by Dawn Brower
While his gaze remained on her she rolled over and opened her eyes. “Good morning,” she said and rubbed her eyes with her hands.
“Good morning to you beautiful.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Are you ready to start your day?”
“Can’t we just stay in bed all day, I can think of a few things we can do,” she said coyly.
“Well I never said we had to get out of bed just yet.” Rand kissed her again.
She wound her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. When he lifted her leg around his hip, he could feel her wetness stroke his shaft. The need to be inside her grew as his cock hardened. He trailed kisses down her neck and he pushed himself inside of her. She moaned with pleasure. With slow strokes, he slid in and out of her tight channel until her breaths became heavy on his shoulder. She bit his ear and licked away the pain.
“You feel so wonderful inside of me,” she said with a groan. “Give me more Rand. I need it.”
At her words he began to move harder and faster inside of her. A squeal of pleasure filled the room as he rolled Lily on her back and raised her hips under his hands. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held him tight against her. He rode her hard until she screamed as her orgasm rolled over her. He followed her into bliss a short time after her.
Rand held her tight in his arms when each wave of pleasure reached in and grabbed a hold of his soul. He rolled them onto their sides with heavy breaths coming out of his mouth. His breathing started to slow down and even out as his body became more relaxed. He didn’t think loving her could get any better, but this time the pleasure had been even more intense than the first time.
“Darling, I do believe you have found your calling.”
“And what’s that?” she asked with boldness in her voice. Her fingers trailed lightly down his back.
“Loving me,” he said and kissed her forehead.
“Always.”
“I hate to say it, but I do believe we need to start moving now.”
“Must we?”
“Yes, Jamieson and Eliza are expecting us for breakfast and we did make plans to go horseback riding. Unless you have changed your mind about getting a look at this land you inherited.”
“I do want to go horseback riding. So let’s start the day.”
“Good. Let’s get moving. I’m famished.”
“So am I,” she said with a laugh. “And yes, for food.”
They got up and quickly got dressed. Rand grabbed Lily’s hand as they strolled down the stairs into the dining room. Eliza and Jamieson were already seated at the table. Jamieson had a paper spread out in his arms as he read it. Eliza sipped from her cup as she gazed at nothing in front of her.
“Good morning,” Lilliana said them both.
Jamieson closed his paper and looked over at the two of them as they sat down at the table. Rand nodded to him.
“I trust you both slept well,” Jamieson said.
“Indeed we did,” Lilliana said as a small blush grew on her cheeks.
It did his heart good to see that his wife could be embarrassed. He believed her brazen attitude overflowed every aspect of her life.
“Can I get you two any coffee or tea?” Eliza asked. “We have a small breakfast bar and we serve ourselves. There are hard-boiled eggs, sausages, and toast. A variety of jams as well as some scones if you like.”
“I’d like some tea,” Lilliana answered.
“What about you, Mr. Collins?”
“Coffee, and please call me Rand. I don’t see why we should remain formal.”
“Thank you,” she said with kindness. “I don’t see any reason either. I will get your drinks and be back soon.”
He watched as she left the room. Eliza was a kind woman. He liked to think his mother would have been like her.
“Would you like me to make a plate for you?” he asked Lilliana.
“Oh, that would be lovely, thank you.”
“Anything in particular you want?”
“A bit of everything,” she said with a laugh. “I did tell you I’m famished remember.”
Rand got up to make a plate for himself and Lilliana. As she requested he put a little bit of everything on her plate before he set it in front of her. He decided he would do the same for himself as he finished filling up his own plate. He sat down at the table and took a bite of toast as he looked over at his wife.
“Are you still planning on taking a couple of horses out today?” Jamieson asked.
“Yes we are. After we finish breakfast if that’s still all right.” Lily said.
“Of course it is. Technically you do own them after all.”
“I guess I do. I hadn’t thought of that,” she answered.
“When you are finished, I will walk out to the stable with you and show you which horses are good for riding,” Jamieson said.
They ate in silence as Rand watched Lilliana eat everything he had put on her plate. She really had worked up an appetite. Once she finished eating she dabbed her mouth with her napkin and looked over at him.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing, just admiring my wife.”
“We’ll I’m done eating and want to go riding. Are you finished?”
“Eating? Absolutely.”
“Well I guess we are ready to go investigate that stable of horses,” Lilliana proclaimed.
“If you’ll follow me I will show them to you,” Jamieson replied.
A door slammed and a loud noise rumbled through the house followed by an equally thunderous bellow.
“Lilliana Marsden, where are you!”
“I think your parents have arrived.” Jamieson said with a tilt of his head. “I believe that bellow was your father.”
They looked up as they saw Viscount Torrington storm into the room followed by a woman that Rand assumed was his wife and Lily’s mother. Viscount Torrington’s face was so red it bordered on being purple. If Rand were a coward he would try to slink out the door, and out of harm’s way. He didn’t back down from anyone and he planned on staying married to Lily for the rest of his life. If he had one hope it would be a very long life. He could have gone a while without dealing with her father, but it looked as if he didn’t have much choice in the matter.
