NOT JUST A WALLFLOWER

by Carole Mortimer

  Desire, hot and strong, erupted between them, leaving no room for tentative exploration and seduction as Justin felt the instant and powerful surge of his own desire as his arousal curved up strong and pulsing against his stomach, his arms sliding about Eleanor’s waist as he drew her firmly against him, breast to chest, the flatness of her abdomen pressing against the heat of his shaft.

  She clung to him, her face raised as he deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue over the softness of her lips before entering, then plundering the beckoning, enticing heat beneath.

  * * *

  For Ellie it was as if the last three agonising days of avoiding Justin had never happened, the instant heat of their desire making it seem as if this was a continuation of their previous lovemaking. Her love for him made it impossible to resist being crushed against him, his reaction to her telling her more surely than anything else that he was just as aroused as she was.

  She became totally lost in the barrage of emotions as he continued to kiss her. Then he lifted her above him, the length of her gown rising up her legs as she straddled his muscular thighs, allowing him to pull her in tightly against him, her knees resting on the seat either side of him.

  Her drawers had parted, allowing the fullness of his arousal to press up against the swollen heart of her, only the material of his pantaloons now separating them.

  Ellie gave a breathless gasp as the rocking of the carriage rubbed his firm length against the sensitive nubbin between her own thighs, totally lost to sensation as Justin unfastened the buttons at the back of her gown. He broke the kiss to ease her slightly away from him to allow her gown to drop away, revealing her breasts covered only by the thin material of her chemise, his eyes becoming hot and glittering as he raised his hands to cup the twin orbs.

  Ellie looked down, her cheeks flaming as she saw what Justin had done; her breasts were fuller, the nipples swollen and hard at their tips as they pouted up and forwards invitingly.

  ‘You are so beautiful...!’ he murmured huskily, gently pushing her chemise aside before his head lowered to draw one of those swollen berries into his mouth.

  Ellie’s whole body now felt suffused with heat as she thrust her fingers into his hair, every caress of that moist tongue a torture that coursed hot and molten through her veins.

  She loved this man, needed—Lord help her, she needed—

  She gave a low moan, throat arching, head thrown back, as Justin responded to that need, his fingers caressing unerringly that heat between her thighs, stroking in the same rhythm as his tongue now rasped against her other nipple, taking her higher, driving her insane with mindless desire.

  ‘Unfasten my pantaloons, Eleanor...!’ His breath was hot against her aching breast as he bit gently on her nipple. ‘Let me feel your hands on me,’ he pleaded gruffly.

  Her cheeks burned as she sat back slightly, her fingers fumbling with the buttons of Justin’s pantaloons in her haste to see and touch the hardness that had pressed against her so insistently, barely able to breathe as he leant back against the seat, lids half-closed, as she finally allowed that long, pulsing length to burst free, as if it had a will of its own.

  Even as she gazed down in fascination a bead of liquid escaped the tip before sliding slowly downwards. Ellie looked at him uncertainly. ‘May I...?’

  ‘Please...’ he encouraged hoarsely.

  She quickly removed her gloves before touching that hardness tentatively, her fingers barely able to meet about its thickness. She was surprised, as she began to run her fingers slowly up and down it, at how silky the skin felt. She ran the soft pad of her thumb across the tip to capture a second bead of escaping moisture, looking up quickly as he gave a low groan. ‘Am I hurting you?’

  He gave a brief laugh. ‘Only with kindness!’

  Ellie gave a relieved smile, capturing her tongue between her teeth in concentration as she unbuttoned his waistcoat and pulled up his shirt to bare his chest before allowing her gaze to become fixed once again on the hard, silken length of his shaft. She continued to caress him instinctively, fingers tightening around his arousal, responding to his groans of pleasure as she began to lightly pump up and down. Justin’s thighs began to thrust up into the circle of her fingers and she tightened her grip as she heard his loud gasp, the expression on his face now almost one of pain, despite his earlier assurances.

