Page 31

Victoria

T he atmosphere within the carriage on the way home was tense, the silence heavy.

Moreland sat next to me, and seated across from us were two large men who I’d been informed were necessary for our safety.

The outriders who had accompanied the carriage earlier still followed us, but the two who rode with us were a last line of defense if my father tried to overtake the carriage.

I had to call upon all my training to mask the turmoil swirling within me. I thought I’d been successful. When we entered the house, the butler assured us that everything had been quiet. Moreland took my hand and led me upstairs. He closed my bedroom door and turned to face me.

“Try not to worry,” he said.

I let out a shaky laugh. “Am I that bad at hiding my emotions?”

His smile was soft. “You wouldn’t be the person I’ve come to know if you weren’t a little upset.”

“And who is that?”

He took my hands and drew me closer. “You care. You’re worried about the difficulties our marriage might cause me and wondering if you should give me my freedom.”

I’d been trying so hard not to think about the corner I’d forced Moreland into, but I could no longer pretend it didn’t exist. “I know you told me that you didn’t mind, but Father will try to ruin you. I’m sure he’s already setting things in motion with that end in mind.”

He tugged me against his chest, and I came willingly. I wrapped my arms around his neck, enjoying the weight of his hands on my waist.

“It’s not merely a matter of me not minding. I want to marry you.”

A thrill settled through me at his words, but I found it impossible to forget that he was accustomed to being with many women. “I’ll try not to bore you or be too demanding of your time. You’re used to?—”

He dropped a quick kiss on my lips. “I want you to be yourself.”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure who that is. I’ve been raised to be Lord Sherbourne’s dutiful daughter, the perfect hostess, and a credit to his name and to my future husband.”

He frowned. “You can rest assured that I won’t be hosting any balls or social gatherings.”

I laughed, aiming for levity. “Well, there goes all my usefulness.”

He grinned, a mischievous twinkle entering his eyes. “I think we can find a few things you could do to hold my interest.”

Awareness flooded through me, but I couldn’t help teasing him. “I don’t know, my lord. What if I tire of your attention?”

His head lowered, and his mouth hovered over my ear, the soft breath causing shivers to race through me. “I can’t have that. We’ll have to see what I can do to remedy your concerns.”

I didn’t know what possessed me to reach up onto my tiptoes and whisper into his ear. “I’m no longer sore from last night.”

He reared back and stared down at me, then his mouth curled up in that wicked grin of his I’d come to love so much.

Our mouths came together in an explosive kiss. It had only been hours, but my body yearned for him. Moreland was going to be my husband. We would have years together.

Despite what he’d said, I found it difficult to believe that he wouldn’t tire of me. I wasn’t entirely innocent and knew that few husbands remained faithful to their wives. But I no longer cared. I would take whatever he chose to share with me now and treasure the memories later.

He walked me backward across the room. I didn’t see where he was leading me, but I assumed it was the bed. I was surprised, therefore, to feel the dressing table against my backside. He trailed a line of kisses up to my ear.

“Turn around, Victoria. I want you to see what I’m about to do to you.”

I obeyed without thinking, and our eyes met and held in the dressing table mirror.

It was all new to me. I wasn’t sure what he planned to do, but I watched as he unpinned my hair, tossing the hairpins onto the surface of the vanity.

His eyes remained fixed on my dark hair as it fell down my back. Then he swept it to one side and gathered it in his palm while his other hand reached around to span my waist. He pressed me back against him, and I could feel the hard length of his arousal against my lower back.

When he kissed the side of my neck, I made a soft sound of pleasure and tilted my head to give him better access.

His hands were all over me then, cupping my breasts as his hips pressed me into the dressing table.

I watched his hands in the mirror, and when I looked up to see what he was thinking, I realized that his gaze had been fixed on my face the entire time, taking in every expression.

I felt more exposed than I had last night when I’d stripped bare for him. We were both fully clothed, but something about what we were doing now seemed more intimate.

My thoughts scattered, and I became pure sensation as I watched his hands gather the fabric of my skirts and slowly start to drag up the material.

I should have been embarrassed when my bare legs came into view.

I watched him reach between my thighs to touch me there, where he’d already shown me that the center of my pleasure lay.

But instead of embarrassment, the sight only increased my desire.

What we were doing was wicked, but I didn’t care. I would never be able to say no to him because I wanted what was happening between us just as much as he did.

He lowered his mouth to my ear. “Lean forward, love.”

The endearment caused a pang to settle in my heart. He didn’t mean it, of course. Moreland didn’t love me. But I did love him, and in that moment, I could pretend that he felt the same way.

I obeyed and watched as he undid the fall of his trousers. I couldn’t see exactly what he was doing, but his motions were undeniable.

Last night, we’d been naked when we made love, but we were still fully dressed when I felt the hard length of him against my slick arousal. I moaned his name, my voice low and raspy.

“Shh.” He dropped another kiss on the side of my throat, then he pushed into me.

I gasped at the sudden intrusion. But not in pain.

No, he felt good, and I wanted this more than I’d ever thought possible.

He’d shown me desire and fulfillment with his hands and his mouth.

Then last night he’d made love to me, but there had been some pain in the beginning. Today, there was only pleasure.

He held my hips and rocked into me again. “Open your eyes.”

I was so intent on the way he felt, I hadn’t realized that I’d closed them. I bit my lip and met his gaze in the mirror.

“What are you feeling?” he asked. “Is this”—he surged into me harder—“too much?”

Again, I let out a soft cry. “No,” I said between pants. “Keep going. Don’t stop.”

He picked up speed, and I met his rocking movement with the backward thrust of my hips.

He let out a low groan and reached around to touch me just above where our bodies were joined.

A soft flick of his fingers was all it took for me to shatter into a million pieces.

His eyes never left mine, then he gripped my hips again, holding me still as he reached his own release.

We stayed like that, our breathing beginning to slow, as he softened and slipped out of me.

Then he closed his eyes and swore. “I’m sorry. I should have pulled out.”

I turned around and hugged him, my thoughts going back to the conversation I’d had with Lily. “Nothing might come of it.”

He remained still, staring down at me.

I tried to ignore my alarm. “We will be married soon, so it would be fine if I fell pregnant with your child.”

He stiffened, and for a moment, I was afraid that I’d said the wrong thing.

Finally, he nodded and gathered me into his arms. “I think I’d like that.”