I Know You Read online

  With those words Geoff laced his fingers tightly through David’s hair and thrust forward. Despite his warning, Geoff delighted in the fact that David sucked harder, seemingly determined not to lose a single drop of Geoff’s essence as it hit the back of his throat with what felt like lightning speed.

  Before reality could fully take hold of exactly what had happened, David rose to his feet and pressed his lips once again to Geoff’s. The taste of his own seed was not something that Geoff had ever imagined himself partaking in, but he had to admit that it wasn’t repellant. The fact that he tasted it on the lips of the man who’d just given him the most pleasure he’d ever received just added to the experience.

  He swirled his tongue hungrily around David’s mouth, suddenly greedy for the proof that they had really come together so completely. But David seemed to have other ideas.

  With one hand he pushed Geoff back against the bed, with the other he finished the job that Geoff had left unfinished and unfastened his breeches and smalls in a single motion. He stepped out of the garments and toward Geoff, who now lay on the bed, propped by his elbows and feeling wholly bewildered. Things were obviously far from finished.

  Geoff’s eyes wandered down to David’s cock and nearly choked. He had considered himself large, but the width of David’s endowment was so much more substantial that his own. He swallowed hard, considering exactly how he was going to fit his mouth over that beast when he noticed that David’s hand was reaching for a drawer in his bedside table. Emerging from the drawer was a small bottle and Geoff knew instantly what the bottle was.

  Oil.

  Oddly, instead of feeling tense about the direction that things were taking, calm washed over Geoff, and a certainty that he wanted the same things David did. To assure David of this he purposely locked eyes with the towering Marquess and nodded slowly.

  A breath of relief escaped between David’s lips as he moved forward, pouring a generous portion into his palm. He began massaging his visibly throbbing shaft with his oiled hand, all the while keeping his gaze locked on Geoff, claiming him with his eyes and his actions.

  Once the member was properly coated, David motioned for Geoff to lay back. He raised Geoff’s feet to his shoulders and once again coated his fingers in oil, which he began to rub methodically along Geoff’s crease. He came into contact with the hole and Geoff’s world jerked to a stop. He’d been so wrong about everything before. This was the single greatest moment of passion he’d ever experienced and he didn’t know how he was even going to survive it.

  David’s fingers pulsed and massaged their way further and further into Geoff’s body, forcing past a ring of pressure that stood as a guard to a world where pleasure and pain seemed destined to mix. The urgency to expel David from his body warred with the need to feel him as deep as possible. It was a sweet agony that couldn’t be voiced.

  Too quickly David’s fingers disappeared and Geoff whimpered at their loss. His eyes, which had shut without his knowledge shot open, searching for confirmation that David was going to continue on the path they were running.

  To both Geoff’s surprise and relief, David smiled down at him. “Relax. I’ve never done this before, but I’m sure it’s probably going to hurt.”

  And then Geoff felt something so much larger than a finger entering his body. He held his breath, but then remembered that David had told him to relax. The feeling of being ripped apart with fire was nearly overwhelming, but there was also a sense of quiet peace outside his body that he reached for.

  “That’s it, Geoffrey.” David’s voice was strained, but it stood as a beacon. It was his candle in a dark hallway, guiding him to a place both of them could find…something.

  “Unh!” The grunt brought his mind back to the present and the fact that David was now seated fully inside him. “You are so…tight. I’ve never… Not like this.”

  “Me neither.” His voice was hoarse, but he could hear his own need in it. The pain was gone. Replaced by a burning that could only be put out by something very specific.

  “I’m going to make a fool of myself.”

  Geoff’s hands shot up and caught David’s face. “Find your peace.”

  It was all the command David needed. He began to move. Slowly at first, then with a pace that felt manic and possessed. He needed the release even more than Geoff needed it, and that was no small thing.

  Hands falling to the bed covers, Geoff threw his head back in a soundless scream which was joined by David’s very real scream. Primal and full of something beyond pain, David shook as he found his release inside Geoff.

