by Josie Dennis
He came closer. “Poppy, I can’t ignore you.” He saw her pulse flutter at the base of her slender throat and stroked her there with one finger. “It was all I could do not to reach over the table and drag you onto my lap.”
Her mouth was an enticing O. “Julian, please.”
“You kissed Lord Stanton,” he said softly.
Her eyes widened. “He told you?”
“He did. He also said he told you he wants you.”
She gave a shaky nod. “He did.”
He brought his face to hers, cupping her cheek with one hand. “You want him, too, don’t you?”
“I’ve never.”
Julian kissed her, taking his time as he tasted her. “I know. But you can, sweetheart. And I can help you.”
He pressed close to her, feeling her every curve against his body. “You feel how much I want you?”
She nodded again, her breath coming fast. “Y-yes.”
“And you want me?”
Her eyes fluttered shut and he waited for her answer.
“I do,” she said.
Pride swelled inside him. He nuzzled her skin, breathing in her sweet scent. “And you want Lord Stanton?”
She started, her eyes open once more. “I don’t know about that.”
“Poppy, he told me you liked what he did to you.”
“I did,” she breathed.
He leaned away from her, unable to keep the grin from his face. “Then come with me now. I promise you pleasure and nothing else.”
She twisted her hands. “What of our positions?”
He grasped her hands and brought them to his lips. “They’ll be secure.” He dropped a kiss on her knuckles. “You have my word.”
“Your word?” She pushed him away. “What of Lord Stanton’s?”
“I trust him, Poppy. I wouldn’t hurt you for the world.”
She must have seen the truth of his feelings for her in his eyes, for she softened. “If you say we’ll be safe, I’d much like to kiss the two of you again.”
He ran his thumb over her lips. “Ah, Poppy. We’re going to do a sight more than kiss.”
Her eyes widened, but it wasn’t alarm he saw there. No. It was that curiosity he’d seen before. He and Henry were just the men to satisfy it.
Chapter 6
Henry sat in the parlor, trying to focus on what Matthew Hawk was saying. It was passing strange to interact with these people so obviously connected to him, though he’d never met them before this visit. Matthew was very friendly, and obviously happy with his choice of wife. Posy was blonde and bright and just as pretty as the earl’s wife. Whether Matthew would remain in wedded bliss was something Henry would never count on for himself.
Now to think about passing his time here in pleasure with both Julian and Poppy, that was something he could easily envision. Would he take Poppy first, while she sucked Julian’s cock? Would he tease and kiss her while Julian got his first taste of Poppy’s pussy? He shifted on the settee as he began to harden.
“Would you like to join us?” Matthew asked him.
Henry blinked. “Pardon me?”
He’d been thinking of the trio he and Julian and Poppy would make, and it took a moment to turn his mind to Matthew’s words.
“Michael and I are driving into the village tomorrow,” Matthew explained. “We’ll go to the Inn. Have a pint.”
“Just the two of you?”
Matthew nodded. “Posy isn’t very fond of the inn, though I admit it holds a special place in my heart.”
“Cheeky,” the man’s wife offered, seated not far from them.
“I met her there,” Matthew explained.
“Was she traveling?” Henry asked.
“Yes, to work here at the manor.”
“She worked here?”
“I was a parlor maid, Henry,” Posy said, rising to stand at her husband’s shoulder. “No one was more surprised than I was when the man I’d met came to stay at the manor.”
Henry thought about that, befuddled that a Hawk would take a servant as a wife. Her manners were graceful, and she appeared poised. She did seem a little outspoken, but no more so than the countess.
“I believe we’ve shocked him,” Matthew said with a smile.
“A Hawk, scandalized by anything?” Lady Hawksfell offered. “That would be a first.”
Michael Crowley, the countess’s third cousin, grinned and shared a warm look with the lady. “Scandal? The Hawks laugh in the face of scandal.”
“You laugh in the face of everything,” the earl intoned with a small smile.
