Improper Pleasures (The Pleasure Series #1) (6 page)

James shrugged out of his coat, then peeled off the
embroidered waistcoat. “What’s this about a curse?” James sat down on the chair
Lady Phillina had vacated and pulled off his boots. “I thought bankruptcy was
the extent of my problems.”

“Eastlan is not cursed.” Astra hovered against the far
wall. “What are you doing?”

“Removing these boots. They are cutting off my circulation
and giving me a pounding headache. Of course, Eastlan isn’t cursed, just
mismanaged, but I should know what’s being said about us.” He reached for his
neck cloth.

“I beg you not to go any further. There is not an Us.
There is a You and a Me. I know we have an agreement, but I am a lady and I
expect you to respect my delicate position.”

“Delicate?” He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and
leaned back in the chair. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me undressed before.”

“I beg your pardon?” Astra’s heart leapt to her throat and
she prayed she misunderstood. How could he think, let alone say such a thing?

The direct stare with which she had found camaraderie in
only moments ago, cut through her, unmasked her. Surely, he could not know what
she had witnessed and now remain so casually unaffected. No, he must mean when
they interrupted his confrontation with Mr. Rudd. Of course. She took a breath
and relaxed once again, feeling a bit foolish she had jumped to the wrong
conclusion at first.

“I didn’t intend to barge in on you earlier. It won’t
happen again,” Astra said as formally as possible.

“Forget I said anything. I’m used to a ship full of men
and not accustomed to prancing around in coat and neck cloth all blasted day.
My good manners are rusty.”  He slipped his fingers in the loosened cloth and
tugged, but did not take further steps to remove it. “Would you please see if
you can get my clothes back from Rudd? The thief cleaned out my trunk.” He
returned to his desk, ignoring her as he studied papers spread across its
mahogany surface.

“I shall speak to Mr. Rudd, but I want your word that you
will not hamper Lady Phillina’s plans for the ball. And please take care with
whom you discuss finances. It will not help you if those around you think you
are a pauper.”

“Anything else?” James studied her with a tight jaw and a
hard glint.

“I thought you wished to be accepted as the Baron of St.
Keynes?  You do know there is a village attached to your title? Your barony is
from feudal times, my lord.  And though your ancestors changed the spelling of
their surname over the years, the village still looks to you as their lord.  
Don’t disappoint them.”  She had to gain some sense of decorum with him for her
own sanity. And he needed to take her advice and not be so defensive.

“I do wish to be accepted and I will be. Did you not hear
my Auntie Phillina? I am the spitting image of a Keane.”

Astra stiffened. “There is more to your position than
filling out the clothes, my lord.”

“Ah yes, a curse, I believe. Why do you look so
distressed? I’m quite a lucky bastard. When you think about it, I survived the
war only to end up an English baron.”

“And for that to happen four men died in short order,
including your father. I hope you do not intend to go back on our truce because
you think Lady Phillina will take your side. I can assure you she will not.”
Astra didn’t understand his manner in the least.

“I can see your mother-in-law is quite taken with you. You
might have Lady Phillina fooled but not me.” He winked at her and Astra went
cold. What had he discovered? Astra had been hiding so many secrets for so
long, she could only imagine what this intruder knew, or at least thought he
knew.

“I have never tried to fool Lady Phillina in any matter
whatsoever. We share a genuine regard.” Astra’s words could not be more
truthful. It was what Lady Phillina overlooked in favor of genuine regard that
tormented Astra.

“Are your cheeks flushed, Astra?” James laughed. “I think
I’ve discovered a ripple in your placid exterior.”

“I shall not be threatened by your innuendos. Obviously,
you are holding some secret knowledge, real or imagined, against my character.
I demand that you reveal yourself this instant.” Astra’s heart pounded. She
must know what he had discovered and more importantly what he intended to do
with the information.

“Interesting choice of words, but I think you’re right. We
shouldn’t keep secrets from each other, seeing as we are both depending on the
other.” James strode to the door of his bedroom. “Shall we?”

