“Show me,” she breathed.
He continued his slow movement down her body until his hot, wet mouth hovered above her most sensitive place. He drew his finger away. She cried out at the loss but the location of his mouth promised better things. Surely he didn’t mean to—
“Are you about to…?” Jane couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
“Yes.” The feel of his warm breath against her sensitive skin made her shudder. She was about to come off the bed. She hadn’t ever read about this.
“Do you mind?” he asked.
“Not at all,” she answered. Then she couldn’t think because his mouth was on her, his tongue owning her. She grabbed the bedsheets with both fists and arched her back off the mattress. “Oh, God,” she murmured, her head tossing against the pillow. “Upton, I swear, if you stop now.”
His warm laugh touched her thigh. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Jane.”
The use of her first name was her undoing. There was something so sweet, so lovely, so sincere about it. His tongue nudged once more in her center and she came apart, grabbing his head and crying a keening wail.
He pulled himself up and his mouth was on hers again, insatiable. “How did I know you’d be a screamer?” he said against her mouth between ravenous kisses.
“I can’t believe what you just did … what you made me feel.”
“You haven’t felt half of it yet.”
A shudder racked her body.
His mouth moved to her breast and he teased her, played with her, sucked her until her back arched off the bed again and she wrapped her fingers through his hair. “Upton.”
“Will you please call me Garrett when I’m making love to you?” His voice was piqued, but heavy with lust.
“Garrett,” she breathed.
He groaned and slid one finger into her hot wet warmth.
“Oh. God. Yes.” Another keening wail from her that he covered with his mouth.
His finger touched the most sensitive spot between her legs, rubbing her in tiny circles, and her hips matched his movements. “Garrett, I—”
“Don’t talk. Just feel.”
“I’m feeling too much.” Her hips kept up their circular motion. She was a puppet on his string.
“That’s not possible.”
She pressed her forehead to his, hard. “What are you doing?
“Stop talking.”
“Tell me.”
“I’m going to make you come again.”
Her eyes rolled back in her head. His finger was magical, perfect. He knew exactly where to touch, how long, and how much pressure to exert. Her hips bucked. She sobbed against his shoulder. She wanted to bite him. “Please,” she whimpered. “Please.”
“Please who?” he whispered fiercely into her ear. “Say my name.” He slid another finger into her and Jane came apart in a thousand pieces.
“Garrett,” she cried as she came. “Oh, Garrett.”
* * *
Garrett lay with her head against his shoulder for a few moments, allowing the self-satisfied smirk to remain on his face. He’d never been half the rake he’d been accused of, but tonight he was bloody proud of the experience he did have. Jane had come twice, and they hadn’t even made love yet. Happy wedding night to her.
There was still much left to teach her. His cock ached. He wanted to bury himself in her, but he didn’t want to frighten her.
Jane was beyond gorgeous. He’d nearly spilled his seed just watching her take off her chemise. Her skin was like porcelain, her breasts full and round and perfect. Her waist was small and her hips flared enticingly. And her backside. Oh, her backside. Poems should be written about Jane’s backside.
“How about another lesson?” He drew his finger across her pebbled nipple.
She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back. “Yes, please.”
“Let’s start by you kissing me, here.” He pointed to his shoulder.
Jane smiled a lazy, satisfied smile. “Yes.”
She moved to her knees and pushed him back against the pillows. Then she leaned over him, those full, gorgeous breasts making his mouth water. They pressed against his chest, making his skin tingle as she bent her head to kiss his shoulder.
His breathing hitched. “Now, here.” He pointed to his nipple.
Jane’s dark eyes flared. She moved lower and her pink tongue darted to lick his nipple. She was learning fast. Thank God for intelligent women.
His voice wavered a bit this time. “Now, here.” He pointed to his abdomen.
Jane gave him the most sensual smile he’d ever seen, before lowering herself even farther, letting her tongue find its way to the spot he’d pointed out. She nipped at the tight skin there.
He clutched the bedsheets and swallowed hard. She might be learning a bit too fast.
“Now.” Damn. His voice shook like an untried lad. “Here.” He took his cock in his hand and stroked it once, twice.
The sound Jane made was a throaty moan. His hand moved away and her tongue dipped again. She closed her entire mouth around his tip.
“God,” he breathed. “That’s so good.”
Her lips began a slow descent and he clutched both hands in the bedsheets. “So damn good,” he groaned, his forehead beading with sweat. Yes, she was a fast learner, his wife. His wife.
Her mouth rose and fell, and rose and fell again, her hot, wet tongue rubbing against his scorching skin over and over until Garrett was mindless. His hips arched off the bed and he clenched his eyes shut.
“Grab my balls,” he demanded, and Jane complied, squeezing them in her torturous hand.
The ache between his legs was unholy. “Jesus, Jane, I—”
Her lips came off his cock with a sucking noise that was strangely erotic. “You what?”
Her scent was driving him mad. “I can’t wait,” he breathed, pulling her roughly into his arms and rolling on top of her. He grabbed the back of her head by her hair and tugged, exposing her neck and nipping at it. “I have to have you now.”
