STORY EXCERPT

When Victor came in from his ride she was ready for him. She’d been waiting in the parlor for the past half hour for him to make an appearance. The fire crackled behind the grate, warm and merry, but her hands felt cold. The letter from Lord Hawksfell sat on the table beside her chair, and her head ached from trying to figure out just what possibility it could present. She’d finally just put that darn thing on the table to await Victor’s compelling eyes.

He stalked into the parlor through the glass doors at the back of the house, and her breath caught. The wind had made his cheeks ruddy and he exuded masculine strength. His thick dark hair was dusted with a few snowflakes which sparkled as they rapidly melted. Her pulse leapt and she stifled a sigh.

“Hello, Victor,” she managed to say.

He froze, his dark eyes snapping toward her. “Violet?” He pulled off his gloves with deliberate tugs. “What are you doing here?”

“Here at Ralston House?”

He waved a hand. “No. Here in the parlor.”

“Did you think to avoid me?” She’d tried for a light, teasing tone but flirtation was never her forte. “That is, where did you think I would be?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged and took off his long coat, placing it over the back of the chair across from her. “The library?”

It was a valid answer. She spent quite a bit of time lost in those books now that she no longer had to care for her aunt.

“Nevertheless, here I sit.” She picked up the letter from the earl. “This came for you.”

He blinked and took a step toward her. Oh, she could smell him now. She held the letter out to him.

“Why do you have it?” he asked, taking the letter and turning it over.

“Wilson didn’t want to leave it in the salver,” she answered with a shrug.

“The Earl of Hawksfell,” he read aloud. He studied the letter and she could tell he was intrigued. His nostrils flared and his fingers traced over the seal. “What could he possibly want?”

“There is one way to find out,” she said.

He lifted his head, pinning her with those eyes. Then he flashed her a curve of his lips that might be considered a smile. “Right.”

He broke the seal and unfolded the paper within. As she watched, a flicker of emotion crossed his rugged features, accompanied by a narrowing of his eyes as he read the earl’s words. His sculpted lips parted for a moment, then pressed into a thin line. “Preposterous.”

She was fairly trembling with curiosity as she considered just what the earl had to say. “What is it, Victor?”

“He wants me to come to Hawksfell Manor.” He dropped the hand holding the letter to his side. “To meet the other Hawk relatives.”

It was her turn to let her mouth gape open. “The other Hawks?”

“Yes, the earl and his brother. As well as a few cousins.”

She heard something in his voice, a wistfulness she’d never heard before. “Never say you’re going.”

His brows drew together. “I don’t suppose I should feel compelled, but…”

Realization struck her then. He wanted to meet the other Hawks, despite the lack of any indication he’d ever given in the past. Rising out of her chair, she reached out to touch his arm. “You should go.”

He looked down at her hand, then into her eyes. The floor tilted beneath her and she forced herself to remain still.

“You deserve to have someone else in your life,” she said softly.

“Other than you, you mean?” he asked, his voice rough.

Her throat tightened. “Victor…”

He dropped the letter and grabbed her upper arms. “Violet, are you tired of me?”

She blinked rapidly. Her emotions were a riot inside of her. “What? I don’t understand.”

He brought his face close to hers. “You came here for my mother. You can leave Ralston House at any time.”

Swallowing thickly, she tried to think of a reasonable answer. There was really only one, however. “You know as well as I that I have nowhere else to go.”

He nodded and brought his mouth to hers, his lips brushing over her flesh. She could scarcely breathe. He kissed her, at first quite softly then with a hard press of his mouth before he set her from him.

“Victor?” she managed to ask.

“Nowhere else to go,” he repeated, reaching down to pick up the discarded letter. His eyes were intent on her before he turned away. “That is a pity.”

With long strides, he left the parlor. Sinking back into the chair, she touched her fingertips to her mouth. His taste was like his scent, spicy and hot. She closed her eyes and reveled in the memory of that too-brief kiss.

It was a lamentable truth she couldn’t ignore. That would most likely be the only kiss she ever got from him.

ADULT EXCERPT

Her full lips parted, then she shook her head. “Kiss me, Victor.”

He brought his mouth to hers and began to taste her. She tasted a bit of Cabot, but that could be his lingering scent on her skin. The combination of the man he’d recently fucked and the girl he was going to drove him wild. “Easy,” he growled.

