by Lauren Smith
She smiled back and nodded.“Yes. I keep thinking of what happened in the woods as well. I fear I get a little silly whenever you touch me.”
“I like hearing that,” he said as he pulled her onto his lap. She gasped and wobbled until she settled across his thighs, her hands gripping his shoulders.
“The beauty of being so close in this boat means we can do whatever we please.”
He dipped his head to steal a kiss. Her petal-soft lips parted beneath his, and he thrust his tongue boldly against hers. She was shy at first as she learned to match him and his actions. The need to have her, to dip her back in the boat and toss up her skirts, was strong enough that it made his hands shake. But her first time was not going to be here in a boat. He would control himself . . . eventually.
A sudden clattering disrupted their kiss, and they turned to see Letty’s fishing pole tilting over the side as something tugged sharply on the line.
“Oh no!” She flung herself off Adam’s lap and lunged forward to catch the pole before it went over.
“Letty, wait!” Adam shouted. The boat rocked sharply, and both the pole and his wife tumbled into the water.
There was a heartbeat where he froze, expecting her to come sputtering back up to the surface. When she didn’t, he flung himself over the side after her, plunging into the greenish-brown depths, reaching blindly about the water for her.
Could she swim? He hadn’t even thoughtto ask that before taking her in the boat. The moat was nearly twenty feet deep in some places. Not to mention the gown she wore would drag her down with its weight, and her skirts would make it hard to kick her way up to the surface. Terror spiked inside him, choking out what breath was still in his lungs. He kicked back to the surface and gasped for air, then plunged back down again. He wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t give up. He couldn’t lose her, not when he’d only just found her.
He surfaced again, kicking his legs and staring at the surface of the water near the boat. No sign of Letty anywhere.
A second later, a hand shot out of the water, holding the fishing pole aloft like it was Excalibur. Letty’s face came up shortly after. She spit out water and sputtered as she looked around for the boat, then, realizing he wasn’t in it, swirled about in the water looking for him.
He stared at her, mouth agape. He had been so certain she was dead. Flashes of that night at the river had filled his mind—of Adam screaming John’s name, searching the dark waters until he had lost all strength.
“Adam . . .” Letty spoke his name with concern.
“I didn’t know if you could swim,” he said. “You didn’t come up.”
Letty treadwater, watching him with greater distress. “Well, I can. You don’t need to worry.”
“Don’t need to worry? Letty, my dearest friend in the world died in a river. I watched him vanish. I can’t do that ever again.” He kicked toward the boat and grasped the side. Then he hauled himself up and over.
She reached the boat and held the fishing pole out. He grabbed it and angrily tossed it into the boat before putting his hands under her arms and heaving her aboard. He was furious, he was frightened—he was a hundred different things at that moment as he curled his arms around her and held her to him. She didn’t fight him, didn’t pull away. She stilled and tucked her head under his chin.
“Never do that again. Never,” he warned in her ear. “Please, God, never again.”
She breathed and placed a kiss to his chest.“I’m sorry.”
Adam held her for what felt like an age, not wanting to open his eyes. It was only when he felt the chill of the water settling on both of them that he came back to himself with an inward curse.
“We should get inside and change, or you’ll catch your death.” He reluctantly set her back on the bench so he could row them to shore.
She curled her arms around herself as the cotton dress clung to her. As terrified as he had been just moments ago, he had to admit how adorable his wife was, dripping wet like a kitten. But he couldn’t shake the anxiety he felt over nearly losing her. As they reached the shore, he hopped onto the bank and heaved the tip of the boat up onto the grass before helping her out. She started to reach for the poles, but he shook his head.
“Leave them.” He put an arm around her shoulders and kept her close as he walked her up the long stone bridge over the water back to Chilgrave Castle. By the time they reached the castle’s main gate, Letty was shivering.
“Heavens, I don’t think I realized how cold the water was.”
