Hawksfell Manor 04: Derek's Dare

DEREK’S DARE

Lords of Hawksfell Manor 4

JOSIE DENNIS

Copyright © 2013

Chapter 1

Yorkshire, England 1912

Derek Hawk, Baron Holbrook, placed the folded notes on the dresser and pulled up his trousers. His head nearly brushed the ceiling as he straightened to shrug into his jacket. The attic room was clean but sparse, as most of the servants’ rooms were at Holbrook Hall. He looked at the dark-haired maid sprawled naked on her belly across the bed. Her eyes were closed, a smile of bliss on her lips. He ran his gaze over her rounded ass and parted legs and smiled to himself. Poor girl was exhausted. She’d served the family all day and his cursed Hawk lusts all night. He’d made her come three times, though. That should be more than ample compensation when taken with the money he gave her.

He quietly left the servants’ quarters and made his way back down to the family bedrooms. The hour was late and the house asleep. He approached a too-familiar door and paused. Breathing in deeply, he caught a whiff of the scent that never failed to drive him mad. Orange blossoms. The unmistakable scent of Diana, his third cousin and the bane of his existence since he’d come to live here when he was fifteen years old. For twelve long years she’d driven him crazy. First, as a little girl dogging his every step. Then as a young woman, teasing him past the point of control. And he’d wanted her, from the very first stirring of his Hawk lusts as he gained manhood. He wanted her still.

She’d teased him again tonight. She’d looked delectable sitting beside the fire, her glossy black hair upswept to reveal her slender neck. She’d loosened the bodice of her dress to cool her dewy-fresh skin, which took on a rosy glow. Her blue eyes sparkled, her smooth cheeks flushed. He might have just gotten laid, but it wouldn’t take much more than the thought of her to get his cock hard and ready for another ride. God, she was beyond beautiful.

To his astonishment she’d brought that full rosy mouth to his ear tonight and whispered some innocuous comment about the fireplace poker. Something about it being hard or long. She couldn’t know what she was doing to him in that breathy voice of hers. It tantalized him as much as her hand on his thigh had at dinner. She’d touched him! Damn, he’d longed for her to do more. Her fingers had come dangerously close to his cock, too. He’d almost swallowed his tongue.

He was courting disaster even thinking about having her. He had to get away from her before he grabbed her and made good on the promise in her gorgeous blue eyes. He’d fuck her so hard she wouldn’t be able to walk for a week.

His beast was quiet now, though. Thanks to the maid’s eager mouth and wet, hot pussy. He’d fucked her long. He could fuck forever, withdrawing at the last moment to spill on her round little ass. He couldn’t remember her name but it didn’t really matter. He wasn’t going to have her again.

He never took the same lover twice. That would lead to complications, and he wasn’t going to get caught by his balls or by his heart. His mother had loved his father, the bastard. He smiled without humor. All the Hawks were bastards, legitimatized though they might be. No doubt his Hawk relatives littered Yorkshire. His mother had told him that Hawks never married. That Hawks didn’t do forever. Yet she’d waited fifteen long years for his damn father to return like he’d promised. He never did.

Derek had watched his mother worsen until she died of a broken heart—aided by a liberal amount of spirits. Well, matters of the heart had no place in his life. He’d follow his cock for satisfaction and leave the rest of it all to the poets.

He made his way past Diana’s door to his own room. He stripped, washed, and readied for bed. The room was comfortable enough, and he’d spent countless lonely nights in it since coming to Holbrook Hall. He’d learned early on that solitary satisfaction with his own hand wasn’t an option. The few times he’d tried it when his Hawk beast rose, release had been followed by stabbing pain in his belly and an excruciating erection that lasted for hours. So he saw to his needs with his relatives’ servants and slept alone.

It wasn’t that his mother’s relatives were unkind. He just never felt at home in these walls. He knew he never would. He wanted so much more than to be beholden to his Holbrook relatives’ good humor. He had his own money at least. A lot of it from investments and improvements made to his mother’s far-flung estate. There was really no reason to stay here, save for the obligation he felt to them for taking him in. They liked that his money contributed to the hall’s coffers. That was certain.

One thing he’d heard countless times from his cousins was that the Hawks were blessed with money. And cursed with animal lusts, of course. They never ceased to remind him of that, their voices hushed and their eyes bright. He knew they got a vicarious thrill being related, even distantly, to a Hawk. What would any of them think if they knew he’d fucked just about every servant in and out of the house? The bloody hypocrites would probably act outraged then question each maid and footman for the lurid details of their rides with him. It was beyond ridiculous and he’d long since grown tired of it.

God, he wanted something more than this half-life with the Holbrooks. More than the crushing attraction to a woman he could never touch. He wanted to belong. He wanted to be loved. He wanted it all.

He was damned if he knew what he would have to do to get it.

* * * *

Diana stood with one hand pressed against her door, her heart racing. She could smell Derek, that spicy scent that always clung to him. He passed her door on the way back to his room at the other end of the hall. He’d been out diddling one of the servants again. He’d all but ignored her at dinner and then went and had his shaft polished by some eager maid. Her body grew hot in her prim nightgown as she imagined what he’d done with the girl. What he’d done
to
her. What did he look like beneath his fine clothes? She’d been dying to find out since she’d first noticed the stirrings of a woman’s desires within her.

She’d heard the servants when they didn’t know she was about. Well, what good was living in a large estate home if one couldn’t hide in doorways and eavesdrop? Oh, the lovely naughty things she’d heard about Derek over the years!

His sexual prowess was extoled. It was said he could ride a woman for hours. She’d heard the maids talk about his attributes as well. She could guess at the strength and breadth of his body, which she’d imagined even in his fine clothes. It stood to reason that his manhood would be impressive, but their detailed descriptions both scandalized and thrilled her. Words like long and thick and hard as a pike raced through her mind now. Her flesh swelled and pulsed as she imagined his fit body pressing against hers. As she imagined his…cock deep in her body.

