Libertine's Wife (8 page)

When she arrived at his manor in London
with her brother; he wanted to dismiss her as a child. He could
admit to himself that he had noticed her, right off. Despite his
determination to ignore her, his senses were in tune to her the
moment he saw her. That awareness of her only heightened during
their short stay.

It was hard for him to not engage her
that night at dinner. While her brother entertained them with his
amusing tales, Garret fantasized of ravishing his innocent young
houseguest. He didn’t fail to notice how her eyes gleamed like
jewels within a face so undeniably pretty, he forced his gaze away
with reluctance. The girl ignored him, giving him ample time to
study her under his lashes.

Never had a young woman of her youth
ever caught his notice before. His lovers were twice her age and as
jaded as him. Those women catered to his tastes and pleasures. He
was appalled she commanded his interest at all. He felt perverse,
like Miriam. He was appalled such an innocent lamb brought out such
predatory instincts within him. He told himself she was just a
child, chiding his wicked lusting of her.

Recalling her sprawled in naked
splendor next to him that morning made him see she was hardly a
child at all, but a temptress. He received a fair view of what lush
beauty lay under the sheet next to him in those few moments before
she awoke and her brother arrived.

Arianne was his wife now. She was his
to do with as he pleased. And please, he would. He watched her set
down her hair brush, seeing her hand was trembling. Her glorious
pale, corn silk hair swept the seat of the chair in lush waves. It
drew his eyes to the trim backside hardly hidden in the transparent
nightgown.

Her obvious terror of him
and her youth made him nearly relent in this. He recalled the ugly
threats Eustace made to get him to agree to marry his
sister.
No, she would get no reprieve
tonight
, he thought as he watched her
swallow hard in nervousness.

His eyes darkened as they skimmed over
her lovely face to drift down to where the bodice of her nightgown
hugged her full breasts. His loin-tightening reaction to her
shocked him. His body leapt in sudden eagerness, confounding him
with his own responses to her.

“
You needn’t look so shocked
to see me, Lady Ravensford,” he chided in a mocking tone as he
stood in the middle of the room. “We are married. I have every
right to be in your bedchamber.” He tossed his frock coat upon the
divan and raised an eyebrow at her continued silence. “Do you wish
to talk some more, my dear? I would know if you still have a tongue
in your head. I may require use of it this night.”

“
I speak often when I’m
engaged with respect, my lord,” she said coolly. “You might get a
response were you to quit sniping at me.”

“
Sniping
at you, am I? It is the least of what you deserve for what
you’ve done!” Garret said harshly. “You take little accountability
for your part in this.”

“
I had no idea what Eustace
planned! He said he would be killed unless I went along with
him!”

“
Your backbone in defending
yourself is admirable, madam!” Garret raged as he loomed ever
nearer. “Might you have wanted to employ that when you allowed your
brother to drug me into your bed? Then we would not be here
sniping
at one
another!”

Arianne couldn’t defend herself there.
Garret was infuriated by her stony silence. His hands shook as he
undid his waist coat and threw it in a nearby chair. He took deep
breaths to calm himself, telling himself she did nothing hundreds
of other hopeful ladies hadn’t already tried. The fact she
succeeded where so many failed was not lost upon him.

Garret avoided marriage like one did
disease. His own parents reminded him of what a waste that
sanctified union was. Their underlying hatred for one another made
a lasting impression upon him. Anger filled him to know his vow to
have nothing at all if that was his choice, came back to mock him
once more.

No, he had been more than willing to
remain single his whole life; leave his title to his cousin,
William. Now he was married to this sullied virgin whose big blue
eyes reminded him he was trapped for the rest of his
life.

The ton would all laugh behind his back
when they learned he’d been felled by a mere chit of a girl. Her
using the oldest scenario known in gaining an unwilling husband
would ensure he’d be mocked by all. The whole matter was a joke,
and he the butt of it. He felt the burn of it as his hands went to
his shirt buttons.

His undressing bothered her, he noted
in immense satisfaction, seeing the color that suffused her ivory
features. He tossed his shirt on the divan. Her blue eyes widened
in dismay to see his naked chest revealed.

At least she was beautiful, he consoled
himself as he flung his cravat to the floor. He reasoned he could
have been saddled with an ugly woman in the same manner. Her
perfect features were flushed, eyes filled with anxiety.

He longed to reassure her, but didn’t.
He had not intentions of hurting her. No, when he was done with
her, she would have little confusion of who was in her bed. His
plan to seduce his young wife seemed fitting in light of her
actions. His pulses jumped as he approached her.

Arianne wanted to die with
mortification as he undressed in front of her, not having the
decency to do so in the dark. He did it on purpose, she knew,
seeing the anger flaring in his eyes. Thoughts of his putting his
hands on her in such a state made her wet her lips. She slid away
from her dressing table, backing away from him slowly. She ran out
of anywhere to go when the backs of her thighs hit the foot board
behind her.

“
Ah, come now, little wife.”
He stalked her, his hands going to the fastenings of his breeches
finally, jerking at them. “Let us not pretend you haven’t done this
before. We both know you’re not innocent of men. That ruse back in
London assured me of that. Don’t worry; I think virgins are highly
overrated. I like a woman with a bit of experience any
day.”

“
You’re angry, my lord,” she
noted nervously. “You’re frightening me.”

“
Hell yes, I’m bloody well
angry!” Garret ripped open his fastenings, still moving towards
her. He kicked off his boots and flung them wherever they would
go.

“
Please… don’t hurt me… I
beg of you.”

Garret saw her pale features, stark
with fear. His anger seemed to evaporate in an instant. “I have no
plans to hurt you, sweet wife.” He cornered her in front of her
bed, eyes darkening with lust. “I mean to give you nothing but
pleasure.”

