Thwarting the Duke Read online

  “How would you feel about a little wager?”

  Oh dear God, she was going to be the death of him. “You want to go riding along the Bath Road?” he guessed aloud. He’d take her anywhere she wanted just as long as she removed her dress.

  She grinned so seductively, Thad’s cock twitched in response. “Well, only if I win.”

  Oh, he was going to enjoy spending his life with her. “And what is the wager, my dear Hope?”

  “I’d wager that being your wife will make me the happiest girl in all the world.”

  Well, he didn’t want to take the opposite side in that wager. “And you think I’d bet against that?”

  Her eyes sparkled once more and she shook her head. “Best if you just concede to me that you’ll take me racing along the Bath Road.”

  And anything else in the world she ever wanted. Thad nodded once in agreement. “Now, darling, do take off that dress and make me the happiest man in all the world, will you?”

  Hope tugged one sleeve of her dress, making her bodice gape and Thad couldn’t pull his eyes from her. Then she slid her other arm through and her dark gown dropped to her waist. He could make out her dusky nipples peaking beneath her chemise. Dear God…

  Thad untied the ribbons of her chemise and somehow managed not to groan as her clothing slid down her waist, pooling at their feet. She was more beautiful than he’d imagined and he’d imagined her many times since he’d first spotted her in the Serpentine that day.

  He reached one hand out and brushed the pad of this thumb against one of her nipples. When she sucked in a quick breath, he couldn’t take anymore. Thad groaned and then pulled his shirt over his head.

  Hope’s eyes widened at seeing the muscles she’d only felt beneath his superfine. Heavens, he was magnificent. She tentatively reached out to touch the dusting of golden hair on his chest. Thad sucked in a breath as her fingertips grazed his flattened nipples. She swallowed nervously. She’d never seen a man’s bare chest before, and…Well, he was a masterpiece that could have been carved out of marble.

  Thad leaned forward and kissed her again. Anticipation skittered down her spine when he untied the ribbon of her drawers. He kissed her deeper, plundering her mouth. Hope wrapped her arms around his neck to keep her legs from buckling beneath her.

  And then he once again scooped her up in his arms and placed her gently in the middle of his bed. Quickly, he tossed one, then two boots across the room and then started on the buttons of his trousers.

  Hope pressed up on her elbows, watching him with great fascination as he slid his trousers over his hips and…Well, she’d never seen anything like that and her mouth went a little dry. Heavens, she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

  Luckily, he did seem to know. After tossing his trousers aside, Thad gently opened her legs and kissed his way from one knee to the apex of her thighs…and then he kissed her there too.

  Hope sucked in a breath as his tongue pressed against her and then pushed inside her. Never in her life had she ever felt anything like that. “Thad!”

  He chuckled against her flesh, but continued to kiss and lick her until she was grasping the bedclothes with both hands and writhing beneath him. Then he pushed up to his knees and settled himself between hers. His dark gaze nearly scorched her. “My stunning countess.”

  Her cheeks warmed, which was silly. She was lying there, after all, completely bare for his gaze, but his words made her blush?

  Thad took his manhood in his hand and pressed the tip of him against her wetness. How foreign that felt but amazingly wonderful at the same time, and all she wanted was for him to be closer to touch that place deep inside her that throbbed.

  “Put your legs around me, Hope,” he whispered.

  When she did, he pushed further into her and then with a quick thrust of his hips, he was completely inside her. Hope gasped at the slight pain that wrought within her.

  “Sorry, darling.” He kissed her neck. “It won’t be like that again.”

  She smacked his back. “You knew that would hurt?”

  Thad pushed up to look at her. “That’s my understanding with virgins, but it won’t hurt again.”

  Hope narrowed her eyes on him. “Anything else you’re neglecting to tell me, Thaddeus?”

  He shook his head and his golden hair fell across his brow. “Come now, you’re the girl who swims in the Serpentine and topples over phaetons, certainly you can handle a twinge of pain.”

  “Says the man who didn’t feel any pain, at all,” she complained.

  A broad smile spread across his face. “My love, I have been in pain every night since I met you.”

  That was hardly complimentary. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He dipped his head down and pressed his lips to hers once more. “It means,” he began softly, “that the need to have you in my bed was so intense it was painful to walk sometimes.”

  Well, she supposed that was a little complimentary, then. Thad pulled slightly from her and then thrust inside her again, but slower this time and filling her so completely that heat coursed through her. His hand settled on her breast and he kneaded her as he kissed her even deeper.

  A moan escaped Hope and her eyes fluttered closed. Thad retreated and then pressed further inside her, over and over, finding a rhythm that might drive her mad. A pressure began to build inside her, and his pace increased.

  Heavens!

  Hope settled her hands on his back and loved the feel of his muscles beneath her fingertips. He kissed her harder and that pressure in her core increased and then…

  And then…

  Hope cried out as she fell over an edge she hadn’t known was there. A half second later, Thad grasped her waist in his hands and let out a cry of his own. Then he collapsed on top of her and buried his face in her hair.

  “I love how you smell,” he whispered.

  Hope thumped him on the back. “I thought you were going to say you loved me.”

