Victorian Vigilantes 01 - Saving Grace (12 page)

She wanted to argue. Walking around Lord Torbay’s house, albeit at night when no one would see her, wearing nothing by a diaphanous nightgown and thin shift seemed rather…well, daring. And perhaps just a little exciting. Her pulse raced, her heart did a strange little flip and her breathing became laboured. Not that he ought to read anything into her reaction, always assuming he noticed it. Her excitement was purely attributable to the unconventional situation she found herself in—absolutely nothing more.

Lord Isaac still wore his formal evening trousers but he had shed his coat, waistcoat and tie and his feet were bare. Curling blond chest hair sprang out of his open shirt where he had unfastened the buttons at his throat. Eva found the sight fascinating, and wondered how it would feel to curl her fingers in it. Yea gods, whatever could have possessed her to think such a thing? This was not an auspicious start.

“Very well.” She inverted her chin and took a deep, steadying breath. “Lead the way, Lord Isaac. I am impatient to get this over with and prove you wrong.”

His blue eyes came alight with amusement. “Actually, without wishing to sound conceited, I am usually right when I set my mind on a particular purpose.” He paused and locked gazes with her, the corners of his lips lifting into a glamorous smile. “And in your case there isn’t an inch of room for doubt.”

“You know nothing about me, and so I fail to see how you can be so positive.”

“I hesitate to disagree with a lady.”

He sounded disgustingly self-assured. Since she had known him less than a day and was already parading through the house with him half naked, she supposed he had good reason to feel that way. Perdition, had she lost her senses, behaving little better than a trollop? As though sensing her hesitation, Lord Isaac’s gaze locked on her face. There was hunger in his eyes that she found oddly reassuring. She was ashamed of her awareness of him, of the need she felt for his approval, at the surging tide of emotions she experienced as she withstood the dark weight of his gaze.

Oh, for goodness sake!

“Shall we go?”

She tore her gaze from his and folded her arms defensively across her chest. If he kept staring at her she would come to her senses and return to bed. Alone. His rich chuckle implied he was aware of the curiosity and doubt conducting a full scale battle with her conscience, arrogant man, and that curiosity had won the day,

“By all means.” He took her hand in his, causing more of that wretched fizzing to flood her bloodstream as they made their way along the corridor. “Here we are.”

He opened another door and stepped back so she could precede him through it. His mind was set on seduction and yet he didn’t forget his manners, Eva thought inconsequentially as she entered the room.

“Oh!”

She stopped stock still and clapped a hand over her mouth, too shocked to do anything other than allow the seductive illusion he had created to seep into her bones. It was a large room, the walls painted a deep shade of red, candles burning on every surface. There had to be a hundred of them, casting light and shadow over the crimson walls, creating an atmosphere that was both soothing and yet anticipatory. Eva’s pulse quickened as she breathed in the heady perfume given off by fresh flowers spilling from a dozen vases. The ambience he had skilfully conceived filled her with an overwhelming desire to be someone other than herself, just for a very little while. No longer dubious about agreeing to do this, she was now anxious to get started. How very clever of him, she thought absently.

“What is this room?” she asked.

“It’s a room Jake reserves for…er, assignations.”

“Does he mind you using it?”

“Not in the least. Sometimes we share it.”

Eva didn’t need to feign surprise. “You have more than one woman in here?”

“No, only ever one at a time.” Isaac grin was pure sin. “Sometimes we enjoy sharing.”

Eva didn’t quite know how to respond to that. To say she was shocked would have been a gross understatement, but she didn’t wish to come across as too much of a prude. “I see,” she said weakly.

He laughed. “I doubt if you do.”

“What would you have me do?”

Lord Isaac’s laughter faded. His penetrated, focused gaze rested on her features and he became all business. “Remove your nightgown,” he said curtly. “You have no need for it in this room.”

“But—”

“You are wearing a shift beneath it?”

“Yes, but nothing beneath that.”

He chortled. “I should hope not.”

“Is it really necessary for me to disrobe?” She canted her head and flashed a provocative smile. “Are you afraid your alchemy won’t work through a flimsy barrier of cotton, Lord Isaac?”

