Olivia and the Masked Duke Page 16

  “What sort of business?” she asked.

  “It’s irrelevant at present,” he said shortly.

  Her expression tentative, she said, “Are you still angry?”

  He gave her the truth. “Yes.”

  “Do you still want to…to court me?”

  Her vulnerability constricted his chest. She was so young. Pure of heart and intention, even when her actions were reckless in the extreme.

  “You said I needed time to think, but I know what I want: you. Always you.” Her voice broke a little. “Please, Hadleigh, won’t you give me another chance?”

  Staring into her pleading eyes, he felt the beauty of who she was: it shone through her tawdry disguise and hit him straight in his gut…and in his prick. His jealousy had faded, but now his blood was pumping with a different sort of need. Whether it was right or wrong, he wanted Livy. Wanted to cherish and protect her as much as he wanted to own her surrender. For some reason, Fate had seen fit to give him his precious little queen, and he could deny destiny’s gift no longer.

  The instant he made the decision, a boulder lifted from his shoulders. A sense of rightness settled inside him. Concurrently, anticipation heated his loins. His girl needed a firm hand…and it would be his pleasure to give her what she needed.

  “Don’t lie to me again,” he said.

  “I won’t.” Livy chewed on her bottom lip. “Will you still court me then?”

  “No,” he said firmly.

  Her eyes glimmered. “Please, I swear—”

  “We are beyond courtship, Livy.” He cupped her cheek, trailing his thumb along her delicate cheekbone, swiping away the single tear that had fallen. “Our bond has changed over time, and my mistake was trying to convince myself that I still see you as a little girl when it is clear that you are a woman now. A woman who knows her mind and who wants to be my lover and my duchess. Who is willing to follow my rules and guidance. Am I correct?”

  For a heartbeat, she just stared at him.

  Then she breathed, “Yes. Oh, yes.”

  “When we are together like this, you may address me as Ben.” He tested her. “Or sir.”

  Her quiver of excitement electrified the space between them and sent a stiffening jolt to his cock. God help him, she was aroused by dark games. The things he could teach her…

  “Yes, sir,” she whispered.

  “Now you have been a naughty minx not once but twice,” he said in a deliberately cool tone. “Taking risks and lying to me.”

  Her expression instantly grew contrite. “I am sorry—”

  “And you will make amends.” Taking her hand, he led her over to the stone bench. He sat upon it and patted his thigh. “Put yourself over my knee for your punishment.”

  19

  Shaking with anticipation, Livy lowered herself onto Ben’s lap, her torso pressing against the hard rack of his thighs. She could hardly believe this was happening. For a terrifying moment, she’d thought she had lost him forever, but somehow he had decided to give her another chance.

  Guilt gnawed at her; she hadn’t told him the entire truth. Yet how could she, when she knew that he would forbid her from being an Angel? When she’d given her vow of secrecy to Charlie? Livy could not choose between her love for Ben and her independence.

  I’ll find a way to make this work.

  She shivered, thinking of the consequences if she failed.

  “You are certain you wish to play this game, little one?”

  She twisted her head to look at Ben. Seeing the concerned dent between his brows, she realized that he’d misread the cause of her shiver. He thought she was afraid of what they were about to do when, in reality, she was afraid that he wouldn’t want to make love to her.

  “Yes, sir,” she said in a rush.

  She didn’t know why calling him “sir” put her into a lather. The wicked glint in his eyes told her he felt the same way. She’d always enjoyed playing with him, and this felt like a new, exciting, and very adult game.

  “Then pull up your skirts for me.”

  At his commanding tone, something in her went as pliant as wax held over a flame. With trembling hands, she reached back, tugging the flimsy material to her waist. Beneath the short acrobat’s skirt, she wore no petticoat, just stockings and a pair of drawers. Her breath whooshed from her lungs as he palmed each cheek of her linen-covered bottom in turn and squeezed. His proprietary touch made desire bloom inside her.

