Embarrassed, Eliza tried to reclaim her hand from his tight grasp. He held fast. “Please.” He let her go. She couldn’t face him, couldn’t directly meet his eyes, fearing the disgust she’d find in them. He curled a finger under her chin and lifted her head.
“Explain yourself.”
“It is obvious, is it not?”
“Are you from a noble family, or are you merely a commoner posing as Lady Eliza Godwin?”
“I am from a noble family.”
“Did they banish you to hard labor?”
“Truth be told, I am privileged.”
“Then why are your fingernails—”
“I bite them,” she blurted then cast her gaze aside. But he brought her around again, forced her to peer into eyes that claimed understanding. Yet puzzlement wrinkled his brow. “It is a nasty habit I acquired when my mother died. I am ashamed by their appalling condition, so I cover them with gloves.”
The confusion she saw moments ago disappeared, replaced by sorrow. But for what—her habit or her mother’s passing? He reached for her hand. Eliza panicked and flounced off the bed. Her husband’s mood swiftly turned and a dark cloud descended over his face.
“Please, do not come near me.”
He didn’t listen and brutishly grabbed her arms. When he jerked her to his body, the air gasped from her lungs. She struggled to replenish her breath.
“Think you I would turn you away because of this?” He lifted her hand to her view. “I am your husband. Think you I would not understand?”
“You are a stranger who spoke vows of marriage for a specific reason. We are naught to each other.”
His lips seized hers, his kiss urgent. Eliza’s head spun from the rapidly changing sensations he invoked. Her body tightened at her woman’s core. Her breasts tingled and flooded with warmth. And her senses flew out the narrow window like birds fleeing from a hawk searching for food.
His palms pressed against her buttocks. Shocked, Eliza mumbled in protest, but her words were trapped behind the seal of their lips. When he lifted her, circled her legs around his hips, she fairly fainted. The tip of his stiff male touched her uncommonly sensitive nether lips. She burned from the fire erupting throughout her body. Fearful she’d slip down farther and impale herself on his erection, she locked her ankles at his lower back to keep her in place and folded her arms around his neck. Eliza sweltered from the horrible heat.
He broke their kiss and bathed her jaw with his tongue then dragged his lips to her neck. Chills scattered down her back. Impossible! She was too hot to be cold. Lost in the foreign feelings, she didn’t realize Leonardo had walked to the bed until he let go. Eliza held fast around his neck, dragging him down with her. His gravelly oath beside her ear gave her a fright. She let go and stared up into the glowing eyes of a hungry, wild beast. A stunning revelation shot through her head. There was no stopping her husband now. Even so, Eliza couldn’t let him take her virginity. She wasn’t ready to become a woman, to succumb to the carnal lust besetting all men. She closed her eyes to block out the nightmare.
“Open your eyes.”
“I fear I cannot.” When his weight lifted, Eliza breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your reason?”
She swallowed down a new fear. If she angered him, he might not care that she’d never been with a man and force her to accept him.
“Answer me, wench.”
Her eyelids shot up. She detested being called a wench. Swallowing her annoyance, she replied with the truth. “I prayed that when I opened my eyes, you would be gone, and your lusty antics did not come to fruition.”
He jumped up and froze in an unfavorable pose, his feet apart and his hands planted on his hips. Was he breathing? Perhaps if she removed herself from his company…
Eliza sat up and scooted back. She kept her husband within her sight as she rolled to her knees then backed off the bed. She couldn’t even begin to guess his game. She tip-toed around the bed, gauging Leonardo’s expression. It didn’t waver. The only thing that moved was his gaze as it keenly followed her progress. Near the door, she balked. Dressed only in her chemise, there was no other place to go without being seen except to another chamber.
“Stop!”
Eliza startled. Her heart leapt to her throat before it rapidly dropped back into place. She could scarce hear anything but its ferocious beating. Leonardo grabbed her hand and escorted her back to the bed. Naught about his visage spoke of anger. His gaze enveloped her, reigniting the heat that had beset her mere moments ago. At the bed, he held her hand. The consummate gentleman, she mused darkly, fortifying her bafflement. He waited for her to sit, then he lowered himself to kneel on the floor and fit his body between her knees.
