by Matilda Hart
He stood back as they reluctantly made their way over to where he stood and preceded him into the room. Deborah’s gasp was audible to everyone in the room, and Edgar’s fulminating glare was priceless. Gray waited for his cousin to speak.
“I have decided to return home tomorrow, my Lady,” he said, and the look on her face at his formal address made Gray pay attention to her in a way he had not done before. “I will inform you of my decision regarding the matter we discussed once I have made it,” his cousin continued.
Gray felt an unexpected sympathy for the woman whose face fell at Edgar’s words, and whose eyes filled with tears. He had never found Deborah to be as obviously affected by any man’s regard as she was by his cousin’s, and if he didn’t miss his guess, her feelings for Edgar mirrored his for her. Which was more than he had ever seen from her in her relations with his brother. He wondered idly how things might have been different had she married Edgar back then, instead of allowing herself to be swept away by his brother’s superior wealth and social standing. Edgar was only a marquess, but Gray supposed that in the end, love would win out...if Edgar could hold the course and marry her after he punished her.
Movement brought him back to the moment, in time to see Deborah rushing from the room. Juliana made to go after her, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“My business with you is not yet concluded, Miss Lockhart,” he said, nodding as Edgar excused himself. “I have been looking for you all morning.”
“Deborah was upset,” she said, and offered no further explanation.
“And what of you? Are you also upset?”
He watched his jewel square her shoulders, as though she were preparing to defend herself against attack.
“I would rather say I am concerned, my Lord,” she replied, the old, aloof Juliana surfacing.
He realized then that she often was aloof to hide anxiety, as now.
“What are you concerned about, my jewel?” he asked, going to stand in front of her.
She raised troubled eyes to his face. “I don’t know how much you may have heard of the conversation between Lord Richard and myself two nights past,” she began, “but I want you to know that I did not invite or encourage his attentions.”
“Are you asking me to trust you, my jewel?” he asked, reaching out to touch her flushed cheek with a tender caress.
“There can be nothing between us without trust, my Lord,” she said, looking him in the eye, fear and hope warring for pride of place in her regard.
“Then I must ask you to trust me, also, my love,” he returned, and pulled her in for a brief kiss. “Trust that I have come to know you well enough to know your character. Trust that I would never hurt you by assuming anything without asking questions first. Trust that I love you as you are...bright, independent, honorable.”
Gray realized, as her eyes widened in shock, that he had not, until that moment, told her how he felt about her. And though to his logical man’s mind, it must be obvious -- else why would he have asked for her hand in marriage? -- he knew Juliana was a practical woman, who understood that marriage was often undertaken for reasons other than mutual affection. The conversation he had overheard in its entirety between her and Richard summed up the truth of his relationship with her. He wanted her for her intelligence, her passion, her charm and sense of humor. To him, those things were priceless, and it was now to be his task to prove to her that they were.
“I know what my mother has done, Juliana,” he said.
“What do you mean? Have you found out about the plan she made with Deborah?”
Gray hid his surprise, though why he should be, after what she tried to do to Juliana, he couldn’t say.
“I can only promise that she will never interfere in our lives again,” he assured her. “But I wanted to speak with you first. And now I need you to promise me something.”
“What is that, my Lord?” she asked, still tremulous.
“Aside from never calling me ‘my Lord’ in private again?” He smiled at her, and then said, “Promise me that you will never be afraid to talk to me. I do not want your fear, my jewel. I want your love.”
“I didn’t know how to explain what you may have seen,” she said. “And because I know that your mother does not approve of me, I wasn’t sure what she might have told you about your friend and me.”
“It doesn’t matter what she feels about you anymore,” he said. “She will not hurt you again.”
He touched her face gently, and then continued. “You had better go and get changed. I will see you at dinner.”
She turned and left, looking over her shoulder as she walked through the door, and giving him a brilliant smile.
“Yes,” she said, “you will.”
In that moment, Gray wished they were alone, and he could pull her back into his arms, and ravish her. He fully understood what passion could do to a man, and knew that he was blessed to have a woman who chose not to bring him to his knees with the strength of her passion for him. Perhaps he was also blessed that she was still an innocent, and he found himself hardening at the thought of how she would reduce him to mush once he had taught her how to do so.
He went in search of his mother, finding her in the drawing room knitting. Anger swelled in his gut again as he thought of how she had tried to destroy the greatest joy he had ever won for himself. He could not excuse her actions, nor would he. But she was still his only living parent, and he had a responsibility to her.
“Mama,” he said, drawing her attention to him, “what were you thinking, inviting Richard here under false pretenses?”
