by Dahlia Rose
“Now I’ve heard it all, a lord who can cook.” Kaila laughed, and he threw a soft pillow at her before she ran out the door. Happiness was a luxury she’d only found in books and spare moments alone. This was something so new it made her giddy with the elation of it. Maybe, just maybe, she could believe in this, even if it was only for a short time. She would hold on to the memories of this bliss for a lifetime.
Kaila completed her routine and washed before she dressed in another one of her simple dresses. She assumed since they would be in bed all day that her corset was not warranted and left it on the chair in the room. By the time she came back to his room, he was there with eggs, kippers and toast. Kaila hated the taste of the small smoked fishes and declined those. But she accepted when he made her a cup of Black Pearl that he’d brought over from India and found its taste was more intense that the Earl Gray tea that was well liked in England. Garrick fed her a piece of mango, and the taste on her tongue instantly reminded her of home and how she and her brothers picked the fruit fresh from the trees and ate them by the sea. It was a happy memory that she shared with Garrick, along with many others.
He listened, laughed and then finally asked, “How did it come that my cousin got you from Grenada? I know that she went there with the duke on honeymoon when they married. God knows it was her second marriage, and that ass she married was using her for his own gain. But I cannot recall her coming home with a young island girl.”
“I was ten, and she saw me and my brothers catching crawfish by a river close to the beach where the ship was anchored off the coast,” Kaila replied. “She liked me, I guess, and asked the duke to broker a deal to have me.”
“Being childless did things to her mind, yet she should not have taken you from your family,” Garrick replied fiercely.
“From what I understand as I heard the story throughout the years, the owners of the plantations where my parents worked were generous, and my family had a nice plot of land. But when the duke went to the owner and he said it was my parents’ choice, the money they offered was not a sum that could be refused, so I was given to the duchess.” Kaila recalled her sadness when the island slipped from sight across the water. How alone she felt being taken from all she knew.
“To be brought here and beaten and fearing for your body from that drunken fool is no life.” Garrick caressed her cheek. ‘I’m sorry my cousin was so foolish she didn’t see this would happen, The duke was no saint when she met him; why she thought he would change, I do not know.”
“The past cannot be changed. I have learned to deal with it.” Kaila smiled. “But I will take another piece of mango, since I have not tasted one since I left the island fourteen years ago.”
“Well then, it’s yours.” Garrick proceeded to feed her slice after slice from the sweet fruit until it was gone.
With breakfast gone, he climbed under the warm covers with her and pulled her into his arms. He told her stories from his old travels, and she listened with wide eyes as he told her about elephants and lions on safari. Kaila gasped when she told her he stroked the fur of a real tiger in India and rode on the backs of camels in Egypt. His adventures enthralled her, and despite all the books she’d read, she wished she was there with him to see these things.
Kaila sat back and sighed. “One day I will see these things—just you watch.”
“I’ll go with you. I think I would love to see the world from your eyes,” Garrick said. He kissed her gently, and Kaila sank into the sensations willingly.
“What else does one do when they leisure the day away in their room?” Kaila asked softly.
She watched his eyes darken to a deeper blue. “I would prefer to shower a beautiful ebony goddess’s body with kisses and watch her shiver in my arms once more. Shall I do that, my sweet dove? Say the one word that will allow me to drive us both mad with passion.”
“Yes,” Kaila whispered and pulled him to her.
Garrick didn’t hesitate but swooped in and took her lips in a wild kiss. Kaila moaned as his tongue slipped into her mouth, and she could still taste the dark tea and honey on his lips. His hands were so big, and the heat of them permeated her skin through the cotton of her dress. He trailed fire wherever he touched. His caress went down her leg and then up under her dress, causing Kaila to gasp.
“I promised you a shower of kisses.” His voice was low and rough.
