The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies) by Michaels, Maddison (short books to read TXT) 📕

the settee. He laid her softly down on the cushions and carefully settled himself next to her, lying the length of his body beside hers. “Now, where were we?”

His head leaned in to her and their mouths captured each other’s in a clash of fire.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Livie had never felt such sensation after sensation of pleasure as Seb teased her mouth with his. His lips, his tongue, everything he was doing to her she never would have imagined possible.

The feel of him lying next to her with his hardness pressing against her belly was thrilling, sending delicious quivers of excitement throughout her entire body. And then, as his hand slid down the side of her waist and hips, softly pressing her in closer toward him, she couldn’t help another moan escape her lips.

She nearly jumped off the sofa when his hand started dragging the skirts of her dress up her thighs, the tips of his fingers slowly tracing along her silk stockings with such agonizingly tender strokes that she whimpered.

No man had ever touched her body before. No man had ever made her feel this way before. No man had ever wanted her before. And by all appearances, Sebastian Colver wanted her with a fierceness that took her breath away. She could see it in his very gaze.

But then his hand started pushing down the stockings on her thighs, and suddenly the idea of him seeing her disfigured leg was like cold water being thrown in her face. If he saw that, he’d lose all desire for her.

“Please stop,” she pleaded with him.

He froze completely, his hand stilling halfway down her leg, and his head lifting from where he’d been trailing soft kisses down the column of her throat. “You want us to stop?”

The pulse at the base of his neck was pounding heartily, and she could see the confusion in his eyes. Inwardly, part of her was desperately yelling to let him keep going, but the other part of her, the part that had to deal with the devastation of knowing she would never truly be wanted, not if he saw the scars and mottled skin crossing her right thigh, was telling her she must get him to stop. And it was this part of her she listened to.

“Yes. I do.” Liar, her inner voice whispered. She suddenly found it difficult to look him in the eye.

He nodded and in one swift move stood from the lounge and strode over to pour himself a whiskey. He was breathing heavily, and Livie could see he was trying to get his body under control.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice a scratchy whisper as she pulled up her stocking and drew the skirts of her dress back down to cover her legs. She cleared her throat and swung her feet around so she was sitting properly on the settee, wincing only slightly as the muscles in her damaged leg protested. “I didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand between us.”

Sebastian poured himself a decent-sized nip and downed it in one swallow before turning back around to face her. “It was my fault.” His voice was blunt and matter-of-fact. “I was the one who let it get out of control and will not do so again. My apologies.”

The air was thick as they stared at each other, so many words unspoken between them.

In reality, all Livie felt like doing was jumping up, rushing over to him, and begging him to continue. Not that she actually could. Her leg ensured that. Never had she been so miserable at having been injured as she was right in that instant. Her injury had always been a constant, aching reminder about the death of her mother. Now, it was also going to serve as a reminder that because of it, she’d potentially missed out on what could have been one of the most amazing experiences of her life.

And though Society, her family, and even her friends would probably be scandalized senseless that she was considering giving him her virginity, that was the least of Livie’s concerns. She was never going to marry. What did it matter if she allowed the Bastard of Baker Street to show her what it was like to truly be a woman?

If only she had the confidence to let him. But she didn’t. Even she could barely stand looking at her leg. She could only imagine what he would think of it, if ever he were to see it.

She wished she could tell what was going on inside his head. What he was thinking inside that complex mind of his. But, as usual, his expression was giving nothing away as he simply stood there with his feet crossed at his ankles, his upper body leaning back against the side table.

Just then someone knocked at the door to the study, the sound reverberating around the room like a cymbal and jolting Livie the tiniest bit.

Seb straightened, his eyes reluctantly leaving her own as he strode over to the door and opened it a crack, his body blocking the room from view.

“The train has been organized, sir. And I’ve just spoken with the housekeeper, Mrs. Brooks, who assures me she will prepare the rooms and organize a carriage to meet you at the station in a few hours,” Simpkins’s voice murmured from beyond the door. “And your valet has packed you some essentials and clothes for the journey as you requested. I hope you do not mind that I took the liberty to include a note requesting the same for Miss Charlotte from her father, too. I sent one of the footmen to deliver it along with the letter from Miss Charlotte.”

“That’s fine, Simpkins. When the others return, please let me know.”

“I believe that will be them returning now, sir.”

Sure enough, the noise of a woman hollering somewhat loudly traveled down the corridor. It sounded as if she was calling Livie’s name.

“Give it a minute before showing the duchess