CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
WHEN INDIA PRENDERGAST was determined to do something, she would let nothing stand in her way. In that, at least, she had not changed. Even if the something in her way was her own trepidation and yes, cowardice.
At least she finally had a genuine use for the peach negligee and matching wrapper, a garment clearly designed for seduction and sin. One would think wearing a lace-trimmed weapon of carnal desire would give a woman set on seduction a fair amount of confidence, and indeed it did. Even if it was currently hidden under the bulky comforter she had wrapped around herself for the walk from her room to Derek’s. Apparently, it took more than resolve and determination to completely change from proper, responsible spinster to harlot, even in Paris.
She squared her shoulders, drew a calming breath and knocked on Derek’s door. And realized she had no idea how to properly seduce a man, although perhaps properly was not the right word.
After a few seconds—or an eternity—the door opened.
Clad in his red dressing gown thrown over striped silken pajamas, Derek stared in obvious confusion. She’d thought he had looked handsome and dashing and very nearly perfect earlier in his formal evening wear but now with his hair rumpled and the sash of his dressing gown loosely tied, he was improper and imperfect and nothing short of irresistible. Her heart raced.
He narrowed his gaze as if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes. “India, is something wrong?”
“No, nothing at all.” She shook her head.
“Then, why are you here?” he said slowly.
“Why?” She had rehearsed what she intended to say but apparently, when confronted with a man obviously fresh from his bed and knowing where this could—where she wanted this to lead, words failed her. “It’s difficult to say exactly.”
“What?” He shook his head in confusion.
Come now, India Prendergast, a firm voice in the back of her head said. If this is what you want, and you do, tell the man.
“Very well.” She raised her chin. “I should like to...to be seduced. Or to seduce you, if you prefer. Although admittedly, I have no experience—”
“Good God, India.” He grabbed her arm and yanked her into his room. “Get in here.” Obviously, the man was eager to begin. “Unless you wish to announce your intentions to the entire house.” Or not.
She nodded. “That might be best.”
He shut the door behind him. “Surely, I didn’t hear you correctly. What are you really doing here?” His gaze flicked over her. “And why are you wearing half the bed?”
“Derek.” She braced herself. “Tonight I made a wish, and only you can make the wish come true.”
“Bloody hell, India!” His eyes widened in sheer horror. “What did you wish for?”
“I wished for the night to never end.”
He stared for an endless moment. She suspected it would not be in the spirit of seduction to shift nervously from foot to foot yet it was terribly difficult not to do so.
“Oh no.” He took a step backward. “This is some sort of trick, isn’t it?”
“No, as I said—it’s a seduction. Or an attempted seduction. Although it doesn’t seem to be going very well.” She pulled the coverlet tighter around her. “I did think with your reputation, you would understand and be, well, amenable to the idea.” Her gaze drifted downward, and she cleared her throat. “Although I can see you’re not unaffected by my arrival.”
“Damnation.” It was as much a groan as a word. Derek stalked across the room, grabbed a pillow and held it in front of him. “I’d have to be dead to be unaffected!”
“Precisely my intent. Well, not that you be dead, of course, but—”
“Your meaning was clear, and I congratulate you on your success. In spite of that thing you have wrapped around yourself, you are most...” His expression twisted as if he couldn’t bear to say the words. “Provocative.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, damn it all, India!” He uttered an odd sort of painful laugh. “With your hair...like that.” He waved with his free hand. “All unrestrained and floating about your shoulders, and that tantalizing glimpse of lace, the flush on your cheeks, the sparkle in your eyes...” He glared. “A man can only take so much, you know!”
“Really?” She studied him thoughtfully. Odd that his discomfort eased her nerves. Perhaps this was one of those shoe-on-the-other-foot kind of things. After all, Derek had no doubt seduced a fair number of willing ladies. This might not be so difficult, after all. “You should know I have never done this before.”
Obviously, she had stunned him into silence.
“Seduced a man, that is.”
“Yes, I knew what you meant!”
“Or allowed a man to seduce me. Although I suppose it really doesn’t matter, who seduces whom,” she said thoughtfully. “At some point, I assume the seduction will be mutual.”
“What?” The man could barely croak out the word.
“Carpe diem, remember? This is one of those unexpected opportunities, and I intend to seize it.”
“If I recall, that was in reference to sightseeing. Not—” he waved at her “—whatever this is.”
“Goodness, Derek.” She heaved a frustrated sigh. “I believe I have explained this quite thoroughly. Or at least as thoroughly as was necessary. Indeed, I have been painfully obvious.”
His eyes narrowed. “So you have never done this before, and yet here you are.”
“Of course I have never done this. I am not a trollop. I had never kissed a man before you, either.”
“Never?” He stared at her.
“No, never.” She shrugged. “The opportunity never arose.”
