Isabella's Secret Summer Read online

  As he went down the line, from her breasts to her navel — snip, snip, snip — her breathing became more labored, until it also fell away. As she was left standing in her transparent shift and stockings, Ridge could see the rosy peaks of her breasts and the dark triangle of her femininity outlined between her legs. His blood was steadily pumping heat through his veins; it would take a wealth of restraint to last longer than thirty seconds, but he would deny himself until she was fully satisfied.

  He would succeed where Simon had failed.

  Ridge tossed the knife to the floor and then lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down gently and then walked over and locked the door, ensuring that they wouldn’t be disturbed.

  As he began to divest himself of his clothes, she bit her lower lip and watched him from beneath hooded eyes. He exhaled a long, slow breath, for it was a fight to gain control, the urge to sink into her delightful body almost more than he could bear.

  Thankfully, the night was just beginning.

  ***

  The hard planes and valleys of Ridge’s toned body fascinated Isabella. He was sculpted as wonderfully as any statue that had been carved out of marble, and when he kicked off his trousers and joined her on the bed, she greeted him with open arms. While his manhood had been rather impressive to see, its girth actually made her anxious about what was to come. Simon hadn’t been nearly as… endowed as Ridge, and yet, something told her that, even though she was no longer a virgin, things would be vastly different when they joined.

  Pushing any further thoughts of that disappointing experience out of her mind, she allowed her gaze to drift over Ridge as he crawled up her body. The smile he bestowed upon her was filled with wicked promise as his hands slid down to the edge of her shift. “Let’s get this out of the way, shall we?” With that, he rent it completely in two.

  Isabella didn’t even care that he’d ruined a shift, stays, and a gown. She just wanted him to hold her, to feel his hot skin next to hers, bare flesh against bare flesh.

  But she couldn’t deny a certain bit of feminine nervousness when he glanced over her naked body. Although, that turned to pride when he whispered, “God, you’re so beautiful.”

  Ridge’s hands were rough, proof of his turbulent past, but as he ran his hands up her torso, the abrasive touch merely heightened her awareness of him. When they reached her breasts and he flicked his thumbs across their aching peaks, she arched her back in ecstasy. “More,” she breathed.

  “Of course,” he replied in a guttural tone. He dipped his head and replaced one of his thumbs with his mouth and sucked gently on the nipple.

  Isabella groaned and clutched the counterpane on either side of her. A rush of sensation swiftly traveled over her body as he continued his careful ministrations. His mouth traveled to her other breast, and then along her collarbone to the side of her neck.

  She closed her eyes in abandon as he whispered wicked things in her ear. “I want to taste you, Isabella.”

  “Yes,” she sighed, thinking that he would kiss her again, but instead he traveled down her body, his tongue laving a trail down her sternum and along her belly, and lower still, around the flare of her hips. He paused to kiss the top of her bandage and then he nipped at her inner thigh. She jerked in surprise, but when until he stopped and inhaled her womanly scent, she waited in breathless anticipation.

  And then he licked her.

  She groaned as he began to pleasure her with his tongue. Sparks of heat, like fireworks, began shooting beneath her skin. It wasn’t until he slid a finger into her passage and began an enticing rhythm, her hips following of their own accord, that she felt something break. A cool wave of shudders wracked her body and even though she might have been cognizant of what was happening, her consciousness soared toward the heavens.

  She cried out his name, and when the thrill died down to a pleasant buzz, she was aware of him climbing back up her body, his stiff manhood nudging at her entrance. He took her lips in a delightful kiss as he slid inside her body. He hissed as she accepted each enticing inch of him. She clutched his shoulders as the familiar sensation of fullness registered, but this time there was no pain or discomfort, no feelings of shame or being unwanted.

  This time it was just as she’d always imagined.

  As he began to move, easing backward and then pushing forward, his rhythm steadily increased, along with their breathing. A light sheen of sweat coated Ridge’s back as she ran her hands down his smooth pectorals, where a slight patch of hair graced the middle.

  She looked at him, the strong column of his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to contain himself. It was such a sensual sight, that she soon began to feel another burst of wanton desire.

  As she raised to meet every one of his thrusts, he took her lips and murmured against them, “Come with me, Isabella.”

  His dark command had her falling back into euphoria, at the same time he clenched his jaw and pulled out of her, spilling his seed over the coverlet.

  Afterward, as her body was humming with glorious release, Ridge collapsed on her, and she relished his weight, his chest as it flattened her breasts, his legs entwined with hers.

  She wrapped her arms around his strong, upper arms and smiled when they flexed in response. He lifted his head and gave her a rather crooked grin, although his dark eyes were solemn. “I hope I didn’t hurt your leg.”

  She sighed. “What leg?”

  He laughed and the husky sound sent shivers of delight down her spine.

  Ridge gave her a light kiss on the nose, and then he rolled over onto his side, bringing her with him so that they faced one another. His arm lay draped across her hip, and it didn’t even faze her. She wasn’t embarrassed over her nakedness, or the fact that they had just shared something so amazingly intimate. While she’d been intimidated by Ridge when they’d first met at the inn in London, she’d come to realize that looks were often times deceiving.

