Philip's Rules (Bridal Discipline Book 1)

by Golden Angel

  As he returned to his place between her legs, she blinked, her eyes coming back into focus as she looked up to see him above her.

  "Philip..." she asked, her forehead creasing in a bit of concern.

  "Just relax," he said, leaning forward to brush his lips over the little lines that had appeared on her brow. "I'm going to make you feel good again."

  Still dazed, she blinked up at him, but she didn't fight him or tense as he pressed his cock to the entrance of her body. Already she trusted him. Of course, the demonstration of what pleasure he could bring her to probably helped, as well as the fact that she was still confused and muzzy in the aftermath.

  The hot, wet touch of her body against the head of his rod made him groan. His hips jerked forward, impaling her on half his length in his needy eagerness, despite his goal to move slowly with her. She was so tight, so wet, it was all he could do to grit his teeth and hold himself still at her shocked gasp. The wet clasp of her cunt squeezed him, her hands coming up to press against his chest - but she wasn't pushing him away, to his relief. It was more as if she just wanted to touch him, an impulse that he certainly wanted to encourage.

  "It doesn't hurt," she whispered in wonderment, looking up at him, but somehow beyond him as well, at something that he couldn't see. Again, he didn't know whether to curse her late husband, for abusing such a gentle flower, or to enjoy knowing that he was the first man to awaken her passions.

  "No, sweetheart," he said gently, leaning down to kiss her lips. A little more of his cock slid into her at the movement, and they both moaned. Cordelia's body writhed, her hips lifting and taking even more of him, pulling him into her as her body finally recognized its own needs. "It should never hurt. It will never hurt with me, I promise you."

  His hands slid up to cup her breasts, his mouth pressing against hers, and he slid his tongue between her lips as he thrust the rest of the way into her. Cordelia mewled, shuddering beneath him, her pussy spasming around him as he buried himself to the hilt, but he could tell that her mews were of pleasure, not pain.

  Moving slowly, carefully, he reigned in his own needy impulses and began to thrust gently but firmly into her wet warmth. Teasing her nipples with his fingers, he tugged and pinched the little buds as she started to squirm beneath him again, her tongue meeting his in a passionate duel. As she began to pant and writhe, her fingers digging into his shoulders, he knew that her own excitement was beginning to build again.

  She was moving with him, her hips coming up to meet his thrusts, no longer afraid, no longer anxious... Cordelia submitted to him, gave herself over to him, and he could feel the difference in her body as she finally completely relaxed into the ancient rhythm of a woman loving a man with her body.

  Groaning, Philip leaned forward, sliding his hands away from her breasts and under her shoulders so that he could more fully slide into her. Cordelia moaned, her pussy tightening, and he knew that he was perfectly positioned to hit her swollen pleasure bud with every thrust. It made her clamp down even more pleasurably around him as he moved inside of her, and he prayed that he would retain enough control to see her through a second climax.

  He wanted Cordelia to look back on their wedding night with enjoyment, and to be eager to repeat the process, often. Because he certainly intended to repeat it many, many times. Tonight was only the beginning of her sensual education, but the first lesson always set the tone for all of the others.

  Closing his eyes, to block out her beautiful face, he tried to think about less pleasant things to help him stave off his own release. Like his horses. His hounds. His loss of a hundred pounds in a faro game last week.

  Every time he thought he'd regained his control, Cordelia would make a little whimpering noise or move her body in just such a way that she would shatter it all over again.

  "Please..." She whispered, her body arching up to meet his. "Oh please... Philip..."

  And he was lost. No distractions could pull his attention away from the silken feel of her body gripping him, or the satin of her skin as she writhed beneath him, or the breathy way that she started chanting his name as her pleasure began to rise. He moved harder, faster, relieved when she came along with him, her cries becoming more passionate.

  Her second climax came just a moment before he reached the finish line, her muscles clamping down and massaging his cock, so that his first spurt of release was accompanied by a hoarse, surprised cry of pleasure. It was possibly the most intense orgasm of his life; his mind actually blanked out as he wallowed in the exquisite sensation of filling Cordelia completely and making her his.

