A Captain's Order - A Duke's Command (Hot Regency Read) (Scandalous Series Book 2) (3 page)

Six

Eloise stood at the terrace doors and looked over the sea of unrecognisable heads at the masquerade ball. The ton had gone to extreme costs dressing up as courtesans, pirates, Venetians, gods and monks.

A smile quirked her lips when a man dressed as a wolf stalked his prey, the woman not at all fazed by such pursuit but indifferent and even a little annoyed. She sighed and watched Lord Rine and Emma waltz around the floor. They made a beautiful couple, obviously, very much in love.

Eloise beat down the loneliness she had come to accept these past weeks. It wasn't her fault Gabe had pushed her away. She had spoken up and asked for what she wanted. Him. His refusal was of his own choosing and nothing more she could have said or done would have changed his mind. A man not used to the strictures of having a woman about and what that would mean for his bachelor life.

Pigheaded captain. She adjusted her black mask to sit correctly on her nose, wishing to remain anonymous. The only part of her face people could see were her lips, painted a deep red this eve, the opposite of the natural look she normally sported when at balls and parties. Dressed as Galatea, a goddess of the sea, Eloise felt seductive and beautiful for the first time in an age. Emma had sewn a small dolphin for her to hold, and the gown she wore poured over her like water and looked just as transparent in some light.

Not that she expected anyone to guess who she was. But tonight was for fun, and she was determined to have some. She needed to keep her mind off a certain man who haunted her every dream and every waking hour.

Gabe.

“May I have this dance?” The rich baritone ran through her and left her short of breath. She looked at the man bowing before her and frowned. There was something…

The dark hair behind his full-face mask gave him away, not to mention the eyes, deep pools of blue that spoke of sinful nights and weeks of longing.

But it couldn’t be. He was in Cape Town. Thousands of miles away.

“Gabe?”

He pulled her into his arms and swung her into the throng of dancers. “Ah, so my goddess of the sea knows who I am.”

Eloise's knees threatened to collapse, and as if he sensed her shock, he placed his hand about her back and held her fast. The hint of ocean emanated from him, dragging her under a wave of feelings only the blackguard before her could raise. A man who'd allowed her to sail into the sunset without so much as a by-your-leave. And yet, when he looked at her like he was now, with hungry eyes and lips lifted in a sensual smirk that made her stomach clench, it was so very hard to stay angry at him.

She cleared her throat. “I'm amazed a ship captain would know mythological history?”

His lips quirked, and so too did her pulse. “I'm well versed in many things.” The seductive glint in his eyes left her with no misunderstanding of his meaning, and Eloise ignored the desire that shot through her at being so close to him again. Ignored his thighs as they grazed against her skirts, reminding her of the fact he had allowed her to leave. Perhaps marry another. She looked over his shoulder, the pain of his abandonment a torment still.

Had he even cared for her at all? They had made love so many times that eventually she lost count. Was she only used for his satisfaction, a plaything to while away the many months at sea? He’d always been honest as to where he called home, and eventually they had docked in Cape Town, but what had happened next had been something she’d never even contemplated.

At first the chance to see an unknown land lifted her spirits higher than they already soared…until Gabe had explained he would not be accompanying her to England. Would in fact, be staying in Africa for the foreseeable future. Without her.

Just the memory made the bottom of her soul drop to the floor with a thump, as if an anchor had been heaved at her, splitting her heart in two.

“Hard to forget the man who left me.” She quickly met his gaze, her own narrowing. “What are you doing here? I did not think you cared for England or anyone who lived there.”

The arms about her waist pulled her closer than she should allow, and her body, remembering every decadent thing they had ever done, purred silently with the contact.

“You left me if I recall correctly. You must know I could never forget you.” His breath whispered against her ear sent shivers of desire along her spine.

Eloise moaned and allowed her hand about his waist to venture under his domino, allowed him to see what his touch did to her. Fired her blood and made her crave a secluded corner so they could be alone.

Then in a voice that belied her actions, she said, “Oh, but did you not say the last time we spoke, you would rather die than step foot in the cesspit they call England. That, and I quote, 'not even my delectable rump would change your mind'.”

She quirked an eyebrow at the resounding chuckle.

“Forgive me, my lady, I was not myself. The thought of you leaving…well, shall we just say I did not take it well.”

Eloise snorted. “You couldn't wait to be rid of me. After everything we had been through you couldn't even bother to see me off. Do not stand here and spout foolish words you do not mean.” She stepped back and curtsied. “Have a pleasant evening, Captain. Oh, and a pleasant life, preferably one back in the Africa you are so fond of.”

Considering the fury she noted behind his mask at her words, Eloise was surprised she made the corridor running adjacent to the ballroom before a large, voyage-roughened hand clasped her arm and pulled her to a stop.

“You know I never meant anything I said that day. I was upset. You were leaving me. Refused”—he pointed a finger at her nose—”to stay and live with me away from this life you once loved.”

“Still love,” she said, knowing she had never spoken such an untruth in her life.

Eloise noted the muscle in his jaw work while he digested her falsehood. Fear, unlike any she had ever known, assailed her when he let go and stood back, his eyes devoid of any emotion. “Forgive me. It seems I have been mistaken. I will leave you now. Goodnight.”

A moment of panic left her stunned. She didn't want him to leave, just to punish him a little for leaving her broken hearted. Foolish bounder.

“You step back into that ballroom, Gabe, and you will never step a foot near me again.”

A smile quirked his lips, which he smoothed before turning to face the wicked woman he loved more than any foreign country, ship, or the abundant wealth he had inherited. “Is that a threat?”

She turned and walked up the corridor before opening a door and disappearing into a room. Gabe looked along the passage and, noting its desertion, followed. Snipped the lock shut when he entered, and leant against the cool, wooden door at his back.

