My Seductive Innocent (27 page)

Rather than offer words he didn’t think she was ready to believe, he leaned down and traced the soft fullness of her lips with his tongue. She trembled in his arms and crushed her body to his. “Where did you get this night rail?” he asked, trailing his hands down her back and over her firm buttocks.

“I borrowed it from my lady’s maid.”

He paused a moment, considering what the devil the lady’s maid must be thinking, but dismissed the erroneous concern and gathered the material of her gown in his hands until he had enough to slide it over her head. She raised her arms and allowed him to do so without a word of protest, but when the gown was off, she immediately crossed her arms over her breasts.

While holding her gaze, he quickly undressed and then bent to remove her drawers and then gently moved her arms to her sides before trailing his tongue over one pert nipple and then the other. He cupped her breasts in his palms and circled his thumb over the straining bud, reveling in the way her eyes changed from bright blue to the dark, smoky blue of desire. “Don’t ever cover yourself to me, remember?
Promise me.
” He tweaked both her nipples very gently while waiting for her response.

“I promise,” she said in a hoarse voice.

He brushed his lips to hers as he trailed his hands to the juncture between her thighs and slipped his fingers inside the silky hair to find the spot that made her moan. She hissed as he grazed the engorged flesh and stroked her slowly, then faster. Her eyes closed and her fingers curled into his back.

He moved one arm to the small of her back when she began to sway, and her eyes briefly flickered open. “You make me feel so wondrous, Nathan.”

The surge of need he felt for her was more than he could contain. With searing desire, he grasped her under the buttocks and lifted her to his hips. In two strides, they were at the bed, and he set her down and motioned for her to turn over. He had a primal urge to plant himself as deep as he could, and the best way to do that was to take her from behind. Her eyes rounded, but she obeyed.

He slipped an arm under her belly and drew her up until she was on her knees, then found that sweet spot between her thighs again and worked his fingers with a frenzy that made him tremble and her scream. When she was slick and panting, he thrust himself inside her, grasping her under her ribs and pumping his life into her until he couldn’t hold back anymore. He rode the tide that took him until he felt his seed spill into her, and she arched backward with a loud cry of pleasure.

It was as if all his cynicism had been purged from him. Gently, he lifted his weight and lay down on the bed beside her. He pulled her to him and smiled as she nuzzled her head against his chest.

For a moment, they lay there in silence while he trailed his fingers over her silken backside. When she lifted up to look at him, her bright and brilliant eyes shone with pure love. He tensed as she confirmed what he saw. “I love you, Nathan.”

Before he could fight against his fear and see if he could offer her the words he knew she wanted to hear, a knock came at the bedchamber door.

“Sophia, I had a nightmare,” Harry called.

Sophia bounded out of the bed and donned her white night rail. She disappeared from his view, then reappeared just as quickly. “Harry is used to sleeping with me. He’s scared.”

Nathan saw the unspoken plea in her eyes. Hell, he could not believe what he was about to say. “Let him come in. I’ll make myself a pallet on the floor, and he can sleep in the bed with you.”

Sophia raced back to Nathan and kissed him. “There’s no need for a pallet!” she exclaimed. “We can all fit nicely on my bed.”

Hours later, as Nathan lay there listening to the even breathing of Sophia and Harry in sleep, he rolled over to get more comfortable and almost fell off the bed. Growling, he flipped onto his back. Tomorrow he would have a man-to-boy talk with Harry. He listened to their breathing awhile more and he realized with a start that he was smiling yet again. Sophia made him happy, and he fought back against the feeling he knew was not bound to last.

S
ophia awoke the next morning alone with a smile on her face. Any man who would allow his wife’s brother to sleep in bed with them had to care. She rolled to her side to get out of bed, and as she did, she saw a folded note with her name on it on the pillow Nathan had slept on. Her first love letter, perhaps? Grinning, she snatched the note up and unfolded it.

Sophia’s breath caught in her throat as she read.
How awful!

Sophia looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. She was supremely glad Nathan was the sort of man who felt compelled to notify the unfortunate relatives personally, even if it did mean it had taken him from her side.

A grin quirked Sophia’s lips. He
did
know her mind. She had wondered, and now he had just set her at ease and given her hope. Not only had he been concerned about her feelings but he had admitted that leaving her would be difficult. She pressed the letter to her chest for a moment before lowering it and continuing to read.

She lay there for a moment and pondered his last words.
That feels odd to write.
Was it bad that he’d written that or was she reading too much into it? After all, it felt strange to her that she was now a duchess. He could have just signed the note Scarsdale and not
Your husband
. But he was, indeed, her husband.

Forever.

The small nugget of hope that her mother had told her to keep in her heart was now a large boulder. Humming, she got out of bed and struggled valiantly into one of her new morning gowns, which was made of a delicate, rose-colored muslin. Of course, the proper thing to do would have been to allow Mary Margaret to dress her, but honestly, it seemed a tad ridiculous to constantly be dressed by someone else. She had been putting on her own clothes her entire life, and whether that made her less of a lady or not, she intended, for the most part, to keep taking care of herself.

