The Earl’s Mistletoe Bride

Chapter Ten

The orange and red of the fire was vividly reflected in her wide, glowing eyes. Her laughter had been infectious, and good to hear, for it meant that she was not afraid. She was doing what she wanted. And with a full heart.

He took both her hands in his-as he had done so many times before-and gently raised her. But this time, there was no chaste kiss on her white skin. This time, he raised first one hand and then the other to his lips and took finger after finger into his mouth, sucking greedily. Reaching her second index finger, he began to nibble her flesh, too.

She gave a little yelp of surprise. Then it mellowed into a sigh of acceptance, and pleasure.

By the time he came to the ring finger of her left hand, he was desperate for more than this. He swallowed it to the first knuckle, and the second, then slowly pulled his mouth away again, in a long drawn out kiss, revelling in the trail of heat and desire he was leaving behind him. On this finger, she would wear his ring. He paused, holding the very end of her ring finger lightly between his lips and stroking its fleshy pad with the tip of his tongue. She tasted wholly delicious.

She groaned, deep in her belly. It was the sound of willing surrender. At last. Jon pulled her into his arms and began to plunder her soft, yielding mouth. She was almost as eager as he, though her lack of experience was just as obvious as on that first occasion. She wanted him. She wanted this, but she certainly did not know the way of it.

Jon told himself to go slowly, to take her with him every step of the way, to show her how to relish the moment, the touch, the feelings that they would enjoy together. He would make it beautiful for them both.

He drove his hands deep into her hair. From far off, he heard the tinny sounds of metal-hair pins?-clinking on the hearth as her hair tumbled and settled in silken waves around her shoulders. He was holding her head steady for his kiss, but she was avid for him, too. She dug her hands under his waistcoat and round to his back where her fingers gripped and tugged at the fine linen of his shirt, trying to reach his skin.

This was not the slow, gentle seduction he had intended. He forced himself to break the kiss and take a pace back, dropping his hands.

‘Jon?’ His abrupt movement had loosed her frenzied grip on his flesh. Her face was glowing in the firelight, but with far too much colour now. She was embarrassed again, poor girl. She thought… He did not know what she thought, but he did know he must reassure her.

‘We go too fast, Beth.’ He spoke softly, stroking the back of his fingers soothingly down her cheek. ‘You are very lovely, but I fear my desire is driving me faster than is wise.’

She swallowed hard, but when she looked up at him again, her eyes were defiant. ‘You forget, sir-’ she began proudly. ‘Pray do not forget, Jon,’ she repeated, rather more gently, ‘that I am a willing partner here.’

Partner. The word had a good, solid sound to it. He liked it. ‘Yes, we shall be partners. But, for this first time, our partnership should blossom a little more slowly.’ He smiled down at her and, with careful fingers, began to untie the strings of her cloak. Behind them, the kettle had begun to boil. With barely a sideways glance, Jon hooked it away from the fire with his boot. This was definitely not a moment for tea.

By the time he had removed her cloak and turned to lay it aside, Beth’s breathing had become fast and shallow. Not fear, but desire. She might be innocent-he was sure of that in his own mind-but even an innocent could be overtaken by the human body’s natural urges. Jon’s task was to fan those flames. The slightest mistake on his part could damp her natural fires and ruin this night for her. That must not happen.

When he turned back to her, he saw that she was starting to undo the neck of her simple gown, in the sort of practical, matter-of-fact way that he had come to associate with Beth Aubrey.

‘No,’ he whispered, laying his fingers over hers. ‘Pray allow me. This gift you are offering me needs to be unwrapped very, very slowly. It would be generous indeed if you permitted me to do this. Please, Beth.’

‘I- Oh.’ She coloured again until her skin was like a ripe peach, its luscious flesh concealed beneath the dark bloom, inviting a lover’s bite.

‘But if you keep looking at me like that, my dear girl, I shall find myself hard put not to simply tear off your gown.’ That was nothing less than the truth, for she looked good enough to eat.

‘Oh,’ she said again, but this time with a knowing glint in her eye. Her beautiful blush was fading, and her mouth was starting to curve into a shy but eloquent smile. She slipped her fingers out from under his, teasingly stroking his palm as she did so. She was beginning to understand this game of theirs. And, he suspected, to enjoy it very much.

Jon slowly removed the pins that fastened the front panel of her gown. It fell forward, revealing the simple white chemise beneath and the ties of her skirt. His eyes widened-she wore no corset. There was only a single layer of lawn between his fingers and her breasts.

She read his reaction immediately. ‘I…I had to be able to dress myself without help,’ she whispered.

Practical as ever. She could hardly summon Hetty to lace her into her stays at midnight. And yet she was shy of the fact that she had come to meet Jon while less than properly clad. He put his hands to her face and kissed her gently, full on the mouth. Her response surprised him. Her lips opened under his and her sweet breath invited him in.

