Andrew helped Olivia into the carriage and instead of sitting opposite her, he sat down beside her. He could tell it surprised her, and she scooted on the cushion to give him room.
That wasn’t his intention.
He wanted to be close to her. He wanted to feel her body next to his and he deliberately let his thigh touch her leg so he could feel her warmth. There was something indefinably satisfying about just being in contact with her.
As soon as the door was shut behind them the phaeton took off with a bounce and a jerk. There was little light inside the carriage, but enough for him to see how delicately beautiful her profile was. He liked the way her long, dark lashes curled slightly on the ends. Her small nose had a soft and feminine slope to it. But her lips were most tempting of all, full and beautifully shaped. Even the proud tilt to her chin was lovely.
He said, “I knew there was something different about Lynette tonight, but it took me a few moments to figure out what it was.”
Olivia faced him and he felt a rush of passionate heat sear through him, giving him an instant arousal. He had a sudden urge to lay her back in the seat, lift her skirts, and take her quickly and ease the pain of wanting in his loins, but Andrew forced that image from his mind.
Olivia was his wife. Not a doxy who was willing to let a man satisfy himself in a carriage for a few coins.
He could wait until they arrived home. But in order to wait he had to put his mind on other things.
“What did you think about her covering her birthmark?”
In the dim light he watched Olivia’s lips move as she spoke and tried to concentrate on her words, not on how much he wanted to bend his head down and kiss her lips, kiss the hollow at the base of her throat, and then take her breast into his mouth.
He blinked away the image of her eagerly responding to his touch.
“I thought it made it easier to see how pretty her face is and how lovely her green eyes are.”
“I’m glad you saw her that way. That’s what she wanted, for people to look at her face for once and not see the birthmark. She’s tried various creams and potions in the past but finally something was developed that covered the red and looked natural.”
“I have enjoyed Lynette’s companionship at parties for years. I like her for who she is. Not for what she may or may not look like.”
“I’m sure a lot of people feel that way, yet she has always felt she was at a disadvantage where making a match was concerned.”
“I can understand her thinking that.”
“Were you ever attracted to her?” Olivia asked.
The only attraction Andrew could think about right now was the one he had for his wife. It was difficult for him to carry on a conversation about Lady Lynette when all he could think about was the anticipation of getting Olivia home, undressed, and beneath him.
Andrew cleared his throat, but he was really trying to clear his mind of pictures of Olivia stretched nude on her bed beckoning him to come sate her and himself.
“If you mean attracted as if I were going to be her beau? No. I’ve always thought that if I’d had a sister I would have wanted her to be like Lady Lynette. She’s friendly, confident, steady, and dependable.”
“That’s a very nice compliment. I see her that way, too.”
It was usually a short ride from the Great Hall to his house, but tonight it seemed to be taking hours.
“I don’t exactly know why, but something tells me you might have had a hand in the change in Lynette’s appearance,” he said.
Olivia looked away for a moment, and when she turned toward him again in the shadowed moonlight that drifted inside the carriage through the small windows he saw that her eyes implored him to understand her.
She said, “If that were true, would it make you angry with me?”
Her words struck him hard. Was that the way she saw him, as always angry? Was he?
Yes, at times. He had felt trapped into a life he didn’t intend by two cunning women. But he didn’t feel that way anymore. He was beginning to believe that Olivia hadn’t set out to trick him into marriage as he’d first thought. He had been angry, but wasn’t now.
Andrew looked down into her eyes, wishing she could see him more clearly so she would know how he was feeling. “I’m not angry with you about anything, Olivia.”
“I’m glad. I wanted Lynette to see and believe that she is a beautiful person on the outside as well as inside. I don’t want you or anyone thinking I am trying to help Lynette trick any man into marriage. I wouldn’t do that.”
“At one time I thought exactly that, but I’ve changed my mind.”
Her lovely eyes widened. “Does that mean you believe I wasn’t trying to be a matchmaker?”
He could no longer bear not touching her. He reached over and caressed her cheek with his fingertips, letting them slowly trace the outline of her lips. Just touching her face caused his lower stomach to tighten and a surge of hardness between his legs.
Andrew smiled mischievously and said, “Yes. I’ve been thinking and I’ve decided that there are some people who need a little nudge from friends, enemies, fate, or maybe even a ghost to help them see that they are meant for each other.”
He could see in her face that his words surprised her as their meaning sank in, but just as quickly a flash of doubt shone in her eyes.
Her breath quickened. “Don’t tease me, Andrew.”
“I’m not. I’m speaking the truth.”