  Ellie stilled. ‘I am sure I must be hurting you—’

  ‘No!’ He lifted his hand, fingers curling about hers as he encouraged her to continue that rhythmic pumping. ‘Do not stop, Eleanor, please do not stop...!’ His head dropped back against the upholstered seat, lids completely closed, long golden lashes dark shadows against the harsh planes of his sculptured cheeks.

  Ellie had never seen anything as beautiful, as intensely wildly beautiful, as the fierceness of his pleasure in her caresses. It was somehow empowering, so fiercely primal, to know that she could give such pleasure to the man she loved.

  ‘Harder,’ he encouraged achingly. ‘Oh lord, faster...!’

  Ellie’s fingers tightened further about him as she followed his instructions, eyes widening as his shaft seemed to grow even longer, thicker, with each downward stroke, the head more swollen, and glistening with moisture.

  Justin groaned harshly, the pleasure so intense, so all consuming as he thrust up into Eleanor’s encircling fingers, every particle of him concentrated on that intense, mindless desire as he felt his release threatening to overtake his control.

  It took tremendous effort of will not to give in to the need to spill himself, as he instead opened his eyes before capturing her wrist and putting a stop to her caresses. ‘Together this time, Eleanor. We will come together.’

  She blinked, her eyes a dark emerald in her own arousal.

  ‘Like this,’ Justin urged as he placed his hands on her waist to once again pull her thighs in tight either side of him, his breath leaving him in a pained hiss as he felt the burning heat of her against him, causing him to harden still further.

  ‘Justin...?’

  ‘Do not be afraid, Eleanor,’ he soothed as he stroked gentle fingers down the length of one of her rosy cheeks. ‘I swear I will not take your innocence. Or hurt you in any way. I only want to give you pleasure. To give us both pleasure. Do you trust me to do that?’

  Did Ellie trust Justin? To give her pleasure? Oh, yes, she already knew how capable he was of sending her to the heights. But did she trust him not to break her heart?

  Ellie feared it was already too late for that!

  What other explanation could there be, she mused, other than that she had fallen in love with him, for the way in which she responded so willingly, so wantonly, to his every caress?

  ‘Eleanor, please?’ he begged at her continued silence.

  It was unacceptable that this proud, powerful man should plead with her. That he should plead with anyone for anything!

  Nor did she wish to continue to waste this precious time together lingering on her own emotions. ‘Yes, I trust you, Justin,’ she said, her hands clinging to the width of his shoulders as he sat up to edge forwards on the seat, his gaze once again holding hers captive as he began to move, the hardness of his shaft stroking against the swollen nubbin between her dampened thighs, the wetness there allowing his silken hardness to glide up and between her swollen folds rather than entering, breaching, the sheath beneath.

  Ellie moaned in ecstasy as the nubbin between her thighs throbbed and pulsed in response to each stroke, her cheeks aflame with her arousal, her breathing ragged as she felt the pressure building inside her, taking her higher and ever higher, her breasts tingling almost painfully, as that heated pleasure between her thighs became almost too much to bear.

  ‘Now, Eleanor!’ Justin gasped between gritted teeth. ‘I am going to—come for me now, Eleanor!’

  His words meant nothing
to Ellie, it was the tightening of his hands about her waist as he held her firmly in place, and the intensified throbbing and bucking of his shaft against her, that threw her totally over the edge and out into a maelstrom of almost unbearably erotic sensations.

  Wave after wave of pleasure claimed her, as Justin’s shaft continued to stroke to that same rhythm, before he also lost control, and a fiery liquid pulsed hotly on to her nubbin, sending her into a second, even more intense climax than the first.

