Page 11 of The Rake and the Muse
There were a few more performances. After the final one, all the guests began making their way to their chambers. She glanced up at Theo. He appeared to be lost in thought, as he had much of the evening.
She glanced around and there wasn’t anyone in earshot. “Is something amiss, Theo?”
He appeared to shake off his thoughts. He opened and closed his mouth again before finally responding. “Not at all.”
“It appears the evening has come to a close.”
“I believe you are right, Jules,” he replied, keeping his voice low. “I shall escort you upstairs.”
They climbed the stairs together, and when they reached the top, she released his arm. It would be far too scandalous, with the rest of the houseguests moving about for him to escort her all the way to her chamber. Besides, he wasn’t courting her. She wasn’t sure what he was doing, precisely, but she found herself wondering what he looked like beneath his clothing. And such thoughts could be problematic.
“Good night, Theo,” she said, looking up at him in the dark hallway, his chiseled face far more intense and heart-stoppingly handsome with only the low candlelight.
“Good night, Jules.”
She released his arm and continued to her chamber. Bess was waiting for her when she arrived to help Juliet ready herself for bed. Juliet completed her evening ablutions and changed into her night rail. Bess brushed out her hair and fixed it into a long, loose plait. A fire had been tended in her chamber, so the room was warm and cozy as she prepared to climbinto bed.
She released Bess for the evening and seated herself before the fire, staring at it. Theo unleashed something in her. Something wanton. She had done little but imagine what he would feel, look, and taste like if he were naked before her. What his kiss might be like. What that hard bulge she rubbed up against might feel like inside her.
The dampness pooled between her thighs again. Thankfully, within the privacy of her room, she could finally do something about it. Eliza had told her everything about what coupling with a man was like and how she could give herself a release from her own hand. The knowledge had been useful, and she was badly in need of such release.
She rose from the settee and crossed the room to climb into her bed. She lay back and replayed the memory of her thighs wrapped around Theo’s torso. With each bounce of the horse, she rubbed against him.
Wanting to recreate the fantasy, she came up onto her knees. She spread her thighs open, simulating the position she was in when she straddled him. She pulled her night rail over her head, as the fabric was in her way, leaving her completely naked.
She cupped her left breast in her hand and ran her thumb back and forth across her nipple. Reaching her right hand between her legs, she found the sensitive place that had rubbed against his cock and circled it with herfinger. She let her head fall back and continued the movement with her fingers while she massaged her breast, releasing a low moan.
Juliet was so entranced by her imaginings that she missed the soft knock at her door.
“Jules?”
Chapter 5
It had been on the tip of Theo’s tongue all night to ask her if he could draw her. She was an artist, and she might not be so scandalized to allow him to do so. Perhaps if he could draw her, he might get her out of his head. He craved to explore every inch of her, but at least if she allowed him to capture her form on paper, he could look without touching.
He needed to discuss it with her in private, since the mere notion would ruin her and require them to wed. The house party created a unique opportunity where they could do so with no one the wiser if they were careful.
He paced his chamber, wearing nothing but his breeches and a button-down white shirt. Would she box him on his ears for even suggesting such a thing? Heworked up his nerve and resolved to ask her and give her the choice. If nothing else, even if she said no, perhaps it would help put the notion behind him and give some ease to the unrelenting erection between his legs.
Theo grabbed his leather satchel, which held his drawings, and slowly opened his door, poking his head out to confirm if the hallway was empty. He saw Lord Craven head from the staircase towards the wing where Juliet’s room was. He waited a few moments, giving the lord a chance to get where he was going. Then he crept along barefoot, remaining in the shadows until he reached her chamber.
He rapped his knuckles on the door and waited. The longer he remained outside her door in the hallway, the greater risk he had of being caught doing so. He quietly tried the knob and was relieved that it had turned. He’d need to alert her to his presence right away so she didn’t scream and alert the entire house to his appearance in her chamber.
He closed the door behind him and locked it so no one could enter and find him there. He glanced over at the bed and his cock throbbed even harder at what he saw.
“Jules?” Her name came out low and gravelly on his tongue.
She jumped and pulled her hands away from where she pleasured herself. Her body was on full display beforehim, and he couldn’t look away. Her breasts were full and large. Both of his hands might not fit around one of them. Her waist curved in, creating a perfect holding place to grasp her full hips. He only wished he could get a look at her naked arse as he imagined it was a thing of perfection. If he were a poet, he would write sonnets about her form.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, panic overtaking her tone. Grabbing the sheet from her bed to hold up in front of herself, she then sat back on her knees. Damn that sheet.
“I came to ask you something, but I have a whole slew of new questions,” he said, taking a few steps closer to her bed, and sat the satchel in a chair.
She didn’t meet his eyes and tried to cover her face with her hand. “Pardon me while I just die of embarrassment,” she said, using her other hand to better position the sheet around her body.
He stepped up next to the bed and moved her hand away from her face. He imagined she would be the darkest shade of red if there were more light in the room. “Please. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I like what I see very much. You are quite beautiful, Jules.”
“I was just…”
