by Dawn Brower
She held out her arms and he gladly walked into her embrace. “I hope the dreams are as wondrous as the reality might be.”
“Let’s find out.” Scooping her up into his arms, he ferried her over to the bed and then laid her gently down.
Soft moans and gasps broke the silence and melded with the steady drumming of the rain against the windows as he removed her lace-and-ribbon bedecked camisole and then slid the matching drawers down her legs. Stockings were carefully eased along her satiny skin until she reclined naked on his bed. The strawberry-blonde mass of her hair a puddle of molten gold beneath her.
“So gorgeous,” he breathed, not quite sure what else to say. His shaft pressed insistently against the front of his trousers as he devoured her with his gaze. Generous breasts and hips, the nip of her slim waist, the slight tremble of her creamy thighs, the way she sought modesty as she covered the thatch of red-gold curls at the apex of those delectable thighs with her hand where his ring twinkled all worked to render him nearly speechless. “I knew you would be.”
And suddenly he didn’t feel worthy of her.
“Love me, Jasper,” she said in a breathless whisper, her eyes wide and round, expectation and apprehension clouding the depths.
His confidence returned in a rush of heat. “As my lady wishes.” It took mere seconds to shuck out of his trousers and small pants, and then he stood, naked for her perusal, except for the socks and garters he wore to keep them on his calves. Would she enjoy the look of him? He divested himself of them too while he pondered. When she levered herself up on an elbow and her attention lingered on his erect and throbbing manhood, he thought he might die a thousand deaths as he waited for her verdict.
What the devil did a man do with his hands while the love of his life visually inspected his prick for the first time?
In the end it didn’t matter, for she smiled and beckoned him over with the veriest crook of her index finger. He complied with a smirk and a victorious laugh, and then she was in his arms and he applied himself to the task of kissing every inch of her silken skin.
Even during intimacy, Evangeline wasn’t meek or mild. She explored him as much as he did her, and the glide of her fingers along his body, the scrape of her fingernails over his skin, turned his blood into lava. Her lips along his shoulders, the nip of her teeth over his torso, had him gasping for breath and fighting for control.
He palmed her breasts and delighted in the way their fullness fit his hands. The pebbled texture of her nipples against his tongue would forever remain in his memories. When she arched her back and gave him greater access to those charms, he gladly began his sensual torture all over again, until she slid a hand between their bodies and wrapped her fingers around his rampant length.
“Ah, damnation. Careful with the goods, Evie, else I’ll come without you.” The insistent pressure she gave, the gentle squeezing motion she teased him with, sent him closer to the brink. “I want your first time to be memorable, not rushed.” Apparently, she didn’t care, for she continued with her exploration by cupping his stones and treating them to the same tender care. His shaft tightened almost painfully and he rocked against her.
A throaty chuckle escaped her. “And I wish for my first time to leave me wanting more.” She drew her fingers back up his length and then glanced her fingertips over his tip. A moan rasped from him and she laughed again. “I have a feeling you and I will spend many hours employed thusly.”
The point of no return drew near. “One second.” Jasper rolled away from her and then left the bed altogether. At her sound of protest, he grinned as he availed himself of a flat, rectangular box that rested on his washstand, procured soon after Evangeline came back into his life, for just this sort of eventuality. “There are precautions, my dear.” Once he’d drawn out a sheath from the box’s interior, he carefully slid the thin material over his erect member and secured it just under his stones. When he returned to the bed, Evangeline frowned.
“Is that necessary?” She eyed his skin-covered member with speculation.
“At this moment, yes.” He inserted a knee between her thighs and encouraged them to part. “I refuse to put you in a predicament we haven’t talked about or you are not certain you want.” As she spread her legs wider, he came down over her and fit his tip to her slippery opening. “I love you, Evangeline, and don’t wish to do anything that will compromise your future options.”
“You are one of the last true gentlemen.” She looped her arms around his shoulders, and with a bump of her hips, he slid a tiny bit inside. “Is it any wonder I fell for you?”
He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he kissed her deeply, tangling his tongue with hers, and at the same time slid through the tight fit of her passage. When he broke through the thin wall of her resistance and she gasped against his lips, he paused and let her adjust to the feel and size of him. “Is it too painful to continue?” If she cried off, he would oblige, but he needed to know soon.
“It was a sharp pain, but…” She wriggled her hips, which sent him a jot deeper and pulled an involuntary groan from him. “It is not uncomfortable.” Again, she flexed and moved beneath him until she found a position that worked. “In fact, it is quite marvelous.”
Jasper rested his forehead against hers. “This is only the beginning.” He withdrew and at her budding protest, he grinned as he thrust home, burying himself to the root. Sensation tingled through his tallywags and up his shaft. “I apologize in advance. Despite my best efforts, this will be a rushed affair.”
And he began to move in and out of her honeyed heat. With each pass, the friction mounted and the need for control withered.
