Taming Temperance

by Jillian Eaton

  She was not coming.

  As Hugh stared down the empty road, the realization washed over him like a wave of cold water. Temperance was not coming to meet him, and he had been played the fool yet again.

  Shoulders hunching bitterly beneath his dark coat, he turned on his heel and began to retrace his steps back to the inn. A cool breeze swayed the air and brushed his hair back from his temple, but did little to cool his growing ire.

  Damn women.

  Damn them.

  Why couldn’t they simply do what they said they were going to do? Was it an inherent trait all females possessed, or was he cursed with being attracted to the most treacherous ones? First Aileen, now Temperance. The next time he considered taking a woman to bed, it would be a plain-faced lass with cotton in her head and a sweet smile on her lips. Perhaps then he would not run the risk of being left disappointed. Perhaps then he would–

  “Leaving so soon?”

  At the sound of Temperance’s amused voice, Hugh halted dead in his tracks and whipped around, his harsh exhalation of breath painting the air with a frosty cloud of mist.

  “You are late,” he said flatly as she sauntered towards him as though she hadn’t a care in the world.

  “Or maybe you are just early,” she suggested. Reaching his side, she curled her soft, pliant arm through his rigid one and lifted a brow. In the moonlight her countenance was pale as cream and her lips as red as berries. Resisting the sudden urge to lower his head and see if her mouth tasted as sweet and luscious as it looked, Hugh chose instead to cling to his discontent.

  At least anger was a familiar emotion. What he felt when he gazed at Temperance was…not.

  “This is the last time I will wait for you.”

  Her lips curled in a pout. “And here I thought I was worth waiting for.”

  You are.

  The unwanted thought was so strong it nearly spilled from his mouth before he caught himself. Scowling, Hugh jerked his arm free and set off back towards town, his long, ground covering strides making quick work of the distance. After a moment of silence he heard the rustle of Temperance’s skirts as she hurried after him, as well as the annoyed hiss of breath when she managed to catch up.

  “There is no need to be an ass about it,” she said. “If you knew what I had to go through to–”

  “I do not care what you went through. The only thing I care about is what’s waiting for me between your thighs.” Hugh knew he was being deliberately crude, and he felt a moment of guilt when Temperance did not come back with a witty remark. There was no reason to be so blatantly rude. He should be treating her with respect, if not kindness. Unfortunately, it had been so long since Hugh had received either that he no longer remembered how to give them in return. With Aileen it had been a constant battle of emotions. Whereas Temperance’s clever barbs often had him fighting back a smile, his wife’s cruel words had left him reeling for days.

  “I’m…sorry,” he said gruffly. “I should not have–”

  “Do not waste your breath apologizing,” Temperance interrupted. “Not when we both know you wouldn’t mean it.”

  Hugh gave a brusque nod of his head, even though the strange thing was he knew he would mean it. Whether she had meant to or not, Temperance had gotten under his skin in more ways than one. He wanted her body – God, he wanted her body – but he also wanted her smile and the sound of her laughter, even if it was ringing out at his own expense.

  “Stay close to me and keep your head down,” he ordered as they reached the front of the inn. The battered steps sagged and creaked beneath their weight as they climbed them in unison. There were a few men standing about when he opened the front door, but thankfully it was not unusual for patrons of the inn to bring back a lady love to their room and no one gave Temperance a second glance as Hugh led her up the stairs and down the hall.

  “It worked,” she said the moment he closed and locked the door behind them. With a giggle, she threw back her hood and all but danced across the floor. “I cannot believe it actually worked!”

  “Yes,” Hugh said roughly as he followed her with his gaze. “It did.”

  Had he thought she looked beautiful in the moonlight? If so, it was nothing compared to how she glowed in candlelight. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink. Her eyes a bright, sparkling amber. She had fashioned her hair in loose curls that rippled and gleamed as she moved, making him want to sink his hands into the silky tresses and yank her against him. The dress she wore was a simple blue and the cut of it showed off her curves to perfection.

  As though she could feel the weight of his stare, Temperance lifted her chin and their eyes met.

  “You cleaned the room,” she said in a voice that was suddenly soft and shy and uncertain.

  “Yes.” He hadn’t meant to, but before he knew what he was doing he was sweeping a broom across the floor and requesting new sheets and opening the window to let in fresh air. He’d put all of his belongings in the corner and even gone so far as to neatly stack his boots against the far wall. His efforts had not made the room look any larger or brighter (no matter how much polish one put on a pig it always remained a pig) but at least it was reasonably clean.

  Without consciously meaning to, his gaze went to the bed. Temperance’s stare followed and for a moment they studied the neatly made mattress in utter silence.

  “Having seconds thoughts?” he asked, noting the line of tension in her jaw.

  Blinking, she tore her eyes away from the orange and green quilt he’d tucked beneath the pillows. “Of course not,” she said with a haughty toss of her head. “Are you?”

  “Anything but.” With slow, measured movements he began to undress, first pulling off his coat and then bending low to unlace his boots. He felt Temperance watching him the entire time and he took silent pleasure in knowing she was nervous.