After donning another pair of new slippers―it felt very indulgent but lovely to own two pairs of shoes―she took a quick glance in the looking glass and went downstairs in search of Harry. She found him in the dining room, cheeks puffed with a mouthful of food. She told him she was headed to the stables and he could meet her there, and then she made her way out the door.

As she did so, she noticed a footman slip out behind her, and when she inquired as to why, he informed her that he was to accompany her wherever she went. She smiled at the thought that Nathan was concerned about her safety, even if it did seem a tad overcautious. She didn’t see how a stranger could possibly slip past all the staff here.

Sophia strolled onto the terrace where the steps led to the garden, the footman walking a respectful distance behind. She made her way through the topiary garden with its formal plots lining both sides of a gravel path she knew led to a tunnel-like arbor. Inside the tunnel, she took a deep breath and filled her lungs with the crisp scent of the fresh, chilled air.

As she ventured closer to the stables, her jaw dropped open. The building was so grand it could be a house all on its own. It was a quadrangle, and at the main entrance, benches sat along each side of a covered space.

Male voices drifted from the interior of the stables, and then four men came ambling outside. As they saw her, the laughter and talking stopped, and they all stared at her. She suddenly felt very self-conscious, but she straightened her spine and raised her shoulders, determined to make Nathan proud.

“Are one of you perchance Mr. Burk?” she asked.

The tallest of the men—a barrel-chested, red-haired, red-bearded man—raised a hand. “Aye, that’d be me. Can I help ye?” His words held the ring of a Scot.

She nodded. “I’m Sophia.”

“Criminy!”
Mr. Burk pulled off his hat and sketched a jerky bow. “I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

The three other men quickly removed their hats and bowed, as well, each mumbling their apologies.

Sophia laughed. “Heavens! There’s no need to apologize. My husband said to find you, Mr. Burk, that you had a surprise for me.”

“It’s a grand one,” he said with a twinkle in his sky-blue eyes. “Go on with the three of ye.” He waved his hand at the other men. “Ye too,” he commanded the footman who had been following her.

“But I’m to stay with her when she’s out,” the young man replied.

“I’ll watch her, ta be sure, and deliver her back ta the house myself.”

The footman nodded, and all the men departed with backward glances and whispers. Sophia self-consciously straightened her gown and toyed with her short hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Mr. Burk staring at her. “I suppose I’m not the sort of duchess everyone would have expected Nathan to marry.” She was sure they wondered why he had not chosen a great beauty.

Mr. Burk smiled as he motioned her ahead of him and through the door. “No, Yer Grace, ye are not, but that’s a good thing, not a bad. Yer husband has a great deal of good in him and a keen mind, but until ye, he never seemed ta use his mind when choosing his female company.”

She felt her eyes widen in surprise at the man’s honest words, and his face turned so red it nearly matched his beard.

“I’m sorry I overspoke,” he mumbled.

“You didn’t. You just surprised me with your candor.”

He laughed. “My mother always said the good Lord gave me too much of it.”

“I think you have the perfect amount,” Sophia said. “Have you worked for Nathan long?”

“Oh, aye. I’ve been stable master here longer than His Grace has been alive. I was here when he was born, helped him grow into one of the finest equestrians around, and then watched him get into a heap of mischief. If ye ever want ta hear some stories, just say the word.”

With that, Mr. Burk strode ahead into the stables, which were two-stories high and resounded with male voices, yapping dogs, and neighing horses. He passed three stalls and stopped at the fourth, where a glorious white horse stood majestic and silent.

“That is the most beautiful horse I’ve ever seen,” Sophia whispered in awe.

“That’s good, Yer Grace, because Scarsdale purchased her for ye.”

“But I don’t even know how to ride!” Sophia exclaimed.

Mr. Burk chuckled. “I know. Scarsdale told me. He intends to teach you himself, but I’m ta get you started. He jest did not say it was ta be today.”

A wonderful thought occurred to Sophia. “Mr. Burk, how long would you say it would take to learn to ride a horse like this?”

“Well, it depends on the person doing the teaching and the person being taught.”

She locked gazes with the man. “Well, Nathan will be the teacher and I’ll be the pupil.”

Mr. Burk tilted his head. “I’d say a good month for ye ta feel steady.”

Joy spread like fire through her veins, rapid and consuming. Nathan wanted to spend time with her. And she was going to use every moment of it to show him that he loved her, too.

N
athan went straight to White’s when he arrived in London late at night three days later. He wanted to speak to Ellison and learn what he knew about the accident with the ship. Ellison always spent Saturday night at White’s. He made his way inside, and after handing off his overcoat, gloves, and hat, he wound through the crowded room searching for his cousin, nodding to acquaintances as he went.