Page 29 of The Rakehell's Seduction
“Go to sleep, my love.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Alex closed her eyes, pushed back against him. If only they never had to leave this room or this bed. She let the darkness of sleep overtake her. Tomorrow she would have to face the consequences of tonight.
Tomorrow…
*****
Ambrose held Alex in his arms and tried to process the flood of emotions he was experiencing. He had slept with dozens of women over the last several years and but rarely had mistresses. He loved the thrill of the chase, the seduction, and the catch. Then he walked away. He didn’t like forming close, lasting relationships with women. Yet all those other nights of passion with strangers felt empty and hollow compared to the golden glow of making love to Alex.
From the moment he’d stepped into her bedchamber, he’d felt the beating pulse of attraction and something more. It was a purer sense of connection, something he’d never felt with any woman before. She had been bold and brave yet full of innocence. He’d enjoyed introducing her to passion and exploring her body. It was so much more than sex. Kissing her had been as vital as drawing his next breath. And when he’d possessed her, her tight sheath gripping him like a fist, it hadn’t been a simple physical pleasure. He had felt like he was flying, and she’d been with him. For the first time, intercourse had been a moment to share, not to enjoy on his own. In the past, he always made sure his lovers found pleasure as well, but it had never felt like something he’d done together with them.
I used them as they used me.
It wasn’t that way with Alex. With her, it had been about mutual, shared joy, and it had been about being with her and sharing himself with her.
And she’d asked him to stay. He would not have dared to stay with previous lovers, nor would he have wanted to. But holding Alex as she slept, their bodies pressed skin to skin, he couldn’t imagine any other place in the world that he’d rather be in that moment. Making love to this woman had been sweeter than his first kiss. It had been more thrilling than racing his horse through the fields as he hunted. It was more than everything that had once given him pleasure in life.
I’m falling for this woman, a feisty country girl who can’t stand London, and I’m destined to ruin her and break her heart in order to save her.
Fate was a cruel wench who was dealing him a terrible hand at the celestial gaming tables. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was how his friend Gareth had felt when he’d met Helen. He hadn’t thought his friend could ever love again after his first wife died in childbirth, yet he had.Am I to going to fall in love? And at what cost? I have only a black heart to give this woman. And she won’t want me when I’ve ruined her in every way.He stared down at her face, marveling at how she could rest so peacefully. He couldn’t shake the guilt that ate at his gut and made him sick.
Damn whoever wrote the bet down in that book at White’s. They would destroy a sweet, wonderful woman for the sake of their own amusement.And damn me for being the fool to try to save her by ruining her.
He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent and trying not to think about what the morning would bring.
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Chapter 11
“London? But I thought you didn’t like the city?” Ambrose watched Alex pace the floor of the drawing room. Her pale-pink muslin gown whispered along the carpets as she walked. After last night, he’d believed their night of passion would have drawn them closer, but come the morning, Alex had seemed worried and withdrawn. Now he understood. She was contemplating going to London, a place he knew she didn’t like.
“You said Lord Darlington was dangerous. I don’t believe the country is a good place to stay while he is around.”
“Fair enough,” Ambrose sighed. “It would be easier for him to get to you out here.” It would be even easier in London for her to fall prey to the other men wanting to win the wager. It put her in danger no matter where she was.
I should just lock her away in a bloody tower and be done with it.
“So Perdita and I shall go to London. I thought I might visit your sister. If you are willing to offer us a proper introduction?” Her words were casual, but he sensed she was quite serious about meeting his sister.
Alex stopped pacing and was staring at him, her eyes full of hope.
“Yes, of course. Violet would love that. I shall accompany you ladies in the coach, of course.” There was no chance he’d let her go off on her own to London. He’d be with her every step of the way so he could ensure her safety.
“What?” Alex replied in surprise. “There’s no need to accompany us.” She blushed as he crossed the distance and gripped her waist gently.
“Are you that ready to be rid of me after last night?” His voice came out a throaty whisper, rumbling as he remembered everything that they had shared last night. Part of him worried that she might not have felt as overwhelmed as he had in bed the previous night. Last night he’d believed she was as wrapped up in their intimacy as he was, but perhaps he’d been wrong. The thought of her not being as obsessed and fascinated with him as he was with her was like a blow to his stomach.
“No, it isn’t that.” She smiled shyly. “I just didn’t want to make you feel obligated to do something you did not wish to do.” Her words quieted the fears that had been racing through him, and he smiled at her, loving how her blush only deepened. If there hadn’t been a small chance of her father or a servant walking in on them, he would have kissed the woman senseless.
“There’s nothing I wish to do more than escort you to London and introduce you to my sister.” And he meant it. A trip to London would require a stop at an inn, another chance to be alone with her before he had to ruin her reputation and her life. He winced at the thought.
“Everything all right?” she asked.
“Hmm? Oh yes, just thinking, that’s all.” He grinned and leaned in to steal a quick kiss. There were plans to be made, and he wanted to get her to London to meet his sister. “We should pack and leave if we wish to reach a decent inn for dinner. I can send a boy ahead and reserve a set of rooms.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you. I’ll need additional lodging for my maid and Perdita’s.” She didn’t seem to mind at all that he had taken charge of the situation. His headstrong Alex had the good sense to listen to him.
Ambrose nodded. “Of course.”
