Blessed Beginnings (Hunter's Ridge Book 4)

by Maggie Ryan

  "Yes, sir."

  He could see a shudder run through her body. While this was an act usually performed as a penance, she'd surprised him by requesting to suckle him on various occasions. She'd come a long way since that first time he'd shocked her by presenting his cock to her lips, but having to take him fully required a state of submission that was still very difficult for her. Not only was he a well-endowed man, she'd not be able to control the amount of his shaft being pushed into her throat. With another pulse of his cock as it demanded to have the pleasure begin, he smiled down at the woman he adored.

  "Push your bottom up and out for me, kitten." She moved slightly to bend further forward, bracing her hands on his thighs for support and arching her back to present her bare bum as requested. "So beautiful," he said and then gave the command she'd been waiting to hear. "Open."

  Lucy parted her lips and he pressed his hips forward, his cock swelling ever thicker in her mouth. The position, his orders, the tug on her hair all made her feel very submissive, and yet she could feel her nipples puckering tighter and a rivulet of her cream sliding down her inner thigh. It was hard to keep her eyes on his as she moved forward and back, taking a bit more of his shaft into her mouth with each rocking movement. When he drew her head forward with nothing more than a press of his hand, she felt his cockhead press against the opening of her throat. Concentrating on breathing through her nose, she swallowed once and then again, forcing her throat to open and accept the invasion, her efforts rewarded with a deep groan of pleasure.

  "Good girl. One more swallow." She could feel her face burning with her blush but swallowed hard again and felt the large head move into her throat. "That feels so incredible," he said, a finger stroking her throat as if seeking the outline of his cock buried in the slim column. "Continue swallowing. All the way down, now."

  It took all she had to obey, constantly having to swallow as he went deeper, the saliva pooling in her mouth and leaking from her lips as she took every inch of him into her body. He held her still, her lips nuzzling the wiry hairs of his pubis for several long seconds until he allowed her to withdraw to take a deeper breath. The act was repeated again and again, her bottom lifting and lowering with every downward move.

  "All the way and hold," he ordered, and when she was in position, she felt a lick of fire land on her uplifted bottom.

  Unable to do anything more than moan with her throat full, she felt another stroke land before he allowed her to draw back to see the switch. The strokes were by no means full force as just the very tip of the switch bit into her bottom, causing an instant intense burn—as if an ember from the nearby fireplace had leapt from the hearth to land on her flesh. He'd never switched her before when she had his cock in her mouth, and she realized the trust it took on his part. It was an honor he was showing her, telling her that not only had he understood why she'd moved the switch from the mantel to be within arm's length, he trusted her to control her teeth, her movements concentrating on pleasuring him even with a sting against her already tender arse.

  "Another?" he said, and she understood he was actually asking if she could endure more. Her answer was to take a deep breath and once more move forward until not a single inch of his cock remained outside her mouth's embrace. Two more rapidly given strokes burned across her nates and another flood of cream slid down her thighs. As she felt his cock thickening, her throat vibrated around its invader with moans she was unable to vocalize as three additional sets of sharp bites were delivered.

  "Swallow every drop," he instructed, his voice hoarse with desire as he warned her of his impending explosion. She was no longer servicing him at her own pace. He was in control as he moved her head up and down until, with a cry, he plunged deeply and kept her in place as his seed jetted from him to fill her throat. Every time she swallowed, accepting his tribute, she felt his cock twitch and her body respond. By the time she'd taken it all, her body was burning with its own need.

  Lucas pulled out of her mouth and she gasped, pulling in much needed air as he knelt, flipped her onto her back, and pulled her legs over his shoulders. His lips captured her clit and suckled the entirety of it into his mouth. He didn't tease her slowly as he'd done the night before. Instead, he nipped and bit, rolling the throbbing bundle of nerves until she was writhing on the fur, her hips bucking up and down.

  "Papa!" she screamed as he licked and suckled as if she was the most delicious morsel he'd ever tasted. Two thick fingers slid into her quim, thrusting in and out, and when a third digit forced its way into her rosette, she screamed and came, her vision blurring at the overwhelming sensation of being so thoroughly controlled and so incredibly pleasured.

