The Christmas Heiress

by Adrienne Basso

  She and Edward shared an irrevocable, unavoidable attraction. He affected her as no other ever had; he aroused and thrilled and enchanted her. She had never felt this way with any other man.

  And lately she had been wondering if she even wanted to, but a part of her held back. "Marriage is such a final step," she said quietly.

  "But necessary. What's done is done. "

  "Oh, Lord, now you are quoting Shakespeare. Macbeth, is it not?"

  "Yes, Macbeth and true nonetheless." He raked his hand though his hair. "There is something else, something important we must consider. The possibility that you are breeding."

  Charlotte blanched. "From one time?"

  "Yes, a man's seed can take hold from only one coupling. Though as I recall, it was more than one time," he concluded smugly. "But that is beside the point. Even if you are not carrying my child, your virginity is gone, and so are your chances of making a good marriage." --- - --- - - - -- -- - - -

  Charlotte blinked and rubbed her hand over her brow. "I am sure there is someone who would accept me in spite of my lack of virginity."

  The earl smirked. "Someone without honor."

  "Would you marry a woman who was not a virgin?"

  "Obviously, since I want to marry you."

  "You were the man who took that prize, so it hardly counts." She felt impelled to ask again. "Would you consider marrying a woman who was not a virgin?"

  Edward let out his breath on a slow sigh. "I suppose it would depend on the circumstances. A young widow, for instance."

  Charlotte frowned in perplexity. "Her virginity would have presumably been lost to her deceased husband, a conventional, acceptable situation. What if she had never been married and was not a virgin?"

  He paused, giving her a look of bewilderment. "I would not reject a woman simply on that one fact."

  "Thank you for your candor. Your answer proves my point. I am not totally ruined for all gentlemen. Therefore, I'd like a bit more time to consider our situation."

  "How much time?"

  "A few weeks." His face clouded with displeasure and Charlotte hastily continued. "We began this conversation with such civility. Please, let us end it in the same manner. There is no need to carry on as though this is a Shakespeare tragedy, though I'm sure if you think hard enough you can find the appropriate lines and sentiment."

  "Now is the winter of our discontent?"He sighed, his expression still conveying befuddlement. "We must be sensible, Charlotte."

  "Waiting does make sense. If we married now, we would both be doing so out of a sense of obligation. I only want to marry a man who truly wants me, who desires me above all others. It seems so many of our class spend the majority of their married lives living apart. I do not wish to join their ranks."

  "I am not suggesting that kind of marriage." The sound of his steps resounded on the carpet as he moved toward her. "I do not take what happened between us lightly. I have feelings for you, special deep feelings."

  "Love?"

  His face stiffened. "Falling in love has never been something I have thought about with any serious consideration. Until now." He bent his head, his brow pleating in a thoughtful frown. When he raised his chin and looked again at her, his expression was solemn. "In the spirit of being honest I admit that I have far less of a romantic nature than you do. I have never told any woman that I love her."

  "Not even your fiancee?"

  "Obviously not." He favored her with a selfdeprecating smile. "She left me and followed her own heart, marrying a man who was able to give her what she craved."

  "I am sorry."

  He looked surprised by her sympathy. "Don't be. Henrietta made the right choice. I am not even positive I know what being in love really means."

  "A conveniently obtuse answer."

  "But honestly given. Far better than a lie told simply to gain what I want."

  Though not surprised by his answer, Charlotte felt the sting of disappointment. She would settle for no less than his love, with the declaration freely given.

  "Then our path is very clear. For now we wait and make no decision about marriage."

  "But we continue with our courtship," Edward stipulated. "You must not run or hide from me as you did today."

  "And you will not enter my bedchamber unless you are invited."

  "Agreed." He stepped closer and curled a hand over her bare shoulder. `But as long as I am here. . . His voice trailed off seductively.

  "You are not being fair when you look at me like that," she whispered, as a thrill of sexual awareness shot through her body.