  Completely spent, David collapsed on top of Geoff, heedless of the stickiness that now coated both of their stomachs. He was fully relaxed for the first time since Geoff had come into his employ, and nothing was going to convince Geoff that he needed to rouse him.

  So much of Anne’s life since her mother’s death was bound up in appeasing her father. She loved him, there was no question about that, but sometimes his overly paranoid need to see to her future left her feeling more like a commodity than a person. Tonight was definitely one of those times.

  Ironically tonight was also the first night that she wasn’t actually available for sale. She’d already been sold to the highest bidder, so to speak, and was only waiting for the sale to be announced and finalized. Sorry, “betrothal,” she thought bitterly to herself. There really wasn’t much difference in her mind, but she did try to make the best of it.

  As her thoughts began to stray to the virtues of her situation she spied her betrothed across the ballroom. He was standing with two ladies who looked remarkably similar, and, she realized with some alarm, that he was actually smiling. After meeting him last night she hadn’t been sure that he knew how to smile.

  Of course it wasn’t really any wonder why he would find it hard. His history was rather fearsome. No one can escape war untouched by what they see, and she had seen in his expression while he was talking about his time with the Army last night, that his experiences were no different.

  Yet, here he was, out in society smiling and looking not at all like he had the night before. Anne found herself drawn to him, but she was also very much aware of the fact that she could not very well approach him before their betrothal was announced. It would cause a scandal, and that was the last thing she wanted at the moment.

  “Miss Edwards!” The Duke of Marshbane stepped in front of her and she found herself considering his similarities to his son. The height was a match, as was the build and skin coloring, however his eyes were a dark green, almost brown, whereas Lord Ridgely’s eyes were a pale gray, very close to the color of ice.

  “Your Grace,” she curtsied and offered her hand to her future father in law. “How are you this evening?”

  “Doing excellent. I assume that your father has made his way to the card room while your aunt observes you from the corner?” He nodded toward the chaperones, where her great-aunt was sitting quietly, watching the crowd and trying not to look bored out of her mind.

  “She really is not one for crowds. I think she is the most thankful of all that I am to be wed so quickly. She will only have to endure a partial season of entertainments before she is once again left alone with her books.”

  Her grandfather’s youngest sister was hardly elderly, seeing as she was only a handful of years older than Anne’s father, however she had always hated being social and preferred her quiet country home to the hustle and bustle of the city. When Mr. Edward’s had asked his aunt to chaperon Anne for her come-out season, she had agreed without complaint, though they all knew what it cost her in anxiety.

  The Duke laughed at Anne’s joke and held out his arm. “Allow me to introduce you to my hostesses. My sisters in law have truly put together a splendid evening and I wish them to see who shall benefit from it the most.”

  It took only a few steps for Anne to realize that the Duke was steering her directly toward Lord Ridgely and the two women he was conversing with. His aunts! When they c
ame upon them both women turned simultaneously and flashed identical smiles her way.

  “Oh goodness! You’re twins!”

  Mortified Anne threw her hand over her mouth. She’d just blurted out an obvious conclusion, in a crowded room, in front of her betrothed, and his father, and his aunts, whom she prayed she hadn’t just insulted with her rudeness.

  Both women looked at each other and laughed musically. “So we are,” the one dressed in lavender proclaimed.

  “You are not the first to notice verbally,” said the one dressed in silver, wryly.

  The smiles they offered were genuine and began to put Anne at ease almost at once. When she’d seen them across the room she had assumed them to be young matrons, conversing with the Duke’s son, however she saw now that they were not quite as young as she had originally guessed. Possibly past their fourth decade and nearing the end of their fifth was her best assumption.

