Wicked Surrender (Regency Sinners)(22)
Sculpted lips curved into a slow and sensuous smile. “I find that surprising, considering how well you performed as a dominant.”
Obviously they also talked about what had happened, something Bella found she was less than comfortable with. “I took my example from you,” she defended.
He chuckled softly. “It was not a criticism, Bella. On the contrary, I believe having my pleasure controlled by you was the most erotic experience of my life.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You are mocking me now.”
“I am truly not.”
Bella studied him searchingly, seeing only sincerity in those dark green eyes as they met her gaze unflinchingly. “Then I am glad of it.” She nodded.
“Which is not to say either of us will be controlling the other when we fuck. I believe I should like to see you wild and completely abandoned to your pleasure in whatever way you wish.”
“I would like to see the same where you are concerned,” she came back pertly.
His arms wrapped about her as he drew her head down against his chest. “In that case, I suggest we both have a nap. It does not sound as if we will be resting for some time once we reach my hunting lodge,” he added with satisfaction.
Bella had no idea if it was sexual excess or lack of sleep the previous night, but the next thing she was fully aware of was waking to the sound of the driver and groom calling to the horses as the coach was brought to a halt.
She released herself from a just-waking Dante’s arms to pull down the window and look curiously outside. The height of the sun in the blue sky overhead told her that it was late afternoon.
The carriage was parked outside a two-story log building set in a clearing and surrounded by tall oak and fir trees. As far as Bella could see, there were no other buildings or houses in sight. Not even a stable for the horses or accommodation for the groom and driver of the carriage.
Dante ran his fingers lightly down Bella’s bare arm. “Once they have untied our luggage and taken it inside, my driver and groom will drive the carriage to the village two miles away and take up accommodation in the local inn,” he answered the unspoken question he could see on her face. “There is no housekeeper, no maids or footmen, Bella. In other words, we shall be completely alone here.”
He was unsure if that was a look of dismay or anticipation on her face before she turned away to put on her bonnet and cloak.
Bella’s nervousness returned with a vengeance as soon as their things had all been brought inside and the driver and groom, along with the carriage, had departed for the village.
The inside of the hunting lodge was more rustic than she had expected. The lower floor appeared to be all one open room, with only a kitchen to the back of the building. She hoped there would be water readily available, at least, but she would not depend upon it. Old furniture was covered in colorful blankets, faded rugs on the wooden floors, the walls unadorned. There was also a drinks table upon which there was a decanter and a bottle of brandy and half a dozen glasses. A huge fireplace dominated the room, with a basket of logs sitting beside it.
Bella had not yet seen the sleeping arrangements on the second floor, but she presumed they would be as basic.
It was decidedly a man’s residence. But no doubt when the gentlemen went on their hunting trips, they preferred this lack of a feminine touch as much as the omission of the restraints put on all of them by Society. This hunting lodge provided their basic comforts, warmth, food, and a good brandy.
“Did Aston ever fuck you over the back of a chair?”
Bella had just removed her cloak and bonnet, a frown marring her brow as she turned to face Dante. “I do not believe my husband was ever crude enough to fuck me anywhere.”
He shrugged out of his jacket before placing it on the stand in the hallway. “I only asked out of a desire to be original. I should not like to become a cliché.”
“Then you may rest assured that everything we have done together so far has been a novelty to me,” she said tartly.
“Really?” His brows rose. “Aston never ate your delectable pussy or asked you to suck his cock?”
She drew herself up stiffly. “I will not discuss my husband or my marriage with you in those terms.”
His eyes narrowed. “I am not to sully his name with my debauched lips, is that it?”
Bella had no idea why the two of them always ended up disagreeing so soon after intimacy. Except to know Dante was always the one to instigate it. Perhaps because that intimacy made him momentarily vulnerable.
Even seven years ago, Dante had been very much a man who was comfortable in his own aloofness. It had always seemed to Bella that he used that coldness as a shield to his emotions as he held himself apart from the rest of humanity. The act of intimacy did not allow for that shield. At least, not during the type of dominance-and-surrender lovemaking the two of them had so far enjoyed together.
Bella chose to ignore his comment rather than challenging him into continuing the pointless argument. They had more important things to discuss right now. “We have now arrived at your hunting lodge, and it is time for you to tell me why you have brought me here.”
Chapter 8
Dante, having been caught up in his illogical resentment toward Bella’s intimacy with her husband, now found himself taken completely off-guard by her abrupt change of subject.
“You promised me all would become clear on this subject tomorrow,” Bella reminded him at his silence, her chin tilted at a challenging angle. “It is now tomorrow.”