A more careful testing of her rejection seemed in order, yet just as needful was a careful soothing of her qualms if he had any hopes of breaking through the thin barrier she had erected between them. It seemed prudent to continue his manly assaults on her senses, but in a more subtle fashion. In that endeavor, he turned her attention to another matter which in recent days he had begun to consider. “How would you like to accompany me to Charleston today, madam, and order a new gown?”
Astounded by his invitation, Raelynn stared up at him as if he had just told her the moon had fallen from the sky. Only when their combined presence had been requested at social affairs had he relented of his ongoing aloofness and escorted her to the port city. During those outings, he had been very much a gentleman, yet she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that he had also been anxious to put those events behind him, if for no other reason than to retreat from her presence. But then, considering what she had demanded of him, she could hardly have blamed him.
As for ordering a new gown, she couldn’t imagine the cost of the finery he had already purchased for her. Without a doubt, her new attire was of a quality that only the rich could afford. Still, after being forced to endure both his stilted reticence and lengthy absences, she wondered how he could be so magnanimous as to suggest that she was deserving of any gifts. “More clothes, Jeffrey, after everything you’ve already given me?”
His naked shoulders lifted in an indolent shrug. “It’s only right that we should give a ball in honor of our marriage to allow our neighbors and my acquaintances from Charleston to meet you, madam. Considering the length of time it has taken me to find a suitable mate, the event should be a grand occasion to attest to my delight in finding a bride so fair. Such an affair warrants a gown as dazzling as yourself, and only my friend, Farrell Ives, can design one worthy of that distinction. He’ll make you the envy of nearly every lady in the area. . . .”
The blue-green orbs glowed at the pleasurable idea that she would at last be able to make a wifely claim on Jeffrey Birmingham in front of his collection of friends and acquaintances. She was especially eager to demonstrate her ownership to all those well-garbed ladies she had seen either eying him covetously from afar or, at closer range, smiling up at him invitingly. During those functions wherein he had done his husbandly duty by escorting her upon his arm, she had maintained a poised reserve, having sensed in him a polite, but stilted detachment that had discouraged wifely overtures, but he could hardly distance himself from her at a ball celebrating their marriage. “I needn’t wear a sumptuous gown to elicit jealousy from all the maidens who’ve apparently tried to harness you into marriage in the past, Jeffrey. I believe I became a full-fledged recipient of their envy the day we were wed.”
“You exaggerate, Raelynn,” Jeff protested with a dubious chuckle.
“Were you not at the vanguard of the most sought after bachelors in the area?” she probed, struggling to convey a teasing mood. It was difficult to be lighthearted about all the other women who were enamored with him, for the thought of them made her think of Nell’s accusations, which always provoked her curiosity as to how many other women might have had him as their lover. “Or have I wrongly laid the blame for the cause of the dejected stares that winsome young maidens are wont to cast your way whenever we’re in their midst? Is it merely disappointment I see, Jeffrey, or some stronger passion that likens itself to shrewish jealousy?”
“If you arrived at that conclusion because of Nell, my dear, please allow me to assure you . . .”
“I try not to think of that little hussy any more than I have to, Jeffrey Birmingham, and I’d thank you not to remind me,” she replied with far more sincerity than humor. “Kingston has definitely lent me an earful while ranting to Cora about Nell’s audacity to accost you in your own bed. It’s rather strange the way your butler’s conversations always shift to that little chit the very moment I come within hearing. Evidently he thinks you’re innocent of Nell’s accusations and entirely free of any blame in getting her with child.” Raelynn wished she could be so confident. Still, the corners of her mouth curved upward enticingly as she settled a playfully baleful glare upon the handsome man. “If I were of such a mind to be suspicious, dear husband, I’d think you’ve been coaching Kingston behind my back.”
