To Tempt An Angel (Book 1 Douglas series) Page 5

  Angelica smiled in spite of being covered with dirt. Robert lifted the shovel out of her hands and finished filling the grave. Together, they replaced the flowers the mourners had left for Mr. Lewis

  “Thank you for your help,” Angelica said, settling herself onto the carriage again.

  “The pleasure was mine.”

  The sky had lightened considerably by the time they reached the cottage. Dawn was only moments away.

  First, Robert and Angelica disposed of Mr. Lewis’s burial clothes. Then they watered the horses.

  “Is there anyplace we can wash?” he asked.

  For a long moment, Angelica worried her lip in indecision. She should probably retire now and send him home, but she couldn’t bring herself to part from him.

  “There is a stream on the other side of the woods,” she told him.

  “We don’t need the lantern,” Robert said, glancing up at the brightening sky. “We do need soap, though.”

  Surprising them, a cake of soap flew out of a bedroom window. “Darlings, wash the grime away before you come inside,” Aunt Roxie called, her smile feline in the growing light.

  Robert chuckled. “I think your aunt likes me.”

  Already walking toward the woodland, Angelica blushed and said nothing. Her aunt was an incorrigible matchmaker, bent on seeing her penniless nieces well-placed in marriage.

  Oak and beech trees stretched their ancient limbs and thrust green fingers skyward. Lush foliage in every shade of green lay on either side of the well-worn path, and wildflowers mingling with moss scented the air in the woodland. Emerging from the woods, Angelica saw that the morning mist on the stream was beginning to dissipate.

  Graceful willows with drooping limbs dotted the banks of the stream, and Angelica reached out to touch one. “I love these trees,” she murmured.

  Robert and Angelica sat down at the stream’s edge to remove their boots and stockings. He stood first pulled his shirt over his head, and then dropped his breeches.

  Sacred sevens, the man is naked, Angelica thought, staring with wide eyes at his backside. He looked nothing like Mr. Lewis.

  Mesmerized by his masculine beauty, Angelica admired his broad shoulders, his tapered waist, his tight buttocks. What would it feel like to have his strength pressing her down? She snapped her eyes shut when he moved to turn around.

  “Were you planning on bathing,” Robert asked, “or blushing yourself clean?”

  Angelica heard the laughter in his voice, but her mind remained humiliatingly blank. No witty reply slipped from her lips, nor could she summon the courage to look at him.

  “You’re naked,” she said in a choked whisper.

  “Yes, I am,” he agreed. “Do you bathe with your clothes on?”

  Angelica shook her head but kept her eyes shut.

  “There’s nothing to fear,” Robert assured her. “The cold water will probably shrivel me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Robert chuckled. “Never mind, my innocent angel. I’ll sit in the water so my privates aren’t exposed.”

  Angelica opened her eyes when she heard the splash of water as he sat down. She couldn’t suppress a bubble of laughter when she saw him sitting in the stream and smiling at her.

  “Your turn, angel.”

  Angelica stood slowly. She dropped her skirt and pulled her blouse over her head. “Please close your eyes until I’m sitting in the water,” she said. “Your watching me disrobe makes me feel—”

  “Embarrassed?”

  “Quite.”

  Robert closed his eyes. He’d assumed she would wear her chemise, but if she was willing to strip down to nothing, he wasn’t going to stop her.

  A long, silent moment passed. He heard her wade into the water and then plop down beside him.

  “Sacred sevens,” Angelica cried. “The water doesn’t cover—”

  Robert opened his eyes. Her perfectly rounded breasts with their pink-tipped nipples rose above the water.

  She moved to shield her breasts from his view, but Robert stayed her hand. “Let me see your beauty,” he said, his voice husky.

  “I’m not beautiful,” Angelica said, but dropped her arms. She stared at him through disarming blue eyes, large with wonder.

  “You are incredibly beautiful,” Robert whispered, lowering his head. He covered her mouth in a gentle, persuasive kiss.

  Angelica relaxed against him and surrendered to him.

