by Em Taylor
“Let us lay on the bed and I shall let you touch it.”
She climbed on beside him and scrambled back until her head was on the pillows. He tugged the covers from under her and pulled them to the bottom of the bed so she was lying on the sheet. He moved up beside her and gathered her into his arms.
Kathleen curled her fingers around his long hard length and Gabriel closed his eyes and dropped his head back.
“Am I hurting you?”
“No. It feels nice. Move your hand up and down the shaft.” She did as he asked and he groaned. “Oh God, Kathleen, you are so good at that.” He pulled her into a kiss. As he deepened the kiss, he pushed his own hand between them and parted her thighs. He ran his finger through the folds of her most intimate area. But rather than feeling shame, she liked it.
Without thinking she let go of his shaft so she could run her hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry,” she said immediately.
“Mm, it is fine, I was going to have to ask you to stop or I would have spent in your hand. And that would not do.”
She did not understand what he meant but, at this point, she was willing to just allow him to lead. He kissed down her chest and on to her breasts, but when his mouth closed around her nipple, she was also aware of him invading her down below with his finger.
“Oh!” It was not unpleasant. Rather it was just unexpected. But soon, with a combination of his sucking and licking her nipple and pushing his finger in and out of her channel as his thumb worried a part of her intimate area that sent her crazy with need, Kathleen was rocking her hips and moaning his name. He added a second finger and the desire built even further. He had moved to her other nipple. She vaguely knew that she was tugging at his hair but he was not protesting.
“Let yourself go, Kathleen.” His voice was low and gravelly. She was going to end up in Bedlam. She was sure of it. This kind of torture was surely not healthy. But it was so sweet.
“Gabriel, I can’t…”
“Relax, my love.”
“No, I cannot.”
He was on top of her then, his hand removed from her and his mouth at her neck. Her legs were either side of his hips and… was his manhood rubbing against her intimate area? Oh, it was. It felt so good. He raised her bottom off the mattress with his hands and kissed her. But his strokes were slow and steady. He ground hard against her and she rubbed hard against him. She was not sure if what she was doing was right, but she knew it felt wonderful and that Gabriel was not telling her to do differently.
Gabriel broke the kiss and was sprinkling kisses down her neck when everything changed. She knew something monumental was happening in her body but did not know what.
“Please Gabriel. Don’t move. What’s happening?”
“That’s it, my love. This is what is supposed to happen. Let it.”
His face hovered above hers and as a wave of euphoria hit her. She cried out his name, but it was muffled by his lips as they descended on hers. Her ears pounded and the world suddenly seemed out of kilter. The world now only contained her and Gabriel in this moment.
And then he was positioning himself at her opening.
“I am so sorry, Kathleen. This will hurt whenever I do it.”
He pushed in a little but apart from some stretching it was fine. He pushed in more and it was still fine. But she was euphoric from whatever had just happened. Surely whatever he was going to do was not going to…
“Ouch!”
And she was being stretched like she had never imagined. Instead of the bliss she had just experienced, she was on fire down there.
Kathleen scowled at her husband. Gabriel grimaced.
“If I could have taken that pain upon myself, I would have.”
However, for all the pain he had caused in the moment, it was already beginning to ease. Gabriel leaned his head down and brushed his lips over hers. As he withdrew he apologised again.
“I shall start moving now.” And he eased out of her and pushed back in. It was no longer painful. It was rather nice. Gabriel rocked in a gentle rhythm, his gaze concentrated on her face for signs of discomfort. She smiled at him. “You are well?”
“Yes, Gabriel. It is not painful now.”
“Wrap your legs around my hips.” She did and was sure he sank deeper into her. He groaned with pleasure and buried his face in her neck. His thrusting picked up speed. Kathleen found that she wanted to move in counterpoint to him, almost like riding a horse. The whole thing was becoming exhilarating now that the initial pain had worn off. She suspected she would be sore later but for now, she could feel the same feelings she’d had before rising within her. And Gabriel’s kisses on her neck, on her shoulders on the parts of her chest he could reach, were divine. “Oh Kathleen, I am so sorry,” he said again.
She had no idea what he was apologising for, but she was feeling, well… agitated. As if she would burst. The way she had earlier. She caught Gabriel’s hair in her hands and pulled his head up so he would kiss her. He obliged with a chuckle. Then his mouth plundered hers. His strokes in and out of her body became frenetic, and she matched him thrust for thrust. She did not think this was at all ladylike and perhaps he would think her wanton afterwards, but she would deal with the consequences of this later. He had been the one to drag her off to get married before her mama could explain the marriage bed to her. Of course, she was unskilled and lacking knowledge.
But it felt so good and she was so near the peak again. She dug her nails into his hard backside and she was almost sure he growled. He covered his mouth with hers at the same moment as the euphoria washed over her. Gabriel lost his rhythm and she was aware of muscles inside her pounding around his manhood. And then Gabriel grunted against her shoulder, stiffened his body and there was a gush of liquid warmth inside her. Was that his seed? He thrust a few more times—hard—into her body, before he relaxed, his thrusts changing to a rocking motion as he calmed, then he withdrew and flopped onto the bed at her side.
