by Imogene Nix
He hooked his hands under the lacy confection of her wrap, and it slid to the floor, forgotten. The darkness outside settled, yet inside the room was illuminated by the candles, the light reflecting off the mirrors and crystal vases.
In the mirror in her own room, Elspeth had noted the way the lace gown she wore hid very little. It was held together with four tiny buttons. Her hands itched to hold the gown together, in place, but she fought and conquered the impulse.
He settled his fingers on the top button, and she gasped. “Aeddan...” Her unspoken question made him smile for some reason.
One button popped free, then another. She stood still, letting him release the tiny pearls, while her body felt as if it melted beneath his touch. Heat pooled between her legs, and her nipples tightened into wicked buds of need, such as she’d never before experienced. The lace bedeviled her, and she moaned with each move.
Finally, looking pleased with himself, Aeddan pushed the gown from her shoulders. She gasped as the cool air caressed her overheated skin. She held her legs together, hoping to assuage the emptiness she felt, but it didn’t work.
“Aeddan?” The throb increased deep inside her body.
His hands moved to the knotted belt at his waist, his eyes hooded. Her mouth dried as the tie gave way and the robe fell open. On a careless shrug, it dropped away and pooled next to her gown.
She’d never seen a naked man before, and her startled gaze zeroed in on his hard, long length before she gasped. He smiled as she looked her fill.
“How is that going to fit?”
He laughed, a chesty rumble that made her nerves spike and jump. “Have no fear. It will.”
She swallowed; for an instant she knew fear. “If you say so.” She had her doubts.
Aeddan took her hand and led her to the bed. At the edge, she sank down but he didn’t follow.
“Aren’t you...”
He shook his head. “Not yet.” Instead, he reached for a tiny decanter at the table and poured some of the contents into his hand. “Let me pleasure you first.”
His eyes almost smoked, and she swallowed, unsure how to react.
“Lie back and relax.”
She followed his instructions, and the soft fabric cradled her body. No one, not even her maid, had seen her like this since she’d been a babe. Coherent thought was difficult. Don’t let me embarrass him or me!
The spicy aroma caught her attention as he laid his hands on the skin of her stomach; the touch left her muscles tensing. He moved his hands slowly, and she arched, feeling the quivering in her belly, as he rubbed the oil over her skin.
Such pleasure! No one had told her of this.
His hands found her ribcage and she moaned a little, each pass moving higher until finally caressing the edges of her breasts. She moved and squirmed, uncaring now of anything except the hunger that gnawed at her while her blood heated.
“Aeddan?”
“Soon, Elspeth,” he growled as his touch grew bolder, swiping over her breast with slow, gentle caresses. His fingertips found and lingered at her budded nipples.
Her body fought for control of her mind while the ache between her legs grew. Now her fingers twined in the covers of the bed.
He kept up the ministrations. Sliding his fingertips up over her shoulders, he smoothed before pulling away. She drew in a ragged breath and opened her eyes to watch him pour more oil into his cupped palm.
“Let me.”
When he turned back, his face was tight. “Not yet, little one.”
The smile he bestowed on her was hot as he set his hands on the top of her thighs. This time she cried out, and his smile became darker. Wolfish.
The tightness in her chest took her by surprise, and by the time he’d found his way to her most intimate flesh she was panting and writhing with hunger and need.
He climbed onto the bed, towering over her as he slipped one careful finger between her legs. “Pleasure. Lovemaking is pleasure. One I want you to share with me.”
Unable to form a coherent word, she rested her gaze on him. He teased the folds between her legs, and she couldn’t help but watch, mesmerized.
Each time he glanced the bud of her clitoris she cried out. Then he pushed his finger deeply within the warm channel between her legs. She shuddered, her body reacting without any conscious thought. Pressure built. Arousal, hot and sharp, speared her, but she didn’t know what to do.
“Aeddan?” Her voice was thready, and he dipped in to kiss her lips.