  Thad pushed back up on his arms, the dark blue in his depths twinkling devilishly. “Give me a moment to recover and I’ll show you how much I love you all over again.”

  Chapter 15

  Thad thought he heard a scratch at the door, but he was too tired to know for certain. Hope murmured something in her sleep against his chest, and he tightened his hold on her. The softness of her skin against his fingers lulled him back to sleep until…

  That was definitely a scratch.

  Damn it all. “Yes?” he managed to croak out. If he could just sleep for a couple days…

  “Lord Kilworth,” Morris called through the door. “You have visitors.”

  Visitors? Thad’s eyes flew open. What the devil? What time was it?

  “Just a moment, Morris.” Thad slid from beneath Hope and tossed his discarded shirt back on, which thankfully covered his nether regions. Then he padded across the floor and opened his door just a crack. “Who’s here?” he whispered.

  His poor butler looked more than uncomfortable. “Everyone, sir.”

  “You’re going to have to be more specific than that, Morris.”

  His servant released a sigh. “The Duke of Danby, Mr. and Mrs. Buswell—”

  Sarah and Lawrence were there?

  “—Lady Bradenham, Lord Quentin, Lady Quentin, Lady Grace, Lord Robert—”

  Morris was right. Everyone was there.

  “—and a Mr. Wright.”

  The vicar. Damn it! He and Hope must’ve slept the morning away. “Tell them we’ll be right down—“No that would never do, not with his sister present. She’d think Hope awful the rest of her days. “I mean, tell them I’m finishing up something in my study and you’ll have someone wake Lady Hope from her nap.”

  “Very good, my lord.”

  Thad shut the door and then turned back to the bed where Hope was still sleeping, her flaxen curls spread out across his bed. He could stare at her like that for a lifetime and never tire of the sight. But not now, not while… Did Morris say Danby
was there too?

  “Hope love,” he said crossing the floor and dropping onto the edge of his four-poster. “Sweetheart.” He brushed a hand across her cheek. “Your family’s here.”

  Her eyes popped open. “My family?”

  “Mmm. Let’s get you dressed, shall we?”

  Hope’s hands were shaking, her stomach was plummeting and her heart was beating a mile a minute. Not a peep came from within the parlor. That couldn’t be good, could it? Shouldn’t Mama be wailing or Grace swearing she had no idea that Hope had left in the dead of night? Shouldn’t Quent be ranting about honor or behavior or something like that?

  She closed her eyes, took a steadying breath, and then stepped into the yellow Kilworth parlor. Then her mouth fell open. What in the world was Danby doing here?

  The duke sat in a high-back chair as though he was holding court, while Thad, a couple she wasn’t familiar with, and the rest of her family were scattered about he room, every one of them holding their tongues. In all her days, she’d never seen her mother be so quiet for so long. Of course, the duke terrified Mama.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said softly.

  Thad leapt to his feet while Danby, Quent and Mr. Wright all pushed out of their seats.

  “I’d wait for you forever,” Thad said and crossed the room to take her hands in his.

  Of course he hadn’t even waited until they were married to have her, and the memory of their morning spent in his bed washed over Hope. She was fairly certain she was blushing to her roots.

  “Shall we get on with this?” The Duke of Danby tapped his cane against the floor. “I don’t have all day.”

  The awful duke. At least after she and Thad married, she’d never have to worry about what His Grace might or might not do in regards to her future. She pitied Patience living so close to the man in Yorkshire.

  “I’m ready.” Thad smiled down at her. “Are you?”

  She nodded in response. She didn’t think she’d ever been more ready for anything in all her life.

  Thad led her toward the large window and then looked back at Mr. Wright. “Will this be all right?”

  “It’ll be just fine,” the man replied, coming to stand near them with his bible in his hand.

  Quent came up to stand beside Hope and whispered in her ear, “Your buttons are off. Best not let Kilworth dress you in the future.”

  She sucked in a breath and her cheeks stung. How off were her buttons? “I don’t know what you mean,” she lied.

  But her brother only shook his head. “It’s a good thing you’re marrying the man,” he said only loud enough for her, and possibly Thad, to hear.

  Mr. Wright cleared his throat. “Proverbs 5:18. May your fountain be blessed, and may you—”

  “If we wanted a sermon, Mr. Wright, we would be at services on Sunday,” the duke complained. “Do get on with it.”

  The man’s eyes widened in shock. “Of course, Your Grace.” Then he quickly shut his bible. “Um, do you, Thaddeus Alan Baxter, take Hope Elizabeth Post to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish ‘til death do you part?”

  Thad smiled down at Hope and her breath nearly caught in her throat. “I do.”

  She took a breath as Mr. Wright turned his attention to her.

  “And do you, Hope Elizabeth Post take Thaddeus Alan Baxter to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love, honor, and obey ‘til death do you part?”

  She nodded and whispered, “I do.”

  Mr. Wright frowned. “I don’t suppose you have a ring, my lord?”

  But Thad reached inside his pocket and retrieved a beautiful emerald ring surrounded by the prettiest diamonds. “It was my grandmother’s,” he said softly. “If it doesn’t fit…”

  And it was a tiny bit big, but he slid it onto Hope’s finger, and it sparkled in the sunlight pouring in through the window. “It’s beautiful.”

