He immediately sat in the nearest chair and pulled her onto his lap.
“It's all right, Miss Ross. Please don't cry. You don't have to do anything at all.”
She cupped his chin. “No, I want to do this, Iâ”
The click of the lock turning in the door stopped her speaking. Ambrose now stood against the closed door, his expression unreadable, his mouth set in a hard line.
“Good evening, Miss Ross, Mr. Lennox.”
Jack opened his mouth, but Emily glared at him.
“Good evening, Ambrose.” She smiled and made no effort to remove herself from Jack's lap. “Is there something you want?”
“You are not supposed to be here, Miss Ross. You know that.”
She turned more fully to face him, watched his gaze fall to the swell of her half-uncovered bosom and the length of her bare legs. “But I want to be here.” She kissed Jack lightly on the cheek. “And Jack offered to bring me as his guest.”
“I suspect Mr. Lennox will have to answer to your brothers for that piece of foolishness.”
“Oh, I don't mind.” Jack smiled into Emily's eyes. “She is definitely worth the risk.”
“I beg to disagree, Mr. Lennox.” Ambrose held out his hand. “Will you come down to the kitchen with me, Miss Ross, and we'll forget this ever happened?”
Emily slowly stood up and made her way over to Ambrose. She ignored his proffered hand and instead got as close to him as she could. She put her hand on his chest.
“Don't blame Jack. I decided that as you weren't interested in me, I should look for an alternative source of sexual enlightenment.”
Ambrose tried to shift away from her, but she refused to allow it. “That isn't fair, Miss Ross. I have explained my reasons for my behavior toward you many times.”
“Then you should just run along and leave me to Jack. He doesn't love me, but he is quite willing to help me learn.”
His hand closed around her upper arm, making her jump. “You have let him bed you?”
“Not quite, but if you leave, I'm sure we'll get around to it at some point.”
“I can't leave you here with him. Your brothers would never forgive me.”
“My brothers?” She opened her eyes wide at himâanger, fear, and something else she refused to acknowledge driving her on. “Are you afraid you might lose your position? Is
that
what dictates your behavior toward me?”
His grip tightened. “You have never known what it is to have nothing, so do not even jest about being deprived of your livelihood. And I am no coward.”
“I'm not so sure.”
He yanked her close until she was pressed against him from knee to chest. “What do you want from me, Miss Ross?”
“Isn't it obvious?” She licked her lips. “I want your hands on me, your mouth on me, your body buried in mine.”
“Miss Ross, I . . .”
She pushed hard at his chest until he had to let her go. “If you don't want me like that, go away and leave me with Jack. He at least has promised to give me pleasure even if he doesn't bed me.”
Jack stood up and bowed as Emily walked toward him. “I'm more than willing to do that.”
Ambrose glared at Jack Lennox, who had the audacity to wink at him. Miss Ross seemed determined to put him into an impossible position. He was so tired of being called a coward, tired of denying what he really wanted. But was this the right way to show his love for Emily? He didn't want Jack Lennox touching her, but what was the alternative? Could he perhaps offer her this, and resist the temptation to take her completely?
“I can give you pleasure,” he blurted out.
Emily went still, her back turned, and slowly looked over her shoulder. “You would do that for me?”
He gestured at Jack. “I'd rather it was me than him.”
Jack shrugged. “It's up to you, Miss Ross.”
Ambrose held his breath while Emily considered him. There was a strange air of desperation about her that made him want to take her in his arms and just hold her. It also made him certain that if anyone was going to introduce Miss Emily Ross to the pleasures of the flesh, it was going to be him, and not some unscrupulous rake who would simply count her as yet another conquest to be discarded the next morning.
He held out his hand again. “Please, Miss Ross? Emily?”
She came toward him, and he took her hand and kissed it. “I'll give you more pleasure than you can imagine.”
She looked up into his eyes and his whole world narrowed so that he could see only her, breathe her beloved scent in, and feel her quivering flesh against his. She went up on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
With a groan, he sucked her tongue into his mouth. He struggled to keep the kiss gentle and respectful, but she would have none of it, her mouth eager, her body writhing against his until his cock threatened to explode just with the feel of her rubbing against him.
He picked her up and laid her on the bed, pulling her shirt up to display her pert breasts and the glorious thatch of hair on her mound. He returned to kissing her mouth, used his hands to learn her shape, to fondle her breasts until she was moaning his name.
With a groan, he kissed his way down to her taut nipple and drew it deep into his mouth, sucking and licking it until she was panting. His hand covered her mound, his middle finger sliding easily into the thick wetness to find the swell of her bud. He circled her there until she met every demand with a roll of her hips, until she was clutching at his shoulders, demanding her due, seeking her pleasure from his fingers.
“Ambrose, I . . .”
“It's all right, Emily. I have you.”
He shrugged off the pain of her nails digging into him and bent lower to tongue her clit and suck it into his mouth. She screamed his name, and he felt the tremors of her climax against his thrusting tongue. He barely resisted the urge to shove his finger deep in her cunt and claim her properly.
Instead, he crawled up her body and kissed her mouth, letting her taste herself on his lips. She opened her brown eyes and studied him. He let her stare, praying that she wouldn't turn away in disgust, that she would be pleased with him.
“That was . . . remarkable,” she whispered.
“Good.” He kissed her again, aware of a tremendous sense of relief mixed with sexual satisfaction.
