He didn’t disappoint. As he leaned his hips in and slipped inch by inch into her body, Charlotte sighed with pleasure. Oh yes. This was what she had dreamed about. He was bigger than her husband had been, and when he fitted himself to the hilt and ground his hips in a slow circle against hers, Charlotte realized Colin was also far more talented. Immediately another orgasm overtook her.
She clung to his shoulders, which were still cloaked in his heavy coat. She slammed her hips to his, no longer caring that her fine gown was caught between them and likely to stain. She even stopped trying to muffle her cries of release as he took her in one hard, long thrust after another. Until finally, as she climaxed a final time, he withdrew from her body and cursed loudly as he spilled his seed against his palm.
Charlotte slowly lowered her legs, letting her feet touch the ground as her heart rate began to slowly ease its way back to normal. She waited for doubts to enter her mind, for her thoughts to race with all the reasons why she shouldn’t have allowed the animal coupling that had just transpired.
As if reading her mind, Colin met her gaze as he fastened his trousers. “Do you regret what just happened?”
She stared at him a long moment. It was impossible to lie to him. It always had been. So she slowly shook her head.
“No. I regret nothing.”
He smiled, an expression of relief as much as pleasure. Then he leaned forward and kissed her so gently it brought tears to her eyes that she blinked away.
“Then I would like to go up to your bedroom and do that again,” he whispered as their lips parted. “Only this time I would like to savor every moment.”
Charlotte’s breath caught. This was her last chance to withdraw from the agreement she had made for an affair that lasted the duration of the storm. She could refuse him.
But she didn’t. She simply smoothed her skirts, unlocked the door behind her and took his hand.
Chapter 3
There was no night and no day. At least no discernable difference that Charlotte could see out her dark window. All she saw was swirling snow. The lack of markers of time made the powerful experiences she was having seem all the more strange and out of context.
Snuggling deeper into the covers, she rolled onto her side to face Colin. The roaring fire that warmed her chamber also cast a flickering glow over his naked skin. Since they reached her room hours ago, they had made love two more times. Once slow, sprawled across her bed as he explored her body for over two hours. And once quick and fast and hot against the wall after he got up to stir the fire. She shivered at the memory of both.
He slept now. His handsome face was relaxed and calm.
How many times had she imagined a moment just like this with Colin? An intimacy that had little to do with the passionate sexual encounters they shared. It felt so right that it was easy to imagine that it would be permanent. That she might wake up every morning to Colin’s warmth beside her.
She shook her head, even as she reached a trembling hand out to trace the hard line of his jaw with a featherlight touch. Those kinds of thoughts would only lead to heartbreak. This was an affair, not a lifetime commitment. And that was how she intended to keep things.
Colin’s eyelashes fluttered and then lifted. Charlotte caught her breath at the deep blue heaven revealed. Despite her very strong thoughts, she was still moved by this man. And when he smiled at her, his gaze still bleary as he cupped the back of her neck and drew her close for a searing kiss, she couldn’t deny that she felt a connection to him that went beyond a mere affair.
“You are as beautiful in the morning as I imagined you would be,” he murmured as he released her.
She smiled at the compliment. “It may still be night. I have no idea. The storm is so bad that I don’t have a good sense of time.”
“That is perfection,” Colin said with a yawn. “I don’t want there to be time or space. Just us.”
He tugged her closer and she settled her head against his shoulder. His arms came around her and they lay that way for a long while. Almost until Charlotte thought he’d fallen back asleep, but then he broke the comfortable silence.
“Was there a reason you picked Saint Valentine’s Day to give Lawrence Darnell your answer to his proposal?”
She winced. The last thing she wanted to think about was the man she might marry. She certainly hadn’t let a thought of him cross her mind since the moment Colin’s lips touched hers. A little guilt poked at her at the realization.
“It is the day of love,” she said with a light laugh that she hoped would serve as a dismissal. “I thought it was as good a day as any to become engaged.”
“Or to refuse him,” Colin said with a chuckle. “The day is based upon a pagan tradition, you know. Long before there was a ‘Saint Valentine,’ the Romans worshiped their goddess Juno. They held love lotteries where a young man and woman would be paired by drawing their names from slips of paper floating in water.”
Charlotte glanced up at him. “A fine thing, to have your fate determined by a slip of paper.”
He shrugged. “Fates have been determined by far worse, my dear. I rather like the idea. I think we should play that little Valentine game together.”
Charlotte pushed up on her elbow and stared down at him with a light laugh. “In case you haven’t noticed, we are the only two in the room. It will be fairly easy to match us. Unless, of course, you intend to bring in my servants as potential suitors. You already admitted to having an eye on one of my chamber maids.”
She said the words lightly, with a teasing smile, but she was glad when Colin sat up and cupped her chin. Drawing her close, he kissed her with such possessiveness and sweetness that it was entirely clear who he wanted.
And if the kiss wasn’t enough, he whispered, “The only one I have an eye for is you. And I don’t mean that we play the traditional Roman game. I want to play our very own version.”
