by Sara Orwig
“I told you that I would take those flowers out of your hair,” he said, reaching up to pull one out. Lightly he trailed it over her cheek, the satiny soft petals tickling her, the sweet gardenia scent noticeable. He drew it down across the fullness of her breasts along her neckline.
She couldn’t look away from his compelling gaze, feeling the touch of the flower run across her skin, wanting his hands there, wanting his kisses.
“Fortune,” she whispered.
He pulled out another flower and another, tossing them down, until her hair tumbled over her shoulders and back in a thick cascade.
He pulled his shirt out of his trousers and over his head. Tossing it aside, he reached out to turn her around so he could unbutton her dress. His fingers brushed the back of her earlobes and he leaned down to kiss her neck.
She closed her eyes as his kisses trailed to the neck of her dress, and she felt his fingers tug at the buttons. She longed to turn around and tell him she loved him, but she still held back. She felt cool air on her back as he parted her dress. With a whispery rush it fell to the floor.
“We’ll get rid,” Fortune whispered, his fingers at her waist, “of this damned crinoline and then that corset that is a sin on you, Claire.”
Her pulse jumped, because he had never removed her corset.
She turned around and he gazed at her with hungry longing. He reached up to run his hands through her hair, and she caught the glint of the gold bracelet on his wrist that reminded her that his love was locked away from her, chained with memories.
He framed her face with his hands as he stepped closer. “If Alaric ever tries to take you from me—”
He bit off his words to kiss her, and her heart felt as if it had stopped beating. Fortune no longer sounded like a man who would willingly let her fall in love with another. Was there a chance he was falling in love with her?
She ran her hands over Fortune’s bare chest, tangling her fingers in the thick curls. Feeling brazen, yet wanting him so badly, loving him terribly, she let her fingers slide lower.
“Fortune,” she whispered in uncertainty, her hands pausing at his belt. She looked up at him, his eyes heavy-lidded, his breathing as ragged as hers. She slid her hands lower, and he moaned as she felt the hard bulge of his erection. He pulled her tightly against him to kiss her passionately, his tongue playing deep in her mouth while his hands moved at her back at the laces of her corset.
She felt dizzy with sensation, wanting him to never stop, expecting at any moment that he would turn and walk away as he had every night during the week.
He stepped back, and flung aside the corset. Swiftly peeling away her underdrawers, he knelt to roll down her stockings, his hands caressing her long legs.
“Oh, Fortune!” she gasped, her hands braced on his wide shoulders while she ached for him.
He leaned forward, his tongue like flame over the inside of her thighs. Standing again, he watched her as he unfastened his trousers.
Her pulse roared, drowning out all other sounds as she looked at his powerful naked body, aroused, so strong and virile before her. She wanted to touch him and discover what he felt like. She wanted to kiss him, to try to make him feel some of what she did.
He drew her to him to cup her breasts and gently flick her nipples. She gasped as warmth shot through her. The ache low in her body increased. She closed her eyes, her hands reaching down to touch his hips, sliding over his firm flesh, her hand closing around his manhood.
She heard his gasp as she ran her fingers over the velvet tip. As she slid her hand along his shaft, she wondered how she could ever mate with him because he was so large, so hard.
And then the thought was gone as he slid his hand between her legs, finding the bud that he rubbed sensuously. She moaned softly, and his lips covered hers, his mouth taking her cry as her hips thrust against him.
He picked her up, carrying her to the edge of the bed to set her down as he knelt between her legs and pushed her back, spreading her legs. He kissed the inside of her thigh, moving higher, his lips moving where his hand had been, his tongue playing over the most intimate parts of her body.
She gasped, arching and winding her fingers in his hair.
“Fortune, please, you have to love me tonight …”
“I want you ready, Claire,” he whispered, his tongue making her writhe with passion.
“Fortune, please,” she gasped, starting to sit up. He pushed her back, shifting her legs as he watched her. Her heartbeat thundered as she closed her eyes and let him kiss her, taking her to the brink.
He shifted his body and moved between her thighs. She looked up at him, his manhood dark and erect, his gaze intent. He lowered himself, kissing her breast as he came down, moving over her.
She felt the hot tip of his shaft press against her, and her hips arched to meet him. She grasped his hips, tugging him. “Oh, yes, Fortune! Yes!”
“Put your legs around me,” he said in a rasp. She opened her eyes to see his strong shoulders over her, his half-closed eyes on her.
Fortune fought to hold back, to move slowly, to make her want him. He felt the obstruction of the tight maidenhead, knew he would hurt her, yet he knew Claire wanted him and she wouldn’t fight him.
And he wanted her with a depth he hadn’t thought possible. He thrust into her softness, hearing her gasp and then cry out. He covered her mouth with his, fighting for control, moving slowly and withdrawing, feeling her hips arch up against him, her hands tugging his buttocks to pull him back.
He thrust into her again, slowly, trembling with the effort to keep control, sweat beading his body and running on his forehead. Her hips moved wildly and he felt the tight maidenhead yield, his shaft going deep, trying to drive her to a frenzy, wanting her and knowing that he couldn’t hold back much longer.
