by Vella, Wendy
“Rubbish.” He leaned over her until their eyes met and held. “Admit to me you are loveable.”
“I’m not.” She lifted a hand and touched his cheek. Just a brief brush of one finger, and Ben gave in to the inevitable and kissed her.
“We shouldn’t do that.”
“No, we shouldn’t.” He kissed her again, this time taking it deeper. “But we will, as no one is here to see us.”
“Benjamin.” She sighed his name into his mouth.
“Primrose.” He nibbled her jaw and down her neck. “Just a few harmless kisses.” Harmless, he scoffed silently. Kissing her was like setting tinder to paper.
“Oh, that feels nice.”
He knew she’d be the kind of woman to tell a man exactly how she felt. The kind of woman who would want to experience all the wonders a kiss could give her.
“How about this?” Ben placed his lips on the skin above the bodice of her dress.
“N-nice also.”
This was wrong on so many levels, but surely a few kisses would not hurt. No one would ever know they had shared them. He wanted to stop her hurting. Stop her thinking she was unlovable. Surely he could do that with a few kisses.
He returned to her lips and took her mouth again for another hot, searing kiss.
“Open for me, Primrose.”
She did, and he eased his body over, half on top of hers, and seconds later was lost. His head swam, his mind emptied of all but her, and he’d never felt quite so desperate in his life before.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Primrose wrapped her arms around Benjamin’s neck and held on. His kisses were heating her body, making her feel weak. Her limbs felt like they were infused with warm liquid. Before, when they’d kissed, it had been lovely, wonderful even, but this… this was all-consuming.
“More,” she whispered as he moved to her neck again.
“If you insist.” His words were gruff and told her he too was affected. “But I want you to tell me you are loveable first.”
“No.”
She felt his hand on her thigh, hot and heavy, stroking up her leg, and she wanted it on her skin. Wanted to feel the wonder of their flesh touching.
“Tell me,” he ordered her.
“I would be lying to you if I did, and I-I try not to do that.”
She shivered as he kissed the edge of her jaw. His other hand wandered upward to slip under the edge of her bodice and stroke, so close to her breast. Her nipple grew tight and ached. Then he tugged the material aside and cupped the full flesh of one breast.
“Oh, Benjamin.”
“You have lovely breasts, Primrose.”
They’d really just always been there, on her chest, but now she was quite glad of that fact, as they felt wonderful under his large hand.
He took her lips in a hot, bone-melting kiss. Exquisite did not begin to explain what this felt like. She now understood the poems and odes that people wrote about passion. Understood how people did foolish things in the name of love. Right then, she would do anything he asked of her.
Not that this is love, she reminded herself quickly.
“I must stop,” he whispered against her lips.
“No, I don’t want you to.” She was desperate for him to continue. Desperate to have the tension building inside her eased. Desperate to feel wanted by someone for once in her life.
The hand at her breast squeezed, and one long finger stroked over a nipple, making her shudder. His other hand was on her leg, moving higher under her skirts, stoking the flames of need into a furnace inside her.
When his mouth left hers again, she grabbed his shoulders to urge him back, but he ignored her, moving lower, and then she felt his lips on her breast.
“Dear Lord, Benjamin.” Primrose thought what they’d been doing had been wonderful, but when his mouth closed over her nipple, she was fairly sure she could have swooned—had she been the type to do so, and standing upright.
The hand under her skirts moved in between her thighs, and Primrose made a squeaking sound and clamped them together.
“Let me do this for you, Primrose.” His voice was hoarse. “I want this for you.”
She let her thighs fall open. He stroked her there, tracing a single finger down the soft folds, sending her into a riot of delight.
Hollyhocks, she was surely going to explode with the pleasure of it all.
And then he stopped, just when she was sure something was about to happen.
“Why have you stopped?”
“Sssh.” He placed a hand over her mouth. “I think I hear someone.”
Primrose wasn’t sure how, as all she’d heard was a roaring in her ears.
“B-but, Ben—” The rest of her words were muffled by his hand.
“Be quiet,” he whispered in her ear, pulling her skirts down and hoisting her bodice up. “Hide.”
She scrambled to her feet, pleased that her legs were now working, and hurried to duck behind a half wall. Benjamin followed. Crouching beside her, he handed her a small bundle.
“Someone is coming in here; you must be quiet.”
“I can hear they are coming, and I know to be quiet.”
“Is this you being quiet?” His face was inches from hers.
She shut her mouth.
They listened to the sound of feet entering the barn.
“The carriage will be ready soon, but he wants us to check here, before we leave, for the woman.”
The hand on Primrose’s arm gripped her harder. She was then forced backward onto her bottom. Seconds later she was in the dark with a cover thrown over her head. It was smelly, and she choked back the gagging sounds. Benjamin wasn’t in here with her, so where was he hiding?
“Good day, gentlemen, what can I help you with?”
“You!”
“He’s one of them toffs from that house. I saw him one day when he came into the stables.”
“Grab him!”