He moaned and deepened the kiss. At the same time, he dropped his fingers to the ties of her skirt. One single tug, and they were undone. Using touch alone, he pushed the gown off her shoulders so that it slithered down her body to pool at her feet. It made almost no sound, for the fabric was old and soft. One day, Jon would dress her in the finest silks and satins, fabrics that would rustle luxuriously when he peeled them away to reveal the glories beneath.

Glories they were. He could not resist stepping back to admire her. Somewhere, she had kicked off her shoes, for she was now clad in only a chemise and stockings. That thin chemise did nothing to conceal her breasts-small, pert and the delicious colour of cream ripening in the skimming pan. Under Jon’s appreciative gaze, her nipples rose and darkened, straining up towards him. It was the most erotic vision he had ever seen.

Jon’s body reacted instantly. Shocked at his own callow response, he heard himself groan aloud.

‘Jon? Is something wrong?’

Absolutely nothing was wrong. Nothing at all. Except that, if he did not put his lips to those perfect pouting nipples, his body might explode.

He threw off his coat and waistcoat and glanced towards the bed in the corner. No, not there. Here, in the warmth. Here, where every inch of her skin would glow.

He set his hands on her bare shoulders. A fleeting touch. ‘How beautiful you are there, lit by the flames. Give me a moment.’

She frowned, puzzled, though she did not move from her place. But her frown melted away, as she watched him pull off his cravat and then drag the bed out from the corner and into the space in front of the fire. He had tumbled the colourful cushions into a heap in the middle.

‘Will it please you to sit, my lady?’ He waved a hand towards the bed. Then he held it out to her with exaggerated courtesy.

Beth’s stomach lurched. The bed was only two steps away, the two most important steps of her life. She hesitated for a fraction too long.

‘Beth?’ He sounded uncertain, troubled.

Beth hesitated no longer. She placed her fingers in his and squeezed gently. ‘I swear that is a throne you have prepared for me,’ she said lightly, nodding towards the piles of silken cushions.

It was the reassurance he seemed to need. He did not give her a chance to move. He just swept her up into his arms and laid her down on the bed, arranging the cushions for her head and back. She allowed her body to sink deep into the unaccustomed luxury. ‘Ah, that is wonderful,’ she sighed, turning her face against the silk and breathing deeply. It had a fragrance of its own, of exotic places where the sun shone fiercely and the sky was too blue to be captured by any painter’s palette. She was in a dream. She must be. Such bliss could not be real.

He was still standing, staring down at her, watching her every movement. She stroked the fingers of one hand over the velvet coverlet and purred like a contented cat. ‘Mmm. How comfortable this is. But a little lonely, I would say. Do you think there is room for two?’ She lifted her naked arms invitingly.

‘Aye, provided we snuggle together a little.’ His voice seemed to have become lower than normal.

‘That sounds…er…a most practical approach.’ Beth gave a nervous giggle. Enough! She could not bear to wait any longer. ‘Would you care to try the experiment? Jon?’ She stretched her arms even more towards him.

In a second, he was lying beside her, pulling her close. She could feel the heat of him through the layers of his shirt and her chemise. His heart was thrumming. Or was it hers? It felt like the pulse of a drum, linking their two bodies. But not close enough.

She pushed at the fabric of his shirt where it opened at the collar, exposing the deeply tanned skin of his neck and upper chest. ‘There are buttons, you know,’ he said throatily, putting his fingers to them. ‘How shall I explain to my valet if they are all ripped off?’

Beth had just enough sense left to appreciate the risk he described. Her gown must not be torn; nor must his shirt. She took a deep breath and applied herself to his buttons. Unfortunately, her fingers seemed to have forgotten their role. They would not obey her.

Jon laughed and raised one of her hands to his mouth. A kiss, and then the nibbling began again. Beth felt as if her insides were melting, and glowing fit to outdo the fire.

‘Let me,’ he said softly, laying her fingers against his neck while he found and undid his shirt buttons. ‘And now, what is your will, my lady?’

His shirt was open to the waist and free of his riding breeches. The invitation was obvious, but he was going slowly, out of concern for Beth. He was allowing her to set the pace she wanted.

Oh, how she loved this man! And how she wanted him! Desire was driving her now. All thoughts of missish propriety were long forgotten. With one delicious movement, she slid her fingers into the gap, then stroked up across his chest and shoulders, to push the shirt from his body. ‘Ah.’ The single word emerged as half-sigh, half-groan. He was beautiful. And in the firelight, his body was glowing with a golden warmth. Her knight, her golden knight. He would be hers, at last.

