Viscount of Vanity

by Tammy Andresen

  “I need them to see us as a legitimate match so that should your father contest any part of our marriage, we have ironclad ground to stand on.”

  He saw her grimace, so subtle he might have missed it in the increasing darkness. “I appreciate the lengths you’re going to protect me, but why wouldn’t they see our match as legitimate?” she asked.

  It was his turn to wince. “We are. Of course. But it’s all been very sudden.”

  * * *

  She sat up in her seat, trying to decide why his words bothered her.

  Perhaps it was that he was worried other people would not see them as legitimate. Were they not?

  Their ceremony had been a bit…odd. Even she knew that.

  But they’d married in a church, with a license. And last night they’d been intimate.

  Though she recalled their conversation about his…staff. And that had been nowhere near her…opening.

  Two days with Austin had taught her a great deal about the man. He was even-tempered, caring, and concerned for her well-being.

  On the worst days with her father, she’d pictured a sweeping love who’d pick her up and carry her away.

  She wasn’t fool enough to think that was what was happening here. Though, not because she didn’t wish it to. In fact, she was fairly certain her heart was already involved in her marriage.

  But there was a distance to Austin. A gap she felt between them, making her ache with longing. She desperately wanted to bridge the void, but she wasn’t certain how.

  Not that it mattered. He was still picking her up and carrying her far away from her father’s tyranny, and for that alone, he’d have her undying affection.

  He was her hero.

  She just wished she could somehow be as important to him as he was to her.

  The carriage rumbled to a stop and he stepped out, helping her from the vehicle and escorting her up the massive stairs.

  The doors swung open in greeting.

  Abigail was there, just as Gabriella remembered her.

  The man next to her was nearly as tall and broad as Austin. Though, while Austin was polished, the Baron of Blackwater looked just a bit dangerous. Rough. He had a rakish gleam that pervaded every feature from his overlong blond hair to the jaunty way he stood.

  “We’re so pleased you’re here!” Abigail gushed as she stepped forward. “And look at you.” Rather than hug Gabriella, she grabbed Gabriella’s hands and spread them wide. “My goodness you are the most enchanting creature. No wonder Vanity married you.”

  “Vanity?” she asked, looking back at Austin.

  For the first time since she’d met him, his cheeks turned a bit pink. “It’s a nickname my friends have given me.”

  “Mine is Blasphemy. Don’t ask.” Chad stepped forward. “But it helps to keep our identities secret at the gaming hell we run.”

  That made her start. Her husband ran a gaming hell? Wasn’t he a lord? Her lips pressed together as she followed her hosts into a sitting room. Austin’s hand came to her back, but for once, she didn’t lean into him. Because she realized why she’d been distressed earlier. He had every right to be concerned about others seeing their match as legitimate. She didn’t know a thing about him. Not really.

  If held to question, she couldn’t even answer basic facts about the man she’d married.

  “Vanity, you’ll never guess what’s happened,” Abigail said as they sat. “My father has returned. He’s alive.”

  Gabriella blinked, allowing the conversation to flow over her as she retreated into her own thoughts.

  What had she gotten herself into? The three other members of the party bantered back and forth, clearly old friends who knew each other well. She should listen, she’d likely learn more about Austin, but instead, she looked down at her lap.

  “We’ll need the carriage. With Abigail’s father’s return, we’ll travel to London to inform her sisters,” Chad said. How long had the conversation gone on without her?

  She blinked back to reality as Austin replied, “Is it safe?”

  Chad nodded. “Eliza and Menace are already back, and Isabella and Decadence are on their way.”

  Chad gave a quick nod. “Can you send my carriage here when you arrive in London? I need to shore up some more details before we can leave Overton.”

  “Such as?” Chad asked, his arm resting lightly about his wife’s waist.

  “We can speak on it later.” Austin waved his hand.

  “Quite right,” Abigail added. “I’ve been prattling on while Gabriella has hardly said a word. Tell us all about what’s happened since I last saw you.”

  Gabriella swallowed. This conversation had her insides all twisted. “Well. The highlight, I think, is that we got married.”

  Everyone laughed at that.

  Chad gave her a kind smile, the sort that softened his features. “So, Vanity, you’ve married a woman who is both beautiful and quiet. How’d you manage that?”

  “Are you insulting me?” Abigail swatted at his arm, but she laughed. “I’ve been told that I am rather chatty. As the youngest of four, I had to be loud in order to be heard.”

  Gabriella leaned forward, relieved and pleased at the turn in the conversation. “Did you love having siblings? I’ve always wanted a big family.”

  Abigail held her hands to her heart. “My sisters are the most wonderful people in the entire world. I love them so much, it hurts.”

  “She loves them with all her heart when she’s not furious with them,” Chad added with a wink. “And I’m sure Vanity will make an excellent father. He’s the most even-tempered of anyone I know.”

  She looked over at her husband. She’d thought so too, and it was a small consolation that she’d figured something out about him. But there was still so much she didn’t know, and she was worried one of those gaps might rip them apart completely.

  Take the gaming hell.