  “It pales in comparison to you, Lady Kilworth.”

  Lady Kilworth. She was Lady Kilworth. It was somewhat surreal as she’d always thought she would be Lady Kilworth, only to a different earl. But Thad…Well, Thad wasn’t Henry. He was so much better in every way, which Hope would have never thought possible, and yet it was.

  “You may now kiss your bride,” Mr. Wright said.

  Thad released Hope’s hands, cupped her face and pressed the gentlest of kisses to her lips.

  It was a relief when Quentin Post slapped a hand to Thad’s back and welcomed him into the family. It was a relief when Lady Bradenham’s lips actually cracked a smile as she congratulated Hope on her fine match, and when Sarah promised to invite Hope to tea later in the week. But the biggest relief was when the Duke of Danby finally left Baxter House for parts unknown.

  What a day it had been. The longest one Thad could remember living through, and he hoped he never forgot even a moment of it.

  As soon as her family and his had finally returned to their own homes, Hope pushed up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Thad’s lips. “Do you know what I’d like to do now?” She batted her lashes at him.

  He would like to return to his chambers with her, but he had a feeling she was going to say something else. “What would you like to do now?”

  Her grin lit up the parlor. “Go for a spirited ride along the Bath Road.”

  He should have known. “As luck would have it, my phaeton was returned to me yesterday.”

  Hope’s green eyes sparkled with joy. “And you really don’t mind taking me?”

  There were so many places he’d like to take her, but that wasn’t what she meant. And that reckless spirit he loved so much about her was in full form right then. “It’ll be my greatest pleasure…at least until we come home and retire for the night.”

  About Ava Stone

  Ava Stone is a USA Today bestselling author of Regency historical romance and college age New Adult romance. Whether in the 19th Century or the 21st, her books explore deep themes but with a light touch. A single mother, Ava lives outside Raleigh NC, but she travels extensively, always looking for inspiration for new stories and characters in the various locales she visits.

  You can find Ava’s historical romances at www.avastoneauthor.com

  Connect With Ava

  @Ava_Stone

  AvaStoneAuthor

  www.avastoneauthor.com

  Also by Ava Stone

  The Scandalous Series

  A Scandalous Wife

  A Scandalous Charade

  A Scandalous Secret

  A Scandalous Pursuit

  A Scandalous Past

  My Favorite Major

  The English Lieutenant’s Lady

  To Catch a Captain

  Encounter With an Adventurer

  In The Stars

  Promises Made

  A Scandalous Deception

  Regency Seasons Series

  A Counterfeit Christmas Summons

  By Any Other Name

  My Lord Hercules

  A Bit of Mistletoe

  The Lady Vanishes

  Prelude to a Haunted Evening

  The Lady Unmasked

  Lady Patience’s Christmas Kitten

  Her Reluctant Lord

  Sue London

  For those who have too many responsibilities.

  Chapter 1

  “Where is your brother, Timid?” Agatha Chase was busy measuring the lye soap for laundry day and hardly needed her most rambunctious brother to run pell-mell into the room and cause a disaster.

  “Which one?” Tim asked softly, poking at the hot water Agatha had already set out. In many ways it was like Tim and Trouble hadn’t aged a day since Mother had died. But they weren’t seven any longer, they were near seven and ten. Young men, even if they didn’t act it.

  Agatha poked Tim in the chest to make him step back as she poured the lye into the water. �
��You know which one. If you aren’t going to help me with the laundry, then keep Trouble entertained.”

  The sound of her brother jumping down the last few steps heralded his arrival. “Someone is going to entertain me?”

  Agatha tried not to cringe at his arrival. Trouble wasn’t ill intentioned, he just had a combination of energy and poor luck that, more often than not, made for some mess that Agatha would have to clean up. She almost rolled her eyes at her own internal tone of long-suffering. She was slowly but surely turning into the spinster that Trouble accused her of being. It was, she thought, hardly her fault that both of their parents had died and someone needed to take care of the household. Marcus, the brother who fell between her and the twins, was no help at all. He’d earned the nickname Fox for his carousing as well as his red hair.

  There had been a time, long ago, when Selby House had been well respected. Before father had died, before their fortune had dwindled to barely enough quid to keep them fed. Even Agatha could hardly remember their father now, and what she did remember she was loath to share with her siblings, as though her memories of Arthur Chase were a secret treasure. He had been warm, indulgent, larger than life. He would sweep her up over his head and call her “my Aggie girl” while she giggled. It was, all in all, a difficult thing to explain to one’s siblings anyway. It was a feeling, a scent of mint and tobacco, a remembrance of sparkling eyes and a booming voice. He had died before the twins had been born, when Marcus had only been four and she barely seven. Then mother had died and there had been nothing for it but for Agatha, as the eldest, to make sure the boys were taken care of as best as could be done. Something that grew increasingly difficult as their bank notes grew thin.

  Laurence Garner dunked his head in the creek again for good measure. Cold water countered a good number of sins, and hopefully this hangover would be one of them.