Lessons of Love (17 page)

“
Yes, Monsieur. Thank you, Monsieur.”

Cole
was disturbed by the fear that remained in Celia
’
s eyes. He wanted the woman to feel safe in her new home. Celia would come to know he spoke the tr
uth over time but would live in constant fear until then. Perhaps he should assign Jonathan to act as her protector. The man had always been soft with their captives, soothing their fears and helping them come
to terms with their new lives.

As far as
Cole
knew, Jonathan hadn
’
t ever struck one of their slaves, nor even given one a simple spanking. At times
Cole
thought him to be too soft, but his gentle hand and delicate touch had helped bring many a terrified wench back from the brink of insanity caused by
fear.
Cole
had kept him on because of it. The man would help Celia relax
,
and it would please
Jolie
if Jonathan were told to watch out for Celia. The downside to this plan was that it could divide his men. Was that a risk he was willing to take? Was Celia
’
s sense of
well-being
and his wife
’
s happiness worth the chance his men might split their loyalties between those who felt Celia deserved to be protected and those who felt she should
be used like any other woman?

He would have to give the matter some thou
ght. Celia would be fine for the day even with her fear. He
’
d spoken to Gregor and had laid down the rules in no uncertain terms. Gregor would never be insolent en
ough to ignore a direct order.

“
Very well then, come along,
Jolie
. It
’
s time we were off.”

Jo
lie
was surprised to see the enclosed coach in front of the house on such a warm day and immediately grew suspicious of
Cole
’
s intentions. She glanced over at him and his eyes gleamed wickedly, confirming her thoughts.
Cole
took her hand to help her into t
he coach and then quickly followed. He closed the door and immediately pulled her into his lap. “
Prepare yourself for a delightful trip into the city Mrs.
Jameson
.”

“
Cole
you can
’
t mean to...”

He silenced her with a kiss, claiming her mouth and driving all
other thoughts from her mind. Before she knew it her skirts were bunched around her waist and
Cole
’
s hand was slipping between the slit in her drawers.
Jolie
didn
’
t protest, how could she? She was lost in the arms of the man she loved and her body was on
fire.
Cole
repeatedly brought her to the brink of orgasm only to stop when she was seconds away from release. By the time they arrived in New Orleans
Jolie
was panting and squirming around on
Cole
’
s lap, desperate for him to ease the ache between
her thigh
s.

“
It
’
s time to straighten yourself up, love. We are almost t
o the shop of the seamstress.”

“
Oh ... I...
Cole
you are truly despicable. How
can I go in there like this?””

Cole
grinned at his passionate little wife. How could she indeed
? “
You can and you w
ill love.”

Cole
smoothed her skirts over her legs and petticoats and brushed an errant curl back behind her ear. Celia had styled it in a demure chignon, but some of the curls had escaped during their active journey. He thought she looked absolutely delect
able. There was no doubt that she was aroused. Even through her dress bodice and chemise he could see her hard little nipples straining against the fabric, dying to be touched. Her eyes
smoldered
with passion and her cheeks were flushed. Her lips were we
t
and swollen from his kisses.

Cole
gave her one more dizzying kiss then grasped her chin and ran his thumb over her bottom lip.
Jolie
parted her lips and closed her eyes, sighing as he slid his thumb back and forth. She darted her tongue out to flit over it
and drew his thumb into her mouth to gently suckle it. She wanted him, her body burned for
him;
she didn
’
t know how she would ever make it
through the day in this state.

Just the feel of
Jolie
’
s hot little mouth suckling his thumb aroused
Cole
. The scent
of her passion hung in the air. She had never looked more desirable. It was tempting to take her quickly in the coach here and now
,
but
Cole
resisted. He wanted to watch her as she tried to go about the city acting as if fire wasn
’
t roaring through her vei
ns. The prim and proper maiden o
f two days past was long gone. S
he had been replaced by the fiery little hellion who graced his arm and his bed, unable to resist
the passion he ignited in her.

The coach stopped and
Cole
lifted the shade on the window to se
e their location. “
We have arrived
,
my dear. Come along now.”
Cole
alighted from the coach and helped
Jolie
out. She felt as if her legs were weak as a babe
’
s and leaned against
Cole
for support. He pulled her to him and brushed a kiss over her lips then m
urmured in
her ear. “
We are being watched,
love. I believe it isn
’
t considered proper for me to hold you and kiss you like you want me to in
front of all of New Orleans.”

