Her Sudden Groom (Groom Series, BOOK 1)

by Rose Gordon

  The man’s eyes went wide and he brought his hands to his chest as if he were having a sudden pain in his heart. “Absolutely not. That mark is in the book of Ruth, young lady.” He turned to Alex. “Son, I do believe your new bride has her mind in the mud.”

  “What a shame,” Alex murmured, not a bit apologetically. “I shall do my best to reform her.”

  Caroline flipped to where the slip of paper hung out the end. It was indeed placed at the first chapter of Ruth. She flashed them a quick smile then read the words that were written on the parchment.

  Dearest Caroline,

  We are very happy to welcome you into our family, dear girl. We wish you many years of happiness with our son.

  Much love,

  Edward and Regina

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice uneven. Their gift had not been the Bible. Well, it had, but it wasn’t the main part. The real gift was in that simple, two line note. They were welcoming her into their family with open arms. She’d never felt as safe and welcomed as she did just then. They’d even gone so far as to initiate her into their fold with one of their ridiculous jests, and nothing could have brought her more joy.

  Alex came to stand next to her. “Is everything all right?” he asked quietly.

  She nodded, unable to speak through the emotion clogging her throat. She replaced the note into the book of Ruth and shut the Bible before meeting the warm, loving gazes of Regina and Edward. She took a deep, calming breath. “That was most kind.”

  Edward coughed. “Are you disappointed?”

  “Disappointed?” she echoed.

  “Yes. That you didn’t truly get a naughty book,” he teased.

  “No, not really.” She returned his smile.

  “Good. Welcome to the family, gel. I’ve played that trick on all my brothers and their wives,” he explained with a grin that spoke of all kinds of mischief.

  “Even John and Carolina?” she asked in disbelief. John was a minister, after all. Surely his wife would not have found that joke any more amusing while it was happening than she had.

  “Yes, even them,” Regina said, tittering. “Except Edward didn’t claim it was from Edwina since she wasn’t even born yet. Instead, he said it was from me. He even had me write the note on the outside and give it to her at their wedding breakfast.” She stopped talking and tried her best to purse her lips. Her shoulders shook and she held up a single finger while she recomposed herself. A second later, she took a deep breath. “The look of embarrassment on Carolina’s face when I handed it to her and she read the note paled in comparison to the look of sheer horror that took its place when four-year-old Alex yanked it from her hands and started running around the room unwrapping it and yelling, ‘A present! A present!’”

  Caroline could hold her composure no longer and joined his parents in dissolving into laughter at the mental picture Regina’s story created.

  Her amusement, however, died on the spot when Alex leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I’ll meet you in our room in thirty minutes.”

  Chapter 18

  Alex watched the second hand on his watch tick by with all the speed of a tortoise in a race. He frowned and tapped the glass with his finger. Perhaps he should wind it. That was the second time the thing had stopped ticking. Oh hell’s afire, the watch had not actually stopped. He was just being so impatient he’d imagined it had. He leaned back and closed his eyes. He needed to think of something—anything—else.

  Finally, twenty-nine minutes had concluded and Alex shoved to his feet. From where he was, it would take him exactly one minute to get to his room. If he walked at a leisurely pace, that is. Which he would. He wasn’t going to enter that room one second before thirty minutes had passed. He didn’t wish to appear impatient.

  A minute and three seconds later, he took a final breath and knocked on the door to the room he’d slept in for as long as he could remember.

  “Come in.”

  Needing no more encouragement, he swung open the door, walked inside, and blinked in surprise. Every candle in the room was lit. He’d always thought virgins were skittish and would prefer it to be completely dark. He shrugged off the notion along with his coat, waistcoat, and cravat. Placing them on the back of the chair, he sought Caroline with his eyes.

  She was sitting in his bed, leaning against the pillows she’d propped up against the headboard. The covers pooled around her waist, and she wore a white, virginal nightrail buttoned all the way to her throat. He swallowed. That nightrail would be gone post haste. Turning his attention to his boots, he quickly untied them and kicked them off, not giving any thought to where they landed.

  He walked to the bed and sat down on the edge. Scratching his temple, he smiled uneasily at her. “Caro, do you…um…do I need...” He trailed off and broke eye contact with her. Perhaps he should have asked his mother to talk to her about what to expect tonight. Surely Marcus hadn’t, and she’d had no other relations who would even know what to tell her.

  She laughed and leaned forward, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Nobody needs to explain anything to me,” she said softly. “I’m a member of the Society of Biological Matters, remember?”

  “That’s right. And I promised you a lesson in physical science and biology tonight, didn’t I? Well, Mrs. Banks, I am a man of my word and I am about to deliver.”

  She smiled at him, and he pressed a kiss to her sweet lips. “Will this be the topic of the next Society meeting?” she asked, grinning.

  “No. And I’d strongly recommend you don’t suggest it become the topic, either.” He silenced her next remark by pressing his lips back to hers and sliding his hand to the back of her head.

  “Alex?” she asked, breaking their kiss.

  “Yes?”

  She glanced at the open button at his throat then back to his eyes. “Never mind,” she murmured.

  “No, ask.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. If she had any questions or misgivings, now was the time to address them.