“Young lady we have some things to discuss.” Torrington glared at Lily as the words roared from within him.
“Are you hungry father? We were just enjoying breakfast. Please have a seat,” Lily replied with a cajoling voice.
Rand suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at Lily and her father. Did she really believe treating him like a child in the throes of a temper tantrum would work?
“Don’t try to placate me young lady. You deliberately disobeyed and lied to us. You will answer for your indiscretions.” Torrington practically bellowed the words at her.
Rand’s lips formed a thin line of displeasure. He understood Torrington’s irritation, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t allow him to lay a hand on her. Lily was his to protect now. “Well, I can’t allow you to punish her. Please have a seat Viscount Torrington so we can discuss the situation like civilized people.” Maybe if he reasoned with her father they could handle the situation as peacefully as possible.
Torrington turned and glared at Rand. Up until that point his attention had been solely focused on Lilliana. He knew that he would have to face him eventually, and it looked like it was time to do so. Rand had no regrets even if it looked like the man intended to beat him to a bloody pulp.
“I think I understand now.” Torrington stormed over to Rand’s side of the table and leaned on one of the chairs. “You are the one I need to hold responsible. Why did you kidnap my daughter, Mr. Collins? Did my interpretation of your business make you that mad? I don’t take those actions lightly.”
Rand should have known that the viscount was entirely too calm as he stood there talking to him. He believed the man capable of reasoning, but he should have factored in Lilliana’s importance to him. If he had a daughter he would have
been capable of murdering the poor sot that ran away with her. He didn’t blame the man for his feelings on the matter. However the fist that planted in his face and knocking him out he did find fault with. The blasted man hadn’t even let me explain anything was his last thought before blackness took over and he fell unconscious.
Chapter Seventeen
Lilliana jumped out of her chair and ran around the table to kneel before Rand’s crumpled body sprawled out on the floor. At first she had remained rooted in her seat in horror watching her father’s fist meet Rand’s face. It was only after her mind could process the scene before her she was able to act. A scream to match her dismay erupted from her mouth before she rushed to her husband’s side. Now she patted his cheek lightly to see if she could get him to wake up without any success.
“Jamieson, we need to get him upstairs.” Lilliana gasped. “I don’t know how long he is going to be out.”
“I can certainly help. Thor, you are going to need to help me, he isn’t a small lad.”
“Damned if I do. I think he’s exactly where he belongs.”
Lilliana turned and glared at her father. His only reaction was to shrug without care. Her father may believe Rand belonged on the floor, but it was only because he didn’t really know him. In his mind he kidnapped her forcing her to accompany him to South Carolina.
“Don’t be an arse. He likely deserved to be pummeled a bit for running off with your daughter, but he is now her husband. You need to respect that.” Jamieson spoke up to her father.
“In fact, I don’t. I plan on murdering the thieving bastard as soon as he wakes up. He clearly had a death wish and I’m happy to oblige,” Torrington replied.
Lilliana could see from the expression on her father’s face he meant every word he said. She had to find a way to reason with him. The blame belonged squarely on her shoulders, not Rand’s. The decision to run away had been made long before she had met him. She needed to make him understand how much she loved Rand. She adored her father, but she was not going to allow him to harm her husband. No matter what it took she would make sure her father understood he couldn’t come between her and the man she loved.
“Daddy, I can’t allow you to hurt him any more than you have. Please understand this decision was mine to make, not yours. I belong here with my husband.” She walked over to him and placed her hands in his. She looked up into his eyes and showed every ounce of emotion rolling through her in one look. Lilliana pleaded and demanded with her eyes for her father to understand what she wanted from him. If he couldn’t hear her words she wanted him to see what his actions would do to her. “I need your help. Can you try to recognize that and assist Jamieson to take him up to the bedroom?”
“Fine. I will help him, but then you and I are going to have a long overdue talk.”
Lilliana turned to Jamieson and said, “Can I trust you to make sure no harm comes to him while you both take him upstairs?”
“You have my word, the lad will arrive safely. “ Jamieson nodded at her father. “I will make sure he comes back down with me after we settle him in your room.”
“I’m not going to do him any harm.” He glared down at Rand’s unconscious body. “Not until he is awake at least.”
He walked over and grabbed Rand’s head and heaved upward as Jamieson grabbed his feet. She noticed that even though her father had agreed to help carry Rand he didn’t do it with any kind of care to his well-being. It irritated Lilliana to watch him be so disrespectful to her new husband. She would just have to take Jamieson at his word. He would make sure her father didn’t hurt him. Once they came back down she would make sure her father understood what would happen if he did anything at all to her husband. She would never speak to him again if he marred him in any way.
“I think we need to talk before your father comes back down.”
Lilliana turned to look at her mother. She had barely noticed her arrival after her father forced his way into the dining room. Breakfast was completely ruined. She had lost her appetite anyway when she watched Rand fall from his chair and hit the ground with a loud thud.
