He moved to her ear and swept his tongue around her lobe. “Now that is dreadfully selfish, sweetheart.” He felt her smile against his cheek.
“Well you know how terribly selfish I am.”
He reached for the button on her dress. The last time was far too fast. Today, he wanted to linger. Shower her body with his mouth and watch her come several times. “Oh, I want you to be extremely selfish right now.”
“So I suppose you want to test my new bed.”
“As duke, I should definitely make sure my gift to you is perfect.” He walked her backward into her bedchamber until he felt the post of the bed.
“I have slept in this bed before,” she said as he slipped her dress off her shoulders. “I remember it being quite comfortable.”
“Noted.” He quickly unlaced her stays and let them drop to the floor. Leaning in close, he whispered, “But have you slept in this bed with another man?”
She gave him a seductive smile that almost sent him over the edge. “I suppose I must make certain the bed will be comfortable with another person in it.”
“Always a good idea,” he said, then laid her back against the pillows.
Selina succumbed to the magic of his kisses. His tongue playfully caressed hers as his fingers reached for the buttons on the back of her dress. She tried not to laugh as he fought the restraints.
“Goddamn buttons,” he exclaimed as he lifted his swollen lips off her own.
“Let me help you.” She nudged him so he would get off her and then she rolled over onto her stomach. “Better?”
“Much.”
Once the buttons were undone, he worked on her stays. She felt them loosen but he remained on top of her. When she attempted to roll back, he pinned her shoulders. Soft kisses landed on her shoulders and then his lips moved downward. She shivered as his tongue blazed a path across her back, following the line of her chemise.
He pushed the short sleeves of her dress off her shoulders and down her arms. Selina wiggled to free her arms of their confines. Next, her stays and chemise were removed in much the same manner.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if I turned around?” she asked with a giggle.
“Perhaps,” he said as he pushed her softly back down on the bed. He kissed her spine from the top all the way . . .
“What are you doing?”
“What do you want me to do?”
As his tongue touched the cleavage of her derrière, she had no idea what to say. “Anything you want,” she whispered.
He groaned and laid his cheek against her bottom. Excitement and anticipation raced through her veins. He reached for her stockings and untied each garter before continuing to kiss his way across her backside. She trembled as his lips gently kissed her thighs and the back of her knee.
This was right where she wanted to be no matter how wrong it might be. She loved the feel of his hard muscles against her body and the intensity of his kisses. Maybe she was just a plaything to him. Or maybe she was his salvation from his despair. But right now, it didn’t matter because he was making love to her. This was not a quick rutting for his satisfaction. He was showing her what this should truly be like with him . . . always.
His hands kneaded her bottom and each time his thumbs spread her open slightly, Selina trembled as her fold moistened in preparation for him. He grazed one hand down her crack until he reached her clit.
“Colin,” she exclaimed as he rubbed her. She closed her eyes and let desire take her wherever it could. She moaned as his mouth replaced his finger. “Oh, God.”
She writhed against the bed as his tongue played with her. One finger pressed into her softness, followed by another. She couldn’t stop climbing higher as he slid his fingers in and out of her. Giving into the passion, she cried out his name as her release washed over her.
He slowed the movement of his hands while she recovered from the tumultuous sensations running through her. His staggered breath heated her bottom as she fought to control her own. Just as her heartbeat slowed, he rose and turned her over.
“Now for the front,” he said with a devious smile.
“The front?” she squeaked.
His blue eyes sparked with desire for her. “Oh, yes. The front.”
Her eyes widened as he quickly removed his clothes. He stretched out across her body and warmed her to her soul. She wanted this moment to go on forever even though she knew it could not. At some point sanity would return. But for now, she would savor the sensation of his lips traveling the length of her body and pretend that in another world they could find happiness together.