  “Are you a virgin?” she blurted.

  His jaw almost dropped to the floor. Hell’s afire. Where had that come from? Why did everyone assume he’d never been with a woman? Was his awkwardness around ladies so obvious everyone believed he’d never been able to get one between the sheets before? And how was he to answer her? It was one of those questions which only led to trouble, no matter the answer. This must be one of those conversations the duke had warned him about. Opting for honesty, he met her eyes and said, “No. Why?”

  She shrugged and played with the red fringe on the edge of the counterpane. “I just wondered, that’s all.”

  “That’s not all,” he countered. His thumb stilled, but he couldn’t make himself take his hand from her face. Not yet anyway.

  She glanced at the buttons on his shirt. “Yes, it is. I had just wondered if I’d be your first,” she said at last, her face turning pink.

  “Oh, I see. You would have liked that?” He wasn’t sure whether he should laugh at the situation or not. Nobody expected he’d ever been with a woman and many had openly jested about it, but then he got married and his wife was disappointed she wasn’t the first.

  “I suppose so.” She lowered her lashes. “You’re my first…”

  “I know,” he said softly, feeling like the biggest cad in England. He quickly dismissed the feeling. He’d bet no other gentlemen were asked such a question on their wedding nights. He’d also bet they’d all had more bed sport than he had. Still, he wanted to offer her something of himself. “How about this?” he said, looking into her eyes and tracing the line of her cheekbone with his thumb again. “I’ll tell you a secret about me that nobody else knows.”

  She put her fingers on his lips. “You don’t have to, Alex. I shouldn’t have asked. No man is a virgin on his wedding night. I had no business asking.”

  He used his free hand to move her hand away. “Caro, you may not be my first, but you’ll be my last. And—”

  “That’s your secret?” she
burst out. “I’d hope that wouldn’t have been a secret. This morning you took vows in front of your entire family that said you’d be faithful.” She frowned. “Unless you mean to tell me gentlemen make those vows, but they never really mean to honor them.”

  He sighed and used his index finger to smooth the furrow between her eyes. “Some don’t, but I plan to. That wasn’t the secret I was going to tell you, though. Now, are you ready to keep quiet long enough to hear it?”

  “Yes,” she said, blushing.

  “Good. As for my secret, you’re not my first, but you’re not my hundredth, either.” He smiled at her, hoping she’d take the bait.

  And like the good girl she was, she took it. “Oh how wonderful,” she retorted sarcastically. “I’m only the ninety-ninth.”

  “Close,” he agreed. “But perhaps still a bit high.”

  She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, Alex.”

  “It does to you.” He shifted to get more comfortable. “Since it matters so much to you, I shall admit to you something no man ever wishes to impart on his new bride. As we’ve already addressed, you’re not my first, but you will be my second. Is that good enough?”

  She grinned and tugged the sleeve of his shirt toward her. “Yes. I can accept that. I could have accepted being ninety-ninth if it meant I was to be your last.”

  He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. He pulled her fingers from his shirt and gently pushed her backward to lie down on the bed. Coming up on his hands and knees, he crawled up the bed and covered her body with his.

  He brought his hand to the back of her head and he massaged her scalp, tangling his fingers in her hair then bringing his mouth to hers. Her arms circled his neck and her fingers sank into the thick hair that covered the back of his head.

  “Alex,” she sighed as his lips left hers to kiss her cheeks and jaw. He kissed until he reached her ear and placed a warm kiss just behind the lobe.

  Alex’s hands cupped her succulent breasts. He shaped them through the thin fabric of her nightrail. All thoughts of removing it were gone as her breasts swelled and her nipples hardened under his touch.

  He reached his right hand up and with three quick flicks of his fingers, he undid the top three buttons on her nightrail and spread the fabric open. His lips dropped kisses on the skin he’d just exposed, his hands continuing to knead her breasts.

  “Caro,” he murmured. He slid his left hand away from her breast and grabbed onto the side of her nightrail, pulling handfuls of the white fabric up. He groaned in aggravation of not being able to touch her skin because of the blasted counterpane that still lie between them. He let go of her nightrail and with a savage growl, yanked the offending counterpane out from between them, throwing it to the other side of the bed.

  Running his hand up the bare calf he’d just revealed, need like never before simmered through him. It set him on fire. Made him possessed.

  Supporting his upper body on one forearm, he reached down and dragged the hem of her nightrail further up her legs, uncovering more of her creamy, shapely legs as he went. “Your body is beautiful,” he rasped, hardly holding onto sanity as his gaze took her in.

  “Touch me, Alex.” She ran her hands along his shoulders and upper arms.

  Alex obeyed her request. He glided his hands over the pliant flesh of her legs, taking time to feel every curve and contour as he went before disappearing under the hem of her nightrail. Glancing at her sweet, relaxed face, he trailed a single finger from the middle of her thigh to the sloping dip by her hip, then just a little further over to rest in her springy curls.

  A shiver passed through her body, making Alex swallow his urgency. He leaned closer to bury his face in the crook of her neck, letting his finger make a slow trail from her curls to the swollen, silky flesh that made her a woman.