“Then we shall have to have an encore performance in the morning,” Evangeline said between delighted gasps. She gripped the meaty part of his shoulder with one hand while the other curled into the bedding. Every time he stroked downward, he guided her into what she should do in order to gain greater satisfaction, and she lifted her hips until they came together in a frantic rhythm that left them both breathing heavily and sharing sounds of pleasure.
His lady was a natural with intimacy and the enjoyment therein.
The more urgent his thrusts grew, the more thoughts swirled about his mind of future bouts of lovemaking. His control snapped. He bit out a curse as he braced himself on his elbows. “I’m done, love.” Knowing it was her first time and she probably wouldn’t find bliss from coitus alone, he slipped a hand between them and easily found her center. He strummed his fingers over her slippery nubbin, rubbing the swollen bud harder and harder. “Come with me, Evie. Fall over the edge.”
Sweat broke out on his forehead and back. He drove into her faster and with greater force, continuing to torment that all-important bundles of nerves. Finally, her body went rigid beneath him. Shocked wonder lined her face. Her eyes fluttered closed. A keening cry broke her lips. Her inner muscles contracted around his shaft and pulled him into his own release.
Jasper sighed as the hot tension raced through his length and tightened his stones. That energy exploded and his member jerked as his seed emptied into the sheath. He ground his pelvis into hers to prolong the sensations for both of them. Finally, exhausted, he collapsed on top of her, burying his nose into the crook of her shoulder.
“That was as sweet and indulgent as one of your confections,” she whispered into his ear. She followed the pronouncement with a gentle bite to his lobe. “It wasn’t nearly long enough for me to properly enjoy.”
He snorted as he battled lethargy. “I thought you didn’t wish for proper?”
“I do not.” Evangeline wrapped her arms around him and clamped her knees around his hips, holding him close. “However, I rather think this whole act isn’t considered proper in some circles.” That seemed to amuse her for she giggled. “As for me, I’ll need to conduct more personal research.” She kissed his chin. “With varying positions.” Another peck landed on his cheek and she lowered her voice. “Plus, I wonder what you would do if I were to plea
sure you with my mouth. Do men enjoy that?”
Oh, God. She would be the death of him, but what a sweet way to expire.
“They do find pleasure in such an act, but that is for later in our relationship.” He rolled them both onto their sides. His rapidly deflating member slid out of her and he immediately missed her intimate warmth. “As for positions, I will indulge you in whatever you wish to try.” The thought brought renewed need tickling along his nerve endings. It wouldn’t be long before he could pleasure her again.
She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. Her eyes gleamed more green than blue. “Will we marry soon? I’d rather not court more scandal than we already have. Imagine what Grandmother will say.”
“As soon as it can possibly be arranged, though do bear in mind there are set conventions for these things. Visits from family members. Parents to consider.” When she sighed, he grinned. “Still, all of that is for proper couples and men who are beyond boring.” He brushed his lips across hers when she giggled. “This coming weekend we will call upon your parents and then mine. Everything else can be decided and planned from there.”
“Then we shall need to make great use of the time we have together now. Once the rain stops, I will have to return to Brighton.” She drew her hand to his shoulder and onward down his arm until she twined her fingers with hers even as his body stiffened.
“Evangeline, I thought we’d talked about—”
“Shh.” She kissed him. “It is not a case of running this time, Jasper.” She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. “I want to tell my family this news, and perhaps convince my mother that you shall need to call upon me and often, which means I shall have to temporarily move back into their house here in London.”
“Clever girl.” He relaxed into the mattress. “I will indeed call often.” And having her within the same city would ease his mind. He could see her when they could manage it.
“And Jasper?”
“Hmm?” Really, he should rouse himself and remove the sheath, but being here with his lady in his arms and the post-coitus exhaustion weighting his limbs was too luxurious to break.
“I also want to return to Brighton to inform my aunt of one critical change to my future above and beyond being married.”
“Oh?” What was she about now?
“Yes.” Evangeline nodded. She smiled and it was as if the sun shone exclusively for him. “I have decided to leave the underpinnings business.”
“And do what?”
“Work with you at the emporium. I’ve found I particularly like it and think the art of chocolate making is fascinating.” She lifted onto an elbow. “Unless, of course, you forbid it.”
“Darling, I would forbid you very little.” His heartbeat accelerated. Warm pleasure washed over him. Those hours they’d spent in the shop earlier in the day would now become a lifetime. What had he ever done for such luck now? “If this is something you truly wish to do…”
“I do.” If possible, her smiled widened and he wanted to spend all of his time basking in that glow, knowing he’d had a hand in putting it there. “If you’ll have me.”
“I will.” He rolled them both over and trapped her beneath him. “In every way you wish to offer yourself up.” After several minutes spent kissing her senseless had passed, he held her gaze. “I look forward to teaching you all that I know.”