“I’ll have to caution the man about being more discreet in the future,” Jeff observed drolly, sweeping her with another divesting perusal. He cupped a hand against her throat and watched her eyes grow increasingly limpid as he brushed a thumb caressingly along the underside of her finely boned jaw. No smallest trace of reluctance or aversion could he discern in her expression. Indeed, if he could perceive anything from the softening of her expression, he’d be inclined to think she relished his touch as some splendid enjoyment. To test his theory more fully, he bent near and pressed a lingering kiss against her temple. A trembling sigh escaped her, encouraging him to slide his palm downward along her throat until he reached its base. Her nightgown had fallen away from that graceful column and posed no hindrance as he swept his hand outward across her shoulder, deliberately pushing the garment toward her arm. As he neared the creamy precipice, he flicked a glance upward and found her soft lips parting in a way that likened itself to sensual pleasure. It took no more than the lightest brush of his fingers to sweep the cloth over the edge.
A gasp escaped Raelynn as she quickly clapped a hand to the valley between her breasts, barely catching the falling nightgown, in so doing thwarting her husband’s efforts to lay bare all the delights hidden beneath the fabric. Yet when Jeff noticed the depth to which her breasts were now exposed, his disappointment ebbed forthwith. Nothing more than a strip of gossamer cloth formed a shallow covering for one creamy orb, while the other lay fully exposed, allowing him a delectable view of a delicate pink crest. He vividly recalled when he had first savored the intoxicating nectar from those pale peaks and was now equally desirous of lending them his fervent attention.
Jeff bent low with bold purpose, causing Raelynn’s breath to catch in her throat as she became aware of his intent. She shivered in anticipation and then, as his open mouth came upon her nipple, almost dissolved in bliss. A fiery torch stroked across the pinnacle, setting off a barrage of delectable sensations within her loins. Her whole being awakened to a heightening excitement as his tongue slowly traced around the delicately hued areola, and still she watched as if nothing more than a distant spectator. Vaguely she was aware of several things, the sharp contrast between her own fair skin and his warmly burnished features, the tantalizing depression in his cheek that came and went, the magnificent eyebrows she yearned to trace. Still, it was difficult to focus on anything but the waves of bliss that kept washing over her, growing stronger and more thrilling with each passing moment until she came nigh to dissolving in his arms.
His long, lean fingers ascended upward beneath the valley between her breasts, promising to uproot her tenacious grip on the gown, while his other hand moved behind her back to clasp hold of her buttock. All too soon she would be swept up into his arms and taken to her bed. Except that she didn’t want that. If she was going to surrender herself to this marriage, then it had to be in his bed, the bed wherein she would likely bear their offspring.
Raelynn found it very odd indeed, but somewhere in the last few moments she had lost her nervousness, as if the small nudge he had given her over the steep ridge of her impasse had been enough to settle her mind on the course she would take. She was definitely not retreating like some shy, young maid now. She had thrown aside her inhibitions as if they were nothing more than filthy rags. She knew what she wanted, and she would not be satisfied until she and he were one. And if it came to be that he was playing deceitfully with her, then heaven help her.
The corners of her mouth curved slowly upward in a poignant smile as she threaded slender fingers through her husband’s thick hair. Leaning down, she brushed her lips against his temple and then, with her fine white teeth, nipped at the uppermost part of h
is ear, causing him to start and clap a hand to the side of his face as he straightened.
A handsome brow angled upward sharply as Jeff stared down at his young wife in widening curiosity. If this was some new way she had contrived to tease and torment him, he would have no part of it. She could stay a virgin in her damned room until all hell froze over!
His eyebrow jutted upward to an even loftier level as Raelynn smiled up at him provocatively, making no effort to repair her dishabille. Turning, she strode away from him with hips swaying with a slow, wanton movement, giving Jeff cause to wonder if he had married an unmitigated tease. A brief moment later he became convinced of it when she glanced over her shoulder with an invitation in her eyes that promptly reversed the dwindling of the manly bulge. Deliberately she rolled a shoulder, sending the nightgown slithering down her arm, allowing him a glimpse of a pale orb, albeit from a rearward angle. Upon facing away again, she gathered the gown across her buttocks, yielding him every detail the clinging cloth could afford.