He pushed his rough thigh between her soft legs and Jane spread open for him. “I’ll do my best to make this as painless as—”
“Take me!”
He pushed into her warm wetness and took a deep breath. He wanted to control himself, but the overwhelming feeling of being inside her made him mad. He thrust again, rocking a bit farther this time. Then he kissed her mouth and slid in to the hilt.
Jane winced.
Not moving inside of her, he kissed the side of her eye, her ear, her cheek. “Are you all right?” he whispered.
“I will be. Show me the rest.”
That was all Garrett needed. He pulled out slowly and plunged in again. He repeated the action, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. Instead, a slow smile soon spread across her face.
He pressed his forehead hard against hers and stroked into her again and again. He clenched his jaw. He needed to make this good for her too.
His hand worked its way between her legs and found the little nub of pleasure there. Jane’s eyes widened. He rubbed her up and down, over and over until she slid into another climax.
Her inner muscles clamped him and Garrett was lost. He pumped into her again one final time and wrapped his arms around her fiercely. He groaned her name while shudders racked his entire frame.
* * *
“That was … incredible,” Jane said moments later, tugging the sheets over her still-trembling body.
He pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his belly. “That’s what you said the last time we were intimate.”
“I’m much more eloquent when you’re not touching me.”
He traced his finger along her collarbone. “That’s too bad, because I find that I cannot stop touching you.”
“You’re v—very good, you know.” Jane did her best to concentrate, despite the fact that he was already making her hot and wet again.
“Are you saying you prefer a rake after all?”
“I suppo
se I do.”
“Then I hate to disappoint you, but I am not and never have been a rake.”
She leaned up on one elbow to look at him. Her dark hair fell over one shoulder. “What are you talking about? Lucy always said how popular you were with ladies and—”
“Popular as a friend, yes, and I do admit to a certain amount of experience, but hardly of the sort you convicted me of in your head.”
Jane fell back to the mattress and bounced slightly. “I suppose that’s what I get for being such a know-it-all.”
He buried his nose in her hair and nipped her ear. “I never called you that.”
“No, but you were thinking it.”
He rested his chin atop her head. “You do tend to pontificate upon every subject. However, if you weren’t such a know-it-all, Isabella may have thought she’d got away with her handwriting subterfuge.”
Jane smiled. “That’s true.” She smoothed a hand over the pillow and sighed. “Being a know-it-all was how I dealt with being different when I was a child. I tried to impress people with my knowledge rather than my appearance.”
He lifted the sheet and stole a quick peek. “You’re doing a fine job of impressing me with your appearance.”
She laughed and swatted at his hand. “Be serious, you rogue. No one ever … wanted me the way a man wants a woman.”
Garrett’s face sobered and he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her forehead. “You are as lovely as you are intelligent. I love you for both.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “You love me?”
“Of course I do, my darling. I think I’ve loved you since you argued with me about Much Ado About Nothing. I’d never met a woman I couldn’t charm before I met you.”
“And I never met a man who argued with me so vehemently. I cannot tell you the number of times I dreamed of tripping you.”
His crack of laughter bounced against the far wall. “Do I need to watch my step?”
“Never.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. “I love you, Garrett. I love you very much.”
“And I love you, my Jane.”
She pulled away and gave him a sidewise smile. “So, no knives or tying me up tonight?”
He cocked a brow. “Interested?”
She shrugged. “Perhaps.”
Garrett pulled her into his arms again. “Whatever you say, Lady Blue. Why don’t we—” He whispered something positively indecent in her ear.
Jane shivered with delight. “Ooh, as you wish, Lord Green.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
One month later
“You cannot possibly have an objection to the plot of Much Ado About Nothing any longer, Garrett,” Jane said as they sat in the gardens behind Julian’s town house playing cards. Julian and Cass had recently returned from their honeymoon trip and Jane and Garrett had come to visit, along with Lucy and Derek.
“That’s ridiculous.” Garrett tossed a card on the small table the footmen had set up for their game. “Why would you think I no longer object to it? I’ve objected to it for years.”
Jane played her next card. “Yes, but correct me if I am wrong, you objected to it based upon the argument that the plot was so outlandish, it could never possibly happen to two sane, intelligent people like Benedick and Beatrice.”
“That’s right,” Garrett replied with a nod, waiting for Julian to place his card. “Especially Benedick. Just because you’re my wife now, doesn’t mean I’m going to agree with you about everything. I do hope you’ll resolve to show me the same courtesy.”
“Not to worry. I am resolved to agree with you on as little as possible.” Jane flashed her new husband a smile. “But if two sane, intelligent people could not possibly fall for the antics in Much Ado About Nothing, how do you explain what has happened between us?”
Garrett’s forehead wrinkled in a frown.
“She’s got you there, Garrett,” Lucy replied from her seat on an iron bench across the pebbled walk. The duke and duchess were sitting out this particular game of whist.
“We all went to a house party,” Jane continued, waiting for Cass to set her next card on the table. “You and I were told the opposite one loved us, and in the end, you were even momentarily convinced you’d arrived at a church in order to marry a different bride.”
