The Earl's Stolen Bride (Marriage by Deceit Book 4)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  There was no reading of the banns or a special license. There were no formal, long, drawn-out words to repeat. There was no wedding breakfast to celebrate the event.

  But all of this was fine with Orlando. He didn’t care much for the elaborate weddings in London anyway. A person could die of starvation while waiting for the entire thing to be over.

  No. A short wedding ceremony in the priest’s cottage was more than sufficient. It was a simple promise they gave each other to be faithful for the rest of their lives, until death separated them. But he suspected even if she were to die before him, he would still have no one else.

  “Thank you for marrying us,” he told the elderly priest as he paid the gentleman’s fee.

  “I’d rather perform a wedding than a funeral,” the priest told him. “At least at weddings, people are smiling and laughing, especially those who come here to elope. Those are the ones who want to be together. They often risk everything, even a scandal, to be married. I might be more sentimental with age, but I can’t think of anything as wonderful as a love match. And I can tell that’s what you two have. It was my pleasure to marry you today.”

  Orlando glanced at Chloe, his face warming at the thought others could look at them and see they were in love. He clasped his hand around hers and grinned. “Thank you, Father, again.”

  The priest nodded, and Orlando escorted Chloe out of the cottage.

  “Would you like to take a stroll before we have our evening meal?” he asked her.

  “A stroll would be nice,” she replied. “All that sitting in the carriage has made my legs stiff.”

  “And we have a couple more days before we get to my estate.” He led her down the path that would give them the best view of the lush, green landscape dotted with trees. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “It is. Think you’ll ever paint it?”

  “I need something in front of me when I paint. I know some painters can work from their memory, or even their imagination, but I’m not one of them. I’m looking forward to painting you. You have exquisite beauty.”

  “You pay me such high compliments, Orlando,” she said. “I’m not sure I can live up to your expectations.”

  “Nonsense. You’ll exceed them.”

  She didn’t look certain of this, so he squeezed her hand, hoping to assure her she had no need to worry he’d ever find her lacking. She was the best thing that ever happened to him, and now she was finally his, always and forever.

  ***

  “Will you be staying?” Chloe asked once Orlando escorted her to her room after their evening meal.

  Orlando wasn’t sure he’d heard right. Had she really just told him he was welcome to spend the night with her? He stood at the doorway, glancing from her to the bed. Many nights, he’d imagined what it’d be like to enjoy becoming one with her. And if he’d understood her right, then all those nights of longing were about to find completion.

  “Are you inviting me to your bed?” he slowly asked, too shy to be more explicit.

  He couldn’t tell, but he suspected she was slightly nervous by the way she lowered her gaze and tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. How he envied that strand that got to be so close to her.

  “We are married,” she told him then cleared her throat. “I thought…” Her voice drifted off, and he thought her cheeks grew pink in the soft glow of the candlelight.

  As far as he was concerned, that was an invitation, and he had no intention of rejecting it. Not when he’d wanted this for so long. He shut the door and crossed the room. He cupped her face in his hands and lowered his head to hers.

  The moment their lips touched, he lost all sense of time. The world around them melted away, and the only thing that mattered was the two of them. She brought her hands up to his shoulders and pulled him closer.

  This was so much better than he’d dreamt. This time, she was real and she was his. He let out a low groan and traced her lower lip with his tongue, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. She parted her lips for him and accepted him into her mouth. Was there anything more heavenly than this? Surely, there couldn’t be. Everything about her was wonderful. The way she tasted, the way she smelled, the way she felt as her body pressed against his. There was no doubt about it. This was going to be the best night of his life.

  He lowered his hands and brought them to her soft breasts. He cupped them in his hands and gently squeezed them. She didn’t protest. He took that as a good sign she wasn’t opposed to what he was doing. But then, he supposed she knew what to expect. She’d been married before. He was the one who had a lot to learn about making love, but he’d enjoy every moment of it.

  His mouth left hers, and he left a trail of kisses down her cheek then down her neck. Too late he considered it might have been better if they’d removed their clothes before he started kissing her. But he had no idea once he started kissing her, he’d be consumed with so much passion he could hardly think straight. It was the year of longing for her that was catching up to him.

  She responded so willingly to him, snuggling up to him and wrapping him in her arms. Never in a million years did he dare hope she would be so open to making love to him. He’d been warned that the dream of something was often better than the reality. But the truth of the matter was, with Chloe, the reality was far better than anything he could have imagined.

  He returned his lips to hers, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth in earnest. She interlaced her tongue with his, making it no secret that she wanted him with the same intensity he wanted her.

  Aware that his penis was straining against his trousers, he reluctantly pulled away from her. “I don’t think I can last too much longer doing this,” he admitted, his voice low.

  “You want me that much?” she whispered, her face flushed, her eyes brimming with excitement.

  He nodded, almost afraid to say it aloud. Surely, her first husband had showed more restraint on their wedding night, but he found he didn’t have such patience. He could only hope his eagerness wouldn’t repulse her. “I’ll need your help. Getting you out of your clothes, I mean. I haven’t undressed a lady before, and I’m not sure where to begin.”

