The Grace of a Duke (31 page)

“Let me down,” she gasped, the urgent pleading at odds with the way her body was trembling. She clung to his good shoulder with one hand while she braced another on his thigh. Joshua released his hold her on bottom and let her slide down onto him, his engorged velvet length filling her, and just at the point where he was aware of something stopping him, Charlotte held herself up on her toes. Then, with a quick hiss and gasp, she lifted and lowered herself so that his length impaled her as far as it could go.

The sharp pinch she felt passed quickly, replaced with the sensation of being completely filled by his manhood. She whimpered and clung harder to him, aware that her muscles were contracting on him, seemingly pulling him farther into her. The sense of discomfort passed into something profound as she realized they were truly joined as one.

Joshua could not hold back the growl that he felt come from somewhere inside his body. His lips were on her breasts and her collarbone and her lips as his hands guided her to lift and lower herself, keeping her impaled on his throbbing cock until she could match his rhythm by lifting and lowering herself using the balls of her feet. A curtain of her silken hair slid down to hide their faces from the light of the fireplace, and just as Joshua was sure he could hold on no longer, he pressed the pad of a thumb against the engorged nub where his manhood joined her wet folds. Within seconds, Charlotte cried out his name on a wave of incredible pleasure. He filled her with his seed, his own low voice saying her name before his world exploded into brights lights and sudden blackness.

Her body still wracked with wave upon wave of pleasure, Charlotte let go her hold on Joshua’s shoulder and allowed herself to fall onto the front of his body. Boneless and breathless and trembling, she pressed the palms of her hands against the sides of this body and her head into the space between his neck and his shoulder. She was aware of his arms wrapping around her at the base of her back, pinning her against him in a cocoon of warmth and musk and gentling heartbeats.

And she might have fallen asleep like that except that her entire body thrummed, her nerve endings raw from sensations she’d never felt before.

As Joshua’s breathing returned to normal – she sensed he had slept for a time – he kissed her cheek and wondered in a whisper if she was comfortable. His arms draped around her lower back, the tips of his fingers caressing her bottom.

“I could sleep like this for an entire night,” she murmured happily, the warmth from his arms and the fire as comforting as if she were covered in a blanket.

“Did I ... hurt you?” he stammered then, his post-coital thoughts crashing to the forefront.  He knew from their lovemaking that he’d torn her maidenhead, remembered her expression as the pain gripped her before her features softened and her eyes took on a wanton look.

Charlotte sighed, not sure what to admit. “I hardly remember that given every other sensation was so ...” She stopped speaking, not sure of the word to use to describe what she’d felt. “Is it like that for you?” she wondered, thinking his face looked as if he was in agony for a moment at the end.

The smile that crept over his face was one she’d never seen before. “Oh, you have no idea,” he teased happily, his eyes taking in little bits of her at a time. “The word ‘pleasure’ does not begin to describe how it feels to be inside you.”
Yes,
he decided,
Being in love with your lover certainly changes everything.
He realized, belatedly, that he was still inside her. Charlotte had not moved to lift up her hips, but he could not remove himself until she stood up. Glancing around them, he noticed his cravat on the floor next to the chair. Reaching down, he took up the length of it and folded it quickly it into a ball, placing it where they were joined. “Can you stand?” he whispered, not sure if she knew there would be blood from their first coupling.

Charlotte watched him and then nodded, taking the cravat from him and placing it between her thighs as she pulled herself off of him. She whimpered a bit as she did so, feeling deliciously sore but suddenly bereft at the emptiness at her core.

Joshua was quick to stand up and pull her to him, kissing her forehead and eyelids. “Will you allow me to help wash you? I have a sudden urge to get you into bed,” he teased in a hoarse whisper, knowing his body would demand to possess her again before the morning light.

He was not willing to spend the night sitting in the chair, however.

Charlotte had never heard of a husband helping his wife bathe, but she found she rather liked the idea, especially when she noticed his gaze taking in her entire body. She should have felt embarrassed, she thought at first. But after having spent an afternoon wearing only towels after Joshua had seen her entire backside whilst she stood naked in the tub, she found she could not.

And
he
certainly had nothing to be ashamed of, she thought as her eyes took in his nakedness, the long lines of his sculpted torso, his manhood still erect at the top of his thighs. Her fingers had touched nearly all of him during their nights spent in her bed; her eyes had seen nearly all of him just after the fire.

Her gaze left his body as she regarded the wad of fabric she removed from between her legs. “Your cravat is ruined,” she breathed as she regarded the evidence of their first coupling.

