

“
And what is this announcement, my lord, pray tell?” Mrs. Anderson put in.

“
I’m sorry, Mrs. Anderson, you’ll have to wait and see.” He stood up then and bowed at them. “If you ladies will excuse me,” he said and left them both to wonder.

“
Auntie, what kind of announcement is he talking about?” Miss Green said.

“
I have no doubt the announcement will be about his engagement to one of the young ladies in this room,” Lady Queensbury stated matter-of-factly.

“
Indeed, that is what I thought, Lady Queensbury, and who do you think this young lady will be?” Mrs. Anderson asked.

“
I have no doubt who the young lady will be, Mrs. Anderson.” Lady Queensbury looked toward her daughter. Anne was deep in conversation with Merrick. Mrs. Anderson and Miss Green looked in that direction.

“
I see what you mean, Lady Queensbury,” Mrs. Anderson said.

“
I’m sure you can see as well as everybody else here what is going on between the two of them,” the countess said, smiling triumphantly.

Two hours later, the guests were retiring. Merrick was at the door when Maria linked her arm with his. “I must say I am not at all tired. Perhaps I will see you later then?”

“
Good night, Maria,” Merrick said and unlinked their arms.

Maria felt lost and unwanted. She put her face up toward his as in an offering, but he merely smiled at her and left her standing in the drawing room doorway. She took a deep breath and stalked off to her bedroom. There she angrily slammed the door shut. She ran to the bed and sat down.

“
What is it, Lady Maria? Why are you so mad?” Kate asked.

“
Why am I so mad? Why, oh, why is Merrick not coming to me? It has been months, and not once has he come to me. Lord, is he really falling for that girl?” Maria said through gritted teeth.

“
My Lady, mayhap it’s because of the guests, and that’s why he couldn’t come. I mean, what if they found out?” Kate informed her logically.

“
You fool. Everybody knows that I’m his mistress,” Maria said angrily.

“
Do calm down, my sweet. After all, you are just his mistress, so you can’t expect him to come to you now with his potential bride right under his very nose,” a masculine voice said calmly from the doorway.

Maria turned around to see the man moving toward her. She stared up at him and bit her lip.

He strolled in, stopped in front of her, and said, “After all, if he isn’t here to keep you company, then I assume I could be a substitute?”

She thought for a moment and said, “I suppose you are right. He couldn’t have come to me with all his potential brides right under his nose, no doubt.”

“
Yes, my dear,” he said as he caressed her bare shoulder.

“
Hmm, I suppose you could be a good substitute for tonight.” She looked up at the blond-haired man and offered her mouth to him.

He gladly took it and kissed her roughly. She pushed him away, but he caught her and claimed her lips again.

* * *

Merrick opened the door, slid in, and closed it quietly behind him. He leaned his head back against it and shut his eyes. He heaved a sigh of relief and opened his eyes again. There, on his bed was a sight that shocked him to the core of his heart.

He caught his breath and widened his eyes in surprise. All he could do at that moment was stare. He just stood there like a fool, gazing at his bride-to-be sitting up on his bed. Her legs were tucked beneath her, her hands folded gently and delicately in front of her, and she smiled up at him adorably. Her brown curls tumbled down about her face, which was blushing, and her eyes sparkled with happiness. She was wearing a white nightshirt that was far too large for her, and the sleeves were so long that they covered her whole hands.

Then he came to his senses, and he awkwardly walked to her. Once he reached the side of the enormous bed, he dropped to his knees in front of her for his legs were too weak from the sight of her to carry him any farther. All he could do was to stare at her, drinking in her beauty. She refreshed him like a cold mountain spring.

Lord, she smelt great. She smelt like lavender.

“
Did you have a nice evening, Merrick?” she asked softly and got up. “I have prepared your night outfit. Mr. Paris has already retired.”

Merrick raised his brows and chuckled. “Ah, my soon-to-be bride is here in my bedroom before her wedding day.”

Christine frowned at that. “Pardon, sir, but I do not understand what that means, and besides, I like doing my duties for you,” she said and proceeded to undo his cravat.

Merrick laughed again and said, “Aye, but in a month’s time you will be my wife. Besides, you shouldn’t wait on me,” he commented thickly, licking his dried lips.

“
But I still want to do my duties for you. I like it.” She smiled and then blushed. “Hmm, sir, I err,” she hesitated.

“
You?” he urged, and his eyes strayed up and down her person, examining her body.. He swallowed hard. It almost choked him.

The shirt was too big for her so that the neckline barely reached her chest, and half of her upper breasts were exposed. He could tell she didn’t wear anything underneath for he saw her nipples showing beneath the thin fabric. He could feel his mouth water and his groin harden uncomfortably with desire.

He cleared his throat and said, “Those sleeves are too long for you; come here.” He took possession of her hand and started to fold up the long sleeve. As he did so, his eyes kept straying to her slightly visible breasts. He controlled himself so he would not throw her on the bed and ravish her.

When he finished, Christine brought her fingers up to the top of this shirt collar and started to undo the row of buttons very slowly. Merrick’s nerves were on edge. It was too seductive, and he knew she didn’t know she was doing it. As he didn’t want to just stand there and expect her to do her work while slowly playing havoc with his nerves, he brought his large fingers up and stroked the side of her neck.