He was trying to unnerve her, but she would not cower. Not
now, perhaps not ever again. She had been given the chance to participate in
her own life instead of being locked behind closed doors and she would not
scamper away like a frightened virgin.

She militantly stomped into the bedroom.

James repositioned himself in the doorway leaning against
the door frame, his arms folded over his chest. “Look familiar.”

“I have been mistress of Eastlan for several years now.”
She held her shoulder’s stiff. “I would be remiss if I did not know every nook
of its vast interior. Your point?” She studied the room with the bed’s large
carved headboard and the matching mahogany furnishings, keeping her back to one
bureau in particular. What was he getting at?

“Step back a foot.” His grin, lazy and confident, assured
her he enjoyed making her the brunt of his private joke. She followed his
direction, some of her tension easing with the silliness of his game.

“Good. Stop. Now two small steps to your right. Stop.
Perfect.”

She glanced around the room and discovered nothing
innocuous. What was it? Even the large bed that dominated the room was covered
by a russet-colored spread and littered with laced-edge pillows that bordered
on the effeminate, taking the innuendo out of the forbidden chamber. “I find
nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Look directly in front of you.”

A wall papered in dark brown flowers and cream stripes
held an artful arrangement of painted landscapes and a single over-sized
mirror. James wiggled his fingers in a cocky wave from his leaning position on
the door jam and she noticed how the angle where she stood perfectly reflected
the doorway…and a bit beyond.

He’d seen her!
 

He had not been simply staring at a wall in front of him
while the maid kneeled before him and…he had been staring in the mirror
directly at Astra watching them. She closed her eyes to block out the image of
his fevered gaze both now and then.

“You entered my room not only without invitation, but
without even knocking. Did you enjoy the entertainment, Astra? You certainly
seemed to.” He sounded so pleased with himself. Amusement rang clearly in his
voice while she burned with shame. “If I recall correctly,” he continued, “and
to be honest, things are a bit muddled considering the position I was in, you
returned for a second look.”

She opened her eyes and met his smirk in the mirror. “You
were watching me. The whole time while she was…” 

His smile faded and his amused gaze melted under the same
heat she had glimpsed during his indiscretion with the maid. He relished the
idea of her watching him.

“You enjoyed it. You enjoyed having me watch,” she said in
a scalding whisper that burned her dry throat.

“Yes,” his voice sounded husky and deadly serious. Gone
was the naughty lad of a few moments ago who had orchestrated a mischievous
prank.

She pulled her gaze from the mirror, the distorted
reflection magnifying some sort of physical intimacy that threatened to drag
her under. Praying that the outrage he deserved would soon rescue her, she
turned to face him. The erotic exchange she’d witnessed had involved her as
much as the other woman. The vivid sexual fantasies she could not stop flooding
her senses suddenly seemed impossibly real, as if James had been touching her,
moaning in her ear. She could even taste his skin’s saltiness as though it were
her tongue on his nipple, his skin, his…

“You are without a shred of decency,” she said, mustering
every ounce of courage she could, hoping he would be a gentleman and simply
dismiss the whole incident. “I would rather live on the streets than share the
same roof with a deviant such as you.”

“I was only enjoying the pleasure so generously offered me
after a long voyage. You, on the other hand, stumbled upon a private moment
between two consenting adults and lingered to appease your own lust.”

“I wanted to leave.” Astra stopped herself from outright
lying. He had seen everything, after all. “I thought you were a servant.
Someone I should report to—”

“Is that how the upper class gets their jollies? Well
then, I would rather be a servant.” He closed the bedroom door behind him and
took a step toward her.

Astra backed away. He continued to block the doorway or
she would have stormed directly out of it. His stab at the truth stole her
breath. If he knew how far between her
jollies
, as he so crudely termed
it, it had been, perhaps he would not be so cruel.

“I did not mean to intrude and I assure you it was not
intentional. I was…” She swallowed the word
fascinated
. “I think I
should leave now.” More than anything she desired to put some distance between
them.

