Her Counterfeit Husband (20 page)

After they were married, Jason
said he wanted to get something for her.  Despite her curiosity, she resisted the urge to follow him
and returned to their room so she could ge
t ready for bed.
 
She
felt a flutter in her stomach at the knowledge it wa
s time to be intimate with him
.
She spent more time than necessary brushing her hair a
t the vanity table and recalling
their exchange of vows.  It couldn’t have been better.  Even without all the
splendor
, it was better than her first wedding.  Her lips curled up into a smile.  What could be more wonderful than the joy at knowing she was safe with her husband?

The door to the room opened, and Jason entered it, hiding something behind his back.  She took in his mischievous grin and put the brush on the table.

“What are you hiding
?” she asked, trying to see what was behind his back.

He laughed and turned so that her effort was in vain.  “I’ll show you if you give me a kiss.”

Amused, she approached him, aware that her
shift
caressed her body as she walked forward.

His gaze traveled down the length of her
.  “You’re beautiful.”

Ignoring the nervous thrill that shot through her, she stepped up to him and kissed him, aware that her breasts lightly brushed his chest.  She cleared her throat.  “Will you show me now?”

“Show you what?” he asked.

“What’s behind your back?
”

He blinked and chuckled.  “Oh.  Right.  I almost forgot.”
He took the roses
from behind his back and presented them to her.  “I got
these for you from a merchant
.”

“They’re lovely,” she whispered and touched the
soft pink and red
petals.  “Thank you
.”

“She told me if you hang them upside down, they’ll dry out and you can keep them forever.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

She kissed him again, and this time he brought her into his arms and deepened the kiss.
  The roses still in hand
, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his.  He groaned and let his hands fall down her back and
to
the curve
of
her rear end.  He parted his lips, and she responded in kind, inviting him into her mouth.  His tongue caressed hers, claiming her mouth. 
A swell of excitement coursed through her.  It was such a wonderful feeling to be desired so passionately.

He pulled away from her and took th
e roses so he could place them i
n the
vase on the
table.  When he turned
back
to her, she decided to beat him to it and remove his clothes for him.  She found she enjoyed the process, peeling off layer after layer, slowly exposing more of him.  Where such boldness was coming from, she didn’t know.  She wouldn’t have believed herself capable of being this way before, but with Jason, it was easy to
forgo her inhibitions.  She wanted
to be intimate with him,
for his body to claim hers,
to
be consumed by his love.

He didn’t deny her the exploration she craved.  If anything, he encouraged it.  He
shrugged off his clothes to help her and g
uided her hands
from his shoulders to his stomach
.  She hesitated along the scars that reminded her of the night she and Appleton found him in the forest.

It was a double-edged sword to be angry with whoever hurt him while being grateful they left him for her and Appleton to find so she could be with him no
w.  She blinked back her tears in case he assumed she
didn’t
want
to be here with him.  The truth was she wanted to be here.  There was nowhere else she’d rather be, nothing else she’d rather be doing.  Even the joy of music failed in comparison to this moment.

Jason brought his hands to her shoulders and gently massaged them.  His lips went to her neck and she moaned.  She tilted her head to the side while her hands traveled further down
his body
.  She
wrapped her hands
around his erection, noting its
strength.  The area between her legs ached for him.  Even if she hadn’t enjoyed her time with her first husband, she’d discovered that she was capable of pleasure
and wanted to experience it
with him.  She ran her hands down his length and brough
t them back up
.
  He softly moaned and squeezed her shoulders.

She let go of him and pulled the
shift
over her head.  Before she had time to toss it to the fl
oor, he was cupping her breasts
and studying them.  She would have chuckled at his impatience had he not brushed her nipples with his thumbs
, an action which
made
her knees grow weak
.

“Let’s go to bed,” she whispered, her voice raspy.

He didn’t argue as she took him by the hand and led him to the bed.  Together they settled on it
, and
he gathered her into his embrace and kissed her, his lips no longer gentle but determined.  He rolled on top of her, and she wrapped her legs
around his waist aware that the male part of him was nestled at her entrance.  But he didn’t enter her as she thought he would.  He moved his hips, his erection stroking her sensitive nub, and she gasped from the stimulation.
  E
njoying the way
he was teasing her, she rocked her hips with him.

