Gareth smiled. “Sorry. Yes.” Tucking his gloves into his coat pocket, he exited the study without a backward glance and headed toward Belle’s room.
When he arrived at her door, he reached for the handle, but then hesitated. Up until this point, he’d forced himself into her life. Maybe she would appreciate the opportunity to invite him into it.
He knocked.
****
Annabelle tugged on fresh petticoats and tied the tapes. Men were horrid creatures. Well, maybe not all men. William had always acted in her best interest, whether she’d wanted to admit it or not.
She tossed her skirts back down and smoothed them. A few wrinkles, but nothing to be remarked upon.
She sighed. William thought she should marry Gareth. Shouldn’t that tell her something?
She bit her lip as she sat in front of the dressing table. Her bottom still burned slightly from Gareth’s paddling, and every little movement against the hard chair sent tingles to her core. Despite the tender skin between her thighs throbbing a resounding yes, her chest ached, and it wasn’t in a pleasant way.
She didn’t care one whit if Gareth needed her fortune. William had ensured she had more than a passing education on managing money. Estates weren’t run through the charitable nature of servants and field hands. On the contrary, it was a landowner’s responsibility to take care of those dependent on the efficient running of the property.
She wanted a man who took pride in his responsibilities, and judging by the understated nature of Gareth’s dress and his modest address, his money was not spent on himself.
No. What she didn’t want was to be married to a man who only saw to her pleasure when it suited him. When he needed to control her.
Not that she minded Gareth’s form of control. She shifted and gasped when a tiny spasm of pleasurable pain shot through the swollen flesh between her legs.
A knock on the door sounded. Marie had finally answered her call. “Come.”
The mirror reflected the door opening, and Gareth’s head poking through the expanding crack. “May I come in?”
She pursed her lips. “That’s highly improper, Your Grace.”
His brow drew down when he frowned. “I don’t care about whether it’s proper or not. However, I do care about whether you’ll allow me in your room or not.”
She chewed on her lower lip. No one besides Minerva had ever asked her permission for anything. She straightened, flinching at a twinge in her lower back.
Gareth took a step into the room, closed the door, and halted. “Are you all right?”
She offered a half smile. Now there was a complex question. “It was nothing of import, just a twinge.” She twisted in her seat, careful to keep her expression neutral despite the darts of pleasure and pain whipping through her body. With a deep breath, she stood and crossed to the two chairs placed before the fire.
She perched on the edge of one and waved a hand at the other. “Have a seat, please.” While Gareth settled himself in the other, she smoothed her skirts. “Was there something particular you wanted to discuss, Your Grace?” She raised a hand to her hair. “I’m still waiting on Marie to fix my hair, but if you’d like to wait, you can pass the final verdict on whether my appearances meet your high standards.”
Gareth sighed and sagged into the seat. “Don’t be a goose, Belle. You look fine.”
She dropped her hand into her lap. “Thank you for the kind words, Your Grace.”
Gareth shot out of the chair to kneel at her feet. He pried her clenched hands apart and cradled one between his palms. “I didn’t mean anything unkind by the words, Belle,” he huffed. “And please stop calling me Your Grace.”
She sought his gaze. Its earnest plea was a contrast to the gruffness of his tone. With her free hand, she reached to stroke the hair above his ear before she remembered she was as yet angry with him and snatched the hand back. “Then what did you mean?”
“Belle, I’m not marrying you for your money or because I compromised you.”
Her heart clenched, but wouldn’t any fortune hunter deny being one? “Really?”
“Really.”
“You don’t need my money?”
He sighed. “Money is a useful thing, Belle. I will not lie. It would enable me to take care of my land and my people in a manner they deserve.” He turned his hands over to reveal heavily callused palms. “But I’m also not afraid of hard work. The debt I inherited is gone. Your dowry would be an investment in our children’s future.”
Tears choked her throat when once again she pictured a child with black hair and green eyes. She could almost hear his giggles.
“Gareth, there are any number of women with dowries sizeable enough to aid your dreams. Why are you marrying me? I’m not a beauty. I’m not graceful. I’m not a social butterfly. I’m just me.”
His hands gripped hers tightly. “You’re handsome, which lasts longer than beauty. You are graceful, especially when on horseback. And, I don’t care whether we attend parties or not. I’m just as happy at home as I am out.” He leaned closer. “I’ll be even happier with you by my side. What do I need to do to ensure you’re happy by my side?” He hugged her hands to his chest. “Because I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision of Gareth’s earnest face. If he never said another kind word to her or shared another tender moment with her, she’d always have this one. She sniffed. “Do you promise never to neglect me again?”
