The Scarlet Bride

by Cheryl Ann Smith

  He stood over her, flesh golden in the firelight, his breeches low on his hips, and Laura was helpless to do anything but stare like a besotted maiden.

  Embarrassment flared hotly to sour her stomach as she clutched the shirt to her bosom. Oddly, or perhaps not so, Simon appeared completely comfortable with her attentions.

  Truthfully, the warmth in his eyes told her he was quite content to have her admiration.

  “You would make an excellent valet,” he said softly and reached toward the shirt. Before he could take it from her, he stopped and looked into her eyes. Her heart fluttered.

  She handed him the item, purposely brushing her fingertips against his. In the span of less than an hour, she’d not only touched him but accepted his touch without flinching.

  “I certainly have become comfortable with you. There will be no repeat of that moment in the meadow.”

  “You do not need to explain. I understand—”

  “No,” she said. The bond of seduction was broken. “You don’t understand. You can’t understand.”

  Laura looked away and walked over to the fireplace. Wind whistled down the chimney and the flames danced. She crossed her arms around her waist and closed her eyes. For the first time since her freedom, she allowed herself to fully remember her months in captivity.

  She swallowed, then began her tale. “The abuse started soon after he brought me to London. He quickly tired of my strong will and made it his mission to break me.”

  “Laura.” Simon moved up behind her.

  “No. Please let me speak.” No one knew the full story of her life. Not even Miss Eva. She was deeply ashamed of her past but felt an overwhelming desire to tell someone, to share her burden. “He took great pleasure in using his fists and insults to keep me cowed. He was a powerful monster. I was unable to flee. I was kept locked in my room. During the few times I was allowed out for meals or walks about the grounds, footmen guarded me. The staff was well paid to ignore my pleas for help. I was a prisoner.”

  “And yet he failed to tame you.” Simon’s voice was filled with admiration. “You fled.”

  A smile flickered across her lips. “Owning my body is not the same as owning my mind. I knew one day I’d be free.”

  Curiosity led him to ask, “Tell me what happened. How did you escape?”

  Laura hesitated. It was easy to talk to Misses Eva or Noelle or Sophie. They knew the difficulties courtesans faced. Sharing her worst moments with Simon was much harder. And yet she felt, somehow, he wouldn’t judge her negatively.

  “I discovered where he kept the funds for his household accounts. I took small amounts from that cabinet and from his pockets. I believed that he owed far more for what he’d done to me. I hid it away and waited.”

  She closed her eyes and memories flooded her mind. “Two weeks before you found me, I overheard him speaking to his horrible friends about an auction. They were too happy, too pleased with themselves, too secretive. This aroused my suspicion. So I spied for several days until I managed to put their veiled comments and whispers together. I then realized the plan was to sell me to the highest bidder—noblemen, slavers, anyone who had the money to bid.”

  “Oh, Laura.” He slid an arm around her shoulders.

  She leaned back against him and realized tears were trailing down her face. “Men came from all over. They filled the house. He paraded me about as if I were an expensive, ignorant toy, yet always keeping me in shadow. He wanted their curiosity to entice them to loosen their purses.”

  “They would fight to have you,” he said.

  Laura brushed her cheek against his arm. “The bastard thought he was so clever. His simpleminded country mouse would never figure out his brilliant plan. He became confident. How could I escape with so many men under his roof watching me? So I waited until a moment in the kitchen when the cook’s back was turned and I ran out the door.”

  The terror of that year with the earl spilled through her and she cried, her heart breaking. Simon turned her and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face against his chest.

  He made soothing sounds and ran his hand over her hair, allowing her to cry away all the abuse, her lost innocence, the fears for her life. He gave her himself, something solid to hold on to, and she clung to his strength.

  Eventually her sobs subsided. He held her tightly as she listened to his heartbeat. After a moment, she sniffed and lifted her head. What she saw were the crisp hairs on his chest, which were now very damp. Again. She snort-laughed and lifted her hand to rub the wetness off.

  “You just cannot seem to get dry,” she quipped.

