Lady Charlotte's Marquess (The heir and a spare Book 2) Read online

  Archie grimaced inwardly at her use of his formal name. She always did that when she was angry with him.

  “You’re welcome. Lady Charlotte,” Archie replied huskily, moved by the obvious emotion she felt for him. She may not have known what she felt for him, but it was more than she seemed to feel for everyone else.

  Charlotte grimaced and curtsied lower than was necessary, then all but ran from the room.

  Archie heard the front door close and quickly readjusted his day breeches. They were not conducive to kissing Charlotte. Even when he didn’t respond to her kisses as he wanted to, his body certainly still did. He calculated sums in his head until his body relaxed.

  “His Grace is in his study,” the butler informed Archie from his usual post, guarding the front door. The elderly man was keeping his eyes low and Archie wondered if he had heard or seen what had happened in the sitting room.

  Archie struggled to maintain his aloof facade as he walked calmly towards the study and thanked Oliver mentally for hiring discreet servants.

  ****

  A few days later Archie couldn’t believe it, but he was doing it again. He was at a ball for the fourth consecutive week and there really was only one reason for it, Charlotte! He had to see her. He stood at the side of the ballroom, watching her dance with a Scottish laird to whom, someone had introduced to him earlier. Nice enough fellow, but he definitely wasn’t good enough for Charlotte. Tonight she wore an evening gown of apricot silk. The neckline was more discreet than other gowns in which he had seen her, but that only made him want to know what was beneath her dress. He knew she would be more beautiful than his imagination could ever hope to create. As the dance began to slow down to a close, Archie decided that it was time to make a move. She wanted him, he wanted her. He didn’t know what they could share together, but the time had come to find out.

  “Lady Charlotte, may I have the pleasure of this dance?” he requested, bowing to her before she could even leave the dance floor.

  She placed her hand in his outstretched one and smiled up at him in answer. As luck would have it, the band began to play a waltz. Archie swept her into his arms, holding her slightly closer than he should have, but not half as close as he wanted to.

  “I’ve missed you,” Archie told her quietly, the only thing he could think of to say. His face showed none of the emotion that sort of statement should have entailed, but he meant the words all the same.

  Charlotte missed a step of the waltz and stumbled. If Archie hadn’t been holding her quite so close, she would have pulled them both over.

  “Really?” Charlotte asked, her eyebrows rising in unison, shock coloring her voice and face. “Your face doesn’t say so.”

  Archie clenched his teeth and let a little, just a little, of his emotion show on his face.

  “I’ve missed you,” he repeated, more gravelly now and with some of the emotion he was feeling was reaching his eyes.

  Charlotte smiled, a small look of triumph on her face.

  “That was slightly better, but you’re definitely going to have to work on your expressions.”

  “Why would I do that, my lady?” Archie asked, swinging her around a couple that were trying to get closer to listen in on their conversation.

  Archie knew they were attracting attention but he just couldn’t bring himself to care enough to actually do anything about it. He had known that dancing with a marriageable lady would attract attention, but Charlotte was in a class of her own. Together, it was enough to have Archie wanting to run for the front door.

  “So that I can know what you’re thinking.” Charlotte confided, looking up at him with a mischievous smile.

  Archie laughed aloud at that one and regretted it instantly when he saw even more people look at them with interest. Even though Charlotte was John’s younger sister and he was not the heir of his family fortunes, the ton would still consider their marriage a relatively good match.

  Damn.

  He stared at his beautiful love for a moment, then slowly shook his head. She could never, ever learn what he was thinking.

  “No, my lady, you will never know such a thing.” Archie told her calmly, hoping it would always be the case.

  “Why ever not, Archie?”

  “Because if you knew what was going on inside my head, then you would be running away from me.”

  “I doubt that very much,” she told him, while giving him a smouldering look through her eyelashes.

  Archie felt that look as if he had been kicked in the vitals.

