“No. That’s all.” She felt as though flames were flickering through her veins.
“But there’s more, Goldie.”
She could no longer resist the husky invitation in his rich voice. Inch by tiny inch, her gaze traveled down the firm length of his body. When it reached his manhood, her mouth dropped open. “Great day—”
“Miss Agnes has no place in our bed tonight,” he teased, picking up her hand. “And don’t bring Mildred Fickle into it either. Now touch me. You’ve seen me, now touch me.”
“But—”
“It’s doesn’t bite.”
His ridiculous declaration put her at ease. She didn’t resist when he urged her hand toward the thick black mat of hair and the hard staff that lay upon it.
“Goldie.”
She heard the unspoken plea in his voice. Biting her lower lip, she quickly pressed the tip of her finger to him, then jerked her hand away. “It’s hot,” she blurted, glancing at her finger as if he’d set it afire. “And you didn’t sneeze.” She looked up at him. “Did you?”
Despite the tremendous desire that crashed through him, her question made him chuckle. “No. I didn’t.”
She noticed his eyes were filled with a look of great need. He wanted something from her. “I—Saber, am I supposed to make you sneeze? Because if I am, I can’t. I don’t know how. But even if I did, how would I know if you were sneezin’ or not? Since I have no experience with this, I don’t see how I—”
“You’ll know, Goldie.”
His velvet voice made her quiver. The ache returned. “Show me what to do to you.”
He couldn’t remember ever having received such a sweet request. “Touch me. Touch me, and let’s see what happens.”
She swallowed hard when he lay down beside her. But her desire to please him in the way he’d pleased her overcame anxiety. She placed her hand palm-up upon his flat, hard belly, smoothing it downward. When the soft hair caressed the back of her hand, her fingers curled slowly around him.
The ache inside her deepened at the feel of him. It seemed to her she was holding the very essence of desire. He was rigid, yet so soft. Hot, so hot, too. He was big, but she could find no fear of him. Instead she knew tender emotions. He looked and felt so vulnerable, yet he trusted her to take care with him. The thought pleased her enormously.
Gently, she moved her hand, feeling more pleasure as he slid between her fingers and palm. And then, with her other hand, she held the velvety pouch that lay beneath his staff. She moved her fingers lightly upon it, around it, and under it, her other hand continuing to run up and down the hard length of him. So involved was she with her own exploration, her own search for understanding, that she never saw the rapture her actions gave to the man she touched.
Saber resisted the rising bliss as long as he could, but when her hand began to move faster, he knew his end was just on the horizon. Raising to a sitting position, he took her hands and held them. “Goldie, wait.”
“But you said for me to touch you, and I—”
“I know, but that’s enough touching me for now.”
“Y’mean I wasn’t doin’ it right?”
A pent-up breath rushed from him. “You were doing it right. If you’d done it any more correctly, I’d have—You—Goldie, it’s my turn now. Now...now I’ll touch you.”
She was more than willing for him to do just that and lay back on the bed, waiting for him to begin. When he didn’t, she frowned at him. “Saber—”
“There are other ways of readying you, Goldie,” he told her, lowering his face toward her hips. “Others ways of bringing you the pleasure you await.”
“What...are they?” she asked, every bit of her yearning for him to show her.
He smiled, and gently parted her legs. Beginning at her inner thigh, he began a trail of wispy kisses that soon led him exactly where he wanted to be.
“Saber! Oh, great day Miss—You—Oh, Saber!”
He paid her surprise no mind, but only continued pleasing her in the most intimate way he’d ever done to her before.
Goldie hadn’t even gotten over her astonishment at what he was doing before the ecstasy started. It grew, rolled through her, peaked, then began again. The repeated, never-ending pleasure was almost too much to bear, but when it did begin to fade, she wished it back. “Again!” she begged him as it subsided. “Saber, again!”
He lifted his head, smiling. “Greedy little thing, aren’t you?”
She had the grace to blush, but felt nothing at all related to shame. On the contrary, she was anxious for whatever else he planned to do. “Have you readied me enough, or do you still have some more readyin’ to do?”
