He waited for the anger to come, the hatred he’d tried to nurture for five years. It was but a flicker inside of him tonight. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?”
He looked away, unable to gaze upon the face he still found more beautiful than any other he’d seen. “Yes, you threw my heart in my face, but I did nothing to convince you of my feelings.”
“You were hurt.”
He glanced at her, seeing that strength of spirit that had drawn him to her. “And you were not?”
She stood, turning her back to him. “I thought you believed me a callous, money-hungry miss who had no use for a navy man of little fortune.”
Shame bit at him. “God, I was an insufferable prick.”
Laughing softly, she faced him again. “I suppose you were.”
He reached out and grabbed her hands, tugging her toward him. “I do not spout sonnets and odes to your eyes like Jon, Anne. I am who I was then.”
She smiled, touching his face. “I was quite fond of who you were then.”
It was if her touch was magic, taking away his pain and making his heart swell. His body reacted swiftly, his cock throbbing as he caught her honeysuckle scent. “What of your feelings now?” he had to know.
Settling beside him on the bed, she shook her head. “I cannot deny that you were very nearly my husband. If only I hadn’t let my aunt dictate to me.”
The flash of bitterness was gone almost before it appeared. “You were young. I should have been the one to persuade you to see a future with me.”
To his astonishment she leaned toward him. Her lips were achingly close to his now. “I see one now.”
Every breath he took was filled with her. There was still much more to consider but he had to have this time with her now. “Anne, I still feel…” He couldn’t voice it. “I wish I could speak like Jon.”
She kissed him lightly, setting him on fire nonetheless. “You do not have to, Patrick. You have a part of me, and always will.”
“What are you saying?”
She stood and removed her wrapper. Her body was exquisite in the thin nightgown, dips and valleys showing her sweet curves. “You were very nearly my husband,” she said again.
His hands shook with the effort to keep from grabbing her. “Yes.” He heard the need in his voice. “You were very nearly my wife.”
She stood between his thighs, a tender offering he couldn’t refuse. One move from her and he would be unable to keep from having her at last.
“Let us have this night, Patrick. I won’t deny I have feelings for Jon, but tonight I wish to know what it would be like to have a husband.”
Chapter 10
Anne held her breath as Patrick’s noble self visibly warred with his sensual one. He wanted her. That was clear. She wanted him, too. She had experienced pleasure with Jon, and tonight she would know Patrick as well. She was determined on the matter. Her lonely, predictable life in Dorset would go on after this interlude, but now she would have passion. If her heart broke anew, in one man’s hands or the other’s, that would be no one’s fault but her own this time.
“Ah, Anne.” Patrick grabbed her and turned, pinning her to the bed. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”
He stripped with military precision as Jon had, showing her a body honed and strong. She’d never seen a man completely naked before. Dark hairs dusted his chest, leading her eyes over his ridged belly to his groin. She stared at his cock, long and thick and hard, and her core was filled with the same sharp need Jon had elicited earlier. Her body was swiftly consumed with desire for Patrick now, her breasts aching and her pussy wet and throbbing. “Take me.”
He came over her and crushed his mouth to hers, his tongue invading as she grabbed onto his broad shoulders. His hands were everywhere, seemingly as frantic to touch her as hers were to touch him. His smooth shoulders, his muscled back, his taut backside. It was as if she could memorize him.
His mouth engulfed one of her breasts, sucking hard as she bit back a moan. His long, thick fingers traced over her thighs, spreading the lips of her pussy and pinching her clit until she trembled. Two fingers stretched her now, burning as they moved within her. Oh, this is what she needed. She’d wanted Jon to take her, but this seemed more fitting. She had promised herself to Patrick long ago, and now she realized what she’d thrown away.
“I can’t wait,” he bit out, settling his big body on top of her. “I have to be inside you.”
She gave a quick nod and he drove inside. The pain stole her breath, but his rough words of praise and affection were ample comfort for the loss of her cursed virginity. Again and again he moved within her, impossibly huge and thick and just perfect. The echo of pain was still there, but the pleasure soon eclipsed it. Arching, she took in all of him. “Yes!”
He braced himself on strong arms and moved with solid purpose until she felt that magic journey begin anew. Her pussy pulled tight, her womb a ball of need that began to course through her body. Biting back a scream, she came against him. Her climax was sharp, excruciating, and left her gasping for air. He chanted her name, suddenly driving deep to shudder within her.
Sweat filmed them as she settled back down on the bed. His scent was sharp in the room, mingling with her own and a trace of Jon’s from earlier. It was a potent mix, and she breathed in deeply of it.
He was still inside of her, his shaft pulsing now and again. He held her close and kissed her throat. “My God, Anne.”
She could only nod. What this meant, she couldn’t fathom. She couldn’t help but think about Jon in the moments after this storm, and wondered what that made her. His tenderness and Patrick’s urgency. How could she choose which was more satisfying?
Patrick stroked her cheek, breathing deep as he settled beside her. “I wish I could stay.”
She held herself still. What could he mean by that? Stay in her bed or stay with her? She turned to find him smiling at her, though his eyes hadn’t lost their intensity. Perhaps that was why she’d let her aunt turn her from him. He was almost too much to consider, especially taken with the green girl she’d been then. Now that intense stare sent renewed shivers through her.