  Simon looked down and frowned. “I think most of our encounters involve rain, or tears.” He watched her use her sleeve on the wet patch. When she was satisfied with her efforts, she flattened out her palm and looked up into his eyes.

  Touched by his kindness, Laura wanted to tell him how much she valued him as a friend, for friends they had become. But she couldn’t speak, lost as she was in his gaze. The humor on their faces faded and changed into something far more intimate. They were locked together, hip to hip.

  “Laura,” he whispered and moved to release her.

  She shook her head. “Please hold on to me, Simon.”

  So he held her, pressing his mouth against her hair, running his hands across her back, while she sighed and splayed her open palms on his hard-muscled back.

  Desperately, she wanted to feel something other than cold misery and pain. So when he pulled back and lowered his blue eyes to first capture her gaze and then drift down to stare at her lips, she rose onto her tiptoes and met his kiss halfway.

  The feel of his mouth shattered her body and sent a wave of heat through her bones. He slanted his mouth over hers for a brief teasing moment before pulling back.

  “We must not do this,” he said regretfully.

  “No regrets,” she whispered and slid her hand around his neck to keep him close. The tiny hairs she discovered at the base of his neck felt soft beneath her hands. “I want you to kiss me, Simon,” she pleaded. “I need you to kiss me.”

  He hesitated for no more than a blink before reclaiming her lips in a passionate and searing kiss. Laura’s knees shook as she pressed more fully against him. She opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and he plunged his tongue within. Hunger exploded inside her.

  Laura moaned deep in her throat as their tongues mated and shivery warmth flooded low between her legs. She arched her body against him, knowing she was likely making a grave mistake, but also realizing that she wanted to feel again. She wanted to know what it was like to be desired, not for brutal possession but for affection and true desire.

  She wanted to feel him against her, loving her, if only for this one stormy afternoon.

  Laura broke the kiss and reached to ruffle her hands through his hair before moving to cup the sides of his face. She wanted him to see how much she desired him. “Simon, make love to me.” Her boldness shocked even her.

  He released his hold and brought his hands up to circle her wrists. He bent his head and looked deeply into her eyes. “Are you certain?”

  She nodded. “More certain than I have ever been.”

  For a moment, she thought he’d refuse her. He expelled a very long, deep breath. Then he bent at the waist, lifted her in his arms, and carried her, laughing, from the room.

  Laura was certain. Simon wasn’t as much so. He desired her, yes, from her soft mouth, to her silky skin, to her toes. But she had been damaged. How much of this seduction was to erase the other man from her body, and what measure of her eagerness was truly for him?

  “Do not put too much thought into this moment,” Laura said softly as he carried her down the hallway toward a row of bedrooms and kicked open the last door on the right. She pressed her mouth against his neck and trailed kisses up along his jaw to the corner of his mouth. “There will be no one but us two in that bed.”

  Swinging her about, he paused, and she followed his gaze. The bed was massive
, with a deep blue and white coverlet and four posts carved by a master craftsman. They stared, incredulous. “An entire family could sleep comfortably there,” he said with a snort.

  Laura screwed up her face. “And the staff and a few of the neighbors, too,” she added. “This kingly bed must have been a strong consideration when you decided to purchase the manor.”

  “Truthfully, I didn’t give it much notice.” His eyes were warm on her. “Until now.”

  “Then we shall explore it together.”

  The lightness in her tone uplifted his spirits. In the days since they’d met, this beautiful woman had flourished under the care of the women at the courtesan school. She was healing well and was not the same terrified woman fleeing for her life.

  Her scent claimed his attention away from the bed and he leaned to press a kiss at the base of her throat. “Thankfully, there is only you and I. I’d hate to love you with an audience in attendance.”

  Laura giggled, both from his comment and from the light brush of stubble against her skin. “I, too, am thankful.”

  If Eva or Noelle found out about this seduction, they’d rip him apart. However, now was not the time to think of his two cousins, the school, or Laura’s past. He had a seduction to deliver and he wanted it to be all she’d hoped.