He kissed her shoulder and slowly untied the ribbon of her dress. He loosed the laces and pushed it off her shoulder before placing a kiss there, then repeating the gesture on the other side. Kaila closed her eyes and just felt, like he’d said the night before. She was still apprehensive about what was to come, but she wasn’t afraid. Garrick would never hurt her; she knew that for a fact. Her nipples tightened when he pushed the top of her dress aside and exposed them to the cool air of the room. She gasped when he took the hard beaded tip into his mouth. She arched as he growled in his throat and pulled the engorged tip and areola farther into his mouth, and she felt the pleasure flash through her and settle between her thighs.
Garrick stripped the dress from her body with ease before he stood and removed his own clothes. Kaila felt as if she should look away, but somehow she couldn’t. His body was magnificent; his hips and thighs were lean and muscled. His broad shoulders and chest looked as if they were sculpted from stone, and the muscles of his arms were huge. Clothed, he was a formidable presence; unclothed, he seemed bigger. Her eyes traveled down his body to the rod that jutted from between his legs. Her eyes widened at the length of him, and she wondered how her body would accept him.
“Not until you’re ready,” he murmured, climbing onto the bed with her. “Only then. I promise.”
“May I touch you?” Kaila asked tentatively.
On his knees beside her in the bed, Garrick only nodded. Kaila stared at his shoulders and felt his muscles bunched under her fingers. She moved her hand across his chest and down his stomach. He sucked in a breath, and it was exhaled like a hiss between his teeth when she touched the tip of his cock.
‘Take me in your grasp, stroke gently,” Garrick commanded softly.
Kaila did as she was told and was amazed at the feel of him. “It feels like velvet wrapped around steel.” When he groaned, she pulled her hand away, alarmed. “Did I hurt you?”
“My god, no.” Garrick’s eyes burned into hers. “More.”
She took him in her hand and again, fueled by some instinct, she stroked him from the tip of his cock to the base. She looked up at him and his eyes were closed, his face looked strained. Kaila concentrated on her task until she saw a drop appear from the tip of his rod.
“You tasted me from your fingers, should I do the same?” she asked softly.
His eyes flew open, and he moved with such speed that before she knew it she was pinned beneath him on the bed. He kissed her until her head swam, and his frenzied touch brought the fire back to life within her. He was heavy, but he braced more of his weight on his hands. She was free to run her hand down his back, and on a wanton impulse she grabbed the tight muscles of his ass.
“Don’t, Kaila,” Garrick warned. “I need to keep my sanity, and if you do that I don’t think I can.”
“I like touching you, you are so hard everywhere.” Kaila gasped as he nuzzled her neck.
“The things you say, Kaila. Do you know how that enflames me, those innocent words?” Garrick muttered.
She barely heard what he said because his palm was rubbing slow circles on the top of her mound while his fingers trailed along the lips. She could feel herself getting wetter from that simple touch alone, and when he delved his finger between the slit, she moaned his name. He fingered the sensitive bud of her clit. She bucked beneath his hand, wanting to feel more, and tried to move his hand lower.
Garrick dipped his finger inside her, and she heard him moan. “God, you are so tight, my sweet dove, I long to be inside you.”
“Do it, please!” she whispered.
She whimpered as she f
elt him add another digit to the one already inside her. Instead of pain, the sensations increased, and she lifted her hips, seeking relief from the delicious pleasure he was inflicting. This was a madness that he was creating inside her; it was a turmoil of delicious feelings that made her feel she might die from it. It crested suddenly, and her eyes flew open and a soft scream escaped her lips.
“Oh yes, I love that scream,” Garrick said thickly. “I’ll do many things to wring that from your lips.”
“Now?” she asked, panting, wondering what else could there be.
Garrick settled between her legs with a soft chuckle. “One step at a time, sweetheart. One must learn to ride the horse before galloping.”