“It’s a deep moat. The water is quite cold, except in the summer months. Even then, the deeper one goes the colder it becomes.”
“I reached the bottom. That blasted pole was resting in the silt. I had to feel around to find it.”
Adam stopped them just at the gate and made her face him.“No fishing pole is worth dying for. I don’t care if that blasted diamond coronet falls in—you will not go after it.” He wasn’t teasing anymore. He was still angry and frightened.
“I—I understand. I’m sorry, Adam. James taught me to swim ages ago, and I just didn’t think.”
“Protecting you is my responsibility. Please do not make it harder for me to do that.”
Letty’s face flashed a dozen emotions that he could barely trace before she nodded. “I won’t do it again, my lord.”
She started to turn away from him. This was a pivotal moment between them, and he knew he had to make the right decision or lose her growing trust. He caught her by the waist and spun her back into his arms. She sucked in a breath as her hands braced themselves against his chest.
“Never shut me out, Letty. We are in this together, and I do not want to treat you like a child. All I’m asking is that you trust me. Talk to me. No more leaping headlong into danger.”
Her pained look faded as she offered him a tremulous smile. “I didn’t think a moat qualified as danger.”
“You would be surprised.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back. “Quite a few dangers abound on Chilgrave lands, even for me. And I grew up here.”
“I understand.”
Adam lifted her chin so he could gaze into her warm brown eyes. “Are you angry with me?” he asked.
“No,” she replied honestly. “Are you angry with me?”
“No. I’m angry with myself. You needed my protection, and I wasn’t prepared. And now you’re trembling, and I’m neglecting my duty to take care of you. We need to get you warmed up.”
The main door opened, and Mr. Sturges met them.
“My lord!” The butler’s eyes widened. He better than most knew that Adam’s occupation came with many dangers, and he clearly thought something sinister had befallen them.
“It was just a little boat accident, Sturges. Not to worry. Please have a bath drawn in my chamber. My wife and I need to warm up.”
“Of course.” The butler rushed away, while Adam escorted Letty to her room.
“Collect a robe and a chemise.”
She turned innocent eyes upon him.“Am I not to bathe?”
“Not here. Not alone.” Adam’s voice was a little rougher than he meant it to be, but he was still fighting off his concerns and his desire for her at the same time.
How did other men cope when they married attractive strangers? Was he wrong to want to bed her so soon? He felt half-mad knowing he could take her in the bloody bath if she gave him any sign of approval. But he wouldn’t. As his countess, she deserved to have a romantic setting for her first time. He owed it to her to make their first time as honorable and pleasant as possible.
“Oh . . .” That single syllable held the weight of a thousand unsaid words. She collected her robe and chemise and followed him to his chamber.
“Here, sit by the fire.” Adam set her in the comfortable worn armchair he favored. He was glad Helms had thought to have a fire already going. September in England could be cold, and the lake water didn’t help matters.
She sat, and Adam placed her robe and chemise on the bed before
he draped a heavy woolen blanket about her shoulders. A parade of footmen arrived, carrying steaming buckets of water to the deep copper tub until it was full and steam curled up from its surface.
Once they were alone, Adam gently pulled Letty to her feet. “Come, let’s get you warmed up.”
“I suppose you’ve had much practice at undressing women?” Letty asked, her teeth chattering a bit.
“A bit, I confess, but this feels different. My hands are almost clumsy when I touch you. It’s as though I must learn it all anew,” Adam murmured.
“The cold water, no doubt,” said his wife. His fingers did seem to be lacking their usual deftness as he fumbled with her laces. “First you must loosen the tied knot at the bottom, then work your way up.” Her voice was a little breathless, but at least her teeth had stopped chattering.
As he drew the laces out, he let his fingers linger in places, touching her through the thin layer of the wet chemise she wore as he exposed her bit by bit while undressing her.