She gasped and cried out. “Fortune! Please—” Her even white teeth bit her lower lip, and her eyes were tightly closed as she ran her hands down his back and over his buttocks.
And then his control was gone. “Claire.” He ground out the word roughly, moving fast, unable to hold back, all thought gone.
Her long legs held him tightly while she clung to him and rocked with him. He climaxed hard and fast, his hot seed spilling into her.
When they had become still, he let his weight down on her softness, knowing she was a wonderful woman and a beautiful woman who deserved better than what he was giving her. He kissed her shoulder and throat, turning on his side and keeping her with him.
“Oh, Fortune,” she gasped, burying her face against him. As she clung to him, he wondered if she was crying, if she had regrets. He stroked her long hair away from her face.
“Claire, love, next time will be better for you.”
“Fortune,” she said, holding him tightly, speaking with her face pressed against his chest. “You’re perfect.”
He realized what she had said, and he shifted to look down at her, tilting her face up to his. This was her first taste of love, and he knew she was wrapped in the euphoria of it. He was thankful that he had at least given her that much. He kissed her temple.
“You’re a wonderful woman.” He pulled her close in his arms, realizing that he could spend his nights this way now, marveling that she had wanted him and wanted another baby. Her first baby from her womb. From the time Marilee had told him she was expecting their child, he had been focused on Michael and never once thought about having another child. He hadn’t even given it much thought when Claire asked, but now it came to him fully. The thought filled him with eagerness because Michael was such a marvel.
Fortune stroked her hair from her face while she ran her fingertips over his jaw. “Fortune, I want you with me at night like this.”
He pulled her close to hug her. “Claire, you deserve more than this.”
Her fingers covered his mouth and she shifted, looking at him and then pulling his head down to kiss him.
Claire clung to him, marveling in his body that was so different
, burning with embarrassment when she thought about what he had just done. “Fortune,” she whispered, again on the verge of declaring her love to him but stopping short. “I don’t have any experience at pleasing you,” she said.
He grinned at her, gently tugging a long lock of hair. “Thank goodness,” he said. “Experience is not what a man wants in a wife.”
“Yes, but loving a virgin can’t be as exciting.”
“It was good, I promise you,” he said, kissing her, amused by her worries. “Claire, a sporting girl has experience but not much else.”
“She would be more exciting for you.”
“No, she definitely would not. You saw what you did to me. And you saw how soon you caused me to lose control.”
“That is the first time, Fortune O’Brien, I’ve caused you to lose control!”
He remembered some of his bouts of temper with her and was glad those moments escaped her memory right now. He kissed her shoulder, trailed kisses to her full lips, and he felt himself becoming aroused again. He drew a deep breath, his broad chest expanding, wondering if she would be too sore to love again.
“Claire,” he whispered, bending his head to take her breast in his mouth, hearing her moan as her hips shifted against him.
His pulse jumped, his erection coming hard as he realized she wasn’t going to stop him. This time he could go slow for her, take his time, try to bring her ecstasy instead of pain. He rolled her onto her stomach and leaned over to kiss the small of her back while his hands played over her thighs and her buttocks.
When he finally turned her over and lowered himself, entering her, he went slowly, able to hold back until she bucked wildly beneath him.
Claire cried out, wild with need as she climaxed. Still he held back, his shaft deep and hard in her, moving slowly, withdrawing until only the tip touched her moist warmth. She tugged at him, still wanting him as she reached another climax.
His pulse roared in his ears while her head thrashed about and her legs tightened around him. Passionate and eager, she was responsive to his slightest caress.
Finally he couldn’t hold back and moved with her, their hips thrusting until he groaned, his head coming down as he kissed her and thrust his tongue deep into her mouth.
They grew quiet and he kissed her lightly, from her throat down her arm to the back of her hand.
She clung to him, holding him tightly. “I need you, Fortune. We can make our marriage good if we try. I know we can.”
“Yes, Claire,” he said, stroking her head, letting his hand slide down over her damp, smooth skin, down to the enticing curve of her buttocks. “It’ll be good,” he repeated, holding her. She turned against him, playing her hands over his chest.
“Perhaps tonight we started a baby.”
“Maybe, but usually it isn’t that easy.”
“So we’ll have to keep trying.”
He laughed softly, a deep sound in the stillness. “From now on, I’m sleeping in here, Claire.” Then he fell silent, knowing she might not feel the same about anything in the light of day, knowing tonight he had the advantage in overcoming any of her objections to anything they had done.
She fell asleep in his arms. He held her close, stroking her hair, thinking about Marilee, feeling as if memories and his love for her were slipping away from him. For the first time the hurt that plagued him with every thought of Marilee was not as sharp. He looked down at Claire, realizing that perhaps he would get over his grief. Perhaps he could open his heart to love Claire.
He felt a small jolt of shock as he realized for the first time that he might fall in love with his new wife. When he had been traveling with her, still filled with anger, it had seemed an impossibility. Now after growing closer to her in so many ways, he realized he was capable of love again.
He raised his arm to look at the gold chain around his wrist. Marilee was gone. He had part of her in Michael, a part of her in his heart that would never change, but he had to go on with life. He turned his wrist, momentarily calling up a clear image of Marilee, and then carefully he slipped his arm out from beneath Claire and sat up.