  Simon lowered her feet to the floor and turned her in his arms. He captured her soft mouth in another hungry kiss.

  Once before, he’d suspected that her mouth was made for kissing. He was right. The softness of her lips, her sweet taste, and the touch of innocence in her kisses were burning fire through his senses. It was impossible to believe she’d held on to any measure of purity through her trials, yet she had. The seductive Laura was only in her exotic eyes and lush body.

  “You are very beautiful,” he said as he drew his mouth away from her lips and down to nuzzle the spot below her ear. She tipped her head back and sighed.

  “I have been told I resemble my mother,” she replied and slowly ran her hands from his waist to his hips. “Your shoulder seems to have recovered.”

  “I can ignore the pain with you in my arms.”

  Simon relished the feel of her hands on his body. Her scent, light and floral, drifted from her and made him think of making love to her in a meadow of wildflowers. Perhaps on some future sunny day, he could make that happen.

  He lightly nibbled the spot where her dress ended on her shoulder and pushed the material away from where he’d seen the scar. The spot was healed and fading. Still, it would always be a reminder of her past.

  Kissing it gently, he felt her tense.

  “I intend to kiss every one, love.” Simon lifted his head to see concern on her face. He locked on to her eyes. “Trust me.”

  Very slowly, her body relaxed. She reached up to gently touch his face. “Simon, I do.”

  They stood for a moment before Simon reached for the ties at the neckline of her dress. He pulled the ribbon loose and the bodice sagged slightly, exposing her chemise and the swell of velvety flesh.

  He put his hands on her shoulders and slid the gown down her arms to her waist. Once freed of her trim hips, it dropped to the floor in a whisper of fabric.

  Simon awaited her cues. There was no fear in her eyes, only an open curiosity. Simon was taken aback. Had she never been gently undressed by her abuser?

  Likely he’d taken her without preliminaries.

  It made Simon angry to think of anyone not treasuring Laura as she deserved. She was a rarity among women, and he vowed to always treat her like a gift.

  “You are thinking again,” Laura said softly, bringing his thoughts back to her. She frowned and crossed her arms. “I am beginning to feel neglected.”

  Her teasing tone belied the set-down and he grinned. “I apologize, darling Laura. Your loveliness has muddled my brain.”

  She shook her head. “You possess a silver tongue, rogue, but I am feeling chilled. Perhaps you should continue with my unwrapping before my teeth start to chatter.”

  Simon shot her a heated stare. “Yes, Milady.”

  With measured steps, he placed a hand on her hip and drew it over her as he walked around behind her. He encompassed her in his embrace, nibbling her neck and splaying his hands over her stomach. At her moan, he slid them upward to cup her delightful and perfect breasts.

  Her breath caught. “Warmer now, love?” he asked.

  “Much,” she breathed.

  The husky sound ravaged through his senses, making him steely hard. It took extreme control not to carry her to the bed and bury himself between her legs. He’d vowed to make this afternoon memorable, and impatience would ruin the moment.

  He eased her chemise down and kissed her silky white shoulder. Her sweet scent drew him to the curve on her neck. He pressed his mouth there, earning a sigh. He grinned against her skin and tangled his hand in the knot at her nape. With a deftness he didn’t realize he possessed, he freed the silky strands with one hand.

  It tumbled down her back in a riot of sable and light.

  His breath caught. In that moment, she possessed him completely.

  Moving onward, Simon discovered a small scar between her shoulder blades and struggled to keep from cursing. He’d made a promise to himself to keep his attention on her and not tangle this moment up with dark thoughts. There would be time to exact revenge for her mistreatment later.

  “You have on too many clothes still.” Simon had to get her naked to distract him from the urge to kill. He continued around her until they were facing each other again and began the work of divesting her of her undergarments.

  The chemise and corset proved to be no obstacle and soon she was bared to his view.

  In the cool air of the room, her rosy nipples pebbled to tight peaks and her pale skin glowed in the dim room. Mottled along her skin were imperfections, each building a map of the suffering she’d experienced. There was a peculiar long and oddly shaped scuff-scar on her upper thigh, as if she’d been pressed down with the heel of a boot.