Her eyes grew wide. His
hands shoved down his breeches. Her face flamed to see him
nude.
Oh, dear God!
Her eyes squeezed shut, but not before she absorbed every
detail of his alarming masculinity. His huge maleness stood at
attention between his thighs, amid a nest of dark reddish hair.
Garret flung his breeches away and stood naked before
her.

Ravensford hadn’t a spare ounce of
flesh on him anywhere. His limbs were all taut and corded with
heavy muscle. His wide chest was covered with a mat of reddish
hair. His rigid abdomen tapered to the evidence of his arousal.
Seeing his raw, nude power exposed made her tremble in
fear.

“
Come, let me show you what
you will soon be missing, sweet Arianne.” He reached out and yanked
her to him, bringing her flush to his hard chest as he walked her
backward to the side of her bed. “I won’t leave you with any
comparisons to your former lover after tonight.”

She gazed up at him in mute shock,
unable to think before his head lowered. He took her lips in a
fiery kiss, bending her over his strong arm. His hands held her
molded to his chest. His lips were hungry and devoured
hers.

They slanted across hers, parting hers,
and moved over them with thorough intent. He held the back of her
head as he drank from her lips. His hands sought her breasts
through the thin night gown. She jumped at that, making him chuckle
and slide his lips along her nape.

“
Relax, you have no need to
fear me,” he said thickly, his lips caressing her nape. “You will
likely enjoy this, my sweet.”

Gooseflesh spread where his lips traced
a path, before returning to capture her mouth. Her head swam from
his passionate kisses, cutting off her breath. She wanted to swoon
as he reached down to cup her bottom and brought her flush to his
arousal.

The feel of his thick member rubbing
against her through the thin nightgown made her recoil, despite the
way her body leapt in response. He ground against her, making her
gasp as pleasurable sensations shot through her. She squeezed her
eyes shut in denial.

Garret lifted his lips from hers. He
set her down in front of him. He looked down at her with a
scorching gaze. His hands moved down to her shoulders and slid the
straps of her nightgown aside. It whispered to the floor to pool
about her feet. His gaze raked her nudity from head to toe. Before
she could panic, he pushed her onto her bed, his advance making her
fall backward upon the coverlet before he came down with
her.

Garret lay next to her and stared at
her boldly. Her breasts were full and round, nipples large and
rosy, begging his touch. Her skin was ivory, unmarred and perfect.
Her stomach was concave, her hips narrow, legs shapely and
well-turned. The sparse nest of blonde curls between her legs drew
and held his admiring eye.

“
I cannot complain of the
bill of goods I was sold, my dear.” His eyes lingered where they
would. “You are perfection, Arianne. Your body is
exquisite.”

His lips took hers then, his
tongue sweeping past hers to stroke within her mouth. His kisses
were soft and unhurried. He slowed in his onslaught, his lips
growing teasing and provoking. She closed her eyes and willed
herself to lie still and ignore the clamoring within her.
It will be over soon
, she
thought in dismay, forcing herself to lie still and think of
anything but his hands upon her body.

It was difficult to ignore him. He
seemed to know she tried to block out what he did, growing bolder
to arouse her. His tongue teased and darted inside her mouth,
stroking softly within.

She fought the rising sensations in the
pit of her belly. No stranger to passion, she felt alarmingly warm
all over at once. His hands were slow and unhurried as they
caressed her, making her bite her lip and look away, her head
rolling on the pillow to stare at the wall.

Garret grasped her chin and forced her
to look at him. “No, you will not look away and pretend this isn’t
happening, sweet wife.” His green eyes were hot and filled with
desire.

Arianne felt ashamed and disloyal to
Julian in that moment. His hands reached down to cup and fondle her
breasts, expert fingers smoothing over her stiffening pink
nipples.

Soon his head moved lower. He pulled
voraciously at first one and then the other sensitive peak with his
lips, then with his teeth. He suckled each rosy crest with such
thoroughness, she grew flushed and weak. Treacherous desire soon
unfurled within her.

Arianne couldn’t ignore the shivers of
anticipation inside her. He lavished his attentions upon her
sensitive breasts. He took his time, lips and tongue running in a
blistering, unhurried path. All the while his hands undermined her
resolve to ignore where they touched and stroked. His tongue darted
in a slow manner across her chest and stomach. His tongue thrust
with rough deliberation inside her navel, stabbing insistently
until she arched with a soft gasp.

She bit her lip and squeezed
her eyes shut, but the sensations—
oh, the
sensations
—they were exquisite. Fierce
longings stirred within her, clamoring for more of his lustful
attentions.

She bit her lip as his large hand
parted the dark blonde curls at the apex of her thighs. His long
fingers stroked her moist quivering flesh there slowly, making her
shake with sudden need. Looking up and seeing her intense reaction
to his touch, he smiled and descended lower.

“
Let us see if your
education is as thorough as it should be, my sweet.”

She watched in horror as his head
dipped between her thighs. She was struggling to push him away,
recoiling at once. He held her still with firm hands at her hips.
His lips sought her moist, honeyed secrets with a hungry ardor that
made her gasp aloud in denial.

She looked down, appalled to see the
dark auburn head buried between her pale thighs. He explored her
feminine secrets with knowing flicks of his tongue. Her gasp of
mortification became one of unadulterated abandon within
seconds.

Hoarse sobs escaped her as he pried her
long slender legs open wider, gripping her hips as he lifted her up
to his searching mouth. He engaged her with slow, maddening strokes
of his tongue. She gripped the edges of the comforter in alarm. He
toyed and teased the sensitive pink nub, scoring it with his teeth.
She turned her head aside on the pillow, unable to escape the
onslaught of lust that seared inside her.