Garrett’s mouth fell open, astonishment etched across his features. “I— But I—”
“Don’t argue with her, Upton. Believe me when I tell you married life is much more agreeable when one admits the lady is always right,” Derek declared with a laugh.
“And don’t even get me started on the bit about Mrs. Langford and her footman,” Jane said. “Or the fact that your dogs are named Dogberry and Verges.”
Garrett leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek. “You’re perfectly right, my love, we’ll just have to find something else to argue about. I’ve no doubt we can think of something.”
“Excellent.” Jane gave him a saucy smile. “I already have an idea. Now that we’ve resolved that eternal argument, just think of the fun we’ll have trying to come to an agreement on what we’ll name our children.”
Garrett rubbed her shoulder. “What did you have in mind?”
“It’s quite simple. If we have a daughter, she will be named Mary for Mary Wollstonecraft.”
Garrett raised both brows. “What if he’s a son?”
“Then just Wollstonecraft, of course.”
Garrett shook his head and studied his cards. “I don’t mind what we name the children. I’m merely content that you’re my wife, and one day will be my countess.”
“I’m the unlikeliest lady, to be sure, but Mama is pleased. Though it is a bit of a shame I must relinquish my former title as the head of the wallflowers. Being a bluestocking spinster was not my destiny, it seems.” Jane laughed. “Do you know I told Mama that Mrs. Bunbury’s excellent matchmaking skills are to thank for our wedding?”
“You didn’t,” Cass said with a gasp.
“I most certainly did. She’s promised to give her a glowing reference. Too bad the poor dear won’t be able to use it. She’s retiring to the countryside, don’t you know?”
“That’s convenient,” Julian replied.
“Isn’t it though?” Lucy asked with a sigh. “That particular bit was my doing. Mrs. Bunbury’s sister took horribly ill and she was needed to take care of the children immediately. I doubt we’ll hear from her for quite some time.”
“Or until someone else needs a nonexistent chaperone,” Julian added.
“Why, Julian, I believe you’re finally learning how our minds work,” Lucy said with a laugh.
“That is a terrifying thought,” Derek interjected.
“You never know when we’ll need to be up to our schemes,” Lucy said.
“No more schemes for me,” Jane replied. “I intend to settle down into married life and use my influence to promote the cause of the rights of ladies.”
“You do, do you? Who do you intend to influence?” Garrett asked.
“Why, you, of course. You’re going to have to battle that horrid Lord Bartholomew one day.”
Garrett leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Lord Bartholomew doesn’t frighten me, my love. And now that I’m sleeping through the night, no longer waking up with nightmares, I daresay I’ll be even more prepared to take him on.”
“I only hope things settle down for a bit,” Cass said. “All those plots made me so nervous.”
“Don’t worry, dear,” Lucy replied. “Now that you, and I, and Jane, and Garrett are all happily settled, there should be no more cause for intrigue. In fact, I only hope things won’t become dull around here.”
“I doubt that’s possible, my love,” Derek said. “Which reminds me. Swifdon, congratulations are in order on the bill being passed. I know how hard you worked on it.”
Julian inclined his head. “Thank you, Your Grace. Of course Upton here had a great deal to do with it as well.”
Garr
ett nodded. “The families of the soldiers deserve it.”
Lucy’s eyes lit up. “Speaking of families of the soldiers, did you hear Mrs. Langford ran off to Gretna Green and married last week?”
“No!” Jane gasped.
“Yes.” Lucy’s nod was so vigorous one of her curls bounced out of her coiffure.
Garrett groaned. “Whom did she marry? I pity the chap.”
“No one I’ve ever heard of,” Lucy replied.
Jane leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder. “At least she’ll no longer be reliant on you for money, Garrett.”
“There is that to consider,” Garrett replied. “Though if the children ever need anything, I’ll certainly provide it.”
Jane lifted her head and kissed his lips. “That’s why I love you so. You’re generous and kind.”
“That’s why you love me. I’m pleased to hear it. I wasn’t certain whether you married me for me, or for my libraries.”
Jane shrugged. “Both, Garrett, I married you for both. I’m awfully fond of the dogs as well.”
Garrett sighed. “Now that Mrs. Cat and her kittens are ensconced in our house, we’ve got a practical menagerie.”
“Who knew the two of you would be such unabashed lovebirds?” Cass asked with a happy smile. “I can hardly believe my eyes. I go off on my honeymoon trip and miss every bit of the excitement.”
The back door of the house opened and Daphne Swift came hurrying out.
Cass turned to her sister-in-law. “Good morning, Daphne. Is something the matter?”
Daphne clasped her hands together. “Good morning, everyone.” She bobbed a quick curtsy to the group at large, then she turned her attention to her brother, her teeth tugging her bottom lip. “Julian, there’s something I must tell you.” Her voice shook a little.
Concern flitted across Julian’s features. “What is it, Daphne?”
Daphne slowly smoothed her pink skirts. “Remember that time I asked you for a favor? You promised me there’d be no questions asked?”
Julian’s face took on a thunderous expression. “That was a long time ago, last autumn if I remember correctly.”
Daphne absently tugged at the neck of her gown. “It seems that I…”
“Yes?” Cass prompted, concern written across her face.
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