by C. N. Bird
He suckled on her nipple and stroked her sex, drawing from the pleasure she was obviously feeling as she arched into his touch. His excitement grew. She was enjoying herself and she must trust him implicitly, given the intimacy that surrounded them. When he abandoned one nipple and moved to the other, she raised her hand to the first and plucked at it. Good god, she was almost wanton and it only made him want her more. He needed to feel her wet heat around his rock hard erection but he must give her pleasure first.
He pushed his middle finger inside her and she held her breath in surprise. As he rubbed the nubbin at the apex of her folds she relaxed. He worked her for a minute or so before introducing a second finger. This time, if she was surprised, she did not show it. She rode his fingers, lifting and dropping her hips to her own rhythm, moaning and writhing on the floor of the wooded area, her moans only punctuated by the twittering of birds.
He rubbed harder with his thumb. That spot he had known about despite not having indulged with a woman since his apparent drowning. He must have done this before. He knew too much of the ways to pleasure her and draw gasps of want from the beautiful lips. That gave him confidence as he watched her. She did not even understand what it was her body needed but she worked towards it anyway. Her jaw was clenched in concentration as she massaged her own breasts, tweaking and rubbing and then grabbing them to knead them. It was the most beautiful sight he could recall.
“You are so close, my love,” he whispered. “Keep going.” He circled his thumb a few more times and she arched her back and cried out.
Her muscles clamped around his fingers and he continued to caress, even as he moved to settle between her thighs. His own erection was throbbing and weeping and Bedlam was most definitely in his future if he could not find release soon.
She blinked a couple of times and took a slow steadying breath. He watched as her dazed expression relaxed into a cat-like smile.
“Are you going to put it in me now?” she asked matter-of-factly.
“Yes.” His teeth were gritted. God he needed to feel her surround him but he was going to have to go slowly…and that was the very last thing he wanted to do.
“Can I see it first?” He grimaced. Devil take it. He was about to deflower the poor girl. The least he could do was let her see the damned thing. He pulled his breeches over his buttocks and straightened. She looked down at it and pursed her lips. What the hell was she thinking? He stroked it between his fingers and thumb, relieving some of the throbbing discomfort.
She nodded. That was it. Just a nod of acceptance and she dropped both her knees to the ground. He placed himself at her entrance and pushed slowly in. She bit her bottom lip as he pressed hard into the virgin flesh. She was warm and tight and his. But she still looked apprehensive.
“Place your hands on my shoulders,” he suggested. If he hurt her too much he would know by her grip. She did as she was bade and he pushed until he met resistance. Her maiden head. There was only one thing for it.
He withdrew slightly then plunged into her. A little yelp and a slight tightening of her fingers and he was in. He waited a moment until she breathed. He withdrew and pushed in again. There was no tensing, in fact, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
He lost control. He began to pump into her warm eager body—only barely noting that she was rutting against him, joining him in their love making. Good God, he was going to Bedlam after all. He gathered her in his arms and continued pounding out his need. Burying his face in her neck, he chanted her name with each thrust. A vision of a young girl standing on a stone balcony, a pretty bonnet on her head and a smile on her lips came unbidden. Cassy.
As stars exploded behind his eyes, his body released his seed into her but the tension did not ease immediately. He continued to push into her, filling her and branding her as his own.
He collapsed on top of her, gasping for breath and she kissed him gently on his bare shoulder. He marvelled at her. So accepting—so perfect—so beautiful—his Cassy.
***
“Do you promise not to laugh or make fun of me?” Cassy asked as she snuggled into his side. It had been the most wonderful experience of her life. Yes, there had been a slight sharp pain when he had first plunged into her but it had been momentary and the joy and pleasure of everything else made that one moment fade into insignificance.
“I promise,” he agreed.
“When you showed me it, I had the strangest urge to lick it. Is that not the funniest thing?”
He smiled lazily at her. “My beautiful Cassy, I will not touch you again until our wedding night but if after that you want to lick it, then I promise you that I will most definitely not stop you. It is quite common kiss and lick all parts of the human body when lovemaking.”
“What? Even my…?”
He chuckled.
“Definitely there. Now much as I would like to stay here and show you what I mean, I fear I have kept you out far too long. Let us hurry and get dressed and I can show you my excellent horsemanship again.”
She chuckled and scrambled to her feet, finding her various garments and putting them back on, with his help.
Chapter Six
Cassy rolled over and moaned quietly, shielding her eyes from the sun streaming in the windows. Why had her maid opened the curtains?
“Good morning!” The deep husky voice made her jump and she grappled for the covers before realising what day it was and exactly why there was a man in her bed chamber.
He stood in the bay window, wearing a dressing gown on his body and a satisfied smile on his handsome face. As he strode over to the bed, she shuddered in anticipation. The previous night, their wedding night, had been wonderful—even better than the day she had given herself to him in the woods.
Ben had been a most considerate lover, refusing to make love to her more than twice in case she became sore. She was not remotely sore now, except for the ache that she always had when he looked at her in that wolfish way.
