Regency for all Seasons: A Regency Romance Collection

by Mary Lancaster

  Not for the first time, she was struck by how handsome he was. Beautiful, in fact, with his dark hair and flashing eyes. And memories of the previous night and the pleasure he’d shown her, as well as the pleasure he’d denied himself, assailed her. “There are a lot of things I’d like to put from my mind,” she said, “if I were to be provided with an appropriate distraction.”

  “There is nothing appropriate about the distraction that you have in mind, minx,” he replied, but his lingering and heated gaze revealed that he did not mind the suggestion at all.

  “Aren’t you the least bit eager?” she asked.

  “You know that I am… are you certain, after the events at Mr. Littleton’s office—”

  “The things that occurred in Mr. Littleton’s office are precisely the things I want to be distracted from, Husband,” she said. “Take me upstairs.”

  He rose and held out his hand to her. “We’re going to scandalize the servants.”

  “Oh, Valentine,” she said, rising to her feet and placing her hand in his, “I think you’re rather missing the larger picture. Our marriage will scandalize all of society. The servants in this house are the least of our concerns.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  As they neared the bedchamber that had been prepared for them, Val was in for an even greater surprise. For a man who eschewed romantic entanglements, Highcliff had certainly made quite an effort to set the scene for seduction. Roses and candles were everywhere even as champagne chilled on a table.

  “Well, I will say this for Lord Highcliff, he continues to surprise me,” Lilly commented dryly.

  “No truer words were ever spoken. It is rather unexpected but not unwelcome, however,” he said. “You should have a bit of romance and seduction.”

  “I don’t need those things, you know? I have made it clear that I am already entirely seduced and completely eager to undertake the duties of the marriage bed, have I not?”

  “That you refer to it as a duty and the marriage bed proves to me that you do, indeed, require romance and seduction,” he said with a soft laugh. “Now, turn around and let me unlace your gown. I know you’re eager to be shed of it.”

  She shuddered, whether with anticipation or with a reminder of why they both wanted to be rid of the clothing they wore. Regardless, she turned and he began to free the lacing of her gown until the fabric sagged from her shoulders and then simply slithered down her arms to rest on her hips. With a gentle tug, it fell the rest of the way to the floor and puddled at her feet. Next, he freed her stays and her petticoat until she wore only the amethyst-colored slippers and lovely embroidered stockings and garters and a delicate chemise. She stepped away from him then and moved toward the bed.

  It wasn’t shyness or hesitation on her part, because she seated herself on the bed, facing him expectantly. “If I’m going to reveal all, I certainly think it’s only fair if you do as well,” she challenged.

  Val felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He’d done more of that since meeting her than he had in a very long time, he thought. Laughing, smiling, genuinely enjoying himself. Was it an indication of things to come? He didn’t know, but he certainly hoped so. “As the lady wishes,” he said, and promptly shed his coat. His waistcoat followed, along with his cravat. Then he seated himself to remove his boots.

  With that task done, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. “The breeches stay on… for now. I can’t trust myself and I certainly can’t trust you and your curious hands.”

  She leaned back on the bed, resting on her elbows. The pose was unintentionally provocative, thrusting her breasts forward and highlighting just how translucent her chemise was. “Do you really mind so very much?”

  Val didn’t answer. He simply rose from the settee and crossed to the bed. Without preamble or warning, he leaned down and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. His fingers delved into her dark hair, sending pins scattering as the mass of it tumbled down over her shoulders. It felt like spun silk in his hands and, without conscious thought, his fingers tightened in the mass of it, tipping her head back further, allowing him to deepen the kiss. It was more ravenous than romantic and, heaven help him, she responded in kind. And then, bolder than he’d ever imagined, she laid herself back on the bed and held out her arms to him, and he was powerless to resist such an invitation.

  Climbing fully onto the bed, he held himself above her, resting his weight on his forearms as he kissed her lips, the curve of her cheek, the firm line of her jaw, and then down her neck until he could reach the delicate ribbon that tied her chemise. Tugging it free, he spread the fabric wide, baring her gorgeous breasts. The sunlight streaming through the windows painted her skin with a golden glow that made him think she might actually be the goddess she appeared to be.

  “I hate telling you that you’re beautiful,” he whispered. “It seems like such a weak description of all that you are. Like some trite thing you’ve heard hundreds of times before.”

  She smiled up at him. “But it didn’t matter when anyone else said it. Only when you do.”

  “Then you are without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen… inside and out.”

  Her hands came up, coasting over his chest, touching him with curiosity, her expression one of wonder. His jaw clenched and he submitted to her exploration, though he was already struggling to control his urges. Their prelude to lovemaking the night before had left him as primed as an untried youth. Shifting slightly, he came down beside her, allowing himself to do some exploring of his own. He touched her everywhere he could reach, and then tugged her chemise lower. As if she’d read his intent, she lifted her hips and he coaxed the garment over them until he could skim it over her legs and toss it aside entirely.

