Lady Laugherty's Loves (2 page)

“Please leave this in here when you
move your things, Olivia.” He held up the perfume bottle.  “I
might douse the sheets in it so I can smell you all night.” She
gasped so loudly when she realized he wasn’t Avery that he feared
she’d suck all the air from the room. He got up and crossed the
room to stand directly behind her.  The warmth of her touched
him all the way through his clothes. “And I promise not to kiss you
anymore. Not in front of God and everyone. In private, however, is
another matter, entirely.” He kissed her cheek swiftly, lingering
long enough to blow his breath across the shell of her ear, and
then he quit the room.

Two

Olivia was beginning to think her
guests would never dispense with their games and head to their
rooms, so she could have a word with her husband. And Ellis, for
that matter. There were eighteen guests in all, including her
husband’s best friend. Why was Ellis the only one who had drawn her
attention all night?   

Olivia yawned dramatically behind her
hand. No one looked up. No one cared, aside from Ellis, who dropped
onto the settee beside her with a lazy plop. “Enjoying yourself,
Olivia?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with merriment.

“Gobs of it,” she said sarcastically,
then instantly regretted her tone. 

But he just chuckled. “You seem a
little out of sorts, sweetheart. Anything you want to talk about?”
He smiled slowly and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. She
wanted to reach up and do it for him, just as she did for Avery. He
leaned so close that his shoulder brushed hers.

“What kind of game are you playing,
Ellis?” she asked quietly.

“I was playing loo.” He shrugged. “But
your husband trounced me. He’s fairly decent with the cards. When
did he get so good at games of chance?”

“When did
you
?” she shot back. How
dare he sweep her question under the rug?

“Not sure what you’re referring to,”
he grunted, his eyebrows drawing together in obvious
annoyance.

“Why do I feel as though I’m missing
something important?” Avery asked as he sat down on her other
side.

Olivia sighed heavily. “I
think I’m the one who’s missing something.” She sighed as she
rubbed her forehead. She couldn’t discuss this here. “Never mind.
It’s probably my imagination.” It
had
to be her imagination. Anything
else was unconscionable.  She would talk with Avery and he
would set everything to rights.

Olivia kept on a brave face for the
rest of the evening, until her guests finally drifted off in the
directions of their bedchambers.  Then she dropped her face in
her hands and breathed deeply.  Finally. She and Avery could
be alone. Finally, she could talk with him.

She crossed to where he
rested on the settee and allowed him to pull her into his lap. It
felt amazingly comforting to be in his arms. He’d been restless of
late. While their lovemaking was and always had been wonderful, she
felt as though there was a small piece of him he withheld from her.
He always had.  Of course, she knew all about his reputation
before he married her.  She knew about his
and
Ellis’.  And theirs
together.

“What’s bothering you, love?” he
asked, his voice soft, his chest rumbling beneath her
ear.

“I’m afraid to tell you,” she
whispered.

“You can tell me anything.” He nudged
her lightly. “What is it? Shall I ask the guests to
leave?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s…”
She hesitated, unable to put her fears into words. “It’s
Ellis.”

He sat back so he could look down at
her. “Ellis? What about him?”

“Well, I can’t explain it and it’s
probably nothing. But he kissed me today.”

Avery nodded slowly. “Is that all?”
His voice deepened a bit. He didn’t seem the least bit astounded at
her admission. He nudged her gently. “Show me how he kissed
you.”

“What?” Perhaps he’d had more brandy
than she’d originally thought. “You were there.”

“I don’t remember it.  Sorry.
Though I feel certain I’d remember it if I saw Ellis kiss you.” He
shifted her marginally in his lap. “Show me what kind of kiss it
was.”

Olivia pecked at his lips quickly and
backed up to look at him. “He hugged me, too.”

“That’s it? That was the kiss that has
you tied up in knots?” He looked astounded.