  Spent, his arms buckled, and he barely managed to keep himself from crushing her. Taking some of his weight onto his forearms, he captured her lips in yet another kiss, a benediction of sorts to the nearly spiritual experience of making her his wife.

  When he pulled away, her fingers stroked his skin gently, almost absently, as if she didn't realize she was still touching him. He stayed between her legs, pressed inside of her, just enjoying the warmth of her body and having her under him.

  "I had no idea," she whispered, so quietly he wasn't sure she meant to even say the words aloud. "I didn't know it could..."

  "Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, dropping another kiss to her lips. "I have so much to show you."

  Chapter 3

  Cordelia was very late coming down to breakfast the next morning. Not just because she'd slept later than usual, although she had, but because Philip had not been ready to leave the bed when they'd first awoken. He'd wanted to "show her" something first.

  Apparently, he'd wanted to show her a repeat of the night before, only this time Cordelia had come to him eagerly. She'd been a bit shocked that he wanted to do such a thing in the morning; after all, she hadn't even known it was possible. Her encounters with her previous husband had always occurred at night, and they'd never been like that. For the first time, she understood some of the comments she'd overheard other women making, comments that had never made sense to her before.

  This morning, Philip had insisted on having her "ride" him, which had made her blush furiously, but she'd also enjoyed it. Just as he'd been able to look at her, she'd been able to look at him, and it had made her feel quite... powerful. Afterwards, she'd returned to her room to dress. She was a bit sore between her legs, but it was a good kind of sore. Not the painful soreness that she'd expected.

  Indeed, despite the occasional muscle twinges, Cordelia felt as though she was floating on air as she entered the dining room.

  Breakfast was set up along the banquet, but the only current occupant of the table was Gabrielle. A few others had occupied guest rooms last night, but either they had all eaten or they were even later to rise than Cordelia and Philip had been.

  "Good morning," Cordelia said, determined to be pleasant, even though Gabrielle looked up at her with an unfriendly expression on her face. After last night, and this morning, Cordelia felt like a new woman. Truthfully, she was a new woman. She was no longer the Dowager Baroness Hastings, she was the Marchioness of Dunbury.

  "Perhaps for you," Gabrielle said, glaring at her angrily. Cordelia's steps stuttered to a stop as she realized that there were tears in Gabrielle's eyes. Not at all what she'd expected. "How could you marry a man like that?"

  "A man like what?" Cordelia asked, a trickle of unease going through her. While Gabrielle could occasionally be given over to high drama, this was not at all what she'd expected from her stepdaughter. She'd thought there would be more snide remarks about why Philip had chosen Cordelia or some carefully worded barbs about her current appearance. Although, as she was dressed in part of the trousseau that Philip had provided for her, Gabrielle had far less ammunition about Cordelia's clothing than she had in the past.

  "His friend threatened to hit me last night at dinner, and he said that he had Philip's permission to do it!" Gabrielle exclaimed, as her tears spilled over onto her cheeks. Cordelia's hand flew to her open mouth. The young woman's lower lip quivered, as if
she was doing all she could to hold back a sob, and even her hand, which was clenching her fork tightly, was trembling. "I've been sitting here, waiting for you all morning, and he came in here and had breakfast, and I've been too terrified to move ever since in case he should catch me alone."

  Hunching slightly, Gabrielle's eyes went to the footmen standing at the doors, whose faces were kept carefully blank as they stared straight ahead. Obviously she'd gotten some comfort from knowing that the servants were there and had been afraid to leave their presence. Cordelia was horrified. She'd never seen Gabrielle like this before. It occurred to her that Gabrielle wasn't even dressed as impeccably as she normally was, her green dress was plain and without decoration, and wisps of her hair were already escaping what were usually flawless coils pinned neatly in place.

  "There must be some mistake, dear," she said, although she hurried around to Gabrielle's side of the table. To her surprise, when she reached out for her stepdaughter, Gabrielle practically through herself at Cordelia, wrapping her arms around Cordelia's waist in a desperate hug. It was the first time the young woman had ever willingly touched her stepmother, and Cordelia couldn't help but be touched that Gabrielle wanted her comfort and protection. "I would never allow anyone to hit you, and I don't think Philip would either. This must just be some kind of misunderstanding..."