His fingertips traveled over her chin and down the slender column of her throat to rest in the hollow at the base of her neck, where he felt the fast pump of her heart. He liked the feel of her excitement.
Anticipation ran wild inside him. He loved the feeling.
Olivia’s hand fell to his thigh and she leaned toward him. Andrew knew she didn’t realize she was touching him very close to the center of his desire, but oh, he did. The heat from her small gloved hand seared him with eagerness to possess her.
“Tell me what you mean,” she said.
“It was a ghost that brought us together, wasn’t it? You did tell me you were looking for a ghost in my room.”
Olivia’s brows drew together in a frown. “Yes, but I—I suppose I never adequately explained that, did I? And I should.”
He shook his head. “You can explain it again to me sometime, but not now. The only thing I want to hear from your lips is, ‘Kiss me, Andrew, kiss me.’”
She continued to look cautiously at him for a moment or two. She was wary of him and he didn’t blame her. He had accused her of trapping him into marriage. There wasn’t anything romantic about the way he’d behaved since their marriage.
“Must I ask again?” he questioned her with his eyes as much as his words.
Suddenly a smile broke across her face, a beautiful, glowing smile that showed just how gorgeous she was, and she whispered, “Kiss me, Andrew, kiss me.”
He lifted her chin with his fingers, bent his head, and slanted his lips over hers in a slow, tender kiss. The longing and the passion inside him were too intense to go softly or slowly. When her lips parted and she leaned sensually into him, he deepened the kiss.
Her hand on his thigh slipped closer to the throbbing shaft between his legs. That sent a slow spreading of delicious, languorous warmth sizzling through him and he lifted his hips toward her.
His tongue swept inside her mouth, slowly, delicately, so he could enjoy the sweet taste of her. His uneven breaths quickened and so did hers. That was all the confirmation he needed. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and that gave him immense satisfaction.
With quickness his arms slid around her back and he pulled her up to him as his mouth ravished hers. He felt her firm breasts against his chest and tightened his arms around her. His lips left hers and he brought his tongue down the long sweep of her neck, tasting her, devouring her.
Olivia arched her back, giving him greater access to her throat and chest, and he took full advantage of her offering.
His mouth found her breast and searched for her nipple hidden beneath the thin material of her gown. Through the silky fabric, he found the tight bud peeking above her undergarment and gently tugged on it, nipping it with his teeth. Her nipple grew harder under his playful touch.
He felt her tremble with desire. Immense pleasure surged inside him to know that he could make her feel so wonderful.
Amid the sexual fog that had enveloped him, some sixth sense kicked in and Andrew realized the carriage had stopped and so did he, groaning as he pulled away from her.
A small involuntary whimper of reluctance swept past her throat.
“We’re home,” he whispered.
Trying to gather his wits and slow his breathing, Andrew opened the door and jumped down and then took Olivia’s hand and helped her out of the phaeton. They remained quiet as they walked up the steps and into the house.
While Andrew was helping her with her wrap Whibbs came in and took their cloaks, along with their gloves and other things. Andrew said a few words to the butler but he really didn’t know what. All he could think about was getting Olivia upstairs.
When Whibbs turned away, Andrew took Olivia’s warm hand in his and led her up the stairs.
At the top step he turned to her and said, “My room or yours?”
She smiled and said, “Mine’s closer.”
And with that Andrew pulled her into his arms as his lips came down on hers in a punishing kiss that she accepted with eagerness that pleased him and aroused him.
He kissed her harshly, madly, and Olivia matched his fierce hunger. Andrew was desperate to touch every inch of her beautiful body and sink his shaft deep into her. His body commanded him to take her quickly and satisfy himself, but he knew he couldn’t give in to that wanton urge. He wanted to give Olivia all the pleasure she had experienced last night and more.
While their mouths continued to mate he backed her up until his hands found the door knob. He didn’t know how but he managed to open it without letting go of her or without breaking their kiss.
Once inside he kicked the door closed behind them. He shoved his hands between them and slipped her gown far enough down her arms that he could free her breasts from her undergarments. A whisper of satisfaction eased past his lips and into her mouth as he cupped, lifted, and firmly squeezed each breast, feeding his insatiable desire to touch her with all the hunger he was feeling.
In seconds, her nipples swelled and hardened beneath his gentle tug. The soft, feminine sounds of delight she made elated him and added to his own enjoyment.
“Does that pleasure you, Olivia?” he mumbled against her lips, not wanting to stop kissing her long enough to speak clearly.
“Very much so. I don’t understand why it feels so blissful, why I can hardly breathe, but I love the way you make me feel.”