He knew she was dead serious, but her question made him grin again. “God, Goldie, how much readying do you need?”
She took a moment to think. “I don’t know. Actually, I don’t even know what I’m gettin’ readied for.”
“The time has come for me to show you.” His motions tightly controlled, he moved his body over her, lowering it gently. Careful not to put too much of his weight on her, he held himself up by his elbows. “Goldie,” he began, settling his hips over hers and parting her legs with his own, “this is what you are ready for.” Slowly, ever so slowly, he entered her slightly, then became very still.
Fear zigzagged through her when she comprehended exactly what he was going to do to her. “Saber, you aren’t gonna—I—It’s too big! It’s gonna hurt—”
“Yes,” he admitted, dreading giving her the pain she already suspected he would. “But it only hurts for a moment, Goldie. Only for a—”
“Saber, you’re a man, not a woman! How do you know it only hurts for a minute?”
“Because I—I just know.”
She deliberated, unsure whether to believe him. “Will you stop if I tell you to?”
“I’ll try.”
“What do y’mean you’ll try?” she demanded. “If you don’t swear to stop when I—”
“All right, yes. I’ll stop.” God, give me the strength to stop, he prayed. Better yet, don’t let her tell me to.
“Just for a minute, Goldie,” he told her again. “It only hurts for a minute.” With that, he pushed more deeply into her. When he met her maidenhead, he took a breath and prepared to thrust through it.
“Wait!” Goldie yelled right in his ear. “Tell me again how you know it’ll only hurt for a minute.”
He grit his teeth. “Because—I—Well, I don’t know. Not for sure. But—”
“So you were lyin’ to me just so you could—”
“I was not. I was—I was only trying to soothe your worries. Goldie, listen to me. I—You—” Frustration gripped him. He gave a huge sigh and slid from atop her, deciding to wait a moment before he tried again.
Goldie looked at the disappointed expression on his face, then took her gaze down to the apex of his thighs. An idea came to her. Gently, she cupped her hand around the soft pouch beneath his manhood. “If I twist my wrist while holdin’ onto you like this, how long do you think it’ll hurt you, Saber? I’m not a man so I really don’t know for sure. But I don’t think it’d hurt for more than a minute. ‘Course, there’s only one way to find out, don’t you agree?”
He didn’t dare move a muscle. He suspected if he tried, she’d turn him into a eunuch. For a long moment, he simply laid there, staring at the twinkle in her eyes.
And then he began to see the humor of his situation. The destiny, the entire future of the Tremayne family lay in Goldie’s palm. Literally. He could not contain his laughter.
“All right, Goldie, you’ve made your point,” he sputtered merrily, carefully removing her hand. “And you made it very cleverly, I might add.”
“You’re not...irritated with me, are you?”
He smiled, pulling her into his arms again. “You’re afraid, Goldie. I’d be an ogre if I couldn’t understand that. But...perhaps we could try again?” he asked hopefully. “More slowly this time?”
She looked at h
im as if she couldn’t decide what to do.
“Perhaps not,” he amended.
She grinned at him, snuggling closer. “But perhaps yes. Tomorrow.”
He glanced at the night-filled window, wondering how many hours there were left until dawn. Disappointment welled up in him, but the sight of Goldie’s bright smile subdued it. There would be other nights, he reminded himself. Tomorrow would come. And besides, he mused, tonight had been wonderful. He’d had more fun tonight in bed than he could ever remember having before. “Tomorrow, eh? All right, but I want you to know that I don’t think it’s fair.”
“What’s not fair?”
“You got two sneezes, and I didn’t even get one.”
* * *
A soft knock at the door awakened Saber the next morning. He opened his eyes, saw Goldie sleeping beside him, and smiled. “Who is it?” he called.
“Fern,” the timid maid answered. “Mr. West, sir?”
“Yes, what is it, Fern?” Saber queried, watching Goldie open her eyes. He planted sweet, tiny kisses along the side of her face. “Good morning, poppet.”
The slow, intimate smile he gave her brought back memories of the night. She felt herself blush. “‘Mornin’.”
