Rex
Writing out a full list of the members of the Society, Rex shook his head in wonderment. It was a very long list, mostly, but not entirely confined to the ton.
“My goodness… really?” Mary’s finger paused beside a duke’s name, and Rex chuckled. They had their heads bent over the list, with her perched on his lap behind his desk. The punishment had done exactly what it should—cleared the air and allowed them to come back together.
While part of Rex still remained wary, he liked having Mary on his lap, and she seemed to want to be there. Whatever he could do to tie her emotions and loyalties more fully to him, he would.
“We all have our vices.” Cocking his head at the list, he pressed his lips together. “Not everyone attends every event, of course. Some of them are not even in town at the moment.”
Pursing her lips, Mary’s expression turned thoughtful. “Well, we cannot investigate those who are not in town, but we should keep them in mind, nonetheless.”
“I wish I knew what evidence Stuart had that anyone in the Society is even involved,” Rex muttered. There was a small ball of indignation still pressing in the center of his chest over that. The Society was built on trust. If any of them were involved, he would feel it a personal affront. He had approved every single member’s addition to the club. Mistakes like Julian Mitchell still smarted, but his behavior with the maid, while reprehensible, was not on the same level as assassination and treason. Though, of course, already knowing he had been a mistake made him a much more appealing prospect as a possible traitor than anyone else in the Society.
“There might not be evidence,” Mary said absentmindedly, still scanning the list. “From what Evie has told me, her uncle spends as much time chasing down gossip and whispers that turn out to be nothing as he does those which are viable. There is no way to know until he has investigated which is which.”
That made sense, which slightly mollified Rex. Stuart would have to investigate every whisper when it came to matters of treason, but not all of them would be true. Rex thought it far more likely, the Society was an easy target for gossip than a member of the Society would actually prove to be part of a plot against the crown.
If it even was a plot against the crown.
“Why York?” he asked aloud. Pausing, Mary sat up straight and turned her head to face him, brow wrinkling.
“What do you mean?”
“Why the Duke of York?” Rex drummed his fingers against the desk. “He is not directly in line for the throne. He is vital to the trade negotiations with the French, but there was no upheaval prior to their visit, and the talks are going well—as they were expected to. There was no reason for them to undermine the proceedings before they arrived, and there is even less so now. So, why York? Because someone wants the negotiations to fail? But why?”
“Who is harmed by their success?” Mary murmured, leaning back against him, soft and snuggly. Rex curled his arm around her waist, tightening it, and she squirmed. Likely, her arse was still sore from her spanking. She sighed. “There are too many variables. The Russian delegation should not be threatened, but who can say how they view the matter. The English should be happy trade routes will become more stable.”
“Except for smugglers,” Rex mused. They both paused, the words hitting home, and Mary sat bolt upright.
Mary
“Smugglers…” During the war, smuggling had practically been an English pastime. Even around her home, where there was no coastline, smuggling had been romanticized in the same way highwaymen were. While most smugglers were just trying to get by, depending on the cargo, fortunes could have been made.
Not only that, but certain cargo—human cargo, actual spies—had also been smuggled in and out of both France and England. She pressed her lips together. There were still too many variables, but Rex’s theory was sound.
“Do you know of anyone in the Society who has a connection to smugglers?” she asked. Rex snorted.
“No, but they would not admit to it if they did,” he pointed out. His arm tightened around her as he leaned forward. Her bottom was still sore, and her body had been completely satisfied by their coupling, but she enjoyed his hold for the sheer pleasure of having him touching her so intimately. “However, we can pinpoint who has holdings along the coast. It would not be definitive, but it might be a lead, especially if we can narrow other factors.”
A knock at the door had their heads swinging up. Mary tried to jump up from Rex’s lap, but his arm refused to budge.
“Come in,” he said, ignoring her wriggling.
“Rex!” She hissed his name, but he ignored her as Cormack opened the door and stepped inside. Mary wanted to throw her hands up in the air. Why she thought he would care about the proprieties, she had no idea.
“The Earl of Devon is here to see you, my lord,” Cormack said formally, his eyes twinkling, though he pretended he did not see Mary trapped on Rex’s lap. At least he knew how to behave.
She felt the change in Rex, his sudden relaxation followed swiftly by renewed tension.
“Put him in the library,” Rex said. “I will be there momentarily.” Cormack nodded and stepped back outside, closing the door behind him. Rex’s arm tightened around her, then released, allowing her to stand. He did as well, rising to his feet, an air of reluctance hanging about him. “I am sorry, petal, I would not allow him to interrupt our day if it was not important.”
“I know,” she reassured him. Mary was well aware Rex had wanted the earl standing beside him at their wedding. Unfortunately, neither she nor Evie had brought up the earl’s name in conjunction with their investigations, and she did not feel up to doing so now on her own. Mary did not want to disrupt the fragile peace hanging delicately in the balance between her and her husband, but she did not want to continue hiding anything from him either. “Rex…”
He was already moving away.
