The Earl's Temptation Read online

  She turned back to the table and smiled when she observed that Belle conversed quite politely with Alex and that somehow he'd managed to charm the blade from her sharp tongue. Annise and Clara, though thrilled for her, seemed uncomfortable to stay in his company but Belle continued to surprise her. When she had found the woman, struggling to provide for herself and her baby she had been full of anger and spite and had not been the easiest person to help. But once she had seen Céleste was genuine in her desire to help give her and her daughter a better life, she'd come around, becoming her staunchest ally and even accepted her offer to teach her to read.

  "Belle tells me you have been teaching them to read and write," Alex said echoing the direction her thoughts had taken. She felt a glow of warmth fill her chest at the pride in his eyes.

  "Oui," she said, returning Belle's smile. "Though I am afraid I won't be able to continue if I am to return to England."

  "Alors, don't you worry about that," Belle said, her voice softer than Céleste had ever heard it. "You've done quite enough. Giving us all a home, somewhere safe for me to raise my daughter, a place we can be at peace. We can never repay you for that."

  Alex covered Céleste's hand and squeezed it. "I think perhaps a teacher could be found to continue those lessons."

  She looked up with him and took in the sincerity on his handsome face with a lump in her throat. "You would do that?"

  "Of course, mignonne. What you've done here is ... is quite extraordinary, and I think it would be a good thing to provide a safe place for women who find themselves in difficulties. A shelter from the storm," he said with a smile. "Where they can be protected from harm until they are able to find a place for themselves in the world."

  She blinked up at him, finding herself lost for words, too overwhelmed with emotion for this wonderful man to give him the thanks he deserved. He stroked her face, his eyes full of the same force of emotion. "I sometimes wonder what would have happened to us both if my ship hadn't been lost that night and ..." He stopped as his voice became thick. "I would be proud to help you make a place for young women to run to when they are afraid and alone, Céleste. A place where you might have been safe if I'd never found you."

  "Oh, Alex!" She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him, crying quietly as Belle discreetly left the table and went up to her own bed.

  He held her until she managed to control herself and stop her tears. He looked down at her, holding her face in his hands and drying her wet cheeks with his thumbs.

  "Are you going to show me this comfortable bed now, mignonne." he asked, his voice so full of love and tenderness that she feared she would cry all over again. So she just nodded, not trusting her voice and took his hand, leading him up the stairs to her bedroom.

  He had to duck to walk through the low lintel over the door, but smiled as he looked around and took in the clean polished wood floor, granite stone walls and the two small windows which faced towards the sea. Céleste gave a private smile of her own, as she realised one of the girls had been up here and lit the fire and a lamp, and turned down the bed.

  The fire flickered with salt blue flames, casting a lambent glow over them both as she turned, suddenly feeling rather unsure of herself and finding the room appeared much smaller than it ever had before, with Alex's huge presence filling the space.

  "It's charming," he said, holding out his hand to her with a smile. She took it and allowed him to pull her closer. He rested his hands on her hips and looked down at her. "You're not afraid of me are you, love?" he said, a slight frown in his eyes as he watched her. She shook her head but didn't meet his eyes.

  "Non, of course not but ... a little nervous I suppose." She stepped closer, burying her face against his chest and inhaling the familiar scent of him as he stroked her hair.

  "There's nothing to be nervous about," he murmured, and she felt him drop a kiss on the top of her head.

  "B-but the first time ... it 'urts I think?"

  She looked up at him and found regret in his eyes. "A little bit, love, yes, but I'll do everything I can not to hurt you. I wouldn't hurt you for the world, Céleste. You do believe that don't you?"

  Smiling up at him she nodded. "Of course, I trust you."