His chest was heaving and he looked dazed. As though he needed smelling salts.
“Come,” he said, tugging at her. She rolled onto her side and he enveloped her in his arm, laying her head on his sweaty chest. He smelled lovely. “That was not well done of me.”
“What was not?”
“I should have been… gentler your first time. But once inside of you, I lost my mind. You felt so good and you were so responsive.”
“I am sorry, Gabriel.”
“What on earth do you have to be sorry about, Kathleen?”
“For being gauche. I did not know what I was doing. I did what felt… well, natural, I suppose.”
He smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That is exactly what you should do. Apart from knowing I hurt you, it was wonderful. It should never hurt ever again. If it does hurt, you must ask me to stop.”
“When you went all stiff and there was a gush of warmth inside me, was that your seed?”
His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he recovered quickly. “Yes.”
“So, I could have a baby.”
“Possibly. But it does not always happen immediately. It could take some months or even a couple of years. It depends.”
She glanced down his nude body. He was a fine specimen of manliness. Her gaze settled on his manhood.
“It is much smaller than it was,” she blurted out without thinking. Gabriel picked it up with his free hand and said, “Yes, it needs time to recover. A bit like myself. You have worn us both out.”
“It is not as small as Cedric’s though.” As soon as she realised what she had said she slapped her hand over her mouth and buried her face in his chest. Gabriel guffawed.
“Lady Cindermaine, you were an innocent until ten minutes ago. You should not be looking at the cocks of men, even if they were your fiancé.”
“My Lord, you cannot use that word in front of a lady.”
He rolled her over onto her back and hovered over her. “Oh, but you are not just any lady.
You are my wife. I can use any language I like if it makes you blush that seductive shade of pink. Wait until I tutor you on the words I know for the intimate parts of your body.” Kathleen was sure she was blushing all over—yes, even in those parts of her body. “But that can wait. Let me check the watch that Stalwood gave me. I think we have time before we need to get dressed but I should check to make sure.
He climbed off her and sat on the edge of the bed, glancing around at the clothes strewn everywhere and that was when Kathleen saw the large white welt mark on his back. He stood and walked to his waistcoat on the chair and checked the watch.
“Do we need to dress?”
“No, we have about half an hour until then.”
“Gabriel?”
“Yes?”
“What are those marks on your back?”
The teasing light in his eye faded.
“Nothing.”
“They are something, Gabriel.”
“They are of no relevance now.”
“Your father did it, did he not?”
“The Duke of Hartsmere is not my father. He is my sire. The brute has never been a father to me. He provided the seed that produced me and I shall inherit his title. I would be more than happy not to inherit his title. I should prefer to find a job as a solicitor or a teacher. But the scandal that would bring upon Christina is unconscionable.”
“Then the Duke of Hartsmere did it.”
“I said I do not wish to discuss it.”
“I do if you are still in danger, Gabriel. Does he still do this to you?”
“No.”
“Are you sure he does not do this to Christina? Is she in danger?”
Gabriel made a low noise in his throat before he spoke. “As I explained to you a few nights hence, if he did, I would be the Duke of Hartsmere now or the dukedom would have reverted to the crown—depending on whether I was caught killing the blaggard.”
“What if he finds out and hurts Christina in revenge? What if this whole secret marriage thing becomes common knowledge? You and Christina could be in danger.”
“He will not hurt either of us. He knows better.”
“This is a terrible idea. We should stop this now.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“I hate to inform you, Lady Cindermaine, but the blood on the sheets prove you are no longer a virgin. They prove this marriage is well and truly legal and I am still not for handing you over to my obnoxious half-brother to be the woman he brings the French pox home to when he is done with his whores.”
Gabriel was glaring at her now and, though she was more than a little scandalised by what he said, she would not back down.
“I did not mean calling off our marriage, Gabriel. And stop trying to shock me. I mean we should not stay in London for the next few days. I would have enjoyed seeing my family for one last Christmas but, well, I am a grown woman and I have you now. Your safety and the safety of Christina is more important.”
“We shall be fine. I promised you that you would have Christmas with your family and you shall have it. I am just sorry that you shall not be able to celebrate the feast of St Stephen with them.”
“Oh, no matter. I shall have you.”
“Better me than Cedric Smallcock.”
He pursed his lips as he tried not to laugh at his own joke. Kathleen picked up a pillow and threw it at him. He caught it deftly and waggled an eyebrow at her. She had a feeling she was in trouble now.
Chapter 12
Lady Cindermaine was more than Gabriel could have hoped for. She had apologised to him for following her instincts when he’d taken her virginity. But she had been a revelation. She had followed her own needs and desires, and in doing so, she had made his needs and desires spiral out of control. She had not flinched when he had lost his temper and talked about French pox and whores and now she was kneeling naked on the bed of an inn throwing pillows at him.