  “Given your many trespasses, I think you need a bare-bottom spanking.”

  Heavens. A heady blend of excitement and embarrassment enveloped her as he drew down her drawers, leaving them to hang by her ankles. Imagining what he was seeing, how she must appear to him, caused heat to spread over every inch of her skin.

  “Ready to count out your punishment, little one?”

  She turned her head once more. He’d never looked more handsome or more serious. And in his question, she heard what he was asking. Are you certain you want this?

  “Yes, sir,” she said breathlessly.

  He brought his hand down, the loud smack echoing through the leafy alcove. She gasped in shock at the burning sensation on her left cheek.

  She blinked at him. “That hurt.”

  “Did you think it would not?” he inquired. “Count, Livy.”

  “One,” she blurted and dropped her head.

  He swatted her other cheek.

  “T-two,” she said.

  Her cheek pressed against his trousered leg, she scarcely heard the next slap over her thundering heart. Who knew that being spanked could be so…titillating? The heat in her bottom set off a chain of reactions in her body. Her skin felt itchy with need, her nipples throbbing with engorged heat. In the secret cove between her thighs, she’d grown distinctly damp, and sudden anxiety besieged her.

  Am I supposed to be this…this wet? Is it normal? Will he notice and find it disgusting…?

  Smack. The firmness of his palm jolted her out of her thoughts.

  “You forgot to count,” he said.

  Botheration, she’d lost track. “Um, four?”

  “Incorrect.” For some reason, his reprimand aroused her further. “Am I boring you?”

  “N-no, sir,” she stammered.

  “Then look at me.” When she did, he said, “Tell me what is distracting you.”

  Her face burned worse than her bottom. “It’s, um, nothing…”

  “I will be the judge of that.” He spanked her again, then rubbed the spot in a way that made her squirm in his lap. “You are not to hide anything from me, Livy. Ever.”

  If he only knew all that I’m hiding…

  She bit her lip, not wanting to be distracted. Ben had asked her what had diverted her in this moment, and she could give him the truth.

  Gathering her courage, she said, “It has come to my attention that I’ve become rather…damp. In, um, an indelicate place.”

  A devilish smile lit his eyes.

  “Have you now?” he said. “I shall be the judge of that.”

  Her breath hitched as his touch trailed down the crease of her bottom. His fingers dipped lower, and she gasped when they touched her most intimate place.

  “Hmm, you are wet, you little minx.” The satisfaction in his voice caused more viscous heat to trickle from her. “But there is nothing indelicate about this part of you. This is your pussy, and it’s supposed to weep pretty tears when we are together.”

  Her cheeks flamed at the naughty word, made naughtier by the way he was stroking her as if she were a prized pet. As a girl who liked to take charge, she didn’t understand why being over Ben’s lap, exposed to his gaze and powerless to his experienced touch, aroused her to such a shocking degree…but it did.

  He delved lower, finding an exquisitely sensitive place that pushed a moan from her throat.

  “What a sweet little bud this is,” he said. “This is called your pearl. Have you discovered its pleasures?”

  As bold as she was, she couldn’t answer h
im. She couldn’t.

  He smacked her bottom hard. “Tell me, Livy.”

  “Yes,” she admitted, her face and entire being on fire.

  “Good girl.” The knowing rasp in his voice scraped over her nerve endings, heightening her sensitivity to his words and touch. “You deserve a reward for your honesty.”

  He began to stroke her, and she moaned, letting her head fall by his leg again. She could hear how wet she was, the slick sounds his fingers made as they rubbed her pearl and pussy. His mastery of her body, the fact that he obviously knew more about it than she did, fed her wanton surrender. She gave herself up to the sensations—to Ben, who knew how to give her such pleasure.

  For him alone did she wish to be a good girl.

  Then she felt him probe deeper, touching her where she’d never been touched before.