“I cannot have you interfering in my affairs, or in Edgar’s for that matter. You have created problems that it will be difficult for me to fix. What harm had Juliana ever done to you?”
Lady Eleanor put her knitting down and drew herself up in her chair.
“I meant all for the best, Gray,” she said, not answering his question. “You are all I have left. I must ensure your happiness.”
“No, Mama,” he ground out angrily, “I must ensure my happiness. Not you. I am not a boy, nor do I need you to look after me.”
She sniffed, whether because there were tears threatening, or because she was offended by his words, he did not know, and right then, he did not care.
“There’s no need to take that tone with me, Gray,” she said, clearly surprised by his vehemence.
“I cannot have you antagonizing the woman I love,” he continued, as though she had not just chastised him.
He saw the shock register on her face, and knew he was making the right decision, both for her and for Juliana’s peace of mind.
“I’m afraid, given what you also did to Edgar, disrupting what would have been a perfectly happy association, that I will have to have you decide on where you wish to reside. It cannot, however, be here. Juliana is my life from now on. Mama, and since you cannot get along with her, you cannot remain here.”
Even to his own ears, the words were harsh, and his punishment of his mother’s interference more severe than anything Edgar could devise against Deborah. But he was determined to finally impress upon his mother the depth of his commitment to Juliana, as well as the need to let him go. He steeled himself against the tears that gathered in her eyes, and watched as she stanched them before they overflowed.
“Am I to be without the creature comforts to which I have become accustomed?” she asked tremulously.
“I will continue to support you and look after you, Mama,” he replied. “Do you wish me to retain a smaller house than the London one for your use?”
When she seemed at a loss for words, he offered her an olive branch.
“Edgar will marry Deborah, because he loves her and for no other reason. If they will have you, would you prefer to live with them? I know how much you have come to love her.”
The relief that he saw in her eyes at his suggestion made him smile, despite his anger.
“Very well, I will discuss it with
him. Until then. I think you owe Juliana, Edgar, and Richard, an apology for your poor behavior.”
She nodded numbly, and Gray walked out, leaving her to her regrets.
Chapter 14
The period of mourning was over, the wedding day had dawned bright and cheerful, and the two sisters had married their husbands at nine o’clock in the morning. The house party included the happy couples, their parents, and Edgar’s siblings, Lord Richard Talbot, and Jack Cavendish. A sumptuous feast had been prepared, the servants had all come up to wish happiness to the newlyweds, and the household was now resting. Dinner would be an even grander affair, but for now, Gray was happy to be able to be alone with his wife...how the word pleased him!
He had pulled her into his arms as soon as he had closed the door to their bedchamber. He pushed her up against it and ravaged her mouth, kissing her endlessly, giving in to months of unexpressed desire. They were both breathing heavily when he pulled back.
“I need you out of these clothes at once, my jewel,” he rasped, beginning to undress her.
The garments frustrated his best efforts, but she patiently helped him to unbutton and untie until she was down to her chemise. Her breasts drew his gaze, and he ripped the flimsy material from her body so he could look at them without the screen of clothing. They were magnificent, standing high and proud on her chest, spilling over his palms when he reached for them and squeezed.
Gray loved how focused she was, how unabashed, despite her innocence. She trusted him, and he would treasure the gift, and return it to her in equal parts of pleasure before they had to return to the others for dinner.
“You are beautiful, my jewel,” he told her, sliding his tongue across her nipples in one after the other. “I have waited for this moment all my life, it seems, even when I didn’t know I was waiting for you.”
He kissed her deeply, sending his tongue deep into her mouth, letting her have his, groaning when she suckled him. His hands rode over the high curve of her bottom, and when he slipped a finger between the cheeks, she hissed and rose on her tiptoes.
“You like that, my love?” he asked, and when she nodded, he did it again.
Her reaction to his touch aroused him past fever pitch, and he had yet to touch her clitoris, or enter her. Sending his hands round to the front, he slid them over her thighs, pushing her legs apart and sliding his fingers tenderly over her mound and between her nether lips. When he slid a finger between them, touching her clitoris, she cried out.
Taking her hand, Gray pushed her finger into her slit, coasting it up and down the length of it, showing her how to play the way he wanted her to play.
“Do you ever touch yourself, my love?” he asked, and when she nodded slowly, shyly, he said, “Show me how you do it.” When she looked at him, he smiled and said. “Take my hand, as I did yours just now, and show me how you do it.”
When she took his hand and placed it on her mound, sliding his middle finger over her little pleasure button, he groaned and rubbed her there, feeling her body rising to meet his touch. She undulated her hips against him, and his cock strained to be released. He stroked her there, over and over, going faster and faster until they were both breathing hard. And then he said,
“Keep playing with yourself for me, my love. Let me make it feel even better.”
