Chapter Fourteen

The bed sank a little on her right as William climbed next to her. Her heart went wild, her treacherous body reawakening with a vengeance. Balderdash. It could not be. She kept her eyes tightly shut as he accommodated himself at her side. Pins and needles pinched her stomach. The vicar’s words mingled with the maid’s. Have a good night, husband and wife.

Husband and wife.

William and Emily.

I merely wish to dally with my wife.

My wife.

Mrs. Dalton.

Mr. Dalton.

My husband.

William moved closer, his body heat washed over her like a blanket of fire. Her clothes were too constricting. She could hardly breathe. Would he touch her? Did she want him to touch her?

I merely wish to dally with my wife.

She hadn’t made up her mind when his arm snaked around her. He drew her closer. Emily bit down on her lip, fighting off the urge to sigh with pleasure. No. No. No.

Husband and wife.

Have a good night. No.

She breathed deeply. His scent traveled straight to her core calling her body to move closer to him, not away from him.

The impulse to turn in his arms and mash her lips over his grew with every passing second. Her lips tingled. Her stays dug into her ribs, the material making her skin itch. She knew he wasn’t sleeping. His breathing was uneven, his hand on her waist too tight. Was he excited at their close proximity? Was his prick erect? Dear God, what would it feel like to unite their bodies? Emily shivered. William pulled her closer. A placid throbbing started between her legs, urging her to move her hips. She chewed on her bottom lip.

William’s hold on her tightened and a low growl echoed in her ear.

“Be still, my love, or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

Emily bit back a moan at the sensual threat in William’s words. She nodded. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. He was an arrogant man that had tricked her into marriage. The slightest ember of anger flared as she recalled their hurried marriage and his unorthodox proposal. It vanished when he sighed and his warm breath tickled her ear.

“I-I’d like to remove my stays,” she whispered, feeling less brave by the second. “I’m uncomfortable.”

“Of course.” William’s gruff voice caused an inexplicable tightness to squeeze her chest. “You were so sleepy, I didn’t think.” He cleared his voice. “I apologize, Emily.” He released her instantly. She scurried out of the bed to the darkest corner in the room. She shivered. The room was surprisingly cold.

“Do you need any help?”

“No,” she shrieked. She cleared her voice. “Thank you,” she managed to say more quietly.

Good God, she was insane or possessed or… anything. Certainly, she’d lost her mind, for what else could explain the way she felt? Her fingers shook as she fumbled to remove her dress and unlace her stays. If William helped her she’d be back in bed in no time. How could she even contemplate such a thing? A tempest of passion. That was all. They’d been in close quarters for too long and William was a good-looking man. She was attracted to him. That was all. She would rationalize this and overcome it. Attraction could be overcome. She’d done it before with the bastard that had wanted her as nothing more than a mother for his heirs, so she could do it again with a man that had forced her into marriage.

Finally, Emily shimmied out of her stays. She let out a long sigh. She could do this. She approached the water basin and splashed some cool water on her face. Everything would be all right. William might be her husband but he was not a good man. He’d coerced her into this unseemly situation. He was a ruffian. She climbed into bed beneath the covers, making sure to keep as far away from him as possible.

No sooner had she lain down her head, his arms came around her pulling her rife against him. No. No. No. Her mind protested vehemently, but her body sank into his comforting hold. He was not pressuring her, he was not forcing her. He was simply holding her close. She had to say something. She had to ask him to release her. Tears prickled at the back of her eyes. He was the enemy. She had to hate him. She had to hate him. Principles. It was all about principles, love, desire, passion… and the hard rod of flesh pushing against her bottom. It all came down to that thing that was making her quim weep.

“Oh God,” she whispered.

“Emily?”

“William.”

She placed her hand over his, splaying his fingers on her flesh. His surprise mingled with hers. What was she doing? She dragged his hand across her hip and to her thigh. Where was she taking him?