“Mr. West,” Fern said from the hallway, “begging your pardon, sir, but you have visitors in the parlor.”
Saber frowned. Casting a glance at the floor, he saw his breeches. He untangled Goldie’s arms and legs from around him, got out of bed, and pulled his watch from his pants pocket. “It’s seven o’clock, for heaven’s sake! Who’s come calling this early in the morning?”
“The ladies said they were your aunts, sir,” Fern explained. “I told them you were still abed, but they insist on seeing you. I didn’t know what to—”
“My aunts!” Saber exploded, yanking his breeches on. Good God! he thought, panicked. His aunts knew perfectly well he was staying here with Goldie. He wouldn’t put it past the two women to come upstairs to see the sleeping arrangements with their own eyes! “Fern! Tell them—Give them tea! Do something with them until I get down there!”
“Yes, sir,” Fern answered, and ran to do his bidding.
Goldie scampered out of the bed, rushing to the porcelain basin. She sloshed water into it, then splashed her face. “Hurry up, Saber! Hurry and let’s go see your aunts! Oh, I’m so excited about meetin’ ’em!”
Saber jerked his shirt on, his hands flying over the buttons. Stuffing his shirttail into his pants, he searched for his shoes, crammed his feet into them, then ran his fingers through his hair. “Goldie, do I look all right to you?”
She examined him, loving what she saw. Sleep still glazed his wonderful eyes, and his ebony hair curled naughtily all over his head. His ill-buttoned shirt parted to show her much of his smooth, broad chest. “You look real good,” she assured him, her voice brimming with desire.
The luminous expression in her eyes didn’t escape him. He took a step toward her, his gaze touching every part of her bare body, heat spreading through him.
“Your aunts,” she reminded him, enchanted by the softness in his eyes.
“My aunts,” he repeated absently. “My aunts!” He raced to the door. “Goldie, stay here. I’ll—”
“I’m not stayin’ here!” she argued, stepping into her dress. “I’m—”
“But I have to talk to my aunts first, and then—”
“I’m goin’ too.”
He had no time to argue. He left the room and bounded down the staircase. Taking a second to try to smooth his hair, he entered the parlor.
The look on his aunts’ faces told him everything he needed to know about his appearance. “I—I was sleeping,” he tried to explain. “I didn’t want to keep you waiting, so I dressed with haste. I—”
“The tops of your feet are showing,” Lucille remarked, twisting her bracelet.
Saber looked down and saw he’d forgotten to put on his stockings.
Clara held her reticule tightly. “And your shirt is not buttoned properly. You’ve missed two buttons, and the others are—”
“And your hair is mussed,” Lucille continued, pushing her spectacles up.
“Your chest is showing,” Clara added.
Saber threw back his shoulders. “It would have been good of you to give me notice of your impending arrival. Had you done so I would have had time to make myself more presentable.”
“We thought to surprise you,” Lucille told him. “And it seems we succeeded,” Clara said, her voice dripping with disapproval. “Moreover, this is not a social call. We are going to be—”
“‘Mornin’!” Goldie greeted gaily, sashaying into the elegant parlor. “Y’all must be Saber’s aunts! Great day Miss Agnes, you just can’t know what a pleasure it is to meet you! Since I don’t have much family, I really like bein’ with other folks’ families. Someday I’m gonna have twelve kids, though, and then I’ll have all the family I can handle.” She gave one woman her right hand, and the other woman her left, shaking their hands firmly and quickly.
Goldie’s brilliant grin brought a smile to Lucille’s face. “Addison has told us about you, my dear.”
“And did he buy y’all those purty dresses?”
Clara took a deep breath. “We—”
“Yes,” Saber broke in. “Addison has also taken my aunts under his benevolent wing.”
Lucille smiled. “Goldie, I am Miss Lucy, and this is my sister, Miss Clara. And this,” she said bending to pat her panting spaniel, “is Margaret.”
“Miss Mae, would you be seated?” Clara asked, her words more of a command than an invitation.
“Call me Goldie.”
