She Ruined the Marquess: A Historical Romance (Unexpected Love Book 1)

by Anna Macy

  William reentered the cottage, his heart skipping a beat, this time not in fear, but adoration. Juliet was slowly walking across the kitchen area, every line in her body filled with stiff determination. She was a force to be reckoned with, that he could tell.

  “I don’t think you should be up and walking quite yet my love,” his voice softened as he closed the door behind him, the endearment slipping out.

  Juliet glanced over her shoulder, her eyes warming at the sight of him and the gentle affection. “I’m alright. I can feel the numbness receding.” Subconsciously she ran dirty fingers of the drying mud on her hip.

  William looked around them. The cottage was sparsely furnished but had been occupied recently. Gratitude for the monstrous stone fireplace filled his body. Juliet had been in the cold and wet for way too long; William was still worried about her going into shock.

  Thankfully, the fireplace already had a small stack of logs in it that looked dry and ready to burn. Striking a match against the stone chimney, he dropped the match into the prepared kindling. Juliet sighed gratefully and dropped to her knees against the fireplace edge.

  William followed her with his eyes, wracking his mind to come with a polite way to tell her that she had to get out of her soaking clothes, and he probably needed to as well. The storm outside continued to rage, heavy rain pounding down against the little cottage windowpanes. He ducked into the first-floor bedroom and took stock of blankets folded in a deep cedar chest at the base of the bed. He grabbed several and headed back to the main room.

  “Juliet, we need to get dried off. Both of us are going to end up sick staying in these wet garments. I say we swap out wet clothes for a mountain of blankets and let our bodies warm up a bit. There are plenty of clean ones in that bedroom. You can get changed there if you’d like. I’ll keep the fire going out there.” He held up a small stack he had claimed for himself, tossing them onto the rug behind him.

  Juliet’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but smile that she blushed at the implication. Sure, he was direct, but it was a serious situation as well. He wasn’t going to sit here, freezing, covered in mud while they could easily undress and sit in warm, dry blankets just as easily.

  “You are right. It seems like we will be here for a while longer. We should get more comfortable,” Juliet said, walking towards him, her formerly pale cheeks now pink with a pretty blush.

  Her riding habit was molded to every inch of her body, and her sodden hair had fallen loose of its pins and now tumbled down her back in a wild mass of dark curls. She stopped only a few feet from him and turned, reaching back to slide a hand through her loose hair and exposing her back to his view.

  “Would you mind? I remember you being good at this,” She said sweetly, laughter clear in her voice. William grinned, even at this moment, this situation, this woman was trying to drive him mad. He remembered vividly that stolen kiss the night of his arrival. He had no place putting his mouth on her, but God, it had been worth the world of pain he had been in since. Every time he thought of her, it was like a fierce burn covering his mind and body until he could think of absolutely nothing else.

  His smile dimmed as his blood heated slowly, wondering at how her skin tastes now. Would it taste like fresh rain? Or how she had that night? Like the last drips of summer’s honey.

  Then Juliet shivered, hard, and guilt overwhelmed him. She might be teasing him, but he was the gentleman here. It was his job to keep them on the right path. Or at least that what he told himself, over and over. And over as he quickly freed her laces, letting her riding habit slide off one shoulder.

  Juliet caught the wet garment, holding it against her body as she smiled at him over her shoulder. Was it his imagination, or did she seem a little disappointed? The thought sent a spark of heat straight to his already throbbing groin. As she walked from the room towards the bedroom, he took several deep breaths in as he tried to calm back down, shaking his head to clear all visions of her silken skin from his memory.

  ***

  Juliet let the sodden riding habit fall to the floor and began to peel back the other layers. Her chemise, corset, and pantaloons followed quickly, all landing in a wet pile that she quickly set about draping across the small room so that they might dry. She was shivering in earnest now, quickly grabbing another of the thick, sweet-smelling blankets and wrapped it around her body, relishing in the softness of the quilt against her chilled skin.

  Knocking on the door between them, she raised her voice over the sound of the rain, “William? Are you decent?”

  A laugh sounded on the other side, and she took that as permission to enter. When she did, William stood by the fireplace, a wide grin on his face, another quilt like hers spread over his body.

  “You, of all people, ask to enter the room?” Juliet blushed brightly but also grinned at the joke, relieved that they were to the point where humor was the best explanation for their first encounter.

  “Well, I knew that it was a one-time mistake, my Lord,” Juliet said tartly, stopping directly in front of him and tilting her face up to his. She gripped her quilt tightly in front of her breasts, keeping the blankets held firm so that she was modestly covered.

  Biting her lip, she chanced a look at how William had used the blankets as a makeshift wrap. The top acting like a cloak and a kilt-like knot around his waist as well, leaving long feet and part of his calves exposed to her eyes.

  How did the man manage even to have pretty legs? Juliet wondered to herself, wishing she could slow her racing heart and calm the ache that spread from her belly downwards. In the dimly lit space, the sharp planes of his face flashed into shadow as she stared at him, drawn to him like a moth to the flame.