  * * *

  Justin trembled and shook in the aftermath of the most intense release he had ever experienced, his ejaculation so fierce, so powerful, and lasting for so long he felt as if he had been ripped apart and was still in pieces, only the sound of their ragged breathing breaking the silence inside the carriage. Eleanor had fallen forwards weakly as her second climax faded, her head now resting on his shoulder as her body still shuddered and quivered with the aftershocks of that dual release.

  It was incredible, beyond belief, that Justin should have responded so wildly, so intensely, to just the touch of her hands upon him and the heat of her between her thighs. He enjoyed sex as much as the next man, had bedded more than his share of women the past ten years or so, but he could never remember experiencing such a depth of pleasure before, such a fierce release. It had seemed never ending, until he had felt as if it had started in his toes and been drawn up from his very boots.

  His boots...

  Damn it, not only were the two of them still fully dressed, but they were also sitting in his moving carriage—a carriage that now reeked of the smell of sex! What on earth had he been thinking?

  * * *

  Ellie was so weakened, so lost in wonder, that it took her several minutes to realise that Justin’s shoulder had tensed beneath her brow. His chest was steadily rising and falling against her breasts, while his hands had fallen away from her waist.

  She raised her head warily and looked at his harshly etched features; there was a frown between his eyes, his cheekbones appeared like blades beneath the tautness of his skin, and his jaw was tightly clenched.

  So clearly not the face of an indulgent and satiated lover.

  She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue before speaking. ‘Are you angry with me?’

  ‘With myself,’ he corrected harshly.

  Her eyes widened. ‘Why?’

  ‘You can ask me that?’ He gave a self-disgusted shake of his head as he placed his hands on her waist once again in order to lift her off him and sit her on the seat beside him. He briskly pulled up the bodice of her gown and refastened the buttons at the back before straightening his own clothing.

  Ellie’s legs felt decidedly shaky as she pressed her knees tightly together, gasping as she felt another wave of pleasure emanate from that still-swollen nubbin nestled in the auburn curls between her thighs. Her cheeks suddenly blazed again as she became aware that the uncomfortable dampness of her drawers was not entirely her own.

  Could this be any more embarrassing? Not only had she once again lost complete control in Justin’s arms, but the proof of his own uninhibited display was impossible to ignore. How could she have allowed this to happened again? It was utterly mortifying—

  ‘This should not have happened again!’ the duke echoed at least some of her thoughts, his voice a growl in the silence. ‘And it would not have done so if not for—’ He broke off abruptly, eyes glittering darkly as he glared fiercely at nothing in particular.

  ‘If not for what?’ Ellie prompted.

  ‘We have delayed long enough; I suggest you now tidy your hair and replace your bonnet,’ he instructed as he pulled back the curtains and allowed in the sunshine before reaching up to once again tap on the roof of the carriage. ‘Royston House, if you please, Bilsbury.’

  Ellie continued to regard him for several seconds before turning away to look sightlessly out of the window, unwilling to allow him to see the tears which now stung her eyes as she did as he instructed and tidied herself.

  The way Justin now spoke to her, and the harshness of his expression, could not have made it any more obvious that he deeply regretted what had just happened.

  As she must now regret it, though for a completely different reason.

  While technically she might still be an innocent, she was certain he had ruined her for any other man. She would only ever want him. Only ever love him. It was a total disaster.

  * * *

  Justin could not think of a single thing to say or do that would erase the expression of hurt bewilderment from Eleanor’s face; that his behaviour had been reprehensible, totally beyond the pale, was beyond denial, as well as being a betrayal of his role as her guardian.

  She still looked utterly dishevelled, delicate wisps of her hair having escaped her ministrations, her cheeks pale, her lips slightly swollen from the force of their kisses, her gown crushed and slightly soiled—and he winced just to think of the state of her underclothes.

  Damn it, he had told himself after the first time that such a depth of intimacy must never happen between the two of them again. Nor did he believe it would have done so now, if he had not been so infuriated by her obvious enjoyment of Endicott’s attentions, when recently she could barely spare him the time of day.

