by Wendy Vella
“What?”
“Move away from it,” Ace said calmly.
“What…don’t you dare!”
He took a step back and threw his shoulder at the door. Hearing a satisfying crack, it flew open and in he strolled.
“I cannot believe you did that.” She was standing before him, stunned, her eyes on the broken lock.
“I told you to open it.” Ace reached her in two strides and grabbed the front of her shirt with both hands and pulled. The buttons popped and flew everywhere.
“Let me go!” She tried to push his hands aside, but he didn’t budge, instead pushing the now damaged shirt from her shoulders. “That was my brother’s.”
“I don’t want you wearing anyone’s shirt but mine. Therefore, I’ll have one altered for you,” Ace said, reaching for the waistband of her breeches and undoing them. He then dropped to his knees and lifted first one foot and then the other. Removing them, he threw them across the room.
“You’re quite mad. Unhand me at once.” There was no strength in her words. Looking up he saw the flare of heat.
“You want me to stop treating you like a lady so I am.” Raising the hem of her chemise, he gripped her thighs and pulled them open.
“Oliver!” His name flew from her lips as he buried his mouth between her legs, kissing her intimately until her indignant cries turned to moans of pleasure. He laved the soft damp folds with his tongue. The essence of her made his head spin.
“Dear God, Oliver, that is quite…magnificent,” she sighed as he pushed his fingers deep inside her while his teeth gnawed on the tight little bud. Her fingers plunged into his hair as she started to ride the wave of ecstasy he was creating inside her, and Oliver continued to torment her until she came down the other side.
Standing, he took her lips in a hard kiss before releasing her to take off his clothes.
“On the bed, wife, face first.”
“Pardon?” She blinked, her lashes were lowered and dazed with the aftermath of her climax.
Picking her up, Ace decided to show her what he meant. Placing her on her stomach, he then lifted her so that her knees were on the bed. He then entered her from behind. Her back arched as she took him in. God, she was beautiful, Ace thought as he thrust into her again. The slender line of her spine, the silken locks, and she was his. He felt a primitive surge of satisfaction. No man would know this woman intimately but he.
“Can you feel me high inside you, Thea,” Ace rasped as he drove into her hard.
“Yes, oh God, Oliver, don’t stop.”
“Never.” His need robbed his ability for gentleness. He took her hard and fast, and when she cried out once more, tightening around his shaft, he followed, pumping his seed deep into her.
She fell forward, face first into the bedcovers, and Ace followed, landing beside her.
“Mother of God, Thea,” he said when he could speak. “Did I hurt you?” He felt her hand grope around on his face and then her fingers pressed against his mouth.
“No. Now shut up, I need to sleep.”
He laughed softly. Reaching for her, he turned to his back and laid her on his chest.
“You, wife, are a mouthy wench with very bad language. Did Ted teach you to speak that way?” Ace ran a hand down her spine.
“I grew up with brothers and Luke,” she mumbled into his chest. “Joe said I retained every bad word I ever heard from infancy, but put a Latin verse before me and I lost all interest.”
“I’m sorry, Thea, and not for what just happened. I could never be sorry for that. But for what I have done since our marriage. I can see now how much you disliked me protecting you.”
Her hand rested on his shoulder and her body was limp, and he loved the feel of her lying so trustingly on him.
“And you will do so again?” she said.
“In all honesty, I probably will as I like to be in control of everyone and anything that is in my life.”
“At least you admit your faults, husband.”
“Who said it was a fault?” She snuffled at that, and then he felt her body grow heavy and her breathing even, and realized that she’d fallen asleep on him. Ace lay still, wearing his wife as a blanket, and thought the feeling was quite possibly the best he had ever experienced.
…
“A tradesman is at present fixing the door, Sir.”
Thea kept her eyes on her breakfast as Elliot spoke to Oliver. She knew her cheeks were red at the thought of how the door had broken.
“Wonderful. My wife will be pleased to have her privacy back once more. Won’t you, sweetheart?”
“Yes,” Thea mumbled into the cup she’d hastily picked up.
“Pardon?” Her rogue of a husband said, obviously enjoying her discomfort.
“Yes,” she said, lifting her head to glare at him across the breakfast table. His smile was smug and made his blue eyes sparkle. Handsome devil, he was far too happy with himself this morning.
“Perhaps we should have an extra sturdy lock placed on it this time, Elliott, to stop ill-mannered intruders, should they breech the front door?” Thea said as more heat stole into her cheeks. Oliver was so calm yet she was mortified. Did the servants know what had taken place? What had he told them?
“Yes, I would not want anything in my household…breeched,” her husband said, sending her a lecherous look across the table, “unless, of course, it was by me.”
Dear God, her cheeks were on fire.
“That will be all, thank you, Elliott.” Oliver thankfully dismissed the butler.
“Stop that!” Thea snapped when the door had closed.
“What?” He gave her an innocent look that did not reach his eyes. “You did not mind me breeching—”
Thea clapped her hands over both ears and he laughed. It made his face soften and she thought he was so handsome she wanted to sigh.
“I would love to know what has put that particular expression on your face, wife.”