  His eyes had grown dark, sensually, lazily looking her over as well. First, her face, then at the quickly warming skin left exposed across her shoulders, her collarbone, and the tops of her breasts. They seemed to swell, grow tight under his examination, and lust flashed over his face, making her breath quick in her lungs.

  “A one-time mistake? What a pity,” William growled.

  “Unless you’d like otherwise,” Juliet said, trying to sound seductive, but a smile slowly taking over her full lips. William threw back his head and laughed loudly, his partially dry locks flopping over his eyes.

  “You must’ve hit your head when Sterling went down. No man in his right mind would ever turn you away, least of all me. You’ve been slowly driving me mad since that night, and I’d be disappointed if you stopped now,” William finished, a coy smirk pulling her in.

  “Oh. Well. That is good to know. I think,” Juliet said softly, watching the firelight backlit his face, making him seem mysterious. However, bold her words, she didn’t have any experience to back it up if he called her on her flirtation.

  Looking at him, though, Juliet was pretty sure that he knew those things. That she was more inexperienced than she wanted to admit and that she loved being bold and forward with him. Not all men would appreciate her newly found sharpness.

  She shivered again, her blanket was finally chasing away the lingering cold, but her body still felt sensitive, over-stimulated. Memories of their last night at Lakeview together, what William had done to her body overwhelmed her mind.

  William caught her movement and immediately stepped towards her, worried, “Come here,” he said softly, guiding her to sit on the pile of blankets he had brought in.

  As soon as she was seated, he sat behind her and pulled her against his chest. Even with the layers of blankets between them, Juliet sighed in pleasure. As she turned her head, her cheek met the smooth bare skin of his chest, and it took her breath away. Hot, smooth, and she could practically feel the power beating through those veins.

  She was safe here. In his arms, the rest of the world faded until it was just the two of them together. His heat leaked into her, sparking her body awake. Juliet felt restless against him, unsure how to calm the firestorm in her veins, the throbbing in her body.

  Taking her re
stlessness as something else altogether, William pulled her closer, murmuring soft, comforting noises against her ear. “Shhh. It’s okay now.” His deep voice rumbled over her shoulder, sending another tight burst of sparkling heat through her body. Juliet opened her mouth, sighing loudly.

  “Thank you,” Juliet said. She turned in his arms to look at him, her eyes serious. She knew that her blanket had slipped just a fraction, exposing inches of formerly hidden skin just above her breasts. Keenly aware of the roughness of the fabric against her sensitive skin, she welcomed those silvery eyes as William’s gaze followed the line of the blanket.

  “You’re welcome,” William said, his voice chipped, his face drawn as if he were in pain. Yet he leaned forward, close enough she could smell the rain on his swarthy skin, his eyes focused on her lips. Seeing that, she habitually bit down on the bottom one, her white teeth pushing into the pink.

  “You’ll be the death of me yet,” he said, his voice quivering as his flint eyes turned to granite. William’s hand reached between them, his thumb brushing against the lower lip she tortured with her teeth.

  She stopped kneading her lip and instead boldly met his eyes as she turned a little to kiss the palm that had stroked her cheek. With a groan, both of his hands shot out, burying themselves in the thickness of her hair as he crashed his lips against hers.

  Her sound of surprise only opened her mouth for his plunder, letting his tongue sweep in and soothe the abused spot on her lips before sliding across her own tongue, tormenting her into more action.

  Juliet’s hands were knotted in the blanket she was wearing, but somehow, she managed to stand up on her knees and slide one over the top of his split legs, bringing their blanket clad bodies into a sharp awareness of each other.

  One of his hands dropped to her lower back, where he rested her for a moment on her bottom before slowly pulling down and around the back of her knee, deftly moving her second leg over his. She now straddled his wide torso on her knees, her face tilted up to his.

  William released her mouth for a moment, his breathing ragged, and his thick, muscular chest exposed. Juliet felt like her hands acted on their behalf as they reached out to touch his jaw, and then inch by inch made their way lower. First down his stubbled jaw, past the corded muscle at the base of his neck and to his chest, which was covered lightly with soft, black hair that she let her fingers tease through.

  Now it was William who seemed to be breathless, his head falling back as he revealed in her hands' attention. She briefly wondered if he could feel the heat pooling at her core, making her feel like she might come apart at any moment. Dropping down lower, she gasped as her inflamed skin brushed against the blankets between them.

  She could feel the hard, eager length of him just below her, and it sent spasms of pleasure and power through her body from her core straight to her tight nipples. She might be a virgin, but she wasn’t uneducated. Letting her hips fall a little, she instinctively ground against the firmness she felt there, moaning at the contact that made her thighs quiver in anticipation.

  William let out a chuckle. “Temptress,” he gritted out, his hands now gripping her hips hard, his fingers digging in as they rocked against each other.

  Juliet couldn’t tell if his hands meant to hold her away or pull her to him again. Whichever it was, she didn’t want him to stop. Pinning him with her eyes, she searched his face before a devilish smirk snuck across her own.