As his mouth found her taut nipple, she gasped from the sheer joy and agony his mouth gave her body. She trembled as need rose in her again. How was it possible that she would so quickly want him after that last climax? But want him she did, possibly even more than just a few moments ago. In this position, she could feel his hard length against her thigh and desperately wanted him deep inside her.
Instead, his mouth traveled lower again to kiss her sex.
“Colin,” she moaned. “No more. I want you.”
He smiled against her thigh and pressed a finger into her wetness. “I believe I noticed that.”
“Now.”
“No.”
“Why?”
He laughed softly. “I’m not ready yet.”
She groaned. “You felt ready.”
“Soon.” He nipped her leg with his teeth.
“Please,” she begged as his finger worked its magic deep inside her.
“Perhaps.”
“You’re horrible,” she whispered and then all words stopped as another earth-shattering climax rolled through her body. “Not fair.”
“Very fair.”
“Now?” she whispered, still desperate with need for him.
He rose up above her and smiled down at her in such a manner that her heart started pounding in her chest. The look bordered on love. How was that possible?
“Now.”
With one swift movement, he was deep inside her, filling her completely. Before she could fully recover from her last orgasm, she was quickly climbing toward another. Each fierce stroke brought her closer to the edge. His moans of pleasure urged her on. Unable to stop it, she arched her back and succumbed to the pleasure of his body.
He froze over her and groaned as his peak hit. Opening her eyes, she watched as pleasure overrode all other things. When he finally relaxed on top of her, she knew she was in too deep with Colin.
She loved him.
Selina rested her head against Colin’s bare chest and wondered how exactly she had ended up in bed with him again. The whole point of moving out was to get some distance from the distracting man. Instead, she’d just spent the most incredible hour in bed with him ever.
She closed her eyes and shivered. She’d had no idea a woman could climax that many times.
With his strong arms around her, she felt sated and safe. She suddenly couldn’t remember why she wanted to get away from him. Then it came back—the reality that this was nothing but a fantasy. That he was a duke and she was . . . nobody.
“Selina? Are you here?”
Her eyes opened wide. What was Mia doing here today? She lifted her head and stared into twinkling sapphire blue eyes. Pressing her finger to his lips, she put her lips against his ear. “Do not say a word.”
He nodded with a smile.
“Mia, stay out there. I’m just changing and then I’ll be out. Start the fire for me so we can have tea.” That would keep her busy and hopefully making enough noise so that she wouldn’t hear them.
“All right.”
Selina jumped out of bed and gathered her things. “Help me,” she whispered.
Colin laughed softly. “Come here.”
He helped her with her stays and buttons while she attempted to put her hair up. He slapped her bottom. “All set. Should I get dressed and come out?”
“Don’t you dare!” She picked up his clothing and threw it at him. “Get dressed.”
“How am I supposed to leave if you both are out there?”
“Climb out the window!”
“Someone might see me,” he remarked. “And that would be scandalous, indeed.”
He was trying to make her insane. He was getting perverse amusement out of this situation. “Just leave.”
She walked out of the room and closed the door, praying he would leave them in peace. “Mia!”
Her dearest friend gave her a big hug. “I heard the news and had to come see you. Why did he change his mind?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “The man is quite mad. I’m only hoping he doesn’t change his mind again.”
Mia looked her over critically with a frown. “Selina,” she drawled.
“What is it?” Hopefully, no more questions about the man in her bedroom.
“How exactly did you change your clothing?”
“What do you mean?”
“You seldom wear that dress because it’s one of the few you own that buttons up the back.”
Panic raced through her. She hated lying and it was worse to lie to someone you loved. “I was changing my boots, not my gown. Kate’s maid helped me dress today. My boots were muddied from visiting the tenants today.”
“And it took you that long to put your other boots on?” she asked with suspicion. “What is really going on, Selina?”
“Nothing,” she squeaked. God, she was a terrible liar. Her voice always rose an octave or two.
Mia glanced at the closed door. “Did you have a man in there with you?”
“What?”
