“Sleep well, Nina.”
“The same to you, my lord.”
She managed to leave the parlor without running, having felt her cheeks heat. She had to stop staring at him. Elsa was waiting to help her undress, and Nina was thankful for the girl’s quiet mood. Left alone for the night, she took great comfort crawling under the layers of coverlets stacked upon the soft bed.
While she wanted to sleep away her troubles, after tossing and turning for some time, she left the warmth of the bed and retrieved her journal. She wrote two lines before hiding it back in her hand case.
I’ve fallen in love with Jacob. Oh, how I wish the marriage contract had been with him.
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Chapter Five
Nina sat on the edge of the sofa near the window, not quite wringing her hands, watching the moments tick by on the mantle clock. Daylen finally brought Wallace’s afternoon medicine and nodded to her. She left with him after Wallace drank the mixture in one long pull. When she returned to her room, Elsa was waiting to help her into her riding costume. She was thrilled and anxious at the same time. Viscount Mansley was waiting at the main entrance with two beautiful horses.
She allowed him to help her up to the mounting box before settling into the saddle and straightening her habit. With a tight grip on the reins, she nodded to indicate she was ready, her throat suddenly dry.
Her ride was a lovely palomino named Clover. It took little time to remember the ease of riding with Clover’s carefully trained reactions.
Nina knew she should be taking in the sights of the estate, but her eyes kept wandering to the viscount on his huge black war horse, appropriately named Triton. The animal was a handful even for Jacob, and watching him guide the beast was another distraction for Nina.
Jacob pointed out various fields and outer buildings, all of it a blur to her. High up on Triton, in well-worn chaps and a leather hat, he was all maleness and excitement. This was the kind of man she’d dreamed of marrying when she was young. Today, the musing of childhood rode beside her, flesh and blood. Nina itched to touch him.
When they stopped to water the horses near a fresh spring, Jacob’s hands around her waist helping her down instantly warmed her. He lowered her toward the ground, stopping when her face was level with his. Searching her face, he pulled her closer and dropped his mouth over hers, gently touching her lips.
Nina’s hands dropped to his shoulders, her fingers tightening against his cloth-covered flesh. When she expected him to pull away, he pressed harder, his tongue slipping between her lips in gentle passes. Nina sighed and relaxed against the wall of his body, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth. Several moments later, he lowered her to the ground. She couldn’t hold back a sigh when he released her.
“Well, now that we’re past that,” he said with a smile.
“Excuse me,” she managed while straightening her skirts.
“Kissing you. I’ve wanted to for days now.”
“But I’m promised to Wallace.”
“Ah, yes, you are. Do you want to be?”
“I don’t believe I have a say in the matter.”
“Who would you rather touch you each night? Him or a man like me?”
“You, but…” Nina realized what she’d said and didn’t know how to recover. Now, she’d allowed Lord Mansley to know she was attracted to him.
“It’s all right, Nina, we’re adults in a private place. Your reputation won’t be sullied by a single kiss.”
“Would it be sullied by two?” Nina’s skin burned from the inside out. She knew he saw her embarrassment but couldn’t turn from his gaze. Her heartbeat hastened, and her body betrayed the result of his attention. Her nipples were hard as pebbles, and her lower lips were heavy with need.
“We could find out,” he said, taking a step closer to her. When she didn’t back away, he took a second, leaving him close to her body. “Do you want to kiss me, Nina?”
“Oh, yes,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Jacob accepted her body and molded her against him. His hardness pressed between her thighs, and she shifted to feel him deeper. With his mouth pressed to hers, she opened to him, allowed him to taste her, to tease her lips, wanting more when he pulled away.
“I’m not sorry,” she said, turning from his sight. “If I’m to spend the rest of my days with Wallace, I want one memory to carry me through those days.”
What she did next surprised her and, from his expression, Jacob as well. Nina threw her hands around his neck a second time and initiated the kiss, her tongue running along his lips, accepting his invitation to slip between them when he opened to her. His hands wound around her waist and pulled her close, holding her tight to him.
Nina pulled back, searching his gaze for some sign of what to do next. She knew this was a mistake, but could not bring herself to care. If not for the need of breath, she would never have stopped kissing him. With great reluctance, she drew away from him, instantly cool from the loss of his body heat. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Jacob lean his back against a near by tree. He seemed very relaxed considering she could see his erection pressing against his trousers.
“I’ll never marry you, Nina, under any circumstances. As long as you understand that, if you’d like to experiment while you’re here, nobody would ever have to know.”
She glanced to him as he reinforced his position.
“I’ll not be manipulated. Don’t allow yourself to imagine some magic ending, or you’ll be disappointed twice.”
“I understand,” she said, adding, “and any other man I might marry would know.”
“There is that to consider,” Jacob said, tilting his head to the side as if to say he understood her dilemma.
“A week ago my life was settled, and I was waiting for it to begin. Now, after seeing Wallace and finding out the kind of man he truly is, I don’t know what’s right any more.”