  Pulling away from Cordelia, Gabrielle let out a low, angry cry. "I should have known you wouldn't believe me. You don't care what happens to me at all now that you're married to someone else. No one ever cares what happens to me."

  Burying her face in her hands, Gabrielle sobbed piteously. Cordelia wrapped her up in her arms from behind, holding her even if Gabrielle no longer welcomed her touch. Gabrielle obviously believed what she was saying, although Cordelia was a touch surprised that Gabrielle even wanted Cordelia to care about her. Then again, with her father gone - and he certainly hadn't shown any inclination to care about Gabrielle or her future prospects - Cordelia supposed there was no one else left to care about Gabrielle other than her.

  It made her incredibly sad, and quite sympathetic, because at least now Cordelia had Philip. If she brushed off Gabrielle's fears, her accusation, then the poor thing truly would be completely alone. Her heart went out to the younger woman, whose father who had been disappointed that she was a female and whose mother had died giving birth to her. The baron had been focused on getting an heir, with his attention only going to Gabrielle when she acted out, after which it would always return to his current wife. As much as Gabrielle had always disliked Cordelia, it must have killed her to sit all morning at this table, waiting for Cordelia and hoping for protection and help from her.

  Even worse, Cordelia felt incredibly guilty. She remembered very well that she'd seen Mr. Hood whisper in Gabrielle's ear last night at dinner and Gabrielle's strange behavior afterwards. At the time, she'd been thankful for whatever the man had said to get Gabrielle to behave. Now she felt abominable for even thinking such a thing.

  "I do care, I do, Gabby," she said, bravely taking the nickname that Gabrielle had never allowed her to use. To her surprise, Gabrielle's hand found her own, squeezing it quite tightly. "I will speak to Philip. You have no need to be frightened. I'll go speak with him right now."

  "Thank you," Gabrielle whispered, turning her head to burrow it into Cordelia's shoulder.

  "You should go to your room and compose yourself," Cordelia said softly, patting Gabrielle's back. She looked up at one of the footmen, who immediately met her gaze. "Please escort my stepdaughter to her room, and do not let anyone delay her."

  "Yes, my lady," the footman said immediately, coming forward.

  Sniffling, Gabrielle stood, extricating herself from Cordelia's arms. Surprised that the moment of companionship had lasted as long as it had, Cordelia let the younger woman go, although she felt a momentary pang. She'd always wanted Gabrielle to accept her as a friend, at least, since their ages were not so different and they'd been in much the same situation, even if Gabrielle hadn't been able to see it before. Of course, she didn't expect instant camaraderie, but she hoped that perhaps this would be a new start.

  "Thank you," she said to the footman, before turning and hurrying from the room, breakfast forgotten.

  ******

  All in all, Philip was quite pleased with his newly married state. Especially having chosen as lovely and compliant a bride as Cordelia. She'd been adorably shy upon waking this morning, but when he'd finally gotten her atop him, she'd ridden his cock with all the fervor and enthusiasm a man could hope for. There was no doubt that she would be a happy student of the erotic arts, now that he had awoken her body and mind to the possibilities.

  He'd been surprisingly reluctant to leave her to dress, but it had been necessary. He'd ended up having a quick wash before Marshall shaved him and dressed him for the day. By the time he was ready, his stomach was growling, and he was impatient to get to his breakfast. After all, when he wasn't in London, he was used to rising and eating much earlier than this. It felt decidedly strange to be keeping city hours when in the country.

  Of course, they'd be leaving for London by the end of this week to rejoin the Season and introduce Gabrielle to Society. If he was lucky, some poor fool would be willing to leg shackle himself to her; he'd certainly dowered her well enough. Not that he'd let her go to a man who would mistreat her - after all, she was his responsibility now - but not all fortune hunters were bad men. Some of them just had the misfortune to fall on bad times or to inherit an already crumbling estate, and would make decent husbands even if they needed the provided dowry. Although, he already pitied whatever poor sod needed Gabrielle's dowry badly enough to marry her. Once they had her settled, his responsibilities met, he’d be able to take Cordelia to the Continent for a delayed honeymoon.