“I will return shortly,” he said, hurrying to the door, glancing over his shoulder before he exited. “I would ask you to come with me to meet Lucas, but he has… not been himself lately. I will bring him back here to meet you if I can.”
He was gone before Mary could stop him. Though, if she was honest with herself, she had not tried very hard. Grimacing, she wondered if she dared follow Rex to listen in on the conversation. Her already sore bottom throbbed.
No, probably not.
He trusted her to remain here, so she would have to trust him. Pressing her lips together, her eyes drifted back to the list he had made. At the very least, she could start writing down everything she knew about the various members of the Society. Last Season, she had compiled a surprising amount of information from listening to conversations.
Rex
“You had better be here to apologize for missing my wedding.” Striding into the library, Rex’s gaze found and fixed Lucas with a stern look before his expression turned to one of concern. Lucas had seen better days.
While there were times when he turned up looking disreputable, now he appeared dilapidated. The stubble on his jawline looked to be several days growth, his cheeks appeared hollower than usual, and the dark bags beneath his eyes were heavily pronounced. He was sprawled in one of the great chairs in front of the fireplace, but not as though he were posing, as he would have done in the past, but more like he did not have the energy to stand. The clothes he was wearing were clean but wrinkled, his cravat drooping, his collar unpressed. Rex had never seen him in such a state. Not even after his parents passed.
“What is wrong?” Rex demanded, concern flooding him. He hurried forward, but Lucas held up his hand, bringing Rex to a halt a few feet away.
“I am sorry for missing your wedding,” Lucas drawled. His lopsided smile was only a little sardonic. “Believe me, it was for the best. I hardly look presentable at the moment.”
Frowning, Rex sat down in the chair across from Lucas, leaning forward.
“Tell me what is going on,” he demanded, irritability starting to rise again. It seemed Lucas was still his usual self, no matter how unkempt he looked. “Where the devil have you been?”
“Around.” Lucas waved his hand vaguely. “As for what is wrong, it is the same as before. I need money, Rex.” Meeting Rex’s eyes, his quiet desperation pulled at Rex’s conscious far more than his dramatics at their previous meeting. “I need it now.”
“Tell me why you need it, and you can have it.”
Closing his eyes, Lucas pressed his lips together. Rex could practically see Lucas’ internal struggle, trying to decide whether or not to explain.
“Just tell me, Lucas. You know I will help you,” Rex said quietly… urgently. Whatever was wrong with his friend, it had to be serious.
“I know you will, but should you?” Lucas chuckled darkly. There was a bleakness in his eyes that worried Rex even more. He almost preferred angry Lucas over this introspective, defeated version. “I need the money, Rex. I cannot tell you why.”
“Then I cannot give you the money.” Rex’s heart ached, but he had to remain firm. The line had been drawn, and to cross it now… No, he could not. No matter how desperate and contrite Lucas truly appeared. “I want to help, Lucas. All you have to do is talk to me.”
“No.” Lucas got to his feet, swaying slightly. Drunk? Possibly. Likely. “You have your own obligations to attend to. A wife. Your estates. You should not have to discharge mine as well. I should not have come.”
Despite his seeming inebriated state, Lucas was as serious-faced as Rex had ever seen him. It seemed Rex’s hard stance had finally born fruit and convinced Lucas to fulfill his own duties rather than relying on Rex to do it for him. That, or it was a very good ruse. The possibility of the latter was why Rex could not bend.
“I want you to be able to come to me,” Rex said earnestly, rising to his own feet as well. “But I am glad to hear you are taking your obligations seriously.”
An odd look crossed Lucas’ face, too fleeting to catch, before settling into his customary expression.
“I will be off, then.” Lucas strode to the door, seeming steadier on his feet than before. At the last, he turned and looked Rex in the eye. “You have always been a good friend, Rex. Perhaps more than I deserved.”
Rex wanted to protest, but deep down, he knew it was true.
“You have often been a good friend to me,” he said instead.
A sardonic smile cracked Lucas’ somber demeanor.
“But not of late. I mean to change that.” Nodding decisively, Lucas exited.
Letting his breath out on a long sigh, Rex could only hope what Lucas said was true. Rubbing his forehead, there was nothing to be done about it now. All he could do was wait and see.
Mary
Having finished everything she knew about the Society’s members—which turned out to be less than she thought, by and large, they were among the most discreet of the ton—Mary found her mind wandering to Rex. The spanking. Whether he had forgiven her. He certainly seemed to have.
Contrary to Cynthia’s advice, he had also been pleased when she had come to him. Then again, considering how much she had been hiding from him, making him chase after her when she owed him an apology would have been expecting too much. Making a face, she shifted uncomfortably on the chair, despite the thick cushion. While she had not minded the apology—or the punishment—the lingering soreness was not particularly pleasant.
