She laid her head against the cushioned back of the wing chair and shut her eyes in defeat.
“Do not tell me that the indomitable Laurence Heath is giving up,” came a deep voice from across the room.
Her eyes flew open, and she nearly lost her breath. It was Matthew Hastings, bold as daylight, standing in the doorway of her library as if he had every right to be there. As if he hadn’t just walked out of her life four months ago not to be heard from since.
“How did you get in here?” she asked, drinking in the sight of him despite her fury at his unexpected arrival.
“I forgot to return this,” he said, holding up his hand to reveal a key.
“And so you decided to bring it here personally rather than simply posting it?” she asked, lacing her question with an appropriate dose of sarcasm. “Well, thank you. You can leave it there on the table.”
He set the key on the table and strode toward her. “I had an interesting meeting today.”
Laurence blinked, not entirely sure her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her. “Indeed?”
“Two interesting meetings in fact,” he said, sitting down in the chair on the other side of the fireplace as if he had every right to be there. How many evenings had they passed companionably seated just like this?
“What made them so interesting?” she asked, striving to appear supremely uninterested when every fiber of her body had sprung back to life again with her awareness of his presence.
“The first meeting was at half ten this morning with a Miss Winthrop.”
That was not what she had been expecting. Although if asked, she could not have said what she
was
expecting. “Emmeline Winthrop?”
“One and the same,” he affirmed.
“What on earth would prompt the oh so honorable Solicitor Hastings to meet with a sniveling girl with a sad story? If memory serves, that is how you characterized Miss Winthrop during our last meeting.”
“I have a story to tell you,” he said.
She looked at him through narrowed eyes. “You have five minutes, but that is my limit.”
“Fair enough,” he acknowledged ruefully. “Following our less than amicable parting, I returned to Manchester. My former firm hadn’t found a replacement yet, so they were happy to have me back.”
“A relief, I’m sure,” she said.
“I had departed on good terms, and the senior partner isn’t one to hold a grudge,” he said. “Soon after my return, I was visited by my late wife’s sister, who is called Charlotte. Her husband died several years ago, leaving her with three young children. None in the family were particularly happy when she remarried a rather dubious chap and had two more children. Unfortunately, our worst fears proved correct, as her second husband turned out to be much less than he seemed.”
Laurence crossed her arms and regarded him steadily. “Did he, now?”
“He had been physically abusing her for quite some time, doing it in ways that were not visible to the family, but it was only when he tried to abscond with her inheritance from my brother and then refused her access to the younger children that she at last came to me for help,” Matthew said.
“How terrible for her,” she said, meaning it. “Unfortunately, it happens all too often.”
“In the process of trying to help my sister-in-law navigate the legalities of her personal situation, I learned a great deal about the shortcomings of English law, none of which would come as any surprise to you, I reckon,” he said. “It has been quite an education for me. So much of one in fact that I would have been here sooner, but it has taken some time to settle the matter.”
“Was it settled satisfactorily?”
“The only thing that would truly satisfy me would be that bounder’s head on a stake,” he said, clenching and unclenching his powerful fists almost reflexively, without seeming to realize it. “However, we have reached a resolution of sorts. It didn’t come cheaply, but he won’t be bothering her or her children any longer.”
“She is quite lucky to have someone strong and capable looking out for her,” Laurence said.
He gave a short laugh. “Strong, maybe. Capable? I’m not so sure about that. I suspect she would have been far better off with Solicitor Heath on her side.”
“I have listened to your story, and I am pleased for your sake that it has a happy ending. Why exactly are you here?” Laurence asked him.
He looked at her, his blue eyes filled with regret. “I am here to tell you I was wrong and that I am sorry for ever doubting you. And also that Emmeline Winthrop will have her justice. For my second appointment of the day was with Lord Worrell. Confronted with irrefutable evidence of his criminal activities and possible treason to the Crown, he has agreed to restore Miss Winthrop’s inheritance to her.”
