Wicked Deception (42 page)

She watched him yank off his cravat.
His hands went to unbutton his shirt. Her heart hammered in her
chest in anticipation. When he slid the fine lawn shirt from his
shoulders, she nearly swooned to see her husband’s naked chest for
the first time, coloring in embarrassment as she swung around and
closed her eyes tightly at the sensation in the pit of her
stomach.

He was wretchedly male and
devastatingly attractive. She was flinching as she listened to him
undressing behind her. She was trembling uncontrollably as the
sound of his clothing hit the floor, each agonizing piece at a
time.

Her reticule hit the floor as her
frozen hands unclenched. She stiffened as she felt him approach.
She refused to face him, knowing he did this only to prove his
possession, angered by her association with Christian.

She cringed when she felt his masterful
hands at her shoulders, turning her about to face him. He stared
down into her angry features, knowing his nudity had a disturbing
effect upon her. He reached down and began plucking the pins from
her hair, letting them fall at her feet.

He loosened the mass of red curls until
it fell in luxuriant waves to her waist, sliding his hands through
the silken tresses, his eyes never leaving her face. She stiffened
when she felt his hands go to her buttons behind her, undoing them
more efficiently than Imogene.

She felt her face flame when the dress
felt to her feet, squeezing her eyes shut as his hands made short
work of her corset, and it too, hit the floor. He stood back and
gazed down at his wife in silent admiration as he saw her naked
body in the glow of the firelight.

She was blessed with full, lush curves
that made his cock throb painfully in response. Her breasts were
full and round, the nipples a lush pink. Her waist was incredibly
narrow and her hips slightly flaring. Her legs were long and taut
and finely shaped. His eyes lingered at the junction of her thighs
where he saw the nest of copper curls.

A wave of lust hit him with such
intensity he swept her into his arms and bore her to her
ridiculously feminine, frilly bed. She was stiff and unyielding in
his arms, refusing to look at him as he lay beside her, staring at
her with hot longing in his gaze.

She angered him by looking away. He
reached out and forced her chin back and gazed at her with a hot
look that made her breathless.

“
Don’t you ever disregard me
in your bed, Gillian,” he said angrily and his mouth took hers,
hungry and possessive, moving across her lips like a man starved.
He parted her lips and his tongue stroked inside her mouth, growing
softer as he felt her grow pliant against him.

His hands slid over her with insistent
caresses that demanded a response, pushing aside her anger as he
sought to awaken her passion. His hands cupped her firm, velvety
breasts, delighting in them, and making her gasp as his mouth slid
to her ear and then her neck, making her shiver in
response.

Gooseflesh spread over her body as his
lips sought the curve of her neck, while his hands stroked her
breasts until they were aching and her nipples grew rigid with
delight.

She felt a moan escape her lips as he
took one turgid nipple into his mouth, pulling upon it until she
bit her lip in agonized pleasure, her hands clenched into the
comforter. He moved to the other nipple in determination, knowing
she was losing control. He unleashed his caresses upon her, knowing
as she arched under his lips his innocent wife had not known Bane
yet.

He knew every time he lashed at her
silken flesh with his lips and tongue, and felt her quiver that she
was innocent yet. He held back, determined to get a response from
her. He slid his hand down the curve of her waist, sliding his hand
over her flat, concave abdomen to the joining of her
thighs.

He felt her thighs clench in response
and smiled as his mouth left soft, blistering kisses across her
abdomen, inhaling her scent of honeysuckle as he lowered to her
thighs.

He heard her gasp as he pried them
apart in determination, his golden hair falling across her silky
flesh as he found her. A strangled sob escaped her tightly clenched
lips as he stroked at her moist pink flesh, his fingers teasing the
folds apart in his quest to find her.

She uttered a low growl as he found the
very center of her. Her eyes flew wide, and she gasped in denial as
her hands slid into his silky golden mane, clutching him to her.
Gabriel knew she was ready as her hips met each flick of his
tongue.

He felt her passion on his lips and
gloried in it as he rose above her. His dark eyes met hers as he
moved between her legs. He positioned himself at her opening and
thrust gently inside, pushing deep with a low groan as he felt the
impediment to his joining with her, glorying in knowing he was her
first as he reared back and thrust deep inside her.

He felt her stiffen and heard her cry
out in pain. He soothed her with soft words, kissing her again,
slowing as he let her grow used to the feeling of him inside her.
His hands caressed her shoulders and he moved determinedly inside
her, holding back as he felt her nails score his back.

Soon she was gasping as he moved within
her, holding him closer as he drove inside her. He closed his eyes
and clenched his teeth with the effort to stay in control as he
moved above her. She turned her head for his kiss at
last.

He ground into her and his hands found
her hips, urging her to move with him. Gillian sighed in surrender
as she moved with him at last, her arms sliding around his neck as
he stroked hungrily inside her.

He closed his eyes as he felt her body
tightening around him, and forgot all but the woman beneath him,
muttering intelligibly as he rose and fell above her. Gillian was
on fire. She met each thrust of his body with cries of delight, her
hands tangling in his golden locks.

Gabriel was determined to hold back,
and remained in control as he felt her quivering beneath him. He
delighted in her passion, and was in awe as she grabbed his
shoulders, shuddering in wonder, her beautiful long-lashed eyes
flying wide, his name upon her lips.

He kissed her urgently as he felt her
open to him at last. He closed his eyes as he felt himself climax,
splintering and shattering above her, groaning and shaking as he
exploded within her at last.

He breathed raggedly as he lay above
her, stiffening in response to the intense shaking of their bodies.
He smiled as his head buried in her hair at her neck. His wife may
hate him, but her body loved him.