Rapaciously, he fed from her. His urgent movements married with the motions of his hand, and she undulated, unable to remain still, tension coiling in her belly, her body straining for something just out of reach. Sliding his finger, he toyed until some desperate peak of pleasure seemed within her grasp.
This time when he pulled away and slid his hand from her, the hunger had her reaching for him.
“Aeddan? Did I do…”
“Hush, my love.”
He shifted, chest bellowing in and out, as if searching for some restraint. The ticking of a clock filled the air. Once, twice, and a third time, before he lifted his head, his gaze harsh.
“Now.”
She couldn’t pull away from his searching look, and his voice was guttural.
Slowly, achingly slow, he lifted her hips, reaching for a pillow, which he slipped under her derriere. She parted her legs, and he kneeled between them.
“There will be pain.”
The words came from far away, and she couldn’t focus as her body clamored for something just beyond her reach.
She noted the way his teeth were gritted, and he ran an oiled hand over his erect shaft. All she wanted now was him.
Elspeth wasn’t sure what she needed, only that he knew and held the key to the release she knew was close. “Aeddan? Please.”
One more rub between her legs left her moaning and flinging her back with the sensual haze. He fitted himself to her core and pushed. The barrier gave and she keened at the sharp pain. Her body stiffened as he held still within her.
Tears leaked from between tightly closed eyes. She took one breath then another while she looked up at him. He’d told her there’d be pain. But somehow, she hadn’t understood.
He didn’t move, still deeply embedded within her. She could feel him, damn him! Her body reacted to the burning sensation, seeking to end it. When she would have pulled away, he placed a hand on her tummy. “Be still.”
Around his lips was bone white as if he too shared her pain.
“Aeddan?” The sting was receding, but there was still a stretching and overfull sensation. “I don’t...”
“Never. Again. I. Promise.” His chest bellowed, and he held still a little longer. “No more pain now, my love.” Elspeth tried to pull away again, but he caught her with hard fingers. “Wait.”
So she did. At last the burn retreated, and she relaxed. “Will it always be like this?”
“No. Now there will be pleasure. Only pleasure between us.”
He nudged her with his hips, and she waited for the pain she was sure would follow his moves. But there wasn’t any—just the erotic sensation of friction. He shifted again, and this time she gasped. Her body betraying her totally with a dizzying pleasure.
Again he nudged, and she unconsciously mirrored his moves, meeting him. Each successive thrust faster and deeper than the last as they moved in swift unison. Sounds of slapping flesh and the scent of arousal filled the air.
Her body demanded release from the wicked, driving hunger. She didn’t know how, only that the release of the driving hunger was with him.
“Aeddan?” She keened and he grunted.
“Let go. Give in to the pleasure.”
Unable to help herself, she did, and her body splintered as he pounded into her, over and over again. She cried out, arched, and he joined her, stiffened against her.
For a moment there was nothing. Just a whirling vortex of gratification, then she fell, closing her eyes and giving in t
o exhaustion.
Chapter 12
Aeddan stared at the ceiling. Elspeth slept heavily, and he frowned, his arm flung over his head. What the hell happened here tonight? He’d planned to give her pleasure, but the cataclysmic orgasm stunned him. He’d never lost his head like that.
He damned himself for the secrets he kept from her. He hadn’t told her who he was either. How the hell do I tell her?
She snuffled in her sleep, a delightful sound that made him feel even angrier with himself. He slid his hand over her naked back, loving the silky feel of her.
“Elspeth.”
“Who...” Her groggy word made him smile.
“It’s me. Aeddan. I need to talk to you.”
The sudden stillness, the way her muscles tensed, told him she realized she was naked in his bed. He slid out of the bed and grabbed her robe along with the two glasses of wine. She turned over, clutching the sheet against her chest, as he held the glass out.
He couldn’t contain the laugh. “I’ve seen all of you, so there’s no need to hide.”
