Smitten with My Christmas Minx: Linked Across Time Book 15 Read online

  He bent down and trailed kisses down her neck. She leaned back to give him better access, wanting him to press his hot mouth all over her naked flesh, and he didn’t disappoint. He pushed her wrapper to the ground and untied the ribbons in front of her nightrail. Devon leaned down and sucked one of her nipples into her mouth. Adeline groaned at the feel of his mouth on her sensitive flesh. This was so much more than she could have imagined.

  Devon lifted his head and met her gaze. They were glossy with desire that matched her own. “I want to love every inch of you. Please say yes…”

  “Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “I want you to kiss me again.”

  “I want to do more than kiss you.” He pushed her nightrail over her shoulders and let it float down to her ankles. “You, my minx, are magnificent.” Devon trailed his fingers down her side, then cupped her arse in his hands. “I will enjoy giving you pleasure.”

  “You may begin when you’re ready,” she said breathlessly. “The moment I stepped into the library I knew what I wanted, and that is you.”

  He groaned. “You will undo me.” Devon picked her up and carried her to the settee. “But it’ll be worth it.” He kneeled before her and spread her legs, then kissed her sensitive nub as he stroked her core. She squirmed beneath him as the pleasure overtook her. Adeline hadn’t known what to expect, but this had not been it. He licked her until a pressure built up inside her. She didn’t know what it was, but she needed it to reach its peak or she’d scream with frustration. He sucked the sensitive bud into his mouth and she moaned as she shattered beneath his ministrations.

  Devon lifted his head and grinned. “That’s my girl.” He stood up and removed all his clothes, then joined her on the settee. Once he was settled between her thighs, he pushed himself inside her. She screamed as he pushed through her maidenhead. Adeline should have warned him she was a virgin. He stopped and stared at her. “You were innocent. Why…”

  “I’m sorry if you want to stop we can.” She hurt a little, but she wanted to finish this. Adeline had to know what it all was like. Until that moment, it had felt wonderful.

  He shook his head. “It’s past time for stopping. If you’re all right, we can continue.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, not wanting to discourage him.

  Devon leaned down and pressed his lips to her. He kissed her, and kissed her until she softened beneath him, then he rocked back and forth inside her. It didn’t take long for that pressure to build up inside her again. He lowered his hands to lift her hips to meet his thrusts. He moved faster and faster inside of her until she convulsed in his arms, and he followed soon after, spilling himself inside of her.

  He rolled them to the side and wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. Their lovemaking had exhausted him. Adeline took the moment to study him. He was such a gorgeous man. Her Devon… She had stupidly fallen in love with him in a short time. He had not given her any promises and had been honest with her every step of the way. This would not have happened if she’d said no. Adeline wanted to be with him in every way. She would not blame him if he wanted to leave her, but oh, she hoped he’d stay. How could she not? She curled against him and reveled in his warmth. It was perhaps a mistake, but she closed her eyes too. It felt too good to leave him yet…

  Chapter 5

  Every muscle in Devon’s body ached, mostly in a good way. He wrapped his arms around Addie and pulled her closer to him. She’d been a virgin. He still couldn’t believe she hadn’t told him. If he’d known… he might not have taken it as far as it had gone. As a general rule he didn’t get involved with innocents, and while she might be a maid, she was still untouched. He preferred more experienced women, but there had been something about Addie that he found enchanting. He had needed to be with her, around her, have her…

  Her eyelids fluttered open, and she met his gaze. Those blue eyes of hers were so expressive. He should have known she wasn’t experienced in the art of love. Devon had seen what he had wanted to when he looked at her. She’d been in the library in her nightrail, and nothing more, and that led him to believe she was free with her charms. He’d been wrong. Now he didn’t know what to do or say to her. He hoped she didn’t want more than he could offer her.

  “We fell asleep,” she said. Her voice was a little raspy as she spoke.

