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But, by the same token, he didn't want to frighten his new wife with his appetite for her. At the moment she was looking up at him with confusion, lust and wariness. He would not have her think him a savage, to take her so quickly and without proper ceremony.
"Well... shall we continue?" he asked smoothly, reaching to take her hand and kiss it. Even that one small touch had his groin aching, but he controlled himself.
"Continue?" Irene asked, feeling more than a little dazed from the assault on her senses and its sudden removal.
"With the tour of the house," Hugh said, although a purely masculine smile wreathed his face. He'd never made love to a virgin before and he found Irene's innocent and untutored responses, not to mention her obvious passion, to be more appealing than he would have thought possible. It was the way she fell into her actions, as though she couldn’t help or stop herself, rather than being controlled and purposefully seductive. Although he'd desired her almost since he'd seen her and had felt the attraction flare between them on more than one occasion, he hadn't been sure how she would actually respond to her wifely duties. Any doubts he'd had were now erased and he was more than eager to introduce her to the pleasures of the flesh.
"Oh... yes..."
Hugh kept his hold on her hand as they continued onward.
Chapter 5
As her maid, Flora, helped Irene into the scandalous filmy nightrail that had been provided as part of her trousseau, Irene couldn't stop trembling. Dinner that evening had been pure torment. All she could do was wonder what the night would bring, her first night as Lady Stanley, and what the marital act might involve. Hugh had always been gentle with her so she couldn't imagine him hurting her deliberately. Perhaps he wouldn't indulge in the act at all?
But it was her understanding that the marital act was what would ensure an heir. And he needed one of those. Biting her full lower lip, Irene gave her maid a side long look and wondered if she dared ask her for some womanly advice.
She had not been brought up to be familiar with the servants, but at the moment she was feeling a dire need for some kind of feminine reassurance and it didn't matter the social class of the giver. A small gurgle of laughter nearly bubbled out of her chest as she wondered what her mother would think of Irene contemplating begging a maid for advice.
"You look beautiful, my lady," Flora said as she tied the gown at Irene's neck. It would have taken a completely unobservant person to not see Irene's distress; it was clear from the tremors shaking her body, the gnawing of her soft pink lip, the frightened eyes and the pale cheeks that not all was right with the lady of the house. Flora's heart had gone out to this wane looking creature with her soft voice and polite manners when she’d first been hired by the Baroness and had been thrilled that Irene had asked her to continue her position after Irene became a Viscountess; Irene might not be the warmest mistress but she was certainly not a cruel or haughty one either. "Your husband will be very pleased."
"Thank you Flora," Irene said, her voice barely higher than a whisper.
That little bit of reassurance helped bring some of the color back to Irene's cheeks as she remembered her goal. A goal that she seemed to have forgotten ever since Hugh had kissed her in his - their - bedroom during the tour. She needed to learn how to please her husband; she needed to learn everything about pleasing a man so that she could become Alex's next mistress. Since she had no idea what that would entail she would be her husband's student and she would have his babies quickly and efficiently and then she would be free to pursue the man she'd loved all her life. That was how things were done in the ton, she reminded herself, repeating her mother's words. There was no need to feel guilty that she was already planning to break her marriage vows.
After all, this was an arranged match with no love on either side. According to her mother, Hugh would have his own mistresses. Strange how the thought made her stomach curdle a bit. Surely
it was only because she disliked the idea that there was no love at all within their marriage and she was no longer free to wed the man who held her heart. She wondered if Hugh had a woman he loved but could not be with. But she didn't enjoy dwelling on that thought any more than she did on his hypothetical mistresses. Only because she didn't like the idea of unrequited love, such as hers. Of course that was the reason she felt strange at the thought.
"My lady?" Flora's soft voice broke through her reverie. "Are you ready?"
NO. That was what Irene wanted to scream. No, she was not ready to face this irrevocable future, to learn what the dreaded marriage act was, to lie back and allow a man who frightened her to touch her and do... something to her. Was the act really so unspeakable that her mother could not have given her any further instruction?