A brightening gleam lit Jeff’s eyes as he idly scratched his chest. There came a time in each man’s life when he had to put all finesse aside and do what came naturally though he might well be hell bent for his own destruction. At the present moment making love to his wife seemed the most natural thing in the world.
Raelynn’s fine nose lifted to emulate a haughty noblewoman as she coyly played a game of pretense. “You’re drooling in your beard, knave,” she pompously complained, looking at him loftily. “Now depart from my room and give me peace from your presence. I wish to summon water for my morning bath and cleanse myself at my leisure. Only when I’m dressed and properly attired will I consider your invitation to visit the couturier.”
“Minx,” Jeff muttered and, with a low, playful growl, sprinted after her, causing her to squeal like a child in a game of chase as she skittered behind a chair.
Briefly Raelynn faced him over its winged back, but she soon discovered the piece provided no safe haven from the grinning swain who pursued her. He leapt around the back of it just as she skirted a nearby table. The door to his bedroom was before her, and she raced toward it, barely managing to thrust it open and escape around another chair and table. In her haste, she released the nightgown, inadvertently giving Jeff something tangible to grasp. His hand caught its flying hem, and in the next instant a shocked gasp was wrenched from Raelynn as he gave the cloth a downward yank, splitting the gown completely open down the front. The remnant was promptly whisked free of her arms and banished to the floor.
“Oh, you lewd, knavish cad!” Raelynn cried through her laughter as she scurried around another chair. She tossed a glance over her shoulder, but her long hair flew across her face, blinding her to his whereabouts. “You’d tear a lady’s clothes off her back with little regard for propriety. . . .”
She came to an abrupt halt, meeting something very hard and masculine, to be exact her tall, firmly muscled husband. Her mouth flew open in surprise, and hardly a pause of a heartbeat later she found long arms encircling her naked form. A large hand slipped down her back until it reached her buttock. Encompassing its fullness, he lifted her up snugly against him, making her vividly aware of his unyielding passion.
“Oh . . . oh!” Hardly aware that she had issued the muted gasps, Raelynn stared up at him, awed by the waves of sensual warmth radiating upward from the cloth-bound firmness upon which her womanly softness was now nestled. Suddenly, it was as if she had been caught in a vortex of whirling flames, for her whole body became warm and flushed with excitement. Her soft nipples throbbed against his furred chest, and behind her back she could feel his hand bridging the crevice between her buttocks, pressing her womanly loins against his. Her breath quickened, and she banished her second alternative completely from mind as she slid her arms behind his neck and locked them in a fierce embrace. How could she think of withholding herself any longer from a man who set her whole being ablaze?
“The French doors are open,” she breathed shakily, casting a glance toward them. It didn’t bolster any admirable impression of an unfaltering will when Raelynn realized that her concern centered primarily on a fear that they could be interrupted again, this time by unwary servants. As for her paltry resolutions, she had ceased to care, at least for the moment. Jeffrey was her husband, after all, and she desired his attention perhaps as much as he yearned to bestow them upon her. “Anyone who passes on the porch will see us.”
“Our privacy is secure, madam,” Jeff murmured huskily, lowering his head until his lips hovered above hers. “None of the servants would dare venture past our rooms when there’s a possibility that we might be occupying them, especially mine. That rule has long been established, so rest at ease. We’re quite alone, madam. Trust me.”
Claiming her mouth, he ravaged its honeyed depths with rapacious greed, searching, demanding, devouring all that was within reach of his tongue. His hand came up to encompass the back of her head as his face slanted across hers, and it became an intoxicating exchange of lips and tongues as he found himself drinking in the sweet nectar of her passionate response.
By the time Jeff lifted his head and set her to her feet again, most of the strength had drained from Raelynn’s knees. His sturdy chest provided support until her world settled back into place. Finally she leaned back within his encompassing arms and found his smoldering gaze devouring her breasts. Appeasing an earlier desire, she swept her hands across the width of his tautly muscled shoulders and, in a languid caress, brushed slender fingers across male nipples all but hidden by the dark hair covering his chest. The knotted sinews of his waist were steely hard, and for a moment her fingertips traced across them admiringly before venturing to the top of his trousers. Her voice was a warm, husky whisper as she began plucking open a side placket. “It’s not fair that I should be the only one naked, Jeffrey.”