“I do not want to demand you to lie with me, Eliza. When you come to me, it must be because you want me, desire me.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed its topside, his tenderness sending shivers of a strange kind over her entire body.
“You will not take me to your bed?”
“No.” He set her hand on the coverlet then caressed her knee.
Sidetracked by his fingers skimming her calf then reverse back to her knee, she wondered why he handled her gently when he had acted as if he’d force her to his bed? “That is agreeable.”
She thought he tensed though it couldn’t be true. Naught on him moved, except his fingers creeping up her thighs. An irreversible tremble claimed her body. His subtle smile eased her fears. He truly meant what he said. That pleased Eliza, for now she knew he was an honorable man.
Without thought, she touched his jaw. The coarse hairs of a budding beard prickled the underside of her fingers. She dropped her hand away. It would be too easy to enjoy touching him. He had awakened her woman’s need. Geoffrey had never raised more than her irritation. She feared her inexplicable attraction to her husband would undermine her resolve to leave Italy.
Reality hurtled forward when the tip of his finger skimmed the curls protecting her virginity. She stared into his eyes heavy with desire. Even though flattered, she’d not get tangled up with the connoisseur of women. But then he caressed her nether lips and pressed the tip of his finger inside. Eliza trembled. Her body betrayed her mind. She must stop him before he went too far. Instead, she leaned back on her palms and parted her legs.
Stop! Please stop!
His finger delved deeper. Eliza dropped her head back and shuttered her eyelids. Her senses scattered far and wide, and there was naught she could do to stop him.
Leo groaned in silence. She dampened instantly. He knew he’d been right about her desire for him. If she truly detested his touch, she showed no signs of it.
Standing, he lifted her chemise over her head. The sight of her naked body was a feast to behold. He doffed his clothing then kneeled one knee on the bed and ran his hand down her ribcage. Her skin’s fluttering response pleased him. Her waist gave way to beautifully rounded hips made for a man’s caress.
“Do not fear what is to come, Eliza.”
She watched him, studied his face, then partially lowered her eyelids. Her come hither look unraveled his honorable patience a little more. Leo bent to take her nipple into his mouth. Her sharp intake of breath caused him to smile. It was a telling sign that her sensitivity had escalated. He washed his tongue over the taught pebble then gently pulled it with his teeth before suckling.
She gripped his hair. Leo lifted his gaze but not his head. He was unwilling to let go of her nipple.
“Please…” Her breathy word fell over him like a warm summer’s eve.
“Soon, amore mia.”
“No. Please…”
To his surprise, she begged him to get on with it. He’d think a virgin would deny any man, but with one quick glance over her entire body, he realized she truly did want him. That spurred Leo’s manhood upright. He dragged her up the mattress and captured her mouth. Aware of her smaller feminine stature, he carefully lay upon her, his elbows digging into the mattress to keep from crushing her chest.
Rational thought fled. Leo felt driven by a need so strong, it baffled him. He didn’t dwell on it, for his body protested his reluctance to plunge into her without preparing her properly.
The tip of him rested at her entrance. She gasped away from his kiss, wonderment and doubt clashing in her eyes. Bedamned, she was a perplexing woman. Did she or did she not want him? He recaptured her lips, leaving no room for her to pull away again, and reached between them to stroke her cleft. Her moan echoed in his head. Within seconds, she was wet once more. He parted her folds and brushed her nub. Her body jerked, and her excitement climbed higher. Taking his time became an unbearable burden. He simply needed to appease his desire to surround his manhood with her tightness.
He pushed the head of his erection into her. She gripped the sides of his ribcage, pinching his skin. Thanks be to God her nails weren’t long enough to cut into his flesh. He sensed a sudden change in Eliza.