Jolie
’
s eyes flew open. She was yanked out of her blissful delirium by the shocked fa
ces of the people on the street. No it wasn
’
t proper behavior to kiss or touch in public, it wasn
’
t indeed.
Jolie
pulled away from
Cole
and looked down, embarrassment flooding her.
Cole
took her arm and steered her towards the
shop door. “
Don
’
t worry love,
t
hose who gossip the loudest are simply jealous. Most shall never know the passion we shar
e, i
nside with you now. It
’
s time for me to spoil my wife. You shall have anything your heart desires, but I should warn you, you won
’
t be wearing drawers, corsets,
hoops, or mounds of petticoats after today. You shall go about with your bottom and little cunny bared for my taking. All it will take is a simple toss of your skirts to have you naked and ready for my desire. Of course that leaves you more vulnerable for
spanking
s too if you dare to anger me.”

Cole
bent down and placed another kiss on her forehead.
Jolie
’
s eyes grew huge and her breath left her in a whoosh at his whispered words but
Cole
simply chuckled and led her into the seamstress
’
shop, anticipating h
ow lovely she was going to be as she stood half naked and tried to stay still as the seamstress measured and altered gown
s for her.

E
veryone within stopped to stare at the striking couple before them
as Cole and Jolie entered the shop
.
Jolie
’
s petite fram
e, innocent face, and beautiful golden hair was complemented by the somewhat dangerous looking man who held her elbow in a posse
ssive grasp. His dark
good looks and mysterious aura made an incredibly handsome
combination,
and looking at the two of them it
was clear he could easily carry her away in his strong muscular arms. His brilliant blue eyes met those who assessed them and stared back with amusement. His full lips curled up into a pleased smile that made his eyes sparkle with delight as those around
t
hem gazed at him and his new wife.
Cole
knew that
Jolie
was flushed from the fire between her legs and every man in the shop knew it as well. She carried an aura of innocent seduction, not able to complet
ely hide the lust in her eyes.

Jolie
, embarrassed by
the attention aimed their way, turned and rested her forehead against
Cole
’
s arm. He reached for her, not caring whether it was proper or not, and pulled her to him for a moment. “
Relax little one. I shall speak to the seamstress and secure a room for you
. Why don
’
t you look over the gowns that are availa
ble. You shall need a few ready
made ones while we are waiting for your new wardrobe.
Choose three for Celia also.”

Jolie
looked at
Cole
and nodded. She reached up and ran her fingers over his strong jaw li
ne, tracing the edge of his chin and trailing her fingers down his neck to curl in the hair at his collar. He caught her fingers in his hand, bringing them to his lips for a kiss. A woman in the store huffed and muttered at the shameful public display of
a
ffection
,
and
Jolie
froze, mortified, her fingers gripping
Cole
’
s.

“
Ignore her, love. It will be all right. I for one find it pleasing that you can
’
t keep your hands off me.”
Jolie
grimaced and made a little squeak of protest. He was impossible! Giggling c
ame from the corner of the shop, and
Jolie
looked over to see two of her girlfriends staring at them, eyes wide with wonder, hands over their mouths, trying to stifle their outburst.
Jolie
groaned.

“
Do you know them, little one?”

“
Yes,
that
’
s Sophie and L
ouisa. They
’
re my friends.”

“
Well run along then. Say hello and pick out some gowns while I see to a private fitting room.”
Cole
let her go and gave her a little push in the direction of her friends.
Jolie
went with a small grin on her face composed of a m
ixture of delight and embarrassment. She couldn
’
t quite contain her need to tell her friends about her wedding
,
and how wonderful
Cole
was. She had succeeded in pushing his dark business dealings from her mind, convincing herself that he would stop now tha
t he was married to her
,
and nothing could cloud her rosy view of the world. She was young, elated, and head over heels in love and had never been so utterly swept away. Never had she dream
ed that she would be so loved.

Sophie and Louisa were still gigglin
g when
Jolie
reached them, and
Jolie
knew they were bursting with questions. She smiled at her two best friends a
s her eyes sparkled with glee.

“
Oh
Jolie
, he
’
s so incredibly handsome ...”

“
And dangerous looking.”
Louisa jumped in. “
Is
he ... is he harsh wi
th you?”

“
He
’
s certainly stron
g enough to break you in two.”

“
Mama said he has a bad reputation. She warned me about him. He simply came out of nowhere. Nobody knows a thing about his family. Is he kind to you,
Jolie
? Some say he ...”

“
Of course he
’
s kind,
you sillies, and oh so handsome too. He
’
s generous as well.
Cole
told me I could buy anything that suites my
fancy today. Anything at all.”