  He smiled confidently. "Does that mean you are saying that I can stay?"

  CHAPTER 14

  All day Charlotte had been dwelling upon the enormity of what she had done last night. How she had changed herself forever. How incredible it had been and how amazing that when she was with Edward, everything else just melted away and it was only the two of them. How she now knew with certainty what she would be missing for the rest of her life if she never married.

  The exquisite sensual delights, the intense emotional connection, the sense of something greater than herself. The sheer joy, the sheer fun of it all.

  Here now was a chance to experience it all again. Did she dare to be so reckless a second time?

  Especially when there was something she had not thought about last night, which was very much on her mind right now. Continuing a physical relationship could very well result in her becoming with child. If that occurred, she would no longer have any control over her destiny. Her fate would be decided. She would marry the earl.

  Would that be so terrible? Marrying Edward made sense.

  But maybe that was the problem. People who were truly in love acted with reckless emotion, not prudent sensibility. Or was it desire that drowned out a sensible response?

  Edward said nothing. He simply watched her, gently caressing her shoulder, almost as if he knew she was struggling with her decision, weighing all the arguments in her head. Yet oddly, by doing nothing at all, he was tempting her beyond measure.

  They stood in silence for a long moment. "If you insist that I leave, I shall," he said huskily, "yet I harbor a fantasy that a lascivious scheme is lurking in your mind at this exact minute that will soon become a pleasurable reality for us both."

  Charlotte found herself smiling. "I fear you spend far too much of your time thinking about sex, my lord."

  "Making love, Charlotte," he corrected. "There is a significant difference." His lashes lowered as he looked at her mouth.

  Charlotte drew in a sharp breath. She brought her palm up between them and pressed it flat against his chest to prevent him from leaning forward and kissing her, for her mind turned to pure sensation and her wits scattered to the winds whenever that happened.

  "I trust that you are telling me the truth about the difference between sex and making love," she said.

  "I am." His eyes crinkled with concern. "If I felt it were necessary, warranted, then I might omit the entire truth on occasion. But I will never lie to you, Charlotte."

  "The sin of omission is as great a sin as a lie."

  His eyebrow arched. "Twisting the truth is a sin.

  Withholding information to spare and protect the feelings of someone you care for is the duty of a gentleman. Given the choice, I will always endeavor to protect you."

  She believed him. In light of their past, it was a big step, she realized, to take him at his word, to acknowledge that his heart was true. It was also an alarming as well as enthralling occurrence. "I appreciate your honesty, Edward."

  "May I stay?"

  She could hear the naked longing in his voice, but more important, she saw a reassuring hint of emotion on his face. He did care for her, perhaps with the same level of caution and restraint she cared for him.

  Hardly ideal, but far more than she had shared with any other man. Her lips curled into a sultry smile worthy of a courtesan. Blood was pounding hotly through her veins, but her mind was
still functioning.

  "There is still the risk of creating a child," she said, hardly believing she had the courage to discuss such an incredibly indelicate subject with him.

  He nodded. "There are ways to prevent such things from occurring."

  "Devices?" she queried, having once overheard bits of a conversation between two married women that had raised far more questions in Charlotte's mind than they had answered.

  "Yes." It took him a moment to recover his voice. "However, I do not have any of those with me."

  "Can you get them?"

  He cleared his throat again. "They are hardly the items one asks for as a Christmas present."

  "Edward! "

  "I'm sorry. 'Tis just that you look so solemn."

  "This is a serious conversation," she insisted.

  "It is," he agreed. "'Tis also highly unusual."

  Her face flamed, though she agreed with his observation. "Then perhaps it is best if we simply forget the matter entirely." She turned, but he grabbed her hand, stopping her from walking away.

  "There are other ways to prevent conception," he said. "I can withdraw. There is still risk, but it is far less if the man pulls out before his seed is released. Do you understand?"