Charlotte shook her head. “And what are your rules?”
“Instead of writing the names of potential suitors on our papers, I want us to write our fantasies. And whichever fantasy we draw is the one we must fulfill.”
Even though Charlotte was naked in this man’s arms, she still blushed. The idea of sharing her fantasies was not a particularly comfortable one. She was a lady. Frank sexual talk had never been something she was schooled in. And sharing those deepest, darkest thoughts with Colin was almost worse. It made her so vulnerable.
“Do not turn your face away,” he said, lifting her chin to force her to look at him. “If this affair between us is to truly be your last chance at passion, I want to fulfill every fantasy you have feared to share.” He moved closer and just barely brushed his lips back and forth against hers.
“And I certainly have more than enough fantasies you can fulfill in kind,” he continued, his voice gruff with the renewed desire she felt in the hot erection that pressed against her thigh.
“Very well,” she conceded with a shiver as his fingers glided up and down her bare spine. “I agree to your game.”
“Excellent.” Colin pushed the covers away and motioned to her washbasin on the dressing table. “We can use that as our fountain. Do you have paper and writing instruments?”
Charlotte nodded as she got out of the bed. Wrapping a robe around herself, she collected the items he required.
“Now we shall part company until our fantasies are written,” Colin said.
“We aren’t going to write them together?” Charlotte asked, annoyed by how her heart leaped at the idea of even this brief parting.
He shook his head, solemnly engrossed in the “game.” “No. The fantasies must be secret until they are chosen. You write five and I will write five. When you are finished, fold them up and we’ll put them in the bowl. I’ll empty it for our purposes. We wouldn’t want disintegrated fantasies.”
Charlotte shook her head with a laugh as she crossed the room so he wouldn’t be able to see what she wrote. She stared at the blank paper for a long time.
It was funny, despite being married, even to a man of known lusts, no one had ever asked her about her fantasies before.
Her husband had slaked his own needs, he had tried to be mindful of her pleasure, but her wants hadn’t ever entered the equation. Now she had five chances to have exactly what she wanted. And from the man she really, truly wanted those pleasures from.
She bit her lip. This exercise might be a little embarrassing at the outset, but in the end, Colin was correct. If this was to be her only chance with him, and perhaps her last chance at true passion, she couldn’t waste it. With renewed purpose, she began to write.
Colin tilted his head to the side, watching as Charlotte dropped all five of her folded sheets of expensive paper into the empty washbowl. He had a powerful urge to run over and open every note up, soaking in the sensual words of her deepest fantasies.
But he didn’t.
His little “game” had a purpose and he had to stay on plan if he was going to reach his goal. And the goal was Charlotte. All of her. Forever. That was worth sacrificing everything for.
He could only hope she would come to see that.
But for now, he was her temporary lover. And if the last few times they had made love were any indication, her body was a gateway to the rest of her. It wasn’t that far of a step from the surrender of her body to the ultimate surrender of everything else.
He smiled as he moved beside her and dropped his own collection of papers into the bowl. She smiled up at him, part playful, part wary.
“And now what, Colin?” she said with a light laugh. “How does your game proceed?”
He turned her toward the bowl gently and stepped behind her. She sucked in her breath as he placed one hand over her eyes and wrapped the other arm around her waist. Beneath her silky robe, he felt the magical shift of her naked body and his erection flared to full hardness instantly. As he pressed against her backside through the fabric, he leaned down to let his breath brush her ear.
“You choose a fantasy. Whose ever is chosen, the other one will fulfill it,” he explained. “No arguments, no denials. Just as in the old love matches of Roman times.”
She let out a low, almost imperceptible groan, but then she reached forward. Her fingers found the edge of the bowl and she glided her hand inside. She swirled the papers around, mixing their fantasies together before she found the folded edge of one of the sheets and withdrew it. Wordless, she handed it over her shoulder to him.
Colin released her as he opened the page, though he kept her back pressed to his front, enjoying how she gently moved against him, rubbing herself against the cock that was aching to fulfill any fantasy, as long as it ended buried deep within her quivering flesh.
He unfolded the paper and smiled. It was one of his own fantasies, which was probably best. Charlotte was still resistant, uncertain, wary. Reading one of his fantasies, letting her have all the control on how she fulfilled it, those things could only give her more certainty in their blossoming relationship.
And he rather liked the idea of what she was about to do.
“What is it?” she asked, peeking over her shoulder at him and nearly unmanning him with the combination of innocence and pure carnal heat in her dark eyes.
“It is mine,” he explained and then read from the paper. “‘In honor of ancient Roman tradition, I would like to be bathed by my lover.’”
Charlotte laughed. “Would you like to be adorned with oils and fed fruits, as well?”
He leaned forward to nip lightly at the perfect shell of her ear. “Surprise me.”
She spun around, leaning her breasts against his chest with her full weight.
“I wonder if I could surprise you, Colin?” she whispered and there was something earnest behind all the teasing.
She leaned up to snatch the paper from his fingers and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
“Your fantasy is my command,” she said. “Now run along to my dressing room. It will take me a short while to prepare for your bath, my lord.”