  Slowly he lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers, tender at first and then with growing need as he parted her lips and possessed her mouth in a tender and ravishing kiss. She slid her hand over his chest, leaning into him. Oh yes, this was what she had longed for, what she had needed for such a very long time, but it wasn't enough, not nearly enough. She reached up and pulled at his neck, encouraging him, wanting him to take more, faster, but he continued with the slow, sensuous assault on her mouth and her senses as his hands moved over her, dropping to cup her bottom and pull her firmly against him. She sighed into his mouth as she discovered him hard and ready for her and moved her hips restlessly against him. Her body was on fire and overwhelmed with sensation, eager to rush to that heady point that he had taken her to once before. He chuckled, breaking the kiss to run his mouth and tongue over her neck, setting her to shivering.

  "Always in such a hurry, mignonne. Really there is no need. I have every intention of loving you all night."

  She looked up at him with something close to reproach in her eyes. "But I want you ..." she said, trying not to sound as if she was whining and suspecting she had failed. "I want you so much, don't you ..."

  His face grew serious and he put a hand to the back of her neck, his gaze intent. "Céleste, it is taking every shred of self control to do this right and not just throw you on the bed and take you. As it is I don't know how long I can restrain myself, so be a good girl and don't make it harder to do." Although she could tell he was in earnest there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

  She huffed at him, pouting. "And if I want you to throw me on zhe bed?" she demanded.

  He chuckled and turned her around, applying himself to undoing the ties at the back of her dress and slipping it over her shoulder. "I promise you faithfully, next time I will throw you down on the bed and ravish you with utter abandon. Does that satisfy you, my little minx?"

  "Alors, just see that you do," she replied with a haughty sniff that made him chuckle, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin at the back of her neck and making her shiver. His hand searched through her hair, removing the pins and allowing it to cascade over her shoulders.

  "So very lovely," he murmured, dropping a soft kiss on her bare shoulder as his clever hands made quick work of her undergarments. He turned her around and she heard his breath hitch and knew he had been truthful in what he'd said. He wanted her very badly. The thought, combined with the dark wanting in his eyes gave her confidence and she didn't blush as his heated gaze roved over her. He moaned and cupped her breasts, whispering sweet words against her skin as he dropped his head and kissed his way across the soft swells. As he took one nipple into his mouth, sucking gently and laving with his tongue she caught her breath and pulled his head closer. Her breathing became harsh and uneven as he continued his delicate ministrations, lavishing equal attention on the other breast. Suddenly he stood and swept her up, making her squeak in surprise.

  "Are you going to throw me on the bed after all?" she asked, breathless.

  "Not until I know the bed can take the punishment," he said chuckling and placing her down with rather more care. "I do not want to be searching out another place to make love to you at this point because you've broken the damn thing."

  She bit back a giggle and instead watched with avid interest as he began to undress. He'd remained disappointingly clothed the only other time they'd been intimate and though she had seen him naked before he'd been unconscious at the time and that, she suspected, was rather a different thing. Her thoughts on this matter were confirmed as he stood before her, utterly and quite beautifully naked. She caught her breath and got to her knees on the bed, reaching out to touch him.

  He stepped closer and stood patiently as she explored his bod
y with wonder. Running her hands over the wiry hair on his broad chest and pausing to run her tongue over his nipples. She smiled, pleased as the skin puckered beneath her tongue and toyed for a moment, biting the tender flesh very softly. A low groan rumbled through his chest and she looked up at him in surprise. She went to give her attention to the other neglected nipple but was stopped as Alex's hands grasped her shoulders to move her back.

  "Non!" she exclaimed. "Keep still, I 'aven't finished yet."

  He made a soft noise of distress but she ignored him, batting his hands away and carrying on. Once satisfied that both nipples had been given great care, she slid her hands down his body, over the taut, ridged belly and coming to rest on the jut of his hipbones. She looked down, breathing out in awe and smiling as shivers ran over his skin in response.

  Running her fingers over the hard length of him she found his skin astonishingly soft. "Are you quite sure it will only 'urt a little bit," she said, looking at the size of him doubtfully. He made a strangled noise but didn't answer as she smoothed her palm over him and back down again.