“You agreed to submit to this experiment, Lady Eva, and I agreed not to touch you. By removing your own clothing, I cannot be accused of reneging on that promise.” He paused to elevate one brow in an infuriatingly confident manner. “Or are you afraid you won’t be able to maintain your frigid stance if you have nothing to hide behind?”

She fixed him with a droll glance. “I am not afraid of you,” she lied.

The look he dealt her said she probably should be. By then recklessness, anticipation and the ambience he had gone to so much trouble to create had combined forces, replacing her earlier caution with wild abandonment. The desire to know what happened next knocked aside a wedge of her anxiety and Eva knew she would do whatever he asked of her. Slowly she untied the lace at the neck of her nightgown, released the ties at the cuffs and pulled it over her head.

“Satisfied?” she asked.

“Not nearly, but then it is not my satisfaction that is at the heart of this experiment.”

“What would you have me do now?”

Lord Isaac drilled her with a look. “Firstly, you must relax and trust me. You have already agreed to obey me absolutely. Are you still willing to do so?”

Am I?
“Yes.”

“Then please sit on that loveseat directly in front of me.”

“By all means.”

She sank onto the padded seat, pleased for the opportunity to sit since standing in front of a virtual stranger wearing nothing but a transparent shift caused her knees to tremble. If she was honest with herself, it also felt stimulating. Something stirred deep inside her, some dormant feeling that caused her to wonder.

“Are you entirely comfortable?” Lord Isaac asked.

Absolutely not!
“Perfectly so, I thank you.”

“Well then, now is the time for you to place your complete trust in me so I can help you. Will you do that?”

“Gladly, but I think it only fair to remind you I am beyond help, at least in the way you imply. I would not want your manly pride to be indelibly marked by your failure with me, and for that reason I am perfectly willing to release you from our wager.”

“Be careful what you say.” Lord Isaac raised a warning hand. “I doubt there is a man in the kingdom who could resist proving to a woman with your sensual nature that she is wrong about herself.”

“Then I am entirely at your disposal, much good might it do you.”

“We are going to play a game, Eva.” Her name slipping past his lips sounded so natural that Eva made no objection to his use of it. Besides, given the circumstances, it was a little late to worry about social niceties. “The game will open your eyes and teach you a few things about yourself.”

“All right.” She bit her lower lip to prevent herself from smiling and felt her face flush. “But it might also teach you something you did not know.”

“I am always willing to be enlightened. Now, open your legs wide, bring your feet up onto the settee and then close your eyes.”

Eva hesitated, her breath catching in her throat. Had she heard him properly? To do as he asked would be to expose her most intimate place to his view. There again, he had vowed not to touch her and had probably seen many women in a similar state of undress, so it hardly seemed to matter. Besides, she wouldn’t admit it for the world but the prospect of doing as Lord Isaac asked
did
excite her. Slowly she moved her legs. She heard a sharp intake of breath from her tormentor, but he made no comment on what he saw. She rather wished he would. Never had a situation called more urgently for a compliment, a few reassuring words…something.

“Very good.” Lord Isaac spoke in a soft, hypnotic voice. “Now relax and imagine a cool mountain stream.”

Her eyes, half-closed, flew open. “A mountain stream?”

“Certainly. Do you have something against them?”

“No, but I fail to understand—”

“You’re here to obey me, Eva, not to understand. Now, concentrate. You are sitting on its bank, dangling your feet in the water, turning your face up to the sun.”

Powerless to resist the earthy vibrancy of his voice, Eva wiggled her toes, tilted her head back and smiled with the freedom the gesture somehow afforded her.

“Breathe deeply. Fill your lungs with that sweet mountain air.” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Let your mind wander and your body drift. You are tired. Close your eyes and let the sun seep into your body. It’s time to relax.”

She mumbled incoherently, unaware what it was she felt the need to say. Eva let out a prolonged sigh and closed her eyes more tightly.

“That’s it. It’s so warm that you cannot stand the feel of your clothes. You have taken them off and are sitting there naked.”