  Striding through the hall towards the dining room, he was surprised to see Cordelia rushing towards him. Dressed in a soft, blue day gown, her cheeks were flushed pink, and she looked distressed. Not at all like the sweetly satisfied, happy woman he'd left in bed just an hour earlier.

  "Philip, I need to speak with you, privately, please." Her words blended together, they came out in such a rush, as soon as she was within speaking distance. The tight anxiety in her voice made anger start to rise in his chest. Whoever had upset her, on the first day of their marriage, was going to regret it.

  "Of course, sweetheart, come in here." Fortunately, they were standing right next to his study, and he knew there would be no one in there. It was his inner sanctum when he was in residence and no one entered without invitation, not even the maids.

  Ushering Cordelia in ahead of him, Philip shut the door firmly behind them. His stomach rumbled, but he pushed his hunger away. Whatever was upsetting Cordelia was far more important.

  She stood in the center of the room, wringing her hands and nibbling on her lower lip. Every inch of her looked tense, making him want to take her in his arms and stroke her until she was as soft and supple as she had been after their loving.

  "What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked gently, putting his hands on her hips so he could both touch her and look at her face.

  "It's Gabrielle... she-"

  "What has she done now?" Immediately he scowled. Blast the chit.

  "No, no," Cordelia said, to his surprise, shaking her head. One of her hands came up, landing delicately on his chest, as she looked up at him imploringly. "She's quite upset, Philip. She... I don't mean to speak ill of your friends, but she's under the impression that Mr. Hood threatened to hit her last night, and that you gave him permission to do so." Fury rose up in Philip, for just a moment, as Cordelia continued. How dare Gabrielle distress her stepmother with such a falsehood? "She's terrified, Philip. She was too frightened to leave the sight of the footmen in the dining room, and, when I got there and she told me, she actually clung to me. I sent her to her room, with a footman as an escort, and told her to stay there for now. I don't think she'd feel safe otherwise."

  Confusion lan
ced the bubble of anger. Although he felt Cordelia indulged Gabrielle's fits of temper far too much, Cordelia's description of Gabrielle's distress... well, it sounded quite genuine. Fortunately, he knew that his staff was discreet, and they all knew Felix well enough to be certain he would never hit a woman, so it didn't matter what the footmen had overheard. Hopefully, Gabrielle hadn't said anything to anyone else.

  "Of course she's safe," he reassured Cordelia, drawing her in so he could tuck his chin over the top of her head. "I would never countenance anyone hitting any woman, no matter how trying she is."

  "Philip!" Cordelia squirmed against him, giggling a little at his slur towards Gabrielle even though she disapproved.

  "Neither would Felix," he continued, frowning. "You're sure she didn't ah... misunderstand?" It was obvious Cordelia didn't think Gabrielle had made the tale up whole-cloth, and Philip preferred not to rouse Cordelia's protective instincts towards her stepdaughter.

  "She was genuinely distressed," Cordelia said, although her tone was a bit uncertain. "I didn't think you could have told Mr. Hood to do such a thing, but I've never seen Gabrielle like that either. And he did say something to her at dinner; I saw him do so and it had quite an effect on her."

  "I requested that he keep an eye on her and prevent her from causing any kind of scene," Philip said, "but he would never have threatened to hit her. Spank her, perhaps," he added on, almost as an afterthought. "But it would be an empty threat, as it would be entirely inappropriate for him to do so. I would handle any such punishments, should they become necessary."

  In his arms, Cordelia stiffened. "Spank her?"

  "Yes, sweetheart. Gabrielle needs some discipline in her life, and as your husband, it is now my place to provide it."

  Letting Cordelia squirm back far enough that she could tilt her head to look up at him, Philip studied her expression. She didn't look overly distressed anymore, just confused and a bit worried.