He pulled his hand away from her clitoris, and feeling her continue his arousing motions, he slid a finger inside her, as deep as it could go, and then withdrew it. She stifled a scream by biting down on her fist, and when he did it again, she cried out his name.
“Come for me, my love,” he said, plunging it in a third time, and dragging the tip over that special place inside that made her gush and tremble.
“Oh God!” she exclaimed, and came, flooding his hand with her cum, her legs shaking, her eyes full of tears.
“Watch me,” he commanded, and when she opened her eyes to look languidly at him, he licked his fingers, covered in her juices, sucking them clean. “You taste sweet,” he said, and kissed her, sharing her taste with her.
He was still fully dressed, but Gray did not care. Her first orgasm with him had been the most precious gift she could give him, until the next one, which would be better, he knew. He wanted to devour her, but he would take his time.
“It’s your turn”, he informed her. “Undress me.”
She unbuttoned his jacket, untied his waistcoat, pulled his pantaloons down, all while her hands trembled and her cheeks burned with embarrassment. When she had him down to his underdrawers, she stopped.
“You are not done, my jewel,” he reprimanded her. “Undress me completely.”
When he was finally naked before her, he stepped back and said, “Touch me, my love. I long to feel your hands on me.”
Gray watched her face as Juliana stepped in again and ran her hands down his body, from his face, which she touched with such tenderness it made his heart swell with love, to his shoulders, down his chest and back to his thighs. She did not touch his cock, but he waited, wanting to see if she would have the courage to reach for the tool that she wanted. Eventually, after sweeping her palms over his thighs, she reached for his cock and held it, not moving. The wait was exquisite torture, and he had to lock his knees by the time she began to stroke it, up and down, slowly at first, and then, seeming to be turned on by the action, going faster and faster. Her breathing kept pace with her strokes, and when he pushed into her hand, she moaned, squeezing him even tighter.
“Oh sweet one, you will undo me!” he exclaimed before pulling out of her grasp, gasping for breath.
Drawing her to his side, he led her to their bed, where he spread her out so that her legs hung wide off the sides, and then he went to his knees before her and licked her up and down her slit, before sending his tongue piercing into her pussy. She screamed, and Gray spared a thought for anyone who might be in the vicinity. He didn’t care who heard them, as long as he could take his wife back up to the peak so she could crash for him again. He licked into her, sending his tongue up as far as it would go, before licking her clit and plunging two fingers inside her.
He fucked her hard with his fingers, while caressing her clitoris with his tongue. It proved to be too much for her, especially when he nipped that soft spot gently. She came again, so overwhelmed that no sound came from her, though her mouth was wide open.
“That’s it, my love. Come for me again.”
He felt a swell of masculine pride that he had given his virgin lover two orgasms without spilling his own seed.
“I’m going to take you now, my jewel,” he announced. “I can’t wait any longer.”
So saying, he pushed her up the bed, settling himself above her, on his elbows, before pushing in slowly, inch by inch. She was tight, and he was as hard as stone. He pushed in some more, raising himself to his hands, and waited for her to cry out in pain. When she didn’t, he pushed all the way in, seating himself to his balls. The pleasure was so intense, he felt as though his head would explode. She squirmed, wanting him to move, and he chuckled.
“So impatient, Juliana!”
“Please Gray…”
“Soon, my love. Let me just enjoy how snugly you fit me, and how your walls are trembling around me, making me harder than ever.”
He stayed still for another minute, and when she squeezed him in retaliation for his torment, he finally moved, slowly withdrawing, then plunging in again. Over and over, he thrust into her soaking depth, and her body wept for his, releasing more juices to ease his way. And her pussy walls clenched around him until he could not hold out any more. Reaching between them, he rubbed her clitoris again, and it only took two more strokes for him to fall apart, coming inside her even as she cried out again with her own orgasm.
He pulled out of her slowly, reluctantly, and lay beside her, pulling her up against his side and dragging the coverlet over their exposed bodies. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he woke to the sound of humming. The space next to him on the bed was empty, but his
wife was sitting in the armchair, one leg tucked up under her body, the other swinging idly as she hummed. He watched her for another moment, and then said softly.
“Come back to bed, wife.”
“It will be dinner time soon,” she replied, turning to look at him. “We must get dressed.”
He rose from the bed, and went over to the chair, scooping her out of it and kissing her shocked mouth as he took her back to bed.
“We are the guests of honor,” she said, but she pushed her breasts into his hands nonetheless, encouraging him to touch her.
“They will wait dinner for us,” he said. “Now get on your hands and knees.”
She looked up at him as he stroked her clit and licked his way back into her mouth.