As much as she wanted to pull open his dressing gown belt and see how hard it was, she wanted information more— details about her new home and his estate in Sefdom.
“How big is Sefdom Manor and how many staff does it have?” He sat down and stared at her before a look of annoyance marred his features.
“I am afraid I do not know. I did not ask my father. I just… God I hate this!” he roared suddenly, making her jump slightly. He had done this once or twice before and she knew it was nothing other than frustration.
“Shh! I am sorry. I know you hate not knowing things that you did before but all will be well.”
“How, Cassy? How can they be well when I can barely count or read? When you read those letters to me in the woods I felt so impotent.”
Cassy felt the tears well up in her eyes. She was trying so hard to be patient yet somehow it was not enough. She had helped him with his numbers and letters and he was learning very quickly. But it was not fast enough for Ben. She had nearly lost count of the broken quills and knocked over ink pots as his disgust at his own slow progress erupted.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I am here to help? That is what wives are for. And you learn things so quickly, almost as if we just have to unlock the information from a closet in your mind. You have no problems riding now. I watched you the other day, from the window of my bedroom.”
“You have put up with my bursts of temper and have never complained. I would not have blamed you had you refused to marry me.”
She chuckled softly at that. “Oh, Ben, your temper is only ever directed at yourself, never at me. I do not fear you in the slightest. You are the most gentle and wonderful man. It is why I love you.”
“You love me?” He turned then to look at her.
“I do,” she answered simply. He looked shocked but pleased and she scrambled from under the covers and onto his knee. As their lips met, she cupped his face and felt him shrug out of his robe. She closed the fingers of her other hand around his burgeoning length
and was secretly thrilled at the feral growl he emitted.
Ben leaned back slightly, his feet still on the floor and his gaze drinking in the sight of her manipulating his hardness. She was grateful there were no servants in the Dowager House which her mother and father had allowed them to use for their wedding night. She was free to explore his body and had every intention of doing just that.
She pressed him back onto the bed then straddled him. His look of surprise made her hesitate.
“Is this all right?”
“Um, yes! Carry on.” He grinned then, showing his perfect white teeth. She kissed along his jagged jaw, proof that his valet had been banished from the Dowager House. As she peppered kisses over his shoulders and chest, he rubbed his hands soothingly up and down her back. When she flicked her tongue over his nipple, his hard member jerk under her belly. He scooped her hair into one hand and held it away from her face.
“If you keep doing that, I shall end up in Bedlam, Lady Sefdom.”
She moved onto the other nipple and he moaned. How could she be so desperate to have him inside her again? As she kissed down his belly, she slipped onto her knees on the floor between his legs.
She took his thick, hot erection in her hand and looked at it. It was quite unlike anything she had imagined. Thick veins ran down its length and the skin moved freely at the top attached just below the slit on top of the purple head.
“Don’t tease, Cassy,” he moaned, rocking his hips. She stuck her tongue out and tasted the moisture at the tip. As she swirled her tongue over the roof of her mouth she raised her eyes in surprise.
“It is salty.”
“Mmm,” he grunted. She licked from his balls to the tip, watching as his stomach muscles tightened and his hips raised off the bed. He liked that. She did it a few more times, eliciting the same reaction. “Put the tip in your mouth,” he growled.
She did and his moan made him sound as if he was in pain.
“Oh God, Cassy. Yes!” He thrust slightly into her mouth and she slackened her jaw. When the tip hit the back of her mouth he withdrew and pushed in again. “Put your hand on the shaft,” he commanded. She did. He clasped his hand around hers and moved it up and down. He continued to thrust and she allowed him to work her hand on his shaft, feeling her own body respond to his moans of ecstasy. He was making her hand move faster and it was beginning to feel sore when he growled again.
“G..come. Move mouth.” She had just understood his instruction when hot salty liquid entered her mouth. She moved away and watched, fascinated as the white liquid spilled from the tip of the purple head. She swallowed the fluid in her mouth. She had to admit, she had tasted worse.
As she stood, she realised he was coming back to himself.
“Sorry,” he muttered over and over again.
“Sorry for what?” she asked, sitting on the bed beside him and handing him a handkerchief from the bedside table.
“For not getting you to pull away in time.”
“Will it harm me?”
“No.”
“Well then.” He wiped his hand then folded the linen and wiped her face. She was feeling chilly so she smiled at him before scrambling under the covers.
“Cassy?”
“I am cold, that is all. Join me please.” The look of relief on his face sent flutters into her belly. He moved gracefully under the sheets and pulled her into his arms.
“Usually when young ladies marry, their husband has some experience with women. They are seldom virgins but I have no recollection of what I did and did not do with regards to women. I wonder if it is the done thing to allow you to perform that act on me. Did you hate it?”
She thought about it. She wanted to give him an honest answer—he deserved that at least.
“It was not what I expected but it was not unpleasant. I believe that with practice I could be better. It made me want you to touch me. It made me ache between my legs. That only happens when you are near, especially when we are alone.”