  She had not said as much – a woman as proud and arrogant as Temperance would never admit to such a weakness – but he could see it in the whiteness of her knuckles and feel it in the tension thickening the air.

  “Do you need help with your dress?” Bringing both hands to his throat, he made quick work of the buttons running down the length of his white shirt. Temperance followed his fingers as they made their way down, eyes widening when he revealed the dark trail of hair leading straight towards his navel. “Well?” he prompted when she did not respond. If his memory served correct, it was the longest she had ever gone without uttering a glib remark or snide comment. It bolstered his ego to think he had struck her speechless, and when he lifted his head there was a rare hint of genuine amusement glimmering in the depths of his hooded gaze.

  “You’re…larger than I thought you would be.”

  Seeing her stare was focused solely on his chest, Hugh could not help but grin. “And I haven’t even taken off my trousers yet.”

  “Oh.” With a tiny gasp she looked up at his face as her cheeks deepened in color.

  Her reaction caused his grin to slowly fade. If he did not know any better he would think her a bashful virgin, but given what she had told him – and the way she had behaved the last time they were together – he knew she was not as shy as she was pretending. If she wanted to act otherwise, he was not going to stop her. Let her have her games. The only thing he wanted was her warm, writhing body wrapped around his hard, pulsing–

  “Come here,” he said roughly, beckoning with a single crook of his finger. “And turn around.”

  To his surprise, Temperance did as he requested. Lifting her hair out the way, she exposed the nape of her neck and the row of delicate pearl buttons that ran down the back of her dress. Fumbling through the task of freeing her from the dress, Hugh exhaled in ready relief when it fell to her feet in a soft pool of blue. If he had to wait any longer to touch her soft skin, he feared he would explode.

  Lifting one hand, he gently traced the outline of her right arm. She shivered from his touch, but she didn’t step away from it. Instead she turned to face him and the naked de
sire Hugh saw in her eyes stole the breath from his lungs. With her hair loose and tumbling around her shoulders and her creamy breasts spilling out of her corset she looked like an angel fallen from heaven, and he was a demon hell bent on claiming her as his own.

  “What comes next?” she whispered, as if she hadn’t any idea. Her tongue darted out to sweep at her full bottom lip and he all but groaned in need as his cock surged to life inside his trousers.

  “This,” he breathed before he yanked her against his chest and brought their mouths crashing together.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Temperance was far more nervous than she thought she would be. From the moment she proceeded Hugh into his bedroom her heart had been beating at an irregular tempo and her pulse was racing so fast she feared it would never again resume a steady rhythm. Just as she managed to somewhat compose herself, she had turned around…and the hungry gleam in Hugh’s eyes had sent her heart galloping all over again.

  She held her breathe while he painstakingly unbuttoned her gown. Released it on a tiny whoosh of air when she pivoted to face him. He was staring at her as though she were a delectable morsel to be devoured, and despite the butterflies dancing in her stomach she felt a surge of arousal all the way from the tips of her toes to the tips of her earlobes.

  Earlobes he had suckled while she’d bucked against his hand…

  “What comes next?” she asked, hating that she was so apprehensive but unable to quell her anxiety completely. Before when she had kissed Hugh and he’d kissed her in return it had all seemed like a game. A fun, frivolous game where no one could get hurt and they both came away with a prize. But as she stared up into his dark gaze she suddenly felt as though she’d stepped into deep, tumultuous waters…and forgotten how to swim.

  “This,” he said in a husky voice that pulled at the hot, damp, secretive spot between her thighs. And then his arms where on her arms, and her chest was pressed against his chest, and he was kissing with her a wild abandon that carried away all of her worries and doubts in one fell swoop.

  Yes, she cried silently as his tongue plunged between her lips and his fingers tangled in her hair. This is what I came here for. This is what I wanted. This feeling. This rush. This freedom.

  Before she had time to comprehend what was happening her corset was off and her drawers quickly followed. It was the first time she had ever stood naked in front of a man, but she did not feel embarrassed. How could she, when Hugh was gazing at her with slack-jawed reverence?

  “Beautiful.” His eyes traveled slowly up and down her candlelight kissed body, as though she were a stunning painting that had suddenly come to life. “So beautiful.”

  “What about you?” Temperance bit the inside of her cheek as she glanced pointedly down at Hugh’s gray trousers. There was a large bulge between his thighs. The same large bulge she had felt pressed against her navel the last time they had been in this room.

  He stepped back and made quick work of unbuttoning his trousers. When he stepped out of them one leg at a time, Temperance’s cheeks filled with color all over again when she realized he was wearing nothing beneath. Of its own accord her gaze was drawn to the hard, pulsing heat of his erection. It stood proudly up against his body, the tip rounded and already glistening. Her breath caught in her chest anew. She was supposed to put all of that inside of her body?

  Impossible.

  Temperance may have been a virgin, but she had watched enough farm animals to know the basic mechanics of how lovemaking was done. And there was no way Hugh’s giant cock was going to fit between her legs.

