Chapter 6

 

Lillian

 

 

Everyone knew. Everyone knew what had happened between us. My parents would soon uncover the truth. It would travel to London, and then it would only be weeks before New York would know. I’d humiliated Charles and his family, as well as my own. I had hoped to sneak off with William. My parents and Lord Cavendash would make up some excuse to the visitors. Charles wouldn’t care, for he despised me anyway. At least that’s what I had assumed.

But now that plan was destroyed. Tattered beyond recognition.

I was a terrible, horrible person who had humiliated her family. Weak and trembling, I sank onto the bank of the creek next to a maple tree. The creek where I’d imagined my children playing.

I sighed and rested my head upon my drawn up knees. Lies. So many lies.

What kind of a woman cheated on her fiancé? What kind of woman allowed a man to kiss and touch her the way William had kissed and touched me in that field? A wanton woman, that’s what kind. Images of countless Sundays in church flashed to mind…warnings from Reverend Miller of brimfire and damnation. If a woman did not have her reputation, she had nothing. Isn’t that what Mother had drilled into our heads?

“Are you having second thoughts?”

Startled, I turned to find William standing in the moonlight like some Celtic god come to life. He looked so strong, so wonderful, so unsure. None of this was easy for him. In fact, he had it worse. Yet, I realized in that moment that he would always stand by my side, no matter what the rumors or condemnation.

I didn’t deserve him. He deserved a sweet English lady of high breeding. Someone who would sew samplers and participate in charities. Someone who would not bring shame to his family. I didn’t deserve him, but I wanted him all the same.

“Are you?” he demanded.

“What?”

“Having second thoughts?” He started toward me, his steps slow and hesitant. “Do you wish to keep your contract with Charles?”

“Good lord, no. Never. How could you even think that?”

He paused, his broad shoulders relaxing. “And me. Have you changed your mind about me?”

He still wore my posie ring, bold as you please. I could see it glinting under the moonlight. The realization warmed my heart, made my chest feel tight and achy. Had my parents noticed the ring at breakfast? We might have been young and naïve but our feelings were real.

“No.” I stumbled to my feet. I wasn’t unsure about him. Even after all that had happened…I still wanted him. “I need you, like I’ve never needed anyone. I…I can’t sleep at night. I can’t…”

He surged forward, cupping the sides of my face. Before I could prepare myself, his lips found mine in a possessive kiss. A quick kiss that left me dizzy with wanting. I would never get used to the shocking warmth of his mouth against mine.

“I thought perhaps you were tired of the dramatics, of me,” I whispered.

“Never. I will never tire of you. Do you not understand?” His gaze was so serious, I didn’t dare look away. “All this time I was lost. I didn’t realize until you stepped from that carriage that what I was missing was…you.”

Tears of emotion stung my eyes. “You can’t say things like that.”

He smiled gently at me. “Why?”

“Because…because I don’t deserve it. Your family will be ruined—”

“My family is far, far from perfect. We were a bunch of wretched souls wandering the earth, looking for hope. The difference is since you arrived I’m one less damned soul. I’ve found that hope.”

I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my mouth to his, frantic to be close. With a growl, he slid his tongue between my lips. The hunger in that kiss sent my senses spinning. He wanted me. I could feel it in the pressure of his lips, in the hard ridge of his cock pressed intimately to my lower belly. My hands traveled to his jacket. I shrugged the garment from his shoulders, wanting to touch him. All of him.

“Not here,” he murmured. “You deserve better than to be seduced in the woods on the bank of a creek. “We will resume this tomorrow night, once we’re well away from this place.”

I gripped him tighter as he tried to pull away. “I want you, William.”

“You deserve better than—”

“I don’t care. I want to be yours now. Here.”

I released my hold and unclasped my cloak. The garment fluttered to the ground. With a moan of surrender, he gripped my waist and drew me up close to his body. I molded to him perfectly, completely. It was as if we had been born for each other, made to fit like the pieces of a puzzle. My breasts crushed to his chest, the nipples hardening in anticipation. Did he notice?

His lips pressed to mine in a branding kiss. He would not take half measure. I felt so incredibly small, so soft, so vulnerable in his arms. Yet, at the same time I felt completely protected. He would not harm me.

Eagerly, I opened for him. Whereas Charles’ kiss had been brutal, William was gentle. His tongue swept inside. He washed away his cousin’s touch, until all I could think about was him. All I wanted was him.

I was barely aware of moving, but I suddenly found myself upon my cloak. The hard ground was at my back, William’s muscled body covering mine. “Am I hurting you?”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him. “No. It’s wonderful.”