  “Charlotte, you can’t look at me like that, please,” Archie pleaded, pulling his face together as though it were a shattered vase. His mask of indifference, where was it?

  “Archie, I’ve missed you too,” she whispered, looking up at him and tightening her hold on his shoulder.

  Archie had to get her out of the ballroom. She couldn’t hide a single thought or feeling and at the moment, she was looking at him as though she could eat him up.

  “Lady Charlotte, would you like to walk along the balcony?” he asked, pulling her to a stop and offering her his arm.

  She looked surprised, but took his arm and joined him as they stepped through the large door to the balcony. Cool night air surrounded them.

  “Why did you stop us dancing?”

  “Because you were looking at me as though I were a dessert you wanted to eat.” Archie explained candidly, letting a little of his irritation show when his eyebrows frowned.

  Charlotte gasped, then a hysterical giggle erupted. She gently dislodged her hand and strolled slowly to the balustrade and looked out.

  “It is a beautiful night, is it not?” She asked.

  “Exquisite,” Archie responded, not bothering to hide the longing in his voice.

  Charlotte turned abruptly and stared at him, her blue eyes shining even in the dim light. He walked up beside her and propped himself against the balustrade also without touching her. Her breathing had sped up and he watched her breasts rise and fall with such a kick of desire he knew he had to get her somewhere private.

  “Charlotte...” Archie began, unsure of how to tell her what he was feeling.

  “I spent a lot of time in this house when I was younger, did you know that Archie?” she asked airily, waving her hand at the mansion casually.

  Archie turned to her, surprised at the swift change in conversation.

  “No, I didn’t, Lady Charlotte.” He answered automatically, politely.

  “Indeed. Lady Moffat’s daughter and I got along well and we spent a lot of time together here before she married.” Charlotte continued, her normally steady voice shaking.

  “Indeed.” Archie didn’t understand where she was going with this, but was too polite to interrupt.

  “And I know of a small room that is both out of the way and has a lock on it,” Charlotte said, conversationally.

  Archie’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t mean what he thought she meant, surely?

  “That would indeed be handy for two people if they wanted to be alone,” he agreed, leading her to say more, although he was half terrified of what that would actually mean for them.

  “Indeed it would, my lord and I have an absolute yearning to see it.”

  “A yearning?” Archie repeated, swallowing the lump in his throat and trying to ignore the way his excited heart had picked up its pace.

  “Indeed. I believe I will venture to the retiring room for a few minutes and then go visit that room.”

  Archie debated the intelligence of accepting Charlotte’s offer. There was no wisdom in it, only foolhardy bliss.

  “Would you tell me where this secret room is Lady Charlotte?” he asked quietly.

  Charlotte smiled, her eyes sliding away demurely.

  “It is through the front sitting room, my lord. You enter the sitting room and there is a door to the left that enters into a letter writing room. In there.”

  She smiled brightly, bobbed a curtsy in farewell and headed off the balcony an
d through the open doors without a backward glance.

  Archie stood still for several minutes, his mind a blur of conflicting thoughts. He couldn’t do it, surely? If they were compromised, as Oliver and Sarah had been, they would have to marry. Would that be such a bad thing, his inner self asked longingly? Yes, it would be. He would be deliriously happy and she would become miserable. She would hate him once she found out about his brother and he couldn’t handle that. He felt he could bear anything except Charlotte regretting her choice in him.

  Archie counted to one hundred slowly and then counted again. He had no choice, he had spent what felt like a lifetime keeping himself apart and now a decade of yearning was assailing him.

  He made his way through the house, watching for people following him and taking steady breaths to calm his racing heart.

  He found the front sitting room and walked into it. It was lit by a few candles but was very dark. He blinked as his eyes began to adjust, then he saw the door to the left of the fireplace. He walked over to it, his breathing rate increased and his palms sweating. Was Charlotte already in there waiting for him? The idea made his stomach clench and had him almost running out of the room. Instead, Archie locked his knees, took a deep breath and opened the door. The room would have been completely dark if it wasn’t for a single candle on the writing desk.

