The silly woman had proposed marriage to him. Marriage. Whenever the topic of marriage had come up in the past, he’d been the first to say he’d never do it. There was no need. Colin was the earl. Let him beget all the heirs and spares.
Had any other woman raised the topic of marriage, he would have run. Quite literally.
But once he’d gathered his wits after her proposal, he’d been filled with joy at the very thought. Being married to Irene would never be easy – which was a good thing. He’d continually have to keep up with her wit, her kindness and her selflessness. He was sure he could never match her, but oh, how he would love to try.
His joy at the thought of marrying her was greater even than what he’d experienced when he realized Adams had, in effect, given him his land back. But that’s when he realized he could never marry. Because now he had his land back. Irene could never be a poor farmer’s wife. It would be too unfair. She’d been dressed in silks from the time she was born. It’s what she deserved. He couldn’t see her in the simple cotton and wool of frontier life.
Could he?
“Make me your own, James. Make love to me.”
He felt drugged with passion and he could barely shake his head no. “I cannot do that to you.”
“From what you have been boasting about, I am quite certain you ‘can.’ The question is whether you will.”
“I won’t.”
“We shall see about that.”
She had already removed her cloak and gloves. She sat on the bed and pulled her skirts up to her knees, giving him a most welcome look at her shapely legs. Well, it would normally be most welcome. But for a man who was intent on not seducing her, regardless of his desire, it was a form of torture.
She unlaced first one half boot, then the other. She took both of them off, then stretched her stockinged feet out in front of her, pointing first one then the other. His eyes had no choice but to follow the long line of her legs.
Then she stood, with her skirts regretfully once again covering her legs. She took her shoes across the room, then bent over to place them near the door, giving him a delicious view of her backside.
He groaned aloud.
She turned around and looked at him. “Are you feeling well?”
Was she truly that innocent? Did she not know the effect she was having on him?
She faced him completely, then reached for the top button of her gown. She unbuttoned it slowly, working her way down. He tried to remain in control. He made himself think of all the reasons he could not make love to this woman, though he was hard pressed to come up with even one.
She slipped the dress over one shoulder and he sucked in a breath.
“James, I believe this Portsmouth air is not good for you. You seem rather out of breath.”
So she did know the effect she was having on him. Well, he wasn’t going to let her get away with this. He wasn’t going to suffer alone.
“Perhaps you’re right,” he said, as he shrugged out of his jacket, throwing it on a chair. “The Portsmouth air is having an odd effect on me.” He tugged at his cravat, then tossed it onto his jacket.
“What are you doing?” She’d lost some of her smugness.
“Making it easier to breathe.” He unbuttoned his waistcoat, flinging it onto the growing pile, then began unbuttoning his shirt.
Her eyes grew round, even as they honed in on his now bared chest.
“Cat got your tongue, Irene?”
“No,” she said. “It’s right here.” She slowly licked her lips and James had to use every ounce of self-control to keep from throwing her on the bed and showing her exactly what his tongue could accomplish.
Emboldened by his look, she finished removing her dress, then very neatly laid it over a chair, once again bending over to give him a good look. But the view this time was even better since she was wearing fewer clothes. Then she quickly divested herself of her petticoats, leaving her in just her front-laced corset and her shift.
He removed his shirt all together. But instead of tossing it on the pile of clothes, he slowly walked to the chair, then picked it up and moved it across the room, giving her a show of his arms, chest, stomach and back as he did so.
He had to smile as he put the chair down with his back to her. She wasn’t going to be able to recover from that anytime soon. Her plan to seduce him was going to fail.
His smile abruptly came to an end when he turned around to find her completely, unutterably, wonderfully naked. She was wearing not a stitch of clothing. And she was smiling like she’d won.
Which she had.
After drinking her in with his eyes, James pulled her into his arms and devoured her with a kiss.
She matched him with every breath, running her hands over his arms and back, pressing into his cock, which was achingly hard.
She fumbled with his trousers, even as they moved toward the bed. Then he stepped away to rip his remaining clothing off, even as she turned down the sheets, revealing her beautiful arse once again – this time fully bared.
With a low growl he tackled her. She was face down on the bed and he lay on her back, skin to skin. Her sigh proclaimed her as happy with the position as he.
He began kissing her neck, then explored her back, running his tongue along her spine, even as she writhed beneath him. When he reached the halfway point, he palmed the globes of her glorious bottom and lightly traced his tongue just above her crack.
“James!” she said from beneath him, bucking just a bit.
“Are you saying you want me to come closer, love?”
“Certainly not,” she said on a sigh, even as he kissed his way down first one leg, then the other.
He turned her over to drink in the bounty before him. An attack of latent modesty made her try to cover herself. He took both hands and held them gently down on either side of her. “You cannot cover up what you already showed me.”
“But you weren’t lying on top of me then,” she said.
He stilled. “Do you wish me to stop? Because I will.”