He looked at her sleek, healthy body, feeling his manhood harden again. He gazed at Claire’s full breasts, her long legs, and then he lifted a lock of hair off her shoulder. His feelings went deeper than wanting her body. That alone would have never stirred him to what he felt now.
He lifted his arm to unfasten the gold links that had bound his heart to Marilee. “I love you, Marilee,” he whispered softly. “But I love Claire too, and she’s been so good to Michael. You gave Michael to her and brought her into our lives.”
He slid off the bed carefully and placed the bracelet on the night table. As moonlight spilled over the small golden links, he knew he was free from mourning at last.
He slipped back to the bed and eased himself next to Claire. He kissed her forehead and pulled her close in his arms. He let his fingers drift down over the tip of her breast, rubbing the velvety nub with his palm, his erection throbbing.
She moaned and he felt the bud swell against his palm. He bent his head to take Claire’s mouth, to kiss her awake again, suddenly feeling a need for her that made him shake. It was as if in shedding the bracelet he had become a void without love. Almost desperately his kiss deepened as he wrapped her in her arms, holding her against him, pressing her hard against his chest.
Her eyes flew open. “Fortune?”
“God, I need you, Claire,” he murmured roughly, his mouth coming down to cover hers again.
The warmth of his words wrapped around her like a warm cloak, giving her far more of a thrill than the diamond and sapphire necklace he had given her earlier. He was crushing the breath from her lungs, but she didn’t care. She clung to him, wanting to love him, to discover his body that was such a marvel to her.
He kissed her as if he needed to devour her. Suddenly it struck her that something was different about him from when he had loved her before. Was it because earlier had been the first? But he hadn’t been this way the second time they had loved. He seemed desperate for her. And then the thought fled as he moved over her.
“I can’t wait, Claire. I have to have you now.”
His words set her on fire. She clung to him as he moved between her legs. She expected an invasion of her body as wild as his kisses had been, but he moved slowly, making her arch against him and hold him tightly. All thought vanished and she felt as if she was drowning in sensation.
When she felt his body shudder with release, he gasped. “Claire, love, I need you!”
As she felt his hot seed spill into her, his words made her heart race with joy.
When he finally rolled off her, he held her close in his arms, stroking her hair back from her face. Soon he was breathing evenly, and she knew he had fallen asleep. In seconds she felt sleep overwhelm her as well.
When Claire woke, she stared at the ceiling a moment, then became aware of the arm wrapped around her. She shifted and turned to look at Fortune, who was sprawled next to her, holding her close to his side. He was naked, a sheet across his body below his waist. She felt her breath catch when she looked at him and thought about the night before. She ran her hand across her stomach, wondering how long it would take before she would be carrying his child. Her breath came faster at the thought of nights of love with Fortune.
As she ran her fingertips lightly across his chest, his arm tightened around her. He turned his head, his eyes coming open.
“My word, you wake up easily!”
“That’s from soldiering. If you don’t, you’re dead,” he mumbled, pulling her over him to kiss her. His hands began running over her, and in no time they were making love again.
Over an hour later, as she finished trailing her fingertips over the stubble on his cheeks, she sat up slightly. “Fortune, we should get out of bed. Michael will be up and everyone will be working.”
He grinned, tickling his fingers across her breasts.
“Fortune!” She slid out of
bed and picked up the discarded chemise to wrap it around herself.
“All right, Claire.” She gathered her clothes to go into the bathroom. When she came out, Fortune went in to wash.
She glanced at the bed, her cheeks becoming hot as she remembered the night, yet she felt an eagerness for his arms and kisses that seemed stronger than ever. Astounded, she looked at herself in the mirror, wondering if she was a wanton. After all their lovemaking last night and again this morning, she wanted him all over again.
Shaking her head, she moved away to dress in a blue and white dimity with tiny puff sleeves and a blue sash. The bathroom door opened, and Fortune appeared in his black pants.
She looked up to see a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth. He crossed the room and slid an arm around her waist. “I want you again.”
“We should go downstairs, but I want you too,” she whispered as he leaned down to kiss her.
She closed her eyes, their tongues touching. He wrapped both arms around her, holding her tightly while he kissed her long and hard.
At last she pushed away. “Fortune! I shall be a mass of wrinkles,” she said, trying to smooth the dimity. She was walking toward the mirror when the sunlight spilling through the window glittered on something on the table.
Walking to the table, she frowned. A pile of gold links gleamed in the early morning sunlight. Claire’s heart began to drum. She picked up the bracelet, questions bombarding her as she turned to find him watching her. “Fortune, why did you take off your bracelet?”
Chapter 20
Fortune crossed the room to take the bracelet from her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Claire, I don’t know how much I can change,” he said quietly. She felt as if she couldn’t get her breath. “But I want to give us every chance. My grief is fading away, thanks to you—”
“Oh, Fortune!” She stood on tiptoe and flung her arms around his neck. “Fortune, it could be so good, I just know! I love you,” she said, kissing his ear and cheek and mouth wildly.