  She offered him a shy smile and turned around. “Will you unbutton me?”

  Would he? Of course, he would. He immediately brought his hands up to the small buttons and started unfastening them. He wished he could say this was an easy task, but his hands were trembling with excitement…and a bit of fear. What if she found him lacking? Perhaps her first husband had experience in this area and knew how to please a lady. What if she was used to so much better than what he was about to offer?

  No, he wouldn’t let his thoughts go there. At least not now, not when he was finally going to make love to her. And he loved her. His friend, Toby, might think the love he had for her was more akin to lust, but Toby was wrong. Orlando had fallen in love with her the first time he met her, and the feelings had only grown stronger over the year. Time and distance hadn’t done anything to ease it.

  When he finished unfastening her buttons, he pushed the dress off her shoulders, and she wiggled out of it. “The corselet can be tricky,” she told him, her back still to him. “I’ll untie it.”

  He watched as she slipped off the corselet, chemise, and then stockings, fascinated by how much more attractive she got with each layer of clothing she took off. Soon, she had nothing on, and when she finally turned to face him, he inhaled. He probably should have taken care of his needs before he had dinner with her. He didn’t know how he was going to last long once they were in bed together.

  “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful,” he whispered.

  Her gaze met his, and he caught the pleased expression on her face. Surely, her first husband let her know how attractive she was. Pert, round breasts with perfect pink buds. Smooth white skin with a narrow waist. Then there was the dark patch of curls hiding her most secret place. A place he would soon get to touch and enter. He swallowed. There was no way h
e was going to last long at all. Just the sight of her was nearly his undoing.

  “Maybe you should…” She cleared her throat and gestured to his clothes.

  Oh! Right. He was still wearing his things, and that wouldn’t do. He needed to remove them, just as she’d removed hers. Then they would be able to consummate the marriage. He hastened to do so, and once again, he had a little difficulty with the buttons. Glancing at her helped to quell some of his anxiety. He couldn’t help but be eager to finally make love to her, after all. But he kept praying she wouldn’t be disappointed.

  When he finished the task, he stood in front of her for a moment, not sure what to do next. It was easier when they were kissing. Instinct had taken over, but right now, things were a bit awkward. Did he resume what they’d started by kissing her, or did he wait for her to come to him? Or perhaps they were both supposed to get into bed together and kiss there?

  “What would you like to do next?” he finally asked, inwardly wincing at his naivety.

  “Um…I suppose the bed is the best choice,” she said.

  He took her by the elbow and led her to the bed. If he hadn’t been so aroused, he would have hid under the covers in shame, but she was the loveliest lady he’d ever seen and she was about to make love to him.

  Once they were on the bed, he brought his lips back to hers. Thankfully, this helped ease a lot of his tension, and before long, he found himself back in the moment where he could only think of her and how wonderful she felt.

  She opened her mouth and brushed her tongue across his lower lip. With a groan, he accepted her invitation, and soon, his tongue was sparring with hers again. He hadn’t expected her to be such an enthusiastic bed partner. Indeed, her excitement only made him harder. This was wonderful. She wanted him. And what was more, her passion seemed to match the intensity of his.

  His hands slid down her body, taking note of her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples which grew hard. She let out a moan and wrapped one of her legs around his waist. He wiggled against her patch of curls and groaned. Oh yes, this was heavenly. Very much so.

  He shifted so that he was on top of her and moved his hips so that his shaft was intimately pressing against her entrance. She was wet. The simple action of rubbing more fully over her alerted him to just how wet she was. Sliding inside her would probably be a simple matter. All he had to do was aim the head of his penis a little lower and push in.

  This wasn’t how he envisioned their first time. He’d imagined taking his time making love to her. Caressing and kissing all of her. Giving her body careful study before he finally entered her because he did want to learn everything there was to know about her.

  But she lifted her hips and moaned again, and his tip dipped ever so slightly into her warm flesh. And at that moment, he couldn’t resist. He had to enter her, to feel this delicious warmth completely around him. He expected to be able to slide right into her, but she was tight and he had to force himself to get all the way in. And while this felt good to him, it occurred to him that it didn’t have the same effect on her since she stiffened and let out a startled cry.

  He pulled out of her and glanced down, noting the trace of blood that told him the impossible. She was a widow. She’d been married before. Surely, she couldn’t be a…a…

  “Are you a virgin?” he asked, finally looking up at her.

  She sat up, a worried frown on her face. “Does that bother you?”

  “Well, no. Of course not. There’s nothing wrong with being a virgin. It’s just that you…” He shook his head as he struggled to think of how to best explain it. “You were Lord Hawkins’ wife.”

  “Yes, but he never came to my bed.”

  “Why ever not?” Lord Hawkins had to be daft not to make love to someone as lovely as her.

  “On our wedding day, I couldn’t. The lady’s time of month was upon me, so he left for India right away. He’d been gone ever since.” She paused. “Are you disappointed?”