  She hated gambling with a passion. Almost as much as she despised drinking. And he owned an establishment that made money off the endeavor. She clasped her hands in her lap. How could she not have known that?

  What if he turned out to be addicted to gaming like her father, and ended up losing everything? What guarantee did she have she wouldn’t end up the same way she was when her father wanted to auction her? Alone and destitute.

  “Vanity, guess what else,” Abigail clapped. “Eliza sent a letter that arrived yesterday. There is big news with my cousin Avery. I can’t wait to hear what’s happened.”

  “Infamy took Avery out of the city, didn’t he?” Austin asked.

  Gabriella looked over at Austin. “Infamy? Another of your partners?” She hadn’t intended any bitterness to color her words but a bit of it leaked out.

  Austin’s jaw clenched a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Yes.”

  The door opened and the butler entered. “Dinner is served.”

  Gabriella stood, determined to be more gracious for the rest of the evening. But when they returned to the cottage, it was time for her and Austin to have another discussion about the parameters of their relationship.

  Chapter Eleven

  Austin had learned in the past few days that Gabriella was a woman who enjoyed silence. It suited him quite well. He liked her quiet personality.

  But the silence in the carriage as they returned to the cottage was…stony.

  He’d been searching for a way to breach it since they entered the vehicle, but his meager attempts had failed.

  He’d begun with, “My friends enjoyed your company.”

  “And I theirs.” Then nothing. Not even a glance.

  “The evening is mild.” He’d tried again.

  “Yes,” was all she replied as she stared out into the darkness.

  Finally, he leaned down onto his knees, staring at her. “You’re angry.”

  “Quite.”

  Well. That was direct. And he appreciated her honesty. But he had the feeling he’d be far less pleased with whatever had upset her. He scru
bbed the back of his neck. “Would you mind telling me why?”

  Her dark eyes met his, her head high as she stared at him. “I’ve been trying to discern the finer points of my irritation all evening and I believe I’ve landed on it.”

  “What is it?”

  “We don’t actually have a legitimate match in any sense.”

  That made him sit back in his seat. “I beg your pardon?”

  “We’ve not consummated our marriage. I’m not your lover. I know almost nothing about your life, your work. For example, I had no idea you ran a gaming hell, an establishment I find—” She stopped, rubbing her temples. “This isn’t even your home. I’m not intertwined into your life in any way. We didn’t even kiss to seal our vows.”

  His mouth opened and then closed. Opened again, but he couldn’t form words. She was right. There was nothing to say but that. “We’ve only known each other a few days. Soon you’ll know everyone I know. And you’ll be intimately acquainted with all my homes and—”

  “Homes? You have multiple homes? How many homes do you have?”

  He cringed. He’d stepped into that one. “Three. One of which isn’t entailed. Which means I’ll bequeath it to you as soon as I can meet with a barrister.”

  It was her turn to open her mouth and then close it again. Her hands fluttered and then settled back into her lap. “You’re going to give me a house?”

  “Yes, Gabriella. You are my actual wife, regardless of what you just said, and it’s my duty to take care of you. Which I will do to the fullest of my ability.” He reached for her hands, taking them in his larger ones. “I told you, I was sick as a child. I’m always afraid something might happen to jeopardize my health. I’ll take steps to make certain that you are provided for no matter what happens to me. You’ll never have to be under your father’s care again.”

  In a rush of skirts, she was across the carriage and in his lap, her lips finding his. He pressed her closer to his front as he allowed her to kiss him senseless. It had only been a few days. He’d built a life on discipline and control, and yet, as he held her, he was already tired of holding himself apart from her.

  He wished to lose himself in her body, drown in his feelings for her.

  She leaned back. “If you truly want to protect me, we should start having children. With an heir, I’ll have the full protection of the viscountcy always.”

  He closed his eyes as he pressed his forehead to hers. The woman had a point. And besides, creating a child was one of the reasons he’d married her. He wasn’t giving in to his desire, he was fulfilling an important duty to her and to himself. “That is a most excellent point.”

  Their lips met again in a slow, sensual breath that made his heart race in his chest. Her breasts were pressed to his chest and he ran a hand down the curve of her spine. He trailed his fingers over the ample swell of her behind and then, grasping both cheeks, settled her closer.

  She whimpered into his mouth, her gloved fingers stroking at his neck.

  The carriage rolled to a stop and he made a noise deep in his throat. He didn’t want to set her down even for a second, but then again, the sooner they made it into the cottage, the better.

  He slid her to the side and snapped open the door, swinging her out of the vehicle and into his arms again.

  The carriage drove off, returning to Chad’s as Austin carried his wife inside.

  She kissed him again, and somehow he managed to get the door open and stumble inside with her in his arms, their lips locked together.

  He pressed his back against the door to shut it again and then unbuttoned her pelisse with his free hand.

  Progress to the bedroom was slow as a trail of clothes scattered on the floor, but by the time they’d made it to the confines of the bed, Austin was in naught but his breeches and boots and Gabriella her chemise and corset.