  The blush on her face deepened as disjointed thoughts about the mechanics of it all flew through her mind. "I think so, though I am unsure exactly how it would work."

  He bent his head and placed his cheek against hers. "Leave that to me, all right?"

  Charlotte sighed. The feelings were starting again, where her breath was tight and her heartbeat quickened and her skin tingled all over. She let her eyes flutter shut and bowed her head until it rested against his chest, taking two steps closer when she felt his strong arms embrace her.

  She was a fortunate person who had been given many material blessings, had received parental love from a kindly grandfather who adored her. But losing her parents at an early age had taught her a very important lesson.

  Life was fleeting, joy could be stripped from you without warning, leaving you to regret those moments when you allowed those opportunities for sheer pleasure to slip away.

  "I enjoy making love with you, Edward," Charlotte confessed, just before she wrapped her arms around his neck, lifted her head and gave him a hungry, openmouthed kiss.

  He made a sound of surprise against her mouth, but then his arms tightened their embrace and he angled his head and deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing hers. His hands shifted, one splaying over her back below her waist, the other dropping lower to cup her buttocks and pull her closer.

  The excitement Charlotte felt increased as her body heated. She lifted herself higher so that his erection rested against the top of her thighs, sliding her body up and down, mimicking the act of love.

  She clutched at the lapels of his evening coat, fists clenching tight. Driven by the urge to get closer, she pressed herself against him. It felt so right. Everything else faded to insignificance. Once again, nothing else in the world mattered, except the two of them.

  His fingers found the buttons at the back of her gown and with impressive dexterity he unfastened her bodice and pushed the top of her gown from her shoulders. He muttered a few choice words beneath his breath as he struggled with the laces of her corset, but eventually they too were freed and the undergarment thrown carelessly to the floor.

  She stood shivering in the cool of the room, covered only by the thin silk of her chemise. He made a sound of appreciation deep in his throat and Charlotte smiled, no longer aware of the cold.

  She eased his evening coat from his broad shoulders, attacked the knot of his cravat, gleefully pulling the starched white linen free. She unbuttoned the top of his shirt and saw the pulse beat at the base of his neck moving furiously, a mirror of her own frantically beating heart.

  Charlotte bent forward and kissed the spot, then flicked it with the tip of her tongue. Edward responded hotly to her advance, cradling her head with the palm of one hand, holding her steady so he could ravish her with his mouth. He kissed her, fiercely and passionately, thrusting his tongue into her mouth in a pulsating rhythm while his other hand traced the line of her waist, down to her hip and beyond to her upper thigh.

  jolts of sensations coursed through her. Charlotte's body throbbed with a heated urgency that made her eager for his searching hands. His fingertips touched her breasts through the thin fabric of her chemise, brushing back and forth over the hardened nipples. Pleasure flared wherever he stroked, pleasure that made her gasp and shiver with excitement. She caught her lip between her teeth to repress a strangled moan.

  "Don't hold back," he gasped. "I want to hear every sound." -- - --- - - - - - - - -

  He lowered his head and caught her nipple in his mouth and suckled it. Charlotte's hands grasped his hair and pulled him closer. Understanding her need, he tugged harder with his mouth and then his hand came up to embrace her other breast, teasing the rigid tip between his thumb and forefinger.

  The sensations were overwhelming. She was throbbing inside her body, but he seemed to know exactly what she was feeling, exactly what she needed. His hands moved between her thighs and he lifted her thin silk chemise. He stroked between the folds of her most sensitive flesh, and Charlotte pulled in a deep breath, then pushed against his fingers.

  A blush stole through her chest and face, but she was filled with an agonized need that overcame any residual embarrassment. She trusted him completely, knew he would do whatever was necessary to bring her pleasure, to bring her joy.

