Jess Michaels Read online

  Vengeance would be sweet, indeed.

  ***

  The blood drained from Bianca’s face so rapidly, she feared she might lose consciousness. Hawk had already proven he would pleasure her whether she was awake or not and she needed all her faculties to deal with the vengeful passion that turned his eyes from gray to black.

  “Hawk… Hawk…” she managed to push through trembling lips as she backed toward the door with hands raised to ward him off.

  He kept coming, step by step, with a possessive, dark smile on his face and his erection jutting toward her. It gleamed in the firelight with the moisture from her mouth.

  “Begging, are we, Bianca?” he asked with a husky laugh. “I’m afraid there will be no mercy for you now.”

  She shook her head as she contemplated racing out of the room. But she wouldn’t get far stark naked and she had a sneaking suspicion Hawk could and would easily outrun her. With no servants left in the house to interfere on her behalf, she had no chance.

  So she was trapped in a prison of her own design and her heart raced as she contemplated what kind of sensual torture would be her punishment.

  “Hawk!” she squealed as he finally lunged for her. His arms wrapped like vices around her waist, biding her arms helplessly to her sides. Her naked breasts rasped against his crisp chest hair and his cock bumped between her thighs as he spun on his heel. He carried her as if she was nothing more than a rag doll to the bed and tossed her unceremoniously onto the coverlet. She tried to flip over from her stomach to her back, but he threw his weight onto her and held her down as he stretched one of her arms out toward the bedpost.

  He caught the bind and slipped her hand through it as he leaned down and pressed his lips against her exposed neck. “Velvet,” he murmured as he stroked his tongue against the sensitive skin behind her ear. “Very nice.”

  “Hawk,” she croaked out and was furious that his name was a moan from her lips. She had him where she wanted him, but in just a moment he not only burst free from her trap, but regained the power he always wielded over her. And now she was in the position she was always in with Hawk.

  Submissive.

  He tied her hands and feet, but it was obvious he was being careful not to hurt her. Somehow the care he took in making sure she couldn’t escape, but wouldn’t be injured, made her blood rush harder and hotter.

  Tied face down on her bed, he could do anything to her. For the first time, she truly had no recourse.

  And the thought was utterly thrilling though it went against every rule she made for herself over the past few years.

  “You have been a very naughty girl,” he said as he rose up on his knees. He cupped her rear end with large, hot hands. His fingers stroked over her sensitive flesh, dipping down between the globes to play over her pussy and ass.

  He slipped a finger across her slit and she jolted with uncontrolled desire.

  “Please, Hawk,” she began, knowing if she begged she would be given release. “Let me come.”

  To her surprise, he shook his head with a laugh. “Oh, no. It won’t be that easy tonight. You’ve earned far more punishment than a little teasing. By the time I’m finished, your body is going to be weeping with desire. And when I finally do take you, you’ll explode like you never have before.”

  Already a sob escaped her lips at the heat of his promise and the empty clenching of her wanton body. She balled her useless hands into fists and waited for him to touch her again.

  It wasn’t long before he did. His hands came down on her thighs, parting them wider. His thumbs brushed her sex purposefully and she let out a long sigh. He bent his head and speared his tongue into her pussy without warning. Bianca bucked up with a wail as he mercilessly licked her. Heat spread from his tortuous tongue through her blood stream until she was a melted puddle of heat and desire. Still, he went on and on, lapping at her from the rosette of he bottom to her swollen, aching clit and ignoring her gasps and pleas for release.

  His tongue strokes became shorter and more focused on the sensitive hole of her bottom. Bianca gasped as Hawk glided his tongue over and over the opening. She never realized her rear end was so sensitive, or that touching and licking it could feel so decadent. Her clit throbbed with each wet stroke and she arched up reflexively.

  “Did Oscar ever do this?” Hawk asked between tongue strokes.

  “No,” she gasped. “No one has ever done that.”

  “Good.” Then he paused and placed a finger against the little hole. Lubricated by his mouth, the digit slid inside easily.

