Page 31 of Desperately Seeking Seduction

Her lips twitched. “Is that what you say to all the women you debauch on this blanket?”

“Only to the ones posing as a valet,” he promised. He pushed the heel of his hand down his length and back up again. “Could I persuade you to lend me a hand now?”

She glanced down, eyes widening at the sight of him stroking himself. Her lips parted as he continued to stroke.

“Are you at all curious to feel what you’ve lacked between your legs, posing as Winston?”

“I know what you have under there, my lord,” she whispered.

“You peeked?”

“I did.” She reached out and undid the buttons on the fall of his trousers. “But show me again.”

“How kind of you to ask.” He pushed the material of his shirt aside and waggled his cock at her playfully. “It’s big, isn’t it?”

To his delight, Win wet her lips and gulped. “Yes.”

“Touch me,” he urged, tucking his head close to hers.

Winston’s fingers were on him in an instant, and he shuddered, pushing his cock against her hand in want of more of that light touch on his skin. He needed it. Craved her.

Since she was inexperienced, he taught her how to stroke him, showed her what he liked best and then left her to excite him. It did not take long at all for him to reach the point of release. He covered her hand, pointed the tip of his cock down toward the blanket beneath them and together they brought him off.

And when the spasms had passed, he kissed her lips fiercely. He’d never made love to a valet before, but he had to say he liked it very much.

He wanted to do it all again, too. Bring her pleasure with his hands and tongue. Show her all the delights to be found in the bedchamber that she’d denied herself with her ruse.

However, he’d not counted on Winston’s competitive nature. When he tried to climb atop her, he ended up under her instead. They tussled for dominance a moment more, rolling all around on the blanket together with their breeches open and laughing about it. Eventually Stratford won, simply by kissing her and then turned her onto her stomach. He pinned her down and planted a kiss on her bare bottom, and then another. “The sweetest bum I’ve ever seen.”

Win struggled and pushed his head away from her rear, attempting to sit up. “My lord, please. Listen! You must stop.”

He looked up at her face at last. “What’s wrong? I thought you were enjoying that.”

“There was a rider coming toward us but now they’re galloping away very fast,” she warned, her face growing paler by the moment as she fumbled with righting her clothing. “We were seen.”

Stratford spun to look beyond win. Far in the distance, he could see a lone rider racing away. He squinted at the figure and realized it was a woman, though he couldn’t make out who it was. But the only women who would be riding across the estate should have been a member of his family. “Damn it.”

“What do we do?”

Dear God, what they must have imagined they’d seen him and Winston doing on this hill together. He glanced at Winston in horror. Everyone at the palace believed Winston was a man. His reputation would be in tatters. He’d be disgraced if that relation told anyone what she thought she’d seen them doing.

Even the truth, that Winston was a woman, would be a disaster for his continued freedom.

He had to find out who it had been and try to explain or buy them off somehow. “I’ll think of something.”

“Stratford,” Win said slowly. “Perhaps I should just go.”

“No. I’ll not have it,” he said, determined to keep Win at Ravenswood. If he was going to be forced into a marriage he’d rather it be with someone like Win. “You go back to the palace now, and return to your usual routine of being my valet. I’ll stay here and paint and return in a few hours as I would normally do as if nothing happened.”

She stared at him with a worried expression for so long, he reached out to brush her cheek gently. “We’ve done nothing wrong.”

“I encouraged you. I know what people might think if we were seen together while I was dressed like this. But if they know the truth, it will be just as bad, won’t it?”

Clearly, Win had not been lying about her disinterest in matrimony.

“I knew what I was doing too,” he promised her. Yet, he was sure he could hear the faint ring of wedding bells in the back of his mind…growing louder by the minute. To his surprise, he wasn’t the least bit concerned about the prospect of being leg-shackled.

CHAPTER 10