  He fondled her with delicate expertise, his long fingers gliding through her silky curls to brush repeatedly over the small engorged bud kindling an almost unbearable excitement within her. And as he stroked her, he kissed her, then whispered into her ear sweet bits of nonsense that made her shiver and pant, words of endearment and lust that made her heart sing.

  Charlotte thought she must have been possessed by madness last night in the library to allow her passion such unchecked rein, but now she understood there was more than physical desire between them. There was an emotional connection that drove their desire to unimaginable heights, regardless of the past, regardless of the consequences.

  Charlotte breathed in sharp pants and put her hands on Edward's broad shoulders to steady her weak knees. Her hands tightened in convulsive squeezes as she felt the tension begin to crest. Then suddenly it peaked and Charlotte arched her back, every muscle in her body straining as she found herself shaking and shattering and coming apart.

  All the strength drained out of her and she fell forward, but Edward held her tightly in his embrace. He waited until her breathing was less labored, then guided her backward toward the bed, tumbling them both onto the soft mattress.

  Her head still spinning, Charlotte rested against the pillow, gazing inquiringly at Edward, wondering what would happen next. After tossing off his shoes, he climbed on the bed, lay down beside her and waited.

  Delighted at the opportunity to take the lead, Charlotte turned to face him. She took a moment to study his face, then impulsively reached out and traced his mouth with the tip of her finger. He smiled.

  She put her hand against his cheek and felt the rough dark beard that had already grown since morning. The need to kiss him was so strong her lips began to tremble. Giving in to the temptation, she moved toward him. His lips were welcoming and soft and she gladly opened her mouth as his tongue searched for hers.

  They kissed for several long minutes and Charlotte felt the stirring of desire starting to build again. But now it was Edward's turn to experience the bliss. Boldly, she placed her hand over the front of his trousers, feeling his erection through the fine fabric.

  "Unbutton it," he coaxed.

  Charlotte felt a wicked blush creep into her face. But she followed his command and he groaned appreciatively when she reached inside his open pants and took him in her hand.

  She touched him lightly at first. Then with more assurance she began to stroke him, her hand exploring the
shape that was starting to become familiar. His hips responded in a slow rhythm as her questing fingers trailed a path from base to tip, then softly circled the head.

  Touching his body so intimately gave her an amazing sense of power, of freedom. She felt like a wanton, uninhibited creature who knew no boundaries, no restraints, who existed only to give and receive pleasure.

  Caught in the excitement of the moment, Charlotte tightened her grip, pulling harder and faster on his penis. Edward made a rough sound in his throat and jerked involuntarily. She repeated the motion, this time reaching all the way down to the base where a nest of soft hair surrounded his testicles.

  "It's so hard and hot," she murmured.

  "For you," he said breathlessly. "Only for you."

  He taught her how to make it last, how to use the edge of her finger to spread the moisture that weeped from the tip all around the smooth head, how to vary her grip from soft to hard, slow, then fast, then slow.

  She could feel his entire body shaking against hers and her skin longed for the feel of him. She wanted him naked, wanted to feel his hot, smooth skin against her own, wanted her body entwined with his. "Let's finish undressing," she whispered.

  Edward needed no encouragement. His eyes never left hers as he wrenched off his open trousers and underclothes, then threw off his shirt. With a wicked gleam, he reached for the bows of her chemise, untied them, then pulled the garment over her head.

  His hands roamed her body with soothing strokes from her shoulders to her lower back, her hips to her buttocks and upper thighs. Charlotte shivered and copied his movements, running her fingers over the muscles of his shoulders and back, then pressed herself close until her breasts rubbed against his chest.

  His penis grew as if to attract her attention, poking her insistently in her stomach. She rolled her hips teasingly against it, and laughed with delight.

  "Wicked wench," he growled.

  She teased him further, running her hands all over his naked frame, yet deliberately avoiding the one spot that throbbed so obviously for her caress. Finally, her hand returned to his penis, long and thick and hard. She wrapped her fingers around its turgid length, but he pulled her hand away.