  He kissed her forehead. “We did and we should move before someone finds us.” Devon had no idea how long they had slept, but servants were bound to start moving soon. Addie might have to be somewhere, too. He still wasn’t sure where she worked in the house. “Where did we leave your nightrail.”

  “It’s…” Addie sat up and glanced around. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bit down on her bottom lip. Devon was tempted to pull her back down and make love to her all over again. “Oh, I see it.” She stood, and he groaned. There was enough light for him to appreciate the sight of her backside. She lifted her nightgown and slid it over her head. Addie turned toward him and asked, “Are you going to get dressed?”

  “I might,” he said. “But right now I’m enjoying the view.”

  She giggled and he couldn’t tell in the low light, but she might be blushing too. “I can’t stay.”

  “I can’t entice you to shirk your responsibilities?” He adored her, and he intended to have her again before he left the house party. “At least a little while longer.”

  “I think you’ve already enticed me far too much as it is.” Her lips tilted upward into a wanton smile. “I’m too sore for anything else you have in mind.”

  He sat up on the settee and reached for his trousers, and slipped them on, leaving the buttons undone, then stalked forward. He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was sensual and sweet, just like her. “There is plenty we can do that won’t overtax your gorgeous body.”

  She nibbled on that bottom lip again. His minx was teasing him, and she probably did not understand what she was doing. “As wonderful as that sounds, I will have to still say no.”

  “How about another kiss then,” he said huskily. Devon leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I’ll need a little more of your sweetness to keep me going through the rest of the day. Please kiss me, Addie girl.”

  Addie stepped on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “One kiss, then I have to go.”

  He would not waste the opportunity. Devon wanted to ensure she thought about him all day as she went about her work. When she was free, he hoped she’d search for him, and perhaps he could sneak her into his room. It would be nice to make love to her all night long without worrying that they’d be discovered. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Every time he kissed her, it was better than the last. Devon was staring to believe that he’d never tire of kissing her.

  “What the hell is going on here,” a man shouted. It broke the magic, and they both turned to stare where the sound had come from.

  Addie gasped and stepped out of his arms. She shuffled her feet and Devon thought he understood why. The Duke of Whitewood was a formidable man, and he looked as if he would lose it. She probably didn’t like the idea of disappointing the man who she depended on for her position. Devon felt awful for causing her any discomfort. “Your Grace,” he began. “It’s not…”

  “What it looks like?” The Duke lifted a brow. “So you’re not having your way with my daughter?”

  “Your daughter?” He turned to Addie and frowned. He had to have heard him wrong. He did not make love with the duke’s daughter. She was a maid…

  “Daddy…” She crossed the room and stopped in front of the duke. “I don’t need any lectures. This was my decision to make, and you always said I could live my life as I pleased.”

  The duke opened and closed his mouth several times. Devon couldn’t blame him. He was at a loss for words too. This was surreal…it had to be a mistake. It had to be. Duke’s daughters didn’t dress like maids and make love to a gentleman in their father’s library. It was…it…he couldn
’t even think in complete sentences.

  “And if it is a mistake?” The duke frowned. “He’s going to hurt you. His reputation precedes him, and trust me Adeline, he is not the marrying kind. I could force…”

  Like hell he could… Devon was not marrying anyone.

  “No you cannot,” Adeline said. Addie…Adeline…it was starting to make sense, and he suddenly felt sick. “I will not marry him. You know I won’t and there is only one thing that would convince me to tie myself to a man for the rest of my life. No marriage has a chance of working if it starts out wrong.”

  Devon could almost love her for sticking her ground…if he were capable of loving anyone. He had to leave. Staying in the library, no staying at the same house where Addie lived…he couldn’t do it. Not knowing now who she was and that he could never have her again. It wouldn’t work, and it sickened him. He’d never made such a colossal mistake before. How could he have been so wrong about her?

  “Do you have anything to add?” the duke asked.

