Tamed by the Earl Read online

  “No more lies,” the earl warned. “Or I will take a strap to your ass.”

  She recoiled. “I am sure there is no need to resort to such violence of language as that, my lord.” She was so shocked by the threat and the way in which it was worded, she spoke in her normal voice rather than the Cockney one she had affected these past weeks.

  “Not just a woman, but a refined one.” The earl’s eyes were narrowed to speculative slits. “And do not dare to upbraid me for my language after the vulgarities I have regularly heard leave your own mouth this past week.”

  “Vulgarities I learned in your own stables!” she defended.

  “I do not give a damn where you learned them, madam. My only interest at the moment is to knowing how old you are.”

  Jo blinked at his vehemence. Admittedly, he had a right to be angry at her deception. But there was an uncontrolled wildness to Daniel Somersby at this moment. His body was tense, there was a restless fever in his gaze, and his lips were curved upward in smiling challenge. She found that wildness even more unnerving than his anger. “I do not see—”

  “Answer me, damn it!”

  She eyed him warily. “I am five and twenty.”

  He looked astounded. “Five and… Are you married?”

  “I am not— What are you doing?” she gasped as, having stepped forward, Daniel now pulled her shirt open and bared her breasts before drawing her roughly into his arms and pressing her naked torso against the heat of his own. “My lord…?” She gazed at him with apprehensive eyes.

  He returned that gaze fiercely. “Is your name even Jo?”

  “Josephine, but I prefer Jo.”

  A nerve pulsed in his tightly clenched jaw. “Is your lip paining you very badly, Josephine?” He seemed to relish using her full name rather than the one she had stated she preferred.

  “Quite a bit, yes…”

  “Good.” His head lowered, and he claimed her mouth with his own.

  Claimed was an apt description of the devastation of that kiss as Daniel’s tongue swept along the seam of her lips, licking against the bloodied swelling of the top one before parting them and plunging inside. His arms held her so tightly, it was impossible for Jo to move, her hands clenching and then unclenching against his burning-hot flesh as she felt her own desire rise to match the thick and throbbing length of Daniel’s desire pressed against her abdomen.

  That marauding tongue searched and laid siege to every part of her mouth, licking and tasting, each caressing stroke revealing that Jo’s own tongue was highly sensitive. Even her teeth seemed to tingle in awareness as her body was crushed against his much larger one. Her breasts were aching, the tips hard and throbbing.

  As suddenly as the onslaught had begun, it came to an end, Daniel glaring down at her with dark eyes, his gaze searching her face before he gave a snarl and grasped hold of her wrist to drag her with him toward the river.

  “No!” Jo tried to keep hold of her unfastened trousers and pull back at the same time as she guessed his intention was to throw her into the cold water. As further retribution for her deception? Probably. “Please, no—”

  “Please, yes,” he bit out as he sat down on one of the rocks on the riverbank before pulling her face down over his thighs. His hand moved to the waistband at the back of her trousers.

  “No!” She gasped and struggled to be free as the material was pulled down and she could once again feel the gentle breeze against her now bared flesh. “You cannot—”

  “Watch me,” he dared. “Better yet, feel me.” He landed the first smack to the globes of her bottom. “Do you have any idea”—another smack landed—“of the torture I have suffered this past week”—and another—“desiring you but believing you to be a young boy?” He delivered another even harder smack. “How utterly disgusted I have been with myself.” Then another. “And all this time”—and another—“you were a grown woman, not a boy.” The spanking stopped as suddenly as it had begun. “Did you know I desired you, Jo?” His hand now caressed her reddened and stinging bottom, causing her fresh pain and discomfort.

  “No.”

  “I do not believe you. Perhaps you even felt that same desire? Answer me, damn it.” Another smack landed on her burning skin.

  “Yes,” she mumbled.

  “Louder.”

  “Yes!” she repeated. His hand left her bottom, and she sensed it was about to make further contact with her already throbbing flesh.

  “Yes what?”

  “Yes, Daniel, I felt the same desire.”

  “Burning you? Consuming you as it has consumed me?”

  “Yes!” Jo sobbed.

  “Do you feel it now?” That hand resumed those gentle caresses, feather-light touches that aroused as much as they stung.

  Caresses that caused Jo to squirm in embarrassment at her response. “Please, you must stop!”

  “Why must I?” He continued that intimate caress.

  “Someone might come along the path and see us together like this,” she protested weakly as those caresses continue to ignite sparks of desire deep inside her.

  “Let them,” Daniel growled. “Are you aroused now?” He placed one of his hands firmly against her spine to hold her in place as his other hand moved to cup a dangling breast, seeking out the erect nipple. “So you are,” he murmured with satisfaction as he rolled the engorged teat between his thumb and fingers at the same time as he pulled on it.

  “Please…”

  “But I am pleasing you, Josephine,” he bit out as the sweet aroma of that arousal filled his nostrils and he felt her nipple swell even more in response to his ministrations.

  “You have to stop…” she wailed.

  “Why do I?”

