by Josie Dennis
Catherine looked from one to the other. “I suppose…”
“That settles it. We shall ride out to Lansdown Hill.”
“Brother, that would be delightful!” Miss Thorne turned to Catherine. “Oh, the hill is said to offer a lovely prospect, Catherine. We shall have a grand time.”
“It is a long ride, Thorne.” Henry bristled.
“What is a ride to fine horses such as mine?” Thorne returned. “I shall drive Catherine and you can take my sister in your…How would you describe your equipage, Tilman?”
“My equipage is quite adequate,” Henry bit out.
Thorne’s eyes narrowed, putting Henry on his guard. “Adequate. Not a glowing endorsement, I daresay.”
Catherine appeared a bit confused, but Henry didn’t miss the man’s meaning. His cock was more than adequate!
“I find when a man boasts about his equipment it may be found lacking,” Henry said.
Thorne glowered at him for a moment then dipped his head in concession. “We’ll expect you at the house at noon.” He faced Catherine. “Will that be time enough for you ladies to ready yourselves?”
“Brother, really,” Miss Thorne said. “We are young women, used to staying up to all hours then going about on calls and visits. We shall not disappoint. Isn’t that right, Catherine?”
Catherine licked her lips, drawing Henry’s gaze to her pretty mouth. “Yes, Isabella,” she said softly.
“Do you think your brother will join us, Mr. Tilman?” Isabella asked.
“Frederick? I should say not,” Henry answered. “Far too tame an adventure for him.”
When the girl’s eyes lit up at that disclosure Henry wished he could call the words back. It wouldn’t do for his brother to defile Catherine’s friend. There would be little to recommend his suit should Catherine be so turned against the Tilman family.
Pots of tea and plates of biscuits arrived and Henry came to his feet. “I shall leave you to your refreshments.” He bowed to the ladies and dipped his head to Thorne. “Until the morrow.”
Catherine gazed up at him, that hot speculation on her face once again. What was she thinking in that clever mind of hers? Did her imagination extend to carnal activities? He could hardly wait to find out.
* * * *
John stood in the entry, his watch in his hand. Half past eleven. He’d told Tilman noon. He may just have to leave a bit earlier than that with the lovely Catherine by his side. He’d watched Henry Tilman closely yesterday in the tearoom. The man had designs on her, that was certain. If he were wise, John would leave her to him, but apparently he wasn’t, not where she was concerned.
He’d rarely experienced desire as sharp as he felt for the girl, especially after so short an acquaintance. He wasn’t going to give her to Tilman’s clumsy attentions before tasting her himself. Today’s ride might be just the opportunity to gauge her feelings on matters.
“John, it is most gentlemanly of you to take the girls to Lansdown today.”
John turned to his aunt and smiled. “It is my pleasure, Aunt.”
She eyed him closely. He’d always suspected his late father’s sister could see through any façade he thought to erect. “I know how you ran about at Cambridge,” she said.
Amazingly, he felt his cheeks heat as they had yesterday morning when faced with Catherine’s open perusal. Was he reduced to acting the schoolboy now? “I assure you, I have been nothing but circumspect since leaving that hallowed institution.”
“Reputation is very important to young ladies, John. Why, for some it may be the only thing of value they possess.”
He knew she spoke of Catherine’s lack of fortune or family connections. That mattered little to him, though. He might not know where this attraction would lead but he would never ruin a young lady’s reputation.
“I would never do anything to bring my sister down,” he said, choosing to take his aunt’s words at their face value.
Aunt Beatrice nodded then turned toward the front parlor. “Take care on your ride, John.”
John made a sound of agreement and gazed up the stairs as he awaited the ladies’ arrival. Yes, he would assure that Isabella’s reputation remained intact. He would also make sure she remained blissfully ignorant of his actions toward her companion.
As to that delightful creature? He’d preserve her reputation as well, if not her virginity. Ah, he would take her and soon. And if Henry Tilman thought he would claim her first he was in for a surprise.