  “Miss Edwards,” Lord Ridgely bowed low and took her hand in order to kiss the knuckles lightly. She couldn’t help be affected by it, though she still couldn’t decide exactly how she felt about him. “May I present my aunts? Lady Isabelle Stallman,” he gestured to the twin in the lavender. “And Lady Elizabeth Stallman,” he gestured to the twin in the silver.

  Anne curtsied graciously to both ladies. “I am so sorry that I let my mouth get away from me.”

  “Oh think nothing of it my dear,” Lady Elizabeth began.

  “We were much more of a spectacle when our husbands were still alive. They too were twins you see.”

  Anne stared at them agape. That kind of thing didn’t happen in real life, did it? She was sure she’d read a Gothic novel somewhere about twins marrying twins, but to find out that it actually happened in real life was too much. She suddenly found herself laughing.

  “That really must have been a sight. Did a lot of people stare rudely?”

  “Everyone.” Elizabeth gave her a conspiratorial wink.

  Then it occurred to her, Isabelle had said when our husbands were still alive. “How long have your husbands been gone, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Isabelle smiled sadly, but shook her head to denote that they didn’t take offense at her impertinence. “My Brandon has been gone for three years now. I still miss him every day, but I think it is getting better. I like to stay busy and Christopher has definitely done his share to assure that we are never without occupation.” She nodded appreciatively to the Duke.

  “My Lucas,” Elizabeth started, but then bit her lip and Anne worried that the memories might be too difficult for her to take. “I just came out of half mourning. He has been gone for five years now. I sometimes wonder if his death caused Brandon’s health to decline so quickly. You see, they’d very rarely ever been apart. We all even lived next door to each other when in town. They were remarkable men, but life must be lived while we still have breath, and I think I would like to see my nephew dance.”

  Anne gasped as a hand lightly gripped her elbow. She’d been so engrossed in her conversation with Ladies Isabelle and Elizabeth that she hadn’t seen Lord Ridgely move to her side. “Shall we take to the floor, Miss Edwards? I do believe this set is a waltz.”

  It occurred to her that she’d yet to secure permission from the patronesses in order to waltz, but the Duke covered for that deficiency. “I spoke with Lady Jersey this evening, and she agreed that it would not be the thing to deny a girl the right to waltz at her betrothal ball.”

  The mention of her betrothal caused her stomach to roll uncomfortably, but she worked hard not to let her discomfort show. She flashed her biggest smile and accepted Lord Ridgely’s escort out onto the dance floor.

  “I am sorry for my aunts’ high handed manipulation there. If you would prefer not to dance right now I would understand.”

  Anne just laughed and shook her head. “No. I am more than happy to dance, my Lord. Please don’t think of me as so timid that I would let myself be bullied into doing something I sincerely didn’t want to do. In fact, I came here to dance, did I not?”

  Since the set had started before they made it to the floor, Lord Ridgely moved her smoothly into the dance and swung her around as if they had partnered a million dances before, instead of this being their first.

  “David,” he said determinedly.

  “Excuse me?”

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear during a particularly close twirl. “My name is David.” After that he straightened and she noticed that his eyes were no longer smiling like they had been with his aunts. He was certainly a sober gentleman, but, again, she understood why that was. He was haunted by the things he’d witnessed on the continent, and burdened by a title that technically never should have been his. No wonder he rarely smiled.

  They passed the remainder of the waltz in silence, but it wasn’t an awkward one. He was a clearly active gentleman, and he treated her to an ambitious execution of the steps. By the time the last strain faded, she found herself out of breath and laughing with glee.

  “Oh, that was fabulous! Where did you learn to dance like that? Surely not a staid dance master here in London?”

  His lip quirked up at the corner. “No. While in Austria I was able to learn the Viennese Waltz. It is far more energetic and much more scandalous.” He nodded to a corner where a few matrons were glaring at them with shocked dismay. “But I prefer the more lively steps.”

  “I say the more lively the better, though I must admit that I am rather out of breath. Do you mind if we stroll to the terrace for some air? Perhaps we can talk and get to know each other a bit better.”