  Stars exploded before Bianca’s eyes at this foreign invasion. It was like losing her virginity all over again, but instead of the sharp and fleeting pain that had accompanied her wedding night, this was only bliss. Hawk slowly inched his finger in and out, stretching her and readying her for something else.

  His cock. He hadn’t said it, but his long, hard erection would feel even better than his thick finger.

  “This will feel strange,” he said in a tense voice as he positioned himself behind her and pressed the round head of his penis against her. “But I promise I won’t hurt you.”

  “Please,” she whimpered. “I want to feel it. To feel you.”

  She pushed back against him and his cock slid inside a few inches. Hawk gripped her hips and moaned long and low.

  “Wait,” he whispered. “Slowly or I’ll hurt you.”

  Bianca moaned. “It’s too slow. I need all of you.”

  Hawk reached around her body and cupped her breasts as he inched his cock inside her rear end with slow, short thrusts. Each forward motion spread her even further, and made her tender nerves fire with pleasure so intense and focused it was almost pain. She bucked in time, forcing him inside, farther and farther until he was imbedded to the very hilt.

  Her pussy clenched at nothing, shivering on the cusp of an orgasm even though he hadn’t touched her clit or filled her sheath. Just the fullness of him in this new and dark place made her quiver with pleasure she’d never felt before.

  “Am I hurting you?” he asked against her back.

  “No. I just want more.”

  With a growl, he pulled back and began to thrust, slow and even inside her. She mewled with pleasure, arching as far as her bound hands would let her and curling her toes.

  “You’re so tight, so hot,” he gasped as his hands massaged her breasts with almost wild intensity.

  “Don’t punish me anymore,” Bianca cried as her body reached the breaking point of pleasure. “Let me come.”

  Hawk stopped moving and she wailed in frustration as the pleasure that had been peaking in her diminished to a low, insistent throb. He reached up and unbound each of her wrists. Ignoring her cries of disappointment, he withdrew his cock from her and unbound her feet.

  In one, smooth motion, he flipped her onto her back, spread her legs and glided into her wet and quivering pussy. Immediately, she bucked with pleasure. Grasping each wrist, he wrapped them around his neck, lifted her into a sitting position on his lap and plowed into her. He rode her rough and hard, grinding his pelvis against her clit as she screamed loud enough to bring down the house.

  Finally, powerful, fantastic sensation burst upon her from every pleasure point of her body, focused on her clit as she ground out release. She sobbed, tears flowing freely, as he continued to thrust into her with all his passion. He had promised her the most powerful orgasm of her life and he had delivered. The release was nearly unbearable. Her vision blurred, her concentration moved to the spot where their bodies were joined and her hips rolled wildly.

  Then Hawk stiffened as his cream filled and overfilled her before they collapsed onto his bed in a sweaty, aching pile of tangled legs and arms. Bianca shut her eyes with one final shudder and clung to Hawk’s damp muscles. She never wanted him to leave her body…and as she fell into a deep and exhausted sleep, she realized she didn’t want him to leave her life, either.

  Chapter Nine

  Hawk straightened his
spine as he entered the ballroom with Bianca on his arm. After the past few weeks of heated bliss in his bed, the idea of wasting time at a party seemed cold, but it was pivotal. This night was part of proving to Bianca that they shared more than a few heated moments in bed. Still, he didn’t look forward to sharing her attentions.

  “Mr. Lucius Hawkins and Lady Bianca Clairemont.”

  For a moment the crowded room went totally silent as heads from all corners pivoted to look at the couple who had been the topic of scandalous gossip all week long. Then the murmurs and whispers began behind the elaborate fans and gloved hands.

  Beside him, Bianca stiffened, though her face retained its mocking expression. Hawk looked deeply into her eyes and was surprised by what he saw. He always thought Bianca really didn’t care about ton’s opinion of her and her wild ways, but he could see by the glitter in her stare that it wasn’t true. Within the startling blue, embarrassment and sadness shone. She simply covered them with that cool, distant smile that had always driven him mad because it seemed so inscrutable.

