She pushed her fingers through his hair and stared deep into his dark gray eyes. “I want you, Jordan. I do.”
His hot velvet slid against her thigh then, and he nudged between her legs. Annie braced herself. Another slide and a push and he was fully inside of her.
“Damn it.”
The moment he breached her maidenhead, Jordan knew.
Annie let out a soft whimper. He stopped moving immediately and dragged his thumbs across her silken cheekbones, steadying her face to look into her eyes. “Annie. No. Why?” He kissed her forehead and rested his own against hers. He was completely still.
Annie let the tiny bit of pain subside. Her nose was scrunched up and she couldn’t help but gasp. She wrapped her arms around his muscular shoulders. “It’s all right, Jordan,” she whispered against his lips. “This is what I want.”
The struggle played out across his face. He looked like a tortured man. “But … why?”
“I want you, Jordan, please. Don’t you want me too?”
A pained look flashed across his face. “God. Yes,” he groaned.
“Then make love to me, Jordan. Please make love to me.”
“Oh God, Annie. I don’t think I could stop.” Jordan groaned again. He wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled back a little.
Realizing she’d won, Annie smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders even more tightly. He pushed back inside of her gently, so gently, and Annie forgot all about the momentary flash of discomfort.
Oh, now this was going to be fun.
Jordan maneuvered his hips and Annie shuddered Good God, the man knew exactly what he was doing. Annie had never even dreamed about such things. He toyed with her, he played with her, he tortured her. His finger found her again and he brought her to the pinnacle of release twice, making her cling to him and beg him not to stop.
But he did.
He was wicked in bed, Lord Ashbourne. And Annie enjoyed every single moment of it.
Finally, he was through with playing games. Annie could see the taut line of his jaw when he’d decided they both couldn’t take it anymore. He slid into her again and again, making her feel things she’d never felt. His breathing was hard and his forehead slicked with sweat. His finger found her one more time and he nudged her in tiny perfect circles, again and again, over and over while she clung to him.
“Jordan. Yes,” she called out, shivering on the pinnacle of pleasure. She sucked in her breath and shuddered, unable to stop her intense reaction to the pleasure he’d given her. While Jordan plowed into her again and again until he grabbed her hips tightly and whispered her name in her ear and then shuddered himself into her wet warmth.
Jordan pulled himself away from her, then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to his chest.
Minutes passed. They lay together for what seemed like an eternity, their breathing matching, their hearts beating in unison, until Annie fell asleep, wrapped in the warm comfort of his strong arms.
* * *
Annie awoke to sunlight pouring through the window. She smiled to herself, suddenly remembering the kaleidoscope of events from the previous night. Oh, she had been … bad. And so had Jordan. So bad, but so, so good.
She glanced over to the opposite side of the bed, expecting to see him sleeping. Instead, Jordan was propped up against the pillows. He clutched his dark head in his hands. He’d never looked so disheveled and so … wonderful. The man was an Adonis even first thing in the morning. Completely unfair.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
He cracked a smile. “A bit of a headache but nothing I don’t deserve.”
“Can I get you anything?”
Lifting his head, he glanced over at her. “Annie, we must talk.”
She rolled over, leaned up on one elbow, and kissed him on the cheek. “No.”
He looked twice. “No? What do you mean, no?”
“I mean I refuse to talk to you.” She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s do what we did last night again.”
He gently pulled her arms from around his neck and pushed away from her. “I need to keep you at arm’s length. Look, last night was—”
“No!” She nearly shouted this time.
He winced and pressed his fingers to his temples.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, biting her lip. “I didn’t mean to be so loud.”
He groaned. “Will you please tell me why you refuse to talk to me?”
She rolled her eyes. “I know exactly what you’re going to say.”
“Really?” He arched a brow. “That’s interesting, given that I don’t know exactly what I intend to say.”
“You’re going to say something insane like you must do the right thing and marry me now, et cetera.”
“I—”
“And you’ll go to Devon right now and offer for me.”
He smiled at her. “Anything else?”
“Yes. You won’t go to Devon and you won’t go to Lily.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because if you go to Lily and Devon, I will tell them that you ravished me last night. Right here, in their own home.”
Jordan crossed his arms over his chest. “And you think Devon will disagree with my offer of marriage then?”
“Not at all. I merely think he’ll be too preoccupied with loading his pistol to ask any questions about the nuptials.”
Jordan’s face turned a shade paler. He narrowed his eyes at her. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I would dare. If you dare.” She propped herself up against her pillows, pulling up the sheet over her breasts, and crossed her arms over her chest. “So you and I are going to make a pact. You won’t say a word about any of this to Lily and Devon and neither will I.”
“It’s that simple, is it?”
“Yes,” she answered with a bright smile. “Now, you must go.”
His eyes widened. “Kicking me out already?”
“No, not at all. It’s just that…” She bit her lip again. “Now that I realize what time it is, Mary will be here in less than five minutes.”
Jordan tossed the covers aside, grabbed his clothing and boots, and raced for the door.
