Let it Snow

by Suzan Butler, Emily Ryan-Davis, Cari Quinn, Vivienne Westlake, Sadie Haller, Holley Trent

  His footsteps moved about the room first close, then over by the window and back again. She listened to the soft scrape of his feet over the floor. Was he walking barefoot? He should be wearing slippers, but she’d caught him before with his bare feet on the cold wood.

  She was going to tell him to put them on, but she knew that he would merely ignore her.

  She heard the clinking sound of items being set down. What did he intend to do to her?

  Her first clue was a cold sensation on her nipple. It scraped across the delicate bud. She squirmed, but strong hands grabbed her arms and she stilled. His thighs straddled hers, caging her in.

  Something pointed poked the tip of her other nipple. It circled the center and she gasped. It was not quite pain, but the sensation was sharp, then tingly. Then it was gone.

  Though she could hear him breathe, feel his thighs pressed into her, he did not touch her with his hands or anything else. She counted to thirty when there was another sharp scrape across her nipple. She wasn’t sure what he was holding, but it was made of metal.

  She braced herself for another stab but instead his nails scored her sides from her underarms down to her hips. “Ahhh.” Again, she squirmed, but his mouth took hers, ravaging every corner of her mouth until she softened under him.

  His lips abandoned hers and she sat, breathing hard, waiting. She wanted to wiggle, to relieve the building pressure between her thighs, but she bit down on her lip and willed herself to stay still.

  Minutes passed then his hot, wet tongue branded her nipple. He swirled around the areola before flicking his tongue against the tip. She couldn’t control the shiver that passed through her.

  His breath fanned her ear. “Be still.”

  When he gave a hard pinch to her nipple, she cried out. She tried to move her arms, but he caught them in his hands and pinned them back to the mattress.

  The shift of his weight made her curious. She heard rustling sounds again and realized he’d leaned over to get something. What was it this time?

  Something teased her belly button. It was like little fairies dancing over her skin. They trailed up to her breast, circling fully around it. She moaned when they got to her nipple.

  The skin of her neck and ears was even more sensitive and she broke into laughter as he assaulted her with the object in his hand. Before she knew it, he’d roped her hands and tied them together. She could feel something hanging from it. A little bell with fringe. Tassels? He must have robbed them from the curtains.

  “I told you to be still, my love.” The honeyed words soothed and quieted her as nothing else could have.

  The next thing she felt was something marking a line from her sternum down her belly and back up again. It was too cool and firm to be his nail but it was small and thin.

  He curved a line down her hip to her calf with the tool then slid it up the inside of her thigh. Its edge wasn’t sharp, but it tickled. She giggled and squirmed.

  “Be—”

  “—Still.”

  “You asked for it.”

  He pinched her inner thigh, squeezing tight enough to make her yelp. “Ouch!”

  Soft lips kissed hers and his hands rubbed her shoulders, kneading the muscles until she sighed in relaxation.

  “Be good for me and I will be very good to you,” he said. Before she could reply, she felt his palm—yes, his palm—pressed against her mound. Just a little lower...however, his hand did not move. But the gentle weight of it felt good. Maybe it was a promise of things to come.

  She rotated her hips and he let a finger slip into her folds and tease her sensitive pearl. Her nipples went so tight a pang lanced through them.

  Kit bit her ear. The dual sensations of his finger and his teeth aroused her so much she felt moisture pooling between her legs.

  “Mmmm,” he murmured. Then he shoved his palm against her sex, grinding down.

  She wanted to touch him, but her hands were still bound. Violet shot him a fierce glance. “Untie me.”

  His fingers pinched her clitoris, making her body jerk. “No.”

  “Please,” she whispered.

  He bit down on her ear again. “Please what?”

  “Please,” she repeated, not sure whether her priority was for him to untie her or to let him slide his fingers into her sex and push her to orgasm.

  “What do you want, Violet?” His thumb stroked her lower lips and her body trembled in response. “You can speak now.”

