Page 64 of A Knight for Gwenllian

“You’re here to see to my pleasure, then?”

Trust him to think only of his pleasure. She should have guessed this would be all he cared about. “Yes. Alexander sent me to you before going to Throckmorton. He said you two had come to an agreement, and I was to come to you for the night.”

“And you didn’t object?”

Mm. At least he seemed aware that she had an opinion to give. She had not expected that. Still, that he had asked the question did not change the fact that he was ready to use her to establish his superiority over his brother.

“No, I didn’t object. Why would I? You’re a very handsome man, my lord, which I noticed the moment you arrived, and well-favored, as I can see now.” She forced herself to look at his groin and swallowed when she saw that his member had already started to lengthen. “And I will admit that the idea of bedding two brothers who look so similar is very…stirring.”

Sickening, rather. But Hugh did not argue, accepting her answer with nauseating ease, as if he had not doubted his victory for a moment.

It was just like it had been with Old John’s son. As long as you pretended you wanted what they also wanted, some men didn’t stop to think that something was odd. Either they were so aroused that they could not function normally, or they were just plain stupid. Or both.

“If you must know, I find the idea of taking what belongs to my little brother very stirring as well,” Hugh said in a low growl. Yes. In his mind, she was no different than Audley Castle, and he would enjoy taking what he saw as a property, only existing for men’s enjoyment. He nodded to his shaft, which had gone fully erect, and smiled. “I’m sure you will find me more vigorous than Alexander and able to see to your needs.”

It was impossible to imagine a man doing that better than her dashing knight, so Gwenllian didn’t answer. Her heart was beating impossibly hard in her chest, and she was sure anyone who knew her would have spotted her unease at first glance. Fortunately, Hugh didn’t know her and so was unaware of the real feelings agitating her mind. But there was no denying that she was finding this much more taxing than she had anticipated.

She had not stopped to think about how she would feel when she had elaborated her plan to save Audley. It had to be done; that was all she knew, and she was the only one who could do it. She hadn’t wanted to start thinking too much, at the risk of losing her nerve.

But now she was here, and it was happening. Hugh looked eager, and he was already naked, something she had not taken into consideration. To add to her discomfort, he truly did look a lot like Alexander. Not as much as a twin, but eerily close. The differences between them were not physical, as they shared the same thick, beautiful hair, the same advantageous physique, the same sensual mouth. The difference was in their attitudes.

Alexander was a majestic hound, whereas Hugh was a sly fox. The hard glint in his eye was in complete contrast to their velvety color. The satisfied curl of his lip was enough to ruin the perfection of his mouth. And the way he was looking at her made shivers run down her spine rather than blood race down her veins.

But regardless of her fears and her disgust, she had to act as if she were as aroused as he was.

“I’m sure you will be able to see to my needs. But let me take care of you first, my lord. I want to make you feel good tonight. Since I’ve been allowed to indulge my whim, I will not have you remembering me as a less-than-adequate conquest.”

As he was already naked and aroused, she feared for a moment that he would eschew what she had planned and simply pin her to the bed, but to her relief, he seemed happy to go along with the seduction. Smiling, she poured them both a cup from the jug of wine she had brought along with her. It had not only been heavily laced with sleeping potion but also topped up with strong mead, creating what she hoped to be a combination strong enough to render him helpless. He emptied his cup in one gulp, as she’d hoped, while she pretended to sip at hers.

The first part of the plan was accomplished.

Now, in order to give the potion time to take effect, she had to do everything she could to delay touching him. She started with a simple question.

“Am I the first Welsh woman you will have, then?”

She was reminded of what the man in the woods had told her about not having had a lady before. It seemed that men always found something to justify their lust.

“Yes. I have heard much about your countrymen’s wild and untamed ways. I’m curious to see if this goes for women as well.”

Gwenllian afforded a smile. In other circumstances, she would have enjoyed showing him just how wild she could be with arrogant Englishmen who thought they could blackmail their brothers into handing over their life’s work and dispose of women’s bodies for their selfish pleasure.

“We can be wild,” she agreed, “but even the wildest beasts know to surrender when they meet their match. In truth, I’m looking for a man virile enough to tame me. It will be a nice change.”

“You mean that my brother has not been able to do so?” A snort. “I’m not surprised. I’ve long suspected that he was more interested in cock than cunt. Well, I will tame you, never fear. And I happen to like a woman who knows her place and lets the man be in charge.”

Another crucial difference from his brother. Alexander had never wanted to tame her, and he was man enough to know that her only “place” was where she wanted to be, whether at his mercy or in the role of the seductress.

Hugh took a step toward her. Trying not to betray her panic, Gwenllian raised a hand.

“Sit down, my lord, and let me disrobe while I enjoy the magnificent view. Please.”

A glance at his groin made her meaning clear. She guessed that flattery would work on a man like him. And he was, objectively, magnificent. The only problem was, he made her flesh crawl.

“Yes. Disrobe for me.”

In preparation for that moment, she had added as many layers and accessories as she had dared to her attire, so as to draw out the moment for as long as possible. The length jutting from Hugh’s thighs did not show any sign of flagging the whole time, indicating that he was enjoying the teasing, at least. She placed a foot on his knee and reached up to her stocking. Gwenllian knew a moment of utter shame when she considered what she was doing. What would Alexander think if he could see her like this, half naked, doing her best to entice his hated brother?

He would never know, she vowed, he would never hear the details of that shameful night. All he would be told was that she had fooled Hugh into thinking Alexander had agreed to the bargain and then pretended to sleep with him.