“No! You daft man. But I am still a maiden and retain some modesty, though, admittedly not much.”
“Well, we’ll have to do something about that, won’t we?” he said, as he began kissing her.
That seemed to calm her, though it was doing nothing to slow him down. He would have stopped if she’d asked him to. But he was ever so grateful she hadn’t. He’d been waiting for this night since they’d met. Truth be told, he’d been waiting for this night his entire life, even if he hadn’t known it. For he’d finally found the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
The one he’d love forever.
They kissed for a few moments, even as he tried to will himself to retain control. He did not want to hurt her, yet knew it was inevitable. He also did not want to disgrace himself by finishing too quickly. He wanted to give her pleasure. To show her at least some of what was in his heart.
He kissed his way down her body. He slowed when he came to her beautiful breasts, gently rounded with strawberry-colored nipples. But as much as he wanted to remain there, he did not tarry. He continued his journey downward until he was once again at her feet.
“James,” she said, as he began nibbling at her instep. “I do not know much about the physical act of love, but it is my understanding that much of it takes place in a different part of the body than where you are now.”
“Far be it from me to contradict you….”
“You find occasion enough to do that, despite your reticence.”
“As I was saying, far be it from me to contradict you, but the act of love is performed at any number of places on the body. Take your lovely feet, for instance. I already know they have a tendency to be cold, then you have a tendency to wrap them around my warmer feet while we are in bed.”
“I would say it is scandalous for you to speak about us in bed, except that is where we are right now. Did you mind that I warmed my feet like that?”
“Not at al
l, love. I suspect I would be in for a lifetime of that if I accept your proposal.”
She half sat up. “Are you going to accept my proposal?”
“I am as yet undecided. Now let us speak about your legs,” he said, as he began scattering kisses on them. “They carried you downstairs that day at your home to give me my first look at you. They later carried you to Layton’s house where you were most argumentative.”
“I was not argumentative,” she protested weakly.
“Hush,” he whispered, as he licked her inner thigh all the way to the top, then barely skimmed over the heart of her before beginning on the other leg. “I approve of your legs, especially the way they became entwined with mine while we were sleeping. As for your….stomach,” here he skipped over the part of her he most wanted to access. “I approve of your stomach for many reasons. One is that it has provided an excellent resting point for my hand while we are in bed.”
“You seem fond of talking about things that happen when we are in bed.”
“Just think of how many more things I’ll be able to discuss tomorrow,” he said with a grin. “As for your breasts, well, I am afraid mere words cannot describe how I feel about them, so let me praise them another way.” He began kissing every inch of them, nibbling lightly, circling around the nipples until he finally drew one into his mouth and began suckling.
Irene was lost to pleasure, moaning with each movement of his mouth. He was becoming more and more worried that he would not last long, especially now that she was touching every part of him she could reach. One particular part of him ached for her touch, though he knew it would spell disaster for his self-control if she did put her hands on him there.
“Please,” she said. “Please stop teasing me. Make love to me, James.”
He would have liked to have continued tormenting her – tormenting both of them. But he didn’t want to make either of them wait any longer.
He went up so his eyes were even with hers. “You know this may hurt, correct? I promise….ahhhh.”
She had found him. One of her hands had grasped his cock. She was squeezing lightly, with a gentle tug.
“I don’t know what to do,” she said.
“All evidence to the contrary,” he said as he grasped her hand and pulled it away from him. “While I will always welcome your touch, I am afraid we shall be at cross purposes if you continue touching me much longer.”
“I do not understand,” she said.
“Trust me.” He kissed her slowly and passionately, even as his hand reached down to the heart of her. She was wet and as ready for him as she could be. He spread her legs with his knees, then found the heart of her with his cock. She eagerly pressed against him and it took his breath away. “Easy, love. I need to be as gentle as possible.”
He entered her slowly. Inching inward. Breaking through the barrier, then stopping, catching his breath. Kissing her to try to make her forget about the pain.
“James?”
“Yes, love?”
“It gets better, doesn’t it?”
His heart was in his throat. Had he hurt her that badly? Then he drew back and looked at her.
She was smiling.
Then she laughed. “Continue, my love.”
He took her at her word. She caught on to his rhythm quickly and the two of them came together again and again. Moving together physically, as they had emotionally since starting out on their journey. Finally, just as he could restrain himself no longer, she tightened around him – which certainly didn’t help him prolong things.
She climaxed and he quickly followed.
They were now as good as married. And he’d never felt this satisfied in his life. This happy. This complete.
Once he was able to breathe and think again, he tried to get off her.
“Don’t get up,” she said.
“I’m not getting up, sweetheart. Just off, so you can breathe better.” With one move he rolled to his back, pulling her with him. They remained like that for a moment, their hearts beating against each other. Then he pulled a blanket around her so she wouldn’t get cold.
“Yes,” he said, as he kissed her. “If you truly want to marry me, the answer is, of course, yes. But are you sure you can withstand all the hardships ahead? Because they will be substantial.”
