“I understand only too well. You refuse to counter your financial frivolities and assume every time you cannot pay your creditors I will pick up the pieces. Sorry. Not this time. You need to curb your spending, Jasper, and stop gambling, or whiling away your time at White’s or whatever club is the fashion of the moment.”
“It’s purely a bit of fun.”
“You cannot afford fun. I have worked hard to keep this land productive, investing in the future, and all you do is squander it away. No more!”
“But he is demanding it be paid back by the New Year.”
“’Tis of no consequence to me. Find another fool to support your ways.”
As she reached the bottom step, the door to the library slammed back on its hinges and Aiden charged out. He fired a caustic glare in her direction.
“Have you heard enough?”
Tess went to speak, only to spy Jasper as he too left the room. Fear was etched across the young face, desperation in his eyes.
“Tess,” Jasper pleaded, “can you not make him listen?”
She didn’t get the chance to respond.
“Keep your nose out, Tess. ’Tis none of your business.” Aiden rounded on his brother. “She has no sway over me, so do not bother asking. I will never be won over by soft eyes and a body to match. Never again. And you need to grow up. Be a man.”
“This is all because of Sarah, isn’t it? You are jealous because I have found happiness with a Pankhurst.”
“Sarah! You spend my money on a Pankhurst?”
“You cannot put Sarah in the same category as Lillian just because you failed, Aiden.”
“My marriage had nothing to do with failure.”
“And everything to do with the fact you were away playing soldier and gave her not enough attention. Is it any wonder she sought the arms of another?”
“Why you—” He charged at Jasper, fist clenched and held aloft, a second later connecting with his brother’s jaw and sending him sprawling across the floor.
“Stop! Stop it this instant. I will not have violence in my house.”
Breathing razored, Aiden stilled. Every inch of his expression pitted with fury. “Do not ever mention that woman again. She made her choice and the consequences were…” He stumbled backward, reached for his hat and jammed it on his head. Without another word, he spun around and strode to the door.
“Aiden?”
But he didn’t stop, didn’t respond, just slammed the door closed behind him.
Her heart breaking, Tess realized that though she may love her husband, he definitely did not love her.
Chapter Thirteen
’Tis a secret no longer
This pleasure behold.
Mirabelle’s Musings
Christmas Eve 1813
Tess heard the click of the latch on the door to her bedchamber as it opened. It echoed a thousandfold though it had no chance of silencing her heartbeat.
“Aiden?”
“Go to sleep, Tess.”
“Unfortunately, sleep seems impossible.”
“I’m sorry.”
She heard the exhausted edge to his voice and scrambled from the bed, reaching for the low-burning rush lantern. Increasing its burn in seconds, it shadowed the chamber in a soft golden glow.
Divested of his jacket, Aiden unbuttoned his shirt. It slipped from his shoulders and he tossed it onto a growing pile of sodden clothes.
“Your wounds are healing.”
“Thanks to you.”
On bare feet she walked over to him. He simply stood, arms hanging at his side, his shoulders slumped.
“You’ve been out again.” Her voice held no tone of denunciation, simply a sad statement.
His lashes lifted, and despite his tiredness, he offered a slight smile. “Not for what you imagine. I needed to breathe so I took a ride across the fields and down to the river’s edge.”
“And did it clear your head? Did it blow away the anger?”
His mouth hitched in one corner and her heart skipped a beat, the flurry of excitement tumbling over and over in her stomach. “You know me well.”
“I’m trying to.” She pushed him gently on the chest so that he sat in the chair behind him. Levering one booted foot onto her thigh, Tess tugged at the finely tooled boot until it eased off. She dropped the second boot to the floor. “All in a day’s work looking after my highwayman.”
Legs stretched out, his eyes closed. “Go to bed, Tess. I’ll join you in a moment.”
Join her?
Tess wasn’t sure what to think. Was it a cryptic way of telling her he wanted her? That he loved her?
Such foolish thoughts, Tess. Whimsical and wishful.
Retreating to bed, she yanked the covers up, aware of his every movement, even his shallow breathing. Minutes passed, and she waited. Then waited some more.
Finally, the bed dipped beneath his weight and her breath caught in her throat. Every inch of her was aware of the man next to her. She scraped her teeth over her bottom lip, remembering the taste of his kisses.
How she loved his kisses.
How she loved him.
Then he turned toward her and hell would have frozen over before she could prevent herself from doing the same. “Tess, I—”
She pressed the tip of her finger to his lips. “No talking, Aiden. Not tonight.” Later she would tell him of her love. Much later. Now she simply wanted to feel that love.
She drew her hand down his cheek, feeling the scrape of his stubbled jaw against her fingertip and the cleft of the dimples on either side of his beautiful mouth.
For long, drawn-out minutes she simply looked into his veiled eyes, trying to fathom the man, his hurt, the depth of his anguish and loyalty so entwined.
“You are tired.”
His mouth curved slightly. “Not so much that I would miss this moment.”
She smiled at that. “Ever the adventurer.”
“Aye, it is an adventure we’re on.”
Their adventure.
Was she brave enough for the ride? “May I kiss you, Aiden?”
