Lillian's Light Horseman

by Jasmine Hill

  William lifted himself to rest on his elbows. “The only injury I seem to have sustained is this head wound. I’m sure I’ll be a little stiff from the fall but everything feels to be in working order.”

  Lillian lifted her water bottle to his lips. “Here. You need some fluids.”

  He took the bottle from her and tipped his head back, taking a long drink.

  “Are you all right to stand?” She didn’t want to push him but they needed to get moving.

  He handed her the water bottle. “I’m fine. I think I’ll have a splitting headache, but I’ll be able to ride.”

  She crouched behind him and helped him to his feet. He swayed for a moment and she wrapped her arms around his waist to steady him.

  Lillian gazed up at him in concern. “You’re not feeling unwell, are you?”

  “No. I just need a minute.”

  She held him steady while he took three deep breaths, in through his nose and out through his mouth. When he could stand unassisted, she led him to where Victory waited patiently, a short distance away.

  “Hey, boy,” William greeted his horse affectionately and patted his nose.

  Lillian helped him into the saddle and ensured that his feet were securely in the stirrups.

  William grinned down at her. “I’ve ridden horses since before I could walk, Lilly. I’ll be fine.”

  She gave him a mock glare. “You’ve just been knocked unconscious! You need to be careful.”

  He laughed and saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And anyway,” she continued, swinging herself up into her saddle. “If you’re such a fabulous horseman, how did you manage to come off?”

  William scowled at her. “Accidents do happen, even to the most experienced riders. As it happened, we came across a snake and Victory panicked then reared. I wasn’t paying attention and I came out of the saddle. Now, can we please head home?”

  Lillian smiled and took up her reins. The relief she felt that William was alive and acting belligerent was palpable. “Well, we can thank the Lord that you don’t seem to be hurt too badly. Let’s get you home.” She turned her horse’s head in the direction of Mulga Creek and kicked her into a canter.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  William grunted and struggled to sit up in bed. He felt a bit woozy and a little stiff but other than that, he didn’t feel as bad as he’d expected. He tried to gauge the time. The dark sky outlined by his window told him that it was late evening or early morning.

  He tentatively touched a hand to his temple and felt the bandage wrapped around his head. His headache had passed, thankfully. He grinned wryly when he thought about Lillian’s and Mrs. Thompson’s fussing over him. He’d started to get a little irritated with their mother-hen act, but he had to concede that he did feel better. The cold compress they’d applied to his head and the pain medication definitely seemed to have worked. He’d drawn the line at calling the doctor, however. The property was too far out to bother the doctor unnecessarily and he’d felt no ill effects such as nausea or loss of memory—just a thumping headache.

  He couldn’t believe that Lilly had ridden out to find him. She’d saddled a horse, no less, and boldly embarked on a rescue expedition. He couldn’t forget how well she used to handle a horse, but that was years ago and he doubted she’d done much riding in England. His initial reaction to her riding out alone to find him had been anger. But she’d been right when she’d pointed out that the men were working too far away to have offered any assistance. If his injury had been serious, it would have taken them too long to reach him. Add to that the fact that Lilly hadn’t even been sure he’d been injured and might have just extended his stay with the Dawsons. He could accept her rationalization at attempting to find him.

  A noise from the other side of the room made him start and he peered into the dim recesses.

  “William?” a soft voice inquired.

  “Lilly. What are you doing in here so late?”

  He made out her shadowed form as she rose from a chair and made her way over to the bed.

  “We were worried about you. I told Mrs. Thompson that I’d sit with you through the night. We thought it best that you not be alone.”

  She sat on the bed next to him and her wonderful scent invaded his nostrils. God, she was beautiful, dressed in a white muslin nightdress and matching gown, her hair—loosely plaited—hung over one shoulder. He couldn’t see her face clearly but he knew that if he could, he would see rosy cheeks and lovely, large emerald eyes. His mind went back to the previous evening when Margaret Dawson had crept into his room and he couldn’t help but draw comparisons yet again. His Lilly was pure, gentle and sweet, while Margaret Dawson had proven to be brash and pushy. And while his body had responded naturally to the sight of hers, he hadn’t desired her in the least. Seeing Lilly again looking so lovely and wholesome had his heart literally bursting with emotion.

  He caressed Lillian’s cheek. “You shouldn’t have worried. You’ll be exhausted tomorrow,” he chided gently.

  “Nonsense, I’ll be fine. How do you feel?”

  He grinned. “Actually, all things considered, I’m feeling good. My headache is gone.”

  “I’m glad. I’m going to light the oil lamp so I can take a look at your head wound.”

  She struck a match and a soft glow lit the room. She placed the lamp on a side table and picked up a medical box.

  William studied her as she searched through the contents. The soft light illuminated her body under the gauzy fabric of her gown and her lush curves were presented enticingly to him. Once again, a flashback of the previous evening shot through his brain, when another young lady had displayed herself provocatively to him. The difference being that Lilly was unaware of the transparent effect of her gown.

