Authors: Hannah Howell
“And if we have children?”
“I am hoping that we wil and if they, too, have gifts, I wil stil love them. And you have family enough to help them learn how to deal with whatever
gift they are born with.” He took both of her hands in his. “I know you fear that I wil flee as so many in your family have done, leaving wives, husbands, and children. I swear I wil not do that. It is not something I can prove to you now, is it. You wil just have to trust in my word.”
She stared at her hands in his and then at his face. He was so handsome he made her heart hurt. Chloe suddenly knew that if she did not at least
try to make a strong marriage with him, she would regret it to her dying day.
“Then I wil marry you.”
When he pul ed her into his arms and kissed her, Chloe decided that there was one good reason to marry him. She did not believe any other man
could ever make her feel the way he did. Her whole body ached for him.
She cried out in surprise when he lifted her into his arms and strode toward the door. “What are you doing?”
“I plan to show you the importance of passion,” he said.
“Now? What about Leo? What if he comes home?” she asked as he carried her up the stairs to his bedchamber.
“I do not believe you need to worry about him.”
Chloe had no chance to argue that. Julian carried her into his room, kicking the door shut behind them, and tumbled her down onto his bed. He
kissed her and she quickly forgot what she wanted to argue about. Curling her arms around his neck, she kissed him back with al the passion that was
burning through her veins. It was as if every feeling he had stirred inside her with every kiss and every touch had remained lurking inside her and was now flooding her whole body. Chloe knew she would never tire of kissing this man.
She tensed a little when she realized he was not only caressing her, he was removing her clothes. No man had ever seen her naked. Even during
that humiliating exam, her modesty had been protected as much as was possible. She forced a sudden attack of shyness aside and began to undo the
buttons on his coat and waistcoat. If she was going to be exposed, then so was he.
Julian needed to see her naked. It was a need that demanded to be fed, but he tried to be careful as he stripped her of her clothes. He could see
her blushing and he did not want to frighten her with the ferocity of his hunger for her. He paused when he got her stripped to her shift and, keeping his
gaze fixed upon her lithe body, he stood up and began to shed his own clothes. It was only then that he noticed she had been trying to get his clothes off
as wel . He certainly had not undone his coat or waistcoat.
It proved to be highly arousing to take his clothes off before her. The way she watched him, her cheeks flushed and her breathing rapid, fired his
blood as much as it flattered him. Julian did not think he had ever been so enflamed simply by the way a woman looked at him. He hesitated only briefly
when it came to remove the last of his clothing. She was a virgin, after al . Then he shrugged and decided it was best to begin as he meant them to
continue. He intended to spend a lot of time naked with Chloe.
Chloe stared at him when he was final y ful y naked. He was beautiful, she thought. Dressed he was handsome and elegant, a true gentleman of
society. Naked he was somehow more manly, more primal. She reached out to touch the erection that jutted out from a thick nest of golden brown hair
and he groaned.
Even as she started to withdraw her hand, afraid she had done something wrong, he joined her on the bed and finished stripping her of her
clothing. Chloe shivered with pleasure at every brush of his fingers against her skin as he unlaced her shift and pul ed it off over her head. When he sat
back on his heels and stared at her, however, al the warmth of desire began to slip away. She was al too aware of the fact that she did not have the lush curves Beatrice did.
Julian ran his hands down her sides, savoring the feel of her soft, warm skin beneath his hands. Her skin was unmarred, her body slender yet
holding al the womanly curves any man could desire. He wanted to bury himself deep within her immediately, but he knew he had to go slowly. The very
last thing he wanted to do was give her pain. A little was probably unavoidable but he was determined to make it as little as possible.
He slid his hands up her rib cage and covered her breasts. Her nipples hardened and pressed against his palms, begging for his kiss. With a soft
groan, he bent his head and granted their wish. The soft cry that escaped Chloe and the way she clutched at his shoulders pleased him more than he
could ever say. There was a deep wel of passion in Chloe Wherlocke, and he intended to wal ow in it.
