by Fiona Miers
“Lady Grisham. May I introduce Hannah Turner, the Earl of Tother’s cousin.”
The woman’s gaze flicked up and down Hannah’s dress, grimacing as she moved back up to Hannah’s red hair.
The woman before her had the raven black hair that Hannah had always envied. Despite the cold feel she was receiving, she was determined to be civil.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Grisham. Are you enjoying the ball?”
The woman sneered at her. “I wasn’t. My tiresome husband is already rolling drunk and needs to be taken home. Will you accompany me tonight John?”
She slid her hand along John’s arm in a way that was as seductive a move as Hannah had ever seen in company.
Disgusting. And for a married woman too! Who did she think she was?
Hannah snorted as if she had been the one who was propositioned. “Perhaps he would if he wasn’t already coming home with me. Sorry love, but you’re a touch late.”
The woman in red shot her a murderous look. “I’m sure I can persuade him otherwise. John and I have a long-standing history that you, a stupid American, can not possibly understand.”
John was standing in the middle of them and hadn’t said anything yet, but as he gently removed the red ladies hand from his arm, Hannah was filled with an angry confidence.
“Perhaps John is tired of your used wares. I suggest you go find someone else to attend to you, my lady. This stud is no longer available to service you!”
She huffed at the woman and tugged John closer to her.
She didn’t dare drop eye contact from her nemesis and watched as the woman tossed her head in the air like the filly in heat Hannah had accused her of being and stomped off.
Hannah growled in her throat, the adrenaline coursing through her veins making her heart pound.
“What a rude bitch!” she hissed, finally turning around to see John staring at her. His eyes wide, a soft smile on his face.
“I can’t believe you did that Hannah. I thought we weren’t spending any such time together anymore?”
“Well, when I said that, I wasn’t really meaning it, I just wanted her to go away. Her air was poison. Why would you be with a woman like that?”
He shrugged, his face rippling with disappointment that Hannah recognised.
“Honestly? Because she was available and willing. I would never force anyone to be with me, and she was always enthusiastic, and being married meant there was no way of being trapped into a marriage I did not want.”
A question jumped off her tongue. “So, being with me was very different.”
Goodness, why couldn’t she leave the other night where it was meant to stay? In the past.
“In more ways than one, Hannah. Being with you has changed the way I see women, and I thank you for coming to my aid there, even if you were indeed fibbing when you said I was coming home with you.”
She grinned at him. She didn’t lie. “You are coming home with me, are we not staying under the same roof?”
He bowed so that she couldn’t see his face. “Yes indeed.”
There was a touch of disappointment in his tone now and she felt herself wanting to reach out to him, kiss him and reassure him that she did not want to hurt him.
“I would like to spend another night with you, John. Would you consider teaching me some more thing?”
“You see me as a teacher of sorts Hannah?”
She nodded, meeting his gaze. “Yes, I do.”
A man who knew more about lovemaking than she ever would.
When she saw him hesitating, she realized how disappointed she’d be if he said no.
“I trust you, John. Please come home with me.”
There was a fire in his eyes now that she had missed. She wanted him to desire her.
“Of course. Shall we leave now?”
She nodded. “Yes. Let’s go tell Charlotte we are going.”
“Very well.”
They went inside and Charlotte and Archie too wanted to leave. They travelled home in the carriage in happy silence, the occasional word being spoken about the night they’d had.
When they arrived back at Archie’s stunning townhouse, her cousin and his wife soon excused themselves to go to bed and Hannah rushed to her room to change out of her ball gown and put on her bed attire.
Her ladies maid took too long and Hannah rushed her, pulling at the material in her haste to get naked quickly.
“But my lady, you will wreck the dress.”
“I’m fine. Please go. I will see you in the morning.”
Anne-Marie’s face dropped and she slouched away.
Hannah did feel a moments regret at pushing her away. But she was impatient to feel the pleasure that John had shown her the other night.
There was a knock on the door and she hurried to open it, grabbing John and pulling him inside the moment she saw him standing there.
His deep chuckle rolled around the room as he put down his candlestick and pulled her into his arms.
“Excited tonight, are we?”
“Yes.”
She began pulling at his clothes, desperate to see the body she’d been almost afraid of the other night.
Why she thought she’d be content with one night, she didn’t know. Because now that she had the chance to experience more, she was burning with need once again.
John stepped back and with a few knowing tugs, his clothing dropped to the floor and he stood before her, naked and glorious.
She looked her fill, sighing with happiness and the knowledge that she may not see this sight again. She still wasn’t sure if this was the man meant for her, or if she could handle his rakish ways, so she was3 ignoring any thoughts that rose.
Tonight, was to learn and experience pleasure. Nothing more.
“Now, you.”
John nodded at her and she began to pull her nightdress off. A tremor of fear passed through her belly but she supposed it was only fair if she wanted to see him then he would want to see her.