“Do not worry,” he whispered beside her ear. Pushing in a bit more, he paused, allowing her time to adapt to the unfamiliar fullness of his male. If he eased into her, he’d assuredly prolong her pain. He’d best be swift about it. Leo searched her features, shocked to find a lone tear progressing down her temple. Then another…and one more.
“I have not gone far enough to hurt you, Eliza.”
“You have.”
Leo shook his head and said emphatically, “No, I have not.”
“Bedding me without my approval is as dreadful as physical pain.”
With a defeated sigh, Leo lifted off and lay on the bed. “You did not stop me.”
What would he say if he discovered she couldn’t speak the words of denial? When she had an attack of conscience, she realized the huge mistake she’d make if she allowed him to continue. She was going home to England eventually. She truly was.
Leonardo sprang from the bed. Eliza snapped up the counterpane to shield herself from the wild glow emanating from his eyes. His gaze brutally raked the length of her. He didn’t need to strike her to cause her pain. She hurt more from the bleeding of her heart and did not understand why.
She looked away. To her misfortune, she found herself staring at his rigid manhood. Eliza’s breath wrenched inward, and she averted her eyes. “I tried,” she finally replied. “I said no.”
“But you also said please.”
She had for the simple reason that she’d battled with her conscience about whether to stop him or allow him his husbandly due. Leonardo scooped up his clothes and dressed in haste. He snatched the counterpane from her hand, and his heated gaze grazed her once more, deliberately pausing at her woman’s part she had denied him from entering.
“I shall return, Eliza. When I do, I’ll not listen to a word you say. The next time, I will breech your maidenhead and make you mine to keep.”
Chapter 8
On her hands and knees, Eliza blew back the wayward strands of hair falling across her face, but they refused to remain tucked behind her ear. She’d been hunched in the same position for hours, scrubbing the floor in the great hall. Her fingers ached, her skin burned from the harsh soap. She cursed Leonardo a hundred times for commanding her to take on a servant’s job. The alternative the louse had given forced her to obey.
“He can go to the devil,” she spat.
Giorgie had swept the old rushes away after Leonardo rode into town with Santo. Bless the servant’s kind heart. He’d offered to help, even with the consequence of facing punishment from her husband. Leonardo had issued explicit orders that she carry out the chore herself. After last night… The heat of a blush spread up Eliza’s cheeks. She simply couldn’t turn Leonardo away once he worked her senses into a mind-numbing madness. His needs awakened hers, and she fed off his intensity to reach the peak of their carnal interlude. Thank God they didn’t get that far.
She lifted her gaze to the ceiling. “Lord, please forgive me for my sins. Mayhap if you saw to strengthening my resistance, I could have denied my husband. Faith, is that, too, a sin…to deny him?”
Eliza squeezed the sponge in her hands and imagined Leo’s face in the creases and holes. She glanced at the pail, plunged the sponge into the dirty water then lifted it out. In her mind, the sponge took on a queer image of her husband’s head.
With a malicious laugh, Eliza slapped the sponge on the stone and scrubbed vigorously. She dunked the sponge again, the force splashing water over the pail’s rim. This time, she gripped it in both hands and squeezed hard. Filthy water dripped to her clothes, but Eliza had gone over the edge of sanity.
“Think you hiring more servants would suit the household better?” She glared at the sponge, squeezing out every last drop. “What is that you say? Hiring servants is costly?” She mimicked his Italian accent. “I will show you what I think about your insane idea that I am capable of doing hard, laborious chores. Sì, I am, signore, but you know not what I am truly capable of.”
Her grip tightened, stretching the skin over her knuckles white. She held the sponge out in front of her and shook it back and forth, as if she were strangling her arrogant husband’s neck.
Footfalls clicked across the hall. Eliza spied the subject of her annoyance, but one glance at him and her common sense scattered. With his hair worn loose, his rakishness turned her stomach in chaotic circles. She threw the sponge into the pail and rose. Stiff all over, her legs trembled and her back pinched. She winced as she straightened.
Leonardo’s inspection of the floor gave Eliza a sense of insecurity. Scanning the places she had scrubbed, she was appalled by the haphazard job she’d done. Her husband noticed it as well. She gritted her teeth.