  Simon had been raised as a gentleman, with anything he could have ever wanted, and yet, he’d turned against the country that had provided him all of those comforts. Ridge, on the other hand, was a common bastard, brought up in a brothel and forced to fight his way out from below the dregs of society. Between the two men, she realized now how shallow her adoration for Simon had been.

  And when it came to losing Ridge, there was an ache so deep in her chest that had never been there with Simon. But she refused to think on anything beyond this moment. They had tonight.

  Tomorrow could wait.

  The single lit candle by her bed sputtered, and Isabella realized that it had grown dark. But even though parts of Ridge’s face were bathed in shadow, she had already memorized his handsome visage.

  Although she didn’t dare reveal what was in her heart, she did whisper, “Stay with me?”

  Ridge leaned forward and kissed her softly. When he pulled back, his dark eyes searched her face. “What about your maid? Won’t she want to come check on you?” He winked. “I should hate to give her a fright.”

  She shrugged. “You already locked the door. Besides, I told Claudia that I didn’t need her services for the rest of the evening when I retired.” Her gaze roamed over his chest. “The only services I need are yours.”

  She was rewarded with a deep purr. “You’re going to be the death of me, woman.” But as he drew her up against him, she knew that she’d convinced him. “What shall we do first?” he asked.

  “Well, I was thinking about that.” She boldly reached between them and found his cock. As she began stroking his length, she glanced at him through her lashes as it began to lengthen and harden. “Does it work the same way with a man as it does a woman?”

  “What… do you mean?” he hesitated, as if he was having trouble concentrating.

  Her smile grew. “Will you enjoy it if I pleasure you with my mouth?”

  He hauled in a breath. “God, yes.”

  “Good.” With that, she urged him to lie flat on his back
as she crawled down the length of his body. She wrapped her hand around his length and licked the tip of his pulsing erection.

  He instantly lifted his hips. “Suck me.”

  Isabella was more than happy to comply. She opened her mouth and slid her lips down as far as she could go, taking his entire length. He muttered something nonsensical, so she took that as encouragement to keep going. She mimicked the way he’d moved within her body, slowly at first, and then building the pace until the muscles in his legs were bunched and straining.

  “Stop,” he panted. “Or I’m going to—”

  His words broke off as she only made her movements faster. She heard him groan, muttering a curse, and then his manhood contracted, turning rigid, just as her mouth was flooded with the hot bursts of his climax.

  As he lay there in perfect repletion, Isabella was glad that she could offer him the same sort of wondrous pleasure that he’d given her. “That sounded rather nice,” she said smugly.

  Fully recovered, his dark eyes promised all sorts of wicked retaliation as he first pushed himself onto his elbows and then sat up. “You’ll pay for that, my lady.”

  A thrill of excitement shot through her. Heavens above, when did I turn into such a wanton?

  When he reached for her, she eluded his grasp. His eyes lit up with a renewed vigor. “Ah. I see you’re going to play hard to get,” he purred. “Challenge accepted.”

  She squealed as he dove for her, but he grasped nothing more than air as she got to her feet and put the bedpost between them. She immediately slipped, so she glanced down, and suppressed a snort to find that she was still wearing her stockings.

  “Do you really think that a simple piece of wood will stop me from getting to you?”

  Isabella looked up just as Ridge pounced. This time, she had no hope of escape, but honestly, she had never wanted to win this particular game.

  He drew her up against his chest and punished her with his mouth, kissing her until she couldn’t breathe, her entire world eclipsed by her passion for him.

  A familiar ache began to throb between her legs as he reached down and began to stroke her. She cried out against his lips as she was overcome by the orgasm. Her knees were weak, so he turned her around and placed her hands on the bedpost.

  “Hold on,” he instructed, and then he was entering her from behind.

  She clung to the post as he thrust into her over and over again, her nails digging into the wood as pleasure assaulted her. Her breasts bobbed with their combined movements, and when he reached around to cup them in his palms, toying with the sensitive nipples, the torment was too much and she convulsed around his cock.

  Stars temporarily blotted her vision as he advanced one last time and then withdrew to expend himself.

  When Isabella could no longer stand upright, Ridge led her to the bed and pulled the covers back. There, he lay down and pulled her within the circle of his arms, covering them both up. She collapsed against his chest, her arm thrown across it as he whispered against the top of her head. “Sleep, my darling, Isabella.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ridge awoke sometime before dawn. It was the first night in months that he had slept so soundly. In truth, it might have been longer than that, but since he had no reason to keep track of the days unless it coincided with a mission, the hours leading up to this point had blurred and ran together — until Isabella. She had effectively stopped time with her pure spirit.

  He glanced at her and tried to commit to memory every lovely curve of her face. He couldn’t feel his arm where it rested underneath Isabella’s head, but he would rather cut it off than wake her. Even as he turned his head and stared at the window, though, he recognized that the sun would be making an appearance soon, and it wouldn’t do for him to be seen leaving Isabella’s chamber.

  Reluctantly, he moved his arm, grimacing when the blood flow rushed back to the appendage. Isabella sighed in her sleep and the coverlet slipped a bit, revealing the tops of her breasts.