  He watched as she bit her lip and rummaged through the medical contents to extract a clean bandage and some antiseptic. Her breasts swayed alluringly with her movements and when she stood, he could make out her rosy-tipped nipples perfectly. His gaze wandered down her torso, across her flat stomach and rounded hips then zeroed in on the dark triangle of hair between her thighs. He groaned low in his throat and his cock hardened instantly.

  Lilly startled. Obviously misinterpreting his groan for one of pain, she immediately felt his forehead.

  He smirked at her concerned expression.

  She narrowed her eyes on him. “Care to tell me what you’re finding so amusing?”

  He remained silent for a moment, enjoying the feel of her cool hand on his skin. He let his attention drift down the delectable contours of her body and he shifted, his erection swelling to painful proportions. “I’m just enjoying the view.”

  She followed his gaze, looked down her body and gasped. “Goodness! I had no idea.” She wrapped her gown tighter around her body and glared at him. “William, now is not the time to be thinking lascivious thoughts! You’re ill!”

  He chuckled. “Lilly, my sweet, lascivious thoughts are never far from a man’s mind, particularly when a beautiful woman’s assets are so temptingly displayed.”

  He reached out and tugged her gown open so that he could again admire her curves. “Please, humor a sick man.”

  She gave him an appraising look. “Well, you’re obviously recovering.” Her attention settled on the tented sheet at his lap. “And it appears that a particular part of your anatomy is definitely functioning.”

  He grinned and allowed her to unwrap the bandage from around his head. She palpated his wound with delicate fingers, making him wince. “It looks good,” she announced. “It doesn’t appear infection has set in.” She applied antiseptic and rewrapped his head with clean gauze.

  She packed everything back into the medical box and set it aside. “Do you need anything else for the pain?”

  “No. My headache is gone. I just want you, lying next to me.”

  “William, we can’t do anything. You sustained a head wound today,” she admonished.

  “I know. I just want to hold
you.” He wanted that desperately. He needed to lie with her in his arms and wake up with her warm, luscious body pressed against his.

  She gave him a long look then stood and removed her outer gown. She walked to the other side of the bed, drew the covers back and slid in next to him.

  Immediately, he wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her to him, burying his face against her neck and inhaling deeply. “You smell so good,” he mumbled against her skin. “Good enough to eat.”

  She giggled then abruptly grew silent. William couldn’t miss the sudden tension in her body.

  He drew back from her and rested his head on the pillow, looking at her profile. “What’s wrong?”

  She chewed her bottom lip and turned her face toward his. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were going to the Dawson property and spending the night?”

  He turned onto his back and threw one arm behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. “It wasn’t important. George Dawson wanted to catch up with me and discuss his plans for his property. He wanted my opinion on some matters.”

  He could hardly add that he had wanted to see Margaret Dawson when he wasn’t in the company of Lillian so he could assess whether he was attracted to the other woman and test his feelings for Lilly.

  “I know that I don’t have any right to question your movements. I just wondered why you would tell Mrs. Thompson but not me.”

  He hated to hear the hurt in her voice. He didn’t really know why he hadn’t told her about his visit to George Dawson. Perhaps there was a part of him that had felt guilty about his double agenda and he hadn’t wanted Lillian to become suspicious. He also wasn’t used to telling too many people his arrangements. He was accustomed to doing what he wanted, when he wanted to.

  He turned to face her once more. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think. You have to remember that I’m used to telling Millie and my head stockman my plans. I just did what I always do.” She was still chewing that plump bottom lip of hers, which was distracting the hell out of him and not helping his aching cock. “I usually do spend the night there. The property is a long ride from Mulga Creek and I’ve stayed there quite a few times.”

  He suspected her problem was with Margaret Dawson and the fact that he’d been under the same roof as her on more than a few occasions. He couldn’t blame her, he supposed. If he thought back over the times he’d run into Margaret while in the company of Lillian, he could see why she would be suspicious. Margaret hadn’t exactly been guarded in displaying her affections toward him.

  “I have no romantic feelings whatsoever toward Margaret,” he said quietly. “She is merely the daughter of a neighbor and someone with whom I’m friendly.”

  He reached over and extinguished the oil lamp, then turned on his side and pulled Lillian toward him, spooning her, so her soft, round buttocks pillowed his cock. At the feel of her curves, his flagging erection instantly revived and he couldn’t help but grind his hips into her. She wriggled against him and he didn’t miss her small intake of breath. He smiled against her neck and kissed the delicate skin under her ear.

  “Sleep now, darling.” He tucked her tighter against him.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Lillian awoke with a solid body crushed against her back and something even harder pressed insistently against her buttocks. She tried to wriggle out of the muscular arms banded around her middle but she was stuck fast.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” William’s voice, husky from sleep, caressed her ear. His warm breath tickled her sensitive skin and made her nipples pebble. Unable to resist the pull of his masculine voice and body, she relaxed into him.

  “Good morning,” she murmured, pushing back against him to feel his rigid length lodge between the cheeks of her buttocks. “How is it that…?” She tried to find the right word. “That it’s still hard?”

  He chuckled, the vibrations sending delicious tingles through her.

  “It’s a common thing for a man in the morning,” he explained, thrusting his hips to demonstrate.

  “You mean that you always wake up that way?”