  Caroline’s body bucked under his daring fingers when they passed over her tender flesh. Alex kissed her neck and slipped his finger into her waiting, ready body. He was rewarded as her inner muscles clenched around him.

  With gentle ease, he moved his hand, sliding his finger in and out. Not too fast or hard, just enough to let her get used to him touching her thus and learn to enjoy it. A minute or so later he found a steady rhythm and slipped in a second finger. She sighed and her body arched into his hand.

  “Alex,” she gasped, lightly rocking her hips to match his movements.

  “Shut your eyes and reach for it, Caro,” he whispered against her warm neck. He lowered his head and sought her hardened nipple with his mouth. Caroline’s body rose off the bed again and she sucked in a sharp breath.

  Breathing loudly, Caroline’s hands clasped onto Alex’s shoulders. Her fingernails bit into his skin as her entire body tensed, followed by her inner muscles convulsing around his fingers. A staccato note passed through her lips.

  Alex kept his pace until the contractions of her muscles ceased. Then, he removed his hand and leveled himself on top of her, bringing his face right in front of hers. “Open your eyes now, Caro,” he commanded gently.

  A second later her wide, dilated eyes opened and met his. “That wasn’t what I expected,” she said suddenly, her lips curved upwards.

  He smiled at her. “And what did you expect?” Even with need coursing through him he still wanted to know.

  “I don’t know.” She blinked her eyes rapidly and looked over his shoulder. “I’ve only seen animals—”

  He nearly choked and held up a finger to halt her words. “Say no more. I know what you were expecting.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. You’re surprised you’re still on your back, aren’t you?”

  “A little,” she said, her face turning pink.

  “You know we’re not done, don’t you?” he asked with a swallow. She’d better not think that was it. He’d go mad if she was ready to roll over and go to sleep.

  “We’re not?” she asked, rapidly blinking her eyes at him. “What did we forget?”

  He couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or not. He wasn’t good at knowing the difference anyway, but just now, with lust fogging his brain, it was even harder to know.

  “Good gracious, Alex.” She playfully swatted his shoulder. “How could you possibly think I’d forgotten with your erection pressing into my leg?”

  “Oh, sorry about that.” He shifted, pressing it more firmly into her thigh.

  Her arms looped around his neck and pulled him down toward her. “You’re forgiven,” she murmured before their lips met again.

  Alex took his lips away and groaned. There was only so much he could take, and he was nearly there. Rolling to support himself on one forearm, he undid the fall of his pants and groaned in relief as his erection was freed from the strain of his trousers.

  Alex settled back on top of Caroline and positioned himself at her entrance. “Are you ready?” he asked raggedly.

  “Yes. Always.” She dug her fingers into his hair.

  Alex clenched his jaw and, with a slight grunt, pushed in as gently as he possibly could to allow her time to get accustomed to him being inside her again. He stopped when he reached what he was certain had to be her maidenhood.

  He closed his eyes and willed himself to move forward as fast and smoothly as he could, then thrust forward and froze a split-second after Caroline’s cry pierced his ears.

  “I’m sorry,” he rasped, stilling his body and bringing his fingers to idly comb through her soft hair. “I didn’t mean to hurt you so.”

  She didn’t speak. Her eyes were closed, and around the edge a tear was trying to push its way out. “It’s all right,” she said in a small voice.

  “No, it’s not. I didn’t mean to. I mean, I certainly meant to put my—” He cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is I knew it would hurt. I just thought if I did it quickly, the pain for you wouldn’t last as long.”

  Caroline’s eyes opened and her body trembled with what he assumed might have been pain or discomfort.

  For as much ardor
as he had only a minute ago, this had certainly been as effective in cooling it as a cold bath. He started to move away.

  “Where are you going?” Caroline asked, her voice even and her body completely still, normal.

  “We don’t have to do this.” He kissed her on her cheek.

  “What?” Her voice was slightly high pitched. “Why not?”

  “Because I’ve ruined it,” he said, easing out a little further.

  Her hands were suddenly on his backside, and she used all her strength to keep him from moving out. “Oh, no you don’t. You started this, you’re going to finish it.”

  “But I hurt you.” He stilled inside her.

  “But it doesn’t hurt now,” she countered.

  He glanced down at her. Was she telling the truth? She must be. Her wide eyes implored him and her hands were still on him, encouraging him to continue. He swallowed and returned her kiss when she brought her lips back to his, simultaneously pressing her luscious breasts against him in a way that made his erection grow yet again. With more care and ease this time, he slid back inside her and stilled, waiting for her to readjust to his intrusion.

  Need fired his blood again and he could wait no longer. Gritting his teeth, he moved his hips in a steady and sure in-and-out rhythm.

  Caroline’s hands grabbed onto his shoulders, not tight, not loose, just there. He closed his eyes and scattered kisses across Caroline’s forehead as he continued to move over her steadily, building up to what he thought might be the greatest climax he’d ever experienced. He bent his head down, his lips intent on capturing hers—but they couldn’t. His eyes sprang open and his body came to an abrupt stop. He swallowed. Then again. Her face was flushed from the exertion, but she was biting her lip. Hard. “Caro?” he rasped.