Page 44 of A Spinster's Sinful Temptation

“Thank you.”

If she asked very nicely, Hannah would keep this quiet from Aunt Emma. She wouldn’t give her away like this, hopefully.

Although Ellie was certainly not going to confide about what she had done with North in his carriage. That she was going to keep to herself.

Chapter 9

She was naked and on his bed, cupping her breasts as she stretched out, her long, shapely legs looking divine. Derrick could really imagine them wrapped around his waist.

He climbed onto the bed and ran a hand down her body. He palmed her breasts, which had her arching into his touch. A moan escaped as he squeezed them before slipping down over her belly. Her legs parted, and Derrick settled between them as he began to kiss down her body. He flicked his tongue over her nipples and kissed her soft belly. Her legs began to wrap around him, her body moving against his.

“Please. I want you.”

Those breathy words were just what he wanted to hear. Derrick wanted to hear it again. He palmed her backside, coming up to kiss her neck and shoulder. Her moans were getting louder, and Derrick realised he was groaning along with her. He rocked against her, his cock brushing against the most intimate part of her. It wouldn’t take much to shift the angle and slide in—

“Derrick? Derrick, where are you? Are you home?”

Derrick awoke with a jerk, the dream of Ellie naked in his bed and writhing under him fading away. Then he remembered where he was. In his study, lying on the couch, with an erection so painfully hard it was going to take a while to get rid of.

God, why did his mother have to come home now? Couldn’t she have come along a few minutes later? Or even hours?

Derrick just wanted to go back into his dream to enjoy it again. It had felt really good. And it was still there, flickering around in his mind. Ever since Ellie had fallen on top of him in the carriage, Derrick had thought she would be shocked at the state they were in and get off him quickly.

His cock had stood to attention as she sat on him, and he wasn’t able to hide it away from her. But then she had rocked on him, and Derrick had been so close to losing himself and grabbing her.

He would have ripped her gown off, gotten her underneath him, and buried himself inside her so fast their heads would have been spinning. They would have been so close to being caught—anyone could have opened the door—and Derrick wouldn’t have cared. Just as long as he got inside her.

At least she had had the sense to leave when she did. That was best for both of them.

Unfortunately, making love to her wasn’t going to help anyone. It was just going to make him look like all he cared about was sex, and Ellie’s reputation would end up being sullied if it came out that she had been so wanton in a public space.

And it would get found out. Ellie wouldn’t be able to hide it.

He needed to keep his composure, although the thought of Ellie being involved with anyone else made him want to snarl.

Derrick was in deep with her. Whatever his feelings were for her, they were strong. And he wanted to explore them; having them restricted was really not helpful to him. He wanted to show it to everyone, and show to Ellie that she was capable of finding herself a husband.

Also, if he was carrying on with being honest, he was concerned for her. Ellie wanted to look after her sisters. She loved them deeply, and she would do anything for them. The lack of money in her family and her worrying over her father’s health weren’t helping, either. The only person who was stable in their lives was their aunt, but that couldn’t last forever. As generous as Lady Mansford was, barely, it wasn’t a long-term arrangement.

They needed husbands or they were out in the cold, alone and penniless.

She needed stability. And he needed a wife.

Are you actually planning on asking her to marry you?

She’s beautiful, clever, and I’m attracted to her. If we can help each other out, it would make the marriage far easier to deal with.

It could work. Ellie needed to marry, and someone who could help her family. Derrick needed to marry someone and settle down. He could see a partnership like a marriage between the two of them working out.

Derrick winced when he realised that he was sounding very cold and calculated, just so he could stop thinking about his lustful thoughts with Ellie. If he let that part of him take over, it was just going to turn this into something that might have Ellie running from him.

Then again, given how she had reacted when she was rocking on his erection, she might not.

“Derrick?”

He jumped, remembering how he had woken up. He swung his legs off the settee and hunched over just as the door to the study opened and his mother came in. Hopefully, from this angle, she wouldn’t notice that he was in a state of arousal. That really would be embarrassing.

“Mother?” Derrick rubbed at his head. “Do you need to shout so loudly?”

---