Her gaze dropped to his trousers. “I want to see you.”
His cock kicked against the constriction of his underclothes. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He knelt up on the bed and slowly stripped off his clothes until there was nothing left to hide behind, just his gleaming black skin in stark contrast to her fairness. She touched his scarred hip and he went still.
“Turn around.”
“You don't need to seeâ”
She shoved at his hip. “Turn around.”
He reluctantly complied and heard her indrawn breath, shuddered when her fingers traced the intricate scars.
“You were only a child when you were brought here. Did they whip
children?”
“If they cried too much for their mothers.” He swallowed hard. “And Lord Kendrick wasn't averse to beating me either.”
He tensed as she leaned in and kissed her way down his spine. “I'm so sorry, Ambrose.”
He turned back to face her. “I don't need your pity. It was a long time ago.”
She didn't back down. “I know, but perhaps I can be angry on your behalf?” Her gaze dropped to his cock. “May I touch you there as well?”
“If you wish.”
She reached forward and wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft. “Oh, it is warm and hard and soft all at the same time.”
He closed his hand over hers. “Like this, Miss Ross.” And showed her how to move her fingers up and down him. It didn't take long for his pre-come to start to flow, soaking their entwined fingers and making the experience so pleasurable he wanted to moan with joy. How many times had he been touched like this? Far too many to mention, and yet this woman's touch meant more to him than any others.
“I'm going to come, Miss Ross, Emily.” He cupped his other hand over the tip of his straining cock and let himself climax. “Ah, Emily, I . . .” He buried his face in the soft spot between her head and shoulder and closed his eyes until he'd finished trembling. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her heart, and he wanted to stay there forever.
“That was very entertaining.”
Disoriented, Ambrose opened his eyes and turned toward the chair by the fire where Jack Lennox had remained seated. He'd completely forgotten the man was even there.
“Mr. Lennox, have you no decency?” Emily was already scrambling to pull down her long shirt. “Why didn't you leave?”
“Because I wanted to see if Ambrose would pleasure you as well as I would?” He nodded. “And I must confess that he did such an excellent job, I am now aroused myself.”
Ambrose couldn't help but look at the man's groin and see he was correct.
Jack winced and stroked himself. “That's the second time I've been hard tonight.”
“Then why don't you go and find someone to relieve you?” Ambrose asked.
Jack fixed him with a cordial stare. “Because I am waiting to see if Miss Ross requires anything more of me.”
“I'll take care of Miss Ross.” Ambrose almost growled.
“I don't think so.” Jack rose and sauntered toward the bed, making Ambrose tense up. “Are you completely satisfied, Miss Ross?”
Emily swallowed hard and avoided Ambrose's gaze. “Not quite.”
“What?” Ambrose tore his wary gaze away from Jack to stare at Emily. “I gave you exactly what you asked for, what you said Mr. Lennox was going to give you.”
She raised her chin at him. “It is true that you gave me great pleasure, I cannot dispute that. But I want more. I want to be bedded completely.”
For one second, Jack's and Ambrose's gazes collided, and Ambrose was no longer sure if Jack was playing a game or not.
“Miss Ross . . .”
Emily's lip trembled. “Stop calling me that! Stop retreating from me.” She started to scramble toward the edge of the bed. “If neither of you want me, I'll simply go out into the main salon and offer myself to the first man I see!”
Ambrose caught her by the shoulders and stopped her retreat. “You don't mean that. You are worth far too much to want to give yourself to any man.” She tried to pull out of his grasp and he looked desperately at Jack, who raised his eyebrows.
“She's already tried to bed one complete stranger tonight, Ambrose, so I suspect she's serious. Miss Ross, what if I offered to fuck Ambrose? Would that interest you enough to make you stay here and rethink your decision?”
“Why in God's name would she want to see that?” Ambrose demanded. “Are you mad?”
Jack leaned up against the four-poster bed and ignored Ambrose, his attention fixed on Emily, who appeared to be listening to him. “I'm not mad. Perhaps Miss Ross would like to watch me with you as much as I enjoyed watching her.” His eyes held another message, warning Ambrose not to interfere. “It would add to her sexual experience without taking her virginity. She could even help me out if she wished.”
For the first time, Ambrose wasn't sure whose side Jack was on. Or was he simply playing with them both? It seemed the most likely explanation.
“Mr. Lennox, with all due respect, why are you still here? This is a matter between me and Miss Ross.”
“I promised Miss Ross I would stay with her this evening, and I always keep my word.” He bowed to Emily. “Make your choice, Miss Ross. You can stay with me or with Ambrose, or you can stay and watch me fuck him instead of being fucked yourself.”
Ambrose winced at Jack Lennox's crude choice of words and forced himself to look at Emily. “Or I can escort you down to the kitchen and get Seamus Kelly to take you home.”
Emily stared at him for so long that he feared she was never going to speak again.
“I don't want to go home,” she whispered. “I want to stay here with you.”
Ambrose let out a breath he was unaware he'd been holding. “Then stay.” He tried to clear his throat. “I'll let Mr. Lennox fuck me, and you can watch.”
It was hardly ideal, but at least it might help Emily remember exactly who he was and how he earned at least part of his wages. If he was even luckier, it might also stop her giving away her maidenhead.
Jack started to remove his clothes and Emily's eyes widened. He wasn't quite as tall as Ambrose, but he was well muscled and slender. He climbed up onto the bed and smiled at Ambrose.