He opened the buttons at my throat, parting my bodice with trembling hands. The cool night air whispered lovingly over my fevered skin. I wanted more. I wanted to feel that breeze on my legs and arms, to be out of the confining clothes that made it hard to breathe, let alone move. I wanted to be free.

He lowered his head to my neck, licking the delicate column. Hot and cold shivers danced down my spine. I wanted more. So much more. His body was hard and fevered against mine and even through the many layers of my skirts I could feel his muscled form. More buttons were pushed aside until my upper chest was exposed to the soft breeze. I slid my fingers into the cool, silky strands of his hair.

“Dear god, you’re lovely.”

His deep voice swept over me. His rough hands skimming my body… Before I knew it, my corset strings were loosened and my breasts exposed to the night air. William lowered his head, taking my hardened nipple between his lips. I cried out, arching my back. His tongue slid across the sensitive bud, only to draw it completely into his warm mouth. While he sucked, the rough bristle on his face tickled my skin. So many feelings at once.

“I wanted you from the moment you stepped from that carriage.”

The shocking hardness of his body pressed to mine only made me crave him even more. Above, stars twinkled through the trees, the creek tumbled, creating a natural symphony of gurgling water and crickets in the distance. We became part of the universe, what we were doing seemed completely natural. As he skimmed down my body, taking my clothing with him, I felt no embarrassment.

I knew deep down I should be afraid of this attraction toward William. I knew others would think we were silly and young and stupid. But he’d become the very air I breathed. I needed him like I needed sustenance.

I clung to him with a desperation that should have made me embarrassed, ashamed. Yet, it only felt right. More. I couldn’t seem to get close enough. His hips pressed to mine, his cock hard and hot against my center. A pulse flared between my legs. Desperate to relieve the ache, I shifted, moaning.

“I’m trying to go slow, but dear god, you’re going to kill me,” he muttered.

He shifted so his muscled thigh slid between my legs, pressing to my sensitive mound. The brutal strength of his body should have made me nervous. I only felt cherished in his arms. I gasped as a tingling wave of awareness swept through me. I felt dazed, lost in a haze of sensual pleasure. Apart, we were both flawed. Together, we were so very right.

His warm hand cupped my breast. A whimper escaped my lips. How could anyone be so elegant, yet so strong at the same time?

His touch was complete magic. I hadn’t a clue what I was doing, but worked on instinct alone. The spot between my legs felt swollen, ached for release. My skirts were suddenly bunched around my waist. William’s hand slid up my thigh. I rested my head back against the cold earth, a moan slipping passed my lips. His fingers found the nest of curls shielding my femininity. Startled, I jumped in his arms.

“So slick, so wet. I want you.” His hot breath whispered across my ear and stirred the lose tendrils of hair around my face.

The touch was so very bold, so very intimate. His fingers teased their way through my curls, deeper so they touched my very heat. I whimpered, squirming in need. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more intense, he slid his finger fully inside of me. Shocked, I gasped, stilling.

“Open for me,” William demanded, his gaze intent.

I hadn’t realized I’d squeezed my thighs closed until he spoke. Trusting him, I relaxed. He pressed his lips to my forehead, then lower to the bridge of my nose, finally pressing his mouth to mine all while his finger surged into my tight passage.

I groaned against his mouth, lifting to take him deeper. He did not wear the overly noxious cologne that so many men did. His scent was pure him. Pine and leather and male. It surrounded me, coated my skin. How could we fit so perfectly together? How could this feel so incredibly right? He knew exactly what to do, where to touch me, how to kiss so that I was writhing beneath him, frantic for more.

“You’re safe,” he whispered. “You’ll always be safe with me.”

His thumb rubbed the sensitive bud between my folds. Shivers raced through my body, my nerves sparking to life. It felt so damn good. “More.”

His mouth slanted over mine again and again. My tongue met his in a bold and thorough and languid kiss. He tasted me as if he had all the time in the world, as if he wanted to know every inch. As his tongue delved between my lips, his finger thrust into my tight passage. He caught my gasp with his mouth.

My entire body felt tight, desperate for release. Mother had spoken to me before we’d left home. She’d said the mating ritual could be pleasant. But this wasn’t pleasant. This was all-consuming. This was heaven. That ache between my legs flared, tightening. A tingled whisper of warning shivered through my body. I knew what was to come, and welcomed the sensation. Needed it.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said, his breath ragged, his gaze determined.

And I believed him. I trusted him. “I want you to take me, William. Completely, fully.”

With a growl, he lifted and pulled the shirt from his broad shoulders. Always the gentleman, I’d never seen him so feral. It thrilled me as much as it frightened me.

He held out his hand.