“I haven’t been neglecting you…”
His words trailed off when she cocked a brow. “Talking at me isn’t the same thing as talking with me, Gareth.”
He dipped his head. “You have to understand, I was raised by a man who listened to no one’s words but his own. However, I also have no desire to be like him. My wife will have my ear as well as my heart.” The corner of his mouth tilted. “What else?”
She inhaled a deep breath. Her cheeks flamed with heat, but she still said, “I fear I’m a complete wanton. You can’t neglect my needs.”
“Is that all you require? That I spend your money wisely, engage you in conversation—” his nostrils flared “—and pleasure you in bed?”
She smiled. “I’m a simple woman. I don’t ask for much.”
He chuckled. “I see that.” He slid a hand up her arm and cupped the back of her head.
She licked her lips as his neared. She placed her hand on his chest. The beat of his heart thumped against her palm. “One more question.”
He dropped a kiss on her cheek, then trailed his lips to her ear. Nuzzling, he asked, “What’s that?”
She tilted her head to the side and allowed her eyelids to drift shut. “Do you remember that thing you did with your tongue?”
“Mmmhmm. You didn’t like it?”
He skimmed his lips down the length of her throat.
She swallowed hard. “No.” His mouth stopped its journey, and she forced her lids open.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything you don’t like.”
Heat flushed her cheeks. “It’s not that.” She swallowed hard. “I think it would be heavenly if you did it now.”
He rocked back on his haunches.
Her cheeks flamed hotter, and she plucked at her skirt. “You left me sore, and I think it only fair you tend to me.”
He slid his hands down her legs, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and raised it. “My lady’s wish is my command.” The roughened skin of his palms caressed her legs as he pushed her skirts higher. She shifted lower in the seat until her tender bottom perched on the edge of the chair. She grabbed her skirts and spread her knees.
Gareth’s gaze devoured her woman’s mound. “You’re all swollen and pink.” He traced a finger down her slit. “And wet.” He buried his head between her thighs.
She groaned at the first swipe of his tongue. The touch both soothed her flesh and inflamed her need. She rested her head against the back of the chair. “Yes. Just like that.”
He hummed against her mound, sending tiny vibrations to tease her nub. Then he parted the folds with his tongue and lapped every inch of her swollen flesh. Pleasure sizzled in her veins. After freeing one hand from her skirts, she grabbed the back of his head and held him firm. “There,” she hissed when he toyed with her nub.
Pinpricks zipped from the sensitive spot to electrify her skin. He sucked the button into his mouth and she was lost. She rode his tongue as she’d ridden him on the settee at Markham’s. Tension tightened the muscles of her thighs and she spread her legs wider. He slipped a finger inside her and spasms rocketed through her.
“Mmm.” She released her hold on Gareth’s silky hair and shifted back in the chair. She gasped when her bottom reminded her of its recent abuse.
“Did I hurt you?”
She smiled at Gareth’s concern. “My bottom’s still tender, and somehow I don’t think any kiss will cure it.”
He frowned. “I’m sorry. I won’t paddle you again.”
Annabelle straightened. “But you promised not to neglect me, Gareth. Will I have to misbehave again to get you to properly chastise me?”
He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You want to be spanked?”
She smiled. “Oh, at least once more.”
With the tip of a finger, he traced the shell of her ear. “As I said, my lady’s wish is my command.”
About the Author
Emma likes nothing more than a challenge. First, she tackled the male-dominated field of engineering. Next, she expanded her understanding of the world by studying international relations. Finally, her husband dared her to use her experience and knowledge and devote herself to writing. She accepted his challenge and has been writing ever since.
Writing keeps Emma sane. Her characters demand their stories be told and nag her incessantly until she complies. The characters are very insistent about her remaining faithful to their individual adventures. As a result, Emma writes a range of genres and levels of heat. She never knows what the next set of characters will demand!
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Also Available
Twice Is Not Enough
by
Emma Lai
After several disastrous engagements, Lady Minerva Peters is an expert at suppressing her own needs. Only in the darkness of night does she give in to her wanton desires with a fantasy lover.
In the middle of a crowded ballroom, she learns her father is not yet ready to let her fade into spinsterhood. Humiliated, she ducks into a dark alcove only to find out she’s not alone. Her hiding spot is occupied by a captivating stranger. Before she can escape, the two become voyeurs to another couple’s sexual rendezvous. The atmosphere heats up and so does her body, especially with the tempting offers whispered in her ear.
Will Minerva deny her needs once again or will she embrace the anonymity of their seclusion and finally explore her basic impulses and the startling attraction to the compelling mystery man?
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