She pulled back a hairsbreadth. “What did you say?”

He kissed her lips again, then dropped his head to the side of her neck. “I was telling myself to go easy, Violet. I’m afraid I want to strip off what little clothing you have on and fuck you. Hard.”

She trembled and pressed closer to him. “Oh, my.”

He could hear the sound of a cough and knew Cabot was stifling a chuckle. It should almost be ridiculous but his cock felt so full and hard for Violet it was like it was his first time. Like he hadn’t fucked the servants at Ralston and Cabot just last night.

Dropping his hands from her, he stepped back and unfastened his trousers. The warmth of the air in the room made his balls ache. He hissed through his teeth as his cock grew harder. His beast was wild for her and he knew he had to take care.

“Place her on the bed, Cabot,” he said.

Cabot nodded and gathered Violet in his arms. “Come, sweetheart. Trust me, you’re in for quite a ride.”

She looked from Cabot to himself, then swallowed audibly. “Oh, my,” she said again.

Victor found a small smile for that. Cabot’s fingers were deft as they removed her chemise and she was soon spread and ready for him. Praying for the presence of mind to restrain himself, he climbed onto the bed and covered her with his naked body.

Her nipples were hard against his chest and her mound pressed up against his cock. He’d never taken a woman this way, touching her with every inch of his body. When her arms twined around his neck, her nails biting into his shoulders, he clenched his teeth against the shout of excitement that fought to escape him.

“Ah, Violet,” he moaned, burying his face between her breasts.

Her scent was heavier here, and when he flicked his tongue over her nipple he could taste her sweetness. Delving between her thighs with one hand, he stroked her pussy. She was wet, from Cabot’s attentions and from her fresh arousal. With two fingers inside of her, he could feel the proof of her virginity. That, and how tight she was. It was going to be a close thing. His cock was huge and his need greater than he’d ever felt before. He tried to ready her for his assault, and as he moved his fingers in and out of her she began to purr and writhe beneath him.

“Yes, Victor,” she sighed. “Please…”

When she bit her lip again he nearly came on her soft belly. Shifting, he forced himself to slow as he positioned his cock at her pussy. Her flesh scalded him, made him ache to spill inside her.

A glance at Cabot showed him watching avidly, his cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkling. Apparently he was enjoying this as much as Victor had enjoyed watching Cabot lick her. It was passing strange but he supposed there was a connection among the three of them now.

He looked back down at her beautiful face. “I’m sorry if this hurts,” he said. Then he drove inside her hot cunt with one deep thrust.

She cried out in obvious pain and he held himself still.

“Violet, Violet,” he said, taking measured breaths.

She sobbed, but there was an edge to her cries. A piercing of want that stunned him.

“Oh, take me!” she shouted, clutching more tightly at his shoulders.

He blinked, then began to move. Her hips rose to meet him and he was soon pounding into her hard and fast. Their bodies were coated with sweat and he lifted her legs up around his waist.

“My God,” he groaned, feeling every inch of her grasp his shaft. “Oh, my God.”

She began to sob again, her body arching wildly beneath him. She shattered then, coming tight around his shaft as he continued to ride her. He couldn’t do anything else but buck and thrust until he felt his own climax start.

“Violet, let me…” he began, bracing himself on his hands to withdraw.

She drew him closer in the throes of her orgasm and he suddenly came with a groan, pouring his seed deep inside of her in hot spurts that nearly turned him inside out.

He took in great gasps of air as he struggled to hold himself off her slight form. Her head was turned to the side, her eyes closed as she took ragged breaths through her parted lips. Her pussy still held him tight, aftershocks of pleasure tickling at him as he squeezed his own eyes shut at last.

The feel of her, the scent of her and their sex all around them, was something he knew he’d never forget. And, like his time with Cabot last night, he didn’t feel the wash of cold shame that he was so used to following his climax. He couldn’t think about what that meant at the moment, however. He was just too bloody satisfied.

“Violet,” he said finally, opening his eyes again and bringing his brow to hers. “Are you all right?”

She shifted and gazed up at him. “Oh, yes.”

Cabot did laugh then, slapping Victor’s shoulder. “Well done, Victor.”

Victor barked out a surprised chuckle and shook his head.