She blushed deeply, accepting the goblet as he dropped the robe on her lap. Her eyes widened and her face flamed before she turned away. He told himself firmly she’d been innocent until tonight so that made his teasing unfair.
Moving to the end of the bed, balancing the drink in his hands, he scooped up his bedroom robe and donned it while she hurriedly placed her drink on the side table and struggled into the lacy confection. He did wonder if she realized it didn’t hide anything. Wisely, he kept silent and made his way back onto the bed, slipping under the covers in the chilled night air.
“Well...” She glanced in his direction then away.
“Yes. So... Uh.. You feel fine?” He cursed his ham-handed words, but how the hell was he supposed to open this discussion? After all, he’d just deflowered his first virgin. The fact that she was his wife made him even more uncertain.
“Uh, yes. Thank you.” She blushed a deeper scarlet, and he sipped his wine while sorting through his scattered wits.
He dragged her close against him. For a moment she stiffened but then nestled into his caress. With one hand, he rubbed her through the light lace covering and wished he could make the truths he was about to speak just disappear.
“I need to tell you something. Something I should have told you before.”
She turned in his direction, and a curl dropped from her now less than perfect hairstyle.
“I’m rather more than I explained previously.”
Elspeth watched him, and he was glad for her silence.
“My father is an earl. I also have a title. I’m the Viscount Traughton, and my father is the Earl of Carrington. That makes you the viscountess.”
She gasped, spilling a little wine on the sheets then batting at the drips with an ineffectual hand. “What? No, see, that can’t possibly be correct. If it were, then you wouldn’t have married me.” Her face turned pale, and she bit her bottom lip.
He shook his head, noting the way her hands trembled. “It’s true. I am Aeddan Fitzsimmons, but I have all the extra titles that go with it.”
As he watched, she blanched further and shook her head. “You tricked me… Knew that our marriage would be—”
“No, I didn’t trick you. I omitted some facts, but I never lied, Elspeth.”
She hmphed and looked away. “How am I supposed to find my place in your world when I’m not even from the same...” She sighed deeply, visibly upset by his revelation. “I’m not even from the same social set as you. I don’t know how a viscountess is supposed to behave.”
She looked so miserable and woebegone. The tears welling in her eyes had him wanting to gather her in his arms, but right now there was a chasm between them. One that hadn’t existed earlier in the evening. He had to breach it and quickly.
“We’ll get through this together, Elspeth. I’ll be there to support you.”
She glanced away before snorting inelegantly. “That’s fine in some places, but not everywhere. You know that.” She shook her head, tears tracking down her face, and she rubbed at the glistening trails. “It’s too late now. You should have told me. Given me a choice.”
Her bitter words wounded him deeply, but she was right. He wouldn’t be able to be there all the time. And it was too late. Much too late. Now all he could do was try to rectify the situation he’d created.
She pushed at the bedcovers, slid the glass onto the small bedside table, and crawled out of the bed.
“Where are you going, Elspeth?”
She barely glanced at him, her face stiff. “I’m going to my bedroom.”
“Why?”
She stilled and settled a look on him that questioned his sanity. “Because that’s how married couples sleep.”
He smiled. “Not all. Now, please come back here.”
She gasped and looked at him. “But Aeddan, won’t your staff be...”
He grinned. “Not at all. And if you go in there, I’ll have to follow. I’m rather comfortable here though, and I fancy that bed will be too short and small for both of us.”
With a long sigh and flaming cheeks, she headed back to the bed.
“Just a minute!” He pulled off the top sheet. “It might make you more comfortable.” She hadn’t bled, but she’d feel more comfortable on the fresh sheet below.
She looked away as he balled up the material he’d removed and shoved it into his dressing room. It could be dealt with in the morning.
Without casting a glance at him, she crawled into the bed. He opened his arms, and she swung around and eyed him with suspicion before she scooted closer. He drew in the scent of her and hauled her against him. She settled and her breathing slowed as she gave into sleep. But he lay awake for a long time.
