by Ava Stone
Robert was waiting for her in the sitting room, where her dinner must be getting cold. Lydia had actually forgotten about eating, and she heaved a sigh of relief, grateful for the reprieve.
***
“Ah, there you are!” Robert jumped to attention from his seat and gazed at his beautiful wife. “I was starting to think you’d fallen asleep in there.”
Lydia giggled nervously and Robert crossed the room to put his arm around her shoulders. He was surprised to find her trembling. “Are you cold?”
“No.” She met his eyes and smiled warmly. “I’m just fine.”
She was lying. He could tell it.
Had he been too forward? Had he scared her off? He knew she’d agreed to all this, but was she regretting that decision now? Perhaps the idea was unsettling to her. “I hope you like mutton.”
She nodded. “Oh, yes, thank you.”
Robert deposited her in a seat and poured her a generous glass of Madeira, then took a spot opposite her. He slid a plate of mutton, carrots, and peas in front of her with a warm smile.
“Aren’t you eating?” Lydia asked.
“I ate while you were bathing.”
“Oh,” she whispered.
Then she released her death grip on his robe and it fell open at the top, just as he’d hoped it would. Her perfect, round breasts were beautiful and he couldn’t help but stare at them. He couldn’t wait to touch them.
Was he simply a licentious beast for wanting his wife so badly? She seemed terrified at the moment—very unlike her, this wife of his that took on London pick-pockets and was even able to hold her own against him. Perhaps she just didn’t desire him, though the kiss they shared that morning had led him to hope otherwise. He would take his time, make her comfortable, slowly ease her into it. “Do you feel a bit more refreshed, dear?”
“Oh, yes. Much better.” She began picking at her food and looking around the room. “This is a very odd place, Robert.”
He sat back in surprise. He had hoped that she would like The Knight’s Arms. “Odd? I find it quite comfortable, myself.”
Lydia shook her head apologetically. “It is comfortable, that’s not what I meant. It’s just not like any other country inn I’ve ever been in before. Everything seems very masculine…especially the décor of these rooms.”
Robert chuckled, she was very astute. “I’m sure the rest of it is exactly what you’d expect, Lydia, but these are my rooms. No one else ever stays in here. Anyway, it’s decorated to suit me.”
She furrowed her brow and dropped her fork. “Why does no one else stay in here?”
“If you finish eating, I’ll tell you.”
With enthusiasm Lydia retrieved her fork and speared a carrot. Robert couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness. His wife did nothing by half. “The old Knight’s Arms burned to the ground a few years back.”
“Oh, that’s awful.” She frowned empathetically.
“The Langes have always been very kind. This place is just half a day’s ride to Gosling Park, and I’ve stayed here several times a year for most of my life. So, anyway when their establishment was gone, I had it rebuilt.”
His wife looked at him in awe. “That was very generous of you, Robert.”
“At the risk of being completely honest, I’m not generally such a philanthropist. But since Luke is the one that accidentally set fire to the place, I felt a responsibility to them.”
Lydia grabbed the top of the robe again and frowned.
Robert couldn’t imagine why she had reacted like that, so he continued cautiously. “Anyway, Mr. Lange knew he could never repay me, which I wouldn’t have asked for, but he is a proud man. So, we agreed that in exchange for my help, I would always have this set of rooms waiting for me.”
Lydia still looked upset, which Robert couldn’t understand. With a furrowed brow, he reached across the table and took her hand in his. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“How many of his mistakes have you had to clean up over the years?” She sorrowfully met his eyes.
Robert cringed. God, he was such a dolt! Of course, she was troubled by the story. She too had been one of Luke’s mistakes. He squeezed her hand and answered honestly. “More than I care to remember. Can you see now why I don’t want him to come into my title at some point?”
Lydia nodded and picked at her food again. “I was such a fool, Robert. You don’t know how that decision has haunted me.”
Seeing her so distraught was painful to watch. Robert didn’t know how to console her. He was never very good with emotions. So, she had been foolish with Luke, but it was many years ago now. “There’s no point in fretting over the past. What’s done is done, Lydia. And you have me now. I promise to always take care of you.”
She nodded with an enigmatic smile and finished her wine. When she stood up, she still held tightly to the top of the robe. “Robert, why did you want me to wear this thing?”
He nearly blushed. He certainly couldn’t tell her the truth. “I find it comfortable. Do you not like it?”
“It’s a bit big, and I can’t keep it closed.” Lydia let go of the robe and once again it fell open, revealing her slender form and perfect breasts beneath the soft folds of burgundy silk. Robert let his gaze drift over his wife’s beautiful body. He couldn’t help himself.
With a roguish smile and a raspy voice, he leaned toward her. “I think it’s delightful. Please don’t feel that you have to keep it closed on my account.” He enjoyed the blush on her face and he inched even closer to her. Robert moved his hand along her jaw line. “I haven’t made a secret of it. I want you, Lydia. Please tell me that you’re ready to be my wife in more than just name.”