It was clear that the earl was quite fond of Michael. Henry once more felt removed from these people. They’d carved out a bit of happiness he’d never dared desire. He sensed a connection among the earl, the countess, and Michael. Something beyond familial connection. Passion? Perhaps. If he himself could entertain a tryst with two others, why not the earl?
As he fell silent, the others talked around him. Matthew and Posy lived nearby, as Gabriel had told Henry when he’d arrived. Now and then Posy mentioned someone named William, and Michael said something slightly naughty that earned him a playful slap from the countess. There was an undercurrent of something he kept missing, but his mind was occupied elsewhere. Specifically, on Julian and his success or failure in talking Poppy into giving them a go.
“We’ve lost you again,” Matthew said to him, his voice low.
Henry started and turned to face the earl’s brother. “I’m sorry?”
“Don’t apologize, Henry. I know it’s a lot to take in. When I first came here, I had a chip on my shoulder the size of Gibraltar. Gabriel made me see that happiness was possible. That family was possible.”
Henry glanced around the room again, and saw that the others were involved in their own conversations. He shook his head. “I’ve never had family of any sort, Matthew. My late mother was a bitter harridan and I didn’t know my father.”
“My so-called father, my uncle actually, was an abusive son of a bitch until I grew old enough to hit back.”
Henry gaped at him. “That had to be worse than my mother’s constant bile. I’m sorry you had to live with that.”
Matthew shrugged and sipped at his brandy. “I survived, Henry. I didn’t learn to live until I came to Hawksfell.”
“And met Posy.”
Matthew’s eyes sparkled. “And William.”
Henry wanted to ask Matthew just what was between his marriage and this William, but what was the point? He wouldn’t be at Hawksfell indefinitely. He wouldn’t live here, dine here, go for drives with the people here. He would go back to Stanton House and the life he had there. Getting closer with these Hawks wouldn’t lead to anything.
“You’re happy here,” he said at last.
“And you’re not,” Matthew offered.
“I’m grateful for the earl’s invitation, Matthew.”
Matthew smiled, but the expression appeared a little bit melancholy. “Make the most of your visit, then. Hope for more.”
Henry nodded absently, but he let Matthew’s words roll off of him. He wouldn’t hope for more. Not for the time beyond his visit. But for tonight? He’d make the most of his time with Julian and Poppy.
* * * *
Poppy held tight to Julian’s hand as he led her up the back stairs to the private part of the manor. She’d never been up here before, bound to the kitchens as she’d been since coming to work here. She’d decided to see what she and Julian could share together there as they’d sat and devoured each other along with her cake. It startled her to feel so much for him even as his words about Lord Stanton excited her.
She wouldn’t think herself out of this. She had a long road ahead of her, making her own way as a baker. She would take this opportunity to enjoy a bit of fantasy before resigning herself to her lonely, hardworking life.
When they reached the door of what must be Lord Stanton’s guest room, Julian pulled her close again.
“You’re sure
about this, Poppy?”
She stared into his eyes and felt her heart flip. She knew he wanted her, but didn’t every man respond to a girl’s closeness? He cared for her, too, though. She sensed that in her soul.
“I’m sure,” she said. “You’ll keep me safe.”
He turned the knob, and they entered the beautiful bedroom. As he set about his duties, turning down the bed and arranging the items on a low dressing table, Poppy took the opportunity to look around the sumptuous interior.
It was done in several shades of blue. Ivory warmed the space, as smooth and creamy as her best frosting. The bed, that decadent expanse of silks and linens, was piled with pillows.
It was a simple thing to imagine Lord Stanton reclining there, perhaps in a dressing gown. She couldn’t imagine him without clothing. She had no point of reference but for the glimpses of his muscles beneath his fine clothes. Even picturing Julian in such a state was beyond her, and she’d had all of his body pressed against hers just a short while earlier.
Closing her eyes, she let the memory of her encounters with each of them fill her mind. As if she turned a switch, heat suffused her as her woman’s flesh swelled. Julian’s scent wrapped around her, followed by his arms.