Christine shivered in response. She got down to the middle of his chest when Merrick gently caressed the valley of her breasts. She sucked in her breath and looked up at him.

His eyes were half-closed as he gazed down at her.

Her nerves tightened in response.

Merrick trailed his fingers toward her nipple, and once he reached his target, he started caressing it. Christine groaned with pleasure.

Merrick’s head came down to hers, and he took her lips.

Christine’s knees buckled, and she would have fallen if not for his support. His hot mouth was firing her nerves. When she opened her mouth, he slid in his tongue.

Oh God, she thought, she was going to die. This pleasure he was giving her was too unbearable.

Merrick moved his head back and stared at her. He smiled when he saw her ravishing beauty. Her eyes were bright violet, her lips were swollen red, and her cheeks were flushed. He bent down, picked her up, and carried her to the bed.

“
Merrick?”

“
Hmm, love?”

“
Why… why do you make me feel so nice?”

He looked at her and saw her blush intensify. He laughed. “It’s the way it is, my sweet. Don’t you like it?”

“
Aye, I like it very much, but I’m not sure.”

He gently laid her on the bed.

“
Merrick? I don’t know. I don’t understand all this,” she said, her voice quivering as she felt the beautiful sensation of his hands stroking her collarbone.

“
Don’t worry, love. You just trust me, all right? I won’t hurt you,” he assured her and kissed her where he had stroked her on the collarbone. He moved his hot, sweet mouth lower toward her cleavage. He kissed, licked, and stroked her soft, sweet skin with his tongue and lips. Hastily he started to remove the shirt from her shoulder, slipping it away to reveal her petal-white and soft skin. Then he quickly and expertly unbuttoned the shirt and pushed it back from her, exposing the beautiful body beneath to his eyes.

“
Merrick? Must you take my shirt off?” she cried in dismay as she brought her arms to cover her body about her breasts. She was embarrassed that he should see her so intimately like this.

Merrick smiled down at the shy nymph before him. “Don’t worry, love. I want to see you bare.” His eye glinted with mischief.

Christine saw his eyes turn a stormy teal-blue color, the pupils dilating. He was smiling, though his strong handsome face turned hard and devilish. Lord, but he looked like the very devil himself. Her heart did a somersault with that realization.

He flashed her a smile and caught her waist.

“
Oh, Merrick!” she groaned with dismay again.

White, creamy flesh glowed before him. He slowly scanned the length of her body. He swallowed at the beauty of her.

Christine bit her lip, feeling very shy at the way he was looking at her. Lord, this is embarrassing, she thought in mortification. She stiffened and pushed herself up to try to get the blanket to cover her body. He caught her hand. She looked at him in a humiliated way.

His eyes burned into hers as he slowly brought her small, delicate hand to his lips and kissed it. He proceeded to turn it over and started to stroke her palm with his hot tongue. With each stroke and with each kiss, Merrick sent hot sensations down her spine, causing her head to spin. When he was done with her palm, he put one of her fingers into his mouth and sucked it.

Thrilling sensations were charging from her finger down to the pit of her stomach. Lord, she had never felt anything like this in her life. Her head twirled with the sensation of it all, and her body was getting tenser every second. She started to breath heavily. She was getting very excited. Oh Lord, she didn’t understand how she could get very excited just because Merrick was kissing her hand.

Merrick lips moved from her finger to her forearm, and all along he stroked her skin with his tongue. He then dropped small, wet kisses up to her arm and then slowly and seductively to her shoulder. He then moved to kiss her throat, then up her delicate chin, and then he caught her mouth. She was so sweet and tasty. Her lavender fragrance made him drunk with desire to make her his.

Christine’s hands shook as she touched his shoulder. She could feel his strong muscles burning beneath her palm. She didn’t understand it, but her body seemed to know what it was doing. It pushed itself up against the length of his body, trying to get ever closer.

When Merrick released her mouth, she cried out in dismay.

“
Oh, Merrick, I don’t understand this.”

“
Hush, my love. This is love,” he breathed into her mouth.

“
Will… will it hurt?” she asked, so very afraid because of her ignorance.

“
Hush, I’ll try not to hurt you too much, but there is pleasure. If you are afraid, we can stop this,” he reluctantly added. He didn’t want to hurt her, and so he must do the honorable thing.

Christine looked into his eyes and saw the love within them. She bit her lip and said, “Will you be there with me when it hurts?”

“
I will always be there no matter what,” he explained and kissed her lips lightly.

“
All right, then. You may proceed with this lovemaking thing.” She smiled up at him.

He breathed out and relaxed his body. He didn’t know he was holding his breath, waiting for her answer. He had to be sure, and so he asked her again. “Love, are sure you want to do this?”

“
Aye, sir, I want you to give me this pleasure even though I don’t understand how you can get pleasure when you said I will hurt,” she told him logically.

“
Aye, my sweet, I will give you that pleasure, and so much more that even words cannot describe it,” he whispered into her ear and started kissing her.

She giggled.

Merrick’s lips moved down from behind her ear to her neck and then down her shoulder. While he was doing this, his hands were everywhere over her body. His hand was caressing her legs, and minutes later it was behind her bottom, and behind her back, and around to her stomach. His caresses sent pleasure and excitement through her body.