Dangerous by Amanda Quick
“There, you see, Angelstone? Underbrink has apologized.” Prudence smiled benignly at both men but fixed Sebastian with a determined look. “And you will kindly accept his apology before we attract undue attention.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Edward. “I shall deal with you later, Underbrink.”
“Angelstone, you’re being extremely unreasonable,” Underbrink said frantically.
“Yes, you are, Angelstone.” Prudence tugged futilely at his arm. “Now, do stop this nonsense at once.” She turned to Edward. “Good night, my lord. You may rest assured that this matter is finished. Angelstone is not going to call you out.”
Edward looked uncertain but hopeful. He stepped back and inclined his head with stiff formality. “Good night, Miss Merryweather. Again, I am very sorry to have disturbed you at this hour.”
“Think nothing of it. I seem to be up and about at odd hours with amazing frequency of late.” Prudence reached around Sebastian and gently closed the door.
Sebastian turned on her. He was still seething. “Do not ever dare to interfere like that again, i will not tolerate it.”
She eyed him warily, but she did not back down. “You were being unreasonable, my lord. And entirely illogical. Underbrink made a simple mistake.”
“The hell he did. He showed up at this particular door at this ungodly hour to see you.”
Prudence brushed that aside. “Why on earth would he want to do that?”
“Because he wants you, you naive little ninny. He didn’t take you three years ago and now he’s wondering what he missed.”
Prudence blushed. “Do not be an ass, my lord.”
He loomed over her. “I am looking at the facts.”
“You know nothing about the situation.”
“Your brother told me the entire tale,” Sebastian said.
“Did he?” That stopped Prudence for an instant. “Well, I assure you that whatever feeling Lord Underbrink may have had for me three years ago has long since vanished. He married another and that was the end of the matter.”
“It would appear not.” The glow of the candle cast the planes of Sebastian’s face in demonic lines. “At least not on his part. What about you, Prue? How do you feel about him after all this time?”
“I am certainly not in love with him, if that is what concerns you, my lord.” Prudence lifted her chin. “Although what business it is of yours, I cannot imagine.”
“It is most definitely my business.” Sebastian stalked across the room. “Furthermore, you needn’t act as if my interest in the matter is unusual or odd. We’re engaged, if you will recall.”
His cavalier attitude toward their relationship outraged Prudence. “You seem to be the one suffering from memory lapses lately. Or have you forgotten that our engagement is a sham?”
He wrapped one hand around the bedpost and looked at her with hooded, unreadable eyes. “I wish to speak to you about this engagement of ours. I have had enough of this foolishness.”
Dismay swept through her. “You wish to end it so soon, sir?” She floundered for a logical, rational reason that would forestall the inevitable. “What about our investigation?”
“Forget the damned investigation. I am beginning to think that if the matter were put to the test, I would finish a poor second to your interest in conducting investigations.”
“I did not mean to imply that you are not also quite interesting, my lord,” she said desperately. “Indeed, I have never met a more decidedly interesting man. I am quite persuaded your intellect is of the highest order. I have been deeply impressed by your inquiring nature. And by your cleverness with locks.”
“Enough.” He released the bedpost and came toward her with an air of grim intent.
“Sebastian? What are you about?”
“Why don’t you apply your intellect to that question, Miss Merryweather? I’m certain you will very quickly arrive at the answer.”
He caught hold of her and swung her up into his arms before she realized what he intended.
“Sebastian.”
He tossed her lightly down onto the bed and sprawled on top of her, trapping her beneath his hard body. Prudence took a deep breath. The weight of him was indescribably exciting. She could feel the heat of him right through their combined layers of clothing.
She trembled a little as he carefully removed her spectacles and set them on the night table.
“Just once, Prue,” Sebastian said against her throat, “do you think you might concentrate on me instead of on the bloody investigation?”
“I have been concentrating on little else except you for the past several minutes.” She clutched at his shoulders and tried to focus on his implacable face. The jeweled fire in his eyes seared her. “What are you doing?”
“I am going to make love to you.” He reached down and stripped her slippers off her feet.
“Now? Tonight?”
“Yes. Now. Tonight.” He went to work on the buttons of her woolen gown.
A moment later she felt his fingers on the bare skin of her back. A tremor went through her as she realized how quickly he was working to undress her. In another minute or two he would have her bodice down to her waist. A deep, throbbing excitement awoke within her.
“Sebastian?”
“Hush, Prue.” He stopped her faint, questioning words with a fierce kiss that effectively robbed her of breath. She moaned and instinctively tightened her grasp on his broad shoulders. Sebastian lifted his head to look down at her. “We will talk later.”
He thrust his leg between hers, causing her skirts to tumble over his thigh. The startling intimacy of the action sent a wave of hot and cold chills through Prudence. Memories of the night in Mrs. Leacock’s bedchamber crashed through her once more.
With quick, urgent motions, Sebastian finished unfastening her bodice and tugged it downward.