  “Don’t worry,” he soothed just under his breath so she would be the only one to hear. “They all wish they had a fraction of the verve you do.”

  Bianca’s laugh of dismissal tinkled around him, but Hawk sensed the shrill undertones. It was odd how a few weeks of close observation had awakened him to all her moods, even when she tried to hide them. Now the slightest change was obvious.

  “Worry?” She shook her head. “You know me better than that. I never worry.”

  “Yes, I do know you better. I can see your anxiety in your eyes.” With a gasp, she shifted under his close scrutiny.

  “Hawk,” she said, but her voice was low and hoarse. “Honestly, I’m fine.”

  A sting of disappointment worked through him. He was always reaching for a deeper connection with Bianca. Sometimes she allowed him into her confidence as she had the night he crept into her London home.

  And sometimes she locked him out.

  “If you say you are, I won’t argue.”

  Her face relaxed with relief and Hawk decided not to push. Later, when she wasn’t surrounded by people, perhaps he could broach the subject again. For now, he guided her through the crowd with a gentle hand on the small of her back.

  Now that they’d made their entrance, only a few heads turned toward them. Though general interest had waned for the time being, each time another man looked at Bianca, Hawk went rigid. With the limited time they had left in their wager, he didn’t want to share her with anyone else. To share what they had with anyone else.

  Bianca slipped her arm from the cradle of his and touched his shoulder gently. He shook away his troubling thoughts with a forced smile.

  “Hawk, isn’t that your brother?” she whispered as she subtly motioned her head across the dance floor.

  His eyes snapped up and he found himself greeted by Landon’s disapproving glare. He cursed beneath his breath. For months Hawk had successfully avoided his brother by making quiet inquiries about the events he planned to attend. But Landon hadn’t been on the guest list for this particular party.

  Yet there he was.

  Suddenly that explained Lady Annabelle Monroe’s insistence that he and Bianca attend her ball. Landon had obviously demanded she invite them and that Hawk not be told of his presence until it was too late to avoid him. And Lady Monroe, social climber that she was, agreed because Landon was a respected member of the House of Lords and a powerful man.

  Hawk pursed his lips as his brother arched a brow in his direction. Respected. Powerful. And too damn controlling for his own good. This night was swiftly deteriorating.

  “Hawk?”

  Bianca’s gentle voice drew his stare away from his brother. She looked at him with a gaze filled with concern and for a moment everything else in the room, no the world, came to a halt. Her understanding expression warmed his suddenly frigid heart and he couldn’t help the smile that turned his lips without effort.

  “I wish I could help,” she murmured.

  He cupped her cheek despite how utterly inappropriate such an intimate gesture was in a crowded ballroom. “I have no choice, I’ll have to talk to him. The only good thing about this night is you. The rest is pure hell.”

  Her expression went from innocent sympathy to wicked temptress in the blink of an eye. “My poor baby,” she cooed low as she stroked her fingers along the inside curve of his arm. Even through his heavy jacket, her touch inflamed and aroused him. “I promise I’ll improve your evening.”

  Now it was Hawk who arched an eyebrow as his troubles faded into a haze of growing desire. “Can you?”

  She rose up on her tiptoes just a bit and her warm breath caressed his cheek. “Yes. I’ve already devised a plan.”

  “And what is that?” he murmured as he dipped his own head even closer. He was just a breath away from a kiss he wanted more than his next heartbeat. A kiss he couldn’t take in this throng of watching eyes.

  “Lady Monroe has a gazebo in her garden.” She motioned her head toward the terrace door in the distance. “I have the perfect use for it. One that would shock the ton to no end if we were caught. But that’s the fun, isn’t it?”

  Hawk shut his eyes as a wonderful image popped into his errant mind. Bianca on the enclosed terrace, bent over the railing as he raised her skirts and buried himself deep within her. With a few thrusts, nothing would be important but the clenching heat of her body. Not Landon. Not the wager. Not worries about his growing feelings that spurned an equally burning guilt.