Getting to her feet, Mary found some relief in pacing, her weight no longer pressing down on her sore cheeks. The activity also helped her burn off some of the nervous energy that kept growing while she waited for Rex’s return. With what they suspected, Evie would have expected her to eavesdrop on his conversation with the earl, but Mary could not. She did not want to break Rex’s trust again so soon, and if he caught her listening when he trusted her to remain here…
Torn between the conflicting loyalties, she had to choose Rex this time. She was married now, so it was only right that her husband received some of her loyalty, especially to achieve the kind of marriage she wanted to have.
Her heart leapt in her chest when the door finally opened. Rex’s expression was implacable, giving her no clues what the earl had wanted.
“Is everyone all right?” she asked, coming up to him.
“As well as can be.” There was sadness in his eyes, and he was more closed off than before he had left the room. Mary frowned. She had to tell him about Evie’s suspicions, then hopefully, he would be more forthcoming.
“The Earl… he is a member of the Society, and Evie said he has recently incurred a large number of debts…” Her voice trailed off as Rex’s eyes lit from within, blazing. For a moment, he appeared angry, but then the fires banked, and he sighed.
“Of course, she would know that.” He shook his head. “Lucas is no traitor. I would stake my life on it.”
Pressing her lips together, Mary nodded, hoping Rex wasn’t doing exactly that. Though she wanted to believe him, she did not know the earl and had witnessed far too many people’s blindness when it came to those they loved. Rex would believe in his friend, and she would watch Rex’s back.
Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face because Rex frowned, reaching out and pulling her to him. Her body pressed against his hard muscles, she was shocked to feel another hardness already beginning to rouse against her.
Again?!
“I do not wish to talk of Lucas.” Lips curved in a slight smile, lowering to hers, and Mary’s head tipped back to meet them. Trickles of excitement ran down her spine, setting her skin tingling but also amplifying the soreness of her bottom and between her legs.
Could her aching, sensitive parts possibly bear another round of Rex’s impassioned lovemaking? As if sensing her hesitation, Rex chuckled, his lips leaving hers, brushing over her jawline, down the side of her neck, and his hands eagerly caressing.
“Do not worry, petal, I will not overtax you. We shall… play.”
Play it certainly was.
Hands and lips explored as they slowly lost each item of clothing. Mary drifted on a cloud of pleasure, one that buoyed her without threatening to overwhelm her. They took turns caressing, kissing, until Rex laid her out on his desk, right where he had taken her earlier that morning, but now, he sat in his chair rather than standing between her thighs.
Draping her legs over his shoulders, he lowered his head to her slick folds and took his time.
Kissing. Suckling. Licking.
“Touch yourself, petal,” he murmured, his voice soft but clearly issuing an order. “I want to see you touch your breasts. Play with your nipples.”
Even as heat filled her cheeks at the brazenness of the suggestion, she found her hands obediently drifting up to the soft mounds. She touched herself, running her fingers over the sensitive buds, gasping as Rex redoubled the efforts of his lips and tongue. Looking down over the curves of her body, she met his gaze, staring hotly back at her, watching her every move.
The intimacy—his tongue sliding through her folds, his eyes boring into hers—was too much. She closed her eyes against it, though she could still feel his gaze.
Something slick and hard pressed against her bottom, and she cried out. A finger slid into the tight little hole located there, rude and probing, utterly perverse and shockingly pleasurable, despite the slight sting from the breach.
“Rex!” Her hands left her breasts, reaching down to tug on his hair. A small voice gleefully whispered in her head—they warned you. Both Cynthia and Arabella had mentioned it, but she had almost forgotten, and she certainly could not have anticipated how such a wicked invasion would actually feel.
“I told you, petal, I will claim all of you.” His finger thrust deeper, along with his words, leaving no doubt of his meaning. Mary cried out, hips jerking upward, trying to escape the impalement, but there was nowhere to go. Rex’s tongue curled over her clit, his arm over her lower stomach holding her in place, as his finger pushed ever deeper into her bowels.
Whimpering, she clutched his head as a second finger joined the first, stretching her farther. The slight burn was uncomfortable, but not distressingly so, and the unfamiliar feeling of fullness added an unexpected augmentation to her growing ecstasy. The indecent nature of the act enhanced her passion as well, the taboo adding the appeal of the forbidden.
The hard suction of his lips, combined with the devilish intrusion of his fingers, soon had Mary crying out as she fell over the edge of rapture. Her body throbbed, burned, and clenched, increasing the stimulation from Rex’s fingers as they twisted and thrust inside her. Just imagining what it would be like when he actually claimed her there left her trembling and shuddering with wicked delight.
“Michael!” She shrieked his name, and he suckled harder, urging her climax to greater heights until he had wrung every last drop of erotic bliss from her body. Only then did he pull away.
Thoroughly pleasured and totally spent, Mary laid in repose on the desk, panting and limp as Rex rose to his feet. Too tired to worry as he gripped his cock, she merely watched as he pumped once, twice, thrice… Hot white fluid streamed out over her body, decorating her flushed skin with its pearly luminescence, marking her with his seed.
Closing her eyes, Mary felt her lips curve in a smile.