She opened her night dress, untied her chemise and let the material whisper to the floor.
He stared at her openly and she took the time to look back at him. His muscles were so large, so smooth and shapely. She loved the breadth of his shoulders. They reminded her of the hard working farmers at home.
All wrapped up in an educated gentleman with a cheeky devil inside of him. A heady combination.
“You are so beautiful, John.”
He made a strangled noise as he charged forward and picked her up, kissing her hard on the lips and carrying her back to the bed.
He lay her down and she reached for him, running her hands over his smooth skin, loving the tougher hair, the hardness of his body. So different to hers.
He set his lips to her nipple and she arched her back, desperate for the deeper contact. He suckled her, causing a tug and a pull between her legs that was simply divine.
This time there was no fear, there would be no pain and no blood, she was sure, if her mother could be believed.
She reached for his hair, threading her fingers through the luxurious strands as he made his way down her body, kissing her belly and thighs, and settling between her legs.
She opened for him, knowing the pleasure that was waiting for her.
He licked at her female parts and she closed her eyes, allowing the hot waterfall of sensation to cascade over her. Every flick of his tongue, every moan that he uttered had her groaning and writhing on the bed.
The tension in her lower tummy was tightening, hot sparks of sensation tingling down her legs.
John slid up and kissed her deeply, sharing her taste with her and lining his body up with hers.
She pushed him back and he jumped away, the fear on his face a palpable thing.
Goodness, he wasn’t kidding when he said he’d only take a willing woman.
She glanced down at his staff, now thick and red, pressing into her thigh. She so wanted to explore his body as he had hers.
“Can I
kiss your body too before we, finish?”
He nodded. “Of course, but I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Lay back.”
He moved up and lay back onto the pillows, his eyes wide and his face looking afraid and unsure.
She moved to kneel between his spread legs, staring down at the incredibly strong body that John had. His manhood was long and erect, now laying against his thigh.
“I just want to touch you. Don’t worry.”
She moved forward and kissed his chest, flicking out her tongue to taste his skin before moving over to his nipple and giving it a little suck as he had done to hers. He smelt faintly of cigars and a sweet alcohol that she wished she could also taste.
A moan rolled through his chest and she smiled against his skin.
She tasted the other nipple and then shuffled down. His skin tasted slightly salty, the grooves of his muscles amazingly sexy.
She moved further down and stayed on her knees, pushing her hair out of the way so that she could bob her head and take the head of his manhood into her mouth.
“What are you..? no..”
She looked up at him and John’s mouth was wide open, his muscles tightly clenched and bulging in his arms.
Oh, that’s right. He said ladies didn’t do this.
She grinned as she bobbed her head once again, sliding her lips over and down to taste him as he had done to her.
She licked and tickled his flesh, listening to the groans so she knew what he wanted the most.
She took as much of him into her mouth as she could, tasting a saltiness that made her swallow. That was different.
As was all of this. His flesh was so different than she expected. Silky smooth, so soft, and yet it was thick and hard. Red, the veins bulging.
Suddenly John grabbed her under the arms and pulled her up so she was straddling him, his rod stiff and hard beneath her bottom.
“If you want to be in control Hannah, jump on and ride me.”
She didn’t want to seem naive, but she had no idea what he meant.
“Like this, come up a bit.”
He lifted her up and she moved her legs. He grabbed his shaft and positioned it beneath her wet and aching cleft.
“Now slide down and ride me, as you would your horse.”
That sounded ridiculous, but who was she to disagree with him?
“All right.”
She rocked her hips and slid down, gasping as his flesh forged a path inside her.
“Oh, my…”
She gasped as she moved down until she sat on his belly, his long shaft fully seated within her.
He grabbed her hips and lifted her, pulling her back down again quickly. Tingles of pleasure ricocheted through her belly.
“Oh, I understand now.”
She put her hands down on his shoulders and began to imitate his motions. Lifting up and then sliding down, using her strong thighs to keep up the rhythm.
He stared up at her. Fire blazing in the warm brown depths of his eyes.
“Oh damn. Oh, God.”
“What’s wrong?”
She stopped and he groaned, squeezing her hips tight. “Nothing.” He panted. “You are so amazing. I can barely control myself.”
She liked the sound of that.
She kept moving, along his length and down. Loving the tight feeling of his body connected to hers, filling her. A part of her.
He was heaving beneath her, his face red, his eyes squeezed shut, but she was not feeling the same things as last night.
His eyes popped open and he grabbed her, flipping her over so she was flat on her back and he thrust into the hilt.
She screamed out and wrapped her legs around his waist, fire exploding in her belly.
He bent his head to whisper into her ear. “I’m going to go fast, tell me if it’s too much. All right?”
She nodded and grabbed onto him with her arms.
He pulled away and thrust back again hard, tendrils of pleasure weaving through her belly and down her legs.