His mouth came down on hers, seeking, probing, gently at first, but once she began to respond, he became more demanding. He sucked at her lips and then he nibbled them, just as he had done her fingers, though the sensation was even more arousing on her mouth. Beth closed her eyes and gave herself up to her other senses. Emboldened by the darkness, she touched the tip of her tongue to his and felt an answering groan rippling through his body and into hers. She gasped his name, but it made no sound at all, for he swallowed her very breath and deepened the kiss yet more. Their tongues began to touch and tangle. They were united, in taste, in touch, even in the air they breathed.

When, at last, Jon broke the kiss, they were both gasping like drowning men pushing up to the surface of the sea. But if this was drowning, Beth would gladly give herself up to it. Her whole being was soft and molten, and as pliable as potter’s clay. She felt as though Jon’s kisses had dissolved her bones, leaving her formless, ready to take some exquisite new shape under his hands. She wanted to be enfolded in his arms once more, to fill the space that his gentle embrace would create.

The silence lengthened. He had gone from her. Reluctantly, apprehensively, Beth opened her eyes. ‘Jon?’ Her voice quavered.

‘I am here.’ He was over by the window. Beth moved just in time to see him extinguish the oil lamp. The candle by the door had already been snuffed out. ‘Forgive me,’ he said softly. ‘I did not mean to alarm you, but I thought you might prefer the dark. Now we have only the glow of the fire. Does it trouble you? I can screen it if you prefer.’

Without light, Beth would not be able to feast her gaze on her golden knight. ‘No, it does not trouble me.’ She swallowed and then added, greatly daring, ‘Though your absence did.’ Shocked by her own forwardness, Beth closed her eyes and tried to force herself to relax into the cushions. After a moment, she felt the bed dip as Jon sat down. She thought she could hear him struggling with his boots. And she was sure she heard a muttered curse. She giggled nervously. She could not help it.

‘It appears I am quite useless without a valet to pull off my boots.’

There was laughter in his voice. ‘I could help you, if you wish?’

‘Good God, no!’ he exclaimed, still laughing. ‘I could not cope with the sight of you kneeling at my feet. It is difficult enough as it is.’

‘Perhaps you should buy boots that do not fit quite so snugly?’

‘I may tell you, ma’am, that it is not the snug fit of my boots that is troubling me at this precise moment.’

Beth half-opened her eyes and then shut them again hurriedly. Jon was removing his tight riding breeches. In a moment, he would be completely naked. In a moment, he would be stretched out beside her. The tension grew, first in her neck and shoulders, and then spread down through her torso to her stomach.

‘Beth.’ He was beside her again. She could feel his warm breath fluttering across her cheek. ‘Beth, open your eyes. Please.’

She could not resist that pleading note. And when she looked, she saw his face above her, half in shadow, and half glowing red in the firelight. Yet, in spite of the glow, his eyes seemed to be completely black, like fathomless pools. She longed to drown in them.

‘Beth. My beautiful Beth. Will you permit me to remove your chemise so that I may see you? All of you?’ When she hesitated, he continued hurriedly, ‘I know you are shy. I ask too much. Forgive me.’ He stroked his hand down the side of her body, smoothing the chemise into place as if he were trying to restore, rather than remove it.

But that was not at all what Beth wanted. She understood that, even while his fingers slithered over her hip bone and started down her thigh. She wanted him to smooth his hands over her skin. Without the intrusion of petticoats. She laid her hands on his cheeks and ran them gently down over the line of his jaw, his neck, and the taut muscles of his chest. She could go no further, for his body was resting on the bed beside her. She pushed against him with the flat of her hands. ‘I…I want to see you.’ Her whisper was barely audible, even to her own ears. ‘And for you to see me.’

He took a deep breath and touched his mouth to the side of her neck, below her ear. ‘It shall be exactly as you wish,’ he whispered against her flesh, the words vibrating through her whole being. He kissed his way up to her ear lobe and began to nuzzle there. At the same moment, with featherlight touches, he was untying the ribbons of her chemise and pushing it carefully from her body. Soon, she was completely naked, apart from her stockings. A gentle hand lifted away the chemise and began to stroke up the side of her calf, teasing at the weave of her stocking and sending shivers through the flesh beneath.

Beth groaned out his name. He responded with a sound, low in his throat. She had never heard the like before, but she recognised it as male satisfaction, and anticipation. And then his questing fingers reached the naked flesh above her garter. That single touch was electrifying. He stroked his hand round to her inner thigh and let it rest there, while his lips nuzzled a path across her cheek to find her mouth.

‘Oh, Beth. You are so very desirable.’

Her own desire for him was becoming almost impossible to endure.