Catherine joined him before Isabella, and he caught her sweet marmalade scent as she stopped before him. She’d dressed in a cunning little outfit just right for their outing, in a peach-colored dress dotted with little white flowers. A straw bonnet topped her dark curls. She looked as delicious as she smelled. “Catherine, you look lovely.”
She blushed and ran her hands over the gold velvet spencer fastened over her bodice. “This jacket is Isabella’s. She lent it to me.”
And I can’t wait to take it off of you. “I’d be lying if I said I ever recall Isabella looking as fine in it.”
“Brother, I am shocked!” Isabella said as she joined them. “You wound me.”
“You cannot deny Catherine looks a picture, sister,” he said. “As do you.”
Isabella, apparently mollified, dropped a curtsey. “This shall be a pleasant morning, don’t you think?”
“I do indeed.” He turned to Catherine. “Why don’t we go on ahead, Catherine. Tilman and Isabella can join us.”
Catherine appeared worried, her delicate brow creased and her lower lip peeping out. He longed to lick it.
“I don’t know,” she said. He could see she wasn’t averse to being alone with him, however. She seemed to waver. “What do you think, Isabella?”
His sister cocked her head to the side, her mind no doubt working furiously. Let her believe him interested in her friend. For once in her life she had the right of it.
“I suppose Mr. Tilman and I can catch up with you both, though my brother’s horses are quite fast.”
John couldn’t help it. He grinned. “Catherine and I will simply wait for you to join us on Lansdown, if need be. We shall be able to occupy ourselves, I imagine.”
“Imagine,” Catherine repeated softly. She seemed to tremble beside him and he tamped down the urge to drag her into his arms right then.
Isabella accompanied them to the front door. “Besides, I can use the time alone with Mr. Tilman to pepper him with questions about his intriguing older brother.”
John rolled his eyes and escorted Catherine out to his carriage waiting out front. He could feel the heat of her hand through her glove as he handed her up into the carriage. Hot and sweet, a compelling combination.
She settled daintily on the seat and turned her face to the blue skies overhead. “What a lovely day!”
His lungs seized. “Lovely, indeed.” He flicked the reins, and they pulled out into traffic. He drove the horses a little faster, eliciting an excited gasp from Catherine. His body reacted, and he felt that certainty again. “You’ll enjoy the ride, I daresay.”
She laughed then let out a shout. “There is Mr. Tilman!”
John turned his head and locked gazes with Henry Tilman where he passed them in his carriage. The man looked surprised, and then he glared at him. Pity, if he’d been just ten minutes earlier…
“Seems he wanted to get an early start as well,” John said.
Catherine turned in her seat to follow Henry’s carriage with her eyes. “I hope he won’t be put out that we left without waiting.”
“Ah, he and Isabella will catch up with us soon enough.”
She seemed assured and turned back around in her seat. John smiled to himself. He was a great judge of horses and carriages, and even if Henry rode like the wind after he picked up Isabella there was no way he would catch them. To be sure, John’s carriage would reach the hill nearly an hour before Henry’s.
The roads were dry and his horses ate up the twenty miles to L
ansdown. There weren’t any tourists about, which was no surprise given the banality of this particular excursion. He pulled the carriage to a shaded spot beneath a tree and turned to take Catherine’s hand in his.
“Mr. Thorne!”
John smiled. “Ah, you agreed to call me ‘John.’”
She returned the expression. “John.”
“Tell me about yourself, Catherine.”
She blinked. “What is it you wish to know?” Her dainty brows drew together. “Oh, my situation. There is little mystery there, I’m afraid. I’m one of ten children, John. My ability to care for the younger ones undeniably contributes to my skill as a companion.” She gave him a small smile. “I’ve yet to lose a one of them, so your sister is quite safe in my company. As to my future after this delightful duty is passed, I have no fortune to speak of and will no doubt have to make my own way in the world once Isabella weds.”