But she had no choice. It was not as if she could standing her dressing room all night, although thank goodness she and Hugh had separate dressing rooms even though they were sharing a bed chamber.
"Yes," she whispered, steeling herself for... well for whatever was going to happen next.
The marital act.
After all, she reminded herself, she had to learn how to do this if she was going to eventually be Alex's mistress. Men enjoyed it, wanted it. Whatever it was.
Flora ushered Irene into the room. Her wide green eyes darted around the corners until she located her husband, standing in a dark blue dressing gown in front of the fireplace. In the flickering light of the fire Hugh looked even more angelic, especially as the velvety blue of his robe set off his blonde good looks. His hair shone like a star against the night sky and Irene had to catch her breath as those strange reactions his presence elicited rippled through her.
For his part, Hugh could only stare at Irene. The gauzy white nightrail she was wearing did very little to hide her charms. He could see her little pink nipples poking at the material, the faintest blush of color behind the fabric, and the darker thatch of coppery color glinting between her legs. His mouth felt dry with absolute raging lust and he had to remind himself that she was inexperienced. That he would need to go slowly with her.
"Wife," he said, his voice imbued with all the desire he had for her, all the hope for their future. Holding out his hand, he forced himself to stand still so that she would come to him. Despite her obvious trembling, Irene tilted her chin up with determination and stepped towards him. The thin fabric of her nightrail whispered around her, caressing her body, and she felt the strangest throbbing in her lower belly as she reached out and met her husband's hand with her own. The smile that he gave her was nothing short of wicked and she caught her breath in her throat as he pulled her into his body the same way he had when they'd last been in this room.
Except that there was no bed behind her, instead his arms had wrapped around her like iron bands, holding her in place as his mouth came down on hers. The kiss was gentle, coaxing, surprising her with its tenderness and she found her mouth automatically opening to receive his tongue. This time she kissed him back. Shyly. Hesitantly. Daring to dart her tongue out and explore his mouth as well, causing Hugh to groan and press against her, tightening his grip on her soft body and nearly lifting her off her feet in his passion.
Irene was already lost in the heady sensations that were richoting through her body. She felt consumed by the strange throbbings, the hungriness that was erupting inside of her. It was almost frightening how out of control she was, and yet her fear was lost in the maelstrom of other, more powerful sensations. The gentleness of Hugh's kiss shredded and his mouth claimed her, his hands pulling her tightly against him. Irene’s pulse pounded as she moaned, allowing him deeper into her mouth.
Sweeping her up in his arms, able to wait no longer and reassured by her passionate response that she wouldn't panic, Hugh headed for the bed.
Too lost in the heat that had engulfed her, in these new sensations as Hugh stroked her body and plundered her mouth, Irene didn't even notice where they were going until her new husband was tossing her onto the bed. Then she had a moment to stiffen in fear as she remembered what they were there for, a panicked expression crossing her beautiful face as her mother's words and advice seemed to echo in her ears. Yet when she looked up at Hugh as he stripped off his robe, those words seemed very quiet and very small.
It was her first time seeing a naked man, after all, and she was both shocked and curious about the differences between their bodies. Hugh was muscular, hard where she was soft, with long flat planes of skin that was dusted with wiry golden hairs, slightly darker than the ones upon his head. Rising from his groin was a thick, long staff of flesh that was nothing like Irene had ever seen or imagined before. It was strange looking, with a reddish-plummy head that reminded her of a dome. The entire appendage was slightly darker than the rest of his skin, and darkest at the tip where a bead of moisture had gathered around a small slit in its end. Completely fascinated, Irene stared at him, watching as the strange appendage jerked upwards before her eyes.
"Did your mother explain what happens tonight?" Hugh asked as he crawled onto the bed, his cock bobbing beneath him. He wanted to hold it in his hand but he didn't dare touch himself; he was so randy at finally having Irene for himself that he didn't trust himself not to spend his seed immediately. When he did, he wanted to be deep inside of her.
