A Deal with Lord Devlin by Jennifer Ann Coffeen

him along the way until she reached her destination. James was already hard against her exploring fingers, and she gently dipped her head toward his heat.
    “Charlotte!” His whole body tensed as he tried to pull himself up, but she wouldn’t be denied. Pushing him back onto the pillows, Charlotte then placed her hands on his thighs and took him into her mouth.
    “My God,” he hissed.
    Charlotte had never been so turned on in all her life. She thought she could stay forever in this little room, slowly driving James mad with pleasure.
    And suddenly she was flat on her back.
    Ripping the linen cloth from his wrists, James captured her mouth for a deep, searing kiss. She pushed back against him, their mouths dueling for control of the wild kiss, but when James slipped his hand up beneath her skirts, Charlotte was overcome. She tossed her head back with a small scream.
    “Rather fortunate we’re not still in the drawing room.” His grin was downright wicked.
    “Don’t stop,” she begged, “please.”
    He lifted her skirt, his other hand now exploring the inside of her thigh and beyond. “This?”
    “Oh, yes!” she cried, pulling him in closer. His hand continued its journey, and Charlotte arched against him.
    James’s hand finally found its way through her many layers of silk and began to caress her in the most sinful manner. She clawed at his back, and then, when his finger went even further inside, she bit him.
    “Are you ready for me?” he rasped into her ear. Charlotte might have nodded, though she wasn’t quite sure. “Because I’m sure as hell ready for you, love.”
    She shivered at the endearment as James slowly entered her, taking his time with the sweet torment. In fact, he was taking rather too long. “James!” she cried out, slapping his shoulders.
    He answered her with a slow smile. “You don’t have to speak a word, my love. Your groans are making it quite clear.”
    She wanted to shout at him, to tell him a lady didn’t groan, but that if he didn’t come to her soon she was going to die, but then his hand slipped down to stroke a most delicate spot, and she screamed instead. Still trembling from the intense waves of pleasure, Charlotte pulled James to her and kissed him long and hard as he climaxed inside her. She was happy to note his groan was even louder than hers.
    ****
    “You certainly know how to destroy a shirt, Lady Mallen.” James allowed his lips to slide down the most sensitive part of Charlotte’s ear before pressing his teeth against the skin. “I have little choice but to go upstairs to change.”
    “Just don’t return in something pink,” she replied, and he swept her in for one last scorching kiss before closing the door on their secret haven.
    Their lovemaking still vivid in his mind, James fought to keep his hands off Charlotte as they walked hand in hand down through the pantry into the kitchen. He knew they shouldn’t linger. A servant could come in at any moment and discover them. James didn’t really care if they did.
    “I’ll only be a few moments,” he said, placing a chaste kiss on her fingers. “I am long overdue for our dance.”
    His teasing smile faded as he watched Charlotte slowly shake her head. “I won’t be dancing with you tonight.”
    She pulled her hand from his. “Take this,” she said, pulling Andrew’s letter out of her little bag. “I want you to have your inheritance, but I….I can’t go through with our deal.”
    She held out the letter to him, but he didn’t move. “I don’t understand.”
    “London,” she waved her hand around, “all the gossip and lies, it’s not for me. It never was! It’s why I left my first marriage. Somehow I thought if I could just regain my place in society I could find myself again. But I was wrong.” She stepped toward him, brushing a strand of curled hair back into place. “I was here all along, and you brought me back, James. I don’t need the rest of it.”
    He felt as though something