Once an Heiress (20 page)

He breathed a laugh. For so long, everything good had been taken from him, but here was this gorgeous specimen of woman — the most womanly woman he’d ever seen — his for the rest of his misspent life.

“You’re disappointed?” Her voice held a note of despair. Her chin lifted at a haughty angle. “You don’t have to laugh. You’re the one who wanted to — ”

“No!” His eyes widened and he shook his head. “You misunderstand.” He took her by the waist, her milky skin warm and soft against his palms. He explored the long length of her sides until he came to the soft thickening where her breasts began. He brought his hands around the front, testing their weight and squeezing gently. She squeaked. Her hard nipples pressed against his palms. “You are incredible,” he said. “More beautiful even than I imagined. I still have one more desire to be fulfilled.” Her hazy eyes raised to his in questioning. “I want to worship you all night long.”

He bent his knees, circled his arms around her thighs, just below her bottom, and lifted. She cried out in surprise. He dropped a kiss to one breast and then then other, savoring her delicate scent, before depositing her in the center of the bed.

Before she could protest, he claimed her mouth and covered her body with his own, brushing his chest against hers. The coarse hair on his chest teased at her nipples. Lily responded with a moan.

Ethan fluttered kisses all over her face and neck, and then settled in to properly introduce himself to his two new best friends. He covered her left breast with his hand — or tried to, anyway. Even with his fingers splayed wide, he could not contain all its glorious mass in his hand. He squeezed and pulled while his tongue flicked around the areola of the other. Lily let out a little cry as he drew her nipple into his mouth and suckled. As he feasted there, his other hand drifted to her belly, tormenting the sensitive skin with light touches.

He laved the other breast with the same attention he’d given the first. Soon, Lily’s breaths came in short gasps. He felt her tensing; her nails nipped into his shoulders.

“What do you want?” he asked in a husky whisper.

She squeezed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know. I want — ” She cried out when he boldly cupped her sex in his hand.

“What you want comes from here, doesn’t it?” He pressed her through the cloth of her chemise, feeling the damp warmth seeping through the material.

Lily let out a guttural groan.

“I can give you what you want, princess. Will you let me?”

“Yes.”

She was giving herself to him in the most intimate way, trusting him with her body, believing him when he said he could please her. It was akin to the misplaced trust she’d put on him in the past — but in this, he would not fail her.

Wasting no more time, Ethan tugged her chemise over her hips. She wore only stockings and garters, the length of her legs finally bared for his examination. The single candle lent a shimmering luminosity to the silk encasing her legs. His throat went dry at the sight; he could scarcely wait to feel those limbs wrapped around his haunches while he —

Not yet.
He swallowed.
But soon.

He eased out of his trousers.

Lily’s wide eyes focused on his engorged member. “Is that really going to … ” She left the question unfinished, her trepidation hanging in the air between them.

Ethan knelt between her legs. “Not yet,” he said with a smile, finally vocalizing the thought that had kept him on a tight leash all night. “But, yes, it will. And all will be well, sweetheart, I promise.”

Then his fingers trailed up her legs, grazing over the whisper-fine silk. He untied the ribbons of her garters and rolled one stocking down a luscious thigh. Ethan plucked it off from the toes, and then set about removing the other. He kissed, nipped, and licked his way down her velvety skin. By the time he had her utterly, blessedly nude, they both quivered with desire.

While it was inevitable that he break her maidenhead, Ethan was loathe to
take
her virginity. He wanted very much that she give it to him freely, that the experience cause as little pain and as much pleasure as possible. “Tell me,” he commanded.

Lily’s gaze settled on his face. “Would you touch me again? Please,” she added in a charming afterthought.

Ethan brought his hand to her woman’s mound and rocked his wrist back and forth; the dark curls were already damp. Lily let out a mewling sound and wriggled against his hand. Ethan leaned over and again laved her breasts with his tongue while his fingers parted the delicate petals below. Slick warmth greeted him at her entrance. Slowly, he eased a finger inside. She tensed around him, then relaxed. He relished every involuntary gasp and twitch.