  “I want you to…”

  “Tease you?” He pressed his thumb down on the nub of her desire. “Torture you?” His other hand squeezed her nipple.

  She sucked in a breath, but his fingers continued to pinch and pull on her breast. How could something that hurt feel so good?

  His sensuous voice dropped so low it sent a humming through her sex. “Would you like me to fuck you?”

  The gentleman was gone. In his place was a raw, wild libertine who used her body for his dark pleasures. Yet Violet wasn’t afraid. She knew she should be.

  “Finish it,” she whispered, wishing she could touch him or see his face. With the cravat blinding her, she could only imagine the midnight depths of his eyes. The memory of his face burned in her mind, even as his hands set her body afire. She suddenly understood the power of the dark and why Persephone and Eurydice would be drawn to stay in the stygian underworld with Hades.

  “I want to hear you say it,” he whispered, rocking his palm against her dripping sex.

  “What?”

  The gravel in his voice frayed the control which she could feel slipping away. “Say that you want me to fuck you.”

  “No.”

  His finger skidded across her pearl, sliding back and forth. She pulled against her bonds and jerked her fists to wiggle out of the tassel rope.

  A tight grip crushed her hands. “Say it and I’ll consider letting your hands loose.”

  Why had he stopped the wondrous torture of his fingers on her sex? The man was maddening. If only he was closer to her face, she would bite him. His finger lay against the hood of her opening. If he would just move it again, she was sure she could get there, get back to that maddening race up to the cliff of desire.

  Violet frowned. “Free me or fuck me, but do something before I throw you off.”

  Kit laughed. “That is close enough. This time.”

  The bed rocked as he moved and she heard the soft rumple of the bedding and the patting of a pillow. She listened for some clue as to what he was planning. Right when she would have uttered a retort, he grabbed her waist and lifted her up. He wrapped one arm around her and with the other, he pushed her legs open and set her down to straddle him.

  She could feel his ears and the fine strands of his hair against her arm as he lifted her arms over his head. Her nipples brushed against his chest and she loved the friction of his body against hers. She arched her back and rolled her nipples over his skin.

  When he pulled her hair and kissed her neck, she sighed. Then his hot mouth whispered in her ear, “Ride me.”

  His hand slipped under her and then his cock was at her entrance, inching its way in. It was a tight fit and she inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to relax and accommodate him.

  His velvety tongue licked her earlobe. It delved into the opening, penetrating her ear as he penetrated her body. A ripple of pleasure coursed through her and she wanted more. Slowly, she eased her body down to take more of his hard length.

  His solid hands were on her rear, guiding her up and down. The pressure built inside her again and she knew she would come soon.

  As she slid up and down over his shaft, he kissed her. Their mouths fought in a frenzied battle that could only end with both of their surrender.

  She braced her arms on his shoulders, unable to grip him the way she wished to because her hands were still tied. She used her arms as leverage to bear down harder.

  As they rocked up and down, his hard cock thrusting d
eep inside of her, she knew that tonight would never be enough. The need she felt went beyond the friction of their bodies, beyond the desire that welled up inside of her, begging to be released.

  She took his mouth, letting her tongue say what she could not yet speak aloud. She wanted him, now and forever. Could she find a way to keep him?

  Ragged breaths matched the hard mating of their bodies. Kit impaled her over and over and Violet reveled in each movement. Each thrust took her past the point of sanity until she was only a puddle of pulsating need.

  Kit pushed her onto her back and pulled up her thighs. She couldn’t see anything, but she didn’t have to. He gave her everything she wanted with each stroke of his cock, each press of his lips to hers.

  His thumbs fondled her nipples, squeezing and rolling. She couldn’t take anymore. Her whole body tightened and she cried out as an orgasm twisted through her, wringing her out like a towel after a vigorous wash.

  He followed her over the edge, cursing as he found release.