  "No more," he said through his teeth, pushing her back among the pillows and climbing over her. Pulling her into his arms he kissed her and she wriggled closer to him, entranced by the contrast of his hot smooth skin. The rougher patches of hair on his chest and legs abraded her sensitive flesh and rasped against her breasts in the most tantalising fashion. His hands moved over her and she gasped as his large, warm palm slid over her stomach and lower, delicately parting her soft curls and seeking the small peak of flesh that made her hips rise off the bed and her breath hitch.

  He continued to stroke her, with gentle, teasing touches until she was hot and writhing and then began a trail down her body with lips and tongue that made her shiver and gasp until he reached the source of her pleasure. She cried out as his mouth joined the delightful attack on her sanity and believed she really might lose her senses completely as his clever fingers slid inside her and were added to the erotic equation and brought her trembling and crying to an exquisite climax.

  She was still gasping and twitching with delicious aftershocks rolling through her as he eased her legs further apart and settled himself between them. She arched again as the sleek skin of his hard shaft slid against her most delicate flesh, still throbbing from his attentions. Slowly he began to nudge his way inside her, teasing her with small, shallow thrusts, barely penetrating her as she sought to accept the strange and unaccustomed fullness. Her arms wrapped around the powerful width of his back, her fingers digging into his shoulders as he loved her. He murmured soft words of reassurance and she buried her face against the hot skin of his neck, kissing him and tasting salt on her lips. He nudged a little deeper inside and she gasped, arching beneath him.

  "That's right, love, just a little more," he said, kissing the line of her jaw and the small hollow at the base of her throat as her head tilted back. "Oh, God, Céleste, you're so sweet, so perfect, love." The next moment he thrust hard and she caught her breath, surprised by the sharp pinch and more so with the swiftness it was gone. Little by little she felt her body accept him, acquainting itself with the feel of his larger, harder form twined so intimately with hers. Clinging to him with arms and legs she met his rhythm with the helpless thrusting of her own hips as her body's own instincts guided her.

  Alex groaned and propped himself up on his arms, his heavy body moving carefully against the cradle of her own, driving harder and faster inside her. She slid her hands down his back, feeling the skin hot and damp beneath her fingers. Grasping at him as that powerful tug began all over again, gathering and pulling at her senses as she felt the heavy muscle and sinew sliding beneath her fingertips. Her breath came in short gasps, each punctuated with a strangled moan of desire which she was startled to discover was her own. But now she didn't care as the bright light of her peak was so close. She looked up to see Alex's eyes closed and his face one of stark concentration. She caught her breath as the gathering feeling got stronger and more insistent and his eyes opened, focusing on her for a moment and then widening as pleasure took him over and his body thrust deeper inside her as he shook helplessly with his own release. He held her tighter, desperate and primal as he took her mouth and she groaned and shattered in his arms, clinging to him as they searched greedily for every last quaking tremor of ecstasy.

  Still breathless he moved to the side of her but kept her in his arms, pulling her with him until she was sprawled half over him, her head on his chest. Her heart was thundering still and part of her could hardly believe she had finally got what she had been longing for, for what felt like an eternity.

  His big hand reached out and stroked her hair, and he shifted slightly, cushioning her head on the thick muscle of his arm so he could look at her.

  "Are you alright, mignonne?"

  "Mmmm," was the only coherent sound she could make, still not ready to go to the effort of forming words. Her limbs felt heavy and pliant and sleepily sated.

  He chuckled and kissed her nose. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

  "Mmmm," she repeated, snuggling against him and sighing with content.

  "Go to sleep, love," he said, his voice a soft murmur in her ear. "Don't worry, I'll wake you again momentarily as I have no intention of wasting an entire night." He nuzzled her ear and nipped at the soft lobe making her giggle and squirm against him. "Best make the most of this bed after all; and you were quite right," he added, and she could hear the laughter in his voice. "It is very comfortable."

  Chapter 35

  "Wherein everyone is well pleased with themselves and the future is full of promise."

  They were married in the private chapel at Tregothnan.