  Rage ripped through Simon.

  Chapter Eleven

  Fighting the desire to flinch under the fierce anger on Simon’s face, Laura knew his reaction had nothing to do with her. Nor did she have to look down to see what had caused the change in him. Her body was marred, damaged by evil.

  “Please. Do not allow him to ruin this moment.” Laura moved against Simon and took his face in her hands. She stared hard into his eyes. “He has taken enough from me. I cannot bear it if he takes you, too.”

  Her plea had the desired effect. His lids closed briefly as he drew a deep breath. When his eyes opened again, they were clear blue and the anger was gone. He reached out to span her waist with his hands and passion flared again.

  “Nothing will change my desire for you. Not scars, not anger, not my need to kill for you.” He ran a fingertip across her lower lip. “You are lovely in my eyes.”

  She’d felt, seen, his protective nature before. If she named her abuser, he’d be off, storm be damned, exacting revenge on her behalf.

  At this moment, she didn’t need a chest-thumping, woman-in-distress-saving knight. She needed him. She needed to be desired, marks and all. She wanted to see the intensity in his eyes as he looked at her, kissed her, a look that was not tinged by the desire to punish with a fist if she didn’t comply with any demand.

  Her confidence wavered. Simon was telling her that she was lovely. Was it because he knew compliments were required when a naked woman was standing in front of you? Could he really look past the scars?

  Suddenly shy, she bent and pulled her chemise back up. She kept her eyes averted, knowing if she were to see distaste on his face, she couldn’t bear it.

  She had the straps of the chemise halfway up her arms when his hands stopped her progress. Finally she lifted her gaze.

  “Do not cover yourself, love.” He brushed aside her hands to allow the chemise to return to the floor. He lifted her hand to press a kiss on her palm. “Your beauty steals my breath.�
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  Laura trembled at the tenderness she saw when he looked at her. In spite of her flaws, her lingering imperfections, he desired her. And she sensed that it had nothing to do with her lack of clothing or a simple eagerness to bed her.

  Simon smiled and bent to lift her into his arms. He carried her to the bed in a few long strides and gently placed her on the downy mattress with its endless blue and white coverlet.

  The musty scent of the unused room did not distract Laura from her focus. As Simon straightened and began the process of removing his boots and breeches, she stared at him hungrily, eager to see the last bits of his magnificent body.

  Not even when he freed his erection and tossed his breeches aside did she falter. Her nipples tingled in anticipation of his touch. Her core pulsed with need. When he climbed onto the bed and covered her with his hard body, she reached up and pulled him down for a kiss.

  She was no longer a virgin, nor could she save herself for a husband. No amount of wishing could make her that innocent girl she once was.

  This time was for her. Her choice. Her desire.

  Later, she’d return to the school and make plans for her future. Today, she wanted passion.

  He slid up and over her, reclaiming her mouth. Laura caressed her hands over him, from hip to waist, to his muscled rib cage, letting her fingers explore the dips and planes of his body.

  The spicy scent of his skin teased her senses, and his hungry kiss added to the delightful mix of sensations that left her breathless.

  When he broke the tender kiss, his warm eyes focused on hers. “From now until dawn, I intend to kiss away every mark, every dark memory for you. By morning, you will know what it feels like to be treasured, adored.”

  Laura felt the prickle of tears behind her lids. “I ask for nothing more than to feel desire. Real desire.” She lifted her hand to cup the space below his ear and brushed her thumb across his strong jaw. Moving farther forward, she touched his bottom lip as she held on to his gaze. She arched slightly against him. “I want you desperately,” she breathed.

  Amusement tugged one side of his mouth into a crooked grin. He looked down between their bodies and reached to brush a fingertip over one erect nipple. She twitched. “Your desire is only half as great as mine, my seductive Laura.” He shifted slightly and she felt the full press of his thick erection on her stomach. “I think we should start here.” He pressed a kiss on her neck. “And continue here.” He kissed the other side. “Before moving down here.” He kissed the hollow of her throat.