  “No. I’m surprised, that’s all. When a gentleman marries a widow, he doesn’t expect her to be a virgin. Then he thrusts right into her and hurts her and…” His face warmed. “I’m sorry. I never want to do anything to hurt you.”

  She smiled and took his hands in hers. “I know that.”

  “But I did hurt you.”

  “You didn’t intend to. There’s a difference. You don’t have to stop.”

  He wanted to keep going. He’d have to be dead to want to stop, but it was difficult to know how to best proceed.

  She leaned toward him and kissed him. He was uncertain at first, not sure if he really should continue, given what he’d just done to her. But another part of him—the one that controlled his baser desires—argued with him that this was the worst possible time to stop. She’d just let him know she wanted to keep going, and her tongue was intimately engaged with his. She wouldn’t do those things if she wanted him to stop.

  He leaned into her, and they fell back on the bed together, their arms wrapped around each other. Once again, there was only the dreamlike state of bliss between them. But this time, he did tamper his ardor enough so he could focus on doing whatever he could to please her.

  His hands ran up and down her back in slow, methodical motions as he sought to memorize every curve of her glorious body. And she seemed to enjoy this, for she let out a soft moan and pulled him closer in silent encouragement.

  In fact, she brought her legs around him again, and, just as before, he was on top of her. He hesitated to touch the area between her legs with his erection. But the pull was hard to resist.

  Ending the kiss, he caressed her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

  “Are you still hurting?” he asked.

  “No. I feel fine.”

  She lifted her hips and rubbed against him, and he sharply inhaled. She felt much better than she had last time, something he didn’t think possible.

  “Make me your wife, Orlando,” she whispered. “I want our marriage to be complete.”

  He kissed her again, though not as long as before. It was difficult to concentrate when she insisted on pulling him more intimately over her entrance. Careful, he entered her, studying her expression to make sure he wasn’t causing her any discomfort.

  She didn’t wince or grow stiff, nor did she let out a moan as if she were in pain. Those were all good signs. Perhaps the worst was over. He knew so little about virgins. Some gentlemen said they could be tight. And she had been. Not so much this time when he entered her, but she’d definitely been tight the first time. He hadn’t expected her to bleed. He could only hope this wouldn’t happen again, that now that she was no longer one, the process would go much more smoothly.

  After he’d entered her all the way, he forced himself to remain still for her sake. “Chloe?”

  “Don’t stop,” she murmured and lifted her hips once more to bring him deeper into her.

  With a moan, he kissed her neck and shifted so he could pull out, still making sure his actions were slow. There seemed to be no discomfort on her end, so he went back in all the way. The whole process was exquisite, really, and it took a lot of self-control to ease in and out of her in his effort to not cause her any more pain.

  “You don’t have to hold back,” she told him. “I feel good.”

  He thrust in deeper, taking pleasure in the way her warm flesh clenched around him. Letting out a moan, he pulled almost all the way out and then slid back in. It was easy to move in and out of her now that he’d worked his way past her discomfort. He repeated the movement and had to stop so he wouldn’t climax yet. He wanted to take his time and savor each moment.

  “Is something wrong?” she whispered.

  “No, nothing’s wrong,” he replied, his voice straining with effort to hold off on the inevitable. Goodness but this was the best thing he’d ever experienced. If there was anything that felt better than this, he couldn’t imagine what it was. “It feels good,” he told her. “I just don’t want to releas
e my seed too soon.”

  “But we can do this again,” she replied, bringing her hands to his behind and pressing him deeper into her. “You don’t have to go to your bed. You can stay here tonight.”

  Something in the promise of doing this again was his undoing, and he found himself giving into the urge to renew his thrusting. This time he didn’t stop when he neared the peak. He let it happen, crying out her name as he filled her with his seed. She kept him close to her, holding him while he rode each wave of pleasure that crashed into him. When he descended from the heights of heaven, all he could think of was how much he loved her and would continue doing so in the years to come.

  Chapter Six

  “What do you think?” Orlando asked as they pulled up to his estate a couple days later.

  Chloe took in the immaculate lawn, large stables, and the well-kept manor with ivy growing up one of the walls. She rather enjoyed the idea of spending winter out here. This was a part of him, and now it would be a part of her, too.

  “I love it,” she told him. “I’m going to enjoy being here with you.”

  He kissed her. “It’ll be a lot better now that you’re here.”

  “Are you going to show me the lake you swim in?”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “Care to take a swim with me?”

  She bit her lower lip. Did she dare?

  “I promise, it’s far enough from the house where no one will see you,” he encouraged.

  “All right,” she said, deciding it might be good for her to do some adventurous things, even if they were scandalous. But even so… “You promise no one will find us?” she whispered. “Without our clothes on and all?”

  “I promise. Toby’s cousin was the only one who went out there. No one else does. But if it does happen, I’ll shield your body with mine.”

  She giggled as she imagined him doing such a thing.