“And Sir Martin never—”
“Good Lord, no!”
“Then I’m the first man you ever kissed?”
“We’ve established that.”
“Oh, well, hmm.” He nodded thoughtfully. “That is interesting.”
“I’m glad you think so.” She summoned her courage and let the coverlet fall to the floor. “Shall we?”
His gaze traveled over her from the lace ruffles cascading down the front of the wrapper to the tips of her slippers. Only the fact that between the negligee and the robe there were two layers of the translucent fabric kept her from being completely exposed. But she’d studied herself in the mirror before leaving her room and knew full well there were peaks and shadows barely concealed by the gossamer material. Given the look in his eyes, and his tightened grip on the pillow, he had clearly noticed.
“So.” She forced a light note to her voice and stepped toward him. “Should we...retire? To the bed?”
“That isn’t—” He cleared his throat and stepped back. “That isn’t how things like this are done. You don’t simply go to a man’s room in the middle of the night and say, ‘Seduce me!’”
“I did offer to seduce you.” She stepped closer. “I might need some assistance in that, but the offer remains.”
He stared at her.
“Surely this is not the first time a woman has come to your room with an offer of this nature.”
“No, it isn’t. But that is entirely irrelevant. We’re not talking about some woman. We’re talking about you!” His brows drew together in a forbidding manner. “What did you think was going to happen here, India? Did you think you could simply waltz into my room, declare your intentions and I would throw you onto my bed and have my way with you?”
“That sounds like an excellent way to start.” She nodded. “But you might wish to discard the pillow.”
“I don’t think so,” he said, clutching the pillow tighter against him.
“I must say, I’m a bit surprised.”
“You’re surprised?”
She casually circled around him and sank down on the edge of the bed. “I never imagined this was going to be quite this difficult. I thought a man of your reputation would be more than amenable to a night of...amorous adventure.”
“So I’m the trollop?”
She winced.
“Now see here, India Prendergast.” Indignation rang in his voice. “Admittedly, I have had my share—perhaps more than my share—of amorous adventures. And while the offer is tempting—more than tempting—bloody hell, India, I love you! And you are not the kind of woman one dallies with—especially not on command! You are the type of woman one marries!”
She stared at him. “Does one?”
“It might very well depend.” He stalked over to her, dropped his pillow, yanked her to her feet and into his arms. “Are you here because I am a means to an end? A way to make the night last forever? Or are you here because you want to be with me as much as I want to be with you? Because you cannot stand another minute without being in my arms? Because I have taken up residence in your heart and regardless of how ill suited we are for each other, we are as well inevitable?” His gaze bored into hers. “Because you love me?”
“Well...” Her breath caught. “Yes.”
“That’s settled then.” He stared into her eyes but made no effort to let her go.
“I think you should kiss me now.” She rested her hands on his chest, startled to note he had nothing on beneath the dressing gown beyond the pajama trousers. Just as startling was how exciting that was.
“Do you?” He swallowed.
“It seems like the thing to do.”
“I believe I said the next time I kissed you it would be at a time and place of my choosing.”
“And yet here we are.” She slid her arms around his neck. “Seize the day, Derek.” She tentatively touched her lips to his. “This is an unexpected opportunity.”
He groaned and pulled her tighter to him. His arousal pressed against her through the layers of fabric, and the strangest feeling of need ached inside her.
“Kiss me, Derek,” she murmured against his lips, shifting her hips to press closer. Any lingering apprehension vanished in the heat of his body next to hers.
“India.” He moaned and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss firm but distinctly restrained. She could feel the tension in the hard muscles of his arms around her, as if he were holding himself in check. As if he were afraid. This would never do. He raised his head, released her and stepped back. “There. I have kissed you—now you should go.”
“Derek,” she said with a sigh. “I am a twenty-nine-year-old spinster, which did not bother me at all before I came to Paris. I usually wore gray or brown. I prided myself on my efficiency, and I considered myself quite ordinary. Now I find it rather sad and somewhat pathetic. I feel like an entirely different person. And it’s your fault. You taught me to breathe, Derek, and now you have to suffer the consequences.” She smiled in what she hoped was a sultry manner. “And I have no intention of leaving.”
“And I have no intention of seducing you.” His resolute tone was at complete odds with the sharp bulge beneath his dressing gown.
“Very well then. If you will not seduce me, I shall have to seduce you.”
“Will you?” A distinct challenge shone in his eyes, and he shrugged. “Be my guest.”
“You should know that novels of detection are not the only things I have read.”
“Oh?” He smiled in a knowing manner. “Then by all means, proceed.”
“You would be amazed at what one might learn through the joys of reading,” she said under her breath. Although she really had no idea what to do now.
“I can imagine.” He chuckled.
“You doubt me?”
He shrugged.