“Then he came to my quarters… well,
his quarters… and I thought he was you.” She hated the way her own
voice shook.

“And what happened when you thought he
was me?” He adjusted his leg again and she felt the obvious
evidence of his arousal against her bottom. 

“I threw a perfume bottle at his
head,” she grunted. “But he caught it, instead.”

He threw his head back and laughed
loudly.

She elbowed him in the side, but he
just caught her arm in his grasp and kissed her.
Soundly. 

***

She looked so damn cute trying to find
the words to tell him that Ellis had made advances toward her that
he couldn’t keep from kissing her.  She was fairly shaking
with nervousness over the situation. For a moment, he felt almost
guilty for putting her in it. Then it passed. The very idea of
sharing her with Ellis stirred him unlike anything ever had
before.

When he finally lifted his head, her
eyes were glazed with passion. “What bothers you more, that he made
advances toward you? Or that you liked it?”

Her sudden intake of breath was all he
needed to hear, yet still she protested. “I didn’t like
it.”

“Are you certain?” He trailed his
fingertips up her arm.

“Of course, I am.” 

But he could see the warring emotions
in her face. It was time to tell her.

“You heard the rumors before we
married. About Ellis and me and our sexual eccentricities.” He
watched her face closely.

“It wasn’t exactly a secret,” she
grunted.

“It was a poorly kept one, yes.” He
took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. “You know
we’ve shared women in the past?”

“I’m not supposed to know
things like that,” she murmured. “I don’t
want
to know it.”

“Did you think I’d come to you as a
virgin, Olivia?”

“No, but
I
came to
you
as a virgin.  And
there are some things I’m better off not knowing.” She paused and
mulled it over. “I think.” She bit her lower lip.

“You’d prefer not to know what makes
me harder than anything?” he growled as he pressed her hand against
his cock. The very thought made his balls grow up close to his
body, ready to spill.

“That
is what you want?
That
would make you happy?”

He shook his head slightly
as he cupped her breast and toyed with her nipple. She gasped and
ground her bottom against him.  “
You
make me happy. 
That
simply excites
me.”

She buried her face in to his chest
and mumbled, “I can’t do it.”

“It’s all right if you have no
interest in it,” he said on one big exhale. He took her face in his
hands and forced her to meet his eyes.  “I’ll love you no
matter what.”

“How can you love me and…?” she began,
but then her voice trailed off as her face colored.

“How can I love you and still want to
share you?” He stroked her hair back from her face. “Because I want
to bring you pleasure. Pleasure unlike any you’ve experienced. He
tugged at the bodice of her gown until his hand slipped inside. She
arched her back to give him better access.  “Just imagine it,
Olivia. Two men. Two sets of hands. Two mouths. Two
cocks.”

She shivered as he pinched her nipple.
Her eyes were closed and her rosy lips hung open as her breath
picked up.

“Shall we go up to bed?” he asked
gently, breaking her from her trance.

She flushed again, obviously
embarrassed  at being so aroused at the thought of two men
taking care of her needs. “May I ask you one question?”

“Anything,” he said as he nuzzled her
temple.

“When did you realize you like men?”
She hid her face in his shirt again.

“What?” He jumped to his
feet with her cradled in his arms. “I
have
never and
will
never enjoy the touch of a man.
The man would be there for you. And only for you. I don’t touch
him. He doesn’t touch me. There’s no excitement or amorousness
between the two of us.” He let out a huge sigh and grumbled. “Touch
Ellis in a romantic way. God, woman.
That
will never happen.”

“I’m sorry,” she said as she giggled a
bit.

“You think this is humorous?” he
asked, shocked as he looked down at her. “All I could think about a
moment ago was bedding you. But now I fear I’ll never be able to do
so again.”

She gave a cry of mock horror and
covered her cheeks. “Oh, no!” Then she giggled again.

He jostled her playfully in his arms.
“Just for that,” he began as he started for the stairs, “you get
the arduous task of restoking my fire.”