“You will love this, Poppy,” he whispered in her ear.
She reached up and grasped his wrists. “I believe you.”
He began to nibble on the side of her neck, making her tremble. He reached up to release her hair from its pins, and she felt it tumble down her back.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you,” he said.
She tried to form an answer, but she was overwhelmed when he began to unbutton her blouse. The rough fabric scraped delightfully across her breasts as he opened the garment. In contrast, her slip was soft and silky, and she felt like that was gone as well when he cupped her breasts.
“That feels so good,” she admitted on a sigh, arching into his touch.
“It’s just the beginning,” Julian rasped, pinching her nipples.
“Oh, I’ll surely perish,” she said with a shiver.
“Never that,” Lord Stanton said from the doorway.
She stiffened. She hadn’t even heard the door open, with Julian’s hands and mouth on her flesh. “M-my lord,” she stammered.
Lord Stanton closed the door and held up his hand. “Henry, Poppy. In this chamber, like in your domain belowstairs, I am Henry.”
She licked her lips and saw he watched the motion. “Henry.”
Julian chuckled softly behind her, easing her open blouse out of her skirt. “That’s our girl.”
“How is this possible?” she asked, craning her neck to see him better. “It’s been but a few days.”
Julian gave a graceful shrug as he stepped back. “I can’t explain it, sweetheart.”
Lord Stanton, Henry, came closer. “Poppy, this thing between Julian and myself.” He placed his hands on her bare shoulders. “What’s among all three of us. This is very new.”
She stared up into his dark eyes. “You’re experienced, Henry.”
“Very,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t follow that I’ve ever been tangled up with two people like you and Julian in the whole of my life.”
He kissed her then, and she felt Julian’s hands on her bottom now. Her drawers were wet as he reached around to touch her.
“Your pussy is so hot,” Julian said. “I can’t wait to taste you.”
Her mind spun as she tried to imagine what Julian said. Her…pussy was hot. Her entire body felt as though it was raw and aching, especially that place between her thighs.
“Taste me?” she managed to ask, her head lolling back against his shoulder.
Henry bared her breasts and licked her nipple. “God, yes.”
Poppy nearly melted to the thick carpet beneath her feet as he suckled her. His teeth were hard, his tongue teasing, as he roused her. She wore nothing now, though she wasn’t aware of precisely how that had happened. Her clothes, shoes, and stockings were scattered and intermingled with Henry and Julian’s jackets.
“Lick her,” Julian said, both hands spreading her with his fingers.
She should be mortified to be so exposed, but Henry’s dark, glittering gaze fixed on her flesh made her long for whatever came next.
Henry licked her nipple one more time, slowly and thoroughly, and then brought his face to her most private place. “You smell so sweet.”
Grateful that Julian held her up, she moved herself toward Henry’s sculpted lips. “Henry, please.”
He dropped a kiss on her lower belly, right above her center. “Strawberries and vanilla,” he said, using the tip of his tongue to trace slowly through her curls. “Pretty red curls and a pretty pink pussy.”
Her thighs trembled as he sealed his mouth to her. Sparks lit behind her eyelids and she flushed hot and cold.
“Oh,” she breathed, wriggling against his sinful tongue. “Oh, my.”
Henry gripped her bottom and stabbed his tongue inside, drawing her body tighter and tighter.
“You like that,” Julian said, his lips against the side of her neck. “You like Henry’s mouth on your pussy.”
She gasped, nodding as she rose higher and higher. Suddenly she broke, bucking against his tongue as a rush of sensation crashed over her.
“That’s it,” Henry said, lapping at her as she continued to float. “Give me all of you.”
She sobbed as she sagged in Julian’s hold, her heart racing and her body weak. He kissed her cheek, then bolstered her up. “Come, sweetheart. I need to be inside you.”
Henry brought his face to hers and kissed her, reaching around to grab her buttocks again. “Give Julian a ride, Poppy. He wanted you first.”