Lydia gulped as she stared up into his eyes. “I’m scared, Robert,” she shyly admitted and then let her gaze drop to the floor. “I’ve only done this once before. It was so long ago and it didn’t turn out very well.”
She was so beautiful to him and her concerns only made him want her even more. He wanted to show her how loving he could be, how perfect things could be between them. “Trust me, Lydia.”
“I do,” she whispered.
“Good.” Robert tipped his head down and kissed her softly. She stepped closer into the safeness of his embrace. Then he scooped her into his arms and started for the bedroom.
~ 11 ~
Nervously, Lydia gazed up into her husband’s eyes. She could see his desire, and knew in her heart that she wanted him just as badly. She tried to relax and to rest her head against his shoulder as he carried her. Then before she knew it, he had placed her among the soft folds of his bed.
Robert fell in beside her and nuzzled her neck while his hands snuck inside the opening of her robe. He found one breast and outlined her nipple with his tips of his fingers. She moaned from his touch—it felt heavenly. She hadn’t thought she’d ever feel like this again. And now as desire pooled inside her, she was anxious to give herself to her husband.
With his crooked grin, Robert lifted his head and gazed at her. “My beautiful wife.” Then he un-tucked his linen shirt and pulled it over his head.
Lydia’s eyes were wide and he could tell that she was still a little frightened. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to put her at ease, to take his time and love her. Gently, he took her hand, kissed the backs of her fingers and then placed it on his bare chest. “Don’t be afraid to touch me, Lydia. I need to feel you.”
She obeyed his request and ran her fingers along his well-formed chest that was lightly dusted with golden brown hair. His muscles tensed beneath her touch and her eyes flew to his. He felt incredibly strong. Then she outlined his bandaged shoulder. “I am so sorry about that,” she whispered.
“Don’t think of it, sweetheart. It doesn’t bother me at all.” He removed the sash from her robe and opened the garment so that he could gaze upon her fully. She watched him smile, as if he was happy with what he found there.
Robert ran a finger along her side, tickling her until she turned in to
him, and then he suckled one breast while his hand played with the other. The sensations he inspired in her drove Lydia completely wild with desire. She arched her back, pushing her breast further in his mouth. He chuckled and nipped her lightly. “Like this, do you?”
“Mmm,” Lydia answered and ran her fingers through his hair. Her enjoyment pleased him, and he caressed her hip with one of his strong hands.
Lydia looked down at her own body. He had enticed her rose-hued nipples into tight, little buds. Now she was ready for him. Her whole body ached for him.
Robert fumbled with his breeches. Lydia sat up and leaned forward. “May I?” she offered softly.
Her husband grinned and placed her hands on one of his buttons. “Please.”
As Lydia worked on the buttons, Robert’s hands explored the curve of her back. The feelings he stirred within her were distracting, and her hands shook as she slid the buttons free from their holes. She took a firm grasp of his waistband and tugged his breeches and drawers downward toward his knees.
She wasn’t surprised to see his erection as it sprang free. She had brushed it with her hands as she’d unbuttoned him, but still it was an amazing sight. Lydia wanted to touch it, to feel him between her hands, but she was afraid that would be too wanton for him and decided against the action.
Robert slipped his breeches off completely, saw the look of reluctance that flashed across her face, and stopped. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not after he’d envisioned her like this. Not after he’d suffered with an anxious erection for days, just from spending so much time with his wife. “What’s wrong, darling?”
“No—nothing,” she stammered innocently.
With a heartfelt sigh, Robert leaned forward and rested his head on hers. “God knows I need you, Lydia. But I won’t take you unless you want me. I couldn’t live with myself.”
Softly, she ran her fingers across his cheek. “I do want you, Robert. I swear it. I—I just…”
When she stopped talking, he lifted up and stared deeply into her pool of blue eyes. “You just what?”
A pretty blush crept up her entire body and she couldn’t maintain his gaze. “I just want to please you, Robert. I don’t want to be that wanton little thing you always thought of me.”
The bed shook. Lydia turned her face to look back at her husband, who was chuckling so hard the entire bed was moving. “You’re laughing at me?” she sputtered in surprise.
But he shook his head and dropped a kiss on her nose. “Oh, my darling, I’m hoping you are the wanton little thing I’ve always thought you to be.”
Slightly embarrassed, she closed her eyes. “Truly?”
“Mmm.” He lowered himself on top of her and buried his face against her soft breasts. When he felt her body relax beneath him, he balanced himself up on his arms and kissed her perfect lips.
She responded by licking his bottom lip and grinned when a low growl escaped his mouth.
Robert had wanted to take things slowly, but he didn’t know how much longer he could wait to sheath himself in her warmth. When she arched her back toward him, he was beyond pleased that she wanted him, too. “My beautiful, willing wife.”
His erection was barely touching her wetness and she inched toward him. “Robert, please,” she whispered and wrapped her legs around his hips.
He couldn’t wait any longer if his life depended on it. He thrust inside her in one deep stroke and was nearly overwhelmed with the immediate pleasure that coursed through his body. He stilled, caught between wanting to prolong the sensations and the need for immediate release.