He had no use for her, however. He’d come to Holbrook Hall when he was fifteen, all but orphaned by his father’s desertion and his mother’s demise. He’d been such a beautiful boy. Even as a little girl she’d seen that. His hair as rich and dark as sable, those dark Hawk eyes that always seemed to look right through her. His face was rough yet almost pretty, with finely sculpted cheekbones and a cleft chin. He’d only gotten more compelling as he’d grown. For twelve long years she’d wanted him. First as a playmate then as a lover.

“Ooh. Lover,” she whispered. The word caused a shiver to dance over her skin.

It didn’t matter, because he wanted nothing to do with her. She’d done her best work tonight, too. She’d flirted and teased as she always did with him. During dinner she’d even stroked his rock-hard thigh beneath the table. He’d tensed, that tell-tale muscle ticking in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. How could he ignore her? Why, she’d even alluded to his cock tonight as they’d sat near the fireplace.

She wasn’t completely innocent. She hadn’t been without suitors since her first season, and she’d accepted their tame kisses even if they did nothing to fire her blood. Yet in the years since that heady time she’d managed to attract any number of young men while repelling the only one she really wanted. Now she was twenty-three years old. There would be no more seasons for her in London. That was certain. She’d had enough pointless dancing and endless conversing. She wanted real kisses. She wanted hot passion. She wanted Derek.

Yes, he was a Hawk. She knew he was cursed with lusts she could only imagine. She knew he indulged in dark desires she could only dream of. Her very center pulsed and throbbed as she grew wetter. All she had to do was think about him and she ran hot. Well, she’d dream about him tonight as usual. And tomorrow she’d figure out a way to make him finally pay her some notice.

Her plan fell to pieces over breakfast.

“Never say you’re leaving!” she shrieked.

Her voice reached an octave that caused Derek to wince. He was obviously feigning interest in his coffee cup as she fumed from across the table. He looked delectable today, clad in a tweed jacket over a crisp white shirt. The morning sun at the window behind him showed the auburn streaks in his hair. He liked to rise early, she knew. Despite any sexual exploits of the night before. Not like her other Holbrook relatives. Drink and sloth and entitlement slowed them down, male and female alike. She didn’t miss her uncles, aunts or cousins this morning. It was a pity that her mother was at the table with her and Derek, though. Out of the corner of her eye Diana saw the woman watched her closely. She kept her attention to Derek.

“I’m going to explore the wilds of Yorkshire, Diana.”

He reached beneath the table as if to rub his stomach. She’d noticed he’d often done that particular motion lately when in her company, as if she caused him pains. For a heart-wrenching moment she worried that he would never truly care for her the way she wanted him to.

“I have a few investments to the west of Scarborough, you know,” he went on.

She blew out a breath. “Yes, yes. Your mother’s home. But how long will you be gone?”

He looked at her at long last, a frown on his handsome face. His dark eyes were cold. “I don’t quite know when I’ll be back.”

Her throat grew tight as she blinked back sudden tears. “How long have you been planning this?”

He raised his brows in obvious surprise then slid his gaze from hers. “For some time,” he murmured.

She didn’t believe him for a minute. He was leaving her. That was plain. Had she missed the opportunity to show him she could be so much more than just a relative to be held at arm’s length?

“Don’t you have Hawk relations in that part of Yorkshire, Derek?” her mother asked.

He turned a smile at her. “I believe I may, ma’am. I haven’t met any as of yet, however.”

Her mother’s blue eyes were sharp. “You’ll have to advise us if you unearth any Hawks. Bring them back to Holbrook Hall and we’ll welcome them.”

Derek simply nodded. Diana knew what her mother was thinking. She wanted the notoriety of hosting a few Hawks at the hall. Maybe she would even throw a ball.

“I should return within the week,” he said, turning to Diana.

She pouted, and his nostrils flared. Her breath caught as she felt that ever-present pull toward him. Maybe he wasn’t completely unaffected after all.

“The hall just won’t be the same without you,” she managed to say.

His full lips parted, and she stared at his mouth. Her own went dry.

He surged to his feet. “I have to go ready my things.”

Her mother prattled on about something or other, but Diana didn’t attend her. No, she stared after Derek as he walked out of the room. He was leaving. Again. Going off to his mother’s house on the moors, no doubt. She was sure he had the place staffed with willing and eager servants, too. Maids who would ride his fine body and grooms who would suck his big cock. Her cheeks flamed as if she’d had the nerve to say such words aloud.

She placed her napkin on her plate and stood. “I believe I’ll see to some correspondence,” she said to her mother.

Lady Holbrook nodded her head. “Don’t forget, dear. Sir Simon is stopping by this afternoon.”

Diana’s heart sank. Sir Simon was a pleasant enough man, but he was ten years too old for her and nowhere near as compelling as Derek. Without another word to her mother, she left the breakfast room in search of Derek.

She found him in the parlor off the entryway. He was staring at the fire, his body held rigid with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

She stepped past his overcoat and portmanteaux in the doorway. “So you’re leaving.”

He turned slowly then ran his eyes over her. His gaze narrowed over her bodice, and she flushed hot despite how cold his eyes looked.

“I have to,” he said.

She stepped into the room and crossed to him. “Why?”

He stiffened. “It’s none of your concern.”

She touched his shoulder and he flinched. She dropped her hand from him and fisted it. “Do you hate me that much?”

He made a growling sound and grabbed her upper arms. She gasped as he stared down at her. His dark Hawk eyes were anything but cold now.

“Hate you?” He flashed a devilish smile. “You couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

Truly?
She licked her lips. “Then why do you run away from me?”