'Twas the Night Before Scandal (The May Flowers Book 8)

by Merry Farmer

  Bea giggled, pressing a hand to her kiss-swollen lips, and turned to show him her back. Indeed, the number of buttons that fastened her high-necked wedding gown in back was monumental.

  Harrison let out an exaggerated sigh and went to work unfastening each and every one. “Something you will quickly discover about making love is that the most tedious part is removing clothes in order to enjoy the most intimate experience possible.”

  “You sound as though it’s a harsh task,” she laughed, prickles of expectation following the brush of his fingers as he made his way through her buttons.

  “It is,” he said with exaggerated displeasure. He leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath on her neck and said, “Especially when all you want is for you and your lover to be naked and entwined as fast as possible.”

  She shivered in earnest at his use of the word “lover”. That was what they would be now. And he was right, she couldn’t wait.

  It seemed to take forever for him to get through the buttons of her gown, and once that was loosened, he still had all of the fastenings of her skirts and the fashionable bustle that went with them.

  “Heavens, how much does this all weigh?” he asked once the ensemble was loosened enough for her to step out of.

  “Far more than it appears,” she said, rolling her eyes and picking her dress up off the floor to move it to a chaise near the window.

  When she turned back, Harrison had not only shed his waistcoat and cravat, and toed out of his shoes, he had his shirt most of the way over his head, exposing the broad expanse of his bare chest. Bea sucked in a breath at the sight. He was so well-formed, exceeding the expectations of what she would find under his clothes when the moment finally came.

  “That’s not fair at all,” she gasped as she paused to sit on the chaise so that she could quickly remove her shoes. When she stood, she tugged frantically at the ties holding her petticoats on.

  “What isn’t?” Harrison laughed, discarding his shirt, then practically stalking across the room to her, like a ravenous wolf who had spotted prey.

  Bea fought to keep her wits about her instead of melting into a wanton pool of jelly as she stepped out of her skirts and into Harrison’s arms. “It’s so much easier for men to remove their clothes than it is for women.”

  “It’s because men are hopeless beasts,” Harrison growled against her ear, sliding his hands across her still-corseted torso and closing a hand over one of her breasts.

  Bea had the feeling he’d intended to say something more, but before he could, he kissed her cheek, which turned into kissing her neck, which turned into trailing kisses across her shoulder to the swell of her breast. She gasped and shivered at the sensations—not only where he kissed her, but the ache that grew and grew in her core. Everything she’d ever been told about relations between men and women suddenly made sense. She was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wouldn’t have resisted him one bit if he’d kissed and held and touched her this way months ago, or even the night they’d met. Her body felt as though it was made to be with his this way.

  “Now, let’s just take care of the rest of these pesky things,” he growled, sliding his hands to the fastenings of her corset.

  There were more hooks and buttons and ties to undo than Bea had the patience for. It was as though her clothing had grown more fastenings just so that it would take Harrison longer to peel the layers of her fine things off. They did come off, one by one, though. She dropped each item aside without a care in the world until, at last, she stood naked in his arms, shivering with expectation.

  “Are you cold?” he asked in a rumbling voice, sliding his arms around her. “I can warm you up.”

  “I’m certain you can,” she said, eyes fixed on his lips.

  She lifted to her toes, leaning into him and kissing him with all the need that was mounting inside of her. She felt far less anxious about being naked in his arms than she thought she would, particularly as his chest felt so warm and firm against hers. She snaked her arms around him, holding him even closer and digging her fingertips into his back as he kissed her hard. She moaned in response, ready to give him everything and then some.

  When she arched her hips into his, feeling his hardness through his trousers, it was as though something clicked inside of him. He lifted her fully into his arms so that she could wrap her legs around him, and he carried her quickly to the bed. He deposited her there with almost comical enthusiasm, then stepped back to fumble his way out of his trousers.

  Bea giggled and scurried to pull back the bedcovers, but she stopped with a gasp as he kicked his trousers aside and stood, his erection on full display. She’d thought she would be terrified of that part of him, especially after hearing the tales her aunt had told her in preparation for her wedding night, but, in fact, she was captivated.

  “I’ll be careful,” Harrison promised as he crawled onto the bed with her, maneuvering her to her back between the sheets. “I know the first time can be difficult for a woman but—”

  She stopped his nonsense with a kiss, molding her lips to his as her hand reached between them to touch him. They both groaned as soon as she made contact, filling her hand with him and marveling at how hard and hot he was. Touching him that way was a revelation. She only wished she could look at him as she explored him, learning the length of his shaft and the strange shape of its tip. Hunger grew inside of her like nothing she’d ever known as he shifted restlessly against her touch, teaching her how to stroke him.