  Soft kisses were placed on her splayed thighs before he stood up from where he'd knelt. Lucy knew she should be embarrassed at lying splayed open and blushed when he chuckled and turned her onto her tummy.

  "Don't move."

  It was an order easily obeyed as she didn't think she had the strength to move. She watched the embers of the fire, smiling as she remembered her first night in this room. It had been frightening coming to her husband's estate, worried about how his family would react to his choice of wife and their choice of a different dynamic than most. She'd discovered her fears unfounded as even Lucas's valet, Joseph, had made it a point to put her at ease. He'd told her he also loved watching the flames dance, relaxing her fears of being judged. Her eyelids had just fluttered shut when she let out a piercing shriek as something ice cold was pressed against her bottom.

  Wiggling in an attempt to turn over, she heard her husband laughing. "No, stay still. I just wanted to show that I am a very considerate Papa."

  Craning her head back, her mouth dropped open at seeing the mounds of snow he'd pressed against her bare skin. Giggles consumed her even as she shivered.

  "Does it work?" he asked.

  "It's freezing and it's dripping!"

  "Hmm, though I know your arse is a bit hot, I'm pretty sure the drips are from the fire. But, speaking of freezing…"

  She shrieked again when he buried his hands between her thighs. "Stop!" she begged, wiggling more and succeeding in turning over only because he allowed her to escape. "Your hands are colder than the snow!"

  "Tell me about it," Lucas said, leaning over her. "I ran all the way outside and back up here with snowballs in my hands. Don't you think you should warm them for me?"

  Lucy shivered and then spread her legs, inviting him to warm his palms against her skin. Gasping when he placed them, she shut her legs, trapping his frozen fingers as he bent further and kissed her. When the snow had all melted, Lucas stood, shrugged off the dressing gown he'd donned for his dash through the house, and lifted her into his arms. He carried her to the bed, slid her between the sheets and then joined her. After he'd pulled her to him, her still chilly rear tucked against his groin, she giggled at his indrawn gasp and wiggled just a bit closer.

  "How did you know?" she asked softly.

  "That you needed a spanking?" he asked, his breath warm against the back of her neck.

  "Yes."

  "Kitten, I know you inside and out. The moment you confessed your fear about your lack of thought in speaking about something forbidden told me that no matter whether I truly understood the reasoning, you'd feel guilty until you paid a price." She felt his lips kiss her shoulder and snuggled closer. "I admit, I never would have switched you for something done without intent, but the moment I saw the switch, I knew that was your hope."

  "Thank you, Papa. I love you."

  "You are my heart, my life and always my love, Lucy."

  Chapter Five

  The next day after breakfast, the family piled into two carriages. Lucas had thought about using the wagon as there were nine of them going into town, but decided that Bea didn't need to be bounced around or exposed to the cold. She and Frank were in the smaller of the two carriages while the rest of them piled into the larger, family carriage. It would have been a tight fit but for the fact that Lucy and Louis
a could ride on their Papas' laps.

  Once in town, he and Edward helped the girls out of the carriage. "Remember what I said. No one is to wander off alone…" Seeing Ettie opening her mouth, he lifted his hand. "If you can't obey, then you are welcome to wait in the carriage." When his youngest sister shut her mouth, he added, "I understand we are Christmas shopping but I'm quite positive that among all of us, someone you are not shopping for can stay with you. You can change up partners as you need. Now, is that absolutely clear?"

  A chorus of 'yes, sir' rang out and he nodded. "Good. I'll be shopping as well, and then we will all meet up to eat lunch at noon."

  "Can we go now?" Ettie asked, bouncing on her feet.

  "Heaven help the clerks," Lucas teased and then nodded. "Just remember, young lady, obey the rules or not only will you not be allowed to come to town the next time, you'll be getting a spanking when we get home."

  "Lucas, I heard you the first time," Ettie said, glancing around to make sure no one had heard her brother's threat.

  "See that you remember that you did," Lucas said, giving her a hug before stepping back.