“Banish the thought, madam,” he murmured huskily and grinned as he stepped back slightly, allowing her freedom to continue. His own hands moved over her pale body, eliciting a quickening excitement that left her eagerly anticipating his provocative advancements. When the last closures of his trousers came free, his waistband sagged away from his taut waist, causing her to cast a hesitant glance upward. Her timidity was obvious as her teeth tugged nervously at a bottom lip.
“Help me,” Jeff urged huskily, banishing her doubts.
With a growing involvement in this titillating game they were playing, Raelynn lent him assistance in sweeping the trousers downward, at least until she glimpsed his manly nakedness, and then, in some awe, she retreated with cheeks burning. Indeed, the vibrant heat he now displayed infused her whole being with warmth.
Jeff peered askance at his young wife as he stripped off his trousers and tossed them aside. The sudden uncertainty in her eyes alerted him to her mounting fear. “It’s all right, Raelynn,” he cajoled in a hushed tone. Reaching out, he threaded his long fingers through hers. “I’m only flesh and blood. You’ve seen me before.” He brought her up close against him, allowing her to feel the enemy against her. “Don’t be afraid. We were made for each other.”
She trembled, fully conscious of the manly blade that would rend her virgin’s flesh, but Jeff gave her trepidations little time to solidify into a full-fledged fear. His opening mouth seized hers again with impassioned fervor, snatching her thoughts away as he demanded her response. Tentatively she yielded her lips and tongue to the flaming heat of his kiss until the fires began to rage out of control, leaving her feeling as if she would be devoured in his consuming greed.
When Jeff finally straightened, he had settled it in his mind that he would not allow time for interruptions. He needed her as much as the air that he breathed.
Sweeping Raelynn up in his arms, he carried her to his bed where he pressed her back into the rumpled sheets. His tongue flicked slowly over a pliant peak, sending liquid fire spiraling downward into her loins where it seemed to burn with a strange kind of hunger that yearned to be fed.
Rollin
g, they lay alongside each other, kissing, caressing, exploring. His mouth blazed a fiery trail over her breasts, licking, suckling, devouring as his thigh encroached between the sleekness of hers. Drawing a pale limb up over his hip, he slowly teased her with the heat of his desires, stroking his maleness against the dark veils shrouding the secret places of her womanhood until Raelynn began to shudder. Yet the tremors had nothing to do with fear or aversion, rather a rushing excitement that left her nearly breathless for want of something beyond her ken.
His smoldering eyes roamed her as he continued his pleasurable assault, but now with more dedication. Staking his claim upon her, he swept his hand down over her breasts, the slender waist and skimmed downward along the outside of her legs before moving upward again, this time along the inside of her creamy thighs. She started slightly at his intrusion, and then her breath caught at the sensations he created within her as his fingers began to ply her flesh. It was as if she were being jolted by liquid fire, waves of it pouring upward through her senses, setting her whole being aflame. She began to writhe and pant and in some embarrassment over what she was experiencing, she tried to turn aside, but Jeff pressed her down, unwilling to desist until she was truly his. His invasion proved a heady forage indeed, driving her into a kind of frenzy as he delved upward with strengthening dedication. Stroking her own breasts, she arched her back and offered them to him with a kind of wanton boldness that she had never experienced before. Greedily he devoured them, heightening her excitement until she thought she couldn’t bear it.
“Please, Jeffrey.” She was incognizant of what she wanted; she only knew that his manly heat seemed to feed the fires burning in her loins. Slipping a hand behind his neck, she pulled his head near and kissed him with all the passion he had awakened within her. Locked together in a fierce embrace, they rolled upon the bed, their thighs entwined, their tongues playing in the sultry heat of each others’ mouths, their hands boldly searching out the private places.
A Season Beyond a Kiss Page 3