“My noble chocolatier.” She slid a hand to his nape and urged his lips to hers.
“Indeed. Every lady needs one, don’t you think?” Then Jasper began the delicious task of acquainting himself with every secret her body held.
For the rest of his days, he would have her by his side, and that was the only thing he’d been missing for five years.
Life was truly sweet.
The End
Delighted by the Duke
Fabled Love
USA Today Bestselling Author Amanda Mariel
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2017 Amanda Mariel
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.
For every parent who loves a child because they can and not because they have to. It takes a big and pure heart. Know that you are making a real difference!
Also by Amanda Mariel
Ladies and Scoundrels series
Scandalous Endeavors
Scandalous Intentions
Scandalous Redemption
Scandalous Wallflower
Coming soon to the Ladies and Scoundrels series
Scandalous Liaison
Fabled Love Series
Enchanted by the Earl
Captivated by the Captain
Enticed by Lady Elianna
Delighted by the Duke
Lady Archer’s Creed series
Theodora (Christina McKnight writing with Amanda Mariel)
Georgina (Amanda Mariel writing with Christina McKnight)
Adeline (Christina McKnight writing with Amanda Mariel)
Coming soon to the Lady Archer’s Creed series
Josephine (Amanda Mariel writing with Christina McKnight)
Stand alone titles
Love’s Legacy
Coming soon
More Than a Lady
Connected by a Kiss
**These are designed so they can standalone**
How to Kiss a Rogue (Amanda Mariel)
A Kiss at Christmastide (Christina McKnight)
A Wallflower’s Christmas Kiss (Dawn Brower)
Box sets and anthologies
Visit www.amandamariel.com to see Amanda’s current offerings.
Prologue
London 1812
Miss Emma Baxter paused outside of her uncle’s office unable to ignore the raised voices coming from within.
“You will settle your debt or face debtor’s prison.” A raspy male voice shouted.
“Surely I have something other than coin that you would be willing to accept,” Her uncle, Mr. Silas Powell, suggested.
Emma crept closer and peeked through the crack of the partially open door. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Lord Winham stood near her uncle’s desk, a tumbler of amber liquid in his beefy hand.
“You should refrain from gambling if you haven’t the blunt to settle your losses, Baxter.”
She should have guessed as much. Uncle Silas had gambled away nearly everything they had, save for the house and a few baubles her aunt had entrusted to her before she passed away. Those too, would no doubt have been lost as well if Uncle Silas knew she possessed them. He’d claimed to have stayed away from the gaming hells these past months. All the same, she wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear he was in trouble again.
After all, it was only a matter of time where Uncle Silas was concerned. He always fell back into the trap. The habit had caused a continuous heartache for her aunt while she lived, and likely caused her death. Poor thing, she had loved him deeply despite his failings and as a result fretted more than was good for any one person.
“You are welcome to anything I posses, Windham. Name your desire and it is yours.”
What was there to take other than their home? Her uncle’s pub, she supposed. One would be as devastating a loss for them as the other. If Windham took the house they would have no shelter—if he took the pub they would have no income.
“Perhaps there is one thing you posses of interest to me.” Windham rubbed his rounded chin between his thumb and forefinger as she stared, her belly in knots. “Miss Emma.”
Bile rose in her throat. She fought to suppress it as she stared at the men. Uncle Silas would never…
“Done,” Uncle Silas agreed. “She is yours to do with
as you please.”
How could he! Was it not bad enough that her own father gave her away after her mother’s death? Now her uncle intended to use her in order to settle his debt. She’d not stand for it. The office door ricocheted off the papered wall from the force she used entering the room. “You cannot give me away like I am nothing more than an old settee.” She glared at Uncle Silas prepared to do battle.
Both men stared at her with rounded eyes. Windham recovered first and ambled over to her. “Calm down, pet. I will make you a fine husband.” He reached out one meaty hand, resting it on her lower back. I have desired you for years and promise not to disappoint.
She jerked away from him then moved to the opposite side of the drab room, her slipper clad feet pounding the worn rug beneath them. “I will not marry you, Lord Windham.” She turned her attention on Uncle Silas. “You cannot force me.”
Uncle Silas offered a smile as he rounded his desk coming toward her. “Do be reasonable, Emma. Lord Windham is a wealthy baron. A far better match than you could have hoped for. Hell, you do not even have a dowry, but now you will be a countess.”
She stiffened her back. “Have you thought to ask yourself why a wealthy baron would seek my hand?” She would wager he had not. Furthermore, the answer could not be undying love. The baron’s intentions arose from lust at best. Good Heaven’s, he’d said as much only a moment ago. The way he gazed at her on the rare occasions they were in the same room always sent chills through her. Death would be preferable to a forced marriage with the old lecher.
“His reasons do not signify. Fact is, Lord Windham has offered for you and you will accept.”
“I most certainly will not,” She raised her voice a fraction.