Trials of Artemis (16 page)

After
an hour had passed
she ventured downstairs to
Gideon's study. She had been inside once, very briefly, as part of Mrs.
Gladstone's tour of the household and discussion of cleaning regimens. This
would be the first time she had approached him at his work, or at any time
really. She knocked on the door before she could lose her nerve.

"Enter,"
she heard him say abruptly. He was either angry or deep in his work as some
could be. She slipped inside.

Her
husband was sitting at the large desk in the middle of the room. His chair was
light brown leather and the entire room had a lighter, more golden color than
her father's study. Tall windows looked out on the front and side of the house,
framed with drapes made of an intricate golden pattern. Gideon was like a
solemn dark spot in the room with his black jacket and dark brown hair. Much of
his hair had worked loose of its queue again to fall over his forehead and
against his cheek. He seemed focused on his work, head still down, scratching a
pen rapidly over paper. She was able to study him unobserved, taking in his
broad shoulders and handsome profile.

"Yes?"
he asked shortly without looking up.

She
leaned against the door she had entered and said, "I thought I should
check to make sure you had eaten your lunch. Which I can see that you
haven't."

His
head had come up at her voice and he stood immediately, as propriety dictated.
She waved her hand at him. "Don’t trouble yourself. Do you mind if I look
around?"

"Of
course not."

She
pushed away from the door and started browsing through the room much more
leisurely than she had when following in Mrs. Gladstone's wake. It seemed her
husband liked to collect things. Or perhaps his father had. A tiny reproduction
of a Grecian statue here, a lacquered Oriental box there. As she continued to
explore he finally sat down again.

"How
was your lunch?" he asked.

She
looked over her shoulder. "You could find out yourself if you ate yours.
Did you get your letter to the Prime Minister done?"

"Yes.
After that I sent Philip to eat."

"Yet
you can't find time to eat your own food."

"I'm
not hungry. How is your... friend?"

"Doing
well enough, I assume. We can find out at dinner. I had Mrs. Gladstone send
trays to all of us since you couldn't join us in the dining room for
luncheon."

From
the corner of her eye Jack could see him relax a bit. As she continued her slow
perusal he eventually turned his attention back to his work and she was able to
study him more openly. She had been thinking about his behavior, trying to use
her curiosity instead of being irritated by his capricious changes in mood. The
first thing she concluded was that he was intensely jealous. That was
flattering in a way, but spoke more of possessiveness than any particular
affection for his wife. The other thing she noted was that he tended to be most
irritating when she had made headway on getting to know him better. He didn't
like letting people becoming close to him. He had no siblings and never spoke
of his parents. It was possible he just wasn't used to being close to anyone.
Although his staff adored him there was a barrier between them and himself. He
was the earl and acted every inch the nobleman.

Jack
had made her way around the entire room. As she looked at Gideon, still bowed
over his desk, she thought of her parents. When Papa stayed too long at his work
Mama would always come into his study and wrap her arms around him from behind,
teasing him that days had passed since the family had last seen him last. Jack
wondered how Gideon would react to such a display of affection. Although it
made her heart beat rapidly to consider he might not take it well, she was
drawn to do it. She at least had some affection for her husband and he did work
too hard. As she slipped her hands over his shoulders and across his chest to
hug him she felt him tense in surprise. With her mouth now close to his ear she
whispered, "Am I going to have to feed you that lunch from my hand?"

His
voice was warm and soft as he replied, "Are you afraid I'm going to waste
away?”

"I
would hate for you to lose any of your strength or vigor."

He
leaned back, his shoulders pressing against her breasts. "You're concerned
about my vigor?"

"I
would certainly hate for you to lose it," she whispered.

His
hand reached back to cup her head and he turned to capture her lips with his
own. The kiss was exquisite, drugging. Jack could feel her body begin to tingle
as his tongue teased her own. He drew back from her and asked, "Have you
read the book yet?"

"Oh
yes, many times."

"Do
you have questions?"

"Hmm..."
she said speculatively. "Only...when do we start?"

Gideon
shifted and Jack suddenly found herself in his lap. This kiss was hungry,
almost brutal, but after a moment of surprise she strained toward him. There
was no thought of duty, or fear of losing him to another woman. This was pure,
driving need. After some moments of deep, soul-drenching kisses he pulled back
and rested his forehead to hers. "Philip will be here soon."

"Lock
the door."

He
laughed breathlessly. "Would you join me upstairs?"

"Yes."

"I'm
going to take a bath before joining you."

"I'll
order it now. And one for myself as well."

He
began to kiss her again and then there was a perfunctory knock at the door
followed by the sound of the door creaking open.

"Just
a moment!" Gideon called out brusquely. He said more softly to Jack while
kissing her jaw, "Phillip is used to being able to walk in and out at
will."

"I
told you we should have locked the door."

Gideon
set her on her feet with a laugh. "Get on with you."

She
passed Phillip at the doorway, giving the steward an embarrassed smile. She
called for her maid and ran up the steps to her bedroom. What to wear? What
should she do with her hair? Should she retrieve the book in case they were
going to discuss it? She stopped on a landing and nearly laughed at herself.
Surely they weren't going to do a recitation session on it. But still, perhaps
she should have it close at hand. Would they be in her room? His room? He had
said her suites reminded him of his mother and there couldn't be anything good
in that, surely. Oh gods she was doing it again. Thinking. Worrying. She took a
deep breath and slowed her pace.