“You must go,” she heard herself say.
His thick brows came together, and then his countenance cleared a bit. “I’ll go, yes. But this, Anne. What we shared.”
She couldn’t handle this discussion, not after loving two men and experiencing so much pleasure she felt like a limp rag doll. “It is late.”
He opened his mouth then closed it and nodded. “You have the right of it.”
She watched as he dressed again, marveling at his rough beauty. He flashed her another lingering stare before taking himself from the room.
She rose and went to the washstand yet again. They were so different, Patrick and Jon. They each had the ability to set her on fire. That was certain. She also couldn’t deny that it was only the two of them. For truly, how many awkward dances and forced pairings had she experienced over the past years before her family and well-meaning friends had given up on her ever finding a husband? No other man had ever made her heart race or her body ache. That these two should come to her now, when she had little hope for any kind of future with either of them, was bittersweet.
“I will take things as they come,” she told herself, climbing back into the well-used bed.
Goodness knew she had plenty of time to lament the loss of missed opportunities. This sojourn in Lyme would not be one of those regrets.
* * * *
“You took her?”
Patrick’s cheeks reddened as Jon stared at him. “Yes.”
Jon suddenly grinned and slapped him on the back. “About damn time!”
Patrick appeared perplexed. “What? You’re not angry?”
Jon searched himself for that useless emotion and could find none of it. This seemed quite inevitable, really.
“You nearly married the girl. You obviously still want her. Why should I be angry?”
“Because you wanted her.”
Jon conceded with a nod. “And I still do.”
“You astound me. Do you still believe we can share her?”
“I know that I can, as she obviously still cares about you. I have faith in my own heart, Patrick. I want her and I’m willing to share her.”
“Would that I had faith in her heart.”
His friend’s face was twisted in befuddlement. “You don’t even trust your own,” Jon pointed out. “I will only share her with a man who cares for her as I do.”
“I’m the one who took her virginity,” Patrick grumbled. “Who are you to dictate our liaison?”
Jon let his own satisfaction show. “Did she tell you I was in her room before you were?”
Patrick’s mouth gaped. “But, she was a virgin!”
“As I left her, true. But her pussy was so sweet I could have eaten her all night.”
Patrick breathed in deeply and Jon braced himself for an outburst that never came. “You ate her, yet you seem satisfied. She pleasured you, didn’t she?”
“Is it that obvious? Yes, she wrapped her delicate fingers around my cock and deftly sent me to heaven.” He winked at Patrick. “She wanted to use her lovely mouth, but I resisted.”
“Her mouth.” Patrick’s eyes clouded for a moment. “The thought of it drives me mad.”
“I tell you, my short time with Anne surpassed any other encounters I’ve had. And I didn’t even fuck her.”
“She was incredible.” Patrick cupped himself. “I thought I was going to expire on top of her. Her pussy milked me, and I nearly turned inside out.”
Jon smiled again. “I cannot wait to come inside her. When do you think we should approach her?”
“Then you are set on this?” Patrick’s brow furrowed. “You would have us share her?”
“Forever, if she’ll have us.” Jon saw the obvious confusion on Patrick’s face. “Unless you don’t want a future with her. Or with me.”
“I do,” Patrick admitted. “On both counts.”
Once more Jon felt relief and that rightness to his bones.
“But there is her family to consider,” Patrick added.
“I have worried over that very same problem.”
“I cannot bear to offer for her, not again.”
“Offer?” Jon considered Patrick’s turn of phrase. “Hmm. You want her as a wife.”
“I came inside her, Jon. There could be a child.”
“And I will come inside her, depend upon it. I doubt my control with her.”
“Then what of her family?”
“Perhaps I’ll offer for her.”
“They will be shocked, to say the least. They have no notion that the romantic Captain Benton has an interest in their Anne.”
“They are fools, all.”
Patrick nodded. “We should keep attention from her until we work this through.”
“Set a course, as it were?” At Patrick’s shrug, Jon continued. “Did Anne give you a promise last night?”
Patrick shook his head. “I didn’t ask for one.”
“Our girl will most likely be in turmoil today, then. Luckily my gregarious nature will carry the day.”
“Would that I had a bit of your glib tongue, Jon. Or your poet’s heart.”
“Ah, but then you see that we are the perfect match to make Anne our own? Together?”
Patrick gave him a grudging smile at last. “Perhaps.”
“Leave it to me. Go about in your usual manner and no one shall suspect. Her blasted family pays her no attention, remember?”
“That will serve us well, then.”
“What say you to escorting the ladies into the village today?”
“Taking tea? I suppose.”
“Capital.” Jon held the door open. “Go ready yourself for breakfast. Miss Cosgrove will be at sixes and sevens until you present yourself.”
Patrick let out a groan. “Yes, yes.”
He left and Jon pondered the matter alone as he adjusted his dress. Patrick still loved Anne. The regret and concern on his face during his “confession” spoke volumes. Jon couldn’t be angry about the matter. He would have Anne and soon.