  “Because… Because…”

  “You like it.” Daniel bent over her back to hold her in place so that he might use both hands to cup her breasts, rolling and tugging on both nipples and causing her to squirm and groan with pleasure. “You enjoy having your nipples played with,” he murmured. “I wonder what else you like.” One of his hands moved back to her bottom, squeezing and kneading that hot flesh.

  “Daniel—”

  “You will be silent.” His hand slipped lower to discover the juices between her thighs as he increased the pressure on her nipple with the other hand, pulling and squeezing until it was elongated to twice its size. “I believe I should like to suckle these.” He flipped her upright so that she straddled his thighs before lifting her up and onto her feet. “Stand here.” He pointed to the spot on the ground between his parted thighs. “Then cup and offer your breasts to me.”

  “Daniel—”

  “Do it!”

  Jo jumped at the fierceness of his command, her movement jerky as she stepped forward to stand between his parted legs.

  “Cup and hold your breasts while I suck on them,” he repeated harshly.

  “I—”

  “Would you like me to spank you again?” He spoke through gritted teeth.

  Jo’s bottom already throbbed so badly, she didn’t think she could bear even one more angry spank on it. But what Daniel was asking of her was…well, it was positively shameless. And in broad daylight too.

  She was not a complete innocent. She knew how babies were made. But she had always assumed physical intimacies took place beneath the bedsheets and in the dark, not outside in broad sunlight.

  What Daniel had done to her already, the ways in which he had touched her, was shocking enough, but she could not allow—

  “No, please!” she protested as he grasped her wrist with the obvious intention of once again pulling her across his thighs. “I will do as you ask, only please do not spank me again. I… It hurts.” She had never touched her own breasts in the way Daniel was now asking—demanding—she do. But if it prevented him from administering one more smack to her burning flesh, then she would do it.

  Whatever fury had held Daniel in its grip abated as suddenly as it had flared into life, and he was immediately filled with sha
me for the way in which he had behaved. Sexual frustration or no, he had no right to treat this woman in so depraved a manner.

  Whatever had caused this woman to pretend she was a boy and conceal herself by working in his stables, her voice had betrayed her as being a lady. As a gentleman, he should have offered her his protection, not spanked her bottom and then taken all manner of liberties with her body.

  “Cover yourself,” he rasped harshly.

  “I… What…?”

  “I said cover yourself, damn it.” His hands were clenched at his sides.

  Daniel waited until she had stepped away, secured her trousers, and begun to refasten her shirt before rising to his feet. His mouth thinned as he saw Josephine’s startled glance on the front of his pantaloons as the material stretched under the thick and weighty length of his erection. An aching throb Daniel intended dealing with at the earliest opportunity.

  He looked at Jo—Josephine—with new eyes. Her golden hair was wild about her shoulders and had grown a little longer during the past week, surrounding a heart-shaped face of delicate, even surreal, beauty. Her brows were shapely above huge blue eyes, her cheeks flushed, her lips a perfect bow apart from that slight swelling caused by Bates’s fist, with a softly curving chin. Her breasts were now pert and completely feminine beneath the too-big shirt.

  Daniel frowned as he wondered how he could ever have mistaken her for a boy, even an effeminate one.

  He had seen what he had been meant to see, he acknowledged.

  His gaze returned to that swelling of her top lip. “Does Bates know you are female?”

  “No one knows,” she denied firmly. “Except you…”

  “Except me,” Daniel accepted heavily, knowing he could well have done without that knowledge too.

  Oh, he was pleased to learn his lustful feelings were not directed toward a boy, but it also now put him a position of having to learn exactly who this woman was and why she was pretending to be a boy and hiding on his estate. Because he had no doubt she was hiding from something or someone. That she had changed her appearance—and gender—in order to do so. The question was, why had she? She claimed not to be married, so she was not running from a husband. Another relative, perhaps, or a guardian? Or a man she did not wish to marry?

  They were all questions Daniel required answers to, but not here or now. The uncomfortable throbbing of his cock reminded him he had another, even more pressing matter to deal with before he could listen to Jo’s explanation with any degree of equilibrium.

  He looked down the length of his nose at her. “You will wash and tidy your appearance and then present yourself to me in my study in one hour.” That should be long enough for Daniel to deal with his raging erection. The way he was currently feeling, it would take one stroke of his hand along that length to bring about the release he desired.

  “Daniel— My lord,” Jo corrected as the earl’s expression became even haughtier at her familiarity, even though he had almost stripped her and then spanked her. “Perhaps it would be for the best if I were to simply remove myself—”

  “If you so much as attempt to leave here without my knowledge, I will find you, and when I do, I will tan your backside until you are unable to sit down, woman or no,” he promised grimly.

  There was no room for doubt in the earl’s tone. If Jo left Latham Park without Daniel’s permission, then she knew he would find her, and when he did, he would take pleasure in administering another spanking.

  Her gaze lowered. “Yes, my lord.”

  He gave a disgusted snort. “Do not seek to soothe me with your false obedience. I am wise to you now, Josephine, and have no intention of allowing you to go anywhere until I have heard the whole story behind your disguise.”

  Again, Jo did not doubt he meant what he said.

  Daniel Somersby was going to demand the truth and nothing less than the whole truth from her.

  A truth she was not sure she dare trust him or anyone else with.