He was shocked by her frank disclosure, though he’d guessed the particulars. They were of little consequence to him in any event.
“My sister is quite fickle, Catherine.” He kissed her hand, burying his nose beneath the hem of her glove to sniff her wrist. Orange marmalade. “It will likely be years before she weds.”
“Years?” The hope in her big blue eyes set his blood pounding. He’d give anything to keep that hope alive. To make certain that she had a place in the world she wouldn’t have to make on her own. Should he take her as his mistress? She was an untried girl, one of virtue if not fortune. He had to have her, though. He’d reason out the rest of it later.
“But you do not have to worry,” he said, drawing her closer. “I shall make certain of that.”
He brought his lips to hers, flicking his tongue over them. She moaned and opened beneath him. He pulled back in surprise then plunged his tongue deep inside. Her taste was sharper here, intoxicating, and he began to lose himself. He brought his lips to her throat, dragging his tongue over her skin.
“John,” he heard her murmur as she grabbed his hand. She placed it on her breast and sighed. “Oh, touch me.”
He wasn’t one to deny such a pretty request. He kneaded her full breast through her spencer, but it wasn’t enough. He worked the tiny buttons free and saw she wore no fichu beneath. No, just her creamy skin met his gaze and his lips, for he had to kiss her there.
“Catherine.” He flicked his tongue into her cleavage, and she arched against the seat. Reaching beneath her skirts, he brushed his fingers over the silken flesh above her stockings. He cupped her through her drawers, and she scalded him. “My God, you’re wet.”
She nodded, her eyes squeezed shut. “Touch me, John.”
He pushed her drawers aside and did so, using her juices to tease her clit where it hid among the damp curls. Her pussy grabbed at his fingers, her hips moving as he began that rhythm he knew would please her. He felt the proof of her virginity, and that stilled him for a moment. Then he looked at her. She wore her sexual frustration on her face, her need for what he could do for her. She might be a virgin in body, but she was a purely sexual being at the moment.
He teased and pinched until he felt her climax start.
“Yes!” she cried, spreading her legs wide. “Oh, that’s it!”
She bucked as she came, soaking his hand with her juices. He could smell her scent, sweet and tangy, and he longed to taste her. To bury his face in her fragrant cunt and eat to his heart’s content. His mouth watered at the prospect. That was for another time, however. Tilman’s carriage could arrive at any moment.
He rubbed a hand over his aching cock, giving it a long stroke. “Ah, what you do to me.”
“I don’t…” She opened her eyes to stare up at him. “To you?”
“Do you think me unaffected? My cock is hard as a rock, love.” He shifted and settled between her thighs, teasing her opening with his throbbing shaft. “I want you, Catherine. Can you feel me?”
She froze, then he stroked his swollen shaft over her clit and she let out a delighted squeal. “Oh, yes. Why, that is remarkable!”
He prayed his lauded control would hold as he moved himself over her heat. She closed her eyes again and wriggled again him. He froze. He had to stop and right this moment.
“Catherine,” he whispered, kissing her mouth. “We mustn’t.”
She blinked up at him, and then her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “Oh!”
He wanted her, so desperately that he’d nearly disgraced himself in his trousers. So much for his control. She made him forget himself, and the notion wasn’t as frightening as he’d once believed. That moment he realized matters had changed. She would never be just his mistress. No. She was everything.
And he would do everything in his power to keep her forever.
Chapter 4
Catherine tried to catch her breath, her body still trembling from all John had done to her. Oh, this was so much better than her dreams!
“Catherine, love,” he rasped, nuzzling her cheek. “My God, Catherine.”
She stroked his broad shoulders, feeling her pussy twinge with every breath. He was still pressed against her, and she wished for a moment that she could have him deep inside. Even in her fevered dreams she’d never imagine such a thing. It felt as though something was missing. She’d had her very first climax yet she felt incomplete.
“John, could you…”
He straightened and flashed her a bright smile. “I don’t want to crush you.” He’d misunderstood. She didn’t want to let go. No, she wanted him to finish what he started. However could she admit such a thing?