“It means you are aroused. And I have no idea how I know that. I also know that when I touch you it is the most natural thing in the world to me. It may be a little while until I am ready to bed you but I can bring you pleasure as I did in the woods. Would you like that?” He was leaning close, his hand resting on her thigh as he began to nuzzle through her hair to nip at her ear.
Suddenly she had a very scandalous thought. She turned to him and took his hand in hers.
“You said you would kiss and lick me down there, where it aches.”
He chuckled. “I had intended to, my love. You are very impatient. And I love you for it.”
She smiled, delighted at his words. He loved her, even if it was only for her impatience.
He tugged the bed sheets out of the way, pressed her knees apart and settled his head and shoulders just below her most private part. She shivered. He had touched her there. He had made love to her and spilled his seed inside there, but he had never truly looked at her there and he certainly had not kissed her there. His smile was reassuring. He pressed her folds apart with his thumbs then stuck out his tongue. She tensed her stomach muscles, not knowing what to expect. The sensation of his tongue flicking, then laving was divine. She groaned aloud and pressed into his touch. She may very well have found heaven. He worked at her sucking and licking and nipping gently, setting her on a path to who knew where. It was like being in a carriage which was hurtling down a hill with no driver or horses.
She grabbed his dark curls and pressed herself against his mouth. Yet still he lapped and kissed, driving her further into insanity. She knew she must be close to whatever madness was befalling her but she could not ask him to stop. She needed the release. She needed the coil of tension wrapping around her core to unfurl. Holding very still as he sucked hard, suddenly the world caved in around her. She could only see darkness. Her body pulsed. A disembodied cry rent the air. Strange pains that were somehow pleasurable shot from her most private part through her belly and down her legs and she yelped, moving away from his touch. Her breathing was ragged and she wondered if she really could still be alive after the plethora of sensation.
There were delicate kisses on the inside of her thigh, on her belly, on her breasts, and then he was kissing her. He was touching and caressing her as if stoking a fire, keeping it burning bright.
Ben caressed her breasts, kneaded her buttocks, stroked her folds, kissed his way up and down her neck and suckled on her nipples. Despite her release, she ached for him again. How long he had kept her desire for him burning, she did not know but she threw her head back just as he reared up, took hold of his manhood and pressed it inside her.
He moaned and she echoed his call. There was no finesse—no slow love making. He pushed into her over and over again, then he groaned in frustration. He lifted first one of her ankles then the other over his shoulders and resumed his relentless pounding. He was so deep it felt like he might break her in two, yet it felt so right.
“Oh God,” he ground out just as she felt her own need reach breaking point. He gritted his teeth and she flew back into oblivion, only to feel his seed fill her again. “So good…so perfect…my love.”
She was only vaguely aware of him withdrawing and pulling her into his arms.
“I missed you Cassy,” he said into her hair.
Missed her? They had barely been apart since that fateful day in Hyde Park. She stroked his cheek and frowned.
“On that God forsaken ship. I hated the navy and all I could think of was getting home to you.
“You remember?”
He touched his temple and scowled.
“The memories… they are like looking through fine muslin or a thick fog. I cannot make anything out. But every time we make love, I see you, I see letters on a desk rocking back and forth. Oh, my darling Cassy, I loved you then and I love you now. I think I will always love you.”
“I love you too,” she said simply.
“Thank you for finding me.”
Cassy smiled and snuggled against her husband’s chest.
“No, thank you for finding me.”
THE END
An Honourable Enemy
Lily Magee
Chapter One
“Entrez.”
The tent flap moved to the side and Amaury stepped in, rubbing his hands together.
“Ahhh, mon frère, come in, come in. Close that behind you, the cold is so bitter. All is well with the troops?”
Amaury shrugged comfortably and smiled. “You’re certain I cannot tempt you into the village? Wood and bricks are warmer than tents, brother.”
“We do not stay long enough, Capitaine. We would disrupt the supply post’s efficient running. But how go the troops?”
“All is as we should expect, Commandant. The men are drinking, patching up their effects, toasting each other. The surgeons expected much worse so once again, they are confounded by le Général’s strategic genius.”
Yves guffawed loudly and slapped Amaury on the shoulder. “Alas for these Russian peasants though...”
Although the younger of the two brothers, Capitaine Amaury De Poitiers was much taller and stronger; a contrast to Commandant Yves De Poitier’s darker hair, shorter stature and even shorter temper.
“Well, mon Commandant, do let me know when you decide to pitch a battle against someone you deem to be worthy. The Russians fought bravely.”
“Yes.” Yves frowned. “A real pity that Archduke de Tolley had to be as reckless as he was. No doubt the other crowns will claim that we were responsible for his death. Idiots. You look outside!” He waved his arm with a flourish. “Right outside! All that land outside the camp and supply post, larger than a damn ocean! An intelligent man would have realised that he had no reason to attack us, that when we resolved this grand campaign... well! We’d need someone to run this damnable place!”
“His daughter could be quite useful in negotiations.”
Yves arched his eyebrows. “Well isn’t that obvious? Even that dunderhead Alexander perceives that. Your impressions of her?”