“You’re forgiven.” She tried to breathe through the delicious sensation. “H-how does your arm fare this morning?”
“There isn’t even a twinge of pain.” Another pinch to her other nipple and more pleasure rippled.
“Oh my.” She curled her toes and clutched the blue bedcovers either side of her. “I, ah, would you like me to remove your dressing and apply a clean one?”
“No, you’ve not long applied this one, and if I haven’t distracted you enough from my arm then I’m doing a poor job of being your lover.” Growling hungrily, he swept one hand down her side. “I want to lavish your body with attention. Do I have your permission?”
“Yes, although do you recall promising to court me with roses and diamonds?” She needed to make certain he’d fully recovered.
“I did not.” Grinning as a hungry lion would and moving just as sinuously fast, he cupped the back of one of her knees and split her legs wide. With his breeches riding low on his hips, he eased between her open thighs and sucked her lower lip as he mumbled, “You said last night that you’re taking herbs which Una gave you, a pinch each morning.”
“Yes, to ensure there is no child should you come inside me.”
“This first time I need to be gentle, to show you the pleasure that is possible, so there will be no joining until the second time.” He dipped his head and razzed one beaded nipple with his teeth. “I’ll need to seek some relief first, otherwise the unpardonable will happen.” He pushed to his feet and nabbed a cloth from his bedside table.
“May I watch?” She elbowed up. “As you seek this relief?”
“I’d adore it if you did.” He opened the flap of his breeches and wrapped the cloth around his shaft. A wicked smile as he looked into her eyes, then he pumped his cock in a display of erotic beauty she’d never witnessed before. Stunning.
She itched to touch him the same way he currently touched himself.
“Are you enjoying the performance?” He rested one knee on the bed and stole a kiss from her as he worked himself.
“Yes, very much. May I help?”
“Having you this close is all the help I need.” A gruff answer as he closed his eyes and moaned.
“No, please, I want to be a part of what you’re doing.” She brushed one finger across the deep purple head of his shaft and his eyes flew open, then he was on top of her, his mouth capturing hers and his tongue between her lips. Shoving his cock into the curve of her hip, he shuddered and splashed his seed onto the bedcovers. She smiled softly against his lips as his kiss gentled. “You’re my hussar, and no one else’s.”
“Yes, I’m your hussar.” One more sweet kiss then he lifted his head, his amber eyes glowing with hunger. “There shall be no regrets between us, not from this day forth, not one.”
“No regrets,” she whispered in return. “Touch me.”
“Your wish is my command.” He inhaled sharply as he devoured her nude body with his gaze, from her face to her shoulders, to her breasts and over the curve of her belly. With one hand, he cupped her mound covered in curls, his cock which had gone limp now filling again.
“I’m becoming quite fond of Mr. Jones.” She curled her fingers around his velvety-soft shaft and his length hardened and lengthened at a delicious speed. Stroking him, she softly sighed. “Sinfully fond.”
“He is sinfully fond of you too.” He kicked off his breeches tangled around his calves then he kissed her, his mouth moving over hers with fierce hunger, his kisses flowing down her neck as he moved downward. He sucked on her nipples and she arched her back into his glorious touch.
As he moved lower still, she lost her hold on his shaft and instead clutched his shoulders and held on as he explored her body. He trailed across her belly, down along the indent of her groin before pushing her legs wider and kissing her inner thighs. Wicked shivers raced down her spine and every nerve ending sizzled with need.
“I’m going to make you come, Julia.” He cupped her intimately, one finger sliding between her wet lower folds. “And I want to see your passion when it erupts from you.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing, other than to relax and enjoy the moment.” He held her gaze as he pushed his finger inside her, going deep then pulling out, deep again and out. He repeated the move, over and over, his mouth on the exposed skin of her inner thigh, then he flicked her nub with his thumb and her core suddenly rippled with cascading waves of pure pleasure.
