The Reluctant Suitor

by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

  According to the delicate chimes of the clock in the bedchamber in which the couple had been ensconced, it was well past the hour of midnight when they were both abruptly awakened. A lamp was thrust close in front of their faces, and a loud raging roar rang out, snatching startled gasps from the two who sprang upright in unison from the mattress where they had been nestled closely together. A sharp wince of pain contorted Colton’s features as he was suddenly reminded of his painful wound, and though immediately repentant of his hasty movement, he held up a hand to shade his eyes from the intrusive glare. Beyond it, he saw a raging snarl contorting Gyles Sutton’s face. In all his life, he couldn’t remember ever seeing the man so furious.

  “I invited you to Bath to present your case to my daughter, not to fornicate with her!” the elder bellowed in thundering tones. “Now get up out of that bed, you debaucher of babes, and fight like a man!”

  As he sought to lay hold upon the younger man, Adriana threw up a hand to ward off her parent. “Papa, no! It’s all right!”

  Gyles’s eyes flared anew as he gaped down at his daughter. Glancing down in the direction he stared, Adriana gasped and hastily snatched for the sheet to cover her naked breasts, but it was far too late. Her father’s face took on a ruddy hue that clearly attested to his fury.

  Christina groaned from the doorway where she had been halted in shock. Her distressed moan evidenced her own horror after noticing the dark, telltale rosy color imbuing those delicate peaks. Of all her daughters, she had never dreamt she would ever find her youngest in bed with a despicable rake. Indeed, there had even been times when she had doubted Adriana would ever choose a husband to wed.

  Gyles’s roar of rage threatened to bring down the ceiling on their heads. Had the plaster not been firmly attached, it might’ve made him immediately repentant of his unrestrained wrath. He shook a clenched fist at Colton who, upon seeing the fire flashing in the dark eyes of the elder, had cause to wonder if he’d have to brace himself against the older man’s attack. “So, this is how you repay me for trying to help you! You libertine! You sneak thief! You stole my daughter’s virtue behind my back. I have a good mind to cut you here and now!”

  “Papa, we’re married!” Adriana blurted.

  “What?!” Gyles staggered back in stunned surprise.

  “We were married tonight by Sir Guy’s father. We had a special license that His Grace, the archbishop, signed!”

  Gyles stared at her with mouth agape. “But . . . but why couldn’t you wait . . . to be married . . . in a church?”

  “Colton’s coach was attacked near Randwulf Manor, and he was shot in the back. We wanted to be with one another, and marriage was the only way we could be together without worrying about what was proper, what was not. Samantha, Percy, Lord Harcourt, and Dr. Croft were here as witnesses. ‘Tis all quite proper, I assure you, Papa.”

  Gyles stumbled back several more steps, wiping a hand down his face, as if still unable to believe the legality of their union. “You should’ve been married in a church, with your whole family there as witnesses.”

  “We’re no less married now than we would’ve been in a church, Papa. Reverend Dalton had us sign all the documents. He can attest to the fact that they are valid.”

  “ ‘Twas my fault,” Colton volunteered, trying to placate the man, knowing he’d probably have been just as enraged under the circumstances. “I was afraid of losing your daughter, and I didn’t want to take that chance. I was the one who pressured her into marrying me tonight.”

  “Actually, Sir Guy arranged it,” Adriana explained, trying to spare him some of her father’s resentment. She looked at her sire pleadingly. “But if you would be willing to consider my feelings, Papa, I didn’t want to wait any more than Colton did. I love him, and I want to be with him for the rest of my life.”

  Gyles cleared his throat and glanced back at his wife who was smiling in relief. “What do you make of this, my dear?”

  “I think they’re legally married, dearest, and we’ll have no more to say about it . . . except . . .”—she smiled at the couple, her blue eyes radiant as she concluded—“good night.”

  Gyles blustered a bit, remembering the names he had called his new son-in-law. “Yes, well, that seems the only thing we can say, now that we’ve awakened the whole house.”

