An Affair So Right (Rebel Hearts #4)(37)

“My lord, I don’t think—”

He covered her lips with his fingers. “That is what I want. Don’t think about anything. I want you to feel.”

Theodora was rendered mute by the heat in his gaze. He perched her on the table edge and drew her skirts up to her knees.

She should stop him. Anyone could come in and find them. However, a quick glance toward the door revealed it was already closed, giving them privacy.

She licked her lips.

Lord Maitland traced patterns on her thighs until she wanted to part her legs and agree.

“Tea will be here soon, but I’m famished right now. Let me feast?”

“No.”

His jaw clenched. “Why?”

“Mixing business with pleasure is a bad idea.”

His brow furrowed. “I didn’t need your pity.”

“What?”

He turned away abruptly and moved to his desk. He took the rent money and stashed it away in his wall safe without bothering to confirm the amount was as expected. “Last night. I didn’t need you to pretend.”

He busied himself with property reports, looking down at the desk instead of at her.

“Oh, no. No, no, no.” She bounced off the table, lowering her skirts then moving closer to him. “Quinn, that was not what last night was about.”

He shrugged.

“Dear God, what a dim-witted thing to suggest.”

He frowned, jaw clenching.

Against her better judgment, she put her hand on his arm. He was rigid again. Concerned, Theodora shook him. “I enjoyed last night. I needed it. Perhaps you took pity on me?”

He rolled his eyes. “Hardly. I seem to recall you giving as good as you got. Several times, in fact.”

A flush of heat swept her face again as she whispered, “We enjoyed being together last night. But there is a time and place for everything. I am here to work. I would not like to lose the good opinion of the staff if we were caught in an indiscreet moment. Do you want someone to find me draped over the desk, panting because you excite me so well?”

“No, but I like the idea of you panting for me.” His lips twitched. “Tonight then?”

She met his gaze, and her quim pulsed in anticipation of him kissing her sex again. She most definitely wanted him to. “Yes. Please.”

“Eight o’clock.”

“After eight. Once the house has settled down, I will come to your room again.”

He set his hand to her hip and his fingers closed over her body. Even that excited her unbearably. “That will be an eternity,” he said.

“For both of us, but pleasure must wait until the perfect moment, when we will not be interrupted.”

He leaned close, close enough that his lips brushed her ear. “I’ve been thinking of your legs wrapped around my hips all day. Damned fine daydream, I must say, but nothing will compare to the fact of it later.”

“And I thought of your hands on me, of you being deep inside me all day, too,” Theodora confessed, her voice husky with need. “But it’s not something anyone else needs to know we are thinking about, is it?”

“I suppose not,” he agreed reluctantly. He smiled suddenly. “I’ll make you burn for me by nightfall. How ever will we keep our hands off each other, my dear?”

“I assure you, you already have achieved your goal of making me burn for a repeat performance. Stop gloating. You already won me over.”

“I take a great deal of pleasure from that admission,” he whispered as his fingers drifted from her hip to squeeze her bottom. “And I will wring a great deal of pleasure from your body later. As much as you can take, in fact.”

“Quiet now, my lord,” she pleaded. “If you don’t stop talking of pleasures soon, you will distract me so much that I might commit you to attending the wrong gatherings.”

“I wouldn’t want that,” he admitted with a wince.

Theodora escaped him and returned to her desk, aware that her body throbbed in earnest now, and she was already anticipating hours of uninterrupted play at the mercy of Lord Maitland’s very great lust.

A servant tapped on the door the next moment and slipped into the room. “Lady Templeton has arrived, my lord.”

“I’ll be with her in a moment.” Quinn moved closer to Theodora once they were alone again. “I guess that’s how I’ll survive the afternoon. Nothing cools a man’s ardor faster than having his mama come to call. I’d better go see what she wants.”

He stole a kiss before he left her though, a long one, with the brush of his tongue in her mouth that took her breath away yet again and made her wish it wasn’t necessary to let him go.





Chapter 14





Quinn tugged on his cravat, bitterly disappointed by the interruption. Damn, but his mother had the very worst timing imaginable sometimes. He’d been so close to achieving his goal of diverting Theodora from work that afternoon. She had been more than a little excited by their conversation. Her eyes had so filled with lust, he’d barely held back. But she was right. He had to be responsible. He didn’t want anyone to know about their intimacy. He didn’t want there to be a reason for them to stop.

He found the Countess of Templeton standing in his drawing room, dressed in a pretty blue day gown that brought out the mischief in her eyes. Quinn kissed his mother’s cheek when it was offered. “What are you doing here, Mama?”