Chapter Twenty-Five

 It took every ounce of reserve that Maddy had not to race down the stairs when she saw Jamie gallop up the drive of Rotherham House.

He was back, he was back! she thought gleefully, suddenly flinging open her wardrobe to change dresses and after doing so, spent several minutes fussing with her hair in the hopes her heart rate would slow down.

Finally, she pressed a hand to her stomach to calm the butterflies churning there and walked slowly and with dignity down the stairs, and hearing male voices in conversation, turned towards the study. There, Jamie, Fitz, Blakely and several other men of the party were gathered around the fireplace, and several women as well – including that dreadful Lady Drake, who was seated very close to Jamie.

Nonetheless, Maddy plastered on a smile and strode confidently into the room. “Lord Carrington, you’ve returned,” she said with a smile and a curtsy. “We’re glad to have you back.”

“I hope the party didn’t suffer in my absence,” Jamie said, rising and bowing to her, then gesturing for Maddy to take a seat.

“Your dancing skills were much missed, my lord,” she said, and they shared a secret smile as the group resettled themselves with drinks.

The men immediately began asking of the state of Jamie’s corner of England, and he regaled them all with tales of not only the occasional hardship, but triumphs as well. The land was prosperous, and the people seemed happy and well fed, and were slowing learning to trust their lord again, which Jamie much appreciated.

Maddy was gladdened to see Jamie looking so happy and relaxed – she was pleased he’d had a successful trip. It made their parting a bit easier to bear.

A bit.

She willed herself not to squirm whenever Jamie’s gaze landed on her, even for just a moment, and smiled pleasantly at everyone in the room, hoping to disguise the lust she felt boiling just beneath her skin.

She would be ever so embarrassed if everyone in the room knew her thoughts at the moment, as they were most indecent.

Finally, the party began to break up, drifting upstairs to prepare for dinner, until only Fitz, Maddy and Jamie were left in the room. They fell into easy conversation, and shortly, Rose joined them in the parlor.

Maddy watched surreptitiously as Rose seated herself near Fitz, and smiled secretly to herself. She was definitely going to have to make some progress on that front if they two of them were ever going to get together.

“I suppose I should get dressed for dinner as well,” Fitz said, glancing down at his more casual attire after the four of them had conversed for a few minutes. “Will there be dancing tonight, Carrington?”

“If everyone wishes it,” Jamie said easily. “I can send my man to retrieve the band, if so desired.”

“What do you think, Lady Rivenhall?” Fitz asked, turning to her. “Shall we dance this evening?”

“I… if you wish it, my lord,” Rose stammered.

“Unless you fear for your feet, perhaps you would do me the honor of dancing with me. You are quite one of the best dancers in the room – and you can save me from Lady Drake, who always steps on my toes.”
Both Rose and Maddy laughed, sharing a look of triumph between them. “I believe I can handle that task, my lord,” Rose said with a bit more of her usual fire.

“Excellent!” Fitz said, standing, and Rose also stood. “May I escort you upstairs? Though you have no need to change because you already look pretty, ladies feel the need to change their clothes at least two dozen times a day – why, I have no idea.”

“We like to keep the gentlemen guessing, my lord,” Rose shot back, taking his arm. “This evening, I plan to quiz you on every colour dress I wore today.”

With a playful groan, Fitz escorted her from the room, leaving Jamie and Maddy alone, seated across from each other.

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither one knowing what to say to the other.

“You had a good trip, my lord?” Maddy asked, breaking the ice after a long silence.

Jamie nodded. “I did. But it was long – too long. I thought of nothing but you for two days straight.”

Maddy laughed. “I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure you were concerned with grain prices and livestock at least for a few minutes.”

“A very few minutes,” he replied easily. “And how were things here?”

“Dreadfully dull, my lord,” Maddy said pertly. “I found myself wanting for a partner for… dancing.”

Jamie stood up and crossed over to where Maddy was sitting, and then dropped himself onto the seat beside her. Slowly, too slowly for her taste, he leaned over and pressed his lips to Maddy’s tenderly. “I missed you as well,” he murmured after a moment. “Perhaps we could…”

“Dance later?” she asked with a devilish twinkle in her eye.

“Must it be later?”

Maddy giggled at his pouting tone. “It’s not even dinnertime, my lord, and I think everyone would miss you at the table.”

“I wish there weren’t so many bloody people in the house,” Jamie said. “I’d very much like to lock you in my rooms for a few days without anyone noting our absence.”

Maddy smiled at his growled words. “Privacy is hard to come by, my lord, but I’m sure that we can find something to accommodate you…”

“Until this evening, then, my lady…” Jamie said, kissing her again. “We have much to catch up on.”

###

Maddy sank onto the edge of her mattress and wrestled off her shoes. She’d just spent the last two hours dancing nonstop with almost every gentleman in the party, even dancing once with Jamie, though she was sure everyone would detect the sparks flying between them and only limited their dancing to one turn about the floor.

He had given her a small smile as she had excused herself to go to bed, but had made no plans to see her privately the next day, which gave her a tinge of disappointment, but she was so tired, she didn’t really dwell on it.

She stood and turned towards her bureau to place her shoes underneath and jumped in fright when the door flew open beside her, and just as quickly, shut again with a snick of the lock.

Jamie stood inside her bedchamber, a look of undisguised lust on his face as he pressed himself against the door, looking at her kneeling on the floor.

“My lord,” Maddy said, straightening in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

In answer, Jamie grasped her shoulders and pressed her against the edge of the bureau, kissing her fiercely. She gasped in surprise and then delight as his tongue plundered her mouth, cutting off any other words she might have asked. Her hands automatically twined about his neck, her fingers sinking into the soft blond hair at the nape.

