The Doxy and the Duke by Caroline Lee

Chapter 4

On his deskat that moment, Cash knew there were three different reports from stewards at his various properties, seven petitions his secretary thought important enough for him to personally review, a letter to Prince Leopold of Bavaria which required his signature, and his mother’s weekly missive, full of the London gossip and his younger sister’s accomplishments, to which she would expect a personal reply.

Apparently Carlotta had managed to scare off her third music instructor—no surprise there—but had already gained the attentions of some earl’s son thanks to her fine riding skills. Mother was enthusiastically planning Carlotta’s presentation next season, which would either be a Smashing Success or a Giant Disaster, depending on how well his uninhibited sister managed to make her curtsey. Oh, and Mother made certain to include the fact her Precious Baby was growing up too fast and would become a woman soon.

Cash assumed this meant he’d be expected to visit London soon and either a) curtail Carlotta’s wilder tendencies, b) escort the pair of them around Town, or c) give his approval—or disapproval—of The Match Of The Season. At least that was what Mother had called this hypothetical future marriage proposal in her letter, and he wasn’t at all certain how he was expected to reply to that.

Yes, Cash had plenty to worry about in terms of his responsibilities.

So what was he doing standing in shallow water with his trouser legs rolled up to his knees, teaching a tow-headed lad one of the necessary skills for living in the country?

Having a far better time, that is for certain.

“No, Ewan. You have to curve your leading finger around the stone. Like this.” He held the boy’s hand in his. “Otherwise, you won’t get the correct spin on it.”

“I’m doing that!” the lad shrieked in frustration. “But it’s no’ listening!”

“The stone’s not listening?” Matthew asked drily. “Have you tried explaining things louder? That might help.”

Just as Cash sent his son an exasperated glance, Ewan lifted the smooth river rock to his lips, and screamed, “Ye have to skip! We’re skipping ye! Skip, if ye ken what’s good for ye!”

Matthew doubled over with chortles, and Cash hid his smile as he nodded at the younger lad. “Yes, that should work. Remember to curl your finger around the edge, and try to hold it as straight as possible. You don’t want to let it go on an angle—it has to be flat when it hits the water.”

“Flat. Got that, Rocky?”

“You named the rock?” laughed Matthew, just as Ewan swung and released the flat stone. It skipped three times—a personal best for the lad—before sinking about ten feet out.

Cash immediately nodded and exclaimed, “Oh, well done, lad!” as Matthew clapped…but Ewan burst into tears.

“I miss Rocky! He was my bestest friend, and I threw him away!” he wailed.

Matthew’s eyes were wide, torn between surprise and laughter, and Cash’s brows went up. It was the lad’s mother who came to his rescue.

With a no-nonsense manner, Raina joined them at the bank. “Ewan, focus. Ye asked Rocky to do his job, and he did it. He did it verra well.”

“But I miss him!”

“Then go and get him.” Her lips twitched. “Besides, ye ken good and well that Rocky wasnae yer best friend.”

The lad’s tears seemed to have magically dried. “Nay, Matthew is. Matthew, can ye fetch Rocky for me so I can try again?”

“I can…” Matthew hesitated, glancing down at his shirt and trousers. “I can fetch you another stone, if you’d like?”

Before Ewan could throw another fit—goodness, Cash had forgotten what it was like to have a child young enough to require a nap—Raina tweaked her son’s nose. “Strip down to yer smalls, lads, and I’ll make sure yer clothing doesnae get dirty while ye swim.”

Before Cash could even give his approval, both boys whooped and started divesting themselves of their clothes. Over their heads, Raina cocked a brow at Cash, as if asking his permission. He inclined his head in approval.

He was a duke. It wasn’t just that he was used to getting his way, it was what was expected. His entire life had been full of people asking his opinion and suggestions and approval.

But here was a woman—a woman he knew nothing about—who had taken command of the situation, of his heir. Matthew listened to her and sought her approval in a way he’d never done with his nurses and tutors.