Laurence rose to her feet and began pacing in agitation. “How absolutely marvelous of you, Mr. Hastings,” she said, making no effort to mask her sarcasm. “Should this weak-minded woman, addled by her lack of children, bow down and pay homage to you now?”
“What have I done wrong now?” he said, clearly bewildered. “Was it too much to hope that you might be pleased with the outcome of this matter?”
She stopped and turned to face him. “Would you have dared to interfere in a case in such a high-handed manner had I been a man?”
He shook his head, genuinely befuddled. “You are as intelligent as any man of my acquaintance, and no one in their right mind would dare question your legal skills. Nonetheless, as much as you might seek to deny it, you are a woman.”
“If I am as intelligent and as skilled as a man, why do you treat me as if I am less than your equal?” she demanded furiously. “Why do you doubt my word and then go behind my back to speak with my client?”
Her question gave him pause. “I have no good answer for that,” he said slowly. “Although I might argue that Lord Worrell was my client.”
She ground her teeth together in frustration. “Matthew, do you not understand? I don’t want you to fight my battles
for
me. I want you to fight them
with
me. Alongside me. Two people working together as equals in our profession.”
“What sort of man would I be if I wasn’t able to look after you?” he cried, throwing his hands up in frustrated supplication. “Dammit, Laurence, I want to give you what you want, but you do not make it easy. If I am not your protector, who am I, then?”
“My lover, perhaps?” she asked. Had she really said that out loud?
Matthew stood and grabbed her by the arms. “Is that truly all I am to you, then?”
“Would that be so terrible?”
“Dammit it, woman, are you not listening?” He was nearly shouting now. “I want to marry you, spend my life with you, honor and cherish you. I want to hold you close in my arms forever, but you want me only as your partner in law, and when it suits you, someone to satisfy your basest desires.” He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. “I hoped it could be different between us, that time may have softened you. But I see now that I was wrong. About you, about the way I interfered in your case, about everything.” He turned toward the door, his head hanging down in defeat. “Know that I am truly sorry, Laurence, for I meant only to help you. Instead, I have only made things worse. I have no business being here. I will go.”
He spun around toward the door, and she realized in that split second that she would not—nay, she could not—let him go.
“Wait, Matthew. Please wait,” she cried, but he didn’t slow down or hesitate for even an instant.
“Good-bye. I wish you all…ahhh!”
Desperate to stop him, she flung herself in his path, only to trip and fall, the impact of her body against his bringing them both down to the ground with a giant
thunk.
Matthew lay unmoving against the soft carpet for several moments, Laurence splayed across him, as he absorbed the unexpected shock of finding himself on the floor. “Dear God, woman, are you trying to kill me?”
“I am trying to kiss you,” she said, planting her lips greedily against his. Oh how she had missed the feel and the taste of him, she thought. He did not resist, tipping over to his side and kissing her back with equal fervor. After a few minutes, she felt him grow hard, and she rubbed herself against him, creating a most delicious friction.
“No.” He turned his mouth away. His breathing was uneven, but his tone remained resolute. “I have said I am not going to be your bedmate and I mean it. If that is all you want, you will have to obtain elsewhere.”
He made to rise, but her next words stilled his motion.
“What if I said I wanted more?” she whispered.
“I beg your pardon?”
She swallowed hard. “What if I said that I…” She took a deep breath. “What if I said that I loved you?”
His eyes met hers, and she saw the yearning but also the determination. She had to get this right, or she would lose him forever.
“I’m not entirely sure I would believe you,” he responded at last. “But as you haven’t yet said that you love me, it’s all quite theoretical.”
“Well, you should believe me, for it is true,” she said. “I love you, Matthew, with every ounce of my being. And while I am not sure right at this moment how to resolve the differences that lie between us, I do know that I cannot lose you.” Her tone grew fierce. “For if I should lose you, I lose all happiness. I know I have been a stubborn fool, but please tell me I am not too late.”
He moved and she feared he was going to push her away. Instead, his strong arms pulled her close against his hard chest, and he buried his face in the crown of her hair.