“Then don’t make any decisions until you hear back from your father. Maybe he has a solution.”
“Since his marriage, I don’t think he’ll want to be a part of my solution.”
“Do you really want out of the contract, or is this attitude of disappointment just fear?”
“I never wanted in the contract. Father decided it was time for me to marry, and Wallace was the first to ask.” She started to fidget with her tight collar and dropped her hands.
“You could always send him off to some far away sanitarium for an extended stay. You could go back to London and, with time, convince your father to break the contract.”
“I’m afraid my new stepmother will not want to part with the money it would take to pay his way.”
“Ah, yes, the young stepmother, eager to protect her future.”
“I don’t mind that father remarried, only that now it changes my situation, and Wallace has made it worse.”
“What would be your perfect solution, Nina?” Jacob reached down and pulled a blade of grass from the ground, chewing on it while they talked.
Nina fell silent for a few moments, considering the question. “In a perfect world, I suppose I’d like to go to the Americas and start fresh.”
“Would your father allow that?”
“I don’t think so,” she sighed. “Maybe now, he’d see it as the end to all his problem, though.”
“Well, let’s just wait until you hear back. Shall we head home? It’s a long ride.”
“Yes, of course,” Nina said, trying to hold back her disappointment. She allowed him to lift her onto Clover’s back and tried to comprehend what he was saying about the fields instead of wondering what he’d be like naked next to her in the darkness.
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Chapter Six
Nina waited near the fire while Wallace ate his breakfast. She noted his appetite hadn’t suffered. When he was finished, she took the chair across from his bed, within sight but not touch. With her thoughts somewhat settled on the situatio
n, she felt she had nothing to lose.
“Your color looks better today,” she started.
“What would you know?” he spat back.
“Wallace, you seem to hold an anger where I’m concerned. Won’t you tell me why? What have I done?”
“You exist,” he told her, turning to face her directly. “If you hadn’t showed up here, I’d still be a welcome guest.”
“I didn’t come of my own accord. Lord Mansley sent for me.”
“Your father should have had more sense than to send you to a strange town, especially without a chaperone.”
“My father reacted to the information he was given.”
“He’s an idiot.” She closed her eyes against the sight of him and drew several deep breaths. The idea of spending her life with this man sickened her and she no longer cared what his impressions of her were.
“No, I’m the idiot for staying and listening to you talk about my family in this manner. I’ll see you later. Maybe after some rest, you’ll be a bit more composed.”
“Don’t you walk away when I’m talking to you,” he hollered as she headed toward the door.
“But you’re not talking, you’re yelling. I don’t deserve that attitude.” Carefully, she pulled the door closed behind her. In the hallway, she could still hear him yelling for her to come back.
Nina went to her room, grabbed her coat, then walked downstairs and straight out the front door.
Jacob was at the pasture fence, overseeing the introduction of his stallion to a new mare. His mind wasn’t on the process as he stared dully at the mating ritual.
Yesterday, he’d lost his composure and kissed the girl—woman, he corrected. He could have done more, for she’d been accepting and inquisitive. She was a guest in his home and not there under the best of circumstances, not as an invited weekend guest but rather as a means to an end.
He knew to keep his distance. He hadn’t offered her a lasting commitment. Just the idea had once sickened him. To imagine having only one woman to make love to left him cold. Most of the women he spent personal time with were educated in the arts of seduction and knew the rules. They always left with a small stipend and a lovely broach or necklace. But none ever dared think they were with him for the long term. He was just forty, and still had time before he’d have to consider an heir for his estate.
He had to get the image of Nina Harbin reaching tentatively toward him from his mind. Turning away from the horses, he saw her approaching, her pace quick in the cool morning air.
Damn,” he said under his breath as she neared. “Miss Harbin, out for fresh air?” he asked, noting the look on her face could only be described as angry. He held back a smile at her emotions, so easily readable.
“Just out,” she spat at him. Nina drew a breath and seemed to soften. “I’m sorry, that was rude. It’s been a long morning.”
“Arret acting up?”
“Acting up or out. Either way, he’s rude and tactless.”
Jacob turned back to watch the horses get accustomed to each other. He’d hoped they’d breed naturally and would give them a few days before taking them to cover. Right now, all he could see was Nina and her exasperated mood. He wanted to offer her comfort but didn’t.
“What are you watching?” she asked, stepping up to the fence line. She rose onto her tiptoes to rest her hands on the top railing, her skirts looping wide behind her as she stepped up on the bottom rung for a better view.
“We have a new mare that’s ready for breeding. I’m introducing her to my stallion. Sometimes, they’ll breed naturally if left alone for a few days. We’re just making sure Triton doesn’t get over-anxious.”
“What happens if they don’t breed naturally?”
“Than we’ll take her to cover.”
“What does that mean? I’m afraid I’ve no clue as to the process.”
Jacob didn’t add that he’d already realized that about her the first night they met. He shook himself and helped her down from the fence.