  Adriana couldn’t resist an inquiry. “Where were you, Papa? We sent Sir Guy to tell you that we were returning here to have Colton’s wound tended. Why didn’t you come then?”

  Gyles harrumphed. “All I heard was that you had returned here with Samantha and Percy and, and, well, I just assumed you couldn’t bear being at the Assembly Room anymore, what with Roger there and all. Then Alistair sprained his . . . ah . . . ankle . . . probably trying to keep up with your aunt, and we had to find a doctor to make sure it wasn’t broken. Tilly’s physician wasn’t home, and we had to go all over Bath searching for one she considered as worthy as Dr. Croft.” He stroked his chin reflectively as one dark brow arched suspiciously. “With what has taken place here tonight, it makes me wonder if Alistair’s injury was merely something he just feigned after talking to Sir Guy. The two of them seemed equally intent upon whatever they were discussing . . . or else conniving. ‘Twas no good, I trow, at least from Alistair’s end of it.”

  “Come along, dear,” Christina urged sweetly. “You’ll be imagining all sorts of things about poor Alistair if we stay here much longer. His ankle did seem bruised, which leaves me seriously questioning the possibility that he’d injure himself merely to keep us from delaying his nephew’s marriage to our daughter. Now let Adriana and Colton get some sleep. Poor dears, you probably frightened them nigh out of their wits.”

  The giggles that flowed from the couple’s bedchamber a moment later made Gyles pause after closing the door behind him. “They must not have been too frightened.”

  Christina smiled as she slipped an arm through his. “Just remember how impetuous you were when we were young, dear. If you’ll recall, I had to slap your fingers more than once to make you cool your heels before our wedding.”

  His hand strayed downward possessively and claimed her backside. “You still have the most fetching derriere I’ve ever seen, madam.”

  She cast a glance awry to find a familiar leering grin upon his handsome lips. Tossing her head with a saucy laugh, she warned, “Humph, it had better be the only one you’ve ever seen, sir, or I will see you cut. There are some things I’m averse to sharing, and one of them is you.”

  The morning sun filtered through the Austrian lace curtains, softly illumining the bedchamber where the newly married couple was nestled together in the bed. It was just intrusive enough to drag Colton up from the depths of a heavy slumber. Except for the pain presently reminding him of the wound in his back, he felt far more rested and relaxed than he had in previous months, at least since he had discovered a dark-haired nymph slumbering in his bath. In spite of his injury, he seemed very much invigorated by their activity during the night. Never had he imagined a bride could be so eager to accommodate her groom, but she had proven quite acceptable to the idea that she was his and he was hers.

  Grinning to himself, Colton turned his head slightly on the pillow as he ran his fingers through his hair. The dark, thick strands were wildly tossed, so much so that he could just imagine his untidy appearance. Considering the past hours and what they had entailed, he was immensely thankful to be alive and . . . to be finally married.

  His bride had been wonderfully enticing and responsive to his lustful bent. Indeed, in all his years as a bachelor he had never dreamt that when he finally wed, his bride would be mounting him. He could only marvel at her willingness to offer her virginity upon the fleshly horn of passion so they could complete their union, and yet, she had done just that in her sacrificial desire to be one with him. Not so long ago, he had thought he couldn’t love her any more than he already did, but what he was feeling toward her now seemed to affirm unequivocally that he did indeed cherish her far
beyond the measure that he had once considered himself capable of experiencing.

  Smoothing a dark, luxurious strand out of his way, he pressed a gentle kiss upon her brow as his hand settled around a lusciously soft breast. Plying a thumb slowly over a pliant nipple, he whispered, “Time to wake up, sleepyhead.”

  Shaking her head to convey her displeasure with that idea, Adriana bent a knee and rested it upon his thigh as she burrowed closer against him. Sleepily she mumbled, “Can’t we stay here forever?”

  “I need a bath, and you’ll have to give it to me,” he persisted with a chuckle. “Unless, of course, you want me disobeying the doctor’s orders.”

  “I’ve never given a man a bath before,” she mumbled beneath the borders of the covers. “I wouldn’t know where to begin. . . .”