“You can’t be in here, my lord,” Maddy whispered, pulling her lips away from his. “If we are discovered, it would be ruinous for us both.”

“I can’t seem to stay away,” Jamie said, dropping his mouth to press against the skin of her neck, inhaling her scent. “I have to be with you. Please, Maddy, don’t send me away.”

“If someone found us…”

“We’ll just have to be very quiet, then,” Jamie said mischievously. “Though, after your performance the other night, I’m not sure…”

Maddy squeaked in embarrassment and covered her face with her hands. “Was I… was I too loud? Was it offputting?”

“On the contrary,” Jamie said, tugging her hands down and holding them in his. “I found it arousing. So, do it again, just quietly.”

And with that, he picked her up entirely and deposited her on the bed with a growl. She struggled to disentangle herself from her dress as it scrambled around her ankles, even as he toed off his boots and loosened his cravat, his eyes watching her hungrily.

“How do you know I even want this?” Maddy asked coquettishly. “Perhaps I’m not longer attracted to you. Perhaps you don’t arouse me anymore.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow in question. “Oooh?” He asked, crouching on the bed, pushing her back against the pillows and trapping her by placing an arm on either side of her waist. “Is that a challenge? I do so love challenges…”

Maddy was about to shoot back a retort when Jamie leaned over and pressed his lips to the hammering pulse in her throat, accelerating her heartbeat. “Is this arousing?” he murmured, licking her pulse.

“Or this?” he asked, mouthing her breast through the thin silk of her gown for a moment, leaving a spot of wetness directly above her trapped nipple. “This?” He asked, tugging the material away and licking her nipple, then blowing cool air on it, making her arch involuntarily.

“This?” He repeated, laving her other pebbled nipple, biting down slightly and feeling Maddy’s nails dig into his shoulders as he continued his ministrations. Finally, he lifted his head and look down at her flushed cheeks, her eyes shut in pleasure. “Maddy?”

He slithered back up and kissed her – so softly, so gently, she thought she might cry from the emotion in it. Jamie rained kisses over her face, her nose, her temple, her cheeks, her chin until she thought she would burst from the tenderness of the gesture. “My lord?” she finally gasped.

“Yes?” Jamie asked, lifting his head.

“I believe you are wearing entirely too many clothes.”

Jamie laughed, a deep, throaty laugh. “I might say the same about you.”

“Take them off. Now,” Maddy said, her tone suddenly commanding, harsh.

Jamie felt his erection twitch at the authority in her voice, and his hands flew to his shirt buttons.

After watching him for a long moment, Maddy shyly stood up and turned and had Jamie unbutton her gown, then sliding it down to puddle at her feet. She removed the rest of her underclothes as Jamie hurriedly removed his shirt, breeches, socks and small clothes until they stood, a foot apart next to the bed.

“You are beautiful,” Jamie whispered, his eyes roving up and down her body.

“So are you,” Maddy said honestly, reaching out to touch a scar that marred one perfectly sculpted shoulder. “War wound?”

“I’m sure you’re bound to find more,” Jamie said, watching her eyes trace his body.

Maddy drank in the appearance of him hungrily. His blond hair had become mussed by his ministrations, giving him a rakish appearance, paired with the slight stubble on his cheek. His skin was tanned and smooth, his shoulders wide and his hips narrow. He had no chest hair, but the definition of his muscles on his arms, legs and torso betrayed his active and physical lifestyle.

He looked like a Greek statue, all chiseled and firm, Maddy thought, her eyes flicking over his entire body, finally settling on that path of hair that led downward from his bellybutton to his manhood. And she couldn’t wait to explore that smooth skin with her fingers, her tongue…

Swiftly, Jamie nudged her back onto the bed, covering her body with his. With deliberate care, he traced his tongue across her breasts again, pressing his face into the warm flesh there. “So soft…” he murmured, shifting his mouth lower and lower, kissing her belly, her thighs, her calves, her core. He found erotic points on her body she didn’t even know existed as he lazily traced from one part of her body to another, tormenting her with his slow and deliberate pace. “Is this arousing as well, my lady?”

Finally, she begged for him to fill her. “Jamie, please…” she rasped, almost in pain as he nuzzled her soft curls, his tongue flicking out, over and over again. “Please…”

He moved back up and his mouth crushed hers, even as he thrust into her, making her cry out at the combined sensation of him filling her and tasting herself on his lips. He muffled the sound of her cry with his mouth and shushed her, even as his hips began to move in tandem with hers. The flow of energy between them surged, and drove them both higher and higher until they were flung over the edge of ecstasy with matching cries of pleasure.

Together, they clung to each other, breaths shuddering and skin slickened with perspiration, even as Jamie remained embedded in her. Maddy nearly cried when he withdrew and lay beside her, suddenly missing the press of his warm skin against hers.

He had no idea how long they lay together, hands linked as their breaths evened out again until he pressed up on an elbow to look down at her.

Idly, she reached out and traced another scar, this one on his thigh from where a masked assailant had driven a knife into his flesh. “My poor lord…”

She leaned over and kissed the scar gently, making his heart ache at her tenderness before she straightened again. She looked at him quizzically, and he knew she was forming a question in her mind.

“What is it?” he asked softly.

“Was that… was that satisfying for you?” She asked shyly. “I know it wasn’t… what you had…”

He cut her off swiftly. “It was more satisfying than I can say,” he answered honestly. “Truly. You take my breath away, Maddy. I’ve never… I’ve never lain with a woman I felt so deeply for, and that makes all the difference, it seems.”

She smiled happily. “I’m glad to hear it. But the night is young, my lord, and I believe I’m going to hold you captive for a while longer.”

Jamie’s breath hitched at the promise of her words.

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