She could feel him at the entrance of her sex. With just a small tilt of his hips he was inside her, not all the way but enough that she could feel him stretching her. She tensed again, wondering if this was even possible given she’d seen the length of him. Garrick kissed her until she felt her body relax with languidness only his kiss could create. He reached between their bodies to rub her clit until she felt that sweet ache that made her hips rise of their own volition. He went deeper inside her, and he continued his ministration until she was gasping and writhing beneath him. As Kaila sank deep into her pleasure, she vaguely noticed that he was tense about her, muscles straining yet his body completely still. She gasped, realizing he was almost all the way inside her and her body had accepted him readily. He was positioned to breach the last barrier that would couple them completely. His eyes were dark, almost fierce with his need and his own restraint. She felt a rush of affection for him knowing he was holding himself back for her. Garrick was thinking about her own needs above his own, remembering her fear and trying to assuage it.
Kaila pulled his head down low, and this time it was she who initiated the fierce kiss. She lifted her hips suddenly, taking him completely inside her. They both cried out, his a guttural cry of pleasure and her from the sharp pain of breaking the thin barrier that had kept her virginity. Garrick still didn’t move while her body got accustomed to this new intrusion. Kaila could feel the harsh pants of his breath against her cheek while he strove for control. The sting subsided, and she felt full and complete as if he was made specifically for her. A new kind of ache started deep in her body, and she withdrew her hips just a little, testing the feeling. When she felt no pain, she lifted her hips high, and the pleasurable sensation was like liquid heat along her skin. Garrick moaned, a long, throaty sound that reverberated from her body to hers.
“Garrick, please, I want to feel it all.” She nipped at his shoulder and laved the area with her tongue, tasting the salty musk of his flash.
She felt his hands fist in her hair, and he lifted her head so he could stare at her for one long intense moment before he devoured her lips. He withdrew to sink into her pussy with one long thrust. Once, twice, three times he moved until she caught his rhythm and raised her hips to meet his. “God, yes!” His voice was harsh. Garrick’s pace increased, and she could feel the length of him inside her, rubbing against a secret place that made the pleasure increase tenfold. Instinctively she spread her legs wider; he penetrated her deeper, and she called out his name. Their movements were frenzied, each new thrust sending them spiraling higher, looking for release.
When she came, it was in waves that seemed to never want to end, each new layer pushing her higher and higher. She vaguely heard the almost desperate screams and was surprised they came from her lips. Nothing should feel this good or make your body succumb to such a tempest of fiery passion. Garrick followed her into his own orgasm with a harsh cry, and she felt his cock throb inside her as he spilled his hot seed. They seemed to stay coupled for endless moments until he fell against her and she wrapped her arms around him, readily accepting his weight.
Garrick moved to his side and pulled her close. “I think I may die, I am so very satisfied right now.”
“I wish you would’ve stayed right where you were. I miss the feel of your body already,” Kaila whispered.
“Wanton little wench, I am much too heavy for you to bear my weight for too long.” He chuckled.
She felt energized and sat up eagerly to stare at him. He was smiling, and the corners of his eyes crinkled just a bit when he was happy. She liked seeing that look on his face, and it warmed her knowing she caused such a feeling in him.
“Is that all we do, or is there more to learn? The book spoke of many things, and now I know it can feel like this, I want to try them all.”
He moaned. “I think I may have created a monster in my innocent Kaila. One thing to learn, my love, is that after such activities men usually need a small rest period before we can rise to the challenge again.”
“Really, I feel perfectly magnificent right now, but maybe a small nap would make you feel much better,” Kaila announced.
Garrick laughed out loud and pulled her down for a hard kiss. “You are saucy all of a sudden. But you also need to rest. You’ll be sore after our lovemaking, so lie back and I’ll get a cool cloth for you.”
She lay back quietly while he gently cleaned her and placed a cool cloth on her sex. Soon after, she threw it off and snuggled closer to him, and he wrapped her in those huge arms. She found she liked that immensely, and while the rain fell outside they both feel asleep again. Later that night, he showed her there were many more things she had to learn when it came to loving a man. Kaila found she was quite the willing student to each and every new lesson.