  With a nod, David extended his arm and led her to the edge of the dance floor, then along the windows until they reached a closed door. “This terrace is used far less than the wider one at the front of the room. We will be able to assure ourselves a bit more privacy.”

  Her eyes widened in shock. “Is that wise? Wouldn’t that be scandalous?”

  “Are you afraid?” The whisper was so low she almost didn’t hear it. But she took if for exactly what it was…a challenge. He was asking her whether she was brave enough to cast off what society thought for the chance to get to really know the man she was going to marry.

  “All right,” she said, looking up into his face and refusing to back down when his gaze didn’t break away.

  He was a conundrum of huge proportions. She had no idea what she was getting into, but she was kind of excited to see the path it took them on. After all, it couldn’t be any bumpier than some paths she knew about.

  David left the door open as they left the ball room. While it was an invitation to join them - which was exactly what they didn’t want - it was also proof that he cared just a little about her reputation as well. He wasn’t completely without morals.

  He guided her over to the banister that overlooked the kitchen garden. It was clear why this terrace wasn’t as preferred by guests. The formal gardens were lovelier to look at, and the terrace overlooking them offered a view of the Thames in the distance that was not offered by this smaller one.

  “Tell me more about your Mr. Rockford.”

  The statement shook her. This is what he would talk about? He wished to discuss her past love? It seemed almost too absurd, yet she couldn’t help herself from answering his inquiry.

  “He lived on a neighboring estate. The illegitimate son of the…” she almost gave the title, but suddenly she was shy about that. What if he did in fact know Geoffrey? Would it matter to him that he was Reggie’s brother? But no, she didn’t care. “He was the illegitimate son of the Earl of Cressledown. Only three years older than me, he was the optimal playmate for a girl needing a distraction from her father’s business at the estate.”

  “How old were you when you met him?”

  “I was three. I thought the world of him and we were determined to spend every moment together, no matter what. As we got older, we started meeting on our own, not waiting for my father to visit the Earl. He would come over to my father’s estate
or I his, and we would run down to the creek and spend hours talking, or fishing, or picking berries, or…”

  She felt herself blush at the unfinished thought. Geoffrey and she had done much more exciting things than just pick berries in the field. However, she would be damned if she admitted that to her betrothed. Instead she lifted her eyes again and made an inquiry of him.

  “Does this mean you are willing to help me find him, my Lord?”

  “David.” The name was a whisper, but she heard it clearly this time. When she didn’t respond he pinned her with a gaze and reached for her hand on the banister. “My name is David. As we are betrothed I wish you to call me that. Not, ‘my lord’, not ‘Ridgely’. I wish to be called by my given name. Is that so hard to understand?”

  Anne was take a back by his vehemence on the subject, but nodded her understanding. “Then you must call me Anne.”

  Her request seemed to hit him physically, because he immediately relaxed into a demeanor that she’d not yet seen around him. Vulnerable? It was hard to think of the massive Marquess as anything but commanding, but she’d seen the pain in his eyes, so the vulnerability was already there. It just now happened to radiate out of every muscle in his body.

  “I am willing to assist you…Anne.” Her name seemed to take a moment longer to depart his lips, but she didn’t think it was because it was a difficult one for him to say. It seemed that, more than likely, he was simply enjoying the feel of being able to say it.

  “What do I need to do?” Excitement overtook her. Not at the thought of being reunited with Geoffrey, though that was thrilling in its own way. Instead her excitement stemmed from her realizing that this man was willing to sacrifice his time to do something that would not benefit him in any way. He was a man completely different than anyone else she had ever known. Well…except for Geoffrey.

  He raised his hand to her chin and lifted it slightly so that she could look into his eyes while looking straight forward. “Find me in my father’s study at the end of the next set. Turn left at the end of the hall where the women’s receiving room is located. It will be the third door on the right. I wish to discuss my plans with you there.”