Page 26 of Avoiding the Merry Viscount
He placed a tender kiss on her lips and then placed her hand in the crook of his arm. “Do you think you can sleep now?” he asked, grinning at her.
She laughed and covered her face with her free hand, embarrassedthat he remembered. “Indeed.”
“Then I have done my job. Let’s get you back upstairs, and then I shall adjourn to my chamber. Alone, I might add.”
He led her out of the library, and they moved cautiously through the corridor and up the stairs, careful not to make a sound. When they reached the top of the stairs, his lips brushed her ear. “Go straight to your chamber. I will remain here in the shadows until I hear your door close.”
She kissed his cheek—unsure why she had done so—and then hurried off down the hall, only a couple of doors away, until she swept into her chamber, not attempting to be completely silent when she closed the door so that Elias could hear it.
Lydia tossed herself across her bed with a silly smile lingering on her face. She told herself that when she had dared to ask for what she wanted, it would only be to meet her physical needs. Why couldn’t she use him the way he used other women to curb his desires? But there appeared to be much more to him than she realized.
Yawning, she positioned herself with her head on her pillow and threw her covers over herself. She needed her rest, because she already knew that one time experiencing ecstasy with Elias wouldn’t be enough. If good sense were a cliff, she had already dived off the edge that evening. She’d have to be much stronger when it came to Elias, if she didn’t wish to find herself hurt by another rake.
Chapter Nine
Elias
Elias woke upthe next morning with his cock still just as hard as it had been the night before. As soon as he had heard Lydia’s door click closed, he hurried to his own chamber, grinning to himself at the events in the library. He immediately sent his valet to bed for the evening. Before the length of two breaths had passed, he had locked the door and released his cock, which had painfully strained against his falls. He hadn’t taken himself in hand like a green lad in quite a long time, but the way he throbbed, he’d never find sleep if he didn’t sate his needs.
He had fisted himself where he stood, stroking himself with a jerky, hurried frenzy. After only a few moments, he had soiled his handkerchief. Not attempting to muffle his groans.
By the time he undressed and completed his evening ablutions, his cock was erect again. He widened his stance where he stood and stroked his length again, making slower movements that time. Imagining the taste of Lydia on his fingers and the way her face looked when she came. With his breathing ragged and a few beads of sweat on his brow, he’d released several low moans when he spent his seed in another cloth.
Sighing at the sight of the return of his erect cock from where he lay on his back in his bed, he closed his eyes again. It would be problematic if he couldn’t get his body under control, especially oncehe found himself in Lydia’s presence again. Even a brush of her body against his might be enough to make him spend.
He had been in a state of shock and disbelief when she made her request to him. Using all of his willpower, he had intended to decline her request, recalling everything his father said and the thoughts he had about his future. But something about her was irresistible, and he was sucked into the center of her web.
Once he had agreed, he promised himself that he wouldn’t take any of his own pleasure from her. That was the only way he could feel like he wasn’t taking advantage of her—if he made the moment only about Lydia receiving all the attention at that moment.
He sighed again and threw the covers back, deciding to accept his fate. He would fuck his own hand again and hope that it would sate his desire. Laying in his bed, he tightened his muscular legs and tightened his hand around his shaft, replaying the previous evening in his mind with each tight stroke. By the time he came again, shooting streams of his spend across his stomach, the tension diminished from his shoulders.
Another moment of their conversation came to mind. When she’d asked him if he would seek Lady Billings, it stung more than he cared to admit. He had spent so long in his carefree life as a rake that he didn’t consider what someone like Lydia might think of his character.
The dratted words of his father hit him again. If he had any doubt that he wanted something different for his life, it was becoming clearer that he no longer wished to be known as a rake. A lifestyle of endless merriment had lost its luster.
The tension returned, but at least his cock remained mostly flaccid. Elias still wasn’t convinced that love would have any place in his future. It was one thing to succumb to the life of a respectable gentleman, but it was another matter entirely to give himself over to the notion of love.
Climbing from his bed, he went to the wash basin and cleaned hisstomach, then went about washing up to dress for the day. He rang for Flint, his valet, while he set about donning a pair of breeches.
While Flint helped him dress for the day, he pondered what reaction Lydia would have to him at breakfast. Although, he must remember to refer to her as Miss Cary in front of the rest of the guests, given that he’d become far too accustomed to thinking of her by her given name. His sisters would attack him with questions and suspicions if he slipped.
He only hoped she wouldn’t feel embarrassed about what had occurred between them. If he were honest, he looked forward to seeing her, and he hoped she might also be glad to see him. But he wouldn’t allow himself to think more about why he felt that way. He had decided that he would spend the day getting to know her better. Perhaps he might even learn why she had propositioned him the way she had. He could admit that he was more than curious. It wasn’t every day that an innocent unmarried miss made such a request.
Once he was dressed and looked the part of the noble viscount, he departed his chamber and made his way to the breakfast room, hearing the low roar of conversation before he even crossed the threshold.
He immediately saw Lydia—Miss Cary, he reminded himself—sitting with his sisters again. After he made his selections from the sideboard, he took the available seat between Miss Cary and his father. “Good morning, everyone,” he said cheerily, then turned to Lydia. “You as well, Miss Cary.” He flashed her a wide smile, and her cheeks turned a faint pink.
Her reaction did nothing to aid in his need to keep his body under control. He imagined, with only the whisper of a few words, he could turn those cheeks from pink to red. Then he reminded himself he didn’t want to be known as a rake anymore. Although, a bit of flirting and naughty words would be among the lesser of sins he had committed in the past.
“Good morning, my lord,” she said, then bit off a piece of her toast.
His family all cast him a curious glance, and he schooled his features so his family wouldn’t find his pleasant mood—at being in the presence of the delectable Miss Cary—something to suspect.
“Sleep well, son?” his father asked him, and Elias had a feeling he was actually asking a different question.
“I slept fine,” Elias said, spearing a bite of egg and bringing it to his mouth.
“Are you going to continue to disappear in the middle of the night?” Diana asked him.