  Only when she was laid out before him did he lean forward and place a tender kiss upon her breast. Immediately, her hand slid into his hair, urging him on, and he gave her what she wordlessly requested. He lavished attention on that tender flesh, with his hands, his mouth, his teeth—he didn’t stop until she was gasping with pleasure and writhing with need. Even then, he only shifted his attention to her other breast, offering it equally attentive ministrations. But then he slid his hand along the softness of her inner thigh, just as he had the night before. There was no need to coax for she knew precisely what awaited her. She parted her legs eagerly for him, welcoming his touch, straining toward it.

  Stroking the soft, silken heat of her, finding her wet and eager for him, was nearly his undoing. But he was determined that he would bring her pleasure before seeking his own. With that thought in mind, he moved lower, pressing soft kisses over her ribs and the soft curve of her belly, until he could kneel between her parted thighs.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. Her voice was tight with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation.

  “Something you will like very much, I think. Trust me, Lilly?”

  “I do,” she said.

  Val dipped his head and pressed a kiss to the dark curls that shielded her sex. She made a sound, part shock and part pleasure. Then he parted those tender folds and tasted the sweetness of her. Her body tensed, her head fell back and she arched toward him. And then he devoured her. He was relentless as he teased her, tasted her and drove her toward the edge of pleasure, only to halt and ease her gently back from the precipice.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” she asked.

  He smiled against her skin and then nipped at her thigh. “Pleasure is even sweeter when you’ve had to wait for it.”

  “I’ve waited, Valentine. Who’s the virgin here?”

  He laughed at that. “I may not be virginal, Lillian, but this is different for me, too.”

  “Why?” she asked with puzzlement.

  “Because it’s you… and because it matters so much more.”

  She gripped his arms then, tugging him upward. Against his better judgment, he allowed it. “Then make me your wife… in every way. I want to know how it feels.”

  It w
as impossible to resist that sweet plea. Val left her only long enough to shed his breeches and then rejoined her on the bed. She welcomed him eagerly, wrapping her arms about him and parting her thighs so that he settled easily between them. He could feel the heat of her. Closing his hand around the base of his shaft, he guided himself to her entrance and then slowly pressed into the softness of her body. He was attuned to her every sound. Each soft sigh, every startled gasp, and breathless moan were a map to the thing he sought most—to bring her release before finding his own. Pressing deeper, he breached the fragile barrier of her innocence, and then he stilled completely.

  Jaw clenched, every part of him tensed, he struggled to go slow, to fight the instinct that urged him to simply claim her. But he could not fight her, and when she gripped his hips and arched upward, taking him deeper, he was lost.

  *

  In all the whispered exchanges between the girls at school, when they’d all discussed in the vaguest terms that represented the sum total of their knowledge what that moment would actually be like, nothing could have prepared her. The slight stinging pain had been only momentary. And with the overwhelming sensations of him pressing deeper inside her, it was easily forgotten. Nothing had ever felt so wondrous or so right. Had she been able to think clearly at all, it might have frightened her how much she needed him in that moment, how much she craved his touch. The intimacy of it transported her to some other plane it seemed, where nothing existed but the two of them and the glorious points of contact between them.

  As he began to move, setting a gentle rhythm, it robbed her of even the hint of thought. She was reduced to pure sensation. He’d given her pleasure, but the intensity of what she felt in those moments was incomparable to anything that had come before. It consumed her and she could do nothing but cling to him, wrap herself about him and hold him close as he took them both to the edge.

  The gentle pace quickened and she could feel his muscles clenching beneath her hands as she touched him, smoothing her palms over the hard planes of his back and along his sides. The heat of him, the rawness of him in that moment, drew her like a moth to a flame. She moved with him then, matching the rhythm he’d set and arching upward to meet him stroke for stroke. His head dropped forward, his forehead resting against her shoulder and her name escaped his lips on a ragged breath.

  Then the tension that he’d built so perfectly inside her simply shattered. She cried out with it, unable to stop herself. And then she felt him shudder against her, felt the rush and heat of him as he stilled against her completely. Then he kissed her. Not the drugging, heated kisses that had brought them to that point, but the sweet brush of his lips, featherlight and achingly tender. In a matter of days, not even the course of an entire week, she’d done the one foolish thing she’d thought herself above throughout her life—she’d fallen in love. But he had not. It was a terrifying prospect to know that her heart was engaged and the state of his was yet unknown to her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Where are you?”

  The question, asked softly and with gentle amusement, pulled Lilly from her thoughts. At some point, Val had moved to her side and they lay together in a tangle of limbs and discarded clothing. “I’m right here.” She’d been replaying the moments in her mind. Down to the second, she could pinpoint when she had lost all control and had all but begged him to make love to her. Not verbally, but she’d certainly communicated her desires clearly enough. She’d been wanton enough that even she was shocked at her behavior. And yet through all of it, he’d appeared to be in complete control. That left her wondering if perhaps her desire, because of her newly-discovered feelings for him, if in fact they were real and not simply a product of her own imagination and lust, somehow surpassed his. Did he want her as much as she wanted him? Or would he soon grow bored with her and move on?