  Gentle fingers caressed the side of her face and the kiss he gave was deep and tender. His hands freed hers and one hand threaded through hers as the other pulled off her blindfold.

  “You are nothing like I expected,” he whispered. “And so much more than I ever thought was possible.”

  Violet stroked her fingers into his hair. “You are everything I expected. Everything I never thought I could have, but wanted anyway.” Just stay the way you are now. Stay until the past no longer matters and all we need is each other.

  He fingered her eyelid, wiping the single tear away.

  “I will never forget you,” he whispered, kissing her again.

  She wrapped her arms around him, holding on tightly, her legs still enveloping his, their bodies twined together.

  * * * *

  Violet awoke to the sound of geese in the pond outside and the steady breathing of the man with his arms wrapped around her. Kit’s hand lay possessively over her breast and she looked down to see his other arm wrapped around her waist.

  She closed her eyes for a moment, wanting to savor this warm memory for the wintry days ahead.

  Taking his hand in hers, she lifted it to her lips and kissed it. In the bright light of morning, she could see the tiny nicks and scars. There was an old one on his knuckle, bigger than the rest. Was it from some boxing match years ago?

  “Mmmmmm,” he murmured, squeezing her. “What a nice way to wake up in the morning.”

  She wrapped her arms over his, hugging him back. The light was brighter than she’d expected as a hint of sun peeked through the window. While there was snow outside, from her vantage point, it looked low to the ground. The warm sun would melt it before the afternoon.

  Though she wanted to get up and adjust the curtains, Violet was afraid to move. His hard body behind hers reassured her that he was real, that for this moment at least, he belonged only to her.

  The touch of his hand was feather-light on the side of her face. “Good morning, my darling.”

  She turned toward him, even as he pulled her into a kiss. Solid hands gripped her and she slid her leg over his. Belatedly, she realized that she had clothes on while he did not.

  “Why do I have my underclothes on?”

  “You were exhausted. It got cold and windy last night, so I dressed you back into your chemise.”

  “But I don’t remember.”

  He kissed her forehead and grinned. “You were very tired.”

  “I was tied up and ravaged by a very insatiable beast.”

  Strong hands roamed over her body, squeezing her tighter, and he shifted so that his legs were wrapped around hers. She could not move if she wanted to. When he nipped her jawline then bit her earlobe, she laughed.

  “Mmmm…breakfast.”

  “As I said, insatiable.”

  “You are too delectable to resist.”

  She kissed him before he could speak another flowery phrase. Why did it make her nervous when he complimented her? She had no such trouble if a neighbor or the vicar paid her a sweet laudation. Even with Avery, she would have smiled. With Kit, it was different.

  Seductive phrases rolled off the tongue like a rivulet of water down the window glass. He could speak them in his sleep, she suspected. In fact, he had. His kiss, his touch was enough for her. The charming words were unnecessary.

  “Would you like to tour the house today?” Violet asked.

  “I thought you said I needed to remain in my chambers until Doctor Littleton returned?”

  “You seem quite fit to me.” She kissed his bare chest, circling her finger over the fine hair there. She tickled her nose over it and when he chuckled, she smiled. Could she ever get enough of him?

  “Oh, I am. Reach down and you will see exactly how fit I am.”

  She ran her fingers down his abdomen, taking her time, before cupping his manhood. His cock came to attention as she pressed her palm into it.

  “Hmmmm. I think you will do quite nicely.”

  “Really?” His voice was a thick molasses spreading over her. “Were you planning on ‘doing’ someone else?”

  “Why should I shop for a new stallion when I have a beautiful thoroughbred already in the stable?”

  He started to retort, but she cut him off by pinching him on the derrière. Surprised, he loosened his grip and she shimmied down to lick his cock. She suckled him softly at first, then took him deep.

  Kit hissed.

  The throbbing in his head competed with the throbbing in his cock. A headache was on the rise, but she felt too good and he didn’t want to stop. The stabbing pain was worth it to have her hot, wet mouth on his skin.