  William’s hot breath against her ear had her trembling. “Only when I have the most beautiful woman that I know in my bed.”

  He moved his hand from where it rested on her hip and grasped her left breast and squeezed. Palming her breast, he caressed her hard nipple with the flat of his hand. She gasped, a jolt of desire rocketing through her to pool low in her belly.

  “William,” she breathed. “I don’t think that you’re well enough.”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” he contradicted. “In fact, I think that this is exactly what the doctor would order.”

  She shivered as his hands wandered down her torso, then pulled up the hem of her nightdress, exposing her breasts.

  “These are so beautiful, so full and round,” he whispered against her neck. “Are you still bleeding?”

  “No. I finished yesterday.”

  “Good.” He massaged her breasts and tweaked her nipples. She moaned and ground her backside into his pelvis, relishing the feel of his thick length as it slid between her legs. She opened her thighs in silent invitation, needing to feel him inside her.

  He chuckled. “I’ve created a very greedy girl. Are you wet for me?”

  “Yes,” she gasped.

  He released her breasts and ran his hand down her side as he sucked on the skin of her neck. “Let me check.” He plunged two fingers into her core and groaned. “So moist and tight. Fuck.”

  He teased her, slowly thrusting his fingers in and out then stroking over her swollen folds.

  She cried out and pumped her hips against his hand. “Please, William.”

  He was provoking her, getting so close but not making contact with her clit. Circling around it then pushing deep into her channel. She groaned and pivoted her hips in a desperate attempt to manipulate the direction of his fingers.

  Still suckling her throat, she felt him smile against her skin. “What do you want, my sweet?” he mumbled into her neck. “Is this what you want?” He found her clitoris with his thumb and he massaged the little bundle of nerves while he thrust deeply with his fingers. She was on such a knife-edge that she came almost immediately, trembling and shaking as her insides pulsed in release.

  He hissed a breath. “God, I love how fast I can make you lose control. Now I want to feel your tight, slick heat contracting around my cock,” he rasped, pushing his rigid length into her from behind.

  He filled her to capacity and she moaned as he stretched her with his shaft and stroked the swollen walls of her channel.

  He grasped her waist and pumped his pelvis, slapping his hips against her backside with each thrust. He grunted his satisfaction in time with his plunges, his warm breath at her ear sending goosebumps flaring across her flesh.

  The pressure started to build deep inside her, the sensations swirling and coalescing at her core.

  “Touch yourself,” he demanded, lifting her left leg and splaying her thighs wider. He gripped her wrist and coaxed her hand down, his fingers covering hers to guide her to where he wanted them.

  “That’s it. Feel how wet, plump and swollen with arousal you are?”

  She felt the slickness between her thighs and whimpered, brushing her fingers across her clit. She pressed the little nub harder and rubbed while he drew his hips back until the tip of his cock caressed her folds, then he plunged again deeply.

  Her breathing quickened and the tightness in her belly told her that she was close.

  William’s breathing became labored and choppy, his voice rough. “Come on, Lilly.” He screwed his pelvis into her and the internal dam burst. Her muscles spasmed and waves of ecstasy washed over her, her body shaking with the force of her orgasm.

  Lillian could tell that he was near to his own climax. He gripped her waist, his movements growing aggressive as he strove to reach his peak. He plunged twice then withdrew. “Fuck, Lilly.” He groaned and shuddered, pumping his release all over her arse.
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  William pulled Lilly tightly against his chest. He adored waking up with her in his bed, loved the feel of her lush curves as they molded to him. Softness pillowed against steel. She was so feminine, so beguiling that every time he looked at her, his heart rate increased and he got a strange, light feeling in the pit of his stomach. He caressed her hair and planted a kiss on her temple, not wanting to let her go, wishing that they could stay there together forever.

  “We should get out of bed,” Lilly murmured. “Mrs. Thompson will wonder how you are and any moment she’s going to come knocking on your door.”

  He blew out a frustrated breath. Yes, he had no doubt that his intrepid housekeeper would come seeking him out very soon.

  He climbed out of bed and strode to the basin for a washcloth. Returning, he pulled the covers back and grasped the hem of Lillian’s nightdress. “Lift your hips,” he requested.

  She sighed and lifted her backside. He took his time drawing the fabric up to her waist and marveled at her supple legs as they were revealed to him.

  “You have beautiful skin,” he whispered and bent to plant a soft kiss on the inside of her thigh. He swiped the washcloth between her legs and diligently cleaned her. It surprised him that she didn’t blush as she usually did when he performed such intimate acts on her body. The fact pleased him. It meant that she was becoming comfortable with him and her nudity.

  He returned to the basin and refreshed the cloth. “Turn over, Lilly.”

  She rolled onto her stomach and he swept the washcloth over her back and in the crevice of her lush backside. The sight of her smooth, round curves, displayed so temptingly to him, had him growing solid again within seconds. He quickly finished cleaning her up and pulled her nightdress down, cursing inwardly that he couldn’t afford to risk diving onto the bed and ravaging her a second time.

  He collected her gown and held it open for her in invitation. Just as she’d slipped her arms into the sleeves and was fastening the front ties, a knock on the door startled them both.