He looked into Lydia’s eyes, saw the beginning of passion blossom, and brought his lips against hers. “You feel amazing,” he murmured against the softness of her mouth.
She smiled from the compliment and held tightly to him as he thrust again, this time deeper, and again until he found a slow rhythm that seemed to suit them both.
With each stroke inside her, the ghosts of Lydia’s past began to fade away, replaced with pleasures she’d never thought possible. This wasn’t like last time or anything she’d ever felt. These sensations were new and threatened to overwhelm rational thought. For the first time, she thought it was possible that her husband could heal all that was wrong with her.
She couldn’t imagine ever feeling more desired or content. This is what she dreamt it felt like to be in the arms of a man who truly cared for her, not like before. Those old memories were being washed away, replaced by new ones of her husband, of this night.
He had a handful of her hair and brought her head up to meet his lips. He brought her someplace she’d never been before and she gasped in amazed surprise that she could feel like that. She called out his name, shuddering around him. Robert smiled at her reaction, pleased with himself.
Then she felt it as he moaned one last time in her ear. He exploded inside her and his warm seed made her entire body tingle with pleasure. He collapsed against her and she lovingly stroked his back, wondering at the ripples of pleasure that were still running through her body.
Robert stroked her side with his fingertips and pressed his lips against her skin as he breathed in the fragrance of their lovemaking. “Oh, Lydia,” he whispered breathlessly.
When he regained his strength, and his mind was functioning more clearly, he rolled off her to keep from crushing her beneath him.
But Lydia didn’t want him to move. He had still been inside her and when he rolled away. She missed the feel of his body so intimately connected with hers. So, she snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart as she held him tight.
He kissed her hair, closed his eyes, and smiled. “Lady Masten, you are a most magnificent woman.”
“I’ve never felt like that, Robert,” she admitted shyly.
He stroked her arm and confessed, “Neither have I.”
***
As Lydia slept in his arms, Robert thought about Chet’s words to him in London. Astwick had predicted that after Robert enjoyed the pleasures of his wife, he wouldn’t be able to walk away from her. He smiled to himself in the dark. His friend knew him very well. He couldn’t imagine anything that would make him walk away from the tender embrace of this woman.
She had never felt like that before? Robert was secretly ecstatic that Luke hadn’t made her climax. Only Robert had given her that pleasure. Lydia was truly his—no other man could ever have her now.
Gently, he touched her abdomen. His children were going to grow there. They would grow inside this woman—his wife whom he had discovered he was desperately in love with. He’d promised her that she could rear their children. Would she object to him rearing them with her? After five years of very little thought of his wife, he now couldn’t imagine spending his life without her.
His touch, though gentle, woke Lydia. She kissed his neck and whispered, “Robert, are you awake?”
“Mmm,” he answered, enjoying her warm lips against his skin.
She lifted herself up on one arm as she gazed upon her husband’s masculine form. “I was just dreaming of you.”
“Oh?” He inched upward to look into her eyes. “A good one, I hope.”
He could even see her blush in the dark, which pleased him to no end, and then she giggled. “A very good one.”
Robert cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Her body responded to his touch and he rolled her beneath him. Then he made love to her again and again.
***
When Lydia awoke in the morning, she couldn’t remember ever feeling so content with life—or being quite so sore, but that was a concession she was more than willing to make. She happily stretched her arms above her head, rolled over, and was surprised to find herself alone in the bed.
The curtains had been pulled back, and sun poured into the room. “Robert?” she called, but there was no answer.
After the closeness they’d shared the night before, she’d expected to wake up in his arms this morning, b
ut he wasn’t there. In the light of day, had he regretted his decision to make love to her last night? A quiet panic surged through her. Had she done something wrong?
Lydia sat dumbfounded for a moment and tried to contemplate the last series of events. Apparently, Robert felt that last night had been a mistake. While she had foolishly fallen even more in love with her husband, he obviously didn’t share her feelings.
He had been honest from the beginning when he told her he wasn’t in love with her. But last night they’d been so in tune, so intimate. She had hoped that this morning would bring a new sense of togetherness for them.
What a fool she was. When would she ever learn? She knew she had never been worthy of love. Wanting it from Robert wouldn’t make her deserving of it.
Clean clothes waited for her in a chair in the corner of the room. At least he’d thought to leave her something to wear. She washed, threw on the light blue muslin traveling dress that waited for her, and slipped on her half-boots.
Then she sat in front of the mirror and brushed her hair out. She should have braided her hair before going to bed, but she’d been too caught up in the moment. Last night’s activities had certainly left some knots.
She brushed and brushed at her tangled hair, trying to forget how it felt to be in her husband’s arms. She yanked and pulled until she was finally satisfied that all the knots were gone. Distracting herself with the job at hand, she pulled her hair high on her head and admired the image that looked back at her.
She knew she was pretty. She’d been told that her whole life. But besides her looks she didn’t have anything else to offer Robert. Perhaps he’d discovered that last night. What a disheartening thought that was.
But whatever the case, she’d have to go downstairs eventually. She couldn’t hide out in this room forever. It had been a long time since she’d been a coward.