  Violet sucked him until he couldn’t breathe, until the pain became almost pleasurable, blending with the searing heat running through his body.

  When he tried to loosen her grip, to pull her away so that he could spread her legs and fuck her, she clamped down and dug her nails into his thighs.

  Taking hold of her head, he held on as she pumped and licked him into oblivion. Her tongue flicked the tip of his cock in teasing little taps as she squeezed up the length of his shaft. An orgasm ripped through him, tearing into his body like a crack of lightening and splitting him into pieces.

  “Holy hell.”

  Violet licked her lips. “Now what were you saying about breakfast?”

  “You are worse than me today, and that is saying something.”

  “Really?” She rose up and kissed him, taking him into her and ravishing his mouth.

  “Yes. Spread your legs for me.” Another sharp pain sliced through his skull. “I don’t care if my head feels like a lance went through it, I am going to take you so hard you will not be able to walk straight for the rest of the day.”

  Her fingernails scored the back of his neck. “Is that a promise?”

  “Yes.”

  She bit his lip before she wrapped her arms across his back and slid one leg around his thigh. “As much as I would love to make you fulfill that promise, I have something else in mind today.”

  He cupped her behind and squeezed. “What is that?”

  “I think you have earned your freedom. You have been abed long enough.” She grinned. “Well, you have been locked in this room long enough,” she corrected. “There is still yet to do in this bed—later.”

  “You mean I can leave this room? Walk the halls? Go outside?”

  “It is still a bit cold yet to roam the countryside, but otherwise, yes.”

  As much as he wanted to get out of this room, he suddenly did not want to leave. This was the first morning he’d spent with her in his bed, and he was loathe to go.

  “I cannot believe I would even utter the words, but what if we stayed in the room all day? I am still too green and need a good strong lady to break me in.” He traced a finger down her cleavage.

  “I should think you would want to be free of these walls. We’ve caught you trying to sneak out of
ten enough. I think we should take a walk through the house and then perhaps we can go down and sit in the drawing room, next to the warm fire. Perhaps I shall play a song for you on the pianoforte. Doctor Littleton might come today and I would not wish him to catch you—” She coughed. “—Overexerting yourself.”

  He kissed the spot where her neck joined her shoulder. “The quack can be kept waiting. He has certainly taken his time with coming back. I’d rather spend the day wrapped so tightly against your skin that even a sword couldn’t separate us.”

  * * * *

  At his words, a flush ran through her limbs, and every place where his skin touched hers tingled. She wanted the luxury of lying in bed with him, of being his lover for more than one night.

  She could stay a little while longer. But what if the doctor did venture to Welbury Park today? The old man was odd, but not an idiot. She saw the way he eyed her up and down on the last visit when Kit began to flirt with her.

  Her duty was to ensure that Kit was well-rested, not to work his every muscle for her pleasure. What the doctor didn’t understand was that Kit was impossible to resist. His perfect lips and molten brown gaze eroded all her defenses and ignited the embers of desire that she’d thought long dead.

  Still, she felt guilty about shirking the day’s duties and lounging with him in bed.

  “What will you give me if I let you keep me here?” She looked at him through her lashes.

  “Tell me your darkest wish, your deepest desire and I will fulfill it.”

  What a promise. But the thing she wanted from him, her deepest desire, was one she could not voice aloud. She wanted him to forget about his past, to tell her that he wanted more of this, that he wanted to stay.

  “You do love to bargain. Hmmmm.” An idea formed in her mind. “I heard about your illicit games with Adam.” Avery had caught Kit gambling with one of the footmen. He’d warned Violet, but she decided that if it meant Kit remained in bed as he was supposed to, she would allow it. She even instructed Avery to give the footmen a few extra shillings, just for the purpose of playing with Kit.

  “You did?”

  She looked at him, wondering at his tone of voice. She could not tell if he was angry or surprised. “Of course.” She wiggled her finger over his nose. “I propose a wager.”