  “What a nice, tight cunny you have.” His words caused that part of her to clench. “I can feel it sucking on my finger, wanting me inside yet afraid at the same time. Relax, little love, I won’t hurt you. Will it help if I frig your pearl like this…?”

  His delicious depravity drove her toward a frenzied peak. She squeezed her eyes shut as the pressure inside her built and built. She needed more, even as it was too much. The stimulation of her pearl, the filling thrust of his finger pushed her right to the edge…

  He took his hand away, and she moaned in frustration.

  “Look at me, Livy,” he said.

  Panting, needing, she twisted her neck to meet his gaze.

  “Who does your pleasure belong to?” he asked.

  “You, sir,” she said with tremulous longing.

  “Will you look for it elsewhere? Seek diversions without my permission?” His eyes bored into her. “Will you keep secrets from me?”

  Surely, he only means secrets of a carnal nature, and I would never betray him that way.

  She shook her head.

  He touched her drenched folds with a lightness that frustrated rather than relieved. She quivered as his fingertip neared her needy bud…and groaned when he skipped over it.

  “I want the words, Livy. Will you lie or keep secrets from me?”

  “No,” she gasped.

  “Good.” He stroked her pearl in a hard, circling motion. Satisfaction burned in his gaze, the sapphire flames searing her soul, incinerating her will and returning it as fiery pleasure. “Then come for me. Spend all over my hand like a good girl.”

  The wickedness of his demand and touch catapulted her into bliss. She cried out as she crested on ecstasy, his caresses keeping her soaring. Each time she thought it was over, he unleashed another gust of pleasure that kept her afloat.

  When Livy returned to earth, she was utterly spent and as limp as a rag doll. Ben set her clothing to rights and sat her beside him on the bench, keeping an arm around her. She gazed contentedly at the man of her dreams, who was even more potent in reality. In the play of shadow and moonlight, his chiseled features had an austere cast that made him seem like a stranger…and it excited her.

  Finally, he was showing her the part of him he’d held back. He was treating her not like a little girl, his pseudo-sister, but like a woman. The lover she wanted to be…and which, she realized, she wasn’t quite yet.

  She peered down at the huge bulge straining the front of his trousers.

  “Is there, um, anything I can do?” She moistened her lips. “For you?”

  He smiled then. That slow, beautiful smile she had always loved.

  “You have done quite enough, little queen,” he said.

  “But you didn’t…you know,” she said shyly. “Enjoy yourself.”

  “Oh, but I did,” he replied.

  His gaze holding hers, he brought his hand to his mouth. He licked the tips of his index and middle fingers. When she realized those fingers had coaxed her to bliss, her inner muscles trembled.

  “Delectable,” he murmured. “Next time, I am going to sample from the source.”

  Even as her brain steamed up at the possibilities his words conjured, she said anxiously, “Will there be a next time?”

  He studied her with unwavering intensity. “Do you want there to be?”

  “More than anything,” she said fervently. “All I have ever wanted is to be with you, Ben.”

  The possessiveness that darkened his eyes sent a thrill up her spine.

  “Your wish is my command,” he said softly.

  He wants me, he wants me! her inner voice sang. And if the teensy part of her not given over to joy fretted over the promise she’d made to not keep any secrets, she told herself she would deal with it later. The details of their relationship could be ironed out; for now, it was enough—everything—that he wanted to be with her.

  Giddy with happiness, she teased, “I rather thought you were the one in command.”

  His lips twitched. “Then stop being cheeky and give me your mouth.”

  Smiling, she tipped her lips up and welcomed his claim.

  Finally.

  A while later, Livy snuggled up against Ben in his carriage. He was taking her back to Charlie’s. Luckily, before they’d departed Cremorne, Livy had spotted Charlie by the banqueting hall. She’d given her mentor, whose impeccable male disguise fooled even Hadleigh, a discreet signal that all was well. The other’s nod confirmed the same was true on her end.

