Always Forever (Emerson Book 5)

by Maureen Driscoll

  “Rose, love, I hope this marriage makes you happy.”

  “I believe that is asking a great deal from something as complicated as marriage. In fact, I do not think even the best marriage is enough to change an unhappy person into a joyful one. Fortunately, for both of us, I am already a fairly happy person. Now, I am only more so. What about you? This will mean the most changes for you. Will it make you happy?”

  “You are everything I could wish for in a wife and quite better than I deserve. Would it spoil the mood for me to say that if you are not divested of your clothes with all due haste, I may actually expire of desire?”

  “You are quite direct, Lord Grayson.”

  “You have not begun to see just how direct I can be, Lady Grayson. Let me undress you, please. I cannot last another moment. And, no, we cannot have a maid do it.”

  “Which is just as well since I do not have one.”

  “You do now, love. And if you do not like any of the candidates here, we can hire someone from the village or London. Your days of economy are now over.”

  “I do not require much, but I would like to purchase… Oh, dear. I have not been your wife for even a day, yet I already want to spend your money.”

  “I have more than enough of it. What would you like to purchase first? New gowns? A carriage for yourself? Jewels? Bonnets? All of the above?”

  “I would like to purchase a well-made gown for Letty, as well as some stockings for her. She has had to make do for far too long with my old gowns that I altered to fit her. And I confess my skills are not as they should be. Then I would like to do the same for Anna. I promise that I will not have requests like this often, but I do so want to help them.”

  Nate contemplated his bride. How like his wonderful, practical Rose, who had done without for so long, to think of her younger sister and niece, when any other lady of his acquaintance would have been only too glad to spend his money on herself. “Of course we will buy those things as soon as possible, as well as anything else you want to do for your family. I have offered to help over the years, but Colin has been steadfast in refusing my assistance.”

  “He has refused Nick’s, as well. He takes too much upon himself. But do you really wish to spend time talking about my brothers?”

  “Hang your brothers! Let’s get you out of those clothes.”

  Nate put his hands on either side of Rose’s face, supping at her lips, then deepening the kiss as he ran his hands down her arms. He turned her and kissed her neck while he unlaced her gown. He wanted to rip it off her, but she would likely protest his lack of economy regarding her clothing.

  He pushed it off her shoulders to the ground, then went about unlacing her corset.

  “You do that very well,” said Rose breathlessly.

  “I hope that is just the first of many times you will say that tonight,” said Nate, mostly so she would bristle at his arrogance. He wanted to do something to calm her nerves. He was so attuned to her that he could feel the shivers running through her.

  “This is not going the way I thought it would,” she said. “How about if I say that throughout the night, instead?”

  “If you think you will still be able to form sentences after I have begun, pray say what you will.”

  “Why would I not be able to form…ahhhhh!”

  Nate had slipped one hand into her chemise and was lightly stroking the soft skin of her breast. It tightened in his hand and the nipple hardened to a satisfying extent. He pressed his hips forward so that he made contact with her perfect round arse.

  “Oh, Nate!” she breathed.

  She was so responsive. But they had a long night ahead of them and Nate feared too many more of her moans would result in activities being cut short. “Love, you do wonderful things to me. In fact…”

  “Can you speak and undress me at the same time?” she asked. “I am impatient for you to finish so I can do the same to you.”

  Nate was rocked to his very soul by her boldness. “I assure you I can do any number of things while also undressing you. And if I do somehow falter, I pledge to practice until undressing you is second nature.”

  With that, he pushed the rest of Rose’s clothing to the ground, leaving her naked. Gloriously so. Heart-stoppingly, breath-stealingly naked. And suddenly, Nate felt himself completely in over his head.

  In the bedchamber.

  In the past, he had taken his pleasure, making sure to also bring his partner enjoyment, but, honestly, taking care of himself foremost. Now, he wanted nothing more than to give Rose the best night of her life.

  * * *

  Rose could hardly believe it. She was standing in Nate’s enormous bedchamber – without a stitch of clothing – and he was looking at her like he wished to devour her. She felt like a hen, waiting for the fox to pounce. She wasn’t scared – far from it. But she had no idea what she was supposed to do. And he was still fully clothed.

  “Nate?”

  “Yes, love,” he said, as he slowly walked around her, studying every inch of her.

  “I do not know what to do. And I fear that if I do the wrong thing, you will think me foolish, awkward or awkwardly foolish.”

  “That last thing is a combination of the other two.”

  “I know. Nerves have made me dull-witted.”

  “You have just spoken of two impossible situations. One, that you would ever be anything but clever. And, two, that you could ever do the wrong thing in the bedchamber. Actually, let me amend that. If you ever did something you did not wish to do or told me you liked something when you didn’t, those would be wrong. But as long as you are honest, I will approve of everything you do in the bedchamber.”

  “What about outside of the bedchamber?”

  “I will approve of everything you do to my body outside of the bedchamber, as well.”

  “What about things I do outside of the bedchamber which are non-sensuous in nature?”