Bright white and yellow colors burst behind her closed eyelids in the most sizzling display and she flew, her chest heaving against his chest as he settled on top of her and held her safe in his arms.
He hadn’t come inside of her yet, but his wicked smile promised that he soon would. She didn’t doubt it.
Chapter 11
“Come back, please,” Julia beckoned Harry as he rose to gather a cloth.
“One moment.” At his side table, he poured water from the jug into the basin, dunked a clean cloth and returned to his stunning beauty with her golden locks all tousled across his pillow. Spreading her legs, he gently wiped her folds, then the bedsheets where he’d come earlier.
“Mmm, I like how you just tended to me.” She stretched, all long-limbed, her eyes a sultry brown and long lashes fluttering beguilingly.
“It’s my honor to do so.” He returned to the basin, splashed his own cock with water before tossing the cloth into the corner hamper. Needing to remain close to her, he settled and tucked her into his side and held her in his arms. “That was just the beginning.”
She snuggled, one leg curled over his legs, her head on his shoulder and the new day’s sunshine streaming through his window. Trailing one finger back and forth across his chest, she softly smiled, and he tightened his hold on her. His heart grew lighter, her presence alone easing the strain of the five long days in which he’d been parted from her. They’d been through so much together and now, he had no desire to be anywhere but here with her.
“Harry?” She reached down and ran her fingers along his belly, then farther still, until she swirled her thumb over the head of his shaft, which bobbed eagerly for more of her touch. Giggling and rubbing him, she looked deep into his eyes. “Mr. Jones is rather eager for attention.”
“Your attention alone, yes.” His breath left his lungs, her touch stirring him as he’d never been stirred before. That knowledge filled him with stark need, which hardened him even further. He tipped her onto her back, her golden locks floating over his pillow. Beautiful. He nuzzled into the silky length and breathed deep of her unique vanilla and cream fragrance. “Your scent is intoxicating,” he rumbled.
She smiled and clasped his face. “You have a way with words. They make me feel like I’m the only woman you’ve ever bedded.”
“I haven’t bedded that many.” Allowing his passion its full release, he kissed her and she rubbed her chest against his chest, her hard nipples grazing his flesh in the most divine way. “How I came to have the chamber next to yours during this damned awful war is a miracle,” he murmured in her ear.
“I’m incredibly glad for our connecting door.”
“I am over the moon.” He caught her breasts in his hands and suckled one nipple which pebbled tight in his mouth. Delicious. She’d chosen this day to give him her body, which astounded him, and would always astound him, but it was time to take their affair another step further. He hadn’t breached her barrier below and he needed to, desperately. First though, he clasped her hips and rolled them both over until she came up on top of him. Cupping her lush backside, he tipped her forward so her breasts were back in his mouth. Grazing his teeth back and forth over the peaked tips, he got lost in the bounty before him.
“Mmm, Harry.” Smiling saucily, she speared her fingers through his hair and brought his mouth back to hers. A gentle kiss as she murmured, “You seem to like my bosom.”
“You have beautiful breasts and I love sucking on them.” He kissed her gently, just as she’d kissed him. “W
hich reminds me. Why did you bind them last night? You never did explain why.”
“I don’t intend to either.” Teasingly, she ran her finger along his bottom lip. “We are lovers enjoying an affair. Nothing more. Nothing less. I am not going to reveal all my secrets to you.”
“Well, if I discover your breasts bound again then I’ll remove the wrappings myself, no matter where we might be.” He kissed the tip of her adorable nose then caught one of her long golden curls and coiled it around his finger. “I give you my word I will.”
“If you dare then I shall...” She frowned then smiled as she dipped her head and kissed him, the look on her face entirely naughty. “I shall slip my hand down the front of your breeches and torment you with my touch.”
“Hell, yes, please do. I look forward immensely to you carrying out that threat.” He slipped a finger deep inside her wetness, her impossibly tight wetness.
She moaned and pushed down on his finger. “Oh, Major Harry Trentbury,” she breathed. “On my heart, I wish that were Mr. Jones.”