“Did you finally decide to take that offer from the tutor in town? What was his name? Neil, Nathan . . .”
“Nigel Bateman, and no, he is not in my bedroom.”
“Well, shall we find out who is?” Mia raced to the door and opened it wide.
Selina chased after her. “Mia, don’t!”
Mia stared into the empty room. Finally, she recovered, “Where did that come from?” She pointed to the bed.
There was no way of making this sound good. “It was a gift.”
“From?”
“The duke. For saving Kate’s life,” she added quickly. “I had commented on how comfortable the bed was and he thought I should have it.”
Mia dragged her to the table. “Sit down.”
“What is wrong?”
She grabbed the tea and water and poured. While it steeped, she just stared at Selina until Selina squirmed in her seat. Mia handed a cup to her and then sat down across from her. “Are you mad?”
“What are you talking about?” Selina asked and then blew on her tea.
“When did you start sleeping with the duke?”
“I am not . . .” Her shoulders sagged under the weight of another lie. “How did you know?”
“No man gives a woman a bed like that without a good reason. Saving his sister is not a good reason.” Mia picked up her cup and then put it back down. “Selina, this is madness. You cannot be the duke’s mistress.”
She hadn’t thought about it before now but taking that bed made her his mistress, not just a lover. She covered her mouth and stared at her friend. “Oh Mia, I accepted the bed. That makes me a whore.”
Mia patted her friend. “You are not a whore. Do you love him?”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I shouldn’t but I do.”
“Oh, Selina.”
“I know.” Slowly over tea, she told Mia everything, from how she’d hated him in the beginning to how he had changed and she came to love him.
“What are you going to do?” Mia asked.
“Nothing,” she admitted. “There is nothing I can do. While he is here, I will enjoy his company. When he leaves, he will take my heart with him.”
“What are you doing here?”
Colin turned and greeted his sister as she entered the salon. “Where else would I be?”
“With Selina. You told me you were moving in with her.”
“One step at a time, Kate.” He poured another glass of sherry and handed it to her. “How do you think she would react if I told her I wasn’t leaving her house on her first day back? She’d be furious with me.”
Kate acknowledged his answer with a nod. “True.”
“Plus there was a little issue of Miss Featherstone paying a visit this afternoon.”
“Dreadfully inconsiderate of her.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, that at least explains why she didn’t show up for—” She stopped abruptly.
“For what?”
Kate eased into a chair. “I might as well tell you. While Mother had brought the dance instructor in, we thought Selina should learn some of the dances too.”
“Why is that?”
“Just in case you should decide to ask her to dance sometime.”
Colin shook his head. There wasn’t much chance of that happening out in the country.
“How did she like her gift?”
He chuckled. “You heard about that?”
“The entire household is talking about it. Quite scandalous, you know. And yet, most just felt you were being generous. I did tell people that it was for saving my life.”
“And I thank you for that.” He gave her a quick salute with his glass. “I heard a letter arrived for you today.”
A dreamy look came over her. “It was from John. He is still grieving but wants to see me again. Mother and I thought we might go to Suffolk in a fortnight. John is there and I can see him. He wants us to set a date.”
“Excellent. He is a good man, Kate.”
“He is,” she said. “And Selina is far too good a woman to let go because of Society. So you have a fortnight to get things settled because I’m not leaving until I know you are betrothed.”
He frowned. “I cannot guarantee this will be settled by then.”
“Why haven’t you told her you love her?”
“I will.”
Kate shook her head. “Tomorrow.”
“As you wish, sister dear.”
The next day Colin spent much like the prior days. He and Selina visited with tenants. He watched her tend to the people with so much love that it made him proud. She would make a wonderful wife and duchess. She might not be the conventional type Society preferred, but with a little help from his sister and stepmother, she would be accepted.
After another afternoon of making love to her, he decided he would talk to her about all of this tomorrow. They had no tenants to call on so he planned to have a picnic luncheon at a small pond on the outskirts of his estate.