  “Where would you like to begin?” he asked warmly, nibbling at a dainty earlobe.

  Adriana’s eyes popped open as the answer came readily to mind, but she dared not give him an answer, for fear he’d think her a wanton.

  Colton peered down at her. “I could make a suggestion if you’re willing to consider it.”

  Feeling his warm perusal, Adriana struggled not to smile. “And where is that, sir?”

  His hand captured hers and pulled it forward before settling it over the hardened shaft. “It needs serious attention.”

  “Before or after your bath?”

  “Before would be even better. I’m anxious to taste you again.”

  “You’re insatiable,” she accused with a giggle, evidencing her own eagerness to comply as her fingers tightened beneath his.

  “Aye, but only for you, madam,” he breathed near her ear before his lips moved on to caress her cheek. His hand freed hers, allowing it to play at will while his own slid behind her hip. “Has anyone ever told you what a winsome derriere you have, madam?”

  “No, never.”

  “I’ve always had a fetish for breasts myself, but, my dear, you certainly have the shapeliest backside a lonely man would dare dream of in a far-off camp. I really do enjoy snuggling up to it. It warms me to the core.”

  “You do seem to enjoy cuddling, sir.”

  Arching a brow, he peered down his nose at her. “Are you averse to cuddling, my dear?”

  Adriana wiggled closer until her breasts and loins were cleaving to him. “Does that appease your curiosity, my lord?”

  “It may answer my question, but it also bestirs my cravings for more of what you have to give. But then, perhaps that was your intent. You do seem to enjoy the delights to be found in a marriage bed.” He nuzzled her ear as his hand moved leisurely down the front of her. “Of course, there’s nothing quite as sweet as this little haven here to bestir a man’s lust.”

  Her breath caught in ecstasy as he intruded into her softness. She was somewhat amazed at the delicious sensations he could evoke within her when, only a moment ago, all she had wanted to do was sleep.

  Sometime later, a perfumed bath was prepared in a small copper tub in the bedchamber. Beneath the admiring gaze of her husband, Adriana set about bathing herself. Never in her life could she remember ever wanting anyone present during her baths. Maud had always prepared everything for her, and then had busied herself doing other things until she had concluded her perfumed ritual. Soon after stripping away the robe she briefly donned to allow servants to prepare her bath, she had realized the pleasure that could be derived by having a man in attendance. Her husband had been keenly observant of everything she did well before she had lowered herself into the warm, fragrant water. His eyes fed upon every detail of her womanly form as she soaped private areas, and in some embarrassment, she had urged him to close his eyes, to which he had responded with a slow shake of his head and a lecherous grin.

  “Never in a million years, my beauty. I want to know everything about you, in particular those places you’re wont to keep secret. Nothing is hidden or forbidden between a married couple; everything is openly viewed and shared. All I have is yours; whatever is yours is mine. ‘Tis a fair pact when two are joined as one.”

  On those terms, Adriana was more than willing to comply. Beneath his careful scrutiny, she had pushed herself to her feet and, from several pitchers of warm water, had rinsed away the soapy residue from her body. After stepping out onto a large cotton rug that the servants had spread beneath the tub, she had toweled herself dry, rubbed scented lotions over her skin, and then donned pantaloons, stockings, and chemise, the bodice of which she had left unbuttoned between her breasts in compliance with the wishes of her handsome spouse, in so doing allowing him a generous view of the rounded orbs and the deep valley between. Over this, she had tied a light linen wrapper snugly about her waist and then pulled the bodice aside her breasts, willingly fulfilling her husband’s behest.

  Once the copper tub had been removed, preparations for a basin bath were then made. Along with its initial appearance came fresh towels, linens, a pail of comfortably hot water, and a second basin. Immediately Adriana set about preparing not only her husband for his bath, but also the bed itself. Folding down the bedcovers to the far end of the four-poster, she bade him to roll first to one side, to allow her to place a thrice-folded older sheet underneath him, and then to the other, enabling her to finish spreading it beneath him, precluding the possibility of the feather mattress getting wet. Next she gathered linens with which to wash and dry him, but when she offered to borrow a nightshirt for him from her father, Colton smiled and shook his head.