  Ettie grabbed Franny's hand. "Come on, let's get you know what first." The rest watched as Franny was practically dragged into the store.

  "Have fun," Lucas said as he pressed a sheaf of notes into Lucy's hand. "Keep that in your reticule and stay with Louisa or Molly."

  "Yes, Papa," she said, going onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Once Louisa had received her own allowance and kiss from Edward, the girls entered the store with Molly. Frank escorted Bea to a millinery shop as she'd promised not to enter the general store for at least a half-hour, giving her sisters time to do whatever they needed without fear of her seeing. Edward and Lucas moved further down the block to enter a shop where they hoped to finalize their Christmas shopping for their wives.

  Once inside the store, Molly asked if they wanted to go with her to pick up some items she needed.

  "Oh, can't we please shop ourselves?" Ettie asked. "We'll stay together but if we go with you, we might run out of time."

  Molly looked at the four girls. "Promise no one will go off alone?" All the girls nodded and Molly said she'd not take long before hurrying off. The girls asked a clerk where the sewing supplies were and then walked to that area.

  "What about these?" Ettie asked, holding up two skeins of yarn.

  "What if the baby is a girl?" Franny asked upon seeing the blue yarn.

  "Oh, I never really thought about that," Ettie confessed. "Maybe I should make two afghans?"

  "Or you might use yellow or green instead?" Lucy suggested. "Or even white."

  "No, I want Cleo on it and she's white," Ettie countered and then nodded. "I think green would be okay, as no animals besides snakes and lizards are green, and no baby wants those on a blanket." The others helped her gather the green yarn as well as a few skeins of other colors for the animals she wanted to knit into the blanket. "Let me go pay for these so they can wrap them up before Bea gets here," she said, and was about to move when Louisa reminded her of the rules.

  "Good grief, it's not like I'm leaving the store, and Lucas isn't even here!" Ettie huffed.

  "You won't have to worry about your brother if Molly catches you," Lucy warned. "And, believe me, I don't think she'd wait until we got home to show her disapproval, either!"

  Ettie stomped her foot. "This is ridiculous. You don't see hordes of others shopping together. How am I supposed to get everything else I want to keep a surprise? I'm a grown woman, not a six-year-old!"

  "There's nothing wrong with being young."

  Four heads turned to see who had spoken.

  "Oh, hello, Mr. Whitmore," Lucy said.

  "Hello, Lady Huntington, or I suppose I should say Ladies Huntington and Lady Wintercrest." He chuckled and gave a small bow. "It's such a pleasure to see you accepted my invitation." Though his words included them all, his eyes were on Ettie.

  "It's our pleasure, sir," Ettie said. "You store is amazing and I'm sure it is quite safe to shop without others hovering over your every move."

  Lucy heard Franny gasp at her sister's audacity before Mr. Whitmore spoke again.

  "You can hardly blame anyone who might wish to accompany you, my dear. I do believe my store is safe enough, but I can understand your brother's need to ensure it is so."

  Lucy, a bit afraid that Ettie would launch into an argument, and not wanting to be involved in any possibly embarrassing scene, hurried to say, "How about I go with Franny and Louisa can go with you, Ettie?"

  "That would also give me a chance to personally show you about the store," David said, offering his arm to Ettie. The others relaxed when Molly returned in time to hear Ettie giggle and hold up her arms, which were full of yarn. Mr. Whitmore's chuckle showed his ability to laugh at himself as he plucked a few skeins from her before offering his arm again. Molly turned to follow, leaving the other three to shop together.

  "Thank goodness, Miss Molly showed up," Franny said and the others agreed.

  "Let's find the things you need," Louisa suggested.

  They found the paper, quills, ink and pencils in a corner of the store. "There are so many different choices," Lucy said, amazed at the variety of loose paper as well as thin and thick bound journals. "Are you looking for something like this?" She held up a book of papers she'd used herself in school.

  "No, I don't know how long the book will turn out, and I can't illustrate it if every page has lines on it."

  "Oh, then how about these?" Louisa held up different blank sheets in each hand.

  "No, those are for watercolors and I'm not very good at that type of painting."