“My sweet, Prue.” Sebastian’s voice was little more than a ragged whisper. He looked down at her breasts for a moment and then he reverently lowered his head and took one nipple between his teeth.
Prudence swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut against the exquisite sensations that washed over her. She felt as if she were floating in a warm river, gliding along in a current that was quickly gathering force and speed. Because of what she had learned that night in Mrs. Leacock’s bedchamber, Prudence knew that a magnificent waterfall lay ahead of her. She was suddenly impatient to reach it.
She arched herself against Sebastian’s stroking hand. He groaned thickly in response.
“This time I am going to be deep inside you when you find your release.” Sebastian looked down at her with blazing eyes. “I do not care if all the specters of hell put in an appearance around this bed.”
He levered himself slightly away from her and yanked off his shirt, breeches, and boots. When he turned to face her, he was naked.
Prudence gazed at him in startled wonder. She had never seen a man in such a state in her life. The candlelight gleamed on his broad shoulders and highlighted the powerful contours of his hard, lean body.
Even without her spectacles she could see that he was heavily aroused. The size of his jutting staff was disconcerting. She was inexperienced, but logic told her that a man was little different than the males of other species. She had lived in the country all her life and was well aware of how animals mated.
She knew Sebastian intended to thrust his manhood into her. The notion was strangely exciting, but common sense and logic made her hesitate. He appeared very large to her inexperienced eyes.
Prudence looked up at him. “I had not realized there would be such a disparity in terms of size between us, my lord.”
Sebastian uttered a hoarse sound that was half laugh and half groan. “My sweet, logical Prudence. I have warned you that at times your intellect is something of a problem.”
“There is no call to laugh at me,” she said, hurt.
He came down onto the bed, pulled her close, and kissed the delicate skin behind h
She smiled tremulously, more than willing to trust him in that moment. “Very well, Sebastian. If you are certain that you know what you are doing, let us get on with it. I vow I cannot wait much longer to feel what I felt the last time you took me in your arms.”
“You are the most incredible woman I have ever known,” he whispered.
He drew her gown and chemise off entirely and tossed both over the side of the bed. The garments landed in a small heap on the carpet. Sebastian ignored them as he studied Prudence’s nude body with an expression rendered stark by desire.
Prudence realized she was still wearing her stockings. For some reason the knowledge made her feel deliciously wicked. She felt her skin grow warm. “My stockings,” she mumbled.
“I think we will leave your stockings in place,” Sebastian said. “I find I rather like you in them.”
“Sebastian, really.”
“Yes, really.” He slid his hand slowly down the length of her in an act of possession that made her shiver. “You are lovely, Prudence. With or without the stockings.”
When his hand reached the triangle of soft hair between her thighs, Prudence cried out softly and turned her face into his chest. Shyness did battle with a growing sensual hunger deep within her. The hunger won. She curled closer against Sebastian, seeking more of his intimate touch.
“Silk and fire,” Sebastian muttered against her breast. “That’s what you are made of, my sweet. Silk and fire. And I cannot wait any longer to feel the flames.”
Sebastian settled himself on top of her. He reached down and parted her thighs. His fingers dipped into her, gently testing. The touch made Prudence dig her nails into his back and lift herself against his hand.
“You like that, don’t you?” Sebastian asked.
“You must know that I do.” Prudence threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled his mouth down to hers. She was enthralled, she thought, caught up in a shimmering spell of love and passion that had swept over her like a summer storm.
And Sebastian wanted her just as intensely, she thought with growing certainty. He must love her just as much as she loved him. He could not make love to her like this unless his feelings for her matched her own for him.
Sebastian accepted the invitation of her mouth with an eagerness that spoke for itself. His tongue surged between her lips, claiming her with an intimacy that foreshadowed what was to follow.
He pressed her thighs more widely apart, making a place for himself near her heat. Then he reached down between their bodies and fitted himself to the opening of her feminine passage.
The feel of his broad shaft poised to enter her brought Prudence briefly back to a vague sense of reality. “Sebastian?”
“Tell me that you want me, Prue.”
She smiled dreamily. “I want you.”
“Then all will be well,” he whispered.
He thrust forward slowly.
Prudence gasped against his mouth. Her whole body stiffened in reaction to the invasion.
“Open for me,” Sebastian urged. He withdrew slightly and then pushed forward again. “Let me inside, my sweet.”
Prudence’s fingers clenched in his hair as she bravely braced herself. But Sebastian did not force the entrance. Instead he again withdrew a short distance.
“You are like a lock that must be carefully opened,” he said. There was perspiration on his forehead. His shoulders glistened in the candlelight.
“I told you this would not work.”
“And I told you to trust me. I am very good with locks, if you will recall.”
He moved his hand downward, dampened one finger in her moisture, and then found the firm little bud that seemed to be the center of her passions.
Prudence began to relax again as he caressed her with his wet finger. The delicious tension coiled within her. Her head tipped back over his arm as she arched herself upward.