He moved towards her, the pillow extended, and she held her ground. Her eyes were narrowed, so she was debating whether to wrestle the pillow from him or grab another. He lifted the first pillow over her head, down her back, to her bottom where he used it to pull her close into his body. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his neck and he captured her mouth in a kiss. She tasted so sweet and she kissed as if she’d been doing it for years. Her tongue swept his mouth, and she moaned as he brushed the back of his fingers over one nipple.
She pulled her head away and scowled at him. “You are an expert at distracting me. I think we should leave London tonight.”
“I think you have distracted yourself so much you missed me saying Christina and I are not in danger. Besides, Myles needs to collect Henry. We need to wait until he has his son before we can all leave.”
“I see. Are we doing it again then?” she asked, indicating with a nod of her head his throbbing erection.
“No. You will be sore if we do it again.”
“Oh!” She looked disappointed. He was disappointed himself though he had known he would not be able to do it more than once today for fear of hurting her.
“Let me clean you up. There are other delights of the bedchamber to introduce you to before we need to dress. I am sorry that you do not get a proper wedding night.”
“Please stop apologising. It is fine. It is better than the alternative.” He turned and smirked at her as he poured water from the ewer into the bowl. Taking a wet and a dry linen to the bed, he urged her to open her legs. She squeaked a little in dismay but she obeyed him.
“It is a husband’s duty to care for his wife, especially after she has given him so much pleasure from her body.”
“I got pleasure from your body too,” she said, though her head was turned away from him. He could feel the shame radiating from her. She had been so willing a bed partner and now suddenly she was back to the frightened mouse she had been when they had first entered the bedchamber.
“Kathleen, my love, give me your hand.” Despite her discomfort, she trusted him implicitly. When he placed it on her most intimate area, she frowned. Little lines formed between her brows and her mouth turned down almost comically.
“Now, part the way I did and stroke yourself. Move your finger through the wetness there.” She followed his instructions as he wiped himself and returned the linens to the dressing table. When he returned she had a look of concentration on her face.
“This is nice.”
“Does any part feel particularly nice?”
“Here, near the top.”
“Circle that.”
She did as she was told. He watched her expression change as she relaxed into it and found her own pleasure.
“Gabriel, could I… could I… what happened before?”
“Yes. You could do that until you reached your release. Now move your hand out the way. It is my turn. I want to taste my wife.”
“Taste?”
“Yes, taste.”
He positioned himself so they were top to tail. The bed was not particularly long and being used to the beds of governesses and his own small servant's bed, he was used to doing it this way. If he was allowed to remain in Marchby estate, then becoming accustomed to a massive bed would take time.
As soon as he touched his mouth to her flesh, his wife gasped in horror.
“Gabriel, what are you doing?”
“I told you I was going to taste you and I am. You taste delicious.” And she did. Within a few licks and sucks, Kathleen had forgotten her near-maidenly objections and was rocking against his face and mewling her pleasure. He was enjoying the experience so much that he was taken aback when he realised his cock was cold from the damp patch on it and warm from the tongue and mouth currently wrapped around the shaft part way up it. He stopped what he was doing to look at his wife. Of course, with him making a meal out of her, his own groin was right at her face. It had never occurred to him his innocent wife would consider tasting or touching him. And she really had no clue what she was doing, But what she was doing, sh
e was putting a great effort into it.
“Kathleen, what are you doing.”
She let his cock go and it slapped against his stomach. She sucked her lips into her mouth and gave him a wide-eyed half-guilty, half-innocent expression.
“I thought if you were licking and sucking me I could lick and suck you.” And then her eyes widened further. “I shall not get ill, shall I?”
“No.” He was struggling to keep the amusement out of his voice. “You can suck it if you want. It is more pleasurable if you cover the head and move your mouth up and down. Like so.” He demonstrated on two fingers. Then he used his hand to bend his cock forward. When she licked her lips, he thought he might release then and there. Devil take it. Men should be protected from innocents. They had no idea how seductive they were.
He set to work again, and soon she was moaning against his hard cock as she moved her mouth up and down the shaft, sucking and licking as she went. She was close to release. He pushed a finger inside and when she did not complain or tense, he pushed in a second one. She thrust harder against his tongue. He curled his fingers and she let go of him, leaning her head against his thigh.
“Gabriel. It is too much.”
And then her internal muscles were pulsing around his digits as she smothered her own cry of pleasure in the flesh of his leg. He cleaned her with his tongue then turned and moved up her body, pulling her against him as he licked his fingers clean.
He caught her lips in a kiss and she tangled her fingers in his hair. He should not since it was it was gauche. But he took himself in hand anyway and stroked his cock. He needed a release. He had never done this in front of any of his other lovers and they had all been women of the world. But the next few days would be a trial and he could not go into them frustrated. He had to be clear-headed. She laid her head on his chest and watched him. He was close to orgasm and he was stroking hard and fast. His wife looked fascinated. He watched her, and she watched his hand. Again, she licked her lips. It was his undoing. A few more strokes and he buried his face in her hair.