  “Those would have to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”

  “What about this?” Rose pressed herself down the front of Nate and kissed him with all the hunger inside her. His arms were around her in an instant and she reveled in the sensation of being pressed against him. She felt the friction of his clothes against her bare skin and felt his hardness. Her mind was a blur and words were too much. “These,” she said, pulling back and pointing to his clothes. “Off.”

  He grinned and quickly divested himself of his clothes as she looked on, occasionally kissing him. When he was finally naked, he started toward her.

  “No!” she said, knowing that if they touched skin-to-skin she could never separate from him. “I want to see.”

  “Later!”

  “Now!”

  With a moan, Nate stood still, as Rose walked slowly around him. He seemed pleased despite the delay, and each time she reached out to run her fingers down an arm or across his back or stomach, he moaned. He was warm, hard and soft at the same time. And she had never felt more alive.

  When she completed her tour and once again faced him, he took a step toward her, but she held out her arm, keeping him still. Then she looked at that part of him she had been most curious about.

  He was jutting outward and upward. As she looked, his…appendage jumped just a bit.

  “Is it nervous?” she asked, startled.

  That made him laugh. “Just anxious. Rose, is this slow torture some sort of revenge for something I did to you long ago? I apologize for all of it. I apologize for anything I may inadvertently do in the future. Just please let me touch you!”

  Who could say no to that? Rose had no sooner removed her hand from his chest than he swept her up in his arms and laid her on the bed.

  She could not believe the sensation of being skin-to-skin, with Nate on top of her. Every wicked fantasy she had ever had was coming to life in that moment. He kissed his way down her body, stopping only long enough at her breasts to make her cry out. He put first one nipple into his mouth, then the other, as his hands made them
selves busy touching every part of her.

  His kissed down her stomach, with lips, tongue and hands all heating her body. From her hip, he followed her leg down to her foot, then back up her inner thigh.

  As he neared the heart of her, she was about to tell him to stop, when he swept his tongue over her once, then twice – just long enough for her to scream – then he made his way back up.

  “Love, forgive me for rushing,” he said. “And I promise I will spend much more time down there very soon.”

  “But it is indecent! How soon?”

  He laughed into the side of her neck. “But please, I am begging you, pray let me join with you now, while I still have some control.”

  “Husband, you can do anything you wish.”

  That made him moan into her neck, as Nate opened her legs with his knee, then moved his fingers over her. “You are so very wet for me. And before you ask, that pleases me very much.” Then he began pressing into her.

  She braced for the pain, but other than a slight pinch, she felt nothing other than the beauty and wonder of finally having Nate inside her. Of finally learning what everyone had been whispering about all these years.

  She loved the closeness of having him on her, in her. She could feel his heat, could feel herself growing warmer from the love that surrounded her. For, even as unconventional as their decision to marry had been, she did believe he loved her.

  And she had loved him for years.

  The feel of him sliding in and out of her teased her entire body. He kissed her and stroked her everywhere he could reach.

  “Oh, Rose, I never knew it could be like this. I never knew I could feel this way. I love you. I always will.”

  His words increased her pleasure, even as he began to move faster. She didn’t know what to do, so she obeyed the urge to hold him closer with her arms and legs even as she met his thrusts. His movements were escalating and she found it increasingly hard to breathe, yet even more difficult to remain silent.

  “Oh, Nate!” she said, which seemed to spur him on to press into her harder and faster. She began losing control. Indeed, it was as if he’d seized control of her mind, body and soul when he first came into her.

  Finally, she exploded from within. She could feel herself pulsing around him, even as she experienced pleasure so intense she thought she might faint. A moment later, he let out a guttural cry and stiffened above her, then just as dramatically collapsed.

  For an instant Rose wondered if he had fallen asleep. She wasn’t certain what the protocol was in circumstances such as these, so she waited to catch her breath, before poking him to wake him. For if he had fallen asleep after such extraordinary actions, she would be most aggrieved.

  * * *

  Nate had just had the most incredible experience of his life, surpassing every fantasy he’d ever had about Rose. He had to survive the upcoming battle with his father so he could spend a lifetime with his beloved wife.

  Her arms were still around him. And her lovely legs. He already felt himself beginning to grow hard again, which was ridiculous since he had just had the most intense climax of his life. If they had been married even a few days, he would simply begin to move again and take them to the heights once more. But she had to be sore. And he loved his wife. He would never do anything to cause her any more pain than he already had.

  He kissed her, then looked in her eyes. “Are you well, dearest? I hope it was not too painful.”

  “It was glorious, Nate. Truly glorious. When may we do it again?”

  Damn. It was hard to protect her when she was so very willing to make love again. But Nate took his newfound responsibility as a husband seriously. So even though it was the last thing he wanted to do, he began to pull out of her, only to have her tighten her legs around him in an impressive show of strength.

  “Stay.”

  He kissed her again, even as he withdrew. “You tempt me beyond reason, love. And I promise that one day soon you can do with me what you will. But you may be more sore than you realize and I will not hurt you.”