Primrose didn’t know what to do. If she showed herself, they’d take her too, and then there would be no way of escape. She heard the sound of a fist meeting flesh and hoped it was not Benjamin on the receiving end.
“Throw that over him, he’s a strong bugger!”
“Christ, there’s three of us, and he’s putting up a good show!”
She heard more scuffles, and then suddenly they stopped.
“Right, let’s get him back and see what Sanders wants done with him.”
She waited a further five minutes, counting them off in her head. They were the longest minutes she’d ever waited. Primrose then threw off the cover and took a large breath.
“This is not good,” she whispered. “Not good at all.”
Benjamin had shown himself because he feared they’d take them both otherwise. The gesture spoke of the man she already knew he was. The honorable, protective man who loved his family and friends.
Grabbing the bundle of food, she left her hiding place and let herself out of the barn. Checking the way was clear, she crept to the trees. They would hide her from the road and anyone travelling along it. Reaching the end, she crouched and watched the inn. There was no sign of Benjamin, but there was no sign of the carriage either. Both were likely still inside the stables.
Opening the bundle, she ate a piece of cheese and half a slice of pie. Primrose needed her strength. Drinking some of the ale, she shuddered. She’d never developed a taste for it. She then tried to come up with a plan.
Somehow, she had to follow that carriage and rescue Benjamin; she just wasn’t sure how yet. Clutching the bundle, she dashed along the road into the courtyard. Veering right, she made it undetected to the stables and found a door at the rear. Dare she go through it?
It was vital she remained undetected, but she had to see what was going on. Leaving the food outside, she dropped to a crouch and slipped through the door.
“It’s lucky there’s no other travelers about. Someone would be highly suspicious if they saw us carrying him back here.”
“He’s in the carriage now, away from prying eyes.”
They were discussing Benjamin. She hoped they had not hurt him.
“The sooner we leave, the better. That busybody Miss Ainsley will be trying to raise the alarm by now. She will have a way to walk, as the next village is some distance, but she’s a determined sort.”
She recognized Mr. Sanders’s voice now. Am I a busybody?
“Do you think she knows we have him?”
“I doubt it. My guess is Hetherington somehow came upon us and realized we had Miss Ainsley in the carriage. He then followed, and was about to attempt to grab her when you grabbed him. You did search that barn, didn’t you? There was no sign of that infernal woman?”
“Yes.”
“We did.”
“Aye.”
They were lying; if they had searched, they would have found her.
“Why didn’t he grab her last night?”
“Maybe he tried and couldn’t find her. Plus, I was guarding outside her door, so she must have left by the window.”
“From the second story?” Sanders scoffed. “She’d break her bloody neck!”
“She must have tied the sheets together.”
“Did you check that?” Sanders asked.
“No. But how did she get out when you’d given her that sleeping draft? Maybe you didn’t give her enough.”
“I did wonder that at the time,” Sanders said. “She’s a devilishly tricky woman. I endured many days with her, and that was not easy, I assure you. That woman is a challenging one.”
“There you have it, then,” another voice said. “She’s obviously woken and worked her way out the window and down to the ground.”
“Let’s hope she had a fall and hurt herself, and it festers,” Sanders snarled.
Charming. His words merely reinforced what she already knew. Primrose was not a loveable person. Benjamin had tried to tell her differently, but she knew better.
“That’d be the best outcome.”
“No one’s asking you. Now get this coach fixed. We need to get moving!” Sanders roared.
“It’s fixed.”
“Then why are we talking and not moving! I’m going to get my things, then we’re leaving, and this time we’re not stopping until we reach Dover.”
“We’ll need to change horses.”
“It will be done with haste,” Sanders snapped. “Now get the horses harnessed, and let’s go!”
Primrose heard the sound of feet.
“He’s a mean bastard, that one,” she heard someone mutter.
“Aye.”
Peeking around the edge of the partition, Primrose saw the coach. The men were focused on the front and harnessing the horses. Studying the vehicle, she saw the seat that Benjamin must have ridden in at the rear. Dare she climb aboard and hope no one decided to use it? It looked precarious, and her stomach rolled at the thought of being balanced up there for hours. But what choice did she have?
The waiting as they prepared to leave stretched her nerves to breaking point. Especially as Benjamin was inside that coach just a few feet away, no doubt trussed up like a goose.
She didn’t want to think about him hurting; it made her stomach ache. Primrose decided she had to move now and get into that coach or she would be left behind. There was no way she could catch it when it started moving. No doubt she’d ended up face-first on the road. Plus, she didn’t have the darkness to conceal her like Benjamin had.
Inhaling a deep breath, she scurried to the rear of the carriage while the men were still busy with the horses and climbed up and into the seat. Crouching in the small space, she closed her eyes and prayed no one found her.
She didn’t have long to wait before the coach was lumbering out of the inn with one more occupant than they realized. She settled in and hoped her stomach did not get too unsettled.
