by Merry Farmer
“Oh, you’re so beautiful,” she gasped once she was positioned under the covers and turned to look at him. She caught him just as he tugged his shirt up over his head, revealing the broad expanse of his firm chest.
“I’m not sure that’s the word I would use to describe myself,” he answered her praise, then unfastened his trousers and pushed them down his legs.
Natalia gasped when he straightened. She’d seen men nearly undressed before. She’d seen nude statues and artwork. But seeing an actual man, actually naked, right in front of her, was a sight to behold. Linus’s waist was narrow and his thighs strong, but it was the tantalizing sight of his manhood, already aroused, that grabbed and held her attention.
“Oh, my,” she whispered.
“Don’t be alarmed,” Linus said with a laugh, climbing into bed with her. “I know what I’m doing.”
“I’m not at all alarmed,” Natalia said, then yelped slightly as Linus shifted over top of her and drew her chemise up over her head, exposing her breasts. “Well, all right, a little alarmed.”
“We don’t have to do this,” he said, tugging at the drawstring of her drawers as he did. “I can leave at any time.”
“Why would you do that?” she asked, looking up at him pleadingly.
“I have no interest in going anywhere or doing anything other than making love to you right now,” he said with a purr that sent shivers through her.
She responded to his words by wriggling her hips and helping him push her drawers off. As soon as they were gone, he settled between her legs and bent to capture her mouth in a kiss that set her body on fire. Or perhaps her body was on fire because so much of it was touching his without anything between them.
Every inch of contact, every second that their skin slid together, was pure joy. Natalia put her full trust in him, letting him guide her and school her in the art of making love. She sighed and caught her breath as he raked a hand across her side and closed his hand around her breast. She hadn’t realized how desperately she’d longed to have him touch her that way until he was kneading her gently and rubbing his thumb across her nipple to bring it to a sensitive point. Everything felt right as he explored her intimately with his hands and mouth.
She tilted her head back as he kissed his way down her neck and across her shoulder, making his way to her breast. The sensation of being suckled and teased was so glorious that she found herself making sounds that would have been embarrassing, had she been in a mood to care. Fortunately, she wasn’t in a mood to do anything but to offer herself, body and soul, for him to play with. The more he stroked his tongue across her nipple and sucked gently, the more intense the throbbing in her core grew.
“You’re so lovely,” he hummed, leaving her breasts to kiss his way lower across her belly. “And so sensual.”
“I adore this,” she answered. “I adore you.”
She risked peeking down at him and caught him just as he sent her a mischievous grin. That grin grew even more wicked as he slipped farther down her body. He grasped her knees and nudged them aside. The throbbing in her sex grew far more intense as she let him open her legs wide. It was scandalously bold of him, and of her to enjoy the feeling of exposure so much. It felt so right to be so intimate with him, even though she had the sense he was about to do something even more shocking.
She was right. He stroked his hands up her inner thighs, encouraging her to spread her legs wider. His hands didn’t stop on her thighs, though. His fingers reached for her, stroking her most sensitive flesh and parting her folds. She gasped at the magic of his touch and the pleasure it gave her. A tiny part of her was scandalized that he would take such liberties and touch her so deeply, but that part was drowned in pure pleasure as he slipped a finger between her folds, sinking it deep within her.
It was all she could do to keep from bucking off the bed as he stroked her. He added a second finger to the first, stretching and testing her, then a third. She gripped handfuls of the sheets on either side of her, trying not to writhe in delight at the things he was making her feel, but failing.
“That feels so good,” she blurted, wondering instantly if she should have kept her mouth shut.
“I’m glad,” he said in a deep, sensual voice. “And how does this feel?”
Keeping his fingers moving inside of her, he leaned forward, using his tongue to stroke her clitoris. Natalia sucked in a breath that came out on a long, pleasured sigh as her body responded. It felt so good that she was afraid she might erupt like a volcano. Indeed, that sensation only increased as his mouth and fingers worked in tandem, doing wonderful things to her. She mewled and sighed, carried away more and more by the tension building within her.
All at once, the storm broke. She called out as her sex throbbed into orgasm, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her. She’d never felt anything so good in her life, and she wanted it to continue forever. The joy of it was increased, knowing what she must look like to him, legs spread, breasts bared to him, face contorted with pleasure. She was completely wanton, and it was delicious.
Her pleasure had only begun to subside when he moved over her, drawing his body up over hers. She didn’t have time to worry or even consider what more was about to happen before he pushed deeply into her. There was a moment of slight pain as he breeched her, but it happened so suddenly and was over so fast that it barely registered before the sensation of being stretched and filled by him overtook her. It was the most perfect sensation she’d ever felt.
“Yes,” she sighed, wrapping her arms and legs around him as he moved within her.
He knew exactly how to move at that. His thrusts started slow and sensual, then grew in speed and urgency until it felt as though he were a wild beast taking her. It was a feeling she adored. His breath was ragged and the sounds he made more and more abandoned as she felt the tension grow within him. She found herself close to the edge again herself, crying out in time to his thrusts, until, with a deep groan, he came apart in her arms.