“Oh, Laurence,” was all he said, and then his lips were devouring hers. He rolled over so that she was beneath him, leaning on his elbows so as not to crush her with his weight.
“Tell me how I’m supposed to treat you like a man when all I want to do is bury myself in your softness?” He didn’t give her a chance to respond, his lips covering hers again as his hands roamed her body.
“Treat me like you want me,” she breathed, inhaling the scent of him, her hips gyrating up to meet his hardness.
“How I want you, how I’ve missed you,” he said. “Take me upstairs to your bed and convince me that you mean what you say and that this is not some cruel dream.”
She took his hand and did as he asked. A fire had been laid by Martin, and her room was toasty warm against the autumnal chill. Without hesitation, Matthew set about removing her shirt and trousers and then her corset and bindings until she was bared to his appreciative gaze. He took off his own clothing and joined her on the bed where their lips met in a long and lingering kiss.
When he gently shoved her back against the covers, she did not resist. His lips danced along the curve of her neck while his fingers worked magic on her breasts, rosy red and sensitive after their release from confinement. He took a nipple in his mouth and applied soft but steady pressure with his teeth, and she gasped at the sensation of pleasure mixed with the slightest bit of pain.
“I have so missed the taste and feel of you,” he said, his hands roaming across the curve of her belly before moving lower, and Laurence felt as if she was burning up with fever, with bits of fire grazing the nerves along the path of skin where his fingers roamed. “Have you missed me at all?” he asked.
“Let me show you,” she said, pushing him down until he was the one on his back and she was the one on top. “I know you prefer to be the dominant one, but please allow me this one indulgence.”
“I am always open to compromise,” he said. His cock lay high and sleek against his body, and she grasped it firmly, moving her hand up and down over the shaft, closely watching his expression.
“Oh yes, hold me just like that,” he moaned, shutting his eyes as he hardened even more. Remembering their previous time together, she leaned over and took one of his nipples in her mouth and was gratified when his body partially rose up from the bed in response.
“Don’t stop, please don’t stop,” he begged, his tone deeper than any she’d heard before. And in that moment Laurence felt powerful in a different way than she ever had before, knowing that she could make this incredible man go wild with desire. Watching him respond to her caresses was more stimulating than she could have imagined. And this was only the beginning. Did she dare take the next step?
What do you have to lose, Laurence? Is there anything you want more in this world right at this moment than to please this man?
She lifted her head from his chest and slid down his body, latching onto the head of his penis with her lips and applying the same pressure that she had on his nipples.
“Dammit Laurence, what the hell are you… Where did you learn to… Oh, oh yes…” he said, his fingers threading through her hair as she bent over him.
Holding the base of his shaft firmly in her hand, she took more of him into her mouth, experimenting with her tongue to see what brought him the most pleasure. When she reached up to pinch his nipple between her fingers, he moaned, and she sucked harder, loving the way his body responded.
“It has been a very long time, and I am nearly at the brink,” he warned, his voice unsteady. “If you continue, I’ll be no good for you.”
She lifted her head up from his shaft, and gave him a satisfied smile.
“A pity, for I was finding that quite enjoyable,” she said. “What next, Mr. Hastings?”
“Sit on me, for I am desperate to be within you,” he said, grasping her hips and pulling her atop him, her knees balanced on the bed, her legs spread open across his wide body. Holding his cock in his hand, he placed himself at the entrance of her opening and then looked up at her, his blue eyes gleaming like sapphires. “Can you take all of me like this, Laurence?”
With both hands, he slid her down his thick shaft, and she felt herself stretching around him in the most exquisitely pleasurable manner, every nerve stroked by his hard ridges.
Up and down she moved, taking him harder and deeper with each thrust, and when the base of his shaft rubbed against her clitoris, she thrust herself against that hard point that was bringing her closer to the edge. Somehow riding him this way seemed more thrilling and exciting than when he was on top and in full control. She felt his hands against her bottom, and when his finger dipped against the hidden rosette between the cheeks of her buttocks, she froze.