When Julian’s mouth covered the tip of her breast and he drew her aching nipple deep into his mouth, Chloe felt al of her desire rush back. She
clutched at his shoulders, wanting to hold him close even though he showed no sign of leaving her. When he moved his mouth to her other breast the cool
air dried the warm dampness he left behind, and she gasped at how good it felt. The way he suckled her made an ache begin low in her bel y, need
throbbing there with every draw of his mouth.
Chloe slowly moved her hands over his broad back, trailing her fingers down his spine, and back up again. He growled softly and she heard his
pleasure in the sound. That proof that he enjoyed her touch as much as she did his encouraged her. The heat of his skin seeped into her blood and
enhanced the passion that was burning inside of her. In her curiosity about the body that was giving her so much pleasure, she smoothed her hands over
his taut buttocks. He shifted against her and the feel of the hard length of him rubbing against her womanhood sent a blaze of fire right through her.
She murmured in disappointment when he began to kiss his way down to her stomach, for she could no longer reach al the way down his back.
He slid his hand over her thigh and stroked the place where she now ached almost beyond bearing. His touch was both shocking and soothing, but al too
soon his touch was not enough. Instead of shying away from such intimacy, Chloe opened to it. When he slid a finger inside her, she tensed for just a brief moment, the humiliating memories of the earlier exam trying to break through the haze of desire in her mind. Then he kissed her again and the chil ing
effect of those memories vanished.
Julian slid another finger inside Chloe, and the wet heat surrounding his fingers had him gritting his teeth against the need to unite their bodies. He
wanted to be buried to the hilt inside, but he had to ready her as much as possible. The way her body wept for him told him he could have what he craved
soon. Al he needed was patience. That was hard to grasp when her smal , soft hands moved over him with an increasing boldness.
“Julian,” Chloe whispered, hardly recognizing the soft husky voice as her own. “I need.” She could not think of what else to say, or even if there was
more to say to make herself clear. “I need.”
“I know. I but try to ease my way so that I do not hurt you too much.”
“This hurts.”
He understood exactly what she meant, for he was feeling the same way. As gently as he could, he eased into her. When he met with the shield of
her innocence, he kissed her and pushed through it. A strangled noise escaped her and her nails dug into his back, but she did not retreat from his
invasion. Julian grit his teeth and went stil , struggling to remain that way as he kissed and caressed her to restore the passion the pain had dimmed. He
was just wondering how much longer he would be able to endure being so stil while the tight heat of her made his body ache to thrust when she moved
against him.
Chloe tried to shift even closer to Julian. At first she had felt as if he had stretched her too wide. She had expected the brief pain but not the feeling
that she was too ful . Then her body softened around the intrusion and she felt her desire return to its previous ferocity. What had felt odd now felt
wonderful, but she knew instinctively that it could feel even better. She shifted again, moving against him, and it felt as if he was driven even deeper inside her. That felt so good that Chloe moved yet again, wrapping her legs around his waist.
She gasped when he suddenly began to move, thrusting into her and withdrawing just enough to thrust again. Strange as the movement seemed,
her body was rejoicing in it. Chloe found herself quickly meeting and matching his rhythm. A part of her could hear herself panting, hear Julian murmuring
soft words against her skin, but al of her attention was fixed upon the way they moved together, the way his body was joined to hers, and the way each
stroke of his body inside hers made the heat of her desire begin to pool down low in her bel y.
Then it exploded, sending ripples of sharp fire throughout her body. Chloe heard herself cry out his name as she tried to hold him as close to her
as possible. Julian’s movements briefly became fierce, his body ramming into hers, and then he tensed and warmth fil ed her at the point where they were
most deeply joined. His seed, she thought, and felt herself shatter yet again. When he col apsed on top of her, she held him close, enjoying the way his
body trembled just like hers did.