Shaking his head, Joshua took the neckcloth from her. “Hardly,” he replied with a shake of his head. “’Tis proof that you gave your virtue to me,” he intoned quietly. He took a towel from the stack on the vanity and held it up for her, remembering the last time he’d held a towel for her. She was somehow even more beautiful now, her hair a cascade of blonde waves, her breasts tipped with nipples that were still erect, her very long legs topped by a bottom so perfect he wanted it tucked against his groin whenever they were in bed together. He hadn’t seen all of this when she’d been in the tub that day. He found himself surprised that Charlotte allowed him to be present as she completed her ablutions, and then he was forced to allow her to remain and watch while he completed his own, taking a towel from her when he was finished. “You truly are not frightened by the sight of me,” he murmured, a bit of awe in his voice.

Charlotte regarded him a moment, glancing down at his manhood. “I was a bit when I saw that,” she whispered, her lip curling up to indicate she was teasing. Joshua allowed a grin as he took one of her hands in his, lacing his fingers with hers while he led her to the bed. The linens were dark, he realized finally, and when he settled into them, he knew Charlotte had managed a small miracle. The linens weren’t linen at all, but a smooth, satiny fabric that allowed his body to slide between them. When Charlotte joined him in the bed, he pulled her body so that it lay molded against his the way he had held her the past few nights.

“Do you suppose ..?” Charlotte started to ask and then stopped, her face reddening at what she was about to ask.

Joshua grinned down at her. “What?” he asked, his arms holding her against his side.

“Could we do this every night?” she wondered, one of her fingertips tracing a path across his chest and around a nipple.

Inhaling slightly at the tickle he felt, Joshua closed his eyes. “As much as you’d like or you’re willing to allow me, I suppose,” he murmured sleepily.

Charlotte licked her lower lip as she gave him an uncertain smile. “Could we do it in the mornings?”

Joshua opened one eye and peered at her. “Oh, my God, I’m getting married to a wanton woman,” he teased, his playful manner a delightful surprise.

Charlotte gasped, her open hand coming down onto his chest in an almost slap. “Your Grace! If I am, it’s only because you’ve ... you’ve made me that way,” she countered, her lower lip indicating she was about to pout.

Leaning down, Joshua captured her lips with his. The kiss was short, but filled with promise and humor. “That’s what I’ll say to Gates when he comes in the morning,” he whispered.

Charlotte’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, my ...” She moved to get out of bed, but Joshua increased his hold on her.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked as he pulled her back to his chest.

“We’re getting married in the morning!” she answered, a bit of panic in her voice. “There are arrangements that need to be ...”

“Shh,” Joshua replied, one finger going to her lips. “They are already made,” he whispered.

Charlotte stared at him. “They are?”

Joshua smiled again, one hand moving to cup her face. “Mrs. Gates has been planning my wedding for six months,” he said in reply as he stifled a yawn, “And she’s had a lot of help from the women in the village. All you need do is show up at the chapel dressed and ready to say your vows.” He felt her relax against his body as she considered his words. And then, suddenly, she was half out of the bed again.

“I haven’t a gown to wear!” she announced then, her voice rather loud and her face taking on a look of horror.

Joshua sighed and pulled her back onto him. “And now the entire house knows,” he countered, his grin still full of amusement. “Haven’t
you
been planning to marry me for the past six months?” he teased gently, pleased to see her breasts mounding where they pressed against his chest.
I am the luckiest man ...

“I thought I would have a few weeks to have bridal clothes made,” Charlotte replied, a bit indignant as she wriggled atop him.

“I’m sure Mrs. Gates has seen to that, too,” Joshua said, another yawn cutting off the rest of what he was going to say. His arms tightened their hold on her until she stilled and finally lowered her head to rest on his shoulder.

“If you’re sure,” she finally sighed, smiling as she thought about her wedding day.

“Good night Mrs. Wainwright,” he murmured sleepily.

A giggle burbled up in Charlotte as she slid a palm down Joshua’s chest. “Good night, Your Grace.”

Chapter 32

Lady Charlotte and His Grace in the Morning

When Joshua mentioned that Mrs. Gates had already made the arrangements for their wedding, Charlotte hadn’t begun to imagine to what lengths the older woman’s arrangements extended.

Until she awoke to the sounds of women talking. Somewhere ... outside, she realized. She was still held against Joshua’s side, although she opened her eyes to find she was on his left side, the ropy scars from his burns next to where her face was tucked into the crook of his arm. She glanced up to his face, the scars on his left side still red but healing. Although he was very still, she sensed he was awake.
What should I say?
she wondered as she felt his heart rate increase.
Good morning?
Or,
I love you?
Or,
make love to me?