He did it again, moving harder and faster. She couldn’t keep her eyes open, her throat burning with her cries. She could feel nothing but where they joined, an all-consuming blast of passion.
The bed was banging against the wall and John’s back was covered in sweat. This was what she had always wondered about. What inspired a man to act like a wild animal, and it called to that side of her. That matched the man in her arms and screamed for more.
The coiled spring inside her tightened to breaking point and she began to call out, thrusting her hips up to meet him, chasing those feelings he’d already shown her so many times.
John cried out, slamming into her hard and fast until she exploded. A kaleidoscope of light flashed inside her head and John released his heat inside her, pulses of her own release doubling in intensity as she screamed and bit down on his shoulder, her body squeezing and milking John’s body that was still jerking inside her.
He collapsed onto her, panting and groaning, pulling her with him as he rolled to the side.
His heart was thundering against her ear and she sighed as she squeezed him tighter. This was the part she loved so much. After their pleasure had exploded and there were a few minutes of peace. Where everything else in the world seemed to go away and she could believe that there was only the two of them.
“I didn’t pull out, Hannah. Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”
She lifted her head, still feeling the blissful effects of their lovemaking like a cloud wrapped around her head. Blurring her vision and taking away all strength in her muscles.
John, however, looked angry, yet the determined set of his jaw had her worried.
“It’s all right John.”
“No, you don’t understand. You could get pregnant. We’ll have to marry now.”
She pulled back and sat up, pulling the blankets with her.
“Pardon me?” She knew that children were conceived in the marriage bed but she’d never known the biological mechanics.
“I put my seed inside of you. We must marry.”
“Are you saying you did this on purpose? Were you trying to make me marry you?”
Why would John do that to her?
Despite the fact that she was beginning to think that John may be the only man in London able to handle her, she couldn’t stand the choice being taken away from her.
Yes, she was beginning to think of John differently, and perhaps she would reconsider his offer. But he wasn’t asking her now, he was telling.
“Hannah, do not be daft. You will have no chance of marrying anyone else now.”
She slid from the bed, picked up her dressing gown and wrapped it around her. She would not let him do this to her. What sort of marriage would they have if it started this way?
When she spun back around, her breathing was ragged and she was struggling to stay calm. “I will wait until my next monthly cycle, and if it comes, we do not need to worry about this.” She was told that was what indicated a pregnancy, and hers was only a few days away. “My bleeding should begin in a few days, so I don’t believe it will be a problem.”
John scowled at her, getting out of bed himself and pulling his own clothes back on.
“Why are you being so stubborn Hannah?”
“I’m not. I’m simply wanting to make a choice about who I marry John, just like you. I have no wish to be forced into anything.”
“You? Forced? I’m not forcing anything! You are the one that will be left destitute and alone if I do not marry you. Come on, Hannah, I am a Duke’s son. I will inherit a lot of money and comfort. We are a good match.”
Anger drilled into her, going right to her core. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He thought that was what would get her to marry him?
Obviously, he knew nothing about her at all. How ridiculously disappointing!
“Hannah, I will have a home in town to offer you. My brother is bequeathing me a house when I become his heir. When I marry
and produce an heir, which I have agreed to do this year, we will inherit more than you can imagine.”
He may as well have thrown a bucket of icy water at her head.
“You’ve promised to do what?”
He stopped for a moment, she could see him trying to consider his options, so she asked again. “Did you just say that you, a man who swore he’d never marry, promised his family that he would marry this year?”
“I am my brother’s heir. I need to.”
His calm façade was back on over his face and Hannah could no longer see the man she loved.
Hot tear sprung to her eyes. She was in love with John. Damn it all to hell!
“Well, please give my felicitations to the dutiful bride when you find her.”
She marched to her bedroom door and opened it, “Get out.”
“But if there’s a babe…”
“There won’t be…” She growled at him and pointed to the hallway. John looked at her with big soulful eyes, then finally grabbed up his candlestick and walked out the door.
She slammed it behind him and threw the lock into place.
“Pompous arse!”
Who did he think he was? Intended to trap her with the same thing that women had used on their men for years.
Her cousin’s wife included if Charlotte’s inference was to be believed.
Well, that was not her. She would not be forced, nor would she trap another into a commitment that would bind them for the rest of their lives.
She stomped over to the bed and pulled the sheets from the bed.
Tearing off anything that smelled of the passion they’d just shared.
She wrapped herself in a blanket and lay down on the bare mattress, hot tears now streaming unchecked down her cheeks.
“Damn man.”
Chapter 13.
John woke up early after a fitful night sleep and called for his valet. The sun was barely poking its head through the sky and his poor valet looked bleary eyed and not ready to work.
“I must see my banker first thing.”
He was changed into his best day suit and breakfasted before most of the rest of the household was awake. He had changes to make in his life, big ones. Hannah’s rejection last night had made it very obvious to him that to win the hand of the woman he loved, he had to be a new man, a better person.