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Chapter Twenty-Six
Jasper practically frogmarched her back to Russell Square in determined silence, one hand gripping hers and the other pulling the stubborn Hades to follow. When they arrived at his house, he tied the horse to his railings and they entered via the front door in full view of everyone. Mrs Mimms met them in the hallway and was promptly dismissed when he instructed her to take Izzy and the governess with her so that they could all wheel Jim back to the infirmary. He even helped both of those ladies on with their coats and opened the door for them, then locked it behind them while Hattie stood by completely baffled by what was going on.
‘Right then.’ He held out his hand. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Where?’
‘Upstairs. One might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.’
‘I don’t follow...’ Yet exactly like a sheep she was already following him up the staircase. Which was why when he stopped dead and simultaneously swivelled she walked straight into the cage of his arms.
‘I am going to ruin us.’ The heat in his eyes was intense. ‘Once and for all and irrevocably. Because frankly, despite all my noble and apparently futile and misguided efforts to the contrary, I have already succeeded in ruining you without all the joy which usually comes from the ruining, and that is the real travesty here. I am sick and tired of trying to be a gentleman, of doing the right thing by you and denying myself when all I really want to do is rip all of your clothes off and have my wicked way with you.’ He kissed her. Long, deep and slow.
‘In short, in case you are still in any doubt as to where I stand, I am sick to the back teeth of being noble. Of not taking what I want. Of not prioritising my needs over those of others and to hell with the consequences. I want it all, Hattie Fitzroy. All of you—and I want it now.’
While the wayward and much too wanton part of her was thrilled to hear that, the niggling voice of doubt she wanted to ignore wasn’t. ‘But it is the middle of the afternoon!’
And daylight was so unforgiving.
‘It is and we finally have the house to ourselves.’ He kissed her again, his hands possessively cupping her bottom and tugging her close so that she could feel the strength of his desire. ‘Have you any idea how rare a treat that will be once we are married? What with Izzy and Mrs Mimms—neither of whom are capable of giving me any peace—and Jim, who I am convinced will also be moving in if our daughter gets her way. Because she has her sights set on a brother and wants one immediately. And then there will hopefully, after a decent honeymoon period, be more children. If we can ever snatch another moment alone to make them in between your saintly pursuits at the infirmary and my sinful work at my club. Then before you know it every single one of my empty bedrooms will have someone in them.’ He peppered his words with more distracting kisses. Distracting enough that she did not realise her gown was unlaced until he eased it from her shoulders. ‘Then the only place we shall ever be able to do this will be in our room.’
Our room. She liked the sound of that.
‘I do not recall agreeing to marry you.’ It was impossible to say that without smiling. ‘Or for that matter, you asking.’
‘Are you sure you read my letter? Because I stated my intention to have you for ever in that.’ His lips found her neck and she arched against them. ‘Never mind that if you don’t marry me then you have as good as sealed my death warrant as there will be pistols at dawn tomorrow. If your interfering brother doesn’t shoot me for the liberties I am about to take with your person, I suspect your father, mother or sister will.’
He smoothed his hands down her arms and her dress puddled around her feet. Before she tripped on it, he held her hand as she stepped out of it, then flung the garment over the banister while he looked at her. ‘Good grief you are beautiful.’ And before she could argue that point he took her hand and pressed it flat against his hardness. ‘Look what you do to me.’
As there was no denying that she did seem to have a profound effect on him, Hattie kissed him some more while she learned his shape, and when that wasn’t enough attacked the buttons on his falls.
He trapped her fingers in his, his green eyes smouldering with so much desire it took her breath away. ‘Are you going to marry me?’
‘If I have to.’ She couldn’t resist quoting that back to him and he laughed, then kissed her so thoroughly she had to cling to him or fall backwards down the stairs.
Within seconds there were clothes flying everywhere. He undid her stays, but it was she who tore them off. She removed his waistcoat, but it was Jasper who tugged his shirt over his head. Then he did the same to her chemise as he twisted their positions so that she stood almost naked on the stair above him—only her stockings remained. The final barrier between them and total, brutal honesty.
She assumed he would be all over her, filling his hands with her breasts as he had so many times before when passion erupted between them. Except this time, he didn’t. He moved down several steps, his gaze raking her as he savoured the moment. When he finally did touch her again, it was to lovingly trace his fingertip over her hip until he slowly climbed to bring his face level with hers. Even then, he only snaked his arm around her waist as he sighed against her mouth. ‘You have no idea how many times I have fantasied about this moment.’
Gently, he lowered her to sit on the stair, and while he kissed her he quickly peeled the silk stocking from her good leg. She would have preferred that he did the same with the remaining stocking, or even better left it on, but of course he didn’t. For that he sat too, so that he half faced her, hooked a finger into the top and began to edge it slowly down.
‘I sincerely doubt that you are ready to believe this, but I shall say it anyway. Your dratted leg is my favourite leg, Hattie. In fact...’ the silk whispered across her knee and she instinctively stiffened ‘...it is probably one of the things I love most about you because it epitomises all that you are.’
As he revealed her shin, she turned her head away and closed her eyes as he stripped it from her body, not wanting to witness his veiled disappointment. Wanting to believe the kind lies he was telling because he loved her. ‘It is a testament to your strength and your character. Your absolute refusal to give up.’ His fingers traced her scars before they explored her misshapen bone and wasted muscles. ‘If it wasn’t for this tenacious and wonky leg, you wouldn’t be here and then where would I be?’
His lips replaced his fingers as he kissed a lazy path from her ankle to her knee, then further still up the inside of her thigh. She sucked in a surprised breath when his mouth found the most sensitive part of her, releasing it on a ragged exhale as he tortured that aching bud with his tongue.
Powerless to do anything other than enjoy what he was doing, Hattie gripped one of the spindles on the staircase and moaned her appreciation. Once again, her need hurried her to the edge, and exactly as it had the first time he had touched her so intimately, it refused to wait. Again, too soon but far too late, her body pulsed and shattered as she cried out her pleasure and those shameless cries of ecstasy echoed in the stairwell, reminding her where they were.
In full view of the front door if anyone came through it. Exposed to the entire house if another servant happened past. Only a few yards from the nosy reporters still waiting for gossip outside.
As if he read her mind the smug wretch smiled up at her from between her legs as he pressed a key into her hand. ‘I dead bolted the door, the maid doesn’t live in and it’s Cook’s afternoon off. We have the house to ourselves for at least the next half an hour.’
He stood then, the bulge in the half-unbuttoned breeches which hung dangerously low on his hips conclusive evidence that he was as undone by her as she was by him, and with a cocky, sinful smile he slid them off as slowly as he had her stocking.
His aroused body fascinated and intimidated her in equal measure, and she stared at it, drinking every muscle, plane, ridge and thick, solid inch. Fully clothed, Jasper had always been impressive. Naked he was dangerous. Her body thrummed with fresh desire, the ache in her womb returning despite it only just being relieved.
Nerves made her babble. ‘Perhaps we should go upstairs?’