Lily’s hands splayed wide, tangling into the bedsheets. Ethan pressed another finger inside, stretching and preparing her even as he drove her closer to the brink. His thumb rubbed lightly against her sensitive bud.

“Wait!” High pitched and bewildered, her voice cut through the air. “What’s happening?” she asked. “My heart … Something is wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong,” he assured her. “You’re going to climax.” Ethan kissed her furrowed brow. “Trust me, princess, it’s a very good thing.”

“But what will it be like? How will I know?” Her wild, dark eyes searched his face as her thighs began to close. Ethan sensed her withdrawing, allowing doubt to creep in.

“Lily.” It was both her name and a word of command. Her chin trembled as she met his steady gaze. “You have to let go, love — just let it happen.” After a moment, he sensed her calming.

Ethan resumed his caresses, dipping in and out of her core. He kissed her, his tongue darting in the same rhythmic pace as his hand. When she tensed with the impending orgasm, he pulled back to watch.

Her back arched and her mouth fell open wide as her climax broke over her. Her sheath clenched around his fingers, grasping and releasing in waves. Lily’s wordless cry was sweet music to his ears. Her features relaxed into a blissful glow, a sheen of perspiration on her forehead.

“That’s my girl,” he murmured.

She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He’d never been so aroused in his life, so driven to claim a woman. His raw nerves would take no further denial. He eased between her legs, his blunt tip pressing against her entrance.

“I’m going to enter you now, Lily.” He was astonished he still had a scrap of rationality left in his mind to form a coherent sentence, much less take the time to explain to her what was about to happen. But some part of him needed this as much as the fulfillment — needed to take care of this woman, to prove her trust was not misplaced this time. “I’ll try not to hurt you, princess, but — ”

Words failed him as he slid into her slick heat. She was swollen with arousal and so, so tight. She whimpered. When she shifted beneath him, Ethan’s vision went hazy and he was lost to the overpowering need thrumming between his legs.

He drove forward, scarcely slowed by her maidenhead. She cried out in pain. Ethan cursed himself and clutched her head to his chest. “I’m sorry,” he rasped. “I’m so sorry, Lily. That’s it, now, the worst is done.”

She bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears, and nodded bravely.

“I promise this will feel as good as the other.” Ethan shook his head and growled, unable to fight it any longer. “Oh, God, princess.”

“It’s all right,” Lily said. “I’m all right.”

Ethan moaned and leaned heavily over her as he worked long, slow strokes, trying to keep her first time easy. Lily brought her hands to his shoulders.

“Yes.” The word tore from his throat. “Touch me.”

She clung to him, her nails biting into his back as he drove on. Her hips rocked in time with the rhythm he set. Then those long legs crept up his sides and slipped around his thighs, pulling him in further and settling against him like the missing piece of a puzzle.

All at once, ecstasy tore through him. He roared to the ceiling as he emptied into her. An instant later, she joined him, this time crying out his name as she tightened around him, prolonging his orgasm.

Ethan collapsed on top of her, burying his face in the ample cushioning of her breasts. A trickle of sweat ran in the cleft between those magnificent globes; he lapped it up, savoring her salty musk.

After a moment he rolled to the side. He gathered her in his arms, a warm, loose-limbed bundle of woman. Lily smiled, a contented, lopsided grin. He’d never seen such a natural expression on her face before, absolutely free of artifice or guile. Something in his chest constricted at the sight.
He
had done this. A warm sensation of satisfaction spread through him at having done something right for a change. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

“So,” Lily said in a tired, happy voice, “now I know.”

His eyes crinkled as he smiled against her neck. “Yes,” he agreed, “now you know.” He nipped the place where her neck and shoulder met. Lily gasped. He felt himself already stirring to life again. “Would you like to know more?”

Sunlight crept through the spaces behind and between the heavy drapes, pulling Lily to groggy wakefulness. There was a dull ache between her legs and residual stickiness on her upper thighs. The evidence of the previous night’s activities drew a grimace as she rolled to face the sleeping man beside her.