CHAPTER 41
Annie awoke later in the morning with a huge smile on her face. She rolled over, hugged her pillow, and squealed, kicking her feet rapidly against the mattress.
“What has got into you, miss?” Mary asked.
Gasping, Annie rolled to her side to eye the maid, who sat in a chair by the window darning a pair of stockings. “I didn’t know you were still here, Mary.”
“Been ’ere all morning waiting fer ye ta wake up. Ye’ve slept ’alf the day away. I came at my usual time and ye told me to come back, ye needed more sleep. ’Ow is it that I remember it and ye don’t?” She shook her head.
Annie hid her smile behind the sheets. “Oh, I remember,” she said in a singsong voice.
“’Ere I am, back again, and this time I’m determined to ’elp ye wit yer bath and dressing.”
Annie stretched her arms over her head. The aches were a bit unfamiliar but so delicious. “By all means, let’s get started.” She tossed off the covers and sprang out of bed.
Mary shook her head again. “I swear I don’t recall the last time I saw ye so happy. And Mr. Eggleston isn’t even here. What’s got into ye?”
Annie pulled her chemise over her head. She’d tossed on a new one just before Mary arrived this morning. She’d already changed the sheets and hidden her ripped chemise. She’d do away with that incriminating evidence later.
“Oh, I’m just expecting to have a very good day today, that is all.” She winked at Mary.
The bath had already been prepared in her adjoining chamber and she waltzed over there humming to herself and performing a couple of dance steps she’d particularly enjoyed from the night before.
Annie poked one toe into the bath to test its temperature, then slid into the hot water and let it cover he
r head. Mary crossed her arms over her chest. When Annie’s head resurfaced, the maid wore a suspicious look on her face. “What is it exactly you plan to do today?”
Annie closed her eyes and slipped beneath the water again. She wasn’t about to say it out loud. What she planned to do today was simply scandalous.
She pursed her lips under the water and let the bubbles float to the surface. What she planned to do today was convince Jordan Holloway to make love to her again.
CHAPTER 42
After dipping into the breakfast room for a scone and a cup of tea, Annie found her sister sitting in the gold salon with several of the other female guests. Annie swung into the room biting her lips to hide her smile. It was such a pleasure to see her sister as the gracious Society hostess she was born to be. Lily, who had once been whispered about due to her scandalous pamphlet, was now the toast of Society, it seemed. The same women who had questioned Lily’s honor were now vying for invitations to her house party.
Now that Lily and Devon were married, they were entirely respectable. Lily was a marchioness, after all, and to everyone’s amazement, it had turned out that Lord Colton was wealthy, after having spent years trying to convince everyone he was not. Yes, Lily and Devon were welcomed back into the fold with open arms, even if the ton did believe the two of them had run off to Gretna Green to marry on a whim.
It wasn’t even true, of course, but Lily and Devon had been entirely forgiven. They’d waited five long years, after all, or so the ladies who discussed it behind their teacups said. They’d waited five long years and they couldn’t wait as much as one more day to be together. And who could blame them? They were so very much in love.
And so, when Annie entered the salon wearing a soft pink day dress and saw Lily chatting with Lady Foxdown and Lady Hathaway, she smiled to herself. Lily looked smart in her amethyst-colored day dress. The sisters, who had been completely destitute just months ago, were now dressed in the latest fashions. Stylish, the ton called them in fact.
Annie shook her head. It was comical, really, how quickly Society changed its fickle collective mind.
Lily glanced up from both her sewing and her conversation. “There you are, Anne. I’d begun to worry about you.”
Annie flashed her sister a wide smile and spun in a circle. “Yes, it seems I was a bit tired after all the … dancing last night. I slept in this morning.”
Lily glanced at the clock on the nearby mantelpiece. “I can see that.”
“Good morning, Miss Andrews,” Lady Foxdown said with a wide, approving smile. “I do hope you’ll join us.”
Annie plucked a Michaelmas daisy from a vase on the side table and inhaled its sweet scent. There was no way she could sit still and embroider today. The sun was shining, the air was crisp, and she felt better than she had in an age. “I’m going for a walk, actually,” she announced.
Lily barely glanced up this time. “Devon and Justin have gone fishing, but the rest of the men have all gone off to ride not long ago. If you stay to the road past the meadow you might see them.”
Annie’s stomach dropped a bit. She was suddenly shy, nervous. The thought of seeing Jordan again after their night together made her hands tremble. What would it be like between them today? How would he treat her? Would he give her that sensuous smile he gave her last night just before he—
“Anne, did you hear me?”
With a start, Annie dropped the daisy and bent over quickly to scoop it from the rug. “Yes … uh … pardon?”
“I asked if you’d be back in time for tea.”
“Oh well, yes. Yes, of course.” Would Jordan be at tea? “I’ll just be off then. See you this afternoon.” She waved as she left.
Grabbing up a small satchel one of the maids had prepared for her, Annie made her way out the back doors to the terrace and along the gravel path into the gardens. Instead of taking the lane near the meadow, she opted instead for the one that led through the forest. She walked briskly, allowing the wind to whip her face and the sun to touch her cheeks despite her bonnet. Oh, she had the odd sore spot and twinge from the night before, but they made her smile.