“What folly are you practicing?”
Eliza stomped her foot, unaware of her proximity to the pail. It knocked over, spilling water around her feet. Her slippered foot glided out from under her, and she teetered, flapping her arms like a bird to steady her balance. A gasp of astonishment flew out of her mouth just as she fell backward and her derriere hit the hard floor.
Eliza blew at the web of hair covering her eyes, but it wasn’t enough to clear her vision. She flipped the waves back over her head and attempted to stand. “Are you not going to help me?”
Leonardo’s casual glance at the large puddle perturbed Eliza. She managed to pull herself up to stand on both feet, though not for long. Her slippers slid out from under her again, and she screamed as she fell backward, sprawled indecently on the floor. Dazed, she could scarcely recapture her breath.
“You are laughing at me?” Her high pitch voice scratched her throat. “Cease and help me up at once!”
The muscles in Leo’s stomach hurt. He couldn’t recall the last time he burst out in genuine laughter. “You, my wife, will make our year together interesting.” He finally settled his mirth, but Eliza’s glare cut like a sharp knife. “All right, give me your hand.”
She demurely placed her hand in his. He frowned at the sight of her red, chafed fingers and nails. What had he been thinking when he ordered her to help the servants? When he lifted his gaze, he swore at the malevolent gleam in her eyes. The little witch laughed wickedly as she tugged on his hand. He lost his balance and waved his arms frantically to hold fast to his footing. Alas, the spilled water proved a force to be reckoned with. He lost traction and helplessly watched his booted feet fly up in front of his eyes. A loud curse ripped from his lips just before he hit the floor, slamming his head against the stone. He grunted from the impact. An arrow-sharp pain shot through his body as he gulped repeatedly to restore air to his lungs.
Eliza’s airy laughter added insult to his injured pride. “You fall much harder than I. More was the stunned look on your face.”
Leo lifted his head and grimaced. Fearing he had split open his skull, he felt the back of his head for blood and cursed the forceful throbbing. “You have duly put me in my place, for which I am sure I deserved.”
“You did.” Her uppity tone gnawed on his arrogance. “Since you are down here, my husband, you may help me with the unkind task you
bade me to do.”
“I think not.” Leo caught her wrist and pulled her closer. On the slick stone, she came to him effortlessly. He laid one side of his body upon her, his legs trapping hers to the floor. With her hands pinned above her head, she was at his mercy. “Take heed, woman. You’ll not be so foolish again. If you think scrubbing the floor is a painfully hard task, I shall condemn you to emptying bedpans for the entire household as well as tending to the laundry.”
“Think you my brother will stand idle when I tell him how horrible you have treated me? You are rude and ill-mannered.”
“So I am.” Leo feigned boredom. Her observation of his character didn’t offend him. She was unapprised about Italian society…and Italian men. “From the moment we met, you acted as if I am not fit to be in your company. So be it. I am not a noble, so I need not behave like the rigid men in your society. And since I am not compatible in your eyes, then I shall do what I should have done last night.”
“You would not dare!”
He lifted his mouth into a non-committal smile.
“Oh! Let me up at once!”
“It appears milady must be taught manners as well.” Leo crushed her lips beneath his. He ran his hand down her waist and hip caring not that his caresses were rough, groping. Her protests died in an instant. When he pushed her tunic up to her shoulders, he was surprised to find her naked beneath the expensive garment. He tore away to lave his tongue across her breast, taunting her nipple. Her deep, unfettered moan seeped into his heart. Last night had been merely a prelude to the ecstasy awaiting him with his feisty wife.
Leo recaptured her mouth and shed any misgivings about consummating their marriage. Even though theirs was more illusory than real, he should have sunk into her and bedamned his righteous conscience. He desired Eliza like no other. He broke off the kiss and gazed at her, from the red, irritated skin around her parted lips to her eyelashes shadowed high upon her cheeks. Resisting her was impossible, from the way her body moved, like a sultry feline, to her soft sounds of pleasure.
Mine to Keep Page 7