  Which begged the question—why had Eleanor’s obvious liking for Endicott so infuriated him, when the sooner she received a proposal of marriage from someone of Endicott’s ilk, and accepted it, then the quicker Justin’s own onerous responsibility as her guardian would come to an end? Just as her possible problematic connection to Litchfield would then become her husband’s business rather than his own.

  Which was exactly what Justin wanted, was it not? To be free of her so that he might return to his uncomplicated life before her come-out in society had caused him such inconvenience and irritation?

  His uncomplicated life before Miss Eleanor Rosewood...

  As Justin recalled, he had been lamenting the boredom of that life on the evening his grandmother had voiced her concerns regarding Eleanor’s future, with the request that he provide her with a dowry and his protection. An emotion Justin could not recall experiencing even once since that evening.

  True—except the very reason he had not found himself overcome with boredom this past week was because he had not had a minute to call his own in all that time!

  His whole life had been tumbled into disarray since she entered it. He had not even found the time for his usual pursuits, such as his thrice-weekly visits to Jackson’s Boxing Saloon. An oversight he intended to rectify at the earliest opportunity, if only in an attempt to prevent himself from once again falling victim to her physical charms.

  That decision settled in his mind, Justin now turned his attention to the difficult task of diffusing the awkwardness that had been created by this latest lapse. ‘There is never a teacup and saucer available when one so sorely needs one—’

  ‘Do not try to make a joke out of this!’ she turned on him fiercely.

  He gave a pained wince. ‘Once again I offer my apologies—Eleanor, are you crying?’ He was appalled as he saw the silvery tracks of those tears falling down the paleness of her cheeks. ‘Eleanor—’

  ‘Or touch me again!’ she warned even as she flinched away from the hands he had lifted with the intention of lightly grasping her arms. ‘Or be mistaken into thinking these tears are caused by anything other than anger, and a recognition of my own stupidity, in having once again having allowed myself to fall prey to your experienced seduction!’

  Justin’s jaw tightened grimly at the insult as he continued to look at her for several long seconds, aware of the challenge in her own gaze, before he drew in a deep breath and rose agilely to his feet to move and sit on the other side of the carriage. ‘Better?’

  Her chin rose as she replied just as tersely, ‘Much.’

  He let
out a ragged sigh. ‘Eleanor—’

  ‘I really would prefer it if you did not speak to me again.’ Her voice shook, whether with anger, or some other emotion, Justin was unsure. ‘I have—I am in no fit state to talk about this now.’ She gave a shake of her head, her gloved hands tightly clasped together in her lap.

  Justin was surprised that either of them could speak at all after the intensity of their lovemaking! Indeed, his own body was currently filled with such lethargy, so physically satiated and drained, that he dearly longed for a hot bath in which he might ease away some of those aches and strains.

  ‘Very well, Eleanor,’ he acquiesced. ‘But when you are feeling better—’

  ‘I am not ill, your Grace,’ she assured him with a humourless laugh. ‘Merely full of self-disgust and recriminations,’ she added honestly.

  The fact that she was once again addressing him as ‘your Grace’ was enough to inform him of her state of mind, of her need to put as much distance between them, metaphorically, as she possibly could. ‘Nevertheless,’ he pointed out as gently as he could, ‘we cannot just ignore what has happened in the same way that we did the last time.’ Just the thought of a repeat of the three days that had just passed, when Eleanor had avoided his company as much as was possible, and spoke to him even less, was totally unacceptable. ‘My grandmother, as you have already remarked, is a highly astute woman and a continuation of the recent tension between us is sure to alert her to the fact that there is something seriously amiss.’

  Eleanor’s eyes flashed a deep-emerald green and angry colour returned to her cheeks. ‘Should you not have thought of that sooner, your Grace?’

  Justin should have thought of a lot of things sooner! The fact that he had not was testament to his own state of mind. What little mind he seemed to have left about him whenever he was alone with her!