She knew enough to know that he had reached his climax, and that he had spent himself inside of her. She didn’t care if that meant she would become pregnant. That would only advance the cause of the two of them being together forever, as it had done with Bianca. All she cared about was the feel of his weight in her arms as exhaustion overtook him, causing him to sag over her. She cared about how delicious their mating had been and how much she had enjoyed it. The two of them were one, and that was all that mattered.
They rested there together, snuggled against each other, for a few, wonderful moments. Being so close to him and basking in the glow of what they’d done was almost as perfect as the thunderstorm of mating with him. She would gladly defy her mother in a thousand different ways to be able to have Linus in her bed, like this, for the rest of their lives.
“I do want to marry you, you know,” Linus said at last, in a sleepy but contented voice. “I feel terrible that I haven’t dropped to one knee to ask you officially.”
“You don’t need to do that,” she laughed, turning to her side and stroking his face. “I’ve known almost from the start what you’ve wanted.”
He smiled at her. “You are everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more, Natalia Marlowe. Will you marry me?”
She smiled from ear to ear. “Of course, I will.”
She surged into him, kissing his lips to underscore her answer. He circled his arms around her and drew her close, kissing her more deeply.
Natalia was just beginning to wonder if they would make love a second time when a noise in the hall startled her. Linus tensed as well, frowning past her shoulder at the door.
“I suppose we can’t stay here like this all night,” he said.
“No,” she agreed with a sigh. “Even if we don’t return to the ball, I’m not supposed to stay the night here tonight. I mean, I suppose I can make some excuse to be here—”
“But not with me,” he finished her thought, rolling to the side and slipping out of bed. Before he straight
ened, he leaned back toward her, kissing her forehead. “I’ll try to leave without being seen so you can avoid any uncomfortable questions.”
“I wish you didn’t have to leave at all,” she sighed, watching him straighten and appreciating everything she saw.
“I’ll speak to Lord Malcolm about your hand tomorrow,” he said as he marched around the bed to retrieve his clothes. “I won’t take no for an answer from him. But I’m not going to use this beautiful night as a bargaining chip.”
“It might help,” Natalia said, twisting to her other side so she could continue to watch him and propping herself up on one arm. “As a last resort?” she suggested.
“A last resort only,” he agreed. As soon as his trousers were on, he walked back to the bed to kiss her again. “You’ll see, my darling. Your family will consent to this, and before you know it, we’ll be starting our perfect life together.”
Chapter 5
Things always looked different in the cold light of day. Linus didn’t regret a single moment of the time he’d spent with Natalia the night before, but shortly after he woke up in his own bed the next morning and wiped the smile of memory off his face, guilt reared its ugly head.
It wasn’t guilt about what they’d actually done, though. He had enjoyed that and so had Natalia. Natalia had been ready. She responded to his touch just as he’d dreamed she would. Her enthusiasm had fired his blood and encouraged him to be far bolder than he usually would have with a virgin daughter of the aristocracy. He’d known for months that the moment was coming, and he’d embraced it with all the hedonistic enjoyment that he’d always approached intimacy with. After all, unlike most of the rest of England, he hadn’t been raised with reservations about sex or the slightest bit of squeamishness when it came to indulging.
And that was why he felt so guilty in the light of day. Not everyone was as open to the concept of free love as he had been raised to be. And while he was reasonably certain Natalia shared his views of the whole thing—sneaking off to her bedroom at Campbell House had been her idea, after all—her family, her friends, and society in general would see things differently.
Which was why he found himself up and dressed impeccably, striding purposefully through the streets of Mayfair to Marlowe House far earlier than was usual for a call the morning after a ball. As far as he was concerned, there was no time to wait. He and Natalia knew that they wanted to be married, and the sooner they put things into motion, the better.
“Is Lord Malcolm at home?” he asked the butler who let him into the house.
The butler didn’t have time to answer. Linus expected to find the house sleepy and dormant, but servants were dashing this way and that, either setting or clearing breakfast from a room to one side, and Lord Malcolm marched down the main staircase in the midst of them, already dressed to go out.
Lord Malcolm pulled up short when he spotted Linus in the doorway. “What are you doing here?” he asked without preamble.
Linus swiped his hat from his head and nodded respectfully. “Lord Malcolm, I’ve come here today to discuss a delicate topic with you.”
“That can only mean Natalia,” Lord Malcolm said, barely breaking stride as he headed toward the door. He wore a sour expression—one that made him look like a dragon about to breathe fire—but Linus had the impression his mood was about something else entirely.
There didn’t seem to be any point in postponing the inevitable. “I’ve come to ask for her hand in marriage,” he said. “Should I speak to you or Lady Campbell?”
Lord Malcolm stopped when he reached Linus’s side, his eyes going wide and his brow shooting up. “You’ve a lot of nerve, approaching me about Natalia first thing in the morning, considering the national catastrophe of the Conservative’s election victory that I have to deal with.”
“It cannot wait any longer,” Linus said with a shrug. Although he wasn’t about to lead the conversation with all the reasons it couldn’t wait. Just because he had no qualms about sex, regardless of marital status, didn’t mean Natalia wouldn’t end up with child because of it.