  She’s ripe for me, Robert thought, slipping his right arm around her shoulder. He slid the tip of his tongue across the crease between her lips, which parted for him. He kissed her lingeringly, his tongue exploring the sweetness of her mouth.

  With his left hand, Robert caressed her breasts. He ran his fingers across her nipples and teased them into aroused hardness.

  “Your nipples are sensitive, a sure sign of a passionate nature,” he whispered, hearing her ragged breathing. “Do you like my touch, angel?”

  “Oh, yes,” Angelica said on a sigh. She reached up and caressed the hand that was bringing her such pleasure.

  “Lady, you are exquisite,” Robert said, standing and lifting her into his arms.

  Noting her dazed expression, Robert kissed her again and then carried her out of the water. Gently, he placed her down on a blanket of grass and lay down beside her.

  Robert circled her nipple with one long finger. Then he dipped his head and kissed her again.

  Pausing a moment to gaze at her expression, Robert knew the angel in his arms was neatly caught by these new, exciting sensations. Her nipples hardened beneath his gaze, and he leaned down to catch one in his mouth, making her moan.

  “What are you going to do?” Angelica asked in a breathless whisper.

  “I’m going to taste your beautiful breasts,” Robert answered thickly, and flicked his tongue out to tease a nipple. He slid his hand down the length of her silken body to caress the inside of her thighs, whispering, “I’ll make you quiver for me.”

  Angelica moaned and turned in his embrace, his touch and his words making her senses reel. Her young body on fire, she was powerless to resist. For the first time in her life, she experienced the incredible sensation of masculine hardness touching her feminine softness.

  “You are wet for me, angel,” Robert said, sliding his finger to her dewy pearl. “I want to join our bodies and make us one.”

  Robert kissed her thoroughly, stealing her breath away. His hands caressed her flesh while his lips moved down the column of her throat and beyond. Catching a nipple with his mouth, Robert suckled and nipped and licked it. Then he lavished the same attention on its mate, igniting a throbbing heat between her thighs.

  “I want you,” she breathed.

  “Spread your legs for me,” he whispered, his lips returning to hers.

  Without hesitation, Angelica did as she was told. Robert kissed her and inserted one long finger inside her.

  She moved in surprise, impaling herself on his finger. He groaned, feeling her wet softness throbbing against his finger.

  “Relax, angel,” Robert whispered. He kissed her again and inserted a second finger inside her, murmuring “You are so wonderfully tight.”

  He dipped his head to her breasts and suckled her aroused nipples. His fingers began to move rhythmically, seductively, inside her.

  Robert felt her relax. She began to move her hips, enticing his fingers deeper inside her.

  “You were created for passion,” he said in a husky voice.

  Angelica moaned low in her throat. Her hips moved faster and faster.

  Removing his fingers, Robert knelt between her thighs. The knob of his manhood slid back and forth, teasing her dewy pearl in a seductive assault, making her moan.

  With one powerful thrust Robert pushed himself inside her and broke through her virgin’s barrier.

  She cried out in surprise, and he lay still for several moments.

  Judging her accustomed to the feel of him inside her, Robert began to move sedu
ctively, enticing her to move with him. Caught in the midst of swirling passion, Angelica instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and moved with him, meeting each of his magnificent thrusts with her own.

  Suddenly, unexpectedly, Angelica exploded as wave after wave of throbbing sensation washed over her. Knowing she’d found fulfillment, Robert groaned and shuddered and poured his seed deep within her.

  Robert rolled off her, pulled her into his embrace, and kissed her. Finally, he stood and offered her his hand.

  When she accepted it, Robert pulled her up and yanked her against the long, muscular planes of his body. He kissed her again and again, one kiss melting into another.

  When he released her, Robert scooped up her chemise and drew it over her head. After patting it into place, he reached for her blouse.

  “You don’t need to do that,” Angelica said, embarrassed to meet his gaze.

  “I want to dress you, “ Robert told her. “It pleases me.” After helping her into her blouse and skirt, he dressed himself.

  Hand in hand, they retraced their path through the woods. He guided the horses around the cottage to the front door.