  Reassured that her friends were well, Livy was able to enjoy the present interlude. To bask in the joy of being with the man she loved. Ben had tucked her against his side, his arm around her, his knuckles softly stroking her cheek. She’d never felt safer or more content.

  “Did you enjoy yourself?” he murmured.

  “With all my heart.” She gave him a mischievous look. “And other less mentionable parts.”

  He tweaked a lock of her hair. She’d dispensed with her wig, leaving her own locks loose and free.

  “To think I was afraid of corrupting you,” he said dryly.

  “You may put that fear to rest. I love being with you, Ben.” She angled her head up to meet his gaze. “And not just in the way we were together tonight. Since I was twelve years old, I have always gravitated to you, always wanted to be in your presence. We could be playing cards or chatting or doing nothing at all: I just want to be with you. I will always want that.”

  “I feel the same way.” The note of wonder in his voice squeezed her heart. “I don’t pretend to understand why or how my feelings for you changed, but I accept that they have. Accept that I want you more than I’ve wanted anything.”

  “I’m yours,” she said happily.

  He was silent long enough for her to worry.

  “Ben?” she prompted.

  “For years, I was an opium user.”

  His jarring words made her sit up and face him. “Pardon?”

  “You should know this part of my past.” His expression was bleak, but he met her gaze readily. “I had an opium habit. It started before you first met me and lasted until two years ago.”

  As her shock wore off, pieces fell into place. She remembered his pallor and bloodshot eyes, his painful gauntness. The times he’d seemed listless and ill.

  “Have you…do you…?” She didn’t know how to ask.

  “Not for two years and never again,” he said resolutely. “I don’t touch spirits either. Opium is in my past, but I felt it was only fair that you know. In case it…it changed anything.”

  His raw honesty humbled her.

  “Nothing could change how I feel about you,” she said softly.

  He let out a breath that she hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Good.”

  Can I trust you to feel the same way? If I told you my secret, would you still…

  She drew her brows together, realizing that he hadn’t spoken of love yet. But they had covered a lot of ground this eve, and the fact that he accepted his desire for her was enough for now. She did not doubt his care for her and was certain he would get to love eventually.

  “Why the serious expression?” B
en asked.

  “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking.”

  “About?”

  She gave the first excuse that came to mind. “Pippa.”

  She regretted her choice when Ben lowered his brows.

  “You must desist in your efforts to help her. I mean it, Livy,” he said with emphasis. “The situation is dangerous: you do not know what Longmere is involved in.”

  An obvious fact struck Livy, one she couldn’t believe she’d overlooked.

  “But you do?” She stared at him. “Is that why you were at the Black Lion Inn and Cremorne Gardens? Were you following Longmere? For what purpose?”

  He studied her before replying. “I have reason to believe he may be involved in the distribution of a deadly drug. It is similar to opium but far more lethal. Several lives have been lost to this substance just in the past few weeks.”

  She blinked. “And how do you know this?”

  “It is a long story, and we’re at Lady Fayne’s.”

  She hadn’t realized that the carriage had stopped. “Fine. You can tell me before we speak to Longmere together.”

  “There is no way in hell I’m taking you—”

  “I can help. Please trust me. I know Longmere better than you do.” Taking a risk, she said, “At the Black Lion, I heard him say that he wanted out of some scheme he and his cronies are embroiled in.”

  Ben’s mouth formed a grim line. “What else did you hear?”

  “I will tell you…if you bring me with you to interrogate Longmere.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Are you attempting to coerce me?”

  “I’m trying to negotiate with you,” she countered. “Please, Ben, you know how much Pippa means to me. I must help her. Besides, I won’t be in any danger if you are there. I know the address of Longmere’s studio, where Pippa says he spends most of his time. You and I could go together tomorrow.”

  After a moment, Ben muttered, “Was I under the delusion that I was captain of this ship?”

  “Every captain needs a first mate.” She gave him her most winning smile. “If we are contemplating a future together, we should know how we deal with one another in everyday life.”