And Cash didn’t mind at all.

“Will ye come swimming with us, Mama?”

“Oh yes, please, ma’am? And Father? Come swimming with us?”

Cash was in the process of rolling down his trouser legs when he glanced at Raina, fully expecting her to be the one to point out the fact they weren’t wearing bathing costumes.

Instead though, she shrugged mischievously and offered them all a cheeky wink. “Perhaps. Go play while I hang up yer shirts.”

It was strangely peaceful to stand there on the riverbank, his toes in the grass and the sun on his back. He was watching their sons play with half his attention, but the rest was on the gentle sway of Raina’s hips as she arranged the lads’ clothing over one of the branches, far away from the dirt.

He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out. When had he last felt this way? Never, not that he could recall. There’d never been another woman who haunted his thoughts the way Raina did. When he wasn’t with her, all he could think about was seeing her next, and when he was with her, he felt so at peace, it was almost scary.

His secretary was beginning to notice and comment on his more frequent absences. Cash had excuses for the man, but it was becoming obvious his daily attempts to sneak away to be with Raina, Ewan and Matthew were becoming problematic.

What he wanted was the chance to be with them all the time, which meant what he needed was for them to be under his roof at Cashingham.

He’d been thinking about that, in fact. If Raina and Ewan would consent to visit Cashingham as guests, perhaps once this idyllic summer began to wane, then he could have them on hand all the time.

He knew it wasn’t done for a gentleman to keep his mistress in residence with him, not when his staff would know and judge. But on the other hand, what was the bloody point of being a duke without having the clout to flout rules a bit, eh?

If he wanted his doxy to live with him, to take her meals with him so he didn’t have to take time away from business in the middle of the day in order to make himself happy, who in damnation cared? Especially since he wasn’t married anyway.

Easy, Cash. You’re getting ahead of yourself.

He hadn’t even asked Raina to become his mistress. Hell, he hadn’t even bedded the woman yet.

But he had plans.

In fact, remembering that saucy wink she’d sent at the suggestion of swimming, he decided now would be an ideal time to put said plans into motion.

He sauntered toward her and happened to catch her just as she turned around. Her hands dropped to the waist of the simple dark skirt she wore. She gasped as she realized how close he was standing to her, but she didn’t back away.

For his part, he resisted the urge to take her in his arms. “Well, Miss Prince? Are you willing to try your hand at swimming, fully clothed?”

They’d both gone into the river in the last weeks, but only when wearing one of those new-fangled swimming outfits, as they’d both been wearing the first time he’d met her.

Instead of balking, Raina’s smirk turned naughty. Of course it did; she wouldn’t be his Raina if she didn’t rise to meet a challenge.

“Well, Mr. Cash?” she teased, putting just enough inflection on the name to remind him they hadn’t been entirely truthful with one another. “Who says we have to be fully clothed?”

And just that quickly, her skirt dropped to her ankles.

He stepped back, shocked, and she chuckled. “Ye ought to see yer face.”

“You really— You really intend to swim?”

She was still chuckling as she went to work on her blouse’s buttons. “I’m wearing a chemise, am I no’? I’ll be nae more scandalous than our lads are.”

She nodded to where the two boys were cavorting; the water having stuck their light linen smalls to their pale round arses.

Cash swallowed, unable to stop imagining what she would look like with her wet chemise plastered to her curves and swells.

Bloody hell,he did not need a cockstand at that moment.

Looks like you’re going to get one though.

She was already efficiently hanging her clothing from the same limb of the oak, and when she bent to roll down her stockings, Cash swore under his breath at the sight of her rear end framed by the soft material. He began to fumble with the buttons on his trousers.

If she was going into the river mostly naked, then by God, so was he!

She turned back to him and smiled in approval, which of course shot straight to his cock. He was enough of a gentleman to turn around as he undressed, but she still hummed softly as she gathered up his discarded clothes for him.