  He shook his head. What could he say that would ease any of the duke’s concerns? Instead of putting that into words, he snatched his shirt off the floor and pulled it over his head. It would take too long to put his boots back on. He could just carry them to his bedchamber, and after he packed, he’d be gone. Merrifield would have to be told. His friend probably couldn’t leave, but that was all right. Devon could take a hired coach back to London.

  “Devon,” Addie said. There was something in her tone that made him stop. She sounded…hurt. He’d done that to her and it gutted him. “Are you leaving?”

  He wanted to tell her he’d stay, but he didn’t lie. He’d never mislead her, and if he’d known she was the duke’s daughter, he never would have grown close to her to begin with. “I don’t see any reason I should stay.”

  “You don’t?” She glanced away as if looking at him was too difficult. He was a first rate arse. “All right then.” She picked up her wrapper and put it on. “You never made me any promises. You’re free to do whatever you wish.”

  “And if I made promises?” He lifted a brow. “Then you’d make demands on me?” What was he doing? Why was her dismissal making him angry? He should be happy she was letting him go without a fight, but he wanted her…to what? Fall on her knees and beg him to love her?

  “I’d hope I wouldn’t have to make demands on someone who made me any sort of promise. That man,” she began. “Won’t want to leave me. He’d love me enough to stay and love me every day of his life. You’re the one terrified of any commitment.”

  “I’m not the one who lied,” he said heatedly. “You’re the one that misrepresented yourself. I thought you were a maid.” He knew she had not actually lied to him. She never claimed to be anything. He had been the one to make the mistake, but he couldn’t let it go.

  “I did nothing of the sort,” she said with eerie calm. “I’ve never distorted the truth. You never asked me anything other than my name. I don’t even know who you really are. You introduced me with your given name, and I did in return.”

  The duke lifted a brow. “You don’t even know he’s the Earl of Winchester.” Her father shook his head and laughed. He turned to Devon and said, “You messed up quite a bit, boy. You do not deserve my daughter.”

  He was right. Devon didn’t deserve her. That was why he was leaving. He’d already hurt her. If he stayed it would be far worse. “You’re right. It’s all my fault. So it’s good I’m leaving. You will not have to concern yourself with me ever again.”

  “You’re selfish.” She stalked forward until there was not much space between them. “I love you. I don’t know why, but I fell for you hard and fast. It’s foolish, and I wish I didn’t still have all these tremendous feelings for you, but they’re there and they’re not going away.” She stabbed him in the shoulder with her finger. “You find out one little thing about me that makes you uncomfortable and you’re ready to run away like a scared little boy. We’ll that’s fine. I don’t need some weak-willed man at my side. I’m better off without you.”

  “I’m not weak.”

  “You’re not?” She laughed a little maniacally. “I think the evidence speaks for itself.”

  “There is no evidence. You’re not making any sense and you’re growing a little hysterical.” He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. It was clear they were both losing their damned minds.

  “I’m making perfect sense.” She pushed him, and he stumbled a little but remained upright. “Love isn’t perfect. It’s flawed and risky, and in time there is always the chance that it might lead to nothing but disappointment. But I was willing to take a risk with you in case this was my chance to find the one person who was meant for me. That gamble could have paid off, and I was willing to risk regretting you for the rest of my life. That is how much you mean to me.” She swallowed hard. “Well, I guess I found out sooner rather than later, that I will regret ever meeting you. I will regret loving you, and there won’t be a day that goes by that I will not think of you, but I’ll never regret giving you my heart. Because not loving you would have been a mistake. I’m not afraid of taking a risk. That is your fear and I won’t fall victim to it.” She brushed past him and started to leave. He should stop her, but he was momentarily frozen in place. Her words hit him hard, and he didn’t know what to do with them. She stopped at the door and said, “I hope you have a good life and you find something that makes you happy. There’s sadness in you, and I can’t help you erase that. You have to overcome your doubts yourself, and maybe when you do it won’t be too late for us. My fear is that it will be.” With those words, she left the library.