“You wished to say something, my lady?” He fought the urge to smile at her upturned, defiant little chin. He bit his lip lest he close the distance between them and nip at it until she begged for forgiveness or more. He’d take either.

“What are you doing here? How did you get an invite?”

“Ah.” Gabe sat on a nearby chair and met her curious stare. “I was invited.” “Really.” Her mocking gaze indicated she did not believe his words for the truth they were. “You are saying, Captain Lyons, Lord Durham invited a terror of the seas, a man who has fleeced many an English ship, to his ball?”

He shrugged. “I did not fleece. It was always paid work. But your answer is yes.”

“Why?”

Gabe looked at the signet ring on his left hand, the Duke of Dale's emblem clear to see in the flickering candlelight. “Because it would not be wise to slight me.”

“A sea captain? I always knew you were full of your own self-importance, but really, you are taking your charms too far.”

He chuckled. “'Tis true. As a captain I would not be allowed entry, but as the Duke of Dale, there are few in society who would not invite me to their entertainment. In fact, bar you, I believe there would be none.”

Gabe allowed the silence to stretch, watched an array of emotions cross Eloise's face. Shock, disbelief, acceptance, and finally anger. He stifled a sigh when the last annoying little sentiment came to the fore.

“You are the long lost Duke of Dale?” She paused, her mouth agape. “What?”

“Is it so hard to comprehend?” Certainly, his mannerisms and polite conversation had at times told of impeccable breeding and upbringing. Had Eloise never once wondered where he came from? What his life was like before the ocean became his home? “I came into the title just over a year ago. My brother loved his horseflesh and ultimately lost his life during a hunt last autumn.” He sighed. “You see, I never wanted the title or this life. Only something very special could bring me back to England. Something—” He paused, gaining her eye. “Something other than family duty.”

“You're a gentleman?”

The revulsion on her features stabbed at his gut like a knife. “And you're a lady. What’s that got to do with anything?”

Curls bounced against her slender shoulders with her rapid headshake of denial. “Men have the liberty to live vicariously and freewill. Women do not. I think you know better than any, I am no lady…not anymore.”

“You are my lady, Eloise.” Gabe allowed his annoyance to tinge his tone. What was she saying? Because he had lain with her, loved her as any man would have, given the chance, she was no longer acceptable to him?

“A duke cannot marry his whore.”

Taking a deep breath, Gabe clasped her hands. “You were my lover, but I never thought of you as my whore.” He frowned at her indifference. “Eloise, if I believed you to be someone I could toss aside and forget about, would I be before you now, fighting for your hand and heart.”

With a dubious look that stated she was not yet convinced, she pulled from his clasp, walked across the room, and sat. Her forehead crinkled in thought. “Did I not hear something about your abrupt departure from England?”

Probably, he mused. Most of London had. “Something like…?” he asked, not ready to tell her of his sordid past that spanned ocean and land.

“I cannot recall at this very moment, but I’m sure I will.” She shook her head. “Does not signify, in any event. You owe me an apology.”

“For?”

“Lying to me.” She stood and came to stand before him. “A captain? Who turns out to be a duke? Why didn't you tell me?”

Gabe stood and pulled her into his arms. “If you knew who I was, would you have seduced me as you did? If I recall, the knowledge I was a lowborn whelp was a boon for a woman wanting to enjoy and learn the pleasures only a man could give. I doubt you would have allowed me to even kiss you had you known who I was.”

Eloise hesitated, clearly fighting her desire for him, before she caught the lapels of his coat. “Even a lowborn whelp was able to capture the heart of a lady. I have missed you.”

He lightly brushed her lips with his, inwardly smiled when she moved to deepen the kiss. “And I, you.” With every moment, since the day she left, a part of him had been missing. He now realised what it was. His heart.

Gabe lifted her and carried her to a settee—not the widest of seats, but it would suit their needs perfectly well. Eloise lay before him and undulated against his chest. The silk gown splayed about her like a halo of sinful delight. The sensuous ploy made all the blood in his body dive to his nether regions.

Again.

Eloise watched Gabe strip off his mask and reveal the handsome face she had grown to love. His eyes swirled like the high seas in a storm when she sat up and helped him remove his domino, allowed her fingers to graze down his chest before stopping at his waist.

“You are not forgiven yet, Gabe.”

“No?” He stripped off his shirt and absently threw it on the floor. “Tell me what I must do to please, my lady.”

Unable to deny herself, Eloise ran her hand along the taut lines of his chest. Felt every sun-bronzed muscle with wanton abandonment. She swallowed when her gaze noted the hard ridge in his pants, and her own sex thrummed for him to take her there. Touch her. Take her back to the high seas and the many days of decadent love making they enjoyed.

Leaning up, she kissed his chest, allowed her lips to graze one pebbled nipple before tweaking it with her tongue. He tasted so good. Salty like the ocean but mingled with his own sweet flavour. She’d forever savour the taste.

Gabe clasped her neck, holding her against him. She nipped his skin, untied the front-falls of his skin-tight breeches, and watched memorized as his straining rod sprung free. His intake of breath made her stomach clench in desire. Eloise met his gaze while she stroked him, let her finger graze the tip and wipe away a drop of his seed as her palm slid over his member and stroked with just the right amount of pressure.

“Have you missed me?” She wrapped one arm about his muscular rear end and pulled him to his knees.

His eyes burned down at her, his ragged breaths all the answer she needed. She bent and licked his essence from the red, swollen head and welcomed the salty tang that settled in her mouth.

“Suck it.” Gabe begged, his voice thick with strain.

Eloise slipped her lips over the velvety skin and did as he asked. Using her tongue, she teased every inch of him, sucked and pleased  him until they were both rapidly breathing.