Pippa and the Prince of Secrets by Grace Callaway
19
Before the carriage door was fully closed, Cull hauled Pippa into his arms. A giggle left her as she tipped her head back for his kiss, looping her arms around his neck. It felt delightfully reckless carrying on in this fashion in a carriage in the middle of the day. Those thoughts melted away as Cull ran his tongue along the roof of her mouth, and the kiss caught fire.
By the time they broke apart, they were both panting.
“I was thinking about doing this the entire meeting,” Cull murmured.
Catching her breath, Pippa said, “That is not very professional of you.”
He smiled lazily. “I’m capable of concentrating on more than one thing at once.”
“Really?” For some reason, his words ignited a spark of challenge. She’d never felt this carefree and playful with any man.
She trailed a gloved hand down his chest, feeling the powerful rise and fall of the man beneath the unassuming clothes. It made her feel powerful to know she had this effect on him…to hear the mysterious and all-knowing Prince of Larks groan when she found him hard as steel. She stroked his turgid length through the fabric, leaning up to nip his earlobe as she did so.
“Jesus wept.” He leaned his head against the wall, his eyes shutting in pleasure. “You don’t know what you do to me.”
Emboldened, she caressed him the way he’d shown her the night before. His pulsing vitality strained the worn wool of his trousers, his burgeoned heat pushing into the curve of her palm. She imagined his flesh filling another part of her, and her intimate muscles clenched.
“Does frigging my cock make you wet, Pippa?” His simmering gaze read all her secrets. “Does that tight little cunny of yours want what’s in your hand?”
Heavens. Here she was thinking that she was the one in control. Her body reacted instantly to Cull’s wicked sensuality, even though he wasn’t even touching her.
“When I woke up this morning, I could still taste you,” he said in a gravelly tone. “It made me so hard that I had to do what you’re doing now.”
The image caused liquid heat to pool between her legs. Cull, his big fist wrapped around himself, jerking himself to her taste…
“I pictured you next to me, doing the same thing.” His dark-as-a-river voice inundated her senses. “Touching yourself while I watched. Rubbing your needy little love-knot until you were so hot you begged for my prick.”
She was about to beg him now.
“I spent so hard, imagining I was inside you.”
Her breath puffing from her lips, she gripped him convulsively.
The carriage rolled to a stop. Cull bit out a groan, and she almost did too.
He dropped his forehead against hers. “Next time, minx, don’t start your little games when we can’t finish them.”
“Isn’t the playing of the game more important than the ultimate conclusion?” she asked coquettishly.
“I don’t disagree. Just remember that two can play at that game.”
At his carnal warning, her pussy quivered.
The voice of Cull’s driver filtered through the door, breaking the sensual spell. “Looks like they’re closing up shop. Best ’urry.”
Pippa put herself to rights. When Cull sighed, she looked over…and laughed at the sight of his slow-to-subside desire.
“You gentlemen are at a rather sizeable disadvantage,” she teased. “You had better wait here, or you’ll scandalize the patrons of Purdey’s.”
Cull tapped his mask, saying mildly, “I wasn’t planning on going in with you.”
Oh…right. She had gotten so used to his mask that she didn’t even notice it, although others certainly would. In her mind, she saw him as he was: her potent lover who was no less handsome for his mark of courage.
Curiously, she asked, “Do you ever go out without your mask?”
He shook his head. And when he said nothing more, she didn’t want to push.
“I’ll be back,” she said and exited the carriage.
Darkness had fallen by the time Pippa emerged from the awninged entrance of Purdey’s.
As Cull helped her into the carriage, he smothered a smile at her look of pique. She truly was adorable when she was annoyed. Telling her would probably irk her further; he toyed with the idea of doing it, just to get a rise out of her.
It was strange, this lightness he felt in her presence. He’d never felt that with a lover before. Never experienced this heady mix of lust, playfulness, and admiration.
“How did it go?” he asked for the fun of it.
“Dreadfully.” As she plopped onto the bench beside him, her black skirts made a cute poof, as if they, too, were irritated. “I didn’t learn anything. I used the story that a servant of mine had found the weapon, and I wanted to return it to its rightful owner, but the clerks refused to disclose any names. Claimed that Purdey’s reputation depended upon their discretion. Even my title held no sway. When they suggested I leave the gun with them, I left.” She expelled a breath. “I failed in my objective.”
“On the contrary, sunshine. You gave a flawless performance.”
She wrinkled her nose. “How can you say that when it proved fruitless?”
“Because you kept the clerks so well occupied that they didn’t notice when I went in through the back.”
She gaped at him. “You did what?”
“I searched through the store receipts and found the file for double-barreled pocket pistols. It was quite a popular model, but the double bands of gold on the walnut handle narrowed it down to one patron. The fellow bought a matching set of such pistols.”
He held up the folded piece of paper on which he’d jotted down a name and address.
Pippa narrowed her glorious blue gaze. “Are you saying I was the decoy?”
“A rather excellent one.”
She snatched the paper from him. “Next time, you play the bait.”
“But you’re far prettier, sweetheart.”
He nearly snickered at her fulminating stare.
With a huff, she unfolded the paper. “Sir John Forsythe-Legg. Never heard of him.”
“Me neither.” He chucked her beneath the chin. “But we’ll soon find out everything we need to know.”