He kissed her, deeply, on the mouth and then continued to kiss his way across her cheek and along her jaw, down her neck to the little indentation at the base. He paused there to flick her skin with the tip of his tongue. Then on, down, to the valley between her breasts. He took one breast in each hand, weighing them reverently, rubbing his thumbs back and forth across her aching nipples until they rose, hard and proud against his touch.

‘Mmm.’ Beth felt the low rumble against her flesh. Then he was rolling one nipple between his thumb and forefinger while he sucked the other with such force that she felt the pull all the way down to her womb. She gasped aloud at the strange, elusive pleasure of it.

Jon raised his head from her breast and murmured something she could not catch, before transferring his mouth to her other breast. This time the sensation was even stronger, as if her womb was contracting in response to his sucking mouth. Was this what it was to be loved by a man? It was almost more than she could bear.

Then Jon was kissing his way down her body, from the crevice between her breasts to her navel, and on, and on. She thought she cried out, but he hushed her and returned his wicked fingers to her breasts, pushing and rolling the nipples until they rose even more.

‘Ah! Jon!’ He had pushed himself down her body until his head was resting between her legs. She could feel the beginnings of his stubble against the tender skin of her inner thighs. And then… Heavens! He was kissing her. There! Oh! It was too much. Building, building, in great waves of feeling that she could not control. It was going to overpower her. She let out a long scream and tumbled into darkness.

Jon dropped one last kiss on her damp curls and pulled himself up to cover Beth’s motionless body with his own. He settled himself into the cradle of her hips, making sure he was taking his weight on his elbows so as not to crush her slight form. He found himself gazing anxiously down at her flushed skin, luminous in the firelight. At the moment of ecstasy, she had fainted away. That was almost proof enough that she was still a virgin. Almost, but not quite. Beth herself would never accept it.

For one fleeting second after she had lost consciousness, Jon had been about to take her, to spare her the pain of first penetration. But he had not done it. He could not. He had to allow Beth the chance to refuse him, even now. Anything else would be a violation.

He bent to kiss her parted lips and then the purplish shadows on her closed eyelids. His taut flesh was straining towards the hot, moist entrance to her body, but he would not yield to its clamouring. There would be no union between them unless Beth herself decreed it should be so. No matter what it cost him. He kissed her mouth again and ran the tip of his tongue along the length of her lower lip. ‘Beth. Come back to me, little one.’

It was like a fairy charm. Her eyes opened. She stared up at him, unfocused at first, and then all too knowing. ‘Was that…?’

‘No. No, my sweet Beth. That was ecstasy for you alone.’

‘Not for you?’

‘No, my dear. That was for you, to let you feel what lovemaking can become.’

‘But it proved my virginity?’

He shook his head and touched a finger to her cheek. ‘I wish- No, Beth. It was not proof.’

‘But-’ She was trying to shake her head. ‘Jon, that was not our bargain.’

‘You still wish that?’

‘Yes.’

He took her mouth then, plunging deep, and insistently, until her response became more and more frenzied, and as feverish as when he had taken her, all alone, to the heights. Only then was he sure that she was ready for him.

‘Beth.’ He pulled his lips from hers and raised his head. ‘Look at me, Beth.’ She opened her eyes in response. ‘Do you trust me?’

She gazed up at him, wide-eyed. ‘Yes.’ A whisper, but determined.

Jon drove into her with one long, powerful stroke. It was exactly as he had known it would be. The barrier of her virginity broke before his thrust. A sob rose in her throat and her face contorted in pain. Shocked, in spite of himself, he held himself very still within her, waiting, wishing he could absorb her suffering.

At last, her anguished face relaxed enough for her to look up at him. Even in the dim light, he could see that her eyes were sheened with tears.

‘Oh, my poor Beth.’

‘No. It is done. It is proved. And the pain will never come again, I know. Kiss me, Jon.’

He obeyed her, gladly. But as his lips and tongue moved on her mouth, so the rest of his body moved too, driven by ungovernable desire. It was impossible to prevent it, and yet he did not want to hurt her again. He should withdraw. He must.

But it seemed that Beth had other ideas. She wrapped her stocking-clad legs around him and began to kiss him even more passionately. It was too much. His driving thrusts became stronger, until they were both gasping for breath and Beth was bucking against him.

He could not. Oh, God, he must not! In a moment, it would be too late. With his last ounce of conscious control, he pulled himself from her embrace.

One moment, she had been soaring. The next, she had plummeted back to earth. Her body felt like an overwound watch spring, brittle enough to snap at a touch. ‘Jon? I…I don’t understand. Why-?’

He took a long shuddering breath, rolled on to the bed alongside her and drew her into his embrace. She felt his hand on her breast and his lips on hers. Skilful fingers trailed down her belly and began to stroke the innermost folds of her hot flesh. She groaned aloud. In an instant, she was soaring again. Soaring. She could see a bright light. Distant. But coming closer.

And then it exploded.