He pulled away from her with a grunt, and before she could glimpse that remarkable member hidden in his trousers he shifted to conceal it from view. He then helped her arrange herself, easing her skirts down and brushing his hands over the fabric.
“Not too wrinkled,” he said.
She looked down and allowed that no one would guess how altered she was beneath her pretty gown. He hadn’t taken her, but that was due to his presence of forethought, not her own. What did this mean? Did John wish a permanent arrangement? She dismissed the thought as soon as it arose. That would be ridiculous. She was nothing.
Her fingers shook as she attempted to fasten her spencer over her still-tingling breasts. John took over the task, dropping a kiss on her cheek when he’d finished.
“There. Once again you are a picture.”
The sound of carriage wheels over the road reached her. John turned, a frown marring his handsome face for a moment. Then he smiled at her. “This is just the beginning, Catherine,” he rushed out. “I will find a way for us to be together.”
Her breath caught. “What do you mean, John?”
He flashed another smile then shook his head. “My sister and Tilman are nearly upon us.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “We’ll speak soon.”
Henry’s carriage pulled up behind John’s. Henry glared at John before alighting and assisting Isabella out of the carriage.
“I say, your horses are very fast,” Henry said.
John shrugged. “I saw no reason to put off our pleasure to keep to a slower pace.”
Catherine’s face heated at his words. Pleasure, indeed! Isabella stared at her, her head tilted to one side. Could she guess what John had done to her? Or what she longed for him to do still? Catherine glanced at Henry, seeing that dark intent in his soulful eyes. Her gaze fell to his hands. They were such nice hands. How would he make love? She gave herself a mental shake. Oh, she had to cease with these fantasies.
“I’m glad you’ve joined us,” Catherine said to him.
Henry smiled, and it was as if he touched her as intimately as John had. That man wore a suspicious cast on his features, and Catherine turned from both of them.
“Let us take in the view,” Isabella said. “That is the reason we rode out here, is it not?”
Catherine nodded, but she couldn’t form words at present. She’d come out to learn more about her two gentlemen, to perhaps decide which one
was the true hero of her dreams. She was still unsure. The memories of what they’d done to her in that darkened corridor, what John did to her in the bright sunshine, combined to make her ache for them both. She might never secure a marriage of her own, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t indulge her fantasies, did it?
The late morning passed into afternoon, and by that time Catherine was ready to scream her frustration to the beautiful blue sky. John was solicitous and teasing, flirting shamelessly while Henry eased himself ever closer to her on the blanket he’d brought. She barely participated in the conversation, though Isabella didn’t seem to notice. That was fortunate for Catherine, as John and Henry monopolized all of her attention and interest.
Her drawers were wet and rubbed against her swollen pussy every time she shifted. The day had grown warmer, but she didn’t dare remove her borrowed spencer. Her breasts were tingling, her nipples tight against her stays, and she didn’t trust herself not to rub her hands over the aching tips to ease their discomfort should she have access.
She could smell both men now, that leather and woodsy scent of John that had filled her in the carriage and a fresh soapy scent she now knew as Henry’s. Their scents mingled with the fresh grass and wildflowers growing with abandon on the hill. What would happen if Isabella had not been there as oblivious chaperone? Would Catherine dare to ask John and Henry to please her as they had in her dreams?
“It looks like our day shall end with rain,” Henry said.
Catherine had been studying his mouth, so it was a few moments before his words penetrated. “Oh, rain?”
“John, you had better get your carriage back before it starts,” Isabella said.
“Come, Catherine,” John said, coming to his feet.
“I shall take Miss Morris, Thorne,” Henry said.
Take her? She stared at Henry. Oh, he could not mean take her! Catherine’s heart doubled its beat as the two of them silently clashed. Isabella was smoothing her clothing to remove any stray blades of grass, so she didn’t seem to notice the animosity flowing between the men.
“Catherine came with me,” John said.