  He must have seen the sudden wariness in her gaze, for with a gruff murmur he pulled her into his arms again and began to kiss her senseless. Her head fell back as his mouth skimmed down her throat before settling on the rosy tip of one breast. The heat was a ready distraction from what was to come, and when he lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bed she did not kick or fight but went willingly, a temptress prepared to sacrifice herself on the altar of sin.

  She was laid gently on her back. Hugh stretched out above her, his eyes so dark with desire they looked black in the dim lighting. Keeping one hand braced beside her head he reached down with the other and she cried out when he cupped her sex, fingers sifting through the tawny curls between her thighs.

  “Do you like that?” he murmured as he touched her opening with light, teasing strokes.

  “More,” she begged shamelessly. “I want more.”

  Grinning wickedly, Hugh was only too happy to oblige.

  Temperance did not know how long he played with her like a cat with newfound toy. Time was irrelevant when his finger was nestled deep inside of her. She arched her back as his clever fingers brought her ever closer to the edge only to claw his shoulders in protest when he abruptly withdrew his hand and left her desperately wanting.

  “No,” she cried. “What are you – oh.” Tears filled Temperance’s eyes as he pushed his hard, pulsing cock inside of her without warning. Or at least warning of the verbal variety. Were she more experienced, she might have known what would follow such intimate fondling. But for all her feigned arrogance she wasn’t experienced, and the burning pain she felt as Hugh breached her innocence had her entire body going stiff as a board.

  He had squeezed his eyes shut the moment he entered her, but when she abruptly stiffened and turned as cold as a block of ice his eyes opened. Whatever he saw written in the tense lines of her face was enough to cause a vicious curse to spill from his lips. He stopped his slow thrusting but did not withdraw.

  “You haven’t done this before.” It wasn’t a question, but a harsh accusation.

  Blinking the tears from her eyes, Temperance managed a jerky shake of her head. “No,” she whispered.

  Hugh exhaled. “You should have told me. Why didn’t you–”

  “Because I did not know it would hurt!” How could she? No one had ever told her. She knew her virginity was supposed to be something she gave to her husband, like a gift wrapped up in a shiny bow. But since she never intended to take a husband, she had figured there wouldn’t be any harm in giving it to Hugh instead. She’d guessed there might have been some initial discomfort due to his size, but she had never imagined such burning pain.

  “Of course it is going to damn well hurt the first time!” Frustration and bewilderment flashed across Hugh’s countenance in equal measure.

  The first time? Then this wasn’t how it would feel every time? Relief softened her muscles, but they tightened with alarm when he began to pull himself out of her and roll to the side. “Wait!” Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed his shoulders, arms trembling with the force it took to hold him against her. “I – I still want to go through with it.”

  “No,” he said flatly. “I do not make a habit of deflowering innocents.”

  “But you already have,” she protested. “Well, perhaps not all the way, but I am least half deflowered.”

  His jaw clenched as he glared down at her. “You tricked me.”

  “But you still want me.” The initial surge of pain had dissipated. In its place there was only a vague pressure…and, oddly enough, a sense of aching. Propping herself up on her elbows, she ran her tongue along the curve of his ear and whispered, “Don’t you, Hugh? Don’t you still want me?”

  She felt his response between her thighs as the pressure inside of her rapidly increased. Her grip on his shoulders softened. Using her nails, she trailed tiny furrows along the length of his arms before lightly pinching both of his nipples.

  He groaned.

  “Witch,” he said harshly even as he began to slowly, slowly move inside of her once again.

  This time, knowing of her innocence, he was careful with her. For every stroke there was a kiss and for every kiss there was a gentle slide of his tongue between her lips. Then he reached between their bodies and touched her there, and suddenly she was the one who wanted more.

  Pressure began to build inside of her, but it was the good kind of p
ressure. After a few fumbling attempts she matched her rhythm with his. Their breaths grew labored. Their foreheads damp. The mattresses creaked beneath them, so loud the neighboring rooms had to have heard, but neither one of them cared.

  “Close.” Hugh’s voice was a ragged whisper dragged across her flesh. “So…damn…close.”

  Temperance was as well and this time, courtesy of their last intimate encounter, she knew what was waiting for her on the other side of the enormous wave building inside of her.

  When they crested the top of the wave and tumbled mindlessly down the other side, they did so together. Hugh’s savage growl of satisfaction drowned out Temperance’s cry of pleasure as he drove her to her second orgasm. He withdrew quickly, and she felt the sticky hot spray of semen on her skin as he came against her belly, his entire body shuddering from the force of it.

  After it was done, after their insatiable thirst for one another had finally been sated, they laid side by side staring up at the ceiling in silence. Temperance – not surprisingly – was the first one to speak.

  Turning her head, she studied the harsh outline of his profile before she asked if he had anything she could use to clean herself.

  “Stay there,” he ordered as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I will get it.”

  Moments later he returned with a towel. Dabbing it gently against her stomach, he cleaned up his mess before exchanging the first towel for a second and moving to her thighs. When she sat up and gave him a questioning look, his gaze darted to the side.

  “There is always some bleeding the first time,” he explained gruffly.

  Letting herself fall back on one of the poorly stuffed pillows, Temperance could not stop the smile from curving her lips as he tended to her as though she were a delicate doll made of porcelain.