Ethan’s features were slack; he lay on his side, his parted lips pushed into an irregular shape by the pillows. Dark stubble shadowed his jaw and cheeks, his sleep-tousled hair was barely more unruly than it was during his waking hours. A soft smile touched her lips as she allowed herself to do something she’d wanted to do since the moment she’d first seen him — she reached out and skimmed her fingers over and through his clipped hair. The wavy thatch on top tickled her palm, while the very short sides were like velvet.

He slept soundly, undisturbed by her touch.
And no wonder
, she thought wryly. He’d exerted himself a great deal last night.

Her eyes drifted closed as she recalled her initiation into the world of marital relations. It had been dark and pagan and wonderful. At his behest, she had relinquished the tight control she kept on herself and given her very body into his keeping.

Ethan had summoned a part of herself she hadn’t known existed — a carnal creature who had no thought other than the fulfillment of desire, chasing pleasure and operating on base instinct. They’d made love two more times after the first — and each time the urgency of her need seemed greater than the previous. Each time she wantonly offered herself and welcomed his invasion.

And therein lay a problem.

Ethan snored and swiped at his nose before grumbling and burrowing deeper into the sheets. Lily sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes followed the circular, cloud-like whorls a fanciful artisan had brushed into the plaster.

The problem, as she saw it, was that she wasn’t sure she liked that wild Lily. If she had learned anything during the past week, it was that she was not a woman who could simply lose control of herself — that way lay disaster, as evidenced by the marriage in which she had very suddenly found herself.

Further, the Lily who had been born last night — the lustful creature — was dependent upon Ethan. Last night, as she took him into her arms and body, she had allowed herself to imagine he harbored tender feelings toward her beyond physical attraction. In the light of day, she knew that simply wasn’t true.

Lily had stood outside the study door when he’d talked with her father. She’d heard his angry roar when he discovered the dowry clause in the contract.

He didn’t want to be married to her. He didn’t care for anything but her money. Oh, he might have whispered endearments while he bucked against her, but that was just lust talking, not any true expression of sentiment. Last night had done irrevocable damage — she’d given up control of herself. Some part of her heart was already his, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get it back.

She couldn’t afford to be foolish like that again. Her mind skipped to the future, envisioning herself as a bitter, lovelorn shadow of her former self, hoping and yearning for something that would never be.

Lily had to be smart about this. She had to regain and keep her footing. There had to be boundaries, parameters. Lily needed a
plan
. There was nothing she couldn’t do if only she knew where to begin.

She jostled his shoulder. “Eth … Thorburn.”

First boundary: No first names. It was a practice that only served to create an illusion of intimacy.

His hand clamped around her wrist and he rolled, pulling her arm around his side. He pinned her hand against his chest, his heart beat steady and firm beneath her palm. She felt it all the way up to her elbow, working its way into her own being.

The skin of his back was warm and smelled faintly of soap and his own, potent maleness. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought the urge to kiss the place between his shoulder blades. Denying herself caused an unexpected slice of sorrow. Her breasts flattened against the plane of his back, yielding to him.

Everything about her body conspired to give way, she thought in despair, to be overwhelmed by this large, masterful man. How easy it would be to turn herself over to him completely. But if he was as reckless with her heart as he was with his money, she’d be destroyed. A shudder coursed up her spine at the thought.

“Thorburn,” she said with more force, her resolve strengthening. When he still did not respond, she pursed her lips in annoyance. Vexed, she pinched his buttock, sinking her fingers into the firm muscle.

He let out a muffled groan and rolled onto his back. Lily propped up on an elbow as he awakened. His lids rose, revealing the startling slate blue of his eyes. They gradually focused on her face, and then drifted down to where her bosom rested against his chest. His lips turned up in a crooked, sleepy smile as his heavy lids drifted closed again.

His hands lazily grazed up her sides, then patted her breasts. “Good morning, ladies.”

Lily scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Ethan cracked one eye open. “And a good morning to you, lady wife. All rejuvenated now? Ready for a morning delight?” His hands moved to her back. One cupped her neck, while the other traced down her spine, caressing the cleft between her buttocks.