Gingerly, I placed my palm against his and he pulled me to my feet. My clothing hung in tatters, half on, half off. If he hadn’t been holding me, I would have collapsed. Knees weak, the man made me melt into a pool of desperation.

William jerked me close, my hardened nipples brushing the crisp hair on his chest. His eyes burning and bright. “You’re mine. Forever.”

 

****

 

William

 

Heaven. Sweet heaven. I’d never been so painfully hard in my life. Unable to help myself, I lowered my head and kissed her. While my tongue swept into her warm mouth, my fingers moved down her bodice, pulling the garment loose. I knew I needed to slow down. There was a good chance I’d frighten her off, but I couldn’t seem to listen to my rational mind. Hell, there was no such thing as rationality where she was concerned.

I only wanted more. More.

Aching desire pulsed inside my body, throbbing almost painfully. So damn needy. I wanted her like I’d never wanted anyone. Her tentative hands moved down my body. I’d never felt anything so beautiful. Mine. She was mine. I’d never been so possessive of anyone in my life. She had no idea how utterly charming she appeared. Had no idea how stunning.

My hands trembled with pent up desire, with the need for release. I wanted her like some wanted ale or opium. I needed to touch her. Taste her. Be inside her. Her whimpers drove me utterly mad. She wanted me as much as I wanted her, which only stirred the flames even higher. She had no idea…no fucking idea how delectable she was. I would kill anyone who came between us. Anyone.

I pulled at the strings of her corset until the offensive garment fell to the ground. God, she was stunning. Pure perfection. I cupped her lush breasts, my thumbs brushing her hardened nipples. She gasped, her fingers biting into my shoulders. Her sweet scent of flowers swirled through the air, combining with the crisp dew of night. She was a fairy maiden. She was too damn good for me, and she deserved so much more than a third son, but I didn’t care. I would have her. She would be mine.

“You’re so lovely.”

Even in the moonlight I knew she blushed. When I kissed her again and her tongue met mine, I thought I’d die. She clung to me, meeting my kiss with as much passion as I gave. I reached for her skirts and pulled them loose. The material fell to her ankles, leaving her in only her shift, the straps down around her shoulders. She glowed pale and silver in the moonlight, some Greek statue come to life. The passion she stirred within overwhelmed.

“Take me, William,” she whispered.

The sound of my name upon her lips sent me over the edge. With hands that trembled, I cupped the sides of her face and pressed my lips to hers in a gentle kiss. My erection strained against my trousers. Heavy and aching. Desperate to take her, but I knew I had to hold back. Despite her enthusiasm she was new to this, confused by her own emotions.

I gripped the shift at her waist and pulled it over her head. She didn’t cower, but stood before me in all of her naked glory. I could have studied her for hours. Slowly, she reached out and with trembling fingers she unbuttoned my trousers. I had to resist the urge to rip the material from my skin. I knew we might be noticed, but I couldn’t seem to care. I prayed the house guests were busy with Charles and hadn’t come looking for us.

“You are so beautiful,” she whispered.

I would have smiled if I hadn’t been so incredibly hard. My cock pulsed, in painful need of release. I wouldn’t rush this. I wouldn’t. Instead, I stood there allowing her to look, to touch, to explore.

Naked, she walked around me, her hand skimming my chest, around my side, to my back. A touch as delicate as a butterfly as she brushed her hands over my fevered skin. I stood utterly still as she studied me. Finally, she was in front of me again. Tentatively, she reached out and trailed her fingers down my chest. I sucked in a sharp breath, my body tightening, my hands fisting as I resisted the urge to touch her in kind.

Slowly, so very slowly she traced the muscles of my stomach, following the trail of hair that led to my throbbing cock. Christ almighty, she was going to kill me. She paused there, her breath hitching. I waited to see what she would do. She gripped the edge of my waistband and knelt, pulling the trousers with her.

My erection sprung forward, brushing against her belly, her chest. She froze, my cock only inches from her sweet mouth. Holy hell. It was too much to think she would know what to do with that mouth. She was an innocent, for god’s sake.

“You’re large,” she whispered.

Any other time I would have laughed. Instead, I swallowed hard, resisting the urge to push her onto the ground and surge into her tight sheath. She reached out, her fingers trailing over the thick head of my erection. I couldn’t help myself and groaned.

“Can I…kiss you there?” she whispered.

“God, no, not if you want me to come.”

She ignored me and wrapped her right hand around my shaft, her left palm pressed to my muscled thigh. Slowly, she moved forward. When her lips parted I thought I’d collapse into a puddle of aching need. I gritted my teeth and braced my hand against the trunk of the maple tree next to us. Her eyes fluttered closed as she took the thick head of my cock into her warm, wet mouth.