  “You came,” Charlotte’s soft voice drifted through the air like morning dew on the ground. Archie groaned at the sound and stepped through the door. His eyes were still adjusting to the light and he could barely make out her silhouette. He knew, however, that Charlotte could see him.

  “Come here,” he growled, barely able to restrain himself from reaching out to grab her.

  Charlotte walked into his arms. Archie didn’t even hesitate. One moment he was standing alone and the next he felt her heat touch him and he went mad. His lips swooped down and he pressed hers open, possessively sweeping his tongue through her sweet mouth.

  Charlotte moaned loudly at the invasion but instead of pulling away like she had last time, she shifted closer. Archie ran his hands from her waist up her back, stroking the incredibly soft skin of her shoulders in long strokes. Charlotte whimpered and ran her hands up under his coat mimicking the way he was touching her. She tugged at the back of his shirt tails and freed them, running her hands up under his shirt as quickly as possible. Archie gasped and arched backwards.

  How had she done that and why? He had never felt anything so amazing in his life. The heat of her hands and the softness of her skin against his back was as shocking as ducking your head in an icy pond. His cock was now throbbing painfully and digging into Charlotte’s soft belly.

  “Charlotte, don’t,” he urged her pulling back so that her hands slid away. He moaned at the loss of contact but maintained control and moved to the chaise lounge, sitting down before his legs collapsed from underneath him.

  “Why not, Archie?”

  Charlotte followed him to the chaise and sat down next to him, reaching for him. Archie groaned when she grabbed both his hands in hers. Didn’t she know how much he wanted her? He had never sunk his cock into a woman’s body before, but he could barely restrain himself from laying her down and lifting her skirts.

  “Charlotte, you have to know how dangerous this is. I want you, badly. We can’t do anything to jeopardize your reputation.”

  Charlotte smiled her secret smile and Archie knew he was in trouble. She stood up, slid onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Archie inhaled her lavender scent deeply and shuddered as she ran her hands over his chest, sending tingles up his spine.

  “Charlotte I don’t know what you want from me. Why are you torturing me?” he asked her, letting all the longing seep into his voice. He couldn’t resist nuzzling the long column of Charlotte’s neck as she bent towards him.

  “I want you to touch me and I want to be allowed to touch you,” she whispered into his ear. Archie shuddered as she trailed small kisses across his smooth jaw line.

  Archie couldn’t believe the amount of images that now flickered across his passion infused brain. Visions of breasts and endless inches of skin tortured him. His eyes had now adjusted to the faint light and he could see her eyes and her face, both glowing brighter than the candle.

  “What do you mean Charlotte?”

  She continued to whisper to him. “Sarah said there are ways of touching which wouldn’t cause me to lose my virtue.”

  “There are, but…”

  He knew there were other things he could share with her without taking her virginity. All of them would test his control to their limits, but it may be worth it to hold Charlotte this close and touch her intimately.

  “I want to touch you Charlotte, but do you really want me to?” Archie asked, running his hand slowly up from her waist and caressing her right breast.

  The nipple peaked and stuck out through the thin fabric of the dress. Charlotte gasped and arched into his hand.

  Her breath hitched. “Do you know how?”

  “Not really. I’ve heard what other people have said, but I think we’re going to have to learn together. You tell me what feels good and we’ll go from there.” Archie chuckled wickedly. Her breasts were so plump and soft, she was so responsive he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to handle touching her intimately and having to stop.

  “I can’t do that!” she buried her head deeper into the crook of his neck.

  Archie grinned and looked down at her flushed face. Now who was being coy?

  “Of course, you can. How else am I supposed to please you?” he flicked her tight little nipple with one hand whilst the other slowly lifted her heavy skirts.

  She moaned again, low in her throat and wordlessly parted her thighs for him.