In
her suite, Jack concentrated on bathing, applying lotions and scents, then
brushing her pale brown hair until it shone. Covered in a dressing gown, she
went through the adjoining door to his room. He wasn't there yet. After
considering her options she decided to sit in the chair near the bed. She set
the book on his bedside table and immediately regretted not having brought
something else to read. It was impossible to know how long he would be gone
since he tended to obsess about his work. Shortly, however, she heard a sound
from his dressing room and he was at the doorway, wearing a robe that fell open
above the sash and toweling off his hair. She hadn't seen a man's naked torso
before, and found that his book had not done him justice. He was a magnificent
stallion, all thick muscle that bunched and rippled as he moved, with curling
hair spread across his chest and tapering down to a point that disappeared
below the loosely tied sash. She felt her mouth go dry as she stared. He pulled
the towel off his head and saw her, going very still. Then a grin spread on his
face. "Couldn't wait?"

Without
thought she rose from the chair and went to him. He stepped forward as well and
they came together in a kiss of melting heat. His skin was warm and damp from
his bath, scented with the faint lemongrass of his soap. She ran her hands over
the damp hair on his chest, intrigued by it. With a soft growl he lifted her up
and carried her to the bed. He followed her down onto the soft surface, his
weight pressing her into the mattress. He was kissing her jaw, her throat,
while his fingers worked the ties on her robe. Once the ties were loose, he
looked down on her as he brushed the silk aside.

"So
beautiful," he whispered, running his fingers over the sides of her
breast, her ribs, her waist, in a soft touch that both tickled and inflamed.
His hand tightened possessively on her hip, his thumb stroking her side.

She
ran her hands over his chest, feeling the solid muscles quiver under her
fingers. He moved down to kiss her belly and she threaded her fingers in his
soft, damp hair. He moved lower still, kissing her thighs and nudging them
apart. She relaxed and opened to him with a soft sigh. Although the book had
given her information on the mechanics, it had been woefully short on insight
into how this would feel. She was floating in a drugged haze, both reveling in
what Gideon was doing to her body and somehow strangely detached from it. Then
he ran his thumb along that private spot between her legs and she hissed in a
quick breath, his carnal touch bringing her crashing back into the reality of
her body. His tongue followed his thumb and the rush of sensation made her
scramble back towards the headboard. His hands anchored her hips, and when she
stopped squirming away from him he used one hand to open her more fully to his
mouth. She dug her fingers into the wood over her head and tried not to scream
but the heat and pleasure that bordered on pain built and built until she
couldn't think, could only feel Gideon licking, kissing, stroking. He began
suckling on the nub that seemed to be at the core of sensation and she felt
herself bow up from the bed as waves of pleasure thundered through her. She
realized she was calling his name in a desperate chant.

He
moved up her body, kissing her hip, her belly. She was still panting and now
her body was quivering in new reactions. When he reached her breasts he settled
in to lick and nibble and kiss, molding the delicate flesh in his hands. His
weight on her was strangely invigorating and as his lips and fingers played
over her sensitive bosom she felt heat, dampness, and pressure building. She
squirmed under him, running her fingers through his hair, over his shoulders.
His weight on her, his touch, felt right but she knew she wanted something
more. The pictures from the book played through her mind and made her think she
knew what that 'more' was. Once she started squirming his mouth became more
avid, his touch more intense, and that made her more desperate.

"Gideon,
please," she gasped.

He
moved up to kiss her throat, her ear, while still tweaking her peaked nipple
with his fingers. "Please what?"

"Please
make love to me."

He
chuckled, "Now?"

"Yes,
now!"

He
kissed her with a powerful tenderness that had her melting into the pillows. He
whispered into her ear, "This can hurt the first time."

She
whispered back, "I know."

He
smoothed his hand down her body until it found the sensitive spot between her
legs again. He kissed her, keeping the rhythm of his tongue in time with the
sweep of his fingers and she thought she would go mad with wanting. She pulled
away from him, breathless. "Gideon!"

He
smiled and sat up on his knees, removing his robe. He was so magnificent that
she couldn't breathe. She'd never thought to find a man beautiful, but he was
to her. His skin was darker than her own, and covered in dark, curling hairs.
His shoulders were broad and muscled, his trim belly adorned with that
intriguing arrow of hair. Her eyes traveled to below his waist and she gasped.

“This
isn’t going to work,” she announced.

“I
assure you that it is,” he said solemnly. “You can trust me.”

She
looked back into his eyes and his confidence calmed her fears.

Taking
the towel he’d used earlier, he folded it and slid it under her hips, spreading
her thighs open with gentle hands. "I haven't made it a habit to deflower
virgins but my understanding is there can be a bit of blood." He paused,
"That is provided, of course, that you are a virgin..." There was
that vulnerability again that he rarely showed. A hope that she was his, that
he was special to her.

She
ruthlessly suppressed any remaining fear and reached toward him. "Yes, but
only because I can't seem to lure my husband to my bed."

He
smiled and lay down on her, his weight pressing her into the soft mattress
again and the hardness of his cock pulsing against her inner thigh. He kissed
her cheek and then stared down into her eyes as he guided himself into her. As
he entered her she felt him shudder. He felt impossibly large and she almost
told him again that he wasn't going to fit, but as he slid shallowly in and out
of her she felt the tightness relax and the excitement low in her belly began
to intensify. With each thrust he went slightly deeper until finally he gripped
her hips and thrust fully into her. She felt a tearing pinch and squeaked in
protest. He lay still on top of her and smoothed hairs back from her cheek.
"Are you alright?"

She
nodded, knowing that there were tears in the corner of her eyes. "Yes, I'm
fine."