With a grown, I reached forward, slipping my hands into her hair. “Jesus, you’re going to kill me.”

My balls grew tight, heated blood surging to my erection. Slowly, so very slowly, she slid her lips down my shaft. The tip of my erection hit the back of her throat and I almost came on the spot.

“Enough,” I snapped.

She pulled back, her emerald eyes full of innocent concern. “Was I wrong? Did I hurt you?”

I did laugh that time, a rusty, desperate sound. “No. But you will if you keep torturing me.”

Trembling, she settled back upon her cloak and lay down like an offering. For a brief moment I merely stood there staring at her. I knew this memory would be burned into my mind for the rest of eternity. A goddess bathed in silver moonlight. Long limbs, lush curves, satiny skin. She was mine. All mine. I removed my trousers and knelt before her. Every inch of her body called out to be touched.

I leaned forward and cupped the sides of her face. My mouth found hers. She parted her lips eagerly, sweeping her tongue into my mouth, bold as you please. With a growl, I lay fully atop her, molding my hard body to her soft form. My shaft throbbed against her thighs. I trailed my hand between us, down her flat belly and toward that nest of curls.

As my finger slid between her folds, she gasped, arching her back. I’d never seen anything more beautiful than the look of flushed pleasure upon her face. “God, you’re wet.”

“You shouldn’t say such things,” she whispered, her breath catching with each soft stroke of my fingers. She purred like a cat in heat. I would never grow tired of this. Never.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. In fact, it will make this better for both of us.”

Her hands slid over my shoulders. “It will?”

She was so damn trusting. “Yes.”

I slid my finger into her sheath. Her nails dug into my biceps as she groaned, her lashes fluttering. If I was an artist, I would have painted her exactly as she looked in that moment. Her thighs tightened around my hand. Her body grew taut. My thumb brushed against the sensitive nub between her folds.

She cried out.

But I wasn’t done. Not nearly. I pressed my lips to her neck, licking the delicate column. She shivered in my arms. Who would have thought I’d find as much pleasure in her response as I would in my own?

“It’s too much,” she murmured.

“It’s just the beginning.”

Before she could understand my intentions, my knee separated her thighs. Her very heat coated my erection, called to me. My body trembled. I pressed my cock to the entrance of her sheath. Slick skin against slick skin.

“You’re mine,” I whispered reverently. “Say it.”

“Yes.” Her gaze met mine. “Yours.”

I drove my hips forward, thrusting into her completely, fully. Sweat broke out across my forehead. So damn tight. My teeth ground together as I kept from coming. It was everything I’d dreamt and so much more. “Forever.”

She cried out, her fingernails biting into my back. I was hurting her and I hated myself for it. “Will?”

“It will get better, I swear.”

Her very passage trembled around me. I moved slowly, rocking gently. Her fingernails bit into my back and she lifted her hips. Each stroke was pure bliss. Her body tightened, quivered, while her passage gripped, pulling. She groaned, shifting desperately underneath me and urging me on.

My muscles grew taut, my cock like steel. “All is well, Lilly,” I said. “Trust me.”

I surged into her once more, hitting that perfect spot. She cried out, arching her back and taking me deeper. We could hold back no longer. My seed spilled inside her womb as tremor after tremor destroyed our bodies. We came as one. It had been too fast. I wanted more time with her. Time to worship her body as she deserved.

“I…I had no idea,” she whispered, her voice filled with awe, her arms clinging to my shoulders. “None.”

Afraid of crushing her, I pulled out and collapsed onto my back. Not even my first time had been so life-altering. So damn out of control. In that moment we’d touched heaven. I finally knew what it meant to love. I should have been terrified by the emotion, yet wasn’t. She lay beside me, her breasts rising and falling with each pant.

I wasn’t letting her go…ever.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Did I hurt you?”

She curled into my side, resting her face against my shoulder. “At first it stung. But it was worth it. So very, very much.”

I couldn’t help but grin. Around us the night grew quiet, peaceful. Perfect.

Her fingers toyed with the crisp hair on my chest. “I should go, before they come looking.”

Hell, I didn’t want to be away from her, for even an hour. I pressed my lips to her hair, breathing in her scent. I’d fucked many a woman in my past, but this was different. Completely different. “Not yet.”

She kissed my shoulder. I felt the touch all the way to my marrow. Content, we lay there naked, wrapped around each other as the night continued on without us.

“You’ll pack a bag, just the essentials, and meet me in the garden.”

She nodded. “What if we are caught?”

“Then let them try to stop us.” I cupped the sides of her face. “Listen to me and listen well. I will never let you go. Understand? You’re stuck with me.”

She smiled. “Forever?”

“Forever. I promise.”