He lowered his head and kissed her neck, flicking his tongue along the path to her ear, making her squirm in delight.  She felt
moisture build between her legs as he
continued to stroke her nub
with his arousal
.  She could so easily take him into her,
b
ut he broke the intimate contact in favor of getting on his knees so he could get a good look at her
body
.  He took his time in studying her, first with his hands and then with his mouth.  He explored her breasts, circling her nipples with his thumbs
before he brushed them with his
tongue.  She
groaned
and murmured his name.  His response was to bring one of his hands between her legs and
insert two fingers into her so he could stroke her core.

It wasn’t long before she realized the
pleasure mounting de
ep inside her meant that she’d climax soon, but
she wanted him to be inside her when she did.
 
She quickly removed his fingers
and rolled him onto his back.  He
helped her straddle him before he
entered her.  She moved above him, her sensitive nub rubbing against his body.  Looking down at him, she saw him open his eyes and smile
at her
.  Smiling in return, she closed her eyes and gave into the urge to pursue her climax.  Nothing else mattered at this moment
except
that they
’d
both find satisfaction in this act.  And it wasn’t long before she reached the peak, her body clenching around him
as he
stiffen
ed
beneath her and release
d
his seed.  She gasped and remained still, lightly groaning as wave after
wave of pleasure consumed her.

When they both descended back to Earth, she collapsed in his arms.
Out of breath, they remained silent, and she listened to the soothing beating of his heart.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

She lifted her head so she could look at him.  “For what?”

“For marrying me again.  Now I have this memory to look back on and enjoy.”

“I do, too
.”

With a smile, she kissed him, and it wasn’t long before they were making love again.

A
s Anna and Jason returned home
in the carriage,
she narrowed her eyes when she realized Lord Mason was talking to the footman. 
She couldn’t be sure, but it appeared as if they were having an argument. 
The footman shook his head and threw his hands up in the air in a manner that indicated he’d had enough of their discussion before he hurried into the manor.

She expected Lord Mason to leave, but he didn’t.  He turned in time to see the carriage and headed for the front entrance. 
Her
grip tightened on the reticule resting
in her lap.

“What’s wrong?” Jason asked, peering out the window to see what caught her attention.

“It’s Lord Mason,” she grumbled.  Leave it to
him to ruin her good mood.

“He is my brother.  I suppose he’s coming by because we’re family
?”

“Maybe.” She wasn’t sure.  Something about his frequent visits made her uneasy.  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word with him.”

“You think he’s intruding?”

Wondering how much she could tell him without arousing his suspicions, she decided to say, “Before you became ill, he made it a habit of stopping by two or three times a year.  Then suddenly, he started coming by once a week.”

“That often?”

“When you were sick, I thought…” She paused, not sure if it was necessary to tell him
more
or not.

“You thought what?” he pressed.

She sighed, not sure if it made
a difference or not but decided
it didn’t do any harm to tell him.  “I thought he was waiting for you to die so he could take your place.”

Jason frowned.
“You mean, he was eager to see me die?”

“A title avails a gentleman much, and
the better the title, the more it’s desired
.”

“I understand.”

Noting the hurt in his voice, she slid her arm around his and kissed his cheek.  “That’s the way Lord Mason is.  He doesn’t car
e about anyone but himself.  It has nothing to do with you.”

He sighed.  “I’m not surprised.  He’s done nothing to make me think he’s my friend.”

“He hasn’t?”

“No.”

She wondered if he’d disclose more than that, but the carriage came to a stop.  She released his arm and got ready to confront Lord Mason.  She’d had enough of him.  Appleton understood the situation and would
help her.  Now that she had Jason, Lord Mason had no power over her.

The coachmen helped them down, and Lord Mason waited for them near the carriage door.  “I understand congratulations are in order,” Lord Mason said, his hands behind his back.  “A second wedding.  I suppose it was necessary, given the circumstances.”

His gaze
darted
to Anna who froze in place next to Jason.  Lord Mason knew
her secret
.  No, he couldn’t know.  Not for sure.  She and Appleton were careful the night they buried her first husband.  So he didn’t know.  But he suspected.  And that made him more dangerous than he’d ever been.  Whatever she did from this point forward, she must not raise his suspicions further.

Jason turned to him.  “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“I came to talk to
you,” Lord Mason said, directing
his attention back to him.

It was on the tip of Anna’s tongue to protest, but she knew she c
ouldn’t.  Not without making Lord Mason
question why she was suddenly protective of Jason.  She bit her tongue so she could keep quiet.  It was hard to do—painful even—but she managed.

Jason nodded.  “I suppose a brief walk might be good after a long ride back.” He gave Anna’s arm a squeeze
.  “I’ll return to you shortly.”