“Are ye coming swimming too, Cash?”

“Yes. I think the cold water will do wonders for me.”

Her throaty chuckle told him she understood. “I think, perhaps, it might be safer if we swam in the deeper waters, so the water will cover us from prying eyes.”

Since she’d slipped her hand into his and was leading him toward the river, he wasn’t going to object.

“And are you a strong enough swimmer for such an endeavor?”

“Nay.” She winked at him over her shoulder. “I’ll have to hold on to ye.”

Cold water cold water cold water.

Fortunately, there was something about an enthusiastic almost-five-year-old which could douse a man’s arousal when necessary. Ewan insisted on climbing up on Cash’s shoulders, while Raina taught Matthew how to squirt water from between his clasped hands.

Every once in a while, she’d look up and send Cash a secret smile, but the moment was sweet rather than sensual. He was struck by how easily she spoke to Matthew and how simple her respect was. She didn’t treat the lad like a duke’s heir—because she doesn’t know he is, you idiot—but rather, as a boy who needed guidance.

And once or twice, when she reached over to move Matthew’s hand into a better position or brush the wet hair off his forehead, Cash saw the lad close his eyes almost wistfully.

Was this what his son had been missing? A woman’s touch, quite literally?

Cash frowned as he tossed a shrieking Ewan into deeper water and helped the boy bob to the surface again. He’d promised Matthew he’d take the task of finding another wife seriously, for just this reason. And Cash had been attending each of the Friday night entertainments the Fangfosses hosted, hadn’t he? Was it his fault none of the Society misses presented to him held his interest?

None of them were beautiful enough, interesting enough, exhilarating enough, to convince him he could spend the rest of his life with them.

None of them were red-headed doxies, with a naughty streak a mile wide, who challenged him and made him feel like a good man.

None of them were Raina.

So yes, now that he thought of it, it might be his fault he was too infatuated with the woman currently coaching his son to look twice at another woman.

He needed to get her out of his system, get this fire out of his blood. He needed her, and not just a quick tumble, but a thorough lovemaking. Then, he was certain, he could get back to the business of finding a wife.

To that end, he needed to put his plans in motion. “Lads, come here. Have I showed you how Matthew can toss you, Ewan?” They gathered in water below Matthew’s waist. “Place your knee like this, and Ewan, lad, you climb atop it. Hold his shoulders—Steady!”

Ewan squealed as Matthew was able to use that position to launch the younger boy into the air. Grinning, Cash made the mistake of glancing at Raina to gauge her reaction, and realized she was standing upright in water that barely reached her thighs.

The wet chemise was everything he could’ve hoped for.

The dark circles of her nipples—so they weren’t pale pink?—shone through the linen, which clung to each curve of her breasts as if it were a second skin. As she clapped for the boys, Cash’s gaze followed the wet, clinging material down her soft stomach to the shadows between her thighs, and suddenly, the temperature of the water mattered not a whit, because he had a cockstand which could’ve been used to shoe a horse, were an anvil not otherwise available.

Without stopping to breathe, he splashed through the water toward her and snagged her hand in his. They both half-walked, half-swam, to deeper water, before he turned her in his arms and settled his hands on her hips. The water reached below his shoulders, which meant she struggled to stand, but that was the point.

He dug his bare feet into the rocky bottom, braced his back against the gentle current, then lifted her so she could wrap her arms around his neck.

“There,” he said with a satisfied nod.

“Why, Cash!” She pretended to be surprised. “Is it possible ye taught our sons a new skill in order to distract them so the two of us could cavort in deeper water in peace?”

They both turned to look at the boys happily practicing said new skill. “Cavorting?” Cash murmured. “Is that what we’re doing?”

She pressed herself against him so his cock nestled against the junction of her thighs. “If ye want.”