  Just her.

  Forcing himself back to reality, he looked down at her through heavy lids. “Mmm. I would like that very much.”

  She took his hand with a wink that shot heat through his every vein. “Then come outside with me.”

  Hawk shivered on the brink of surrender just as Landon started making his way through the crowd toward them. With a sigh, he released her hand. “You don’t know how much I long to do just that. But I think I’m about to face my brother first.”

  Bianca smiled with a small shrug before she turned and watched Landon stop in front of them. His gray eyes, the very same ones Hawk saw in the mirror each morning, pierced through her and focused on Hawk. And just as he had when it was his father looking at him that way, Hawk wanted to hit the man that made him feel so small.

  “My lord,” Bianca said with a small curtsey that would have pleased even the King, himself. “How very nice to see you.”

  Landon sniffed as he gave Bianca a cursory glance, then dismissed her by looking away without returning her greeting. Hawk clenched a fist at his rudeness even when Bianca smothered a laugh in her palm.

  “I would like to speak to you alone,” Landon said in the low, authoritative tone their father had taught him well. Finally he found his manners by giving Bianca a curt nod. “Please excuse us, my lady.”

  “Meet me when you’re finished, Hawk,” she said with laughter still lightening her voice. “Where we planned.”

  Hawk managed a nod as she made her way through the crowd. He would speak with his brother alone, but Landon might not like the way it turned out. Especially after Hawk was finished with some choice words over his disregard for Bianca.

  ***

  Bianca couldn’t keep the smile from her lips as she wove through the crowd. Her first stop was the closest glass of champagne and then the terrace to wait for Hawk. His rage over his brother’s dismissive disrespect touched her heart in places that hadn’t been reached for a very long time.

  Her other lovers talked in flowery language about their undying devotion when in the privacy of her bedchamber and the heat of passion. But in public, when their desire was more controlled, she sometimes sensed their discomfort with the censure of society.

  Hawk was different in so many important ways. Not only did he treat her with absolute respect from the moment they stepped out of the carriage, but expected his brother and everyone else in the room to do the same. Even if she hadn’t admitted i
t to him when he had asked about her self-consciousness, that care for her well-being made her heart pound with nearly the same breathless desire as his hard cock did.

  That emotion, the kind she had strategically avoided for so long, normally sparked terror in her breast. But not tonight. Instead, she welcomed the spread of warmth in her chest. Growing closer to Hawk, both in and out of bed, felt so right.

  For a while, she wanted to savor that feeling.

  She shook her head as she took a champagne flute from one of Lady Monroe’s footmen, ridiculous looking in their lacy, fancy costumes. Only Annabelle would put her miserable servants in pink cravats. Later, Bianca would have a laugh about it with Hawk.

  She was about to make her way toward the terrace to wait for him when a hand suddenly snaked out and caught her wrist. Champagne splashed from her glass as she pivoted to see who had dared to grab her so possessively.

  She expected to find her father or even Hawk holding her fast, but her heart dropped into her stomach when she found herself face to face with Everett Firth. His thin face was clean-shaven and tidy, but the desperation in his eyes gave him a haggard appearance much like he’d had when he attacked her in her home just weeks before.

  But he wouldn’t dare repeat that here, in front of so many people. Would he? As she glanced down at her trapped arm, she wasn’t so certain.

  “E-Everett,” she stammered as she attempted to free her hand from his increasingly painful grip. She kept her voice as calm as she could, unwilling to show her former lover the fear he bred in her. “You startled me.”

  “Didn’t expect to see me here, did you?” he said in a tone that chilled her very blood. “I suppose you believe I was only invited into the upper circle because of my affiliation with you.”

  She shook her head as she finally yanked her wrist free. As she set her empty champagne glass on a table behind her, she rubbed the red mark he’d left on her skin. When Hawk saw that…