She nibbled her lip, still pressed tight between them. Should she do this? Make love with Julian? Turning in his arms, she stared up into his beautiful blue eyes. Tenderness showed there. Tenderness and heat. Her flesh began to quiver anew.
When he smiled, it was as if all doubts fled. This was what she wanted. Passion with her Julian and the incredible Henry Hawk. She swallowed and lifted her chin.
“Take me, Julian.”
Chapter 7
Julian saw it before she uttered the words. Her capitulation to Henry’s suggestion. It had surprised him at first, both his offer and her agreement. But now he was so hard he could scarcely take in breath, and he would take the gift for what it was.
“Come, sweetheart,” he urged, tugging her hands as he led her to Henry’s bed. “After what Henry did to you, and the way you came, I believe you’ll be ready for me.”
She stared up at him. “I want you, Julian.”
He tumbled to the bed with her, using his hands and lips to rouse her passions again. He was shaking now, so eager to be inside of her. Henry moved to wrap an arm around her, his long fingers tugging on her soft pink rosebud nipples. He was naked now, and it was clear that he needed a ride as much as Julian did.
Poppy leaned up to kiss Henry, and Julian nearly came just watching the two of them together. As Henry kissed and caressed Poppy, Julian petted her. She was still wet. Still hot. And he couldn’t resist a taste for himself.
He licked her, long and deep, and she shuddered beneath him. Her taste filled him, and he couldn’t wait any longer. Pressing the head of his cock against her pussy, he let himself slide against her. She was arching now, clutching at Henry as she spread her thighs wider to what Julian was doing.
“Come inside me, Julian,” she breathed.
Julian covered her now, bracing himself on his arms to stare down into her face. “This will hurt a bit, sweetheart.”
“But I’ll distract you,” Henry said, nibbling on her neck.
She nodded, holding one of Julian’s arms as she held Henry’s head to her. Julian felt the barrier of her virginity and held himself still, his blood pounding low as he silently prayed for strength. Then he pushed through, burying himself deep in her cunt.
“Christ,” he growled, feeling
her grip him. “Poppy. Christ.”
Poppy was stiff beneath him, but then Henry had the presence of mind to renew his caresses as she began to ease. And Julian finally began to move again. She fit him perfectly, and he sought to focus on making her feel just what he was at the moment.
“Do you feel that, Poppy?” Julian asked her.
“He’s huge, isn’t he?” Henry asked her, catching Julian’s gaze. “Feel him.”
“Y-yes.” She arched again. “Oh, this feels so…”
“Incredible,” Julian said, dropping down to kiss her. “You feel incredible.”
She nodded again, letting out a cry as Henry began to finger her clit. Julian felt her pull tighter still, and he moved faster. Harder. His climax teased, his pulse racing as he neared his peak.
“Come, sweetheart,” he said, grinding against her. “Come.”
Henry pinched both of her ripe nipples, and she began to shake beneath Julian. A few more thrusts and she cried out, undulating as her orgasm took her. Julian at last gave in, pulling back at the very last instant to spill on the linens.
“Poppy,” Julian rasped, cuddling into her. “You’re amazing in your release.”
“Bloody beautiful,” Henry agreed, his voice low.
Julian kissed Poppy’s lips again before easing off of her. “Did I hurt you, sweetheart?”
She beamed up at him, a small smile on her lips. “Not really, Julian. That was just lovely.”
“Lovely? Indeed you are,” he told her.
Henry winced as he shifted on the bed to a seated position. It was clear he was in a bad way, and Julian knew he could please him. But what would Poppy think at the moment?
“Henry, you need ease,” he said, coming to his knees.
“I know,” Henry bit out. “Christ, I’ve never been this far gone.”
Poppy sat up, a curious expression on her flushed face. “Henry, do you need to take me?”
Henry gave her a weak smile. “Yes, but I wouldn’t do that. Not tonight.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because you would scarcely be able to walk tomorrow if he took you so soon,” Julian explained.