She studied him for a moment, then reached out and pulled the sash of his dressing gown free, letting it drop to the floor. The gown fell open, leaving the hard planes of his chest exposed. A smattering of hair covered his torso between his flattened nipples, then trailed down to disappear beneath the trousers. She moved closer and ran her hands over his chest. He shuddered beneath her touch, and his hands clenched into fists by his side, but he made no other movement. A sense of pure power washed through her. How long would it take for him to lose control?
She reached up and kissed the base of his throat, then ran light kisses down his chest. She felt his sharp intake of breath beneath her mouth and smiled to herself. Her hands pushed the gown off his broad shoulders, and it fell with a whisper to the floor. She reveled in the feel of his tensed muscles beneath her fingers, then slowly circled behind him, her hands never leaving his flesh. His back was as well defined as his chest. She stepped back and shrugged out of her wrapper, leaving her covered only by the nearly transparent material of the negligee. Odd that this wasn’t the least bit embarrassing. No man had ever seen her so scantily clad, and yet there wasn’t so much as a hint of apprehension. Instead it was all quite exciting.
She ran her hands over him, caressing his shoulders and tracing the ridges and valleys of his back with the tips of her nails. Her fingers drifted along the cleft of his spine, lower to the waist of his silk trousers, hanging low on his hips, and below to the curve of his buttocks. He tensed at her touch, and she savored the feel of his body and his response. She ran a finger along the edge of the fabric. His breath came a bit faster, as did hers. She moved closer to press against him and kissed the back of his neck. She wrapped her arms around him and reached for the drawstring of his pajamas, inadvertently brushing over his erection. He drew a deep, shuddering breath.
“India.” The word was little more than a moan.
She tugged at the drawstring, and his hand caught hers.
“You realize there is no going back from this?” His voice was ragged with desire.
She swallowed hard. “I do.”
He turned to face her, her hand still in his. “I have never taken a virgin to my bed.”
“Then I shall be your first.”
“No, you shall be my last.” He pulled her to his lips. “Be forewarned, India Prendergast, I don’t want a single night with you. This night is not all I want to last forever.”
“Good.” The word was little more than a sigh.
He kissed the palm of her hand, then her wrist. She shivered and a yearning ache spread low in her abdomen. He straightened, drew her into his arms and crushed his lips to hers. For a moment, panic surged through her. What had she done? It was quite exciting when she was the one doing the seducing, when she was in control. Now his mouth plundered hers, demanding and insistent and...her mouth opened to his, and he tasted vaguely of heat and brandy and spice. His arms wrapped tighter around her and the beating of his heart echoed her own. Something decadent and demanding—desire no doubt throbbed deep within her.
His mouth trailed from her lips and along her jaw to linger just below her ear. She caught her breath. His lips ran kisses down the curve of her neck. He moved the sleeves of her gown off her shoulders, his mouth never leaving her flesh, heated beneath his touch. He pushed the gown lower until it slid to the floor leaving her naked in his arms. She shivered with the cool night air and the feel of his body close to hers.
One hand caressed the small of her back and moved lower to the curve of her bottom. He cupped her breast and lowered his head to flick his tongue over the hardened nipple. She gasped, and her stomach tightened. He sucked at her breast and the most astonishing sensations coursed through her. Without thinking, her body pressed closer to his, his erection beneath the fabric of his pajamas nudging between her legs. He shifted his attention to her other breast, pulling the nipple into his mouth, gently nipping and sucking until her knees weakened and her nails dug into his shoulders for support.
He lowered her onto the bed and for a moment stared down at her. “There is nothing ordinary about you, India Prendergast. You are remarkable.”
He ran his hands over her ankles and along the insides of her legs, lightly caressing her knees and traveling ever higher to her inner thighs. Her legs fell open of their own accord; she was conscious of nothing but the astonishing feel of his hands on her skin—arousing and hypnotic. Flesh that had never seemed so alive. As if he had brought her to life.
His fingers slid between the soft folds at the meeting of her thighs and her breath hitched.
“Derek!”
“Carpe diem, Miss Prendergast,” he murmured, sinking to his knees between her legs.
Surely he wasn’t—she propped herself up on her elbows and stared at him. “Derek—you aren’t? You wouldn’t!” She stared. “Would you?”
“Oh, I will.” He grinned, and his head disappeared between her legs.
Her back arched at the first touch of his mouth and she cried out. This was not at all what she’d expected. The girls at Miss Bicklesham’s had shared a great deal of information but this had never... His tongue slid over her, and she moaned with the exquisite sensation. All thought of what she had expected vanished amid an onslaught of unimagined bliss. He toyed with her and teased her with his mouth and his tongue and his fingers. Her hands twisted in the sheets, and she moaned with the ever-increasing ecstasy. The strangest thing seemed to be happening within her. As if her body was growing tighter and tighter, nearing a point where she would surely die of pure pleasure or explode into a thousand pieces. It was quite the most incredible feeling. He slid a finger into her, and that too was different but not unpleasant. Then he slipped a second finger inside, and without warning she shattered. Sheer bliss and utter release thundered through her, and her body shook with the power of it.