  This time, his hands explored every inch of her body from her breasts that filled his hands, to her narrow waist, and over the swell of her hips.

  His cock was straining at his breeches, even as he unlaced her corset and pulled the garment off.

  Tracing her hip again, he slid his hand down her leg and then, finding the hem of her chemise, brushed the fabric aside to explore up her thigh. He wanted to pleasure her before he’d entered her. Mostly because it would make the act easier on her, but also because it had been so long, he was a bit…anxious about his own performance.

  Would he end prematurely? Suffer an attack?

  He winced and pulled back a bit, but her hands lifted, looping about his neck. “Thank you, Austin,” she whispered.

  “Thank you for what?” he asked, forgetting all about his worries.

  “For marrying me.” She slid her hands down the bare skin of his back.

  He touched his forehead to hers even as his hand brushed her curls. “Thank you for marrying me.” Despite being a viscount, he knew he would have struggled with intimacy no matter whom he wed. But something about Gabriella was stripping away his guards, tearing down his defenses.

  He hoped that was a good change. Prayed it was the right choice. In this moment, it certainly felt that way.

  But as his fingers sank deeper into her soft, silky flesh, he forgot everything but the hitch in her breath and the thrust of her hips.

  * * *

  Gabriella was falling again. Not literally, of course. In actuality, her back was firmly planted on the mattress.

  But whenever Austin began touching her, she felt as though she was weightless, pleasure rippling through her body.

  He trailed kisses down her front, stopping at her chest. He drew one of her nipples into his mouth, the cloth of her chemise still between them, not that it mattered. Her back arched off the bed as she cried out in pleasure.

  He pulled away and she protested, reaching her arms up to him, but he only smiled as he pulled her chemise over her head. “I want to see all of you.”

  She moaned as she wiggled out of the fabric and then he came back on top of her. The feel of his skin against hers made her shiver in anticipation. She raked her hands up his back even as his mouth came down on her nipple again.

  When his hand brushed her curls again, she cried out, her body spasming even from the light touch.

  He let out another growl and then sank his finger inside her. Her body tightened about him, her hands gripping his shoulders tight.

  And then his hand disappeared again as he rose, fumbling with the stays of his trousers. He thrust the fabric down, the garment only making it as far as his knees.

  And then he was on top of her again, his staff pressing against her opening.

  This was the moment.

  She’d become his wife in actuality, and perhaps then she could feel more secure in their relationship.

  He pressed against her flesh, sinking into her as tingling pleasure radiated out from they joined.

  Austin pushed further inside her channel and the pleasure diminished as a burning, stretching sensation replaced it.

  She stiffened but didn’t move as he continued to sink into her.

  Then the pain amplified. It seemed as though something inside her ripped and she whimpered.

  He stilled. “Did it hurt, love?”

  “A little.” She nodded, gripping his shoulders. “It’s all right.”

  But he leaned down and kissed her too. “We’ll go slow. For both our sakes.”

  She returned his kiss, relaxing into his large frame. “Are you nervous?”

  He was fully seated in her now, but he lifted his head to nod. “The last time I did this, was intimate, I had an attack and I…” His face spasmed and suddenly Gabriella fully understood.

  He was afraid that the act would bring on an attack. She hugged him tighter. “Isn’t there a way we could do this that wouldn’t be so taxing on your lungs?”

  He gave her the gentlest kiss on her lips, moving in her. “You are marvelous, do you know that?”

  She smiled against his lips, the sensation of him inside her
no longer painful, but bringing pleasure. “Thank you.”

  “Truly, the doctors say I won’t have them anymore, but I survived them by being strong, by being disciplined, and by—”

  “Denying yourself.” It all made sense.

  He slowly moved out of her and then very gently pushed back in again, and she took him all the way, loving the way he felt inside her. The pain had receded as she focused on his words. His voice. “Yes. By denying myself. But I need to have an heir in order to continue my line and…” He stroked her cheeks. “And I can’t deny myself the pleasure of touching you.”

  Gabriella loved everything about being with him…the feel of him over her, the feeling of floating with him, his strength. But what if he were the one lying on the mattress?

  Locking her legs about his waist, she pushed him to the side. She wasn’t even certain it would work but he rolled and she with him until he was on his back and she was above him, all the while he was still seated inside her.

  She moved as he had, pulling him out of her body and then sliding back down his staff, surprised by just how good the movement felt.

  His eyes widened as he grasped her hips. “I didn’t even think—”

  But she kissed his words away. They could discuss it later. Right now, she wanted to bring him pleasure. He’d given her so much already.

  She repeated the movement and soon they were moving in a rhythm, pleasure spiraling through her.

  His hands still rested on her hips, guiding her movements and she only broke their kiss long enough to ask, “Are you all right?”

  “I’m wonderful,” he answered, pressing their pelvises together as his eyes squeezed shut.

  Gabriella didn’t try to talk again as pleasure built inside her until it finally broke, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.

  At her cry, he grunted, his own body shuddering in pleasure.

  His arms wrapped about her back then, holding her against his chest. She didn’t bother to move off him as she lay her head on his shoulder.