  “I haven’t worn one since I was a boy, madam. I don’t intend to start now. As for what you may enjoy wearing to bed, I prefer to feel you naked against me, especially when I wake up in the middle of the night. Besides, when you don’t have anything on, it’s easier to make love to you.”

  Her eyes glowed into his as she brushed a hand admiringly over his chest. “I’m beginning to think we’re going to be spending a lot of time together in bed.”

  Arching a brow, he gave her a lecherous grin. “You should be forewarned, madam, I’m not going to limit myself to making love to you in a bed. Anywhere that’s convenient and private will serve my purposes just as well.”

  “Then perhaps I should rephrase that with the prediction that we’ll be spending a lot of time making love.”

  “Definitely a more truthful prediction, my sweet.”

  Adriana soon realized that bathing her handsome husband was an utterly satisfying experience for a new wife, especially since he seemed to take advantage of her proximity by touching her in ways that evoked her gasps. He certainly wasn’t timid about what he displayed, either, but she soon found a cure for that by spreading a linen towel over his loins.

  “Do you really think that’s going to save you, madam? Or are you thinking it will perhaps vanish?”

  “I’m not as apt to be distracted this way. You can hardly expect a new bride to see anything else when that’s being flaunted in full view. In fact, I’m beginning to suspect you have no modesty, sir.”

  “Men don’t worry about modesty as much as women do, my dear. When a watering hole is discovered in a desert, the only quest men have after quenching their thirst is bathing away the grime.”

  Through her undergarments she could feel his fingers encroaching between her buttocks and wiggled her hips in an effort to shake them off. “If you don’t behave yourself, sir, we could be here until sunset tonight.”

  “You still have to wash my lower half,” he needled with a grin.

  “I’ll wash your feet and legs first,” she announced, directing her attention toward that very thing.

  “Otherwise, you’re afraid we won’t get finished with the bath?” Offering the conjecture, he canted his head in an effort to peruse her flushed cheeks from a better angle.

  “Something like that,” Adriana replied, busily bathing and drying his feet, ankles, and calves. It occurred to her as she did so that there wasn’t any part of her husband’s body that was less than admirable. His feet were long and bony, his shins razor sharp benea
th a meager covering of hair, his thighs lean and tautly muscled. As she progressed upward, she noticed the previously dark red and purplish area that had once surrounded his old wound had faded to a paler hue. Over time she could imagine the scar itself would be the only thing visible, but even that would eventually be less noticeable. “Your old wound definitely looks better now than it did when you first came home. Does it bother you anymore?”

  “Only a twinge or two now and then, but nothing really painful.”

  There remained no other section to wash but his loins, and she tried her best not to blush as she complied with his instructions, which he definitely seemed to enjoy giving. When she chanced a glance at his face, she found him watching her with eyes glowing above a smile.

  “You needn’t feel embarrassed,” he said. “That part of me is as much yours as anything else I have, perhaps even more so. In a few months, my nudity will seem commonplace to you.”

  “I doubt anything about you will ever seem commonplace to me,” she argued in all truth. “I think you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever met or, for that matter, ever seen.”

  “Beautiful, my dear?” His brow jutted upward as he cocked a brow in wonder. “ ‘Tis a very curious word to use for a man.”

  “Nevertheless, you’re beautiful to me. You always have been.”

  His hand squeezed her backside affectionately. “Come, my sweet, give me another kiss. I’m hungering for you again.”

  Casting a meaningful glance toward his loins, she laughed. “Aye, I noticed.”

  As if declaring his bath complete, she dropped the linen towel in a heap over his privates and, with a wide smile, leaned over him. Through her clothing, she could feel his fingers intruding again in the cleft between her buttocks. From very close range, her dancing eyes searched his. “You must have been a very naughty boy when you were growing up,” she accused. “There’s still evidence of your wayward bent even today. Or is it that you’re just trying to feed a fetish for the hind parts of a woman?”