Or, she could say nothing at all and simply ... her lips took purchase on the scars nearest her face, her tongue occasionally joining her lips to slide over his tender skin. She felt him flinch just a bit, but heard a slight sigh, too. She worked her way down his side, gently kissing and suckling, so that when she reached his hip, his breathing had become almost labored. Reaching over his body with her hand, she lowered her fingertips until they just barely touched his skin and the dark curly hair that pointed to his manhood. There was a sharp intake of breath, but no words to tell her to stop or to continue. Lifting herself on one elbow, she found her eyes level with his very erect manhood, her fingers very near its base. She placed a forefinger at the moist tip and drew it down the long, velvety shaft, watching as it seemed to come alive at her touch. And, somewhere, deep inside her, desire bloomed. Her core seemed to throb, the space between her thighs suddenly wet and demanding while her breaths were just as audible as his. Pushing herself up and over his body, she gently kissed the tip of his turgid length before sliding herself up so that it slid between her breasts.

“Oh, thank you, Lord,” she heard whispered from somewhere above her head. She tried to suppress a smile as she allowed the tips of her nipples to caress the skin of his belly and chest until she knew his manhood was aligned with the wet folds of her entrance. Rocking a bit so that it slid between her thighs, Charlotte had to stifle a gasp. The sensation it created in her was powerful. She felt ... powerful.
Is this what it feels like to be wanton?
she wondered, and then looked up, her disheveled hair hiding one eye, to find Joshua staring down at her. He looked ... shocked, perhaps? Or, was that pain she saw? She lifted one hand from the bed to push the hair out of her eyes.

“I am having the most amazing morning of my entire life, so, please, do not stop now,” he implored, a grin finally replacing the look of shock on his face.

Charlotte caught her lower lip with a tooth, her gaze taking in all of Joshua’s face. The ruined side was really not so bad – it had become part of him, she thought. She was glad he hadn’t insisted on wearing the mask when they were alone like this.

She lifted her hips just a bit, and then lowered herself onto his erection. Despite knowing what to expect, she still inhaled sharply as he filled her, her slickness surrounding him and her inner muscles contracting until he was deep inside. His hips lifted to meet hers and then relaxed, and soon they were moving in the rhythm that would send her body toward an ocean’s worth of pleasure waves followed by blessed oblivion and his into the pure pleasure of a powerful orgasm that would leave him senseless and boneless and ready for more sleep.

Joshua was barely aware of Charlotte’s weight as she collapsed onto him. The hair cascading onto his shoulder felt like silk and smelled of jasmine. There was a blanket somewhere; he felt around until he found an edge and pulled it over them both, hoping to provide just a bit of modesty in case Gates happened to arrive before Joshua pulled the bell to summon him. The sound of women chattering somewhere out on the east lawns returned him to his senses. There was that moment of wondering why there would be women out on the east lawn when he remembered.
I am getting married today! 

“Charlotte, my sweet,” he whispered, his lips kissing the top of one of her shoulders. “There is nothing I would rather be doing than what we’re doing right now,” he murmured quietly, kissing her again, “But we really need to get up and get ready.”

Lifting her hips a bit so he could slide out of her and she could roll to her side next to him, Charlotte moaned. “Must we?” she replied, her heavy lids making her look oh-so-luscious to Joshua.

The sound of light laughter filtered through the window, and Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Oh!” she let out suddenly. She fought to get out from under the blanket and was about to get out of bed when Joshua’s arm caught her about the middle and pulled her back down. Giggling, she came face to face with him.

“I love you,” Joshua spoke quietly, his hand reaching up to push her hair behind her shoulder. “And not just because you’re the most wanton woman I’ve ever known.” He had tried his best to suppress his teasing smile, but it split his face now into one of sheer happiness.

Color bloomed over Charlotte’s face as she heard his words. “I love you, too,” she murmured, her attention not entirely on him. She nervously glanced toward the door. “However am I to get into my room without being discovered?” she asked then, a bit of panic in her eyes.

Joshua got out of bed, and without putting on a dressing gown or any clothing, walked over to a door on the south side of the room. He turned the oval porcelain knob and pulled the door open. Charlotte gasped when she realized their suites were joined.
If I had known that the first night
...
She gathered up her clothes and hurried into her room, giving Joshua a quick kiss and then a curtsy when she passed him. “When will I see you again?” she asked from her side of the door, trying hard to disregard his nakedness. Even in the morning light, his scars really weren’t so bad, she thought. Had she just seen them for the first time, though, she knew she would be horrified, perhaps even frightened. But now ... now they were just part of Joshua Wainwright.
My fiancé!
she thought happily.
My husband.

Joshua regarded her a long moment, allowing his gaze to sweep over her. No wonder he’d spent the night with a constant erection! “At our wedding, I expect,” he replied with a grin, and then shut the door.