  Archie swallowed down the lump in his throat. She was so trusting, innocent yet deliciously wanton. How she managed to be all three, he had no idea.

  Charlotte clutched tighter onto his neck, the heat of her skin making his own body burn. He dipped his head to Charlotte’s lips, sealing off her squeal as he ran his fingertips along her thigh and then dipped inwards. He found soft, damp curls and hot folds of skin. Charlotte clamped her legs together, trapping his hand there and went rigid in his lap.

  “Are you okay?” He asked, a little more concerned now that he was actually touching her. Concerned for her and for himself. His erection had just reached some sort of limit and was now throbbing in ecstasy and pain. She felt absolutely incredible and he was far too close to spilling his seed. Archie had heard his friend’s jokes about how wet their bed partners became and the lips and petals that lay between a woman’s legs. Now he could feel them. Slick with moisture, she was warm and aroused.

  “Yes, I... just...” Charlotte tried to get the words out.

  “Relax, I promise I won’t hurt you.” Archie soothed her. He caressed her breast again, stroking the nipple and cupping the fullness gently. So beautiful.

  Charlotte opened further for him. This allowed his hand to start stroking over her most private place. He stroked down and found her moistness and upwards where she seemed to be most sensitive. Charlotte moaned and then gasped as he stopped his movements.

  “What’s wrong?” Archie asked as his stomach leaped up.

  Charlotte shook her head but, Archie was frozen.

  “Tell me, did I hurt you somehow?” He had no idea what he was doing. She was constructed so differently to anything he’d ever known. Where should he touch her?

  “No,” she whispered into his ear. “Keep doing that, please?” she arched up into his hand and sighed at the contact.

  Archie moaned low in his throat in pleasure at her pleading tone and swept his exploring fingers down and up again. Again she moaned when he reached the top, but this time he realized it was a moan of pleasure.

  “There?” He found a tiny button within her folds and circled it with his fingers again and again.

  “Yes, there, please, don’t stop,” Charlotte cried in
to his ear, her body bowing up into his.

  Archie knew that he was watching and feeling the tension of an almost orgasm. He knew the tension from his past experiences with himself. He wasn’t sure how she was experiencing so much pleasure without him being near the entrance to her body, but she was.

  As she moaned and started moving her hips Archie learned what real control was. He could feel the need for release rushing down upon him. Clamping a firm hand down on those desires he tried to forget about his own body and focused on hers.

  He moved his fingers away and moved down in search of her opening.

  Charlotte arched up to him, opening her legs wider. Archie knew he could put his fingers inside of her, but wasn’t exactly sure where and how to do that.

  “Don’t stop Archie, please?” Charlotte’s voice, husky with need, drove him mad.

  “Where are you aching Charlotte? Tell me, I need to know,” Archie begged just as desperately. Where was the place he would put himself if they were actually doing the act?

  “Back where you were before,” she whispered again, her face burning against his neck, where she tucked it once again.

  “Nowhere down here?” He asked, dipping his fingers between her thighs. Instinctively Charlotte opened her legs and pushed against his fingers.

  Archie took the hint and pressed two fingers deep into the entrance to her body. His fingers slid in almost effortlessly, her body was so wet and her muscles so ready they greedily gripped his fingers and held on.

  Charlotte gasped and arched her back, but didn’t protest as he thrust his fingers in and out of her. She reached for him and dragged his lips back to hers, opening her mouth and welcoming the plunging tongue that mimicked the movement of his fingers below.

  Archie knew Charlotte was close to finishing her pleasure, right there on his lap, but had no idea how to push her there. He kept up the rhythm inside of her body, enjoying the sounds she was making and the hot, wet feel of her around his fingers. His mind couldn’t help imagining how good she’d feel around his cock and just like that he was horribly aware of his own body straining to meet hers. He knew she must be able to feel him beneath her buttocks, even though all the layers of her dress.