Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

“ I am going to hell for this,” Morgan whispered, closing his eyes as the first strike of eleven rang out from the nearest church.

He was by the gate, his body tense and agitated from two days of pure torture. Helena had opened herself up to him with her first kiss exactly as he had hoped, but what he had not foreseen was the painful, slamming need that pained his testicles the moment she stepped into his carriage and drove away. He had already booked a night at one of his favorite bedding dens to relieve himself of his unanswered need.

He went through one woman, then two, then four. Dawn slowly bled into noon and was absorbed by the evening. Even after a dozen women and an additional night at the brothel, he had not been sated. There was no act he did not venture into with those willing woman, but no matter how debauched or intense his encounters were, it was never enough to rid himself of the longing that plagued him.

No matter how uniquely beautiful or different the women were, Morgan only had eyes for Helena. He heard Helena’s voice. He drew in the phantom scent of her. He only felt how she had writhed in his lap, so grateful and responsive to finally be immersed in her most sought after experience. How delicious her lips and tongue had tasted; a taste which still sat on his tongue like thick honey, and damn him if he did not want more.

Still, despite such intense sensations clashing within him, Morgan fought to maintain control. Helena wanted to learn from him, and he was not going to ruin that.

He had wanted to paw at her body the other night, cup and pinch her breasts, slap his palms against her thighs, but he had restrained himself, only using his fingertips to draw out her delightful shivers. She deserved to be taught with patience and willpower, and he was going to give her that.

Helena’s knock came at the eleventh toll of the bell, exactly as instructed, and he felt his heart stop in his chest as he opened the gate and saw her piercing blue eyes looking up at him from beneath the hood of her cloak. It seemed to take several seconds for his heart to find another beat, but when it did, it slammed into him like a fist, and he finally remembered to breathe.

“I do adore how clever you are,” he managed to tease, pulling her inside.

Helena smirked and kept her hand in his as they walked towards the house.

“Your riddles are fun,” she replied. “I like them.”

For some reason that touched him, and he could not help the flattered smile he gave her.

“However,” she went on, her tone full of mischief, “giving me less than an hour this evening to prepare myself was not as enjoyable.”

Morgan’s smile transformed into a devilish smirk. What she did not know was that he had originally planned to write a riddle to have her arrive the following evening, but as he prepared to pen his missive, he found himself unable to wait that long. It was a risk he had taken, but now that she was here, he was happy to have taken it.

He stopped, turning her towards her, and wrapped his left hand around her throat. Desire coursed through him as she swayed forward, pressing herself into his palm. She wanted this night. Perhaps not as badly as he did, but she wanted to be here with him.

“That is the thing about desire,” he rasped, stroking his fingers reverently over her larynx. “One has to be open to chasing it from time to time at the very last second. And look at you now. Arriving perfectly on time, despite your concerns.”

Helena’s pink lips parted as she gasped slightly during an inhale, and Morgan’s arousal grew as he felt every little reflex in her throat. Unable to deny himself, he squeezed slightly harder, just for the briefest of moments, until he could feel her heartbeat in the tips of his fingers.

“You are cold. Come, let us get you inside,” he commanded, pulling his hand away as Helena’s eyes began to glisten.

Helena made no protest as he put his hand on her lower back and guided her once more into his library.

“There is something I wish to mention,” she told him, the yearning gone from her voice, replaced by insistence.

“Yes?” he asked.

“My list,” she replied her brow furrowing. “I want to participate in gambling and swimming last. I have decided that they are the least important aspects of my curiosity, and with my time running out, I want to focus on the other goals.”

Morgan initially felt a flutter of delight at the news, but as he watched Helena’s expression grow more determined, he mentally swept away the sarcastic response he had intended and instead asked, “what happened today, Helena?”

Rage touched her eyes as she shot a glare towards the ground and her jaw tightened.

“Ambrose is unhappy with my lack of interest in his selections. He is going to take the decision away from me, I am certain of it.”