She didn’t have a clear answer, but William did. He continued moving, dragging their hands to the apex between her thighs, softly rubbing her mound over her shift. Her lips parted in a silent gasp. He was touching her and it felt so good. His other hand moved slightly, his long fingers brushing the bottom of her breast. Could her temperature rise any further? Her nipples hardened into pebbles, scraping against her shift. Her legs parted slightly and William’s hand moved lower rubbing her pubis in circles.

“William.”

“Tell me to stop, Emily. Tell me to cease and I will do so at once,” he said in a strangled voice.

No, no, no. She didn’t want him to stop. She replied by pushing her body against his groin. William groaned. His hands moved more boldly. The one between her thighs clamped over her quim, driving the movements of her hips. The other searched for her breast. He found it and squeezed it. Emily gasped and arched into the touch. William pressed his palm flat against her nipple and rubbed before grasping it, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger and tugging. She cried out as pleasure slammed between her legs, the earlier throbbing becoming a relentless demand for more. William pulled her hard against his erection, the hot hardness pushing against her in search of its own release.

Abruptly, William rolled them over. Emily lay flat on her back, staring into William’s dark eyes as he held himself above her.

“Tell me to stop, Emily,” he repeated urgently, leaning in to kiss her. The touch of his lips against hers was an aphrodisiac. Tell him to stop? Had he gone mad? She ran her fingers through his hair, stopping at the nape of his neck to pull him closer and deepen the kiss. William groaned into her mouth. His tongue entwined savagely with hers in a primal ballroom dance before he pulled back and dropped tiny kisses on her jaw. She slid her hands across his back. His muscles bunched beneath her palms as he dipped his head lower, leaving behind a trail of open-mouthed kisses that culminated when he closed his lips over her breast.

Emily moaned. Wave after wave of desire rushed through her. She trembled with need. She yearned for more. She splayed her legs open, crashing her pelvis against William. She wanted everything he could give her and more.

“Tell me to cease this, Emily, and I will.”

She didn’t reply. He closed his mouth on her other breast, suckling softly. Emily shook her head. She wrapped her legs around William and lifted her hips. He sucked harder, his teeth grazing her nipple. He massaged her other breast. Wetness slipped out of her while the head of his cock prodded her.

Boldly, she pulled at his shirt. William ceased his attention on her breasts and removed the cumbersome garment. He attempted to regain his place above her but she placed a hand on his chest, stilling him.

“I want to look at you.”

His eyes twinkled in the gloom and his lips curved.

“Don’t you dare laugh…!”

“It did not cross my mind, love.” He rolled to the side and lay against the mattress. Emily stared. Oh, to be able to see him in more light. The dimly lit room did him little justice. She could see the contours of his firmly muscled body, make out the scars that crossed his chest and stomach and the scattering of dark hair that trailed downwards. Her cheeks burned as she followed the path of hair to his erection. Long and thick, it lay hard as steel against his stomach. The head was pink and thick, reminding her of a large mushroom over which a single raindrop had collected after a quick summer storm. She licked her lips. William groaned. Her eyes flew to his face. He watched her closely. His cheeks were flushed and his lips slightly parted as he breathed through his mouth.

Tentatively, she placed her hand over his thigh. William’s eyes drifted shut. She slid her hand upwards, bravely dipping it between his legs. Lightly, she touched his sack. She marveled at its softness. She glanced at William, whose eyes were still closed. Daringly, she trailed her fingertip over his silky hardness. William groaned. His hips bucked. More liquid seeped from the head of his prick. What would it taste like? Her cousin said the flavor was not pleasant, but perhaps William’s was different. She moved closer.

She cried out in surprise when he grasped her hips and sat her over his lap. She gasped as he ground against her folds.

“I need you.”

She nodded. Numbly, she helped him remove her shift. Emily flushed as he studied her. There was no denying the hunger in his gaze.

“Beautiful,” William whispered. “Have you any idea how beautiful you are?”

He sat up and placed his hands on either side of her face. He kissed her. The touch of his lips was surprisingly soft. Unlike previous kisses, this was a languid touch that claimed and gave in equal measures. She was his, he seemed to tell her, but he was also hers. Tears filled her eyes. She was lost, lost in this powerful emotion from whence there was no going back.

“I need to be inside of you, Emily.”