A moment later Derek joined her on the bed and gathered her against him. Her mouth eagerly met his, and her hand slipped between them. She wanted to touch him, caress him, pleasure him as he had done her. But more—she wanted him inside her. Wanted to feel the hard length of him taking her, claiming her.
Aching desire again throbbed through her and she threw her leg over his. His erection nudged against her, and he groaned.
“India,” he murmured against her skin, then shifted to position himself between her legs.
He stroked her for a moment until her breath came faster and his fingers were again slick with the evidence of her need. She arched upward to meet him and at last he slid into her, joining her, filling her. His movements were restrained and cautious, achingly slow and deliberate.
There was no more than a twinge of discomfort, awkward for a moment but then eclipsed by the most unique awareness. He seated himself fully within her then slowly moved, sliding out then sliding in, his pace measured and unhurried. With every movement, the strangeness of it all faded replaced by unexpected and amazing sensations. In the back of her mind she noted his thoughtful concern for her and was grateful but whatever demon of desire had been released within her demanded more. She wanted him harder and faster, and she clutched at his shoulders to urge him on. Pleasure, pure and intense, spiraled through her until that odd tension wound again tighter and tighter. He thrust faster in an ever increasing rhythm, her movements instinctively matching his. And when her body convulsed once more and stars obscured her vision and scattered through her blood, she felt him shudder hard against her and moan her name.
They lay entwined together for a minute or a lifetime. She had no doubt lost the ability to move at all nor did she have any desire to do so. She could stay like this—her arms and legs entangled with his—forever. Not the least bit practical, of course, but there it was. Love coupled with passion was apparently a powerful force.
At last he withdrew, propped himself up on one elbow and studied her, a smile of contentment on his handsome face. A smile that no doubt matched her own.
“What are you thinking?” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“I suspect there’s a great deal to be said for a man who knows what he is doing when it comes to seduction. Even when he is reluctant to do so.” She giggled. Good Lord, she had never giggled in her life. What had this man done to her?
“That was an extremely practical observation, Miss Prendergast.”
“I am an extremely practical woman.”
“You realize you are mine now.”
“What?” She laughed. “I belong to you?”
“Forever.” He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “And you will marry me.”
She struggled to sit up. “Will I?”
“I have ruined you, and there is no other option,” he said firmly. “It’s the only practical, sensible, rational thing to do.”
She stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “You’re being absurd. I am not a silly nineteen-year-old. I am nearly thirty years of age. You are under no obligation.”
He rolled his gaze toward the ceiling. “Did you miss that part where I said I loved you?”
“Well, no but—”
“And the even more pertinent part where you said you loved me?” His eyes narrowed. “Didn’t you mean it?”
“Of course I meant it.” She sniffed. “I would never say something of that nature if I didn’t mean it.”
“I warned you there was no going back.”
“I thought you meant, well.” She gestured at the crumpled bedclothes around them. “This.”
“I said I didn’t want a single night with you.”
“You did, but—”
“And furthermore you said you were wrong about the type of woman I should marry.”
“I said I was possibly wrong.”
“No, you said you were undeniably wrong.”
“That was a momentary lapse...”
“I would never say anything of that nature if I didn’t mean it,” he mimicked her.
“I do not sound like that,” she said loftily.
He scoffed.
“Perhaps the inflection might have been accurate.”
He laughed, then sobered. “I have never asked a woman to marry me before.” He shook his head. “Nor have I ever wanted to.”
“I cannot do anything until Heloise is found,” she warned.
“I can agree to that.” He grinned. “Besides, you reformed me. The least you can do is make an honest man out of me.”
“Have I reformed you?” Her gaze searched his.
“Without question.” He nodded. “The moment we return to London I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the Lady Travelers Society is completely legitimate.”
“Are you doing that for me or because it’s the right thing to do?”
“Both.”
“Good Lord, I really have reformed you.” She grinned with satisfaction. “I’m very good at this. Perhaps I shall become a reformer.”
“The only one you may reform is me.”
“There is much that needs to change in this world,” she said thoughtfully. “I have never had the means to do anything about it.”
“And think of all you could do if you were no longer employed. And eventually, as Lady Danby.”
“There are a lot of women who have no choice as to their lot in life,” she said. “Perhaps I could try to do something to help them.”
“Excellent idea. But first.” He pulled her back into his arms and rolled until she was beneath him, then nuzzled her neck. Once again that helpless, demanding feel of need washed through her. And with it a delicious sense of expectation.
Apparently, there was much to be said for being a harlot.