He silently stalked toward her on bare feet like some wild
Indian from his homeland. “Actually, your presence made the whole experience so
much more interesting.”

“I am surprised you even noticed I was there. You appeared
very entranced with Melva’s talents.” She tried to muster up an indignant tone,
since shock and horror had already been forfeited.

“Who?” he asked without pausing his slow advance. It was
as if he was expecting her to bolt and had every intention of preventing her
escape.

“The maid, Melva. The woman who had her mouth on your…”
Astra glanced away, flushing at her blurting out the obvious details.

He was closing the space between them, forcing Astra to
give him her full attention. With no chance of escape, her new strategy needed
to be one of fortitude. She needed to stand her ground, no matter what.

“Was she your husband’s mistress?”

“Heavens, no!” Perhaps it was from nerves, but Astra
genuinely laughed. “Lowell didn’t…” Again, Astra was forced to stop herself.
“Melva is new. I have no idea where she came from or what she does.” Astra
almost choked since they both knew what Melva did best. “I was meaning to speak
to the housekeeper about her, but since you two seem to be…friends, I’ll leave
her duties to you.”

“Astra, it was a mistake. I probably would have come to my
senses if you hadn’t been watching.” He disregarded a respectable distance and
stood so close that he stared down into her face.

She met his hungry gaze wanting to hate his words but
found herself relishing them instead. James’s mere closeness was a balm to the
loneliness that she had accepted would be her lot in life. She inhaled deeply,
catching his scent, distilling it in her mind, memorizing it so she could
recall this moment in vivid detail if she wished to someday in the future.

James gripped her arms and drew her closer still. “It’s
your eyes. The slant or maybe the color. When you look at me, I feel like
you’re touching me.”

Astra turned her face from his, thought to leave, but
remained in place. Having him so near forced her to think of desires she had
long buried. Did she actually believe she could live her life without ever
knowing a man’s touch again? And she couldn’t deny her body, at the very least,
wanted this man more than she thought humanly possible. A body that betrayed
her once again, heat pooling between her thighs. Even the living breathing
evidence of such folly seemed a small price to pay for one moment with James.

“This is wrong,” she said, her last grip on logic coming
forth in a meager plea. Her face turned up to his, her lips parted, her body
winning once again.

“Very,” he said with a seductive grin.

She knew he was going to kiss her. He lowered his head
slowly, as though allowing her time to turn away, rebuke him if she chose. Her
mind pleaded with her to say something to stop him, but something deeper, more
desperate, held her still.

His lips brushed hers and a sigh of pleasure slipped past
her defenses. She gingerly touched his waist, feeling the firm muscles, the
male heat beneath his thin shirt. His kiss was gentle and she responded by
parting her lips, inviting him to use his tongue. He did with a tempered hunger
that almost instantly drove her mad. She met his probing caress with her own,
sending a flare of heat across her breasts and down her torso. Needing to feel
him against her, she arched her back slightly and he responded by stepping into
her. He slid one arm behind the small of her back and pressed her hips against
his. She felt his arousal and her body responded with a rush of wet heat. A
primal need to feel him inside her defied all reason.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door. “James, sorry to
disturb you, but we had agreed to meet in the yard at two. The horses are
saddled. Should I tell the groomsman to put them away?”

Wesley’s voice behind the bedroom door slowly penetrated
Astra’s hazy awareness. She hadn’t even fully realized James had closed the
door, trapping them alone together. Had he orchestrated this whole encounter,
easily seducing the lonely widow? Good Lord, what had they done? Astra
stiffened but James held her tighter, holding her head in place with a firm
grip, deepening the kiss for one desperate moment longer. He poured so much
lust into the last, rough press of his lips that Astra had trouble keeping her
balance when he loosened his embrace.

“No, I’ll be there in a moment,” he called to the closed
door. “My valet insisted on redressing me.”

“Our Mr. Rudd doesn’t tolerate an unpressed crease. I’ll
meet you outside,” Wesley said good-naturedly, then loudly tromped across the
outer room.