Instead of answering her question, he said, “You have nothing to fear. I promise I’ll be gentle.”
“Benjamin!” she scolded, keeping her voice to as much of a whisper as she could. Though they stood a fair distance apart from the rest of the family, it wasn’t all that large of a room. “This is hardly the place to bring up such a topic.”
“But you’re my wife now. And nothing makes me happier than seeing you blush when I say inappropriate things.”
“They will all know what we’re talking about if you don’t stop.”
“I don’t think any of them would be surprised, my darling girl. Now, please don’t make me beg. Let me take you away from here.”
“But the party—”
“—can go on without us,” he finished, and then before she had another chance to protest, Benjamin was on his feet, announcing their imminent departure from the festivities.
Phoebe’s blush did not relent while she said her goodbyes, and she found herself unable to look any one of her new family members directly in the eye. How humiliating that all of them knew what was about to take place!
Even worse, she didn’t really know at all what was about to take place. It wasn’t fair at all!
“Come, my darling,” he said close to her ear once they had bid everyone goodbye.
He set such a brisk pace through the corridors of the castle that Phoebe was almost forced to run to keep up. She had never seen him like this: eager, almost hungry, as if he couldn’t possibly wait another moment to ravage her.
Benjamin turned the handle on a door at the end of the second-floor corridor. Phoebe tried to look inside, but Benjamin stopped her.
“Don’t you want to go in?” she asked, somewhat surprised he had the ability to stop himself.
“More than anything,” he replied gruffly. “But we must do this right.”
Phoebe gave a little squeal as he scooped her into his arms without warning. He kissed her, firmly and thoroughly, before carrying her over the threshold.
“You’re positively carnal!” she exclaimed as he tossed her onto the canopied bed.
“You have no idea,” came his growled response as he tore off his jacket and cravat. Then he bent to kiss her with a lust-hungry mouth. “You have no idea how long I have wanted to do this.” He nibbled at her ear and delighted in her involuntary gasp.
“I’m guessing about a week?” she said, though her breathing had grown somewhat shallow, thanks to his erotic ministrations.
He pulled away with a wide smile. “Let’s see if we can put that tongue to better use, shall we?”
With a bit of a slower pace, Benjamin rolled off her and then pulled her into his arms. She melted into his embrace as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her.
“You are so beautiful,” he said against her mouth. “Exquisite . . . and you’re mine.”
She was his. All his. And nothing could have possibly made her happier in that moment. As her nerves abated, her senses heightened. She became more sensitive to his labored breathing, more aware of his citrus cologne. She reached tentative fingers up to touch his chest, still covered with layers of linen. But the soft fabric did nothing to mask the firmness and the heat that lie beneath.
Benjamin paused as she caressed him and met her hungry gaze with his own. “You have no idea what you do to me, my love,” he said, and Phoebe’s heart soared at the endearment. Whether he truly loved her or not, she did not know, but hearing the words from his mouth was enough for now.
He took her mouth again, but this time, his hands set to work unbuttoning the back of her gown. Phoebe was at once excited and terrified. But she didn’t have much time to contemplate whether or not he would find her breasts too small or her belly too large, or any other number of things that all of a sudden seemed inadequate, for he was already pulling the small sleeves from her shoulders. He made quick work of removing the dress entirely; Phoebe was in such a daze, she wasn’t exactly sure how he’d done it. And then she lay there next to him, wearing only her chemise and stockings, and feeling more nervous now than she had at any other time in her life.
He slowed his pace as he reached to untie the drawstring of the chemise. The proximity of his hands to her breasts sent a shiver of awareness straight to her toes. The buttons followed, though his pace had reached a level of painstaking slowness. But soon the chemise fell away, exposing her bare breasts to the air.
Benjamin sucked in a sharp breath, and instinct made Phoebe reach for the counterpane to cover herself up. But he stopped her before her hands were able to grip the fabric.
“No, darling.” His voice was a husky whisper. “Let me look at you.”
She did as she was told and waited impatiently while her husband looked his fill. Then his hand reached up to caress her bare bosom, sending an unfamiliar quiver to the depths of her belly as he gently tugged on her ruched nipple.
“Benjamin,” she began, not really knowing what she wanted to say.
“Shhh,” he quieted her. “It’s all right. It won’t always be this awkward for you.”
“It’s not that. I . . . I just want to make you happy,” she said, not quite sure how else to express herself. What did one say under such circumstances?
“Let me go first,” he replied, a roguish smile appearing on his lips.
“What do you . . . oh!” Benjamin lowered his head to her puckered nipple and suckled gently at the rosy bud.
Phoebe was lost from that point on, unable to think of anything but the astonishing intimacy she was sharing with this man.
Her man.
Benjamin blazed a trail of kisses down her stomach, stopping briefly to tease the tiny opening of her navel. Phoebe started when she realized he was not returning to her top half, but rather moving farther down her body with his taunting kisses. She tried to recoil from his hold, but he kept her firmly planted and then parted her legs. When his mouth found the auburn thatch of hair at the base of her stomach, she tried to protest.
