Page 5 of The Vagabond Viscount
Keep them laughing, my friend. I want to see your sister.
If Gideon was in full flight entertaining the other guests, it meant he wouldn’t be looking for Augusta. That left Flynn open to spending time alone with her without being disturbed. The longer the Marquis of Holwell delighted the gathering, the better.
It was a frustrating ten minutes before he finally managed to make his way through the crowd. Keeping up the appearance of mingling rather than actually being on his way out of the building involved a certain level of skill. There were far too many watchful people at these sorts of events, and it would only take one slip-up for Flynn and Augusta’s secret relationship to become public.
Flynn’s heart was beating hard by the time he stepped out onto the terrace. He shivered as the cruel night wind bit through his thin evening jacket. And while London at night in January was bitterly cold, the chill did bring its own grace. No one else was out in the garden. There were no inquisitive gazes following him as he made his way down the side of the house and toward the glass orangery.
With one last glance over his shoulder, Flynn turned and set his fingers to the handle of the greenhouse door. He slipped quickly inside. After closing the door behind him, he paused for a moment, waiting for his eyes to become accustomed to the darkened space.
“G,” he whispered into the night.
The swish of her skirts announced Augusta’s arrival. Her warm hand entwined with his, and Flynn let out a sigh of relief. “Gideon is playing court jester in the ballroom, so I think we have time.”
She squeezed his fingers. “And Victoria is keeping my cousin Lady Catrin busy in the supper room. Hopefully, we have all margins for error covered.”
The pale moonlight shining through the glass windows afforded Flynn a glimpse of the mischievous smile which sat on Augusta’s lips.
I have been waiting for this moment all day.
He placed a hand gently about her waist and drew her into his embrace. Fire lit in Flynn’s blood as Augusta offered her mouth to him and whispered, “Let us not waste a single minute.”
* * *
She would never tire of the moment when his lips met hers. When Flynn claimed what she was willing to give. Augusta hoped that in time, he would take it all.
I am so ready for us to spend the rest of our lives together. You only have to ask.
As his tongue swept into her mouth, Augusta banished all thoughts of the future to the back of her mind. This was here and now, and she would be a fool not to seize this opportunity with Flynn and enjoy it for all it was worth. Nothing could come close to what these moments alone with him did to her body and soul.
The very first time he had touched her naked flesh, desire beyond Augusta’s wildest imagination had flared to glorious life. These illicit encounters had given her a better understanding of the wicked looks her parents often exchanged when they thought no one else was watching. Looks which spoke of unsated lust.
The warmth of Flynn’s lips against hers had the aching, heated need in Augusta’s sex clenching. Her core pulsed with its demands. Of wanting to let him do with her as he pleased.
Touch me. Stroke me. Love me.
Flynn seemed to possess an almost primal instinct when it came to kissing her; every touch of his lips gave Augusta exactly what she desired. And as the kiss deepened and he held her close, she sensed he knew her body even better than she did. Here in his arms was heaven.
He clutched a firm hand to Augusta’s rump and pulled her against him. She let out a groan at the first touch of his hardened manhood as it pressed into her abdomen. There could be nothing better than knowing what she did to him, of the carnal craving which now flared between them. If she could just be more certain of their future, she wouldn’t hesitate to offer him her everything.
She had known Flynn for many years and was certain he wouldn’t ever consider taking her virginity in a greenhouse. She could offer, but he would surely refuse.
Her hands drifted down from the lapels of his jacket, toward the top of his trousers. This was a dance Augusta had become quite skilled at over the months she and Flynn had been secret lovers.
He had taught her that there were other ways apart from intercourse in which they could be intimately connected. Ones which gave them both sexual pleasure, but which notionally still allowed Augusta to remain an innocent. Her fingers sought the first of these ways as she flicked open the top button on the front of Flynn’s trousers. His body stiffened, and she waited for the all too familiar words.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice gruff with lust.
The second button met the same fate as the first and as the fabric fell away, Augusta reached eagerly for her prize. “Absolutely,” she purred, taking Flynn firmly in hand.
They moved slightly apart, and Augusta shifted her grip. Flynn’s hand settled on her left shoulder as she began to stroke him.
The soft gasps which escaped his lips gave her all the encouragement she needed. “You like this, don’t you, my love?”
He sucked in a tight breath, and Augusta softly chuckled. She delighted in doing this to him, giving the man she had loved for so long such intimate pleasure. When his grip on her shoulder tightened, she sensed he was reaching the point of no return. Without a moment’s hesitation, she dropped to her knees and took the length of him into her mouth. In the ladies' retiring rooms at parties, she had heard plenty of stories about this particular activity and how it quickly brought a man under a woman’s command.
Flynn uttered some strangled words which sounded like a polite protest, but Augusta ignored them. He may well think he should behave as a gentleman and not allow her to do this, but she was set on her work.
His fingers speared into her soft chignon, leaving Augusta to make a mental note to fix her locks before she returned to the party. Those same fingers now fisted and tugged, lighting up the nerve endings of each individual strand of her hair. One day, she would tell Flynn what this did to her, how being held while she pleasured him made her feel both powerful and wanted.