Lord Malcolm let out an irritated breath and continued out the front door, gesturing for Linus to follow him. “You’ll have to talk and walk at the same time,” he said. “I’m due at Peter’s house in twenty minutes.”
Linus fell into step with him, assuming Peter was Lord Dunsford. He knew enough about Lord Malcolm and his friends to know they were powerful men who had steered the course of politics for several years now. It seemed logical that those men would band together now to face what they likely thought was a political disaster. The furor of the election results and the frustration that radiated from Lord Malcolm made Linus glad he didn’t care one bit about politics.
“Well?” Lord Malcolm snapped when they’d walked to the end of the block. “You said you wanted to talk, so talk.”
Linus took a breath. He hadn’t expected the conversation to be easy, but Lord Malcolm wasn’t smoothing the way at all. “I want to marry Natalia,” he said, coming right out with it. “As soon as possible.”
“Out of the question.” Lord Malcolm shook his head. “You don’t have the means to support her. This Mr. Mercer chap that my wife seems to like does.”
“Begging your pardon, my lord, but I don’t believe Mr. Mercer’s interest in Natalia is as ardent as mine,” Linus said, half hoping that Lord Malcolm would catch his meaning and half praying he wouldn’t. “Besides,” he continued, ready for the financial angle of the argument, at least. “Lord O’Shea pays me generously, but beyond that, I have begun working on commercial patents for several of the devices I have constructed to aid Lord O’Shea in his recovery.”
Without pausing, Lord Malcolm glanced sideways at him. “So you’re not just a physician, you have ambitions of becoming a snake-oil salesman as well?”
Linus clenched his jaw. He’d known Lord Malcolm would be a hard-sell, but he’d underestimated how rankling that would be. “The world is changing, my lord,” he said.
“You don’t have to tell me that,” Lord Malcolm grumbled to himself.
“The future belongs not to those with a title and inherited wealth, but to those who are ambitious and can make a name for themselves,” Linus insisted.
“And you see yourself as that sort of man?” Lord Malcolm asked.
“I do, my lord. Moreover, I believe that Natalia would be far more content as the wife of a man facing toward the future than she would as the traditional bride of some titled lord with nothing but his failing estates and a seat in Parliament to recommend him.”
The way Lord Malcolm stared at him as they crossed a street, heading into a square with a large, picturesque park in the middle, made Linus wonder if he’d overstepped his bounds. With all the world’s changes, some things still remained. Like the ability of a titled lord to pin someone of a lower class into their rank with one sharp stare.
“You think Natalia would be happy leaving the only life she’s known behind to become the wife of a salesman?” he asked.
“Not just a salesman,” Linus said, measuring his words carefully. “Hopefully, a renowned physician and innovator who will make a name for himself helping those less fortunate souls who cannot help themselves.”
Lord Malcolm’s only response to that was a grim, noncommittal sound. It was slightly more encouraging than the outright no Linus had gotten at the beginning of the conversation. Linus kept an eye on the man’s expression as they crossed through the park in the center of the square. There had to be an argument somewhere that would crack through Lord Malcolm’s stubbornness. Perhaps he should bring up the point that he’d already compromised Natalia and that marriage was in everybody’s best interest.
He was on the verge of saying something to that effect when Lord Malcolm came out with, “I know she loves you. You have that working in your favor. I may be a part of the failing aristocracy that you speak of with such distain, Dr. Townsend, but I am not so ancient that I believe love should have no part in marriage.�
��
“Then you understand how a deep affection and respect for one another can help a couple overcome whatever obstacles they face throughout their marriage.” Finally, Linus thought he was getting somewhere.
“What I understand—”
Lord Malcolm was cut off by a cry of, “My son, what a blessed day! It is true that our gentle, loving Lord works in mysterious ways.”
Linus’s heart plummeted to his stomach as he turned to see his father approaching him from one side of the park. Of all the people to interrupt that particular conversation, it had to be him. And what was the blackguard doing in a park in Mayfair so early in the morning?
Linus and Lord Malcolm stopped as Linus’s father rushed toward them, arms outstretched, a cheery smile on his face. “What a blessed coincidence,” his father said.
Linus only just avoided being embraced by holding up his hands to ward his father off. “Father,” he grumbled, shooting a sideways look to Lord Malcolm.
“This is your father?” Lord Malcolm asked, his expression incredulous.
“Dr. Horace Townsend, my lord. At your service.” Linus’s father held out a hand to Lord Malcolm. He wore the same deliberately friendly smile that he always wore when choosing a mark to try his luck with.
Lord Malcolm stared at Linus’s father, then glanced sideways to Linus before gingerly taking his father’s hand. “You’re a doctor as well?” he asked suspiciously.
“Yes, my lord,” Linus’s father answered. “I trained in my youth and practiced medicine in a humble, country parish before receiving my call to take up my cross and follow our loving savior.”
Lord Malcolm’s brow shot up farther. He turned to Linus. “Your father is a preacher?”
Linus opened his mouth to explain, but his father cut him off. “I am, my lord. For nearly forty years now, it has been my mission to bring our Lord’s message of love and affection to his beloved.”