“I shall need to stretch you if you’re feeling up to taking him.” He added a second finger then took her mouth in a deep kiss, twining his tongue with hers and plundering to his heart’s content. She met him play for play in a dual which had them both panting when he finally broke their kiss.
“Mmm, kissing you is—” Her brow furrowed as she glanced out the window. “Did you hear that?”
He tipped his ear toward the window and caught shouts from the guardsmen atop the barbican. A horn trumpeted, the long and eerie blast ricocheting through the fort, then it blasted a second time and he bounded from the bed and grasped the windowsill. The heavy sound of chains clanking reverberated across the inner courtyard as the portcullis rose from within the stone-arched entrance gate. Horses pounded in, hussars atop their mounts, dust swirling.
Something dreadful was afoot.
Chapter 12
Julia scooped the bedsheet, wrapped it around herself and hurried to the window. She snuck under Harry’s arm where he gripped the windowsill and from in front of him, his arms bracketed either side of her, she waited as guards moved along the barbican toward the t-pole protruding from the highest point. They began moving the signals in preparation for a message, one they would soon pass along to the next poled station on the following hilltop.
“There’s an incoming message.” Harry brushed his chin over the top of her head, the heat of his body burning against her back.
She held her breath as the words took form and whispered, “Attack forthcoming.”
“On Sobral,” Harry murmured as the next words were relayed.
“No, not Sobral.” Turning, she gripped his forearms. “My father still remains at Sobral. Other jobs there have come to his attention.”
“I’m aware he’s still at Sobral. The officers mentioned it during the meeting I had in the war room on my return.” He glanced over the top of her head, deep worry lines furrowing his brow. “There’s another message coming through.”
She spun around and waited anxiously as the words took form on the t-pole.
“All British-Portuguese divisions,” Harry muttered, “will report to Sobral, immediately.”
He was being called into battle, and she had to let him go. “You’ve only just returned.”
“I’m sorry but orders are orders.” He kissed her hard then strode to his wardrobe, flapped out a pair of breeches and tugged them on. Swiftly he donned his regimental shirt, unfolded a neckcloth and fisted it as he eyed her. “I hate this damn war.”
“So do I.” She was at his side in a heartbeat, taking the neckcloth from his clenched fingers and gently looping it around his neck. After she knotted it, she removed his royal blue dolman from his wardrobe and held it out for him to push his arms through. He shrugged it on, and she buttoned it and smoothed the front, right over the silver-corded embellishment. “Harry, if Portugal falls then Napoleon will soon come after England.”
“No one will be safe from the Corsican’s terrorizing ways if that happens.” He secured his sword belt, choosing his wooden scabbard over his steel scabbard. Most of their hussars would do so, in order to ensure they rode lighter on horseback and that they limited any additional scraping of steel should they need to employ stealthy reconnaissance on the battlefield.
The battlefield.
The full reality of the moment hit her as those two words ricocheted through her head. Her heart clenched in on itself, and a tear slipped free and streaked down her cheek. She hadn’t had nearly long enough with him, had wanted to awaken with him each and every morning for the duration of their affair, to embrace the fierce beating of his heart against hers as he made love to her. This war had robbed her of any further time they might have together, unless of course he wished to continue their affair following the battle. Not that either of them would know where they might be. He was a hussar, a soldier who fought for the 18th. He would be deployed to wherever he was needed next. She was here to aid her father in the construction of the Lines, which now stood strong, or mostly they did. For this brief moment in time their paths had crossed, and if not for the war they would never have met. Now she had to watch him sheathe his saber at his right hip and tuck his pistol into the belt on his left. It tore at her heart to see him readying himself for the battle. Goodness, but each and every day was one he fought to remain alive and she had to help him fight too. Without a word, she fetched his busby from the top shelf in his wardrobe, the hussar headdress always worn by his regiment when marching into war. As he stood silently before her, she placed his hat atop his head as pride, awe, and immense fear filled her. “Major Trentbury, if you suffer even one nick of a blade I’ll be furious with you. Do you understand?”
