Page 15 of Loving an Earl
He licked his lips again, and when he spoke, spittle hit her in the face. Her entire being screamed for help as she fought not to gag.
“My dear Countess, may I call you Lilliana?”
There was no need to respond as he went right on leering, spitting, and talking in what he seemed to believe was a deep, seductive voice. When in reality, it was the voice of nightmares.
“Since you are a widow and are used to certain activities of the flesh, I was hoping you would consent to become my mistress. I want to lick you from head to toe and the sweetness between your thighs.” His lips curled up into the most frightening thing she’d ever seen, and her entire body trembled. She wanted to run away and hide.
“Good,” he moaned, licking his lips again. “You are excited. Once the waltz is over, meet me in the library, and we will make plans. Perhaps you will allow me a sample of your sweet flesh.” If the waltz didn’t end soon, Lilly was afraid she would be sick all over the duke. It would serve him right if she were.
As the final chord of the waltz ended, Lilly didn’t wait for the duke to escort her back to Emmeline and Blackstone. She turned her back on him and hurried not to her friends but to the lady’s retiring room, where she came face to face with the duchess.
“My dear, whatever is the matter?” she asked with a knowing smile. “Did my husband make advances? Ask you to become his mistress?” For a brief moment, she cringed. “Please forgive me if I planted the idea into my dear husband’s mind. You see, I’ve done my duty and given him not one son but two, and three daughters. His touch is vile and makes me ill. Shall I say his taste runs sadistic? We haven’t shared a bed in years. Unfortunately, his needs must be met, and most of the brothels won’t allow him inside—bruised merchandise doesn’t sell. But I thought since he and Henry used to be friends, perhaps they shared similar tastes in the bedroom and you wouldn’t mind.”
Was she daft? Lilly opened her mouth to speak twice before she could choose the right words. “How c-c-could you?” she stammered. Tears ran down her cheeks, tears of anguish and mortification, and she hated herself for showing the duchess any weakness. No doubt she would take even more advantage.
Instead, her face softened. “I’m sorry. I was desperate. Forgive me. Please keep this little incident between us.”
Without another word, she left, and Lilly sank into a small chair and hugged herself, hoping to stop the trembles plaguing her body. How on earth would she continue the evening when all she wanted to do was go home, bury herself beneath the covers, and forget this night had ever happened? Instead, she went to the mirror, wiped the tears from her face, pinched her terribly pale cheeks, put a smile on her face, and exited the room. Before taking barely five steps, she bumped into Langford. He reached out with his hands to steady her.
“Easy there, Lilly... Countess.” When his eyes narrowed on her face, he took her hand and pulled her down an empty hallway to a deserted sitting room, shutting the door behind them. He released her hand and studied her face, making her shiver. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” She couldn’t tell him.
“I saw you dancing with the duke. Never has a more immoral man ever existed.” His features softened. “What did he say to you? You may not believe this, but you are the previous earl’s widow and I, the current earl, am responsible for your well-being unless you marry. If you do not marry, then you will hold the title of Countess of Langford forever. And when I marry, you will become the Dowager Countess of Langford—still my responsibility. Please tell me what happened. I can’t protect you if I don’t know what we are up against.”
We? There was noweas far as Lilly was concerned. “He asked me to become his mistress.”
He growled. He actually growled like an animal, reminding her that she had called him a bear of a man once.
“He didn’t?”
“He did, at the suggestion of his wife.”
This time he managed to control his growl to a mere groan. “The bloody blackguard and the bitch.”
His reaction puzzled Lilly. It seemed he really did think he was responsible for her. Something inside her broke when he took her hands again into his. The anger spiking in his dark eyes turned to distress as tears leaked down her cheeks and her body trembled.
“Please don’t cry,” he murmured as his fingers wiped away her tears. “He will never get near you again. I promise.”
Chapter Six
Pulling Lilly intohis arms and rubbing her back as she sobbed into his chest had Edmund rethinking his knight-in-shining-armor behavior. Part of the reason he’d been cruel to her when they first met at Langford Manor—a reason he was only beginning to admit to himself—was that when she’d turned around and faced him for the first time, he had instantly wanted her. And he’d taken out his anger on her for his own inappropriate feelings.
He’d stayed in the country for so many months not just because there was work to do there, but because he’d been afraid to see her, knowing she was living in London with Emmeline. But he’d known he couldn’t stay away from London forever, even though he also knew he would run into her at most society functions throughout the Season. He’d vowed to himself he would do everything in his power to stay away from her, knowing all the while it would be impossible. And holding her warm, soft body in his arms now broke down his resolve to keep his distance. Her hands gripped the front of his jacket as though she never wanted him to let her go.
He fought the urge to hold her even closer when all he wanted to do was pull her tight against his body and kiss her until neither of them had breath left in their lungs. The last thing she needed was to feel his desire for her after what the duke said, and he had an inkling the duke had said more to her than she’d admitted. The blackguard had a reputation as being a brutal, sadistic fuck. Rumor had it he’d seriously injured more than one courtesan while playing his sexual games. But being a duke had its advantages. Since these incidents happened in brothels, people looked the other way. What was one less working courtesan?
Well, he would never get close to Lilly again. And if he did, Langford would call the duke out. It didn’t matter if duels were illegal; they still took place. And it would be worth risking the Regent’s wrath to keep her safe.
It took him a moment to realize Lilly wasn’t sobbing anymore. She stepped back from him, wiping her eyes with her gloved hands. “I’m sorry I cried all over you. I’m not usually a watering pot.”
He smiled into her lovely green eyes sparkling with unshed tears. He touched her cheek with a hand he was shocked to see trembling when he wiped away the tears she’d missed. “Don’t apologize.”
Losing himself in her eyes, feeling a pull he did not fight, he lowered his lips to hers and found nothing but air. She had stepped aside and was glaring up at him with a fury he had not yet seen in her expressions.
“If you meant to kiss me, then you are no better than the duke,” she cried out, her face red with anger, her eyes glaring like daggers. “I thought you said you were my protector!” She picked up her skirts, and exited the room, leaving him staring after her.
What the bloody hell? He smoothed down his jacket, tugged on his cuffs and straightened his cravat. She was absolutely right to throw his words back at him. He’d tried to take advantage of her at a vulnerable moment—it was beastly and completely inappropriate. Perhaps he should spend time finding her a husband instead of lusting after his uncle’s widow.