With a groan, he lifted her in his arms, her lips already straining for his. This kiss was just as magnificent as all the others they’d shared, but this time, Raina was plastered against him, her chemise hiding nothing from his bare skin.

One hand held her in place, while the other—completely unconsciously—cupped her breast through the linen, the water tugging at them both in the most erotic way. She made another one of those sensual sounds in the back of her throat and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Dear Lord in Heaven.

His cock was nestled right where he needed it to be, and thanks to this delicious folly, it felt as if nothing stood between them. He reached his hand down between their bodies and ran his fingers along her folds. She tightened her hold on his neck and deepened the kiss.

Despite the linen of her chemise between them, the sensation must’ve been what she’d needed, because Raina bucked against him and made a sound of need, which matched his.

How simple would it be to pull up her chemise and slip his fingers inside her? Or his cock? He knew she’d be wet and ready for him.

But their sons were right over there, likely giggling at their parents kissing, and Cash knew a quick tupping upright in the river wouldn’t be enough for him. He wanted the chance to take her, again and again, until he was sated. He wanted to see her writhe in ecstasy below him—hell, above him too—and hear the sounds she made as she came undone.

He shifted his grip so he held her by the thighs, a position which was pure torture for him, as he broke the kiss.

“Tomorrow,” he gasped, echoing the plea from their first day together. “Raina, come with me to York tomorrow.” Breathing heavily, he pressed his forehead against hers. “Can you get away and meet me there?”

She wasn’t as quick to recover as he was, or maybe she was considering the ramifications. Either way, she eventually pressed a kiss to his temple and hummed in agreement. “Where?”

Thank God!

She was as ready for a tumble as he was!

“Nowhere important.” He didn’t want to be recognized. “There’s an inn on the other side of the city, The Sword and Sheath, which makes some truly remarkable dishes.” And the rooms were cleaned and well-appointed. “Meet me there for luncheon?”

And sport afterward.

Slowly she nodded and straightened away from him. “Luncheon, aye. I can get away for the afternoon as well.” Good. She understood his intent, and judging from the eager look in her eyes, she approved. “But I have an engagement tomorrow evening, I’m sorry to say, and I’ll have to leave in enough time to prepare.”

Engagement?

What did that mean?

She had an invitation to attend something?

Or “engagement” as in a man had engaged her company?

Well, she’d been quick to say yes to Cash, and if Cash had his way, after tomorrow, he’d be able to woo her away from whatever protector she might already have.

“Is that acceptable, Cash?”

He startled. “Hmm? Oh, yes, of course. As it happens, I have an engagement tomorrow evening as well.”

The blasted Friday dance at Fangfoss Manor, where yet another blushing debutante would be tossed at him for the obligatory dance.

In his arms, Raina shifted until she was holding his cheeks between her palms. The water swirled around them. “And tomorrow afternoon, after this remarkable luncheon, when the pair of us are safely hidden from small prying eyes…might we then discuss the length of oak wood currently pressed against my most sensitive area?”

Only his Raina could discuss something so intimate—so gauche—with such flippant ease.

Cash grinned. “I hope so. Oh God, I hope so.”

Perhaps it was his fervent plea, or maybe she was just feeling silly, but Raina began to laugh; great peals of laughter, which drew their sons’ attention. With Ewan clinging to his shoulders, Matthew began to battle the gentle current to reach their side.

As if understanding their interlude was over, Raina used her hold on his cheeks to pull Cash closer for one more quick kiss. Then, still laughing, she threw herself backward.

Since she was holding onto his face, and her legs were wrapped around his waist, Cash had no choice but to follow her into the water of the River Derwent.

They emerged to calls of, “Mama! Are ye alive?” and Matthew urging Ewan to be still.

As Raina half-swam, half-walked to take charge of her son so he didn’t drown the older lad, Cash was filled with the most perfect sense of peace once more.

He tilted his head to the sky, closed his eyes, and joined in with the laughter.