But tonight, he had to escort Kate and the duchess to this damned ball. He knew what it meant for him. An evening fending off the mamas determined to throw their unmarried daughters at him. Marriage would be a blessing. Then he would only have to discourage the married women looking to become a duke’s mistress.
He waited at the foot of the stairs for the ladies to join him. Finally, Kate floated down the stairs in a gold silk and lace creation that made her look like an angel. He knew that she was far more devil than angel. “You look lovely tonight, Kate.”
“Thank you. And you look devilishly handsome. You had best have a care or the young ladies will fall prostrate at your feet begging to be your duchess.”
He laughed. “I will listen to your wise words. Where is your mother?”
“She begged off. Something about a dreadful headache.”
So he would be stuck watching his sister. He supposed it was a good excuse not to dance with the unmarried women. “Very well, then.” He held out his arm for her. “Shall we be off?”
Selina finally turned and faced the mirror. After almost two hours of getting ready for this ball, her transformation was complete. She barely recognized the reflection staring back at her.
The duchess had insisted that her personal maid dress Selina’s hair. And the effect was magical. Anna had piled Selina’s blond hair into a simple chignon and then had artfully cut tendrils to frame her face. She had then clipped a few silver butterflies into the design to catch the silver threads in the gown.
“Oh, my,” she whispered.
“You look beautiful, my dear. We must leave now.”
“Where is Kate?”
“She went ahead with the duke.”
Selina frowned slightly. “How will it look if her companion does not show up with her?”
“My dear, you will be arriving with the Duchess of Northrop. No one will care that you didn’t arrive with Kate.”
“Oh.”
By the time they arrived, there were carriages lining the drive. Selina had never seen so many finely dressed people getting out of carriages. As they waited for their turn to disembark, the duchess gave her a few more lessons in propriety. “You do not speak to a man to whom you have not been properly introduced. Only then may you converse or dance should he ask.”
Selina almost laughed. No one would ask to dance this evening. Even with her finery, she was still just a nobody to these people. “Yes, ma’am.”
The duchess droned on about not dancing more than twice with any man and a few more dull topics. Selina listened but turned her attention to the beautiful women giggling as they walked into the house. She felt completely out of place here.
“Your Grace, perhaps I should return to the estate.”
“Why would you think such a thing?”
She glanced down at the silvery gloves covering her hands and arms. “I don’t belong here. With them.”
“Nonsense, dear girl. What do they have that you do not?”
“A name, wealth, position, beauty.”
The older woman laughed. “You have a name, quite a lovely name. You have position, perhaps not in Society but certainly at the estate. You have a wealth of love from the people on that estate. And you most definitely have beauty.”
Selina continued to stare at her gloves. The duchess had only said those words to make her feel better. And it did help. Not that she felt confident, but the duchess had made her feel as if there was no reason she could not attend. “Thank you.”
The duchess patted Selina’s hand. “Don’t ever let them see your fear. They will eat you alive.”
The carriage rolled to a stop and a liveried footman opened the door and assisted them down. As soon as her foot touched the ground, Selina felt transformed, like Cinderella at the prince’s ball. She had just better not lose her slipper tonight.
The sound of music filled the air and became gradually louder as they entered the house. The duchess linked her arm with Selina’s.
“Courage,” the duchess whispered.
Together they walked down the corridor. A nervous quiver washed over Selina the closer they came to the ballroom. At the entrance to the room, a butler stood to announce the names of the guests. The duchess leaned in and whispered something in the butler’s ear.
The man announced them. “Her Grace, the Duchess of Northrop. Miss Selina White.”
Several heads turned at the announcement. Selina knew they only looked over to see the duchess; still it made her heart pound. One set of sapphire eyes caught hers. She couldn’t look away from Colin’s startled gaze. A slow smile lifted his lips as he watched her.