Morgan’s first thought was to go to Ambrose, slap him upside the head and ask him why he was he behaving like such a dolt. But he knew all too well how poorly that would go. Not just for him, but also for Helena. If Ambrose ever found out…

“That is an easy fix,” was all he said. “We will save those for last then.”

A look of relief passed over Helena’s face and she gave him a quiet nod of appreciation.

Once inside, Morgan shut the garden doors and pulled the maroon velvet curtains across them. His garden gates were tall, but he had made a promise to Helena, and he was not about to let anyone else catch a glimpse of what he was about to see.

“So, if you solved my riddle then you must know that tonight I will…” Morgan’s words died in his throat as he turned back to Helena.

She had removed her cloak and robe, both of them tossed onto a nearby settee, and was standing in a black night shift. The flames of the fireplace stood behind her, shining through the gauzy fabric and making the silhouette of her petite, slender figure vividly apparent. Morgan felt his mouth begin to water as another shot of painful arousal struck him in the groin.

“What is wrong?” Helena asked, her voice laced with concern.

Morgan suddenly realized that he had no idea what sort of facial expression he had been sporting; his face had become numb as all the blood had rushed elsewhere.

“Not a damned thing,” he croaked, the curse slipping out of his mouth before he could stop it.

Enough, Morgan. Get yourself together.

Morgan let out a growl as he forced his eyes away from the tempting beauty that was his student and now muse, and he stalked towards his easel.

“Is this not what you requested?” Helena asked, watching him curiously as he readied his canvas.

“You worry too much,” he taunted, forcing himself to grin at her mockingly as he finally looked at her again.

Doing so delivered a swift tug of desire to his lower belly, but at least this time he was not as taken aback by her beauty as he had been the first time.

“Besides, it is not the gown I am to be sketching,” he went on, “it is what lies beneath.”

Helena’s pink cheeks deepened to red as she self-consciously brought a hand up to the center of her chest, as if trying to hide the bare expanse of flesh.

“We are…what am I supposed to do?” she asked.

Morgan could hear the intimidation in her voice, and for some reason, it allowed him to finally take control of the lust he had been feeling.

“You understood my riddle, yes?” he asked patiently, taking a moment to sharpen the tip of his charcoal. “Tonight shall be easy for you. You simply have to pose for me.”

“ Naked,” Helena said softly.

It was the first time Morgan had heard the word spoken from her lips and damn him if his ears did not hear it as an invitation.

“Yes,” he said, his own voice once more becoming raspy. “As you had agreed.”

Morgan could not miss the evident worry in her eyes, which compelled him to walk away from his easel and go to her.

“You do not wish to pose for me?” he asked, stopping a few steps away from her. His hands itched to touch her, but he would not chance swaying her truth. He needed to know how she truly felt, for he had never been the type of man to force himself upon a woman. Especially not Helena.

“It is not that,” Helena whispered, her eyes cast downward. Then, in a rush she suddenly added, “though, admittedly this is a bit frightening. To show oneself so plainly.”

Unable to resist any longer, Morgan reached out for her chin, tilting it up until her eyes met his.

“What is it?” he asked.

Helena’s cheeks blushed harder, but she did not look away.

“Is this…is this the only task we are performing tonight?”

Excitement exploded through Morgan as his lips rose into a wicked grin.

“You want your second lesson tonight as well?” he asked.

“Yes.” The word tumbled in a whispered rush from her lips.

Her willingness to learn more of what he could teach her pleased him immensely. Morgan lowered his head towards hers. Just as she pouted her lips for him, he dipped his head to her neck and nipped it softly. She let out gasp of slight pain as his bite transformed into a suckling kiss, then leaned into him as he drew his kisses up the column of her neck before finally meeting her mouth.

Helena sighed as she kissed him in return, opening herself up to him, inviting him to take what he liked. Stars exploded behind his eyes as their lips met and parted sweetly, and when he finally pulled back, he felt a rush of dizziness sweeping through him.

“Pose for me like a good girl,” he whispered, stroking her cheek, “and I will give you what you wish.”

Pulling himself away, Morgan returned to his easel with considerable effort and waited for Helena to remove her gown.