  With a big sigh, Lucy looked again at the stacks of paper. Not only were some of various textures, there were stacks of different sizes as well. "I'm afraid I'm not much help, then."

  "Should we ask for help?" Louisa suggested.

  "May I offer some assistance?"

  Lucy whipped around to find yet another of Uncle Stefan's dinner guests. Before she could speak, Franny did. "I'd appreciate all the assistance I can get. Thank you, Mr. Benedict."

  Within seconds, the two were discussing the qualities of each type of paper, leaving Lucy and Louisa looking at each other. Taking her twin's hand, Lucy pulled her a short distance away to give the couple a bit of privacy. Whereas Ettie could cause who knew what sort of chaos when left to her own devices, Franny was the obedient, quiet one who could be trusted to obey every rule without question.

  As the minutes ticked away, Lucy was surprised to discover that Mr. Benedict's offer of help wasn't just out of politeness. As she listened to him speak of how different textures took to different inks or paints, she understood the papers were indeed different and it was obviously appropriate to touch each one. She watched as Franny's finger stroked across a piece of thicker paper and then smiled when Mr. Whitmore's finger met hers in the center of the page. Well, well. It seems our Franny isn't quite the mouse she presents herself to be. She was thrilled to see a blush coloring Franny's usually pale cheeks and a smile curving her lips. Turning to Louisa, she noticed that her sister was also smiling.

  "They look good together," Louisa whispered.

  "I know, and isn't it great that they both appear to like writing and drawing?" Lucy added. Louisa nodded and the twins began looking at the various tins of paints as the paper discussion continued.

  "Thank you, Mr. Whitmore. I think these will be a perfect start."

  Lucy had been looking at the various pens and paints but turned to look over her shoulder to see that Franny was accepting a stack of paper from the barrister.

  "I'll ask your brother for permission to show you how simple paper becomes a book."

  "That would be wonderful. I hadn't even considered all you've said."

  "Then I'm glad I ran into you," David said and then chuckled. "Of course, I've been dropping in at around lunchtime every day since the dinner party, hoping to see you."

  "You have?"

&n
bsp; "Yes, Lady Huntington, I have, and I hope that fact doesn't frighten you."

  Lucy held her breath, hoping against hope that Franny could see that the man was obviously very interested in her. She didn't breathe again until she heard Franny assure him that she didn't mind.

  "Then you'd not object if I asked permission to take you to lunch?"

  "Oh, um, I don't know. I mean, I'm here with my family. Perhaps—"

  "Why don't you join us?" Lucy interrupted. "I'm sure no one will mind."

  Franny's look was sweet, as if silently thanking Lucy for extending the invitation. That settled, they looked at boxes of what Ettie had called 'color sticks'. When Franny chose a box—but only after debating for several minutes over another, which held deeper hued colors—Lucy suggested that they hurry to pay before Bea discovered the plan. When David offered his arm, the chosen paper in his free hand, Franny blushed and accepted.

  They met Ettie and Molly as they made their way to the counter. Ettie held out a bag. "Take one, they are delicious."

  The three girls looked inside to see an assortment of candies. "You spent your Christmas money on candy for yourself?" Franny asked.

  "If it were only for myself, I wouldn't offer to share," Ettie said with a roll of her eyes. "And I didn't spend a penny. Mr. Whitmore insisted I try a variety, but if you don't want any…"

  "I do," Louisa said and made her choice, as did Lucy.

  "It's almost time for lunch," Franny said.

  "Ah, but it's the holidays," Samuel said before turning to Ettie. "May I?" At her nod, he chose a piece from the bag and offered it to Franny. "Little ladies who are going to give a piece of their heart in the gift you are planning, deserve a treat."

  Lucy smiled again. This man was far different from Lord Drakemore. The moment she'd met Walter, she'd felt an aversion to him. With Mr. Benedict, she felt nothing but hope that he was truly as nice as he appeared.

  "Thank you," Franny said, popping the candy into her mouth. As he led her towards the counter again, Lucy almost laughed when she saw Molly shaking her head before turning to follow them.