It was a start that was short-lived, as
he slid out and rolled off of her. His attempts to embrace her
proved to be in vain for she pushed him away and demanded he get
out of her bed.

“
You do not tell me to
leave, Gillian!” he said as he sat up, but she kicked him defiantly
in his ass and glared at him.

“
You have gotten your
satisfaction, my lord,” she snarled as she wrenched the comforter
over her nakedness and glared at him. “Now go! Let us hope your
visit was productive, and we need never see each other
again!”

Gabriel was enraged at her words and
rose from the bed and backed away as he saw she was livid, not
enraptured at all. He stared at the woman he was wed to with shock
as she deftly kicked him out of her bed, denying what had just
happened between them with each angry word. It was obvious she had
gone back to hating him the minute the lust faded between
them.

“
You don’t command me,
madam, but the other way around!” he said harshly as he stared down
at her, his dark eyes hurt she would push him away now.

“
You have had your way,
husband!” she cried as she scooted to the far corner of the bed,
her sea green eyes blazing with anger. “You can find your way to
the door now!”

Gabriel stiffened at her words, seeing
the angry set of her face, knowing she hardly softened towards him
after their lovemaking. She seemed to hate him even more now. He
glared at her as he stomped away to find his clothes. He wrenched
on his clothes. She watched him, her eyes narrowed in
ire.

“
You’re my wife, Gillian!”
he bit out as he dressed quickly, angered she continued to push him
away. “I do not have to ask for your favors like Bane! I can have
you when I wish!”

“
Then that is all you will
have!” she said with a sneer of derision. “But when you have your
heir; I demand to be free of you! You will let me live my life and
you can have your precious Catherine! I no longer care! When I’m
delivered of your heir; I want to never see you again.”

Gabriel stared at his wife, seeing the
hatred in her eyes. He didn’t bother to disabuse her of the notion
that Catherine was a factor. It was obvious she wanted no part of
him. He grabbed his coat, eyes filled with regret as he met her
furious gaze. He should have told her the truth from the
start.

“
You will not take Bane to
your bed until I have my heir, Gillian,” he ordered in a cold voice
instead. “Give me what I want! I won’t give a damn whose bed you
grace then! This is an arrangement. You will find no complaint from
me if you give me what I ask for, as quickly as
possible.”

She was shocked at his words as he
turned to leave her room. Fury filled her that he had only come to
her bed in worry she would sleep with Christian first. He was only
concerned to get his legal heir. She recalled the wondrous passion
she experienced in his arms and stiffened in outrage. He would
learn she had a cursed tongue as well.

“
Let us hope your pathetic
attempts at passion bear fruit, my lord. Now get from my sight
before I forget I’m a lady and tell you how much I would have
preferred Christian this night,” she said coldly, enjoying the way
his face darkened in rage at her words.

“
I leave you with pleasure,
wife!” he snarled, his dark eyes roving over her with contempt.
“But make no mistake that I will be back until you give me a child.
We will get this over with as quickly as possible. Then I shall
leave you to Bane.”

“
I want it drawn up by your
man of affairs as soon as I give you your heir that I’m free to
live my own life!” she countered in a furious whisper. “I want my
own money and wish to be free of you!”

“
Consider it done, madam!”
Gabriel grated and wrenched open her door. “I would have wanted no
less from you!” He was gone then, slamming the door behind
him.

Gillian sagged against the pillows,
eyes filling with tears. She rolled to her side, and ignored the
whispers her pride was speaking. Gabriel had come to her only to
assure himself she had not taken Christian to her bed and for no
other reason.

She sobbed as she heard the front door
slam. Her eyes closed in resolve. She had drawn the line in the
sand. She would not compete for his affections for another. She
would rather be alone. Alone didn’t sound as good as it had when
she moved out of his house. She bit back a sob as she thought of
all she would not have, forcing him into another
arrangement.

Gabriel was furious as he left her
townhouse, shouting at his driver as he launched himself into his
coach. He was livid at her words. He could hardly see straight. The
thought of her with Christian Bane made him sick, thinking of how
he had helped Lillianne the year before hire countless assassins to
come after him and Catherine.

Would Gillian care to know he’d been
shot and nearly died because of one of Bane’s hirelings? Did he
tell her of their history and his suspicions of Christian? He
sighed in disgust. She would not believe a word he said if he
discredited the man.

She was too grateful to the Marquis of
Lyndon for rushing to sponsor her in society, never asking why.
Gabriel could only guess what Christian planned for his wife.
Gillian had no idea what the man was capable of, blinded by his
supposed good deeds.

He was more than contrite when he
arrived home to feel the intense loneliness as he walked into his
home. The silence of the house was deafening.

He shut himself into his study, still
furious his wife literally kicked him out of her bed. He drank his
brandy in consolation, his dark eyes snapping as he thought of her
ultimatum.

She wanted her own life once she gave
him an heir, did she? He would give it to her. After all he was
through with women; he wasn’t up for fighting the red-haired shrew
he was now married too.

~ ~ ~

Lilly saw the coach arrive at her
husband’s residence. Ah, she arrived at last. She watched with
loathing as Catherine stepped down from the coach and went to the
door of the manor.

She was chortling with her own
cleverness as she watched her sister enter the house. She need only
wait now. She would follow her when she left to find out where she
stayed now. Killing the miserable bitch was all she lived for this
last year since her arrest and public trial.

Putting a bullet in her heart at last
was what kept her sitting outside the building across the street.
She was amused when she saw the red-haired bitch moving out soon
after the wedding. What was it about her husband that women found
so loathsome?