Colin shook his head as he gave her a courtly bow and backed from her warm arms. At the door that separated the two rooms, he looked back. Charlotte was already flitting about the room, gathering up clothing, straightening the sheets so it wouldn’t be even more obvious to the already-aware servants that she was carrying on with Colin.
Her dark hair tumbled around her shoulders and as she turned so that she was in profile, Colin saw a little smile turning up her lips. That smile made his chest swell with emotions and pride. He loved seeing Charlotte playful and happy.
And if he had his way, he would be able to keep her in that state for the rest of her life.
Chapter 4
Charlotte adjusted her outfit carefully and took one last look around her bedroom before she smiled. Everything was perfect. She only hoped Colin would agree.
She opened the door between her two chambers and found him sitting at her writing desk, staring out at the swirling snow, his back to her. For a moment, she smiled at the image. He was such a large presence at her very delicate and feminine escritoire.
“I’m ready for you,” she said.
He got up and turned toward her. “And it’s about time…” he began with a teasing tone that trailed off as he saw her outfit.
Charlotte grinned. She had carefully modified one of her prettiest, silkiest chemises so that it looked quite like an ancient roman shift. She had piled her hair high on the crown of her head and wrapped her upper arms with golden bracelets.
“This is better than a fantasy,” Colin breathed as he crossed toward her slowly. “I asked to be bathed by my lover, and instead I am greeted by the goddess Juno, herself.”
Charlotte turned her face with pleasure and embarrassment at the compliment. She would never grow accustomed to such words coming from Colin’s mouth. At least, she never intended to. She intended to drink them in and revel in them.
“Come inside,” she said, stepping aside to motion him into her bedroom.
He sucked in a breath as he looked around him. She had transformed her bedroom as well. Her large bathtub sat in the middle of the room, steaming from the hot water awaiting him. Candles had been lit all over the room, adding to the glow of the firelight. Rose and orchid petals spread on the floor and floating in the bathwater gave the heady scent of flowers to the air.
Colin bent and picked up a petal from the floor. Holding it up in wonder, he said, “Flowers? In the midst of a storm?”
She smiled. “In the orangery I keep a few plants to have fresh flowers in winter. I had the servants pick the prettiest ones.”
“This is a fantasy,” he said as he let the petal fall from his fingers to the ground. His gaze grew heavier, more taut with desire as he stared at her. “Better than a fantasy.”
“Divest, my lord,” she ordered softly. “If I am to bathe you, I do not want your bathwater to get cold.”
“Yes, goddess,” he said with a deferent nod as he released the knot that closed his robe and let the fabric fall away.
The air left Charlotte’s lungs in a whoosh of heavy breath. Dear God, but he was a specimen of a man. Lean muscle tapered down his chest, his arms, and his legs. Years of fencing and riding had kept him in perfect condition.
And then there was his cock.
Charlotte had not seen a great many, of course. Her husband had been her one and only lover. But she had heard a great deal of discussion of such things from her married and widowed friends. Enough talk that she had a sense of what to expect from the average man.
Colin was in no way average.
She shivered just thinking of how good it felt when he pressed that long, heavy length of muscle deep into her body. Already her thighs clenched, wet heat trickling from inside of her as she anticipated the moment when these little games of fantasy ended and they joined together once more.
Colin seemed immune to her perusal. He turned away, revealing buttocks as muscular as the rest of his lovely form, and lifted one foot into the steam
ing bath. He sighed as he slowly eased himself under the surface of the water.
“Great God, I needed that.”
She moved forward and knelt on the pillows she had stacked beside the tub in preparation for this moment.
“I imagine you would after your long, cold ride,” she said as she took up a sponge and soap.
He arched a mischievous brow at her. “If you recall, my last ride was quite hot and wet, my dear.”
Rolling her eyes, Charlotte wetted the items in her hands, lathering the sponge until the foamy soap soaked every pore. Then she leaned forward and began to swirl delicate circles across Colin’s broad, wet chest. He made a hissing sound of pleasure and shut his eyes.
“I am at your mercy, great goddess of…” He hesitated and one eye came open. “What was Juno goddess of?”
Charlotte faltered in her strokes before she said, “Marriage, I believe.”
“Ah.” He settled back again. “How appropriate.”
She was quiet for a while. The only sounds in the room were the soft sloshing of water, the swish of the sponge across Colin’s skin, and his occasional groan of pleasure when she teased her fingers below the surface of the water and stroked his belly.
“You know, I do not think I was specific enough in my fantasy,” he finally said as he sat up a little and looked at her.
Charlotte couldn’t help but smile, even as she let her fingers under the water one more time. But this time she did a little more than tease. She cupped his cock and found him fully erect beneath the cloudy water.
“Weren’t you?” she asked innocently, while she took him in hand and stroked him base to head. “Where do you require more detail, my lord?”
“I should have said that I wanted to wash my lover, as well,” he groaned as he caught her beneath her arms and pulled her closer.
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