  He lay on his back and pulled her so she was lying partway on his chest. “Did you enjoy that?” He hated sounding desperate, but he had to know if it had been anywhere near as grand for her as it had been for him.

  “Oh, yes,” she said in a sultry voice that had him groaning. “I believe I shall like being your wife very much indeed.”

  “That is good, dear Rose. Because while you clearly could have done much better in marriage, you are now stuck with me forever. And I, for one, could not be happier.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Rose awoke in the hours just before dawn. She and Nate had stayed up quite late after their amazing lovemaking, talking about their past, their wishes for the future and just about everything in between. There was something very intimate about lying next to someone you loved. She would never have to feel the loneliness of being awake at night alone, worried for the future. Of course, she was still extremely worried about it, but at least now she wasn’t alone. They would face the danger together.

  Now Rose had another, more immediate concern. She needed to find the necessary. There was a screen at the far end of Nate’s bedchamber and she assumed the chamber pot was behind that. But while the room was truly cavernous, she could not imagine making use of the pot while Nate was nearby. She still had some modesty, despite the fact she had been sleeping naked next to the man for the past few hours.

  She still had to marvel at that. The ladies had been right. Men did not seem to hesitate in the slightest when it came to being unclothed. But she would never complain about it because Nate was a work of living, breathing art.

  She carefully slid from beneath his arm, which took some doing since it had been holding on to her all night. Nate stirred for a moment, but, fortunately, did not awaken. She slipped out of bed, then immediately felt the loss of her husband’s heat.

  She did not wish to don her gown again, since it was lying in a heap in the middle of the floor and any delay might result in Nate awakening, so she grabbed his dressing gown, which was laid out on a chair. She wrapped it around herself, luxuriating in the scent of Bergamot which clung to it. Then she crept to the sitting room doors.

  The drapes were closed in the sitting room as she carefully made her way across it to her bedchamber, hoping that when the staff had deposited her trunk earlier in the day, they had also thought to place a chamber pot, as well.

  The night air seemed to grow even chillier as she went from the sitting room into her bedchamber, though she apparently would never sleep there. That was more than satisfactory to her since she could not imagine spending even one night without Nate. The drapes were open in the chamber, which made it easier to spot the screen in the far corner of the room. There was, indeed, a chamber pot there, as well as a basin of water to wash her hands. She was pleased the household ran so smoothly, which reminded her that she would have to get to know the servants. It had been so long since she had had any, she had almost forgotten what it was like.

  After completing what she had gone there to do, she was washing her hands when she realized it must be cold indeed, for it seemed the temperature in the room was dropping by the moment. It was also becoming brighter. Mayhap a cloud had passed outside, revealing the moon more fully. Or, drat it, perhaps Nate had found her.

  “Nate?” she asked from behind the screen, but there was no answer.

  She re-emerged, hoping she wouldn’t see him. But she was completely unprepared for what she did discover.

  For across the room, midway between the ceiling and floor was what appeared to be an apparition. It was a woman, not that much older than Rose, dressed in a gown. She seemed to be hovering and it appeared that she was the one who was illuminating the room in a light blue haze. But that was foolish, of course, since there was no such thing as a ghost.

  Rose wasn’t frightened and the not-ghost made no attempt to contact her. But it appeared the spectre was studying her closely.

 
There was a long moment where the two stared at each other, until Rose finally broke the silence. “Hello,” she said, only to have the image vanish.

  “Rose?” Nate was calling out to her from the sitting room.

  “In here,” said Rose, uncertain of just what she had seen, if anything at all. It would not do to make Nate think his wife was a lunatic on the very first night they were married. Surely, such a revelation could wait until at least their six-month anniversary.

  “Have you run away from me?” asked Nate as he entered the room unclothed. “I was worried when I woke up and you weren’t there.”

  “I am quite fine,” she said as she pulled him into her arms. “Are you not cold?”

  “No, the night air seems rather warm, or mayhap it is because I have you back where you belong.”

  Now that Nate mentioned it, it was warmer in the room. It was not nearly as cold as it had been just a few moments earlier when she had seen whatever it was she thought she had seen.

  “You haven’t told me why you are here,” said Nate, as he kissed her. “I did not…frighten you, did I?”

  “Of course not! I loved when we…what we…I loved those things we did earlier.”

  “Those things you will not name?”

  “Those things I cannot name. I am not even certain those acts have names, at least not any I have ever heard in polite company. Ava and the other ladies were right, by the way.”

  “About what?”

  “About how a man can carry on a conversation while completely naked.”

  “I do not care to think of your brothers in that state…”

  “Nor do I….”

  “But is it so distasteful when I do it?” he asked, as he nibbled on her ear.

  She shivered from his caress and she could feel him smile in response against her neck. “I like it very much,” she said.

  “You still haven’t answered me,” he said, as he pulled back to look at her. “Why did you come in here? I was worried and…disappointed.”

  She kissed him. “I needed to…”

  “To be alone?” He looked even more unsure of himself.