“I know. But I also know that nothing will be insurmountable with you at my side. And Anna.” Then she looked at him. “Before we make this official, we should ask Anna if she wants me as a stepmother. I do not like that term since I would love her as if she’d been born to me. But out of respect for Alawa, I would never presume to call myself her mother.”
“Mothers come in all forms. Ava is much more of a mother to Letty than our mother ever was. And you shall be a wonderful mother to Anna, whatever term you use. I have no doubt she will approve the union, especially since she has been throwing us together from the very beginning.”
“I cannot wait to see her again and give her the good news,” said Irene, as she kissed him.
“I miss her, too. But since we were able to conclude our business with Adams so quickly, perhaps we should move on to London to get our affairs in order. That way when we tell my family, we will be able to tell them everything.”
She looked at him solemnly and touched his cheek. “How will you ever say good-bye to your family?”
“I do not know, love. And I am not looking forward to it. But I know I can do anything with you by my side.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
After a night of lying in each other’s arms talking, James awoke hard and aching. Irene’s arse was nestled against him. She’d wanted to make love again the previous night, but he’d resisted. While he was pleased – and more than a bit chuffed – that she was so enthusiastic about lovemaking, he’d known she would be sore. And while she’d said she didn’t care, he most certainly did.
But now, hours later, he gently probed to see if she might be interested. From her sighs when she awakened, he could tell she was as happy with the situation as he was. He slid into her warmth and they made love slowly to mark their new life together.
They lay together afterward, with no need to speak. But finally, prompted by the light streaming through the windows, he said, “I know how much you yearn to stay in Portsmouth, love…”
“I do hope we can leave for America by another port, but I will go wherever you wish.”
“It appears I have a biddable wife.”
“Do not become too accustomed to it, sir.”
“I would never make such a mistake. What I was about to say is that if we leave within the hour, we should make London by nightfall. I can drop you back home, with discretion, of course. Then after meeting with Mr. Olson in the morning, I will call on you.”
“No.”
“Excuse me? Are you changing your mind?” He knew he’d tried to convince her not to marry him, but he couldn’t bear it if she changed her mind now.
“Of course not! Sometimes you make no sense whatsoever. I have occasionally wondered whether a giant bear might have pounded on your head one or two times in the wilderness. I only meant that I am no longer going to spend any nights away from you. We shall spend the night at Layton’s, no doubt igniting a firestorm of scandal, go to Mr. Olson’s office together the next morning and then on to my father’s house.”
James could not pretend that he wasn’t touched by her words, for he had no desire to part from her, either. “Your father will not take any of this well.”
“I daresay he will be much more upset about Cedric’s shame than my leaving. Of the former, I cannot do anything to lessen his distress. As for the latter, I am sorry to cause him any sadness, but I cannot sacrifice my happiness to avoid it. Now, let us be underway.”
One choppy ferry ride later, they arrived at the inn to find Layton’s carriage, but only one of the coachmen.
“Where’s Murphy?” James asked Creighton.
Creighton looked at Irene, then glanced back to James, very un
comfortable. Great, the man was at a bawdy house. James supposed he couldn’t blame Murphy, especially after having spent such an enjoyable night in bed himself. But he’d wanted to get an early start. “When will he return?”
“Soon, I’m sure, my lord,” said Creighton, looking relieved that he didn’t have to spell out just where Murphy was.
James was wondering if he might have time to take a room for a couple hours when the errant coachman showed up.
“I’m sorry milord,” said Murphy. “I was, uh….”
“Occupied. I understand. But Miss Wallace and I would like to be off for the Earl of Layton’s house in London as soon as possible.”
“Will we be dropping Miss Wallace off before we return home?”
“No,” said James in a tone of voice most servants recognized as one that would tolerate no gossip.
“Very good, milord.”
They were underway within the hour. And no sooner had James and Irene sat back in the carriage than the effects of no sleep caught up to them. It was, James realized later, the most restful sleep he’d had since losing his land. And he knew much of his happiness was directly attributable to the woman who’d fallen asleep in his arms.
His future wife. Irene.
*
They arrived at Layton’s in the late afternoon. James looked forward to a hot bath, a good meal and the nice soft bed he would share with Irene. But they’d no sooner entered the foyer than James realized his plans would not go as smoothly as he hoped. For Simon Chilcott was in the library drinking brandy with Lord Clayton.
“What are you two doing here?” James asked them, with Irene by his side. “Is Layton in residence?”
“He is still hibernating in the country,” said Chilcott, who’d been slow to stand upon Irene’s entrance. “Where have you two been?”
Clayton, who’d been quicker to rise, had a smile on his face that intimated he knew at least some of what they’d been up to. “It’s always a pleasure to see you Miss Wallace, though I do not remember you looking this….flushed before. You must share the secret of your glowing complexion.”
Always True to Her (Emerson Book 2) Page 19