  He touched one finger to her forehead, smoothing the worry lines that formed there. “Only partly. If you can be so lost in thought at such a moment, I have clearly failed in my duties of seduction.”

  “I didn’t think it was supposed a duty,” she replied with a laugh, striving for a bit of levity and failing.

  “If it is, I’ll sign up for it every day,” he offered and rolled to his back. “What troubles you, Lilly? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  “No,” she said honestly. “Not at all. It was… it was perfect. So much more than I ever imagined it could be.”

  She sat up and looked at him over her shoulder. It was easier than meeting his gaze directly. There were things she would admit, and others that she was not yet ready to. Perhaps it wasn’t even love, after all. Perhaps she was simply so consumed with lust and the glorious pleasures he’d shown her that she wasn’t able to think clearly. “I didn’t know I would lose myself to the moment so completely. I was a bit caught off guard by that, I think. Is it always like that?”

  He didn’t answer immediately, but took his time, obviously considering his words carefully. Yet, the entire time, he touched her. His hands stroked over her back or traced delicate patterns along the crest of her hips. Finally, he said, “It’s different every time, I think. The mechanics of it might be the same, but the feelings, the sensation, the significance of it—that varies.”

  “And with the partner, I presume. That would have some effect.”

  His hand stilled, resting on the curve of her hip in a manner that felt possessive. “Are you asking if it’s different because we’re married or because it’s you?”

  She cocked her head to one side, and considered her answer. “Both, I think. I am not experienced the way your other lovers have been… and while I was thoroughly lost to the moment, you were not. You maintained control to the very end.”

  He rose up and rested his weight on his elbow, then twined his free hand in her hair, urging her back to him. “Is that what you’re worrying about?”

  “Not worried. Curious,” she answered.

  “Then let me ease your curiosity. There is nowhere and no one I would rather be with than you. From the moment I saw you, I smiled,” he said. “And I don’t do that really. In two days, I’ve laughed more, smiled more and been happier, even with all that has occurred, than in the last decade of my life. Sometimes, Lilly, you just meet people and they change you… or they guide you to rediscover the parts of yourself you thought lost. You reminded me of who I was before I went to war. Before I came home and began all my clandestine activities.”

  “Spying, you mean?”

  He grinned. “You just like to say that word, I think. I didn’t spy. I listened.”

  “Which is rather what spies do. They observe, without letting on they are observing, and then they report back to people in authority. That is what you do, isn’t it?”

  “What I did,” he corrected. “I’m done with that now. Highcliff knows I’m out.”

  “Are you certain you want to give it up?”

  “I’m certain I never wanted to start it to begin with,” he said. “But I’m good at cards. Better than good. I have a knack for knowing what has been played, what hasn’t and for predicting, with a high degree of accuracy, what cards others are holding. I can’t explain how I do it, only that I do, and that it’s impossible to cheat me or anyone else at a table I’m playing at. But I don’t like it. I never have.”

  “So you’re happy with me… and that’s why I lost all touch with reality and you were still thinking to the very end?” The doubt in her tone was quite clear.

  He huffed out a breath, half-laugh and half-groan. “I wanted it to be good for you. No. I needed it to be perfect for you. There is only one first time, Lilly. And bad or good, it sets the tone for our relationship moving forward… add to that the fact that it was your first time ever and not just with me, it was even more important. When the two of us are on more even footing in terms of knowledge and experience, I promise you, you may drive me as mad with lust as you wish.”

  Could it be that simple? She certainly hoped so. “I rather like the sound of
that,” she said.

  He eyed her for a moment, seeing far more than she wished for him to, she was sure.

  “What’s really bothering you? Do you regret our marriage? I know it was hasty and I know that we likely both went into it for the entirely wrong reasons. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make it work, that we can’t make it something extraordinary for both of us,” he said.

  Hating her own neediness and craving for reassurance, Lilly lay down next to him. Immediately, he pulled her close and held her against his chest. “I am afraid to expect anything,” she admitted.

  “Because you think I’ll disappoint you?”

  “Perhaps. Or perhaps I will disappoint you,” she admitted. “I know nothing of marriage. I’ve lived my whole life in a house full of unmarried women. The men of my acquaintance, including my father, do not inspire faith in your sex, I’m afraid.”

  “But I’m not them,” he said.

  “No,” she said. “You’re not. You’re very different from them. But that gives you a power over me that they’ve never had. You can hurt me, Valentine, and they cannot.”

  “That is the last thing I want to do,” he said gruffly.

  “Then don’t.”

  *

  Val hoped it would be that simple, hoped that they would be able to avoid the fate so many did not. The last thing he wanted was the cold and loveless marriage his parents had, or his grandparents for that matter. In truth, the Somers’ track record was less than stellar. He couldn’t name a single happy union in the whole of his family, extended or otherwise.

  “I think I’m hungry now,” she said.

  He laughed at that. “Of course, you are. Get your lovely and rather perfectly-formed arse out of bed and into something resembling clothing and we’ll go below stairs and try to cajole Highcliff’s cook into feeding us something.”