She stayed quiet as he undressed her. Both of them barely breathed now as pieces of her gown draped about her body and then fell away. Every bit of him seemed locked in those powerful moments where his heartbeat and hers seemed to match, the dampness of his hands touching her chilled body as he lifted the chemise off her. She was warming up now, a blush heating her pale face, and he wanted to bury his lips against her throat and inhale her scent, but she needed to be even warmer than she was now.
When at last she was fully naked and he had a chance to admire her lovely body, he nodded toward the tub.
“Get in.” His voice was hoarse as he reminded himself that she was cold, and still a virgin. He was not a ravenous beast who would fall upon his wife like a wolf, no matter how much the baser part of him wanted to.
“You should bathe too,” Letty said as she sank into the hot bath. “Before it becomes too cold.” There was a subtle hint of seduction to her words, as though she was beginning to learn this game they were playing. He knew by the flushed look upon her face that she was feeling heady with desire. Seeing his sweet, feisty wife, wet in the hot bath just a few feet away, inviting him in, was too much for him to bear. His cock hardened, and his mouth ran dry.
“I’m not sure I can remain a gentleman,” he warned.
“I don’t recall asking you to be one.” Her little wicked smile only made it that much harder to stay away. For a second, his mouth parted, but no words came out as he tried to think of a rational response to keep himself at a distance.
“Your first time with me should not be in a bathing tub.”
Letty’s adorable face was just visible over the tall side of the tub.
“Husband, you will strip out of those wet clothes and join me. Now.” She splashed a hand in the water. “There is room enough for two, if you don’t mind being close to me.”
Little spitfire. Adam stared at his wife in shock. Oh, how he adored her at this moment.With a grin, he began to undress.
“Very well, but you may get the rogue yet.”
9
Letty held her breath as Adam began to remove his clothes. In that moment, she decided she loved nothing more than the sight of her husband undressing. It was like a performance, a beautiful, seductive one, how he unwound his neckcloth and let it flutter to the ground. He unbuttoned his waistcoat and shouldered it off, then pulled his white shirt out of his trousers and over his head. His bare chest was broad, accented by his muscles. He reached for the placket on his trousers, his arms flexing as he did so.
Heavens, the man is pure sin, and I cannot look away, Letty thought. She would finally see what Adam looked like completely bare of all his clothes.
“Oh, right, mustn’t forget these.” He stopped undoing his trousers and bent to remove his boots and stockings. He shot her a teasing look, obviously knowing exactly how he was torturing her with this delay. Letty clenched the edge of the tub as he finally went back to undoing his trousers. He pulled them down and kicked them off, and she stared at that part of him. He was not like the statues in the museum. He was far larger, and it was not lying down against his body but pointing toward her. Dear heavens . . . Her lips parted in shock as he approached the copper tub.
“Move forward a bit. I’ll slide in behind you.”
She scooted forward, and he stepped into the tub. The water sloshed as he eased down. He parted his legs and gripped her waist.
“Now slide back and lean against me.”
Letty did as he said and closed her eyes, feeling his hard-muscled body behind her. The hair on his calves tickled her legs beneath the water. His breath, warm against her neck, sent shivers of delight through her. Her nipples pebbled, and her thighs clenched together. The once hot water now seemed tepid compared to the burning of her body. His hands stayed on her hips for a long time before they began to slowly explore her, first her inner thighs, then her lower belly, and finally sliding up to cup her breasts.
“You have exquisite breasts,” Adam whispered in her ear.
“Oh?”
“Yes, quite perfect. See how they fill my hands?” He let the weight of them fill his palms before he gently squeezed them. “It gives me wicked ideas.”
“What sort of ideas?” Her breasts turned heavy at his touch.
“I would like to put you on your hands and knees facing the mirror, while I claim you from behind and watch these glorious breasts move freely as I thrust inside you.” Adam’s words painted such a sensual picture in her mind. So sinful. So exciting.
“Would you like that?” he asked before he bit the lobe of her ear. Sparks of arousal shot down her spine into her womb.