“Benjamin,” came her breathless plea. “You can’t—what are you . . . is this even legal?”
Benjamin stopped abruptly, and an incredulous chuckle escaped. “I assure you it is sanctioned and approved by the clergy, my dear, and you’ll be quite glad of that in a few moments.”
Surrendering to the scandalous play of his tongue in her most intimate parts, Phoebe opened herself to him and gasped as he parted the folds of her sex. She was oblivious to anything but the feel of his tongue as it coaxed and caressed her. He murmured against her as if he feasted on the finest of meals, and when she thought it couldn’t possibly get any better, he slipped one slender finger deep inside of her. She rose up slightly off the bed, marveling at the strange intrusion. No one had ever informed her how splendid it could be to have her most private parts manipulated in such a scandalous way.
As Benjamin stroked and licked her with his probing tongue, he slipped yet another of his lengthy fingers inside her. Then stretched her. And licked her again and again.
Phoebe’s breath came in a series of spasmodic whimpers, and when he sucked ever so gently at her tiny bud, she splintered.
She writhed and bucked against him, reveling in the foreign sensations of the lust that consumed her; the blinding frenzy of pleasure that caused her skin to flush and her body to tense involuntarily.
When the delirium seemed to have eased, Benjamin pulled away from her, his own passion barely within his grasp. He was hard with need and when he removed the remainder of his clothing, revealing a long, hard shaft, Phoebe’s eyes flashed for the briefest of seconds with what he thought was terror. But then she smiled lazily and came up to her elbows to look at it.
Good God, he was going to climax under her intent scrutiny. That would not be good. He needed to make it perfect for her, to show her what could be between them.
He moved over her and lowered himself on top of her listless body. “I’m going to be as gentle as I can, darling,” he told her, “but you have to trust me. It will only
hurt this once, I promise.” He planted tender kisses on her cheeks and eyelids, hoping the pain would not be too great.
He rose off her and parted her legs again, then lowered himself, nudging the tip of his sex into her moist opening. She winced slightly at the initial contact, and the moment he was forced to pause was pure torture. But then she gave him a brave and encouraging nod.
Thank God!
He continued to push forth, delighting in her warmth, in the perfect tightness of her, until he reached her maidenhead, and then he whispered softly in her ear. “Look at me, darling,” he urged. “Look into my eyes.”
She raised her gaze to his and then gasped as his shaft drove deep into her, filling every inch of her tight space. Benjamin paused to give her a moment to adjust, but when a bashful smile graced her lips, he could hold back no longer.
He plundered her over and over until at last he found his release. Sweet release inside of the beautiful woman who lay beneath him.
His beautiful wife.
***
Sometime later, Phoebe woke from what she assumed was a short doze. Though it must have been longer than she thought, for the sun waned on the horizon. She tilted her head back to look at her husband.
He met her eyes and smiled, then broke through the lazy silence. “Thank you,” he muttered.
“For what?” She propped herself up so they were practically nose-to-nose, reveling in the way his hands felt as they shifted over the bare skin of her lower back.
“Well, for agreeing to marry me on such short notice. For packing up your life. For letting us have the wedding in my father’s bedchamber. I don’t know how I can thank you enough.”
It was odd for him to be thanking her, when it was he who had saved her from quite a desperate situation. She wanted to tell him she’d done it because she loved him, but in the end, she said, “Benjamin, I did it because I care about you.”
A roguish smile came to his lips as he stared into her alluring brown eyes. “Show me how much you care, my sweet.”
And she did. Although she was still new to the intimacies of the marital bed, Phoebe allowed her instincts to guide her. She dared to take hold of his manhood, surprised to find that despite its hardened state, the skin proved to be soft and silky, like that of a newborn kitten. Permitting his hand to guide her, she coerced the shaft with methodical strokes until Benjamin declared emphatically that he needed to be inside her at once.
This time, the absence of pain and panic provided for a much more pleasurable experience. It would still take some time to get used to the odd invasion, but when Benjamin planted himself deep within her, she could think of nothing but the all-consuming pleasure that raced through her body.
Taking further liberties, she allowed her hands to wander aimlessly over her husband’s tanned skin and straining muscles as he sought to pleasure her. Having never seen him before without a shirt, she marveled at his hard, masculine form, now hers for the taking whenever she wanted.
As Phoebe climbed higher and higher into ecstasy, Benjamin fought to control his own ardor. When at last she reached the point of release, he, too, let go his reins and tumbled with her into blinding fulfillment.
The intimacy of the shared moment had them both trembling in one another’s embrace. Neither could speak for quite some time, choosing to silently find their way back to reality. Back to solid ground.
Sated and exhausted, Phoebe curled into Benjamin’s arms again and welcomed his touch as he caressed her lovingly back to sleep. Eventually, his hands fell limp and his breathing evened. Only then, just before she found her own reprieve from the arduous day, did Phoebe dare say what was in her heart: “I love you, Benjamin.”
Chapter 14
Lord Eastleigh passed away quietly in his sleep a few days after the wedding, his wife by his side. While there had been an ominous cloud over the household before, it seemed to literally rain with despair now.