  Yes, she was five and twenty years old, but Cousin Edgar was still her closest male relative, and therefore held guardianship over her. He was also the Duke of Cheshire. No doubt his word would be believed over her own in regard to his debauched intentions toward her.

  Once aware of her true identity, Daniel would have no choice but to inform her cousin of her whereabouts and in turn see she was returned to Edgar’s guardianship.

  That was a risk, despite the earl’s threat to spank her again if she should attempt to run away from him, Jo dare not take.

  Chapter 5

  Had he ever been this angry before today?

  Somehow, Daniel doubted it.

  Oh, he had been mindless with anger, and also desire, yesterday afternoon, once it was revealed Jo was a woman and not a boy, and he had proceeded to put her over his knee and spank the plump cheeks of her delicious ass. But even that was nothing compared to the fury he felt today.

  Because, despite his warning, heedless of his threat, Josephine had dared to leave Latham Park yesterday and gone totally against his instruction for her not to do so.

  Forcing Daniel to look for her, as he had promised her he would if she disappeared.

  Yesterday evening, he had searched on horseback in the area surrounding Latham Park while there was still enough light to do so. He’d had no choice but to call a halt to that search once dark had fallen, even though he had found neither sight nor sound of Jo.

  Daniel had then spent a restless night tossing and turning in his bed as he wondered where Jo was sleeping tonight. And if she was safe, wherever that somewhere happened to be.

  He had felt heavy-eyed and bad-tempered when he rose early this morning, drinking down a quick cup of hot tea before going to the stables. It was so early, he had saddled his own horse. Haynes had arrived as he was preparing to leave. Their conversation revealed the older man was not yet aware of Jo’s disappearance. Daniel hoped to find her and discover the truth, before it became necessary to confide in the other man. Haynes seemed to have developed a fatherly affection for the person he still believed to be a young and homeless boy.

  Daniel’s teeth ground together at the thought of the many explanations that would have to be made once he found Jo and brought her home—

  Latham Park was not her home, damn it!

  He had no idea where Jo called home.

  As he had no idea what her surname was.

  And he was furious with himself for not demanding that information from her yesterday when he’d had the opportunity. At one point in their conversation, she would have told Daniel anything he asked her.

  At the time, he had been blinded by his own lust for her. A lust he had taken care of not once but twice once he reached the privacy of his bedchamber. The first time, as he’d already surmised, had taken two strokes of his hand along the rigid length of his cock. His release had been as violent as it was quick. The second time had taken a little longer but been just as intense as an image of Jo’s bared breasts appeared behind his closed lids, the nipples as he remembered them, plump and elongated from his ministrations. Daniel’s legs had been shaking so much after that second release, it had taken him some minutes to regain strength enough to request bathwater be brought to his rooms.

  Only for him to come down the stairs an hour later and discover that not only was Jo not waiting for him in his study as instructed, but that she was nowhere to be found on the estate.

  At this moment, after another two hours’ fruitless searching for her, Daniel was caught in that emotional state of worry and fury he remembered so often from his son’s childhood. Occasions when he had not known whether to scold George for his latest scrape or give thanks because he was safe.

  A part of Daniel wanted to thrash Josephine’s bottom, as he had said he would if she disobeyed him. Another part of him just wanted to know she had not been set upon by robbers. Or worse. He had brought a loaded pistol with him for just such an occurrence.

  The years following the end of the war against Napoleo
n had not been kind ones. Many soldiers had returned to England to find there was no work for them, and some that they no longer even had homes to return to, either through death or their women having moved on to greener pastures.

  The hardship had resulted in there being more homeless people, many of whom lived in the forests and kept watch on the roads for any unsuspecting traveler they might stop and rob. Not that Jo had anything of value for them to take. Not unless they should discover that the boy was not a boy at all, at which time, Josephine could find herself in dire straits.

  This thought only increased the fury already consuming Daniel, and caused his mood to continually fluctuate between that anger and worry. He—

  “—don’t have nuffin’ for ya to take.”

  “In that case, we’ll take them fancy clothes ofen ya back.”

  “Get off me!”

  “Ho ho, lads, what do we ’ave ’ere. Them looks like titties to me.”

  “I said let go of me!”

  “Ow! You little bitch! That’s it, lads, ’old ’er steady while I sees what else she’s ’iding inside them breeches.”

  Daniel had known within seconds of hearing the conversation that he had found Jo at last, at the same time as he knew his worst nightmare had also been realized. The added horror of what could have happened to Jo if he hadn’t arrived at this moment banished all thought of his previous worry until only his fury remained.

  He drew his pistol from his belt before entering the clearing from where the voices had originated. Anger boiled up in his chest as he saw Josephine lying on the ground, her fear clearly revealed in her eyes as she was held down by several ruffians whilst another one—their leader?—unfastened and tried to remove her breeches. Their intent was obvious.

  “I would not advise you go any further and release the lady, if you wish to see the next sunset,” Daniel bit out coldly.

  Jo had never been more pleased to see Daniel than she was at that moment, having feared the worst was about to happen to her now that the men who had set upon her a short time ago had discovered she was a woman rather than a boy.