Dear God, she loved him.
“And yet my thoughts are mine alone, Sir. Therefore, you can wish all you like, but I shall not reveal them to you.”
Thea had known her feelings for him were strong, even when he was being an ass, but she’d never expected this all-encompassing love. Her need for Oliver was great, and her happiness now reliant on him, and it was a sobering thought.
“You’re frowning, Thea.”
“Am I?” she said, lightly picking up her cup and sipping to give herself something to do.
“Come here.” He held out one hand to her.
“I’m quite happy where I am, thank you, Oliver.”
His smile made her stomach flutter, as did the wicked gleam in his eye as he climbed to his feet.
“Then I shall come to you.”
“For what pur—” Her words turned into a squeal as he picked her up and walked back to his chair, where he settled her onto his lap.
“Oliver, we can’t do this!” Thea pushed against his chest, but she would have had more luck trying to move an oak tree.
“You have beautiful breasts wife.” Lowering his head, he ran his lips along the top of her bodice, making Thea shiver.
“And your neck smells and tastes delicious,” he said against her skin. One large hand stole under her skirts and moved slowly up her legs. “You’re like fine wine, my sweet—one taste and you go straight to my head.”
Thea wrapped her fingers around the tail of his hair and tugged hard until he lifted his head and kissed her. Slow and sweet, her head was swimming in seconds. He made her forget, made her want with every part of her being.
“Oliver,” Thea sighed when he lifted his head and looked down at her.
“I know,” was all he said before placing a last kiss on her lips, and setting her once again on her feet. Thea re-seated herself just seconds before Elliott entered the room.
“I will be away for most of the day on business, Thea, but if you would like me to accompany you and Ted, I would love to ride with you tomorrow morni
ng. Perhaps we could continue with my lessons?”
“Of course.” She nodded, trying to sound as composed as he, when in fact her body was filled with sensual heat. “Where do you go today on business? Could I not perhaps accompany you for a while?” She didn’t want to push him, and if he refused then she would relent. After all, last night they had taken steps toward their future, and her ability to leave the house unescorted, and to undertake activities without him present.
“It’s all right, Oliver. I understand if you are too busy. I shall perhaps go for a drive,” Thea hurried to add as he stayed silent.
“My first and instinctive reaction is to say no, Thea. You must allow me that, considering I am a very protective man, and even more so now I have a wife.”
She did not speak, just nodded for him to continue.
“But after yesterday I can see you have a valid point about my smothering you, and as you are never likely to be the kind of wife content to stitch or paint water colors, and like me you are not content unless you are doing something. Therefore, I have no problem if you wish to accompany me, although I warn you it will be boring.”
“Really?” She could feel the smile on her face.
“Really.” He nodded, smiling back. “But I must insist that you take direction from me when we visit some of the places on my agenda today.”
“Of course,” Thea rushed to agree. The prospect of being in his company and not her own for the entire day meant she would agree to any of his conditions. “And thank you, Oliver.”
“I am not sure if I should be relieved at your agreement or nervous,” he drawled, eyes twinkling.
“Poor Oliver, did you hope for a malleable wife?” Thea teased him.
“No. I wanted you from the first moment I saw you, Althea Dillinger. I just never dared to hope I could actually have you.”
“Oh.” Thea felt the sting of tears behind her eyes at his words. They were not flowery or anything but the truth, and they were quite possibly the most wonderful words anyone had ever said to her. “Th-that was a lovely thing to say,” Thea sniffed.
He gave her a soft smile but said nothing further on that matter.
“You will need to wear warm clothes, Thea, as it is cold out. And nothing too revealing if you please. I need to concentrate, and having you with me will be enough of a distraction,” Oliver added. “We will leave as soon as you are ready.”
Thea jumped to her feet and hurried around the table to thank him with a kiss, which took longer than she’d anticipated as he dragged her back into his lap and kissed her thoroughly before releasing her only when he was done.
“Now go,” he said when he’d placed her back on her feet, and she was pleased to hear that he was breathless, too.
…
“Mr. Stevens, this is my wife, Lady Dillinger.”
Thea shook the hand of the man Oliver introduced her to. They were standing before a row of half-built houses a forty-minute carriage ride from London.
“Oliver owns that entire row of houses and is building more?” She turned and whispered the words to Daniel, who was standing behind her. His nod made her realize how little she knew about the man she had married.
“We are a month from completion, Mr. Dillinger,” Mr. Stevens said, “and if you have the time I would like to discuss a few issues with you.”
“I shall take your wife on a tour while you talk with Mr. Stevens, Oliver.” Daniel took Thea’s arm.
“All right, but keep her away from any building work being completed,” Oliver said, which made Thea roll her eyes. His lips twitched at her gesture but he said nothing further.
“He has other housing developments, too,” Daniel said as he led her to the finished houses.
“Good lord,” Thea said twenty minutes later, because nothing else seemed to quite fit the moment.
Daniel took her arm as they moved around a pile of building supplies.
“He is a very successful businessman, Thea, with a great deal of varied enterprises that he overseas himself, with help from a few of his minions, namely me.”