This morning, as with every other morning since arriving, Phoebe strolled through the Ravenscroft Castle gardens with Kat, matching her reserved pace. It was a lovely spring day. The sun was bright, the sky a pale blue with the occasional white fluffy cloud. Though Phoebe didn’t feel right about enjoying the day or the weather. The somber mood that came with the death of Lord Eastleigh would have been better matched with dark skies and torrential rains.
What a different household she seemed to be living in now. Katherine hardly spoke at all, which was actually quite unnerving. Phoebe had grown so accustomed to hearing her constant chatter, but silence had become the only accompaniment to their daily walks.
Not even the twins, so gregarious and full of life, could muster the fortitude needed to tease or entertain with risqué jokes. It was sad and frustrating and reminded Phoebe of her year in mourning for her father. But as much as she wished for life to return to normal, she knew how important it was that they all mourn the marquess in their own manner and time.
“Do you know what the hardest part of all this is?”
Phoebe cast a sidelong glance at Kat, surprised she was initiating a conversation. “What’s that?” she prompted.
“That this one,” her hands moved to her belly, “will never know his grandfather. He was such a remarkable man, Phoebe.”
“I know he was, Kat. But you’re wrong to think your child won’t know his grandfather.”
Kat turned a questioning glance on her, and Phoebe smiled.
“He is in you, and in your brothers—in your wit and humor and good nature. I think your children will have a very good idea of how remarkable their grandfather was.”
For the first time in weeks, a smile came to Kat’s lips and actually made its way to her eyes. She readjusted her shawl and then looped her arm through Phoebe’s.
“Do you think you and Benjamin will honeymoon once all this has passed?”
Phoebe cocked her head sideways, contemplating. “I hadn’t even thought about a honeymoon, to be perfectly honest. It would be nice, though I don’t see it being anytime soon. Perhaps once Benjamin unburies himself from the mounds of paperwork.”
Kat squeezed her arm a little tighter. “Good,” she said. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“What will happen once you return to your own home, Kat?”
“Oh, heavens, I don’t know. But for now, I’ve convinced William that I want to stay here. The ducal seat is in the Lake District, you know. I refuse to go through my confinement without my mother . . . and you, of course. So don’t even think about leaving me!”
“You forget this is my home now. Where on earth would I go?”
There was a moment of silence between them as they navigated around an elaborate topiary. Phoebe took special note of the daffodils that lined the path, knowing their days were numbered. As they approached the house, Kat gave her arm one last squeeze.
“I’m glad you’re one of us now,” she said, and then disappeared inside the house.
Phoebe stared after her with a smile on her face. “So am I.”
***
Benjamin stared at the mound of papers and letters and ledgers in front of him, and tried his best to keep his heartbeat to a normal level. He tried even harder to push the memory of the night his father died from his mind, but it kept whittling its way back in. His brother-in-law had delivered the message in the middle of the night, waking them from a deep sleep. In the moment it had seemed that all the air was being sucked from his lungs; as if his limbs had seized and his heart had stopped beating all together. For at the same moment he mourned his father’s death, he felt the unbearable weight of his inheritance suddenly upon his shoulders.
There was so much to know, to learn, and he’d thought he had so much time. Though his father had taught him a great deal growing up, Benjamin knew he had not so much as scraped the surface of what his responsibilities were.
Then Ben had made that one terrible mistake of calling out Grimsby and then fleeing the country upon word of his death. He remembered the day we
ll. It was nearly two weeks after the duel, after he had shot the man clean through the shoulder. He thought it would heal, it was such a small wound and the bullet had shot out the other side, but apparently the baron had not been made of very sturdy stuff.
Did you hear? Gambling Grimsby’s kicked the bucket. Something about a fever, I hear.
He had overheard the conversation at his club, and he didn’t even bother to confirm it. He feared too many questions might raise suspicions. Very few knew about the duel, and he preferred to keep it that way. So he packed his things and left the next morning for Dover, stopping briefly to tell his mother and father he was leaving for America, but that he would be back soon.
At the time, he had anticipated being away only a few months, but as the guilt began to niggle and gnaw at him, he found it more and more difficult to buy passage on a ship back to England. Besides, he’d found a woman to be with, he’d made friends and formed business liaisons. And he liked New York. Everything was new there, and it made it easy to believe in a new beginning for himself.
“I thought you might like a cup of tea,” came Phoebe’s voice from the doorway of his study, formerly his father’s.
She never failed to bring a smile to his lips, even when the darkest of thoughts clouded his mind. It had been three weeks since the wedding, two and a half since his father’s passing. Phoebe, being no stranger to grief, had been his rock since then, and he finally understood what his father had been talking about.
“That would be lovely,” he said, beckoning for her to come to him.
“You look tired, darling. Will you come to bed soon?”
He looked at the clock. It was indeed late and the mound of papers before him would take hours to get through. “I suppose these can wait until tomorrow.”
“I wish you would let me help you sort through all this,” she said, putting her hands to his shoulders and massaging them with a strength that belied their dainty appearance.
Gentleman Never Tells (Regency Historical Romance) Page 11