“You truly are wicked,” she moaned as he pinched her nipples lightly. He then gripped her throat, gentle but possessive, while his other hand cupped her mound. He kissed her ear, followed by her cheek, before he thrust two fingers inside her. Her hips arched up into his touch.
“More, please,” she begged, wanting to feel as she had in the woods when he’d pinned her against the tree.
“I’m happy to oblige,” he said and began to move his fingers faster and faster. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the edge of the tub, her body strained by the building rush. But just before she felt she would fall off the edge, he slowed.
She wriggled, splashing water about. “No! Don’t stop . . .”
He chuckled. “Are you ready to come apart again?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
Her wicked husband’s warm breath fanned against her neck as he gave her what he’d promised. He moved his fingers faster, and she arched her back. Ecstasy exploded from her head to her toes. She collapsed back against him, her limbs quivering and her breath shaky.
Adam embraced her as she drifted down from the wild high of her passion. When she came to herself, she turned to see his face.
“And you . . . Does a man feel this way?”
“Oh yes,” he assured her.
“How does one do it for a man? The way you touch me, I mean.”
He laughed and leaned down to brush her cheek with his lips. “Curious creature. I like that. Grip my cock.”
“Your . . .” She tentatively touched his shaft, which was surprisingly stiff, and he groaned. “Am I hurting you?”
He shook his head. “Now, wrap your fingers around it and move your hand up and down. Yes, like that.”
Letty stroked him and followed his commands. Faster. Harder. Slower. He almostseemed to enter a trance, and she felt drunk on the thought that she held him in her power. This moment was bonding them together in the most sinful, wonderful way she could imagine. Then he called out her name, his body stiffening in the water. After a long moment, he relaxed, and she sensed he had found his peak, and she removed her hand from him.
He pulled her to his chest again and nuzzled the crown of her hair. “Let’s get you out of this bath and into bed. You’ve had a most exhausting day.”
Letty played with his chest, letting her fingers circled his flat male nipples an
d trace the lines of his collarbone. “As have you.” He was a beautiful specimen of a man, and she felt wildly giddy at the thought that he was hers.
“Come, lady wife.” Adam stood up in the bath and helped her. Then he fetched a cloth to dry them both before he gave her a fresh chemise and robe.
Letty finished dressing and wrapped her warm robe around her. She took her time studying Adam’s bedchamber. Her own room, that lovely circular chamber, held a hint of wild mystery to it. But Adam’s room felt warm and welcoming. The sturdy four-poster bed, the green satin wallpaper, the light walnut paneling of the doors and ceiling accented with gold moldings. This could be her new home. No, this was her new home. That other chamber would be a private space for her, but she wanted to enjoy this room as hers and Adam’s.
“I think I shall stay here,” she announced.
Adam pulled his banyan robe closed and eyed her with amusement.
“So you’ve made your decision.”
“Yes. Assuming you’ll have me.”
He came to her, taking her in his arms before he cupped her bottom and squeezed. “I suppose I can tolerate your nightly presence,” he sighed dramatically. Then he swatted her derrière. “Now get in bed, wife.”
Letty shot him a saucy grin. “Yes, my lord. As you please, my lord.”
As Adam got into bed beside her and pulled her into his arms, he smiled at her with increasing fondness. “Yes . . . You certainly do please me.”
Camille waited patiently in a private room at a small inn in Spitalfields before she went to the connecting door and knocked lightly upon it. She and her master always timed her entrances perfectly.
“Come in, Camille,” her master bade.
She stepped inside and was immediately surrounded by shadows as the crowd of seven men inside turned her way.
“Who is the woman?” one of the men demanded.
“Be at ease, Mr. Thistlewood. The woman is mine. Her pretty face keeps my temper at bay, does it not, my sweet?” he asked Camille.
She dipped into a curtsy and flashed a beatific smile at him and the men.