“I think you may be right. I’ve made a mess of things,” Lilliana said with a sigh.
“Darling, that is the understatement of the year.” Her mother rolled her eyes as she pushed a strand of her pale blonde hair behind her ear. “You didn’t have to deal with your father for the past three weeks. I don’t think I’ve seen him this mad since my grandpere tried to murder him.”
“Your grandpere actually did that? I thought that was just something you made up to make the story sound more daring.”
“Yes, he did and don’t change the subject. You need to explain yourself. Why did you run off? Did meeting that man cause you to lose your mind?” her mother asked.
“No of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t leave because of Rand. He just made it possible for me to get what I wanted.”
“Then explain this all to me. Why did you marry him? I know you were against marriage.”
“I’m not allowed to fall in love? I didn’t leave because of him. I left because I wanted to live here. You were just not listening to me. So I made the necessary arrangements to get what I wanted. Rand just agreed to transport me.” Lilliana walked over to her mother and grasped her hands within in her own. “He’s an amazing man, Mama. I’m not saying that just because I love him. He protected me and made sure I had everything I needed. Even when I threw myself at him he refused me. He’s a good choice and I stand by it.”
“Well you don’t have to convince me. It’s your father that isn’t likely to believe you. It might take a little bit to make him understand, but I will try to help you.”
“Thank you. I am sorry that I worried you. I tried to alleviate that.”
“When you have children of your own someday you will realize a mere letter isn’t reassuring enough. Parents always worry about their children. It’s a responsibility that never goes away.”
“I need to check up on him,” Lilliana said.
“Your father isn’t likely to let you near him until he has words with you. I’ve never seen him so irate and scared at the same time. Thor always seems to have things under control. Let him have his say first. I’m sure your husband will be fine in the meantime.”
“I suppose you’re right. I will wait.” Lilliana looked over at the open doorway. “However, I’m not going to let him scream at me while my husband needs me. I will give him a moment of time to say his piece, but if I think Rand needs me the conversation is over.”
Right after those words left her mouth Thor breezed in followed by Jamieson. He still wore a thunderous expression on his face. His lips pursed in displeasure, and his eyes narrowed to tiny slits as he focused his attention on her once again.
“Now that I’ve tossed the rubbish into another room, you and I are going to have a little discussion on mistruths and nearly giving your parents heart palpitations.”
“I already apologized to mom. I’m extending it to you as well. You know I didn’t mean to make you worry about me. This is where I want to be. I’m sorry, Daddy, but this is where I belong.”
“You wouldn’t be here if not for that upstart American. I can’t believe you married him. We can rectify that when we get home.”
“Are you listening to me at all? I’m not going back to England. Not now and probably not for a long time. I married Rand of my own free will. Nothing you say will make me want to leave him. I love him and I’m staying here as his wife.”
“I’ll tell you how I will rectify it. I will make sure the bloody bastard is no longer breathing.”
Lilliana flinched as those words left her father’s mouth. How could he threaten the man she loved? Didn’t he want her to fall in love and get married? Both her parents kept pushing her toward that end, and now he doesn’t like the result? No, her father would understand he couldn’t dictate to her any longer, and he would never lay a hand on her husband again.
“You will do no such
thing. Rand hasn’t had an easy life. You are not going to make it any more miserable. He grew up alone in an orphanage. His mother died giving birth to him. He told me he knows next to nothing about his parents. I know it pains him that he didn’t know anything about her except her name.”
“Your daughter has a point, Thor. You need...”
Her father interrupted Jamieson, “I don’t need to do a bloody thing. You have no idea what I went through when I found out she hopped a ship with him. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
“I think I understand that kind of pain better than anyone,” Jamieson replied quietly.
She heard her father groan so she turned her attention back to him. He had a perplexed look on his face as he watched Jamieson.
“I’m so sorry—I wasn’t thinking. I know you experienced a loss that would cripple even the strongest man.”
Lilliana bobbed her head back and forth between the two of them. “I don’t understand what you are talking about.”
“I lost my first wife, Emily, and our child. She died giving birth to him. The poor boy wasn’t breathing when he came out. I lost everything in one moment and wasn’t even there to see them both through it.”
“Emily? How interesting, that’s Rand’s mother’s name,” Lily replied deep in thought. She couldn’t help wondering if there was a connection. Could there be? No, Jamieson said they both died. She grabbed Jamieson’s arm and gained his full attention. “I don’t mean to pry, but is there maybe a possibility—”
Her father turned toward Jamieson and asked, “Do you know what she is talking about?”
“Are you suggesting what I think you are? How could that even be possible?”
Lilliana wasn’t sure if she hoped she was right, or if she prayed she was wrong. She could see pain in every inch of Jamieson’s features. “What was your Emily’s full name?”
“Before we married it was Emily—” Jamieson paused for a second and rubbed his hand over his face, “Good God, how did I not see it?”