“Most of the ladies wishing their men farewell don’t berate them.”
“What do they do?” She searched his gaze and caught the flicker of need flaring within his own eyes. “Tell me.”
“They promise all sorts of wicked things instead.” That flicker blazed brighter, the need stronger.
“I see, as in wicked ways a lady might comfort her man upon his return?” She couldn’t help the saucy smile that lifted her lips. If he needed her to be wicked, she would be wicked.
“That is exactly what I mean, my precious siren.”
“Then allow me to make you some wicked promises.” She sashayed up against him, swirling one finger down his chest. “When you return, I promise to spread my legs for you, so we can both cave into the desire we have for each other. I want you take me in ways that will have me begging for more and in return, I will torment you with my tongue and my touch in whatever way I possibly can. I want to know exactly how it feels to have Mr. Jones buried deep inside me, to have you pounding away until I scream your name and we both soar with our release. I promise to embrace any wickedness you desire.”
Sucking in a harsh breath, he touched his forehead to her forehead. “Mr. Jones and I will both be returning with all haste. Promise me you will only ever make love with me, that you’ll never take any other man to your bed.”
“There will only ever be you.” She couldn’t even imagine wanting another man the way she wanted him. Touching her lips to his, she murmured, “Major Harry Trentbury, on my heart, I give you my word that you are the only lover I will ever take.”
“You drive me mad with want.” He trailed his fingers over her breasts, swept down to her waist and clutched her bottom. Pressing his lips to the pulse beating frantically at the base of her throat, he swayed into her and she embraced the tide of heat he sent rushing through her.
“May it always be that way.” The last thing she wanted to do was step back, but step back she did. Wrapping her arms around herself, she sniffed. “Journey safely, my hussar.”
“I will.” He collected his embroidered hussar saddlecloth from the upper shelf in his wardrobe and with the shabraque folded over his arm he strode to the door. He swung it open and glanced back at her, his gaze so intense. “Julia, I’v
e never adored or detested a woman more than you.”
“The feeling is mutual.” She winked at him. “Make certain you beat the French, soundly and thoroughly.”
“We shall send them scuttling home. I promise you, we will.” He blew her a kiss and closed the door behind him.
He was gone, taking her beaten and bruised heart with him.
Fisting her hands, she paced his bedchamber, her worry for both her father and Harry pummeling through her. Drat it all, but she wouldn’t be able to remain patiently here when those she cared about were in danger. Of course Harry would be furious if she followed him, but heaven help her, she couldn’t sit idly by and just wait here while he fought for her and his country.
Perhaps she could don the façade of Jamie and follow the troops as they left St. Vincent’s?
She really did have a terribly wild spirit.
Decision made.
Hurrying, she returned to her chamber and closed their connecting door. Bindings first. She wrapped her breasts as flat to her chest as possible, slid a black tunic over her head and tugged on black breeches. With her hair pulled into a low ponytail, she poked it back up under her hair close to her scalp then secured her brown cap over top. The pièce de résistance—her coal dust smeared across her jaw and cheeks.
Weapons. From her trunk, she selected two daggers which Anteros had gifted to her on her eighteenth birthday, a gift only Anteros would ever consider giving a girl. She strapped one into a leather sheath around her ankle and secured the other at her wrist. From her dresser drawer, she scooped the leather pouch of herbs Una had given her, swallowed a pinch and tossed the pouch into her satchel. She stuffed an assortment of female and male clothing inside her bag, enough to see her through while she was away.
Taking a deep breath, she bounded into the passageway and rapped on Una’s bedchamber door a little farther down the corridor. She couldn’t leave without telling Una where she’d be. When Una opened the door and took one look at her, the healer nodded as if she already knew what she was about to say. “You’re leaving with the soldiers and journeying to Sobral, aren’t you?”
The Wartime Bride Page 9