The light in his eyes reflected the flame of the candlelight. His desire. “You think I would say no?”
“I don’t know. You were angry.”
“’Tis my brother’s constant gambling that causes such frustration. I promised my parents I would take care of both my siblings. I’ve let everyone down.”
“You are not Jasper’s keeper.”
“Nay, but I promised my parents.”
“Shush. This moment is not about him.”
He edged closer and heat spiked the length of her. “That is true. This moment, sweet Tess, is about you and me. I believe you wanted to kiss me.”
“I do.” Every inch of her skin tingled alive, expectant. She brushed her lips so softly across his that it was as if they were the wing tips of a butterfly. For a moment uncertainty skittered. Was she a fool to go down this path? A fool in love who could not turn back from a road that had begun on a secluded byway?
Nestled between his thighs, she felt the thrust of his manhood and a scorching heat scalded her cheeks. She inhaled a steadying breath, aware of the ache down low urging her on.
“Your eyes have changed color again,” she said by way of shaking off her nerves.
“What color are they?”
“Not as dark as the turbulent skies, nor are they gentle as spring cornflowers. They are fiery, heated, filled with—”
“Want, Tess.” Drawing her to him, he brushed her hair from her face, the fingers of one hand twining in her curls.
The air stilled in her lungs, her throat closing over. She had never, ever felt this…this…excited. It was a sensation she didn’t understand, but wanted to greatly.
“You wanted to kiss me. You have. Now, I want to kiss you and more.”
For a heartbeat the air crackled with understanding.
“Tess?” Aiden’s voice was a mere whisper, velvety smooth and yet filled with intensity. The timbr
e matched the color in his eyes.
“The answer is yes.”
He took her mouth, his breath now hers, while his fingers reached for the hem of her nightgown, drawing it upward. “You do not need this,” he murmured against the curve of her neck where he rained delicious kisses.
Tess witnessed his need. Understood it. She too experienced such want. Sitting upright, she drew her nightgown over her head. “I think this is what you wanted, is it not?”
“Ah, sweet Tess.” His words seeped into her heart.
I love him.
“You are addictive.”
She rested one hand on his chest, the other sliding through his hair at his nape, caressing the side of his face. Her fingers found the tiny scar at his temple. “I believe you were a naughty boy.”
“Sliding down banisters is a dangerous occupation.”
“Perhaps it was a precursor to ah…other activities.”
His mouth curved into a delicious smile. “I have other activities on my mind.”
“I’m glad.” And she was. She wanted this moment—because she loved him.
He kissed the length of her throat down to rest between her breasts.
Tess sighed. Heaven.
Taking one nipple into his mouth, he repeatedly slaked his tongue across it. “So beautiful.”
His whisper reached her subconscious as he deftly switched from one aroused bud to the other, her body heating exponentially as he continued the delicious sensual assault.
Definitely heaven.
Teasing her skin alive with the tip of his tongue, he dotted kisses along each rib and then circled her belly button.
Her body pulsed, reaching for something. She raked her hands through his hair, along the length of his broad shoulders, the corded muscles flexing beneath her fingertips. Then he slipped his hand between her thighs and her eyes shot wide open. “Aiden.”
“’Tis the spot for pleasure, Tess.” He dipped a finger into her already moist secret place.
Tess gasped with awe. “A wonder.”
“’Tis your body that gives such pleasure.” He slipped a second finger in, moving them back and forth, over and over, each plunging action heightening her pleasure…until…until he kissed her there.
Air exploded from her lungs. “Oh, Aiden.”
He kissed her again. There. That place of pleasure. He laved across the bud, circling it and suckling at it, sending shards of heat to careen along her veins, each muscle tightening until she thought they would snap.
A cry split the silence. Her voice. Her cry. Her pleasure. And still it continued, this divine moment as Aiden’s mouth and fingers played their dance. She convulsed, the sensation of tumbling over and over rippling through her, until finally she fell back to the downy mattress.
Eyes squeezed tight, breathing labored, she lay still.
What had just happened?
…
“Tess?”
Her lashes lifted.
Dear God, he was so grateful for that moment, and took intense pride in what he witnessed in the forest green depths of her soul.
Pleasure. Satiation.
Shocked at the intensity of his own delight at having gifted Tess with such pleasure, Aiden’s smile broadened.
“You seem happy,” she said in a breathless whisper.
“Oh, aye, ’tis a wondrous sight to see the woman in your arms reach such a moment.”
A delicate shade of pink, reminding Aiden of the summer roses his mother used to grow, colored her cheeks. “I was not quite in your arms.”
He rolled onto his back, bringing Tess with him so that she lay the length of him again. “You are a goddess, sweet Tess.”
“Who wants more.” Pushing upright, she sat astride him. Mischief sparkled in her eyes, hair cascading around her in a silken veil. She leaned forward and tweaked each of his nipples between her forefinger and thumb.
Aiden’s entire body stiffened and his cock pulsed to a breaking point. The tension heightened as she shifted her attention from his nipples, fingernails abrading his ribs and reaching lower to his groin. If she stopped now, he would extinguish like a candle in the wind.
