Page 1 of The Viscount and the Minx (The Unlikely Betrothal: Prequel)

Chapter 1

Norfolk, England - August, 1813

Marina

M arina Villiers, Viscountess Ockham, drew a slow, measured breath as she lifted her pistol, the polished steel gleaming under the afternoon sun. Her grip was steady, her aim unwavering as she focused on the distant target nestled within the trees. A heartbeat passed. Then another. With a deliberate squeeze of her finger, the shot rang out, shattering the serenity of the clearing.

The acrid scent of gunpowder curled in the air as Evan, her husband, moved to inspect the target. Marina followed, her lips already curving into a victorious smile.

“Bull’s-eye!” Marina exclaimed proudly. “I believe that means I have won.”

“How do you do that?” Evan, Viscount Ockham, ran a hand through his raven-dark hair, shaking his head in amused disbelief. “It is positively unnatural how you never miss.”

Marina surrendered the pistol to him with a knowing smirk. “I had an excellent tutor.”

He examined the firearm before placing it back into its leather case. “The student has far surpassed the tutor.”

Marina smirked at her far-too-handsome husband. “In more ways than one,” she teased.

Evan scoffed, his grin flashing wicked and warm. “Hardly.”

“Is that so?” She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a sultry murmur. The heat of the midday sun had nothing on the fire burning between them. And she loved needling her husband, especially when the outcome of such efforts was usually quite pleasurable.

His dark gaze smoldered as he reached for her, his touch possessive, fingers brushing the curve of her waist. “And just who was the one begging for more when I… broke my fast this morning?”

He wasn’t incorrect. Marina’s cheeks flushed with heat from the memory—her body arched beneath his, the sheets tangled around their limbs, his mouth doing wicked things that drove her senseless—sent a shiver down her spine.

“Perhaps I merely wished to boost your confidence,” she countered, shifting to a whisper as she pressed against him. The scent of gunpowder mingled with his cologne consumed her, an intoxicating combination that made her pulse quicken.

Evan chuckled low in his throat. “Is that so? How remarkably generous of you, love.”

Their eyes locked, and the air between them thickened. This place—the secluded clearing where he had first taught her to shoot—had always been theirs. From the first time she saw him, his thick black hair and mysterious dark eyes had entranced her. Their bond was a consuming force, an unbreakable magnetism pulling them together. And now, their special place was their sanctuary, the rest of the world melting away when they stood within those trees.

The wanton memories of their first meeting took over her as she stood before him, unfastening the buttons of his falls. “I’m known for my generosity.”

“Known by whom?” His tone was tinged with a hint of something resembling jealousy. Even if they both knew there would never be another.

“Only you, love,” she replied. Dropping to her knees in the grass, she took his cock in her hand and he sucked in a large breath of air.

“Such a perfect wife,” Evan murmured in that low timbre that never failed to send heat coursing through Marina’s veins.

She licked along the bottom of his shaft before sucking him completely into her mouth, reveling in the salty taste of his skin as she fell into a quick rhythm, bobbing her head on her husband’s cock.

“Fuck,” he moaned, threading his fingers through her hair, dislodging several pins. “I should lose to you more often.”

Marina smiled around him as she worked her tongue along his shaft, shifting to a deliberate slowness, knowing it would drive her husband mad.

Evan’s low groan echoed through the clearing, both hands gripping her head. She looked up at him, and their gazes met. Nothing but love and desire written all over his handsome face. “You’re torturing me,” he whispered, his voice strained as she swirled her tongue around him, her eyes not leaving his.

Marina pulled back and feigned a pout. “Am I?” she teased before kissing the head of his cock.

“Oh, you know exactly what you are doing,” he growled, then reached down and picked her up as if she weighed nothing.

She wrapped her legs around her husband’s waist as his lips came crashing down on hers, walking them to a nearby oak tree. He pressed her back against the rough bark of the trunk as their kissing remained intense and frenzied.

Marina moaned into his mouth as his hands worked at her skirts, bunching the fabric to give him access.

His fingers traced teasing patterns along her inner thigh, inching ever closer to where she ached for him. When his fingers brushed her pearl, she moaned into their kiss.

“Boosting my confidence?” Evan asked, kissing along her jaw.

His fingers circled her nub, applying the perfect amount of pressure, causing her to tighten her legs around her husband. “You have things well in hand.”

“Do I now?” Evan drawled against her neck, his breath hot on her skin as he slipped two fingers inside her. “You’re soaking my fingers, love.”

Marina’s eyes fluttered closed as pleasure coursed through her body. The contrast of textures—his smooth fingers, the coarse tree, the soft breeze caressing her flushed skin—heightened every sensation.