Her eyes flew open again. Did he really expect her to remove her shift? Damn it, why did he have to say that and break the mood? She already missed the way Lord Isaac’s mesmerising cadence made her feel like someone she could never be. She wanted that experience to return more urgently than she would have imagined possible. What to do? He had already had a full view of her naked femininity. What could be worse than that? With a reckless sigh, she grabbed the hem of her shift, pulled it over her head and threw it aside.

“Good girl.” He paused. Presumably he was looking at her but Eva had closed her eyes against her embarrassment and so could not be sure. “Now, shall we return to that stream?”

She rotated her head and relaxed her shoulders. The heat from all the candles burned into her nakedness like the midday sun he had asked her to imagine.

“No one ever comes up here, so you have the place all to yourself and can do as you please. You fall asleep in the sun, more relaxed than you have been for weeks, but something wakes you up. Something or someone is touching your breasts. Can you feel it, Eva?” She nodded but didn’t open her eyes. She loved this place and absolutely hated the thought of leaving it. “It could be a butterfly, a feather, or something otherworldly. Whatever it is, it feels wonderful. Your nipples harden.”

“Hmm.”

Cool air peppered one of her breasts. She sensed movement close by and thought he might have stolen up close to breathe over it. Opening her eyes to find out would break the spell, and so she kept them closed. She felt her nipple grow painfully hard. One of her hands drifted up and tweaked it, causing fiery sensations to ripple through her.

“No one told you to touch yourself.”

Lord Isaac sounded stern, as though she had disappointed him. Her hand fell away but, to her mortification, a small moan slipped past her lips.

“Why are you protesting, Eva?” His voice had regained its hypnotic cadence. “You get no pleasure from your body.”

“I liked it when the butterfly landed.”

“But you are still conflicted about your feelings. Butterflies hate conflict.”

“I just want to feel—”

“That’s good because the butterfly is hovering over your nipple again.” Another cool breath of air set her nerve ends tingling. “Can you feel the beat of his wings?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want him to land?”

She let out a needy little moan. “Please, yes!”

Her hand wandered to her nipple again. When he didn’t order her to stop, she pinched it really hard. She cried out as a deeply disturbing jolt rocked her body.

“Now you are really starting to feel excited. I can see liquid seeping from your cunt. Perhaps the butterfly will land on your clit. It’s throbbing and swollen and badly needs to be touched.”

She gasped. “How did you know?”

“The butterfly knows everything. It’s hovering, fluttering up your legs, trying to decide if you are worthy.”

The hand not touching her breast came to rest on her calf. She wasn’t conscious of moving it there, but most have done so. It ran up and down a few times. Eva felt as though it was someone else’s hand that sent shivers through her every time it made contact with her skin. She could hear her tormentor breathing heavily, presumably watching her. Emboldened, she straightened her leg, lifted it in the air and ran her hand all the way to her pubic hair and then back again.

“I want the butterfly to land on my cunt,” she said in a hoarse voice, wondering how she had become so wanton, and when she had started to use such base language.

“Why? You won’t feel anything because you’re frigid.”

“No!” The word came out as a strangled moan. Why was she objecting? The small part of her brain still capable of rational thought wondered why she was reinforcing his opinion of her. Eva refused to listen to it. The piquant thrills coursing through her flamed her blood to the extent that she cared about nothing other than their continuation. There was more, she sensed, so much more she had yet to experience and every nerve ending in her body sang out, desperate for that which had always been denied to her. “Not today, I am not. I can feel, really feel—”

“What do you feel, sweetheart?” Lord Isaac asked. “Explain it to me.”

“Intense, exquisite sensation, as though I am boiling over inside.”

“Where do you feel it?”

“In my breasts, and lower.” She sighed, desperately wanting to explain the pure joy, the emancipating thrill, rioting away inside of her. He couldn’t possibly know how wonderfully liberating it felt. “Deep in my core.”

“That’s good.” Lord Isaac sounded infuriatingly smug. “Now you are really relaxing and the butterfly has just landed on your clit. Are you ready for it?”

“Yes!”

“It is touching you so delicately that you can barely feel it.”