“I still can’t believe I did it,” she whispered to herself, bending to scoop up a small pile of leaves and breathe in their autumnal scent.
Feeling decidedly saucy, she pushed her bonnet from her head and let it hang down her back. The sun caressed her cheeks. Ah, who cared if she got a bit of color on her face? Today was the first day in her entire life where she felt free, truly free. Somehow, making the choice to be with Jordan last night had changed her. It was true that she’d never given a snap for rules, but somehow performing the definitive scandalous act with the definitive scandalous man had given her a glimpse of a freedom she never knew existed. She could do anything. Anything. Marry or not marry, have children or not have children, fall in love or … well, there wasn’t much of a choice there. But still, there were endless possibilities now and they all awaited her.
She sobered for a moment. She knew perfectly well that making the decision to be with Jordan last night was no guarantee for her future. If she was going to be with the man she loved, she might very well have to give up her dream of marriage. Jordan had been perfectly clear on that score. He had no intention of marrying. She straightened her shoulders. So be it. She’d made her decision, and she would face the consequences, whatever they might be.
Annie slowed her pace once she entered the forest. She made her way through the trees and eventually came to a small pond. She exhaled. Like paradise. She’d been here to this lovely peaceful spot before. It had quickly become her favorite place at Colton House.
She pulled a quilt from her satchel and made her way over to the soft grass by the pond. The ground was sprinkled with fallen leaves and Annie fluffed out the quilt and let it drift softly to the ground. She settled herself on top of the blanket and pulled the pins from her hair. She shook out the long, brown mass and stretched out on the quilt, squinting against the sunlight that filtered through the trees. She closed her eyes and breathed in the leafy scent that surrounded her. Then she lay back on the blanket and spread out her arms and legs.
Freedom. Ah. Wonderful feeling.
Annie lay there for several minutes listening to the squirrels chattering in the trees and the soft swoosh of the leaves falling to the earth in the woods around her. She’d always been partial to summer. But autumn, autumn was a lovely time of year. Why had she never quite realized how crisp and fresh and beautiful the season was?
It took a few more moments before Annie became aware that the sounds of the forest were being replaced by the sound of … thunder? She rose up to her elbows. Was it thunder? She cocked her head and listened for a few more moments. And then she saw him, a lone rider on horseback galloping full pelt toward her. Whoever he was, he must know that a path to the manor house lay through the woods. And what was he doing riding through an untouched part of Devon’s property? Was he a poacher? Or did she know him?
She squinted. No, she couldn’t make out his identity. Perhaps it was Devon. But Devon had gone fishing with Justin. And if it were Devon, why would he be coming back from this direction? And alone?
Annie shielded her eyes from the sun with one hand and watched intently as the rider drew closer. When he was still many paces away, he called out a command to his horse and Annie sucked in her breath.
She knew that voice.
Jordan.
But what was he doing? Where was he coming from? Crazily, she thought she might grab up her blanket and run away, but he was close enough now that he would see her no matter what. Not to mention, a part of her—the part that had butterflies winging through it at the moment—wanted to see him. What would he say? She held her breath and pressed a shaking hand to her stomach.
He must have seen her because he changed his course slightly, slowed his mount and maneuvered the stallion right up to Annie’s blanket. Jordan tipped his hat. Annie exhaled and looked up into his shadowed face. He smiled at her.
Oh yes. It was her new favorite smile.
“What are you doing out here alone?” he asked.
She sat up straight, her palms braced behind her on the quilt, her hair tumbling down her back. She squinted up at him. “Funny. I planned to ask you the same question.”
“Why is your hair down?” His brow was wrinkled.
“Why not?” she answered with a smile she felt all the way to her toes. She’d already tossed her bonnet to the corner of the quilt and now she sat up straight and gave him a saucy smile.
Jordan didn’t say a word. He dismounted from his horse and tied him to a nearby tree. “I was just coming back from Ashbourne Manor, actually. I went there this morning to see to some business.”
“Eager to get back, I see.” She dropped her gaze to the quilt. Until she’d said those words aloud, she hadn’t wondered if he’d been galloping back to see her. Now that was exactly what she wondered. Her heart pounded. No. No. She would not think such things. She would not.
He braced a shoulder against the tree and contemplated her. “I told you why I was out here. What about you?”
She inclined her head toward him. “I … needed some fresh air.”
“And your hair?” He gestured toward the top of her head.
A shrug. “For fun.”
“Ah, I see.”
Oh, it was good to see him. He looked so handsome. She said a quick prayer of thanks that she happened to be seated. If she’d been standing, surely her knees would’ve buckled by now. She shook her head and let her hair ripple over one shoulder. Then she gave him a coquettish look and fluttered her eyelashes.
Good heavens, the man had her fluttering her eyelashes. She’d never been flirtatious before. Jordan made her feel beautiful just by being in his presence. He’d always made her feel that way. “I’ve come to love this spot. It’s very pretty in autumn.”
Secrets of a Runaway Bride Page 25