“In a controlled area, I’ll take Triton’s lead and another will hold the mare’s lead. If she presents herself to him, we’ll just make sure neither gets too excited and starts to bite or kick.”
“How does a horse present herself to another?”
“She holds her tail to the side, as an invitation of sorts.” Jacob felt his whole body heat at the idea of explaining the rest of the process. He desperately wanted to shift his erection for comfort but restrained.
“And if she doesn’t?”
“There are options,” he said, hoping to end the subject.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not used to discussing breeding with ladies, Miss Harbin.”
“So you’re saying only men have the knack for breeding horses?” The tone of her voice said much more than her words.
Jacob held back a laugh, allowing a small smile to cross his lips. “It’s generally not proper for a men to explain sex and breeding to a woman.”
“And what has been proper about this whole situation? If things had been proper, my father would have investigated Wallace before he gave me away. If things were proper, Wallace would have finished his university three years ago, and we’d be married and raising a family.” She paused, softening her tone. “If things were proper, I wouldn’t have been sent here without a companion or maid.”
“All situations I could not control.”
“Neither could I.”
“And you like to be in control, don’t you, Nina?”
“It has its advantages,” she sighed.
“Submission has its advantages, too.” He left her with a wink of his left eyelid, laughing loudly as he walked toward the stable. He did not expect her to follow him.
In the shaded light of the large stable, he went to the tackle stand and started to polish a leather saddle. The ideas she stirred within him could be dangerous to his future bachelorhood.
“Are we alone?” she asked, entering the shelter. She wandered around the area, reaching to touch the leather he worked on.
“Yes, I think so,” he managed to answer.
“Then tell me, what advantages could submission have? I don’t mean to challenge you. Rather, it’s a point of view I’ve never contemplated before.”
If only she hadn’t looked so damn beautiful with her brown hair resisting its cover and her brown eyes wide. Nina’s skin took on a fresh glow from the cool air. She was young and inquisitive, but she had an interesting mind. He imagined she’d be responsive, would most likely take to his hand and ask for more. He held back a grin at the image his mind conjured.
“Really, Nina, it’s not a topic that you and I should be discussing.”
“But we’re here and alone. Propriety is long gone from our situation, my lord. If it weren’t, you wouldn’t have kissed me yesterday when we were riding, and I wouldn’t have let you.”
“You tempt me, Nina.” He tossed the rag aside and walked toward her.
She stood still, her eyes wide but not frightened.
“I’ll kiss you again if you don’t get out of here. Now.”
“Then kiss me, Jacob. I’d rather feel your touch than Mr. Arret’s.” She took a step closer to him. “If I must spend my life with him, give me memories to cling to.”
He studied her, watching her neck and cheeks slowly turn from pink to red. With a small step forward, she was within his reach. Jacob lifted his hands to her waist and tugged her closer to him, her skirts bellowing out behind her. One arm raised around her neck, directing her mouth to his.
Today she was pliant in his arms, willing and eager. As he swept his tongue along her lips, she opened her mouth, accepting his onslaught. When she sucked his tongue deeper of her own accord, he knew she felt his cock stir.
Pulling back for air, he studied her. “Well?”
“I’d like another please, just for the memory.” Nina lifted up and kissed his mouth lightly before he tightened his arms around her a
second time.
For what seemed like eternity to him, they kissed with mating tongues. Her hands roamed along his chest, down his sides. His erection grew harder, and he slipped his hands down to her hips, pulling her over him. He did it for himself, to feel her ride against him just once.
When Nina pulled away, Jacob figured she’d had enough.
Instead, she whispered, “Can I touch you?”
His knees almost went weak with her words, but his cock surged, overriding his common sense.
Her face was flushed, and her hair tumbled from its cover. Long, brown waves cascaded around her shoulders. He wasn’t able to speak and only lifted one shoulder in agreement. He watched as she tentatively reached forward, her index finger tracing the length of him through his trousers. With a second and third pass, she used her hand to cover him, a smile forming on her lips when he pulsed in her palm.
“Oh my,” she said, turning to look up at him. “Jacob…”
“You’d better get back to the house, Nina, before this gets out of control.” He spoke though gritted teeth.
“What would you say if I told you I wanted them to get out of control?”
“I’d say you’ve been outside in the sun too long and needed to rest.”
“I don’t need to rest, Jacob, I want to see your…” Her fingers tightened around his cock, the slight pressure creating a torturous need. She dropped her hand and took a step back, her gaze directed at his erection.
“Nina, a woman doesn’t say things like that to a man unless she’s willing to accept the consequences.”
“I’m more willing than you could ever know. I’m twenty-five, a spinster by all appearances, and am fated to spend my life with a man I find I despise.”
“Any man would know you’ve been touched by another. Your future could be ruined.”
“I don’t care,” she said, taking his cock against her hand. “This is what I want, what excites me. Teach me, Jacob, show me,” she whispered in his ear, using a bit more pressure with her palm.
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