  Rising a little, loving the little sigh that came as their blankets sliding down her body, she then let her hips roll against him, torturously slow. While she meant to please him, she couldn’t control the moan that came out of her mouth. Every movement, every touch made her feel like a great crescendo was building inside of her, and William was at the center of it.

  With a growl, William pushed her off of his lap, their legs tangling as he overtook her, laying her out on her back against the blanket-covered floor. His mouth captured hers, and he moaned softly as she experimented with her tongue, shyly returning his bold touches with her own.

  Juliet’s mind was wild with passion, with the feel of this amazing man in all of her senses. He released her mouth only to gently trail his mouth down her neck, his wickedly hot tongue swirling on her shoulder. Juliet instinctually bucked her hips towards him, practically lifting them from the blanketed floor.

  “William, please,” her hands were in his hair, combing it back as his mouth continued to taste his way across her collarbones. When he reached the top of her breasts where the frayed edge of the quilt ran across her body, he hesitated. Juliet felt his forehead lean onto her neck, the pants of his breath hot against her skin.

  Her blood hummed, and her mind screamed at her to make him keep going; she lifted a leg, trying to urge him forward, but her knees were trapped beneath layers of pesky quilt. She felt his hand press down on her hip bones through the thick fabric.

  Juliet tried to remain still, but her body quaked in unease. His face was so serious as he stared down at her. Gripping the remaining blankets that covered her body, he yanked them back to expose her.

  Cool air surged over her bare skin as his eyes closed, his head dropped back as a sigh of pleasure escaping his lips.

  “You are perfect.” The words were only a whisper, but every part of Juliet felt them. Curling her toes, she found herself preening under his stare. But there was so much more she wanted and needed. She raised her arms, unabashedly asking for him to rejoin her on the floor.

  “Come here,” Juliet’s voice was strong, certain.

  “Are you sure? Because I can stop right now. We can stop this right now.” William’s soft voice skimmed across her aching body.

  “You would do that?” Juliet felt her throat tighten as she pushed the words through her lips.

  “Of course. You are worth waiting for,” came the easy response. William was on his knees above her, wrapped only in a blanket. She could see the muscles of his chest and belly contract as they stared down at her, waiting. He was again, giving her the chance to choose.

  She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more.

  “William? I want you. More than anything.” At her words, his face flushed, his incredible lips swollen from her own. Just the sight of him sent another almost painfully intense streak of desire down her body, straight between her legs. Her breath came short in her lungs as he crawled over her, letting his delicious weight settle onto her body.

  “You undo me, my lady,” he said slowly, his voice ragged. Propping himself up on his elbow, he looked down into her face, his eyes brightening as he stared down at her. Juliet felt his fingers tangle lightly in her hair before his hot mouth planted kisses down the column of her neck and across her chest before coming to a stop just above her breasts. Her nipples puckered in the chill of being exposed.

  With deliberate softness, William’s fingers trailed across the dark pink skin. Juliet felt her body tighten further, her hips shifting restlessly under William’s weight, pressing against him.

  Suddenly the hot, wet heat of his mouth took her breast, his tongue a silken pull against her nipple. Juliet arched her body into him, her hands diving into his hair to hold him against her. Moans tore from her throat as he suckled first one breast, then the other. Finally, he pulled away to trail down her body, his nose and tongue painting a path over her ribs, across her navel, and straight down to her hips.

  By the time he reached her pelvis, he reached out to cup her hips, to calm them as he pushed back, ducking down to drop a kiss over her most intimate place. With a cry, she rose off the floor. Planting one of his heavy hands across her belly, he pressed her earnestly back into the blankets, urging her to let him continue.

  Her find fogged with pleasure as she felt his hot breath on her folds. With such delicate sweetness, he slid a single finger along her crevice

  “William, please,” Juliet begged again, her voice bold.

  “Please what?” William said softly, pressing a chaste kiss against her core. Juliet cried
out, tugging his thick, dark hair between her fingers.

  “More, I need more.” Juliet barely finished the words before William took her with his mouth, sucking lightly on her core before sliding his tongue out to taste her rapturously. Her body arched in desperation to be closer to his lips, his hot mouth. She felt her body beginning to spiral as his tongue probed her body.

  William suddenly moved away, rocking back on his heels and throwing aside the blanket that had been caught between them. Juliet’s eyes immediately fell to the erection jutting from his body, the thick shaft bobbing against William’s taut belly. He gripped it in his hand, staring down at her, watching her, gently palming himself. Curious, Juliet sat up on an elbow, her body still humming with desire, with need, and boldly laid her hand over his.

  William inhaled sharply as he let his hand drop, hers remaining where she stroked his swollen organ, her eyes staring up at him. He was magnificent, every part of him. She knew that more than anything, she needed him inside of her.

  Gasping, William finally gripped her wrist, chuckling as he urged her to relax back. “No more of that, or this show will be over before it even begins.” Juliet smiled, pleased that she had brought him even a small measure of the pleasure that he continued to show her.