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She whimpered, but she could not fault his reasoning. Her voice came out as a breathy whisper, barely audible with its plea.
“Continue, please.”
“Good girl.” Another caress of his hand across her bottom as a reward, then his palm lifted again, only to return with a vengeance. Mary cried out as he spanked her, just as hard as before, giving her no quarter.
Wetness spread across her cheeks, tears sliding down her face, and her legs began to kick. She was not counting the swats landing on her burning cheeks—she could not have concentrated, even if she wanted to. It was all she could do to hold back from begging him to stop again.
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!
She wailed, a wordless cry that did nothing to stop the assault on her increasingly tender nates, but a strange thing was happening. Even as the pain of the spanking increased, so did an odd sense of gratification, almost pride, at accepting the punishment rather than begging for it to stop again. She had to bite back the pleas, but she managed it.
As suddenly as it began, it was over. The hard slaps stopped, leaving her shuddering, crying, and almost disappointed. Hartford pulled her into a seated position on his lap, easily manhandling her so her cheek was against his broad chest.
She whimpered as her weight came to rest on her bottom, reigniting the burn, but did not protest the comfort he offered.
“Good girl,” he murmured. “You took your punishment very well.”
Pride—it had to be her pride—welled even further, confusing her. Why on earth should she care if she took a punishment well? Yet, she could not deny she did.
A hand slipped under her skirt, sliding up between her legs, and Mary’s thighs parted. She ached. Not just her bottom, but her whole body, and his touch felt so good. It felt even better a moment later when his fingers probed an area shecertainlyhad never allowed a man to touch.Shebarely touched it.
Thanks to Evie’s descriptions of her own experiences, Mary knew what he was doing. She moaned, shuddering as his fingers slid through the wet folds of her womanhood, parting them, stroking them. Her head tipped back, and his lips met hers, swallowing her whimpers, his tongue sliding into her mouth as his finger moved over an exquisitely sensitive spot.
The burn had spread from her bottom to her loins, turning far more pleasurable than painful. If anything, the slight sting still in her bottom made for an erotic contrast to her growing passion, heightening it further.
Her hands groping for purchase, she clung to the lapels of his shirt as he deepened the kiss, his finger moving to actually slide inside of her. The sensation of being invaded, filled was intense, making her lightheaded. The muscles of her body stretched to receive the digit, which thrust deeper, mimicking the movements of his tongue.
Ecstasy surged, and she cried out, a feeling of hot bliss spreading across her body in golden waves of rapture. She writhed on his lap, clutching him, thighs trapping his hand between her legs as her need reached its ascent, and she fell. His hand rubbed against her, circling, coaxing every last spasm of pleasure from her shocked senses.
It was glorious.
Left trembling in its wake, Mary panted for breath when Hartford finally lifted his lips, his eyes glowing gold, studying her intently. Whatever he saw in her face, he must have liked it, his lips curving in a smile of pure male satisfaction. A small part of her stirred, wanting to prick the balloon of smugness, but she had to admit, it was well deserved.
“Lovely,” he said, lowering his head to brush another light kiss over her lips, his finger withdrawing from her body. Mary watched, fascinated, as he lifted that same finger to his lips and licked the glossy cream coating it. He looked straight at her the whole time, completely unashamed. “And delicious.”
She blushed… and hated herself for it. Wanting to change the subject, she looked down at his lap. Although she could not see the bulge in his pants, in her current position, she could feel it pressing against her thigh.
“What… what now?” She knew he was still aroused. Several of Evie’s stories flitted through her mind, but Mary was no longer feeling very brave. With her arousal satisfied, her courage was no longer buoyed by the need that had been driving her… yet she still felt the impulse to satisfyhisdesires.
“Now?” He asked the question as if he was considering the answer. Cocking his head, he lifted one imperious brow. “Now, I send you back to your home, and tomorrow, I will come to Hood House and apply to your uncle for your hand.”
Mary froze, sure she had not just heard what she thought she had.
With his mind made up about his choice of bride, the sweet taste of her cream still on his tongue, it had not occurred to Rex the bride in question might disagree.
“What?” She moved so quickly, he was unable to stop her from tumbling off his lap. Springing to her feet, she brushed her hands over her skirts as if she could brush away everything they had just shared. Her hair was disheveled, cheeks pink, and doubtless, her bottom was sore, but that did not stop her. “No… I… no, that is not why I came here. I do not expect you to marry me.”
“Perhaps not, but you cannot believe there is any other route for us to take.” He got to his feet, slowly, aware of his cock pressing against the front of his pants. Interestingly, she was aware as well, although he would swear she was a virgin. Even if she was not, he still wanted her, but he was curious exactly how much knowledge she had. “You, a debutante with a good name and reputation, have been thoroughly compromised by me, a nobleman who is unmistakably searching for a bride.”
“But no one knows you have compromised me!”
“Iknow.” To his surprise, he was starting to feel a bit put out about her reaction. Surely, he was not that bad a catch—and if she had such an antipathy toward him, why had she allowed him to kiss, spank, and pleasure her? And… Did she just growl at him?
“You cannot possibly have offered marriage to every woman you have indulged with,” she replied tartly, crossing her arms over her chest. “And we did not even… you know.”
“I do know. Doyouknow?” He asked, more curious than anything else. She blushed again, her chin tilting up in a fashion he was becoming increasingly familiar with. Stubborn little petal.
“I know enough,” she said evasively, then frowned and eyed him. “Would that change things for you?”