* * * *
As she descended the stairs, Elspeth patted her hair. Waking in his bed had left her feeling rather...strange. When she combined that with the curiously empty throb between her legs and the achy tingle, she felt her equilibrium was severely compromised. None of the maids at home had mentioned any of these things. She shook her head, hoping to clear the miasma clouding her mind.
Aeddan had already risen when she woke, so at least she was spared the indignity of not knowing how to react under the circumstances. She knew he’d held her in the night, their naked bodies entwined. But still... She gulped down an unsteady gasp. Husbands and wives weren’t supposed to sleep together. It was against the natural order of their social set.
The bottom of the steps loomed, and she stopped, steadying herself against the post before she made her way toward the doors of the dining room. As she opened them and peered within, she noted Aeddan—her husband—waiting for her.
“Good morning, Elspeth.” His voice was deep, and the secret places within her body started quivering with anticipation.
She blushed hotly at the twinkle in his eye, while she fought to regain her composure. “Good morning, Aeddan... I mean... My—”
He shook his head. “No. Not now, Elspeth.” He frowned heavily, and she bit her lip.
“But...”
He shook his head again, and she faltered. What have I said wrong? Then the thought came on swift wings. He doesn’t want anyone to know about his title?
He beckoned her to the seat beside him. “Come sit down, wife. Then we can break our fast together.” He’d been reading the paper, but now folded the sheets and laid them aside.
Elspeth reached for the teapot and poured some of the fragrant liquid into her cup.
“Did you sleep well?”
The pot clattered in her hands. How am I supposed to answer that? “Very well, thank you, husband.”
A maid entered the room, bearing a tray, and started laying the foods on the buffet beside the table. Bacon, eggs, and even kippers sat alongside toast and varied conserves. She watched with wide eyes as they cluttered the side. Next to the warm foods sat a large bowl of fruit, the greens, yellows, and golds catching her eye.
Aeddan rose
and indicated she should join him. Amazement filled her as he mounded food on his plate. It was piled high, a veritable mountain of mushrooms and tomatoes, along with a variety of meats. Her own stomach churned just a little, and she decided on toast, with a dark yellow conserve, and grabbed a banana and mango; some of the foods she’d only sampled since her arrival, others remained a mystery still.
Aeddan eyed her plate. “Is that enough?”
She smiled. “It is for me.”
They both reclaimed their seats, and for a while there was silence as the two of them ate in companionable silence. Her mind skipped and danced as memories of the night before crowded in.
When she lifted the mango he put down his knife and fork and speared her with a look.
“What?”
He smiled. “Nothing. I was just wondering how you plan on eating that.” He pointed to the fruit she held in her hand, the sticky juice oozing slightly on her hands.
With a deep blush, Elspeth ducked her head. “I’m not entirely sure. But it looks and smells so good.”
When Aeddan held out his hand for the firm, orange fruit, she passed it over and watched as he deftly sliced the skin into quarters, all the way through to the large seed within. Next he cut off some of the juicy, orange flesh and held it out.
Elspeth held out her hand, but he shook his head.
“Open wide.”
Startled, Elspeth opened her mouth, and he slid the juicy piece within her mouth. Pulpy liquid dribbled down his hand, but what mesmerized her was the look in his eyes. Hungry. His eyes shone with need. Just as they had the night before.
Without conscious thought, she swallowed then leaned forward and licked the rivulets of gold staining his skin. He groaned, the sound echoing through the silent room, and he captured her gaze. Held it prisoner to his will.
Not breaking contact, he raised another sliver of flesh and held it out. She opened her mouth, and this time he took his time sliding it between her lips. She swallowed, her body burning with a dark, sensual hunger. She licked at his finger, her tongue rasping over his skin, snaking down to his wrist, following the liquid trails.