“I want you,” she whispered, her voice catching as his thumb continued circling her pearl while his fingers curled inside her, teasing and tormenting.

The sunlight filtered through the leaves above them, casting golden patterns across Evan’s face as he gazed at her with hunger in his eyes.

“Then come for me, love.”

Evan gripped her bottom with one hand and increased the pressure and intensity with his thumb as he worked between her legs.

Marina’s breath quickened as pleasure built within her, coiling tighter with each expert stroke of his fingers. She gripped his shoulders, nails digging into the fine fabric of his coat.

“Evan.” She gasped, her head falling back against the rough bark.

“That’s it,” he murmured against her ear, his voice brimming with desire. “Let me feel you come undone.”

When release finally claimed her, it crashed through her body like a wave breaking against the shore, powerful and all-consuming. She cried out his name, her body tightening around his fingers as he coaxed every last tremor from her.

He withdrew his hand and brought his fingers to his lips, sucking them into his mouth. His eyes burned with a mix of adoration and possessiveness. “Perfect,” he murmured before capturing her mouth again in a kiss that left no room for doubt—he would always be hers, and she his. “Absolutely fucking perfect.”

He gripped both of her hips and lifted her. “Guide me inside of you.”

Marina, still breathless, did as her husband commanded, loving the way he filled her as he lowered her onto his shaft until she had taken all of him. Evan held her there for a moment, both of them trembling with desire, foreheads pressed together as they shared the same heated breath.

“You feel like heaven,” he murmured against her lips, his voice strained with the effort of restraint.

Evan moved with slow, deliberate thrusts that made Marina’s breath catch, lifting her slightly before letting her slide down his length again. Each movement sent ripples of renewed pleasure through her still-sensitive body. He never failed to turn her into nothing but a wanton puddle.

She gripped his shoulders, preparing for what her next command would do to her husband. “Harder,” she moaned.

He turned feral, just as she knew he would. Thrusting into her as he pushed her flush against the tree. “See what you do to me?” he growled.

“Yes.” She gasped, her fingers clutching him tighter, feeling the powerful muscles beneath his coat flex with each movement. It was the same reaction she had to him.

Evan groaned against her neck, his breath hot and ragged, and everything building within her released. She screamed his name as she came, tightening her legs so much she wasn’t certain how he could still move. Then she felt his cock throb inside of her as he rested against her, pinning her to the tree while he whispered her name against her neck.

“You drive me to the brink of madness from how much I love you,” he finally said, catching his breath.

“And what is it exactly that you believe you do to me?” she countered, her hand reaching up to brush the hair away from her husband’s forehead. “Yet I love you, husband.”

He placed a quick, tender kiss on her lips, then flashed her a grin. That grin made her heart catch every time, and he knew it. “In case you are keeping score, you might have won the little shooting match, but I believe I just won this battle of ours.”

“Because I love you so much,” she teased, “I shall allow you to believe that.”

Evan gave her another quick kiss, then shook his head as he set her back down on her feet, helping her to right her skirts. “I suppose we should return.”

“Would you mind checking in on Arthur?” Marina asked. “I want to see to my correspondence. I saw a bundle arrive this morning before you suggested our little contest.”

Marina loved being a mother and loved her little family, but she also missed seeing some of her friends since they were missing the social events in London. Their son, Arthur, was still too small, and she didn’t want to travel with him yet. And she didn’t truly want to be apart from him for all the events, so her correspondence kept her connected to society until one of their friends might visit or perhaps next season.

“Of course, love. I’d love a bit of alone time with our son.”

Evan was truly the best of husbands and the best of fathers. Her life couldn’t be any more complete, and part of her felt a tad guilty that she also wished she could see some of her friends. Did that make her selfish? Perhaps, but she wanted it all.

Something caught her eye against the tree line. She stilled for a moment and hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It felt far too familiar and brought back memories of when she had been taken by a horrible blackguard. She drew a deep breath as she took her husband’s arm.

The man, whose name she refused to allow in her thoughts, was long gone and could never bother her again. Besides, even as she focused on the trees, there was nothing there. It was surely all in her head.

“Is everything all right, love?” he asked, clasping her hand on his arm with his free one. Evan’s voice was steady, but she heard the edge of concern.

“Indeed,” she replied. It wasn’t a lie. Their life was perfect. She had a handsome husband who doted on her, who was the love of her life, and their adorable son.

Evan escorted them to their horses, and before Marina climbed into the saddle, she glanced over her shoulder one last time just to confirm for sure she had nothing to worry about. Thankfully, no one was there.