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Tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Byron, that’s the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me. I want a future with you.”
Since the moment seemed right, he lowered his head and kissed her. The kiss was a tentative one. He hadn’t kissed her before, so he wasn’t exactly sure if she was ready for it. But she leaned into him and returned the kiss, and it was then that he knew he could safely move forward to the more intimate side of their relationship.
He drew her closer to him and continued to kiss her. If he told her he’d never kissed a lady before, she probably wouldn’t believe him. Since he had assumed he’d always be a bachelor, he hadn’t bothered to entertain romantic notions of any sort. He also hadn’t engaged in reckless living. He’d known a couple of Runners who’d been good at their jobs until they pursued getting drunk and loose women. His mentor, unfortunately, had gone down that path. After watching what happened to them, he vowed to stay clear of both.
What he hadn’t ever considered was what it might be like spend time with a reputable lady. Yes, he considered himself to be close to his sister, but that type of relationship was completely different from the one he had with Eleanor. With Eleanor, things were sweeter. His feelings for her were more tender. His feelings also prompted him to do things like kiss and touch her in more interesting ways than he’d ever do with his sister.
He cupped the side of her face with his hand and traced her lower lip with his tongue. When she parted her lips to accept him into her mouth, he let out a low moan and proceeded to explore this method of kissing. Thankfully, Eleanor wasn’t shy about expressing herself. Not that she had been at any time he’d known her, but it was especially nice that she wasn’t going to be shy in this area. He needed to navigate this uncharted territory with her help.
She wove her fingers through his hair, an action which sent sparks all through him. If he was enjoying this, he was going to enjoy being in that bed with her a lot more. His excitement prompted him to explore more of her. His hands went to her breasts. Now, this was even nicer than the kissing. He had no idea breasts were so soft. He traced the outline of them before he cupped them in the palm of his hands.
This time she let out a low moan. So she liked it. He wasn’t sure she liked this as much as he did because he was enjoying this a lot, but she liked it enough to wiggle closer to him. And that only served to strengthen his erection. He had been planning to consummate this marriage after dinner, but there was no way he was going to be able to wait that long. He was going to have to do it now.
He decided to help her out of her clothes first. That was a selfish decision on his part, but he was intrigued by what he’d find under them. He fumbled a bit at the corset and the stockings, though he managed to finally get everything off. If she noticed his blunders, she didn’t give any indication of it. Instead she began to help him out of his clothes. The process of removing his clothes was pretty much a blur because he kept looking at her. She was much more attractive without clothes on than he was. She had creamy white breasts with pink buds in the center, and she had a dark patch of curls between those lovely legs. If he’d seen her like this upon their first meeting, he never would have considered her to be unremarkable in appearance. He would have thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
He picked her up and carried her to the bed. As soon as he was settled next to her, he resumed his exploration of her. He kissed and touched her for quite some time, but he spent most of his time at her breasts. She, in turn, ran her hands up and down his arms and his back to let him know she wanted him to keep going.
Eventually, he reached the point where he was going to have to explore her more intimately. He brought his hand to the patch of curls between her legs. She parted her legs for him, and he was pleasantly surprised to note how wet she was. This would make entry easy. He slid a finger into her. She was warm and soft. He was definitely going to enjoy being in there. Since she urged him to put another finger into her, he did, and he was rewarded with a moan. She lifted her hips, an action which allowed him to explore her more deeply. Then she began to move so that his fingers were sliding partly out of her before going back in. Now, this was even more intriguing. He wondered what would happen if he stroked her in earnest. He proceeded to do just that, and he was delighted when her groans grew louder.
Her fingernails dug into his arms. “Keep going,” she whispered. “Don’t stop.”
He wouldn’t dare stop. Not when she was this aroused. He slid another finger into her. She was a little tight, but as he kept stroking her, she loosened up. And soon, she was moving with great abandon and voicing her pleasure. He couldn’t help but join her. This was the most exciting thing he’d ever experienced. When she let out a sharp cry, she grew still, and her body clenched around his fingers. Her fingernails dug further into his arms as she rode out the waves of pleasure. She’d found completion. And he was glad he’d been able to give that to her.
After she relaxed, he knelt between her legs and entered her. He closed his eyes and groaned. She felt even better than he’d expected. He slid partly out of her then went back in. He then repeated the action. He wanted to go slow. This exquisite torment was much better than taking care of things himself. He wanted to prolong it for as long as he could. But his body was too urgent for release, and a lifetime of celibacy was catching up to him. He managed a couple more thrusts before he released his seed into her. He stilled and gasped. He hadn’t been prepared for it to be this intense. At the moment, there was nothing else in this world than this sensation. And then, slowly, the intensity ebbed, and he was finally aware of everything that was around him again.
He collapsed in her arms. He’d never been more at peace in his entire life. He felt so good that he could hardly move. So he didn’t. He remained in her embrace for quite some time, just enjoying how relaxed he felt.
“Am I hurting you by being on top of you?” he asked once he got his strength back.
She chuckled. “No. I feel wonderful.”
He lifted his head and looked down at her. He brushed her cheek with his fingers and returned her smile. “I feel wonderful, too. I had no idea being in bed with a lady could be this good. Not that I’ve ever been with a lady, but this was much nicer than I expected.”
“It was good for me, too.”
“Good.”
He lowered his head and kissed her. He would have stayed in bed with her for the rest of the day if he didn’t have her safety and concern to worry about. Yes, he had married her, and now the marriage was consummated, but as long as the Duke of Winnett was out there, his job wasn’t done.
“I hate to leave, but I need to go to the blacksmith,” he reluctantly told her. “If the Duke of Winnett is watching, I need him to think we still need to get married.”
“Why does that matter? He can’t prevent the marriage anymore. You have the paper in your pocket to prove it. I understand why you arranged for the wedding to take place in the clothing shop, but why do more?”
“I need to pull him out of the shadows. I want to arrest him before we return to London. I want you to lock the door when I leave. Then keep watch over the window. If you see someone climbing a ladder to get to this window, run down to the innkeeper.” He gave her another kiss. “I want to make sure you’re safe. You’ll be careful for me, won’t you?”
She smiled. “I will. I’ll follow your instructions.”
“With any luck, this is the day I’ll catch him. Then we can stop worrying about him and be able to focus on us.” He kissed her again, and this time he let his lips linger on hers.
This was getting ridiculous. He might be new to being in love—and he was certainly thrilled she was receptive to his advances—but he had to catch the duke. He had to do it for her, and, to a lesser extent, he had to do it for any future victims.
With a sigh, he rolled off of her and stood up. “I’ll order the innkeeper to bring up a meal for you before I head out. I know it’s still early, but I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
She sat up in the bed. “I hope it’s not too long. I like being with you.”
He offered her a grin while he collected his clothes. “I like being with you, too. A lot, in fact. You remember the code words I gave you to let you know when it’s really me on the other side of that door?” He gestured to the door in their room.
“Robin redbreast.”
He nodded. “It’s nice you have a good memory.” Unable to resist the urge, he gave her another kiss before he managed to gather enough willpower to finally get dressed and leave the room.