Visions of what she and Benjamin had done in that barn filled her head now that she had time to think. Time to remember how wonderful he had made her feel. She should be shocked at her wantonness, and yet she wasn’t—perhaps because she’d never felt that close to a person before. Whatever the reason, she would never regret that small moment in time. A moment where she experienced what it felt like to be wanted. A moment she doubted she would ever recapture.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ben had been in bad situations in his life. There was the time he and Alex got into trouble in the gambling den and hadn’t been able to pay their debts. Finn had stepped in to save them from being beaten and likely thrown in the Thames. Another time, they’d invited two young ladies on a picnic, only for their fathers to come instead. Ben hadn’t known he and Alex could run that fast.
This situation, however, was something he would have to extricate himself from alone. He had no problems with that; since his brothers had married, he’d been running solo a lot. He’d enjoyed aspects of that but did miss Alex, as once they’d been inseparable.
“We won’t have to drug him, because we should reach the port before nightfall.”
Sanders sat to his right, and another man to his left. Ben was trussed up like a goose on the floor between them. A pillow would be nice, as his head was banging on the floor.
“The Duke of Rossetter is a powerful enemy to have, Sanders. As are the other men at that house party, especially my siblings.”
“They will not find me, Hetherington, as I will be long gone from here with the expectation of a great deal of money in my immediate future.”
“I hope you put a great distance between us, as my eldest brother is somewhat dogged in his need to protect my brother and me. He has been known to travel far and wide to seek retribution,” Ben said in a conversational tone. “Then there is the fact that I will likely want to seek some of my own.”
“I am not frightened of you and your brothers, Hetherington. You will never find me.”
“May I ask what you’ve done with Miss Ainsley, as she appears not to be in this carriage.”
He’d thought long and hard about what to say with regard to Primrose and decided that his not knowing her location was the outcome best for her.
“Somehow she escaped. The woman’s trouble, and I knew that from the start.”
“Watch what you say about her, Sanders. Miss Ainsley is my friend.”
Sanders scoffed, making Ben’s fingers itch to strike him.
“She has a great deal to say for herself. It’s hardly surprising she is not a society favorite,” Sanders said.
Yes, she did, and Ben realized that was what he liked most about Primrose. She was no retiring, meek miss, his Miss Ainsley.
His Miss Ainsley.
He tested the words and found he liked them. Memories of her full breast in his hand and the taste of her on his lips were things he would carry with him for some time.
I’m unlovable.
Her family needed to be shot for letting her believe that. The woman was totally loveable. Hell, if Ben wasn’t who he was, he was sure he could love her… but he didn’t and wouldn’t.
“She will have raised the alarm, Sanders. You will be caught in no time.” Ben looked to the other man seated across from Sanders; he appeared uncomfortable.
“We will be gone before then.”
“And dare I ask what you’ll do with me?”
“Shoot you if you don’t shut up!” Sanders snapped.
“Shooting a viscount’s brother… let me see. I think someone can be hanged for that.”
“Here, we can’t shoot him!” The other man looked a bit green now.
“Shut up, you fool. I need to think!”
“Clearly not one of your strong points,” Ben needled him, “or you would have started by now.”
“I’ve infiltrated your ranks for the last year, Hetherington, to execute this plan, and none of you knew who was in your midst,” Sanders scoffed. “So I think we can say that thinking is indeed an asset of mine.”
Ben made a scoffing sound as he wriggled to get comf
ortable. His bonds were tight; he knew this as he’d been trying to free himself since they’d dumped him in the carriage.
“Sanders, we tolerated you, but that was all.”
The man’s face tightened in anger.
“Any chance I can occupy a seat? The coach springs are not making my current situation comfortable. Plus, I have no wish to hurl the entire contents of my stomach over your boots… then again….”
He hoped Primrose had indeed gone for help and that she was now safe. The woman was reckless, but he reminded himself that there was no way she could have followed him. She didn’t know how to ride, so a horse was out of the question, and she wouldn’t have been able to get on this coach undetected.
“Pull him up.”
Ben bit back the moan as his ribs gave a sharp jolt of pain and the abused muscles in his shoulders ached.
“Many thanks.” He nodded to the man he was now seated beside.
“You’re welcome, sir.”
“Don’t be polite to him!” Sanders roared. “He’s a nuisance and nothing more.”
“It makes me nervous that his family will be after him now.”
“You let me worry about that.”
They traveled in silence, and from snatched glimpses of landmarks, Ben noted they were heading to Dover.
“My guess is the book you stole is leaving these shores?”
“Very good, Hetherington. I am to receive a large sum of money for it.”
“We certainly won’t miss you, but the book belongs here.” Ben kept his voice calm, as if he was conversing over the breakfast table. He didn’t want this man to know he was in fact seething with rage. He’d touched Primrose. Struck her, and Sanders would be made to pay for that.
“Well, now it will have a new home,” Sanders mocked. “With someone who will take excellent care of it.”
They stopped to change horses, and Ben was gagged and forced back down onto the floor, and then they were off again. As the day dwindled into early evening and the sun lowered in the sky, they reached the port of Dover. Ben had once again been forced onto the floor and gagged for the last few miles, and his body was protesting loudly.
The carriage rolled into a barn and stopped.