  “I’ll return later after you’ve slept,” Robert said, and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. “Why do you look so glum, angel? Do you regret what we’ve shared?”

  Angelica blushed. She’d just experienced one of life’s milestones, and he spoke so casually.

  “Angel, I want no secrets between us,” Robert coaxed, lifting her chin. “Tell me what is wrong.”

  “My virginity was the only thing of value I possessed,” Angelica whispered to his chest. “And—”

  “Virginity is decidedly overrated,” Robert interrupted. “From now on, I am going to take care of you and your family.”

  Angelica visibly relaxed and dared to meet his gaze. “When will we be married?” she asked, giving him a sunny smile.

  “I have no intention of marrying again.” Robert pulled her close, saying, “I want you to be my mistress. I can afford to—”

  Whack! He never saw her right fist coming.

  “I am the daughter of an earl and will never be any man’s mistress,” Angelica told him.

  “You’re tired and need sleep,” Robert told her, squelching the urge to rub his smarting cheek. “I’ll return later. You do still want revenge on those men, don’t you?”

  “You aren’t welcome here.”

  “I saved your father’s life and your sisters from a hanging,” he reminded her.

  “Save yourself the trip,” Angelica said before disappearing into the cottage. “I won’t open the door.”

  Chapter 4

  She opened the door.

  Alone in the cottage, Angelica sat at the table and practiced her card shuffling. She wished the day had been cooler. Then she could have donned a long-sleeved gown and practiced slipping cards out of her sleeve.

  Angelica smiled when she glanced across the room at the settee. The slanting rays of the afternoon sun fingered the cottage’s common room with light and shadow, as if angels plucked the strings of a harp.

  Her smiled disappeared, though, when she recalled Lucille Dubois’s words to her about the cottage being a hovel. She preferred to think her home reflected genteel poverty rather than squalor.

  Angelica tried hard to banish Robert from her thoughts. What she had done with him at the stream was immoral and unforgivable, and she’d succumbed so easily to his advances. She knew he had a bad opinion of her. He’d asked her to be his mistress, hadn’t he?

  Well, the dirty scoundrel had better think again about his proposition. She was an earl’s daughter, not a scullery maid.

  Angelica sighed. She was the impoverished daughter of a bankrupt, alcoholic earl and an expert cheat at the gaming tables. Sacred sevens, she’d been working a thimblerigger’s game when Robert had first seen her. No wonder he’d assumed she was free and easy.

  “Hello, hello, hello.” Jasper drew her from her thoughts.

  “Hello, Jasper.” Angelica set the cards aside and reached down to scratch the macaw’s blue head, making it trill with pleasure.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  “Is anyone home?” The voice belonged to Robert Roy.

  Angelica rose from her chair and walked to the door. “Who is it?” she asked.

  “Robert”

  “Go away,” she told the door.

  “I apologize for my behavior this morning,” he called.

  He didn’t sound especially sorry, Angelica thought. “Apology accepted,” she replied. “Now go away.”

  “I’ve brought you a gift,” Robert coaxed.

  Payment for services rendered, Angelica thought. Then, she called, “The only gift I want is for you to go away.”

  “Away, away,” Jasper mimicked her.

  “What about your revenge?” Robert asked.

  “I don’t need you for my revenge,” she answered.

  “Angelica, open the door,” Robert ordered in a stern voice, his growing frustration apparent. “Or I’ll—” He let the implied threat hang in the air.

  “Or you’ll do what?” Angelica challenged him. “Steal my virginity?”

  “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down,” he called.

  Angelica burst out laughing. She opened the door. No longer dressed in elegant evening attire, Robert Roy smiled with boyish charm. He held out two roses, one red and one white.

  “Love and unity?” Angelica asked, referring to the language of flowers as she lifted the roses out of his hand.

  Robert shrugged. Nailed to the wooden door-frame above his head was a plant. “What is this?” he asked.

  “Wolfsbane to keep you away,” Angelica answered, and gave him a sunny smile.

  Robert grinned. “It didn’t work.”