He chuckled into her mouth. “I can hardly breathe myself,” he whispered.
He continued to massage her breasts, loving the feel of their soft, firm weight in his hands. Just touching her helped ease the intense hunger inside him and gave him such pleasure that he never wanted to stop. A burning heat surged through his loins and a longing filled his heart. He wanted to completely possess her as his wife without any doubts or reservations.
“My sweet Olivia. There is so much more about loving to teach you than what you’ve experienced so far.”
“Teach me, my lord, teach me.”
With eager hands he took hold of her gown and with a few pulls lifted it over her head and threw it aside. He reached around her and untied the stays, then raked the shift off her shoulders, down her arms, past her waist, leaving the flimsy material to glide down her legs and puddle at her feet. Taking great care, he untied her garters and rolled her silk stockings down her legs and off her slender feet.
Andrew quickly disposed of the rest of her undergarments in the same efficient way, and then he ran the palms of his hands and tips of his fingers over her naked shoulders and breasts, down to the slender curve of her waist and back up again. All the while he gazed at her gorgeously shaped body.
He took in her beauty knowing that she could see his great craving for her in his eyes. He wanted her to know just how deeply he ached for her.
“I want you so desperately I find it difficult to maintain control.”
“Is that good or bad?” she asked and reached up and untied his neckcloth.
Huskily, he said, “Very good. I want you on the bed beneath me, but I’m going to wait and take my time at pleasing you first, God willing.”
“Then you better help me undress you,” she said with a smile.
Andrew helped her make short work of removing his clothing and shoes, dropping them near hers on the floor.
When he stood naked before her she reached out her hands and rubbed her palms tantalizingly slowly over his chest, lightly scraping his tight nipples, making him groan with enjoyment. Her gossamer-light caress teased him and offered no mercy to the pure torment she inflicted on him. Andrew trembled with wanting, willing her with his thoughts to go lower and touch his hardness, feel its thickness, its weight in her hands.
“Your body is magnificent,” she said, “so big and strong.”
“I fear you are stretching the truth, Olivia, but I do like hearing you say it.”
“I speak with all honesty.”
He smiled down at her. “And you, my wife, are more beautiful than Venus.”
Andrew reached out and pulled the pins from her hair and dropped them to the floor. With gentle hands he slid his fingers into her hair and shook it free of the bun that held it off her neck. He crushed its lush length into the palms of his hands before he let it tumble down. It was so long that it reached to her breasts. He quickly pushed it to her back so it wouldn’t cover her beauty.
“I don’t want anything hiding your loveliness from me, not even your glorious hair. I don’t want to stop looking at you or touching you.”
“I like looking at you, too,” Olivia said as she let her open palms glide down his chest to his waist, to his abdomen, to his manhood.
Gently, she took hold of him. Andrew closed his eyes, threw back his head, and sucked in his breath at her tender, unexpected touch. His muscles contracted in sweet pain at her bold action.
His body ached to possess her, but he was determined to take their lovemaking slower than his body wanted him to go so he could completely satisfy them both.
“You are so big and hard,” she said as she stroked the length of his shaft.
“For you, yes,” he whispered, enjoying her touch, yet hurting from having to hold himself in check.
Olivia leaned in close to him and kissed his chest, pulling his small nipple into her mouth. Andrew’s legs went weak with need. One arm went around her and he cupped her head and helped guide her while she sucked his nipple into her mouth. His other arm snaked between them and he covered her hand with his and showed her how to hold him and stroke him to give him the most pleasure.
But he could only allow this foreplay for a few moments. It felt too good to continue.
“I want to feel your skin next to mine. I want to feel your body inside mine,” she whispered as she reached up and pressed her lips to his.
She must have read his mind. He was slipping over the edge of his endurance. He gently took hold of her hand and moved it up to his chest.
With no thought of pillows or coverlet, he reached down and scooped her up and laid her on top of the soft, luxuriously feminine bed. He stretched the length of his naked body on top of hers, and he groaned with indulgence from the sheer thrill of having her soft body beneath him once more.
Andrew wanted immediately to enter her, but knew if he did he would spill his seed before he had given her pleasure. He had no desire to leave her wanting. He wanted to fill her and satisfy her completely before he gave in to his own gratification.
His fingers feathered the outline of her face as he looked down at her and whispered, “I’m glad you’re mine, Olivia.”
“Always want me, Andrew. I need you to always want me to be with you,” she whispered.
“I will, my love. You know I will,” he answered with a deeper feeling than he thought possible.