“I’m prepared for the challenge,” she
tossed back at him.

He burst into his chambers and dropped
her to her feet. Then he sat down in an oversized leather chair
before the fire and tried to look wholly unimpressed with the
entire situation. But then she began to disrobe. And he was
impressed. Very impressed.

His wife’s body never ceased to amaze
him. She was round where he liked her to be round. And slender
through the waist, which was perfect for wrapping his hands around.
She shrugged out of her gown and let it fall in a heap to the
floor. Then she stepped out of her chemise.  She turned her
back to him as she tugged her hairpins free and dropped them one by
one on the dressing table.

The site of her naked bottom made him
want to go to her and grab her and knead her flesh. Then bend her
over and slide inside her in one hard stroke. But he had a feeling
she had plans for him. So, he sat back and practiced his look of
ambivalence with his chin propped in his hand.

***

Ellis stood on the other side of the
connecting door and listened intently. He’d shared enough women
with Avery to know that his growl when he entered the bedchamber
was a mere prelude of what would come. His cock grew hard
immediately.

He could hear their conversation quite
clearly through the door. If only he could see what was going on.
But then Avery began to talk. He’d always been vocal during sex;
Ellis had learned that the first time they’d ever shared a woman
the age of sixteen. And with every woman they'd shared since, Ellis
had enjoyed listening as Avery stoked the woman’s fire with his
words as he described in detail what he would do to her.

The voices wafted toward him as he
opened his trousers and began to stroke his cock.

“Olivia,” Avery said quietly, but
loudly enough he could hear the desire in his voice. “Come
here.”

“But I believe you said that I have to
get you hard again, don’t I?”

She must have reached for her
stockings because Avery said, “Leave those on. I like
them.”

“And here I thought you liked me
naked,” she teased.

“I like that, too, but I happen to
love those stockings. Ellis would love them as well.”

Ellis’s breath caught in his throat as
he waited for Olivia to respond.

“Would he?” she asked softly, her
voice as silky as a siren’s song. “Is red his favorite
color?’

“I would imagine that whatever color
you’re wearing would be his favorite,” Avery chuckled.

It was true.  He wouldn’t care,
as long as she wore it.

“Come here,” Avery said
again.

He could almost see the dark look in
Avery’s eyes and imagined Olivia climbing into his lap to straddle
him.  In the past, Avery would have encouraged it, and then
Ellis would have slid in behind her to stroke all her soft
places.

“That’s good,” Avery
continued.

“You like it when I ride you,” Olivia
teased. “You’re so predictable.”

Oh, God. She was straddling him. He
could see it in his mind’s eye. A small drop of fluid seeped from
his cock and he rubbed it around the throbbing purple head. It was
nothing like having Olivia ride him. But it would have to do. For
now.

Ellis heard a slurping sound and
Olivia’s low gasp as Avery sucked her nipple into his mouth. Ellis
could just imagine it, her breasts plump and firm, and her hard
nipple as big as his thumb. He had seen that much through her
clothing when she was cold. He ached to open the door and taste
her, himself.

“Imagine, Olivia,” Avery
said, his voice dark and mysterious. “Imagine that Ellis is behind
you right now, his hands running over your hips while I taste your
nipples. His hands are rough. Not nearly as soft as mine, or so
I’ve heard.” Olivia moaned.
Oh, Olivia
moaned
. “Then his hand comes around the
front of your hip and dips into these curls, while I continue to
love your nipples. I nip at them, while Ellis strokes across your
clit. He might even slide his finger inside you to collect your
moisture and go back to…” He paused briefly. “Here,” he finally
finished.
Oh, there.
What Ellis wouldn’t give to be
there
. To feel the warm wash of her
desire as it coated his fingers, making her slippery wet. To be
close enough to taste her. To brush her hair to the side and nibble
on her shoulder while double the sensations rocked her.