  And just like that, his arm wasn’t the only appendage to awaken.

  Ridge couldn’t resist bending down and capturing one delicate peak in his mouth, while kneading the other with his palm. Isabella’s sigh rapidly turned into a moan as her legs moved restlessly. He slipped a hand below the covers and began to stroke her gently.

  Her lips parted and her eyes fluttered open as she looked at him. His cock jerked at the desire he read there, eager to dive into her wet heat, but he vowed that he wouldn’t gain his release until he’d awoken her properly.

  He captured her mouth with his and when she came apart, he absorbed every bit of her satisfaction. Only then did he sit up and move toward the edge of the bed where he urged her to straddle him. He could tell it was torture for both of them as he slowly lowered her down onto his cock. She grasped his arms as he took hold of her hips and sent them on a relentless pace.

  Ridge was close to release after Isabella moaned with her second orgasm, but when he started to withdraw, she ground her pelvis down on him and he was lost. He gave a shout and exploded inside of her, coming just shy of blacking out from the intense gratification.

  For all the women he’d had in his lifetime, the endless rounds of lovemaking, nothing had ever compared to what he felt with Isabella.

  And nothing ever would again.

  She was still sitting on his lap, so he pulled her close, kissed her deeply, and drew back far enough to murmur, “Good morning, my lady.”

  Her laugh touched his soul with all the light of the sun. “Indeed, it is, Mr. Claymoore.”

  He gently eased her off him, slid from her bed, and rose to his feet. He could easily stay there all day, spending the hours in mutual pleasure, but reality awaited him beyond her chamber door.

  Ridge slipped on his trousers and fastened them before turning back to her. He was relieved to see that she’d wrapped the blanket around her like a toga. As he grabbed his shirt and jacket from where he’d let them fall the night before, something dropped to the stone floor. Isabella leaned down and picked up his deck of cards.

  She inspected them carefully. “You really do carry them around with you all the time, don’t you?” she murmured. She handed them over, and he put them back where he always kept them, close to his heart. She tilted her head to the side. “Can I ask why they’re so important?”

  He hesitated for a moment, and then decided that there was no point in denying her query. “I believe I told you that they came from someone with ties to antiquities.” When she nodded, he added, “Supposedly, my father gave them to my mother not long after they met.”

  “Is that where you got the coin too?”

  Her recollection of the other item he generally toted around with him brought no surprise. “No. That is something I… procured later.”

  He didn’t want to tell her that he’d received it from his first mistress, but something to that effect must have shown on his face, for she said, “Oh. I see.”

  Isabella’s disappointment was so tangible as she picked at a stray thread on the blanket. With her red hair tumbling over her shoulders, he wanted to lay her back and prove, once again, how much she meant to him, but instead, he grasped her chin and forced her to look at him. “You are worth a thousand of these coins,” he whispered. “I’ll go down to the beach and toss it in the sea right now if that will bring a smile back to your face—”

  She shook her head and placed a hand on his chest when he fell silent. “No. It’s part of who you are. I want you to keep it. Besides—” she grinned. “I still need to practice.”

  His lips twitched. “Indeed, you do.”

  With another quick kiss, Ridge started for the door, knowing that if he didn’t leave now, he never would. He unlocked the bolt and turned back to her, knowing he should say something. And while it might sound rather inane, he murmured, “I’ll see you later.” He shut the door behind him, and then expelled a heavy breath.

  After a moment, he forced himself to push away.

&
nbsp; ***

  Isabella knew that she shouldn’t be so eager to see Ridge again. After all, it had been just a couple of hours since he’d left her rooms — her bed.

  Shivers of delight crawled up her spine whenever she thought of last night and the incredible intimacy that they’d shared. It was like nothing she’d ever imagined, but then, she supposed the act of lovemaking could be rather special when a woman loved the person she was with. Otherwise, it just became meaningless and empty, a temporary diversion from life.

  Even Claudia had remarked on her good mood, right before she’d noticed the rumpled bedcovers. But then, her maid’s expression turned crestfallen. “Oh, my lady—”

  Isabella had held up a hand. “Stop right there. Please, I just want to… bask in the moment a bit longer before reality intrudes.”

  Claudia had nodded her head. “Of course, my lady. I’ll just heat some water for a bath.”

  Later, washed and dressed in a light green muslin, Isabella had to resist the urge to skip down the hallway, her eagerness to see Ridge again as much of a need as her next breath. While she should be reminding herself that this was a temporary liaison, her heart didn’t want to accept the truth just yet. She wanted to cling to the fantasy that there could be a happily ever after for her a bit longer.

  As she turned the corner, she spied Lord Liverpool. He glanced up and smiled in a kind fashion. “Ah, there you are. I was just coming to your chambers. I was hoping I might have a word with you before you go to the dining room.”

  She tamped down her regret that her reunion with Ridge would have to wait, and said, “Of course, my lord.”

  He offered her his arm and escorted her upstairs to his private suite. He led her to the salon where she took a seat on the settee. In turn, he sat in a chair opposite. He leaned back and studied her carefully for a few moments, and she resisted the urge to fidget. It was as if she was a child again, a recalcitrant girl facing her father.