He bent his head and kissed that warm soft spot behind her ear. For a moment he rested his face in the crook of her neck. He breathed deeply, drinking in her warm, womanly scent. He kissed her soft feminine skin. He inhaled the scent of freshly washed hair. She was so warm. With tenderness he kissed his way down her neck, down to her breasts, taking first one and then the other into his mouth, moving slowly as if he had all the time in the world.
For the first time in his life he wanted to do more than just satisfy a woman, he wanted to make Olivia feel treasured. He wanted her to know she was more important to him than any other woman had ever been. He didn’t know why or what exactly he was feeling but he knew he wanted something more than just gratification from Olivia.
Leaving her breast moist from his tongue, he brushed her lips with his, easing over them with the lightest contact. She opened her mouth and playfully caught his bottom lip with her teeth. His tongue thrust in deep, sipping from her mouth. They teased each other with nips and kisses. With a loving hand, he raked his fingers down her breast, over her slim womanly hip and shapely inner thigh.
Andrew moved his hand back up and caressed the warm skin of her stomach and up to her breast again, before inching his hand lower until he found the softness between her legs. There, he cupped her gently for a moment before finding the center of her desire with his fingers. He caressed her with a soft, circular movement.
Within moments, she gasped and arched toward him. “Oh, yes, Andrew. That is where it feels best,” she murmured, dragging her lips away from his.
“Tell me more.”
She kissed his chin, his neck, and moved back up to his lips. “That is where I hunger for you.”
She trembled beneath his loving caress.
Andrew smiled. There was immense satisfaction in the way she responded to him. He relished the sensations touching her gave him.
He didn’t want her excitement to end too soon, so he stopped stroking her center and positioned himself at her opening and pushed to enter her.
Olivia was so tight his body trembled.
Her arms went around his back and she hugged him to her. Using easy thrusts he pushed himself in and out, going deeper each time.
“Open up and take all of me, Olivia. Move with me,” he whispered into her ear as he kissed the warmth of her neck.
She raised her hips and matched his movement until they were moving as one. As soon as she joined him their tempo increased until Olivia cried out in passion. Andrew felt her body relax beneath him.
Andrew allowed his body to release and he gasped with ecstasy as his body settled softly upon hers. He didn’t know if he had ever felt so complete.
Lying with her, he realized he didn’t give a damn if she had forced him into marriage. Not one damn. She was the woman he wanted forever in his life.
Forever?
Did that mean he loved her?
Andrew lay quiet and still on top of her as he thought about that possibility. He no longer had pleasure in the things that used to amuse him. He wanted to be home with Olivia. He enjoyed looking at her, talking to her, and just being with her.
He especially loved the way she challenged him at every turn.
Did all that equate to being in love with her?
He rose on his elbows and looked down at her. She smiled up at him and his heart fluttered. Could what he was feeling for her be love? He certainly hadn’t planned on that happening.
Olivia opened her mouth as if she was going to say something but he put a finger to her lips and silenced her. He didn’t want this time with her to end and he wasn’t ready to talk about what he was feeling.
“I’ve not had enough of you, Olivia. Not nearly enough.”
“Then kiss me, Andrew,” she said from beneath his fingertips. “Kiss me and show me more of what you can teach me.”
And he did.
***
Olivia’s eyes popped open to the semidarkness of her room and she blinked rapidly to adjust her sight. Something had awakened her. Andrew lay facing her, his arm thrown over her waist. His even breathing told her he was sleeping peacefully.
But her sixth sense told her there was something wrong.
She had that odd feeling again as if someone was in the room with her, watching her, yet she felt no sense of danger from the feeling.
She recognized it as the same feeling she had had her first night in Andrew’s house. She listened but didn’t hear anything other than Andrew’s soft breathing and her own breath. Without moving Andrew’s arm from her waist she rose slowly up on her elbows and looked toward the door and gasped.
The shadowy figure of a man was going out her door. The same man she had seen on her wedding night.
Olivia bolted up in bed.
Andrew stirred. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I saw that man again. He just went out the door.”
“What?” Andrew said, coming instantly awake. He sat up quickly and looked at the door.
Olivia scrambled off the bed and ran to her wardrobe for a wrap. “I saw him. It was the same man who was in my room before.”
In one fluid motion Andrew rolled off the bed and picked up his trousers, stepping into them as he hurried to the door. Olivia met him there and he jerked it open.
They stepped out into the corridor. It was quiet, dark, and empty.
“Are you sure you saw someone?” Andrew asked as he buttoned the flap on his trousers.
“Yes, but—” Olivia hesitated as a chill swept over her. “Do you smell smoke?”
Andrew sniffed. His eyes widened. “Damnation! Get down the stairs.”