  Céleste had been overwhelmed by both the warmth and love she received on returning to the family, and also by the manner in which she'd been resoundingly scolded by everyone, most especially Aunt Seymour, for breaking their hearts. Everyone who knew Seymour was forced to comment that they had never seen the old girl so moved as she hugged Céleste. Indeed Seymour thanked her profusely for coming home and for forgiving her idiot nephew, before chastising her roundly for giving them all such a nasty fright.

  The day of the wedding dawned warm and clear, with the last bright glitter of summer surrendering to the loving touch of the softer, gentler gold of autumn. Everywhere the trees were touched with mellow tones of red and amber and the leaves fell in great swirling drifts, dancing with joyous sweeps of colour as they fluttered around Alex and his bride as they emerged from the church.

  Dressed all in pale gold silk with the same fabric trailing a delicate flower pattern down the bodice and over-skirts and embroidered with pearls and gold lamé, she had walked the aisle. Alex had been moved to remark on seeing her enter the church that with her golden hair and the ripe colours of the countryside framing her petite figure in the Gothic doorway, she looked like the sun come to earth, with a fancy to walk a moment among mere mortals.

  Céleste looked up at the man beside her before the alter and felt her heart give a sudden skip in her chest. He caught her glance and smiled at her, raising her hand to his mouth and kissing her fingers with such reverence her breath caught.

  "Don't wake me up," she whispered to him, remembering his own words the day he'd found her again on the beach at Roscoff. How strange, she thought, to have found him on the beach all those months ago, and for him to have found her again along that same shoreline.

  The earl ducked his head, his words as soft susurration against her skin."We'll dream together and leave the real world far behind us, and never return," he said and she sighed, wondering how long it would be before they could safely leave the wedding breakfast without appearing rude.

  The ceremony itself had been mercifully brief with just the aunts, Aubrey and Henri and Lawrence in attendance. And now Aubrey was striding up to her and she found she was a little nervous in meeting once more her dearest friend, whom she'd not seen since before her hurried departure all those months before. />
  "M-my, Aubrey," she stammered, feeling suddenly appalled at how she had used his name to make Alex jealous. "It is so nice to see you, and looking so very well." She glanced up at her husband and he arched a brow at her, but to her relief his eyes danced with amusement. She sighed and knew she must face the inevitable. "I'm afraid I owe you an apology," she said, turning back to Aubrey, her cheeks reddening.

  "I should say," he said with some indignation. "Couldn't you have found a shorter ceremony? Lord, stuck between m'grandmother and dear old Dotty sobbing for all she was worth. I'm clean out of handkerchiefs is all I'll say, so don't start acting like a watering pot for I can't help you."

  "Non, I didn't mean that, silly boy ... I meant ... For telling Alex that you'd offered for me."

  Aubrey grew pale and blinked at her, glanced at Alex who returned a bland expression, and then replied with some force, "You did what? Dash it all, you could get a man killed!"

  Céleste bit her lip, torn between amusement at the alarm in his eyes and her very real regret at having been so deceitful. "I am most dreadfully sorry, Aubrey, truly. But 'e didn't kill you after all, so there's no 'arm done."

  "Well of all the ..." Aubrey huffed and shook his head. "Never knew such a girl for getting into scrapes." He gave his cousin a serious look and wagged his finger at him. "Don't let her have an umbrella, that's all I say," he said obscurely. "Best bit of advice I can give you," he added.

  "I'm in your debt, I'm sure," Alex said with some gravity as Céleste snorted beside him.

  ***

  The family proceeded back to the house and the lavish wedding breakfast that awaited them and Alex bore it stoically as they were toasted and the merry party got ever merrier as the champagne flowed. In truth he was just as dazed as his bride and kept wondering to himself what the devil he'd done to deserve such complete and undiluted happiness. It was a thought he didn't dare to dwell on for very long as he was convinced it was nothing in this lifetime. But if retribution came in the next he'd take it and gladly, for an eternity in hell could not dissuade him from wringing every ounce of pleasure and joy from the hours since he had found his mignonne, and brought her safe home where she belonged.