“I would like to help,” Thea said slowly, looking at the buildings before her.
“Excellent. More hands would be welcome, I assure you,” Daniel said, taking her back toward the carriage.
Thea stopped to look at him. “Do you really mean that? You would not mind if I assisted you or Oliver—if he lets me, that is.”
Daniel’s smile was far more ready than his brother’s was.
“I am not my brother, Thea, I assure you. And while his interests were honest, I fear he greatly misjudged you. Of course, his family did not hesitate to point this out to him.”
“As did I,” Thea added.
“I have no doubts as to that, and would add that I think in you, my brother has found his perfect mate.”
He meant it. She could see that in his eyes.
“Thank you, Daniel. That means a great deal to me.”
“And my family feels the same, just for the record. In fact, my father believes you will save his son from himself.”
They started walking once more. “How so?”
“Before you came into his life, my brother worked all day and often long into the night. He was a man possessed with a need to make money and a name for himself,” Daniel said, opening the carriage door and ushering her inside. “He was driven, Thea, to provide for us and increase his wealth.”
“Luke told me that once,” Thea said. “He said Oliver Dillinger was the most driven man he’d ever known.”
“Driven by what, I often wonder,” Daniel said softly.
“His past,” Thea whispered.
“Yes,” Daniel nodded. “I had imagined that would be it, but know only the bits he has told me.”
Thea looked out the window, searching for Oliver, but he was still discussing something with someone. She did not feel guilty talking with Daniel about Oliver. Anything she learned could only help her to understand the man she had married.
“He left at twelve years of age, but how long was it before you and your family saw him again, Daniel?
“He came back to us eight years later, and by then his money had helped our lives significantly. At his insistence, I and my other siblings were receiving schooling and we had moved into a bigger house.”
“Eight years is a long time,” Thea said softly.
Daniel looked down at his hands briefly. “I idolized him when I was a boy. He was everything I wanted to be. Big, strong, and never backed away from anything. Every day he would ask my father to let him go to work in the mines, and every day he refused, until one day Oliver simply left. He couldn’t write at that stage, so he told our neighbor to tell us he had gone, and that he was bound for London to make his fortune.”
“Your parents must have been distraught?”
Daniel nodded. “They were, but by that stage, Oliver was on a path bent toward destruction, and they had despaired of finding him dead in an alley one day with a knife in his back, so when he left it was almost a relief.”
“But not to you?” Thea added.
“No.” Daniel shook his head. “I was angry, and demanded that they went to find him and bring him home, but my father said he could not afford to lose his job to chase after Oliver. He was sure that his eldest son would soon return, hungry and repentant for the trouble he had caused his family…but he didn’t.”
“It must have been a surprise when he did arrive?” Thea wanted to see the sadness leave this young man’s face that memories had put there.
“It was wonderful. A man had arrived the week before and told us we were moving to a house that Oliver had purchased for us. My father’s pride was tweaked and for a while he would not accept Oliver’s money or offers of help, but eventually my mother convinced him that his pride was hurting us, so he relented.”
“I can understand pride,” Thea laughed and was pleased when Daniel joined her.
“As can I,” he said.
“Continue with your st
ory,” Thea prompted him, eager to hear more about the man she had married.
“It was the day before Christmas, and the snow was falling and someone knocked on our door. Kate went to answer it, and then I heard her shriek,” he said, “and we all came running and there he was. This big man, dressed in a fine, wool overcoat, telling us that he was our Oliver.”
“It must have been quite a moment?” Thea said.
“It was, and after a few days we all became a family again.”
“When did you move to London?”
Daniel’s smile was filled with memories. “Oliver told us his life was now in London and that he wanted us to come and live there. He said he would buy a house for us, and there would be work for whoever wanted it. My father said no, my mother yes. But it was Oliver talking about the education he could offer us, and tutors for my sisters, that won my father over.”
Thea saw her husband through the carriage window; he was still a distance away, but making his way toward them. “Your brother approaches, Daniel, but before he does, thank you so much for sharing this story with me.”
“Tis my pleasure,” he said with a gentle smile.
The shot rang out when Oliver was just a few feet from the carriage. Screaming his name, she grabbed the door handle, throwing it wide.
“Stay inside, Thea!” He roared the words and before she could defy him, she felt Daniel lift her off her feet and lower her onto the seat as Oliver dived in through the doorway.
“Go!” Daniel yelled to the driver and seconds later they were moving.
She launched herself at him and his arms closed around her, pulling her hard into his chest.
“This has to stop!” Thea said into his chest. “I can’t lose you, Oliver.” Her words were desperate as she clutched his lapels.
“It’s all right, love.” One large hand cupped her head, the other banded around her back, securing her to him. “You won’t lose me.”
“Your arm, Oliver.”
Thea heard Daniel’s words and pushed herself upright. Her hands went to his sleeves, and her left glove came away red.
“Let me see.” Thea reached for the buttons on his overcoat, her fingers unsteady as they tried to force them through the holes.
“It is just a graze, Thea. It can wait until we reach the house.” Oliver tried to pull her back into his arms but she fought him.