The Secret Life of Lady Julia Read Online Free Page B

gripped his lapels, pulled him down against her as she cried out, her body bucking against his fingers. He caught the sweet whimpers in his mouth.
    He reached for his flies, opened them expertly with one hand as he kissed her, unable to get enough of her mouth.
    She gasped as he entered her, and tensed beneath him. She was tight, almost too tight.
    Nervous, no doubt. He should have locked the door, but it was too late for that. He was beyond reason, beyond stopping, but she didn’t ask him to. She gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh, right through his shirt, a sweet, sharp, sensual pain.
    He didn’t last long. One last, long thrust, and he filled her, felt the hot rush of release.
    He fell against her, stunned. He stroked her face, kissed her gently, still buried inside her. He couldn’t read her expression in the low light.
    What the hell had he done?
    He moved off of her, turned away and used his handkerchief to clean himself before he fastened his clothes.
    She sat on the settee, arranging her own clothing, trying to fix her hopelessly disheveled hair.
    “Oh no, my earring! Well, my mother’s, actually. I’ve lost it! She’ll lecture me for an hour on carelessness, heedless behavior, and—” She began to laugh.
    “What’s so funny?” he asked.
    “Heedless behavior!” she said. Her laughter faded. “I should not have—”
    Nor should he. Not here, not now. The stakes were too high. He sighed. He wished he could afford to leave here empty-handed, with nothing but the memory of a lover that finally made him feel something, even if only for a moment. The diamond in his pocket would feed him for a week, the Carrindale tiara for a month, and Julia’s necklace for half a year.
    She was searching the floor for it, and he almost relented. Taking her hands in his, he pulled her close for a moment, distracting her. Desire surged again. What the devil was the matter with him? He did not allow his feelings to get in the way of his survival. He hadn’t even realized he had feelings until now. He kissed her gently, making it farewell. She pulled away.
    He braced himself for tears, accusations, but she simply said, “You should go. The French doors lead to the garden, and there’s a gate that leads to the mews and the street.”
    “Yes,” he agreed.
    “I shall go upstairs. I’ll send my maid down to mama to say I have a headache.”
    There was no mention of Temberlay. Had the duke even noticed she was gone, that she’d been absent from the ballroom for nearly an hour? Thomas glanced at the ormolu clock on the mantel.
    Less than an hour.
    He straightened his rumpled cravat as best he could and bowed over her hand. Her fingers coiled around his for a moment, as if she could not bear to let him go. He pulled free gently and let himself out.
    It wasn’t until he’d reached his lodgings that he saw the blood on his handkerchief. How could he have been so stupid?
    Lady Julia Leighton had been a virgin.

 
    Chapter 2

    T homas waited outside Carrindale House in the rain until he saw Julia get in the coach and drive away. He followed her to Bond Street, watched her alight and go into an exclusive modiste’s shop. He watched through the window as she tried on a gown of sapphire blue silk. The shop assistant spread a lace veil over her dark hair, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. Her wedding gown. He clenched his fists and stepped away to wait for her to emerge.
    “Why Lady Julia, how pleasant to meet you here so unexpectedly,” he said brightly, as if he had merely chanced upon her in the street. He watched her pale cheeks bloom like roses, saw fear war with curiosity in her eyes.
    She dipped a curtsy and turned to her maid. “Wait in the coach. I’ll be along in a moment.” After the girl complied, she whispered to him, “What are you doing here?”
    “I found your earring,” he said, and taking her gloved hand in his dropped it into her palm. It was the only excuse he had come up with to