“Very well,” Clara consented. “Goldie, please be—”
“She can’t,” Saber blurted. “She can’t because...because she has to—She has to take her bath.” As soon as the words were out, he wished he could retrieve them. Gentlemen did not discuss such things as a woman’s toilette. He waited for his aunts’ reaction.
Clara began to fan herself.
“It’s all right, Miss Clara,” Goldie said, noticing the woman’s distress. “I don’t have to take my bath right now. I can take it later. I’m not all that dirty anyway. I’ll sit down now just like you asked me to.” She plopped into a huge velvet armchair, and began to swing her legs.
Clara saw Goldie’s naked legs and bare feet and turned crimson. “You—My dear girl, you are without shoes and—”
“I could only find one,” Goldie explained, peering down at her feet. “I figured it would be better to be all the way barefoot than to come down with only one shoe on. Did you happen to see my other shoe this mornin’, Saber?”
Saber cleared his throat. “Uh—”
“This is not a proper discussion at all,” Clara snapped at him, her fan moving violently. “Mari—”
“Saber,” Lucille cut in quickly.
Clara struggled for composure. “Sit down, Saber.”
He did. “Why—”
“Have we come?” Clara finished for him. “My dear boy, why wouldn’t we come? We will be living with you. Goldie needs a proper chaperone, as I have already told you. Lucille and I are—”
“It isn’t that we don’t trust you, Saber, dear,” Lucille said sweetly, “but for propriety’s sake, we felt it was only right for us to stay with you. Surely you do not want anyone to speak ill of Goldie, do you?”
Saber’s mind whirled. “I—No, of course not, but I—”
“Goldie,” Clara said, “it is indecent for you to share a house with Saber. Have you not thought about this?”
“He hasn’t ravished me,” she assured the worried aunties. “When I first met him I thought he was the ravishin’ kind, but he’s not. I reckon I’m safe enough with him.”
“The ravishing kind?” Clara nearly swooned. “Oh! Lucille!”
“There now, Clara, dear,” Lucille cooed, patting Clara’s hand. “He hasn’t ravished her.”
“I should say I haven’t!” Saber thundered. �
�I—”
“Lucille, do you have my salts with you?” Clara asked shakily. “I feel quite faint.”
“Miss Clara, you remind me a lot of Henrietta Smelt back in Spinny River, South Carolina,” Goldie told the distraught woman. “She was the faintin’ kind too. Everything sent her to the floor. I remember one time when she wandered into Searcy Hogg’s barn lookin’ for her lost cat? Well, Searcy was busy matin’ his horses in that barn. I’m not real sure what all the steps to matin’ are, but the sight did Henrietta in. She fainted right into a pile of horse—”
“Goldie, have some tea!” Saber shouted, desperate to cut her off before she could say anything more.
Lucille waved smelling salts under Clara’s nose. “Saber, my boy, I am going to go upstairs with Goldie for a while. Why don’t you stay and talk with Clara? Come, Goldie,” she said, rising and offering her hand to Goldie. “Let us become more well-acquainted, shall we?”
Goldie jumped out of her chair and took Lucille’s hand, following the elderly woman out of the parlor.
When they were gone, Clara glared at Saber. “Marion, I find this whole situation utterly shocking!”
He raised his chin. “Nevertheless, it will continue until I choose to end it.”
Regally, Clara rose, walking the length of the room, her reticule swinging from the crook of her elbow. “Do not blow that air of authority in my direction, Marion. It will not work.”
He crossed his legs. He intimidated many people, but never his aunts, he mused. They knew and loved him too much to stand in awe of him. It was one of the things he adored about them. The thought softened his irritation. “Aunt Clara, I’m well aware of how all of this is upsetting you, but there is no help for it.”
“Yes, there is. Lucille and I could remain here with Goldie, and you could rent another house.”
“She stays with me.”
His adamant declaration gave Clara pause. She watched him for a long while. “I wondered if this day would ever come,” she said softly, poignant emotion sweeping through her. “You care for her very much, don’t you, Marion?”
Saber shifted in his chair. He still had no name for what he felt for Goldie, and because of that he refused to discuss it.
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