  Far too soon, he stopped her, laughing deep in his throat, and deliberately moved her hand to pin it to the mattress beside them. “If you keep that up, love, I’ll embarrass myself by failing to last more than a minute.”

  “We wouldn’t want that,” she hummed, wriggling against him and reveling in every sensation that caused.

  “I can see you’re going to be the death of me,” he laughed, bending down to kiss her again.

  She had a reply ready, but it floated clear out of her head as he kissed her. Kissing while upright and clothed was one thing, but kissing naked and horizontal was something else entirely. Bea decided in an instant that she loved it. She traced her hands up and down his sides, learning the feel of his strong body, and opened her hips so that she could cradle him against the part of her that wanted him the most.

  She must have been doing everything right to please him, because his breath came in shorter and shorter gasps and the tension rippling from him was palpable. He broke from her mouth to kiss his way to her breasts. In a flash, it was her turn to wonder how long she could stand the pleasure he gave her as he kissed and nipped first one breast, then the other, laving his tongue over her nipples in turn, until they were tight points of pleasure. She’d never imagined anything could feel so good.

  Within moments, he showed her that there were things that could feel even better as he slipped one hand between her legs.

  “So wet,” he groaned as he stroked her in the most intimate way possible.

  A faint voice in the back of Bea’s mind wondered if that was something she should be embarrassed about. That voice was utterly silenced as he slipped first one, then two fingers inside of her. She let out a wanton moan and pressed into his hand as he surprised her with intense pleasure. Her body was so eager for him that the wild, powerful sensations he coaxed out of her took up every free space in her mind. Those sensations towered to heights of pleasure she had only dreamed of when he circled and stroked her clitoris, causing her body to burst into waves of pure bliss.

  It was wonderful and beautiful, and made even more so as she shared it with him. Her sighs mingled with his groan of victory, which quickly turned to more as he repositioned himself between her legs and plunged into her. Bea had been warned that her first time would be painful, and perhaps one of the sensations she felt was pain, but it was eclipsed a thousand times by the joy of being filled by him. It was such a new and captivating feeling that she gasped, clinging to him.

  Harrison paused,
glancing down at her. “Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”

  “Why did you stop?” she panted, wriggling against him and encouraging him to go on.

  A smile of absolute adoration spread across his face as he resumed his thrusts. He gazed down at her, transfixed by what he saw, then picked up the pace and intensity of his movements. The connection Bea felt between them went far beyond any vows that could ever have been spoken in church. This was their benediction, and when Harrison’s thrusts turned frantic and blossomed into a sound of pure joy as his body tensed then released, Bea knew they were well and truly one soul.

  The cozy bliss that followed, as they collapsed together in what felt like a puddle of arms and legs and satisfaction, was as wonderful as the pitched feelings of need that had encompassed them minutes before.

  “I love you so,” Bea panted, curling her body around his as he caught his breath beside her. “I’ve never been happier than this moment.”

  “I love you,” he echoed her. His face split into a grin. “And I can assure you that there are many more happy moments to come.”

  I hope you have enjoyed Bea and Harrison’s story! At last, true love triumphs! But what about Diana and John? Are they really enemies or will they be lovers at last? And will Diana give in and admit she loves him or will the fates and outside sources have to intervene? Find out this April in How to Avoid a Scandal (Or Not), which will be part of a box set featuring me and five other top-name Historical Romance authors. The Young and The Ruined box set is available for preorder now!

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  About the Author

  I hope you have enjoyed ’Twas the Night Before Scandal. If you’d like to be the first to learn about when new books in the series come out and more, please sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/cbaVMH And remember, Read it, Review it, Share it! For a complete list of works by Merry Farmer with links, please visit http://wp.me/P5ttjb-14F.

  Merry Farmer is an award-winning novelist who lives in suburban Philadelphia with her cats, Torpedo, her grumpy old man, and Justine, her hyperactive new baby. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized one day that she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. She then went on to earn not one but two degrees in History so that she would always have something to write about. Her books have reached the Top 100 at Amazon, iBooks, and Barnes & Noble, and have been named finalists in the prestigious RONE and Rom Com Reader’s Crown awards.

  Acknowledgments

  I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my awesome beta-readers, Caroline Lee and Jolene Stewart, for their suggestions and advice. And double thanks to Julie Tague, for being a truly excellent editor and assistant!

  Click here for a complete list of other works by Merry Farmer.