  “Neither did this,” Angelica replied, reaching into her pocket for a bit of rolled leather.

  “What is that?”

  “Wolfsbane seed wrapped in lizard’s skin is supposed to empower its bearer with invisibility,” Angelica told him.

  Robert burst out laughing. “May I come in?”

  Angelica inclined her head. She stepped aside to allow him entrance.

  “Hello,” the macaw called.

  “Hello, Jasper.”

  “Great grunting shit,” the bird said. “Drink, drink, drink.”

  “Jasper learned vulgar expressions from my father,” Angelica said with an embarrassed smile, a high blush staining her cheeks. She gestured toward the table, saying, “Sit down here.”

  “Where is the earl?” Robert asked.

  Angelica placed the two roses in a glass and sat down opposite him, saying, “My father hasn’t returned yet.”

  “Where are your sisters and aunt?” he asked.

  “They’ve gone out to discover whether there’s been any gossip about Mr. Lewis today.”

  “So we’re alone,” Robert said, relaxing visibly.

  “What happened between us this morning will never happen again,” Angelica told him, her blue gaze narrowing on him. “Do you understand?”

  “Would you leave me without hope, angel?”

  “Yes, I would.”

  Robert lifted the cards off the table and shuffled them. “What will you do with the winnings from your revenge?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “I intend to move my family to Scotland,” she answered.

  “Scotland?” Robert echoed in obvious surprise.

  “My father owns Sweetheart Priory” Angelica told him. “He’s forbidden by law to sell it.”

  “I thought you would move to Park Lane and flaunt your riches,” Robert said with a smile.

  Angelica laughed at the idea. “What do you do for money, sir?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How do you earn your keep?”

  “Oh, this and that,” he answered with a shrug.

  “I almost forgot.”

  Robert rose from the chair and walked outside. Returning a moment
later, he held up a green apple. “For Jasper.”

  “Hold it out to him,” Angelica said.

  Instead of returning to the table, Robert sat on the settee in front of the hearth. “Come, Jasper,” he said, holding out the apple.

  The macaw approached him cautiously. Quickly but gently, the bird lifted the apple out of his hand.

  Then it shifted the apple from its mouth to its claws and begun crunching away.

  “Mmmmm,” Jasper said.

  “He appears to be eating by hand,” Robert said with a smile. He glanced over his shoulder at her, saying, “We’ll be more comfortable on the settee.”

  Angelica did not want to sit beside him on the settee. There was danger in being so close to him. And yet, the man was so incredibly handsome.

  Reluctantly, Angelica rose from her chair and crossed the room like a woman going to the gallows. She sat down, her body stiff and poised to bolt if he tried to touch her.

  “Relax, angel,” Robert said. He drew her back against the settee, but his arm remained around her shoulders.

  Angelica fixed her gaze on Jasper, the sight of the green apple reminding her of Daisy Dubois. “I would like your advice,” she said, turning to him.

  “About what, angel?” he asked.

  “One of my aunt’s clients brought her little girl with her yesterday,” Angelica explained. “The poor child had bruises on both arms.”

  “And?”

  “I’m certain the mother inflicted them on her,” Angelica continued. “What would you do?”

  “I would mind my own business,” Robert told her.

  “But the child—”

  Robert placed one finger across her lips and said, “Angel, you have enough problems without borrowing another’s.”

  “I cannot bear to see children suffer,” Angelica told him.

  “You have a good heart,” Robert said. “Perhaps when your revenge is complete, you’ll have enough money to take the child away from the mother. Until then—”

  “I suppose I am in no position to feed another mouth,” Angelica replied. She stared into the darkened hearth, and her thoughts traveled through space and time to her own childhood. “You may not believe this, but my father was kind and sensitive and sober before my mother died.

  “Every night my father would tell me a story. My favorite was the one about whom I would marry.” She smiled with remembrance. “He said I needed to content myself as a duchess instead of a princess. He and his so-called friend, the Duke of Inverary, had decided that I would marry the duke’s eldest son. Why are you looking at me so strangely?”