  The duke stepped closer to him. He’d been unusually quiet during the exchange. He said in a low menacing tone, “You have two choices. You either profess your love for Adeline and beg her to marry you or you pack your belongings and leave my house in the next hour. If you do the first, I welcome you to the family, if you fail to do the second you won’t live to see another day. You hurt my daughter and you’re lucky I haven’t ended your life already.” He met Devon’s gaze, and he could believe the duke had been a pirate that made men walk the plank. “I pray you fail to leave on time so I get the pleasure of gutting you. Please do give me that pleasure. I’m almost tempted to not give you the chance to leave.”

  Devon swallowed hard. “I won’t disappoint you.”

  “See that you don’t.”

  With those words, the duke left Devon alone in the library. He had a lot to think about and he had no idea what he wanted to do.

  Chapter 6

  Devon sat down on the settee and stared at his discarded boots. He should put them on and go to his bedchamber. He should already be packing to depart at first light…which was soon. There were a lot of things he should do, but none of that mattered in comparison to the things he should never have done. He couldn’t go back and change anything, and if he were to be honest with himself, he didn’t want to. Spending the night with Addie in his arms was the best moments of his life. He would always remember them.

  But he couldn’t marry her.

  He was no good to any woman, and he refused to ruin her life by attaching himself to her. His family hadn’t been the best, and he didn’t know if he would make a good husband. She said she’d been willing to take a risk, that she might regret him for the rest of her life. He’d hurt her and nothing could ease that ache. Even if he dropped on his knees before her and begged her to marry him that hurt would always still be there. He could never erase that wounded expression from his memory. Devon had done that to her, and he had to live with that guilt.

  What was he going to do? He glanced over at the boots and sighed, then picked them up. He shoved his feet into them and then stalked out of the library. There was only one solution. He had to leave, and fast. He didn’t particularly want to die, and he suspected the duke hadn’t been lying when he said he’d gut him. He’s already wasted a quarter hour wallowing in his uncertainty. He didn’t
need to squander any more of the hour he’d been allotted.

  He rushed up the stairs and nearly knocked a maid over in his haste. “My apologies,” He said and helped her steady herself.

  “It’s all right, my lord,” she said and smiled at him. She was pretty enough with soft brown hair and hazel eyes. Before he’d met Addie, he might have tried seducing her. Addie had changed everything. “Did you need something?”

  Was she flirting with him? He could no longer tell. Devon was a complete and utter mess. “No, yes…” He blew out a breath. “Do you know who Lord Merrifield is?”

  “I do,” she answered and flashed him a sly smile. He had a feeling she knew Merrifield quite intimately.

  “Wonderful. Can you tell him to meet me in my chambers immediately? I need to leave.” Devon didn’t have any time to lose, and he had to pack fast. They had come in Merrifield’s carriage. He would need to borrow it to go into town to find a hired hack to take him to London.

  “I will,” she said and curtsied. “Right away, my lord.” Then she scurried off to do as he had asked.

  Devon continued his trek to his bedchamber. Once there, he started throwing his clothing into the trunk. He really didn’t care if any of it wrinkled. The door swung open and hit the wall with a loud thud. Merrifield wobbled in and fell into a chair. “What is this about leaving? The maid had to have heard wrong.”

  “No, she understood correctly,” Devon replied and threw a shirt into the trunk. “I’m leaving as soon as everything I brought is back in my trunk.” He tossed in more clothing items. How much had he brought with him?

  Merrifield sat forward and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Say what?”

  “You heard me.” Merrifield was either still inebriated or hadn’t completely woken up yet. Devon was willing to bet Merrifield had drank his fair share of brandy and then had a wild night with one of the many maids at the estate, maybe even the one he’d sent to fetch him. “I. Am. Leaving.” Devon enunciated each word clearly so Merrifield’s addled brain understood.