He rolled them over again. Slowly, he kissed a path down her chest, across her stomach and over her thighs. Emily’s legs trembled, as his mouth neared her sex. She thought about closing her legs, but it was too late. William spread them apart with his shoulders. She closed her eyes and breathed hard through her mouth. William kissed the inside of her thighs. Emily trembled. Was he going to kiss her there? Would he dare? Would she allow it? He scattered more kisses on her legs. She jumped as his lips made contact with her quim. He nuzzled her and kissed her again. She clasped the sheets, desperate to find something to hold onto.

“William.”

He held her knees apart and delved between her legs again. She cried out as his tongue slid against her folds.

Emily grasped his shoulders, unsure if she wanted to pull him in deeper or push him away. William didn’t stop. Again and again, he kissed, licked and sucked her. Her hips rocked back and forth at their own volition, searching for more of the exquisite feeling. Her body quivered like a leaf in the wind as one of his fingers toyed with the moisture in her sex. In and out of her it moved, all the time brushing against something that caused her flashes of pain and pleasure.

“More,” she begged, unsure if the finger could go deeper or if there was anything more. All she knew was that the throbbing she’d been feeling between her legs was growing with demanding urgency from within. There had to be more to sex than this.

William slid up the length of her body and kissed her. Emily pressed her body to his, eagerly searching out the head of his cock. She could feel it pulsing at her entrance, ready to enter her. William stalled. He kissed her with more passion, sliding his tongue in and out of her mouth, mimicking the frantic movements of their hips. Emily spread her legs wider. She writhed beneath him, searching for the hardness amid his legs that escaped her.

“William, please.” She grasped his shoulders, pushing him away, willing him to stop kissing her and get on with something else. William grinned. His eyes were dark pools of lust as he stared down at her.

“I’m getting there, love. I want it to hurt as little as possible for you.” He tugged at her bottom lip, drawing a delicious shiver from her.

William clutched her breast, kneading the flesh. He grasped the nipple between his teeth, making her cry out. His tongue rolled over the nub, soothing the tingle of pain. With his other hand, he reached between her legs, rolling the flesh there in pleasurable strokes. Emily’s hips lifted off the mattress, her breathing became labored as moans and whimpers trapped at her throat spilled forth. William sucked her other breast, his movements between her legs became faster. Kneading the nipple between his teeth, Emily cried out as stars danced behind her eyelids, a rapid fire spreading from between her legs across her whole body and leaving in its wake tingling embers. She didn’t have time to explore the newfound feeling as William’s prick started to stretch her. She held her breath.

“This will hurt, Emily. I’ll try to be quick.”

He didn’t give her time to reply as he pulled back and slammed into her with force. Emily cried out, tears gathering in her eyes and slipping down her cheeks. William hurried to kiss her. He brushed away her tears with the pad of his finger.

“It’s all over now,” he whispered.

Inch by inch, she felt him move deeper inside of her. Darts of pleasure traveled across her flesh. She wrapped her arms around his neck, needing to kiss him deeply, to feel more of him. As they kissed, William’s hips began to rock back and forth. Emily met each and every one of his thrusts. Pleasure like she hadn’t known before built inside of her.

“William,” she gasped as he picked up the rhythm of his thrusts. “Kiss me,” she demanded.

William brought his lips over hers without preamble. Sweat coated his body, making it gleam under the yellow light coming from the hearth. Her own body was slick with sweat, making their bodies glide against each other like two well-oiled machines. Over and over he pushed and shoved into her, grunting. Emily thrashed her head from side to side. She dug her nails into William’s shoulders. Her body was on fire. She’d never felt anything like this before. Wild abandonment, pure desire–– passion. It was as if everything in the world had lost importance, everything except her and William and that moment in time as their bodies joined in one place. William reached between her legs again and she closed her eyes in pleasure.

“No,” he said with a raspy voice. “Look at me.”

She forced her eyelids open and gasped at the raw emotion in his depths and the swirling amber that had replaced the brown. William pinched her between the legs and she cried out as her world toppled and turned into a million shattering pieces of glass that reflected golden eyes.