* * * *
Two days later they were still in the midst of bliss. Garrick got it into his head that he could teach her to play the piano. It was late afternoon, and they were sitting at the grand piano. She watched his big hands move over the ivory keys with infinite gentleness, bringing music to life. While she tried to pay attention to what he was explaining, she couldn’t help but imagine those hand on her body making a different kind of music. She wondered if she was beginning to become some kind of sexual deviant, because all she could think of was his touch and his lips on her…”
“Are you listening to me?” Garrick’s voice broke into her musing.
“Not quite,” she admitted. ‘Other things kept filtering in as you caressed those keys.”
Garrick growled and leaned his head against hers. “Later for that, I’ve got plans for you, dove.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek. “Why wait?”
The sound of horses interrupted what he was going to say. He went to the window and looked at the carriage, turning to her with a grim face.
“Kaila, please go upstairs. Don’t come down again until I call you or until dinnertime, whichever one comes first,” Garrick said.
She got up and went to the window, where she saw the Carrington crest on the side of the carriage. ‘It’s more than likely that it’s the duchess come to see about my welfare.”
“No, she was forbidden to come here by that man she married. That’s why I did not know about his abuse,” he said. “No, it’s the grand old duke thinking he can come and take you because he’s found some courage in the bottle. I’ve been expecting this. Do as you’re told, love, I’ll see you at dinner.”
Kaila scurried away and ran up the stairs instead of heading to the room down the hall. She ran to Garrick’s room and closed the heavy door behind her. She knew Garrick was a formidable man, but fear of the duke coming upstairs and dragging her away unwillingly still made anxiety crawl across her skin. I have to know what’s going on! she thought and cracked the door just in time to hear the duke’s rage-filled voice.
“Hadley, give me what’s mine!”
Garrick’s voice was harsh. “Lower your tone in my home, Carrington, before I set my dogs on you. Now what’s yours exactly?”
“The girl, I paid for her years ago, and she is mine,” Duke Carrington snapped. “I know Abigail had to send her to you. Give her back or I’ll have to be drastic in my measures to reclaim her.”
“How so—exactly what will you do, you pathetic excus
e for a man?” Garrick snarled. “I was going to offer you a drink and talk this out like men, but since you want it to be this way, it’s perfectly fine with me.”
“I bought all your debts, Carrington. You are completely and utterly bankrupt, selling my cousin’s jewelry to gamble and whore away, but now all you owe belongs to me,” Kaila heard Garrick say. She slipped through the door and got on her knees by the wooden banister just in time to see Garrick grab the fat old man by the shoulders and push him ahead of him. “In my study. We’ll talk there, and by god, when you leave you’ll know exactly where I’m coming from.”
The old man stumbled forward, and his face was white with fear now instead of red with rage. Garrick followed, and then the voices became faint and she couldn’t make out anything being said. Again inquisitiveness made her feet move, and she found herself going down the stairs with careful steps. The door was cracked just a bit, and she could see the duke sitting in a chair. She couldn’t see Garrick, but his voice was loud and clear.
“So, Carrington, tell me how these drastic measures will affect me?”
The duke sat forward. “Gossip is an evil thing, Hadley. Imagine what the community will think of you when certain women say you’ve done things to cause them harm?”
Garrick’s laugh was mirthless. “More than what’s said now. Wait, let me guess—you’ve got a whore from Barrow Street who will go to the high court and say I’m a rapist and a monster? Is that all you’ve got? Well, then let me show you my cards.”
“I will cancel the credits, the thousand of credits I’ve given the unsavory characters to whom you owe money.” Kaila clutched her chest, because Garrick’s voice was cold and deadly. “Imagine when they find out that there is no way you can repay them and what they will do to you.”
“Your cousin will be caught in the middle—you wouldn’t do that to her,” Duke Carrington sneered.