As long as he had an ample piece of Anne’s heart for himself he would be happy the whole of his days.
Chapter 11
“Did you see how attentive Captain Wenworth was to me, Miss Ellis?” Louisa asked.
Anne could only nod in answer, which didn’t dissuade the girl from continuing her recital of every nuance and moment of their visit to the tea room.
Her throat was thick as she recalled how Patrick had all but ignored her. Oh, Jon had been his usual charming self, to Louisa and Mary in addition to her. From their demeanor there was no telling that both of them had taken the liberties she had brazenly offered. Jon’s beautiful face between her thighs, licking and sucking as he wrought an exquisite orgasm from her. Patrick’s amazing cock deep inside of her, tearing her maidenhead to a memory and making her soar even higher. She had fallen back to earth now. Devoted sister. Favorite aunt. Well, she could add careless fool to her list of roles.
“I daresay Captain Benton was quite charming,” Mary put in. “Which gentleman do you think will come to scratch, Charles?”
Charles shrugged. “I wasn’t there, Mary. If one or the other man wants her, I say he come forward and stop leading her in a merry dance.”
Anne knew he spoke of Louisa, but she prayed they would reveal their intentions toward her. Patrick had seemed content as he’d held her in his arms, but wasn’t it the way of men to feel so after their release? Jon’s face had worn a blissful smile after she’d brought him to orgasm. Perhaps that was just the way of things.
“I need to decide which one I want, brother,” Louisa said with a toss of her head. “Perhaps a test.”
“A test?” Anne asked before she could stop herself. “What do you mean?”
Louisa flashed that sly smile Anne now recognized. “A man must be my hero, Miss Ellis. However is he to keep me safe?”
“Safe?” Mary snorted. “What perils await you in Dorset, Louisa?”
“Hero, indeed,” Charles put in. “True, both served well in the Navy but now they each have ample pocketbooks. That is all the heroics I need to see.”
Anne could barely hold her expression as they talked about Jon and Patrick as commodities. Louisa had something planned, though. There was no denying the girl would attempt anything to secure one of them.
That evening she took her meal with her family in the dining room. Louisa continued to prattle on about her suitors, as she referred to the two men. Charles ate and said little while Mary hung on every ridiculous word to come out of the girl’s mouth. Some might call her a coward, but Anne claimed a headache for an early escape.
Too keyed up to sleep, she took out a deck of cards and played a game of patience. Fitting game, really. Played by one’s own self with no opponent or partner. Much like her life.
“Accustom yourself to it, Anne,” she said to herself as she flipped over one card after another. “It is the hand you were dealt.” She laughed without humor at her turn of phrase.
Perhaps she could return to Dorset on the morrow. Whatever Louisa had planned, she did not wish to bear witness to it. The girl was desperate to marry and would have matters settled directly. Would Patrick or Jon take Louisa to wife? She prayed not, as that would put her in contact with one or the other for the whole of her life. Louisa was very close to her parents and her brother. She would visit often from wherever they settled, tugging her husband and soon-to-be children with her. Oh, children.
The faces of the cards blurred as she blinked back tears. Would Louisa have bright, blond children, with their father’s romantic soul? Or would dark mischievous sons and daughters fill her home? Downcast, she placed a hand on her belly. Patrick had come inside of her. She was no green girl any longer. She knew full well what that could mean. She could have Patrick’s child herself. Slamming the remaini
ng cards down on the table, she muttered a string of curses she’d never dare use in company.
After brooding for as long as she deemed necessary, she donned her nightgown and settled beneath the coverlet. She would love a child, a tender heart to care for like she cared for Charlie. Either dark like Patrick or fair like Jon. She sat up. Jon! Why hadn’t she insisted he take her last night? Then she would have double the chance of a baby. She might not have their love, but she could bear their child. Scandal aside, who was there in Dorset whose good opinion she cared enough about to throw away another chance at happiness?
“Maybe I’ll ask my aunt to help me raise it,” she said, smiling for the first time all evening.
When the scratch at her door came again, she was roused from a deep sleep. She’d had a wondrous dream, full of love and laughter, though the details escaped her as she came awake. She doubted Mary came to check on her. Anne had spent the entire evening in solitude. Why would her sister come to her now?
She rubbed her eyes and looked about for her wrapper. She’d left the candles lit, so she quickly donned the garment and hurried to the door.
“Yes?” she whispered at the panel.
“Do let us in, love,” came Jon’s voice.
Her heart froze. Us? Before she could change her mind, she pulled open the door and found Jon and Patrick standing there. Determination was stamped on each of their faces, along with that expression of desire she’d come to recognize.
“Why are you both here?” she asked, shutting the door behind them.
“We both want you,” Patrick said simply.
Jon rolled his eyes with a smile. “You are the woman who beats inside each of us, Anne. Tell us you want to fly to heavens tonight, our angel?”
His preposterous speech had her laughing, as was surely his intent. Jon grabbed her to him and while he plied her with delicious kisses and caresses she searched herself for a flicker of doubt. She found one, but it was soon doused by her need for him. “Jon, please.”
Jon placed her on the bed then stood to disrobe. “What of Patrick? Will you ‘please’ Patrick as well?”
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