“That’s it.” Sebastian’s voice held satisfaction. “Now you will open for me, won’t you, my clever little lock? Now you are ready to let me inside.”
All Prudence could think about was the excitement his fingers were creating. Soon, she thought, soon she would feel that wonderful sensation again.
And then the thrilling release was upon her.
“Yes,” Sebastian whispered. “The lock is open.”
Prudence went wild beneath the onslaught. Her whole body convulsed with pleasure.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Sebastian. Dear God, yes.”
He guided himself into her once again and this time he did not hesitate or withdraw. He thrust deeply, relentlessly, into her snug channel.
“Beautiful” he said, his voice a dark, husky groan.
Prudence heard her own soft shriek of surprise muffled against his shoulder. Pain blended with the pleasure that was still rippling through her in tiny waves. She could not distinguish between the two sensations. She lightly bit Sebastian’s shoulder.
“My clever, beautiful lock has teeth,” Sebastian muttered.
But the small, passionate assault on his shoulder seemed to send him over some invisible edge. He gave a strangled shout and buried himself to the hilt. The muscles in his back were rigid beneath Prudence’s fingers.
Prudence held him tightly as he shuddered heavily and poured himself into her.
The candle had burned very low before Sebastian finally stirred on top of Prudence. He raised his head and looked down at her. His mouth curved faintly with lazy satisfaction. He leaned down to brush his lips across hers. Then he eased himself out of her and rolled to one side.
“Bloody hell. I’ve never felt anything that good before in my life.” He fell back against the pillows and pulled her down on top of him. “I told you I could open that particular lock.”
Prudence blushed, “So you did.”
He grinned and touched his finger to the tip of her nose. “It’ll get better with practice.”
“Are we going to practice a lot, my lord?”
“You may depend upon it.” He buried his fingers in her tousled hair and brought her mouth down to his for a quick, hard kiss. “We shall practice at every opportunity. Which brings me to the topic I was attempting to discuss earlier.”
“Our false engagement?” A sudden sense of wariness drove out some of Prudence’s contentment.
“Precisely. I wish to end it.”
Prudence was vastly more shaken than she would have believed possible. Surely he had some feeling for her, she thought. After experiencing the intensity of his lovemaking, she could not believe he felt nothing. He loved her. He had to love her. She tried to keep her voice calm. “I see.”
“No, I don’t believe you do.” Sebastian smiled slightly, but his eyes were watchful. “I want us to be married immediately.”
“Married.” Prudence was speechless.
Sebastian frowned. He appeared annoyed at her failure to grasp a concept that was apparently quite clear to him.
“Come, now, my dear,” he said persuasively. “How else are we to practice our lovemaking? I assure you, it would be extremely difficult to conduct an affair in Town. The other option is to accept every country house party invitation that comes along, and that would be a decided nuisance. We shall be forever on the road.”
“Yes, but marriage?” She had not expected this. She stared at him in shock, trying frantically to focus without the aid of her spectacles. “Sebastian, are you serious?”
“I assure you, I have never been more serious in my life.”
Joy leaped to life within her. It was instantly tempered with caution. She was well aware that she amused Sebastian. He found her interesting and obviously he felt some degree of passion for her. But thus far he had said nothing about being in love with her. He had not even said the words while in the act of making love to her.
??
“I can think of no one who would suit me better,” he said.
“Yes, well.” She cast about for a way of eliciting the answer she wanted. “I am, of course, extremely honored, my lord.”
“Good. Then the matter is settled,” Sebastian said brusquely. “I shall see about securing a special license in the morning. Lady Pembroke can be a witness.”
Panic seized Prudence. “As I said, I am deeply honored. And I can quite understand that it would be more efficient to conduct an affair within a marriage. But I am not certain that efficiency is a valid reason for such a permanent entanglement.”
“There are a number of other logical reasons for a marriage between us,” Sebastian said very coolly.
“There are?”
“Naturally. I would not have proposed the notion otherwise.”
Prudence reached for her spectacles and adjusted them on her nose. “Perhaps you would care to name a few of them?”
He gave her his most arrogant, most superior sort of smile. “As you wish, although I would have thought them obvious. You are a very passionate female, Prue. That is important to me, as I have certain physical desires which need to be addressed from time to time—”
Prudence could not bear to hear their mutual passion described in such a casual manner. “Go on with your list.”
“Yes, of course. In addition to a, uh, healthy approach to such matters, we have several mutual intellectual interests.”
“That is very true,” she admitted.
“In short, you will not bore me, my sweet.” He brushed his mouth lightly across hers. “And I shall endeavor not to bore you.”
“You could never do that,” she said quickly.
“I should also like to point out that living together as man and wife will greatly facilitate our investigations. We shall be able to advise each other and to study each other’s methods much more efficiently if we are under the same roof.”
“Yes, I can see that.” But her sense of uneasiness grew stronger. She sought carefully for the right words. “Nevertheless, do you think mutual interests and a … a certain degree of warmth between us will form a sufficient foundation for marriage?”