Chloe felt as if every bone and muscle in her body had melted away. She muttered a protest when Julian moved but could not seem to even open
her eyes to see where he was going. Then she felt a cool, damp cloth move over her privates and she squeaked in shock. When she tried to grab
something to pul over her naked body, she was prevented from doing so by Julian. Chloe just grimaced and kept her eyes closed tightly until he rejoined
her in the bed.
Julian had to grin at the way Chloe had her eyes closed, like a smal child who was trying to hide. He pul ed her into his arms and kissed her, idly
undoing her badly mussed hairstyle and wondering how he could have forgotten to take it down. He usual y liked to take a woman’s hair down, but with
Chloe, his need had been too strong for such niceties, such idle seductions. He was thankful he had retained enough of his senses to make her first time
more about pleasure than pain.
And she had felt pleasure, he thought with what he knew was a cocky grin. The passion Chloe revealed was more than any man would need. He
admitted to himself that he had had a doubt or two. Some gently bred women could love the kisses and caresses that began a wooing, but loathe the
messy business of making love. Chloe did not hesitate to take her ful enjoyment. The fact that she had found her pleasure not once but twice during her
first time told him that she al owed no maidenly fears or doubts to dim her desire or her pleasure. It was going to be a joy to show her al the ways that
could bring back that pleasure.
“I concede,” she said as she snuggled up against him, openly appreciating his body in a way that could easily make him vain, he thought with a
smile.
“Concede to what?” he asked as he combed his fingers through her thick hair.
“Passion is very important in a marriage.” She smiled against his chest when he chuckled. “I should probably slip away to my own bedchamber.”
She felt his arms tighten around her.
“Nay. You shal stay here.” Julian realized that he was not just reluctant to have her leave and make him sleep alone; he loathed the very thought of
it.
“But we cannot al ow Leo to find us like this.”
“We are betrothed.” He wondered how to tel her about Leo’s attitude concerning such intimacies and then decided the truth was best. “He
expects this. Even said he could never be saint enough to resist, so how could he expect me to. Leo considers us as good as married.”
“Oh.” Chloe felt a brief twinge of embarrassment but then pushed it aside as she realized she could stay right here and return to his arms
whenever she wanted. Her thoughts quickly went to al they could do while she was in his bed. “Julian? Do people do what we did more than once a
night?”
Julian laughed, more with joy than amusement, as he pushed her onto her back.
A cold, damp wind slipped down the back of Julian’s coat and he shivered. Huddled in the shadows with an eerily motionless Leo was not Julian’s
idea of fighting his enemies. Swords, pistols at dawn, fists. That was fighting. This was lurking. This was spying. Julian decided that he did not like spying.
“Cold?” asked Leo in a barely audible whisper.
“Not any longer. Al that bone-rattling shivering I just indulged in has warmed me up.”
A quick flash of white teeth was al that told Julian he had managed to amuse Leo. That was good. What would be even better was if he was back
in his bed curled up around Chloe and amusing himself. Julian knew he could not express that desire to Leo. The man seemed content to al ow Julian and
Chloe to act as they pleased now that Chloe had become his betrothed. However, Julian doubted that Leo wanted to hear any details about exactly what
did please him and Chloe.
Just thinking about how Chloe had felt in his arms last night made him ache to hold her again. Despite her innocence Chloe had been the best
lover he had ever had. Her response to his every kiss and caress was quick and hot. She had shattered in his arms, her sweet cry of release stil echoing
in his mind. It was as if they had been made for each other, and that was both a dangerous and a frightening thought.
“Here they come.”
Although he wanted to ask Leo how he could speak so softly, Julian remained silent and pressed deeper into the shadows enclosing the passage
between two elegant homes. He stared at the townhouse across the street, the front of it il uminated by a pair of lanterns hanging on each side of the front door. He watched as his uncle and Beatrice climbed out of an elegant carriage Julian was certain had once rested in the stables of his own townhouse. A