“Devilment sparkles in your eyes, my sweet Tess.”
“Could be.” She reached down and kissed him. First a sweet, sweet kiss across the wound to his shoulder, then tiny kisses along his collarbone to the dip at the base of his throat.
Who needed to breathe? Not him. Not right now.
She shifted down a fraction, her hand girding his engorged flesh, and his body jerked in response. With gentle strokes she slid her hand up its length. Once. Twice.
“Sweet Jesus.”
“You pleasured me, Aiden. Surely it is only fair. I want to touch you, though if this is not right, if it pains you... ”
He reached for her hand still wrapped around him. “You do not have to. Some women do not like to.”
“But surely if one receives, one should also give.”
Aiden’s mouth curled into a smile and he reached up and cupped her beautiful breasts. “I touch you because I desire you. I pleasure you because it gives me great pleasure to see your fulfillment.”
“And can I not do the same? Feel the same?”
“You want such pleasure?”
“You are surprised?” She covered his hands that still caressed her breasts. “I feel the pleasure. I want more. Everything.” She reached for his cock again. “I do not know what I should do, but I know what I want to do.”
“Which is?”
“Exactly how you pleasured me, my lord.” And she bent down and slaked her tongue along his cock.
“Oh, sweet mercy.” Every muscle in his body strained to its breaking point. He closed his eyes, lost to sensation after beautiful sensation as Tess caressed his erection and he focused on what she did to him.
“Dear God, I don’t think I can hold out much longer.” He drew her into his arms despite her muffled protests as he kissed her hard, fast—taking everything he could from that kiss, giving everything back.
Lying along her length, her legs automatically parted and he positioned himself in between them. “’Tis not easy the first time.”
“There is always a first time,” she countered with a tentative smile. “Because it means there will be a second and a third.”
“You greedy minx.”
“And that, my dear Aiden, is your fault, since you have aided me to discover the secrets of pleasure.”
“They will be secret no more.” Nudging her legs farther apart, he cupped her bottom, positioned himself at her wet entrance and took her mouth in a heartfelt kiss as he eased into her.
…
The secrets unfolded, one emotional and deeply felt sensation after another as Aiden’s thrusts into her woman’s place elicited a tension more intense than when he had rained kisses there.
Her stomach tightened, the muscles clenching and unclenching, legs now wrapped around him, holding him to her as her body bucked, rising to each delicious thrust.
Such exquisite joy.
It was as if she pulsed around him, wanting something more, something higher. Her body keened for release, until, taking a deep breath, she convulsed and ripples of wanton pleasure cascaded through her. “Oh, dear lord, Aiden.”
Her words were whispered at the precise moment Aiden stiffened and his seed plunged deep within her core, their heartbeats one.
Oh, so slowly, everything centered once more. On the here and now, and on how much she loved him.
She opened her eyes, noting the sheen of sweat on his brow, a bead of perspiration just above his top lip.
Without thinking she reached up and licked at it with her tongue.
“You are a tease, wife,” Aiden husked as he rolled from her and drew her to him, spooning her into his muscled curve.
“I have been taught by a master.”
He wrapped one arm lazily across her middle, fingers toying with a sensitive nipple. A satiated sigh fluttered from her lips. Such total b
liss.
“And you are such a studious pupil.”
A smile played across her lips. “Oh, I am.”
Holding her close, Aiden exhaled, the warmth of his breath eliciting excitement in the pit of her stomach all over again.
She squirmed backward a fraction, felt his arousal still potent from their coupling. “When does our next lesson begin, sweet Aiden?”
“When would you like to begin?”
“Now.”
A guttural growl rumbled from his chest and he turned her to face him. “Your wish is my command.”
…
The night proved long and extremely educational, delighting Tess as they made love several times.
Waking to the warmth of his body next to hers, she simply lay watching him, an act that filled her with pleasure.
But as the brink of dawn edged across the horizon, Tess shifted the covers back and went to step out onto the rug, grateful for its warmth on this chilly morn.
“Where are you going?”
Heat stained her cheeks at Aiden’s bold perusal of her nakedness and she snatched up her nightgown to cover herself.
“’Tis nothing I have not already seen, or caressed,” he said with a wicked twinkle in his eye that set her stomach fluttering all over again. “The same could be said for you of me.” He tossed back the covers to reveal his nakedness, too. His very aroused nakedness.
Her eyes widened and her already hot cheeks flushed scarlet.
“Do not be shy, sweet Tess. Bodies, even ones like mine that have been battered by battle, can be beautiful, for they are filled with the mysteries of pleasure.” He held a hand out to her. “Speaking of which, you mentioned some time back you wanted another lesson.”
A tiny smile formed. “I thought I had worn you out.”
Aiden leapt from the bed. Tess let out a squeal and sprinted backward, only to come up hard against the bedchamber door.
He closed in on her. She had nowhere to go.
“There’s always time for another lesson.” He wrapped her in his warmth, his state of undress a blatant tease.
A treble of giggles burst from her lungs that he promptly stifled with a kiss, or two, or three.
Cupping her bottom, he lifted her from the ground and instinctively Tess wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck.
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