The Well-Tutored Lover

Alice Gaines

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter One

Every woman remembers exactly when she lost her maidenhead, but how many can recall the moment when they first lost their heart? For me, it happened on a sunny afternoon in June of 1886. The man appeared at the doorway of my private conservatory as though the earth had conjured him out of the same riot of fertility that produced the swelling fruits on my squashes.

Although the cut and fabric of his clothing spoke of wealth, his features had a coarseness one usually associated with the working classes. The line of his jaw—rather too square to be considered aristocratic—seemed especially out of place against the stiffness of his collar.

His size alone would have made him stand out in any gathering. With his broad shoulders, powerful chest and long legs, he nearly filled the doorway. And yet, tousled blond hair and brown eyes that held a hint of laughter softened him. Indeed, he made an impressive display with the late spring sun beating down on him.

He nodded his head in greeting. “Your Grace.”

I set aside the cattleya I’d been repotting. “If you want to see me, please call at the front door and provide your card to my butler.”

“The usual way to do things.” He smiled. “Would that get your interest?”

“Most likely not.” In fact, I often ignored overtures like that. Most people who sought me out did so out of curiosity or in search of fuel for the gossip about the notorious dowager duchess. Life in the country could get dreadfully dull, even with the usual round of house parties. A few tidbits about that strumpet—what had possessed the Duke of Millford to marry such a woman, anyway?—could help to pass the long evenings.

“I’m right then?” he asked.

“I’m sorry?”

“You wouldn’t have seen me if I’d sent in my card.”

“I don’t think I’ll see you now,” I said. “You can find your way out, I trust.”

He didn’t leave but instead reached into his coat and produced a calling card. Holding it out to me, he stepped inside the conservatory and approached the bench where I worked. I reached out and took the card, my fingers leaving smudges of compost on the vellum.

“Mr. Arthur Chatman,” I read out loud.

“At your service, madam.”

“What sort of service did you have in mind?” Dear heaven, would I never learn to curb my tongue? It was exactly that sort of thing that had earned me my reputation. Not that I gave a fig for what any of polite society thought, but the buzzing and the sideways glances did become annoying after a bit.

Arthur Chatman didn’t look the least alarmed, despite his youth and, one would have to assume, relative innocence. He appeared just shy of full manhood, probably a dozen or more years younger than my own thirty-five. He didn’t stammer or avert his gaze but looked at me evenly, as if considering my question.

“I was hoping to ask a favor of you,” he said.

“There’s nothing I can do for you,” I said. “After my husband’s death, the Queen doesn’t even have to pretend to tolerate me any longer.”

He laughed. “I don’t want to go to court. We can do what I’d like right here.”

I raised an eyebrow in a manner that would normally make the timid turn tail and run. Chatman didn’t.

“I think you’ll be intrigued,” he said.

“Really.” I set his card on the potting bench and wiped my hands on my apron. “Let’s walk then, and you can do your best to intrigue me.”

He offered his arm, but I walked past him and led him outside. Our footsteps crunched along the gravel path as we went through the vegetable garden toward the lawn. He placed his hands behind his back and kept up with me, but made no move to touch me.

“So what is your favor, Mr. Chatman?” I asked.

“You have an…um…interesting reputation, Lady Millford.”

I stopped walking. “Shall I slap you now and send you on your way?”

“I hope not. At least let me do something to earn getting slapped.”

He was a cheeky pup, I had to give him that. “Go on, then. I haven’t managed a decent umbrage in at least a week.”

“From what I understand, you haven’t done anything that a man wouldn’t do after his wife’s death, but society doesn’t see it that way.”

“Hang society.”

He smiled. “Exactly.”

I turned and resumed walking. “So, you want to teach society a lesson?”

“I want you to teach me a lesson,” he said. “I want you to teach me how to fuck.”

I didn’t just stop walking at that one. I tripped over my own feet, nearly falling over. He caught my elbow in his large hand and steadied me. The contact felt at once reassuring and disconcerting. A combination of gentleness and strength that couldn’t help but remind me he was so much bigger than I. And yet, with a shout, I could call any number of servants to subdue him if I felt at risk of assault. Teaching him to fuck could prove much more dangerous.

“I’ve shocked you,” he said.

“Fuck isn’t a word that comes up in most polite conversation.”

“I could have said I want you to teach me how to make love,” he said. “But that isn’t the same thing, is it?”

“Let’s stick to fucking, shall we?” Good Lord, I must have taken leave of my senses. Here I was, standing in my own garden talking to a perfect stranger about fucking. A very appealing stranger, granted. He grew more appealing by the minute. A cheeky pup with an innocent smile and a strong, young body. Although my husband had been an accomplished lover, I’d never experienced lust with a stud like this one. None of the lovers I’d taken since Millford’s death had a physique anywhere nearly as well built as his. He had intrigued me after all.

Still, I had to chuckle. “It’s my experience that most men are born knowing how to fuck. It’s instinctual with them.”

“That’s true, but I want to know how to do it well.”

“And you think I can instruct you.”

“It’s a bit complicated.” He blushed. The curse of fair skin. The color on his cheeks was endearing, really, and emphasized his youth.

I began walking again, now across the more formal part of the garden where shrubs and flower beds lay in orderly geometric patterns.

“I’ve had some experience with women,” he said. “At my age, most men have.”

“You didn’t find it satisfactory?”

He shrugged. “I don’t have much to compare it to.”

“Did the women seem to enjoy it?”

“Not because of anything I did. They seemed happy with…” He cleared his throat. “…my size.”

“Ah.” I cast a quick glance at the front of his trousers, but his jacket hid anything interesting.

“All the women I’ve known were quite experienced. That’ll change soon,” he said.

“You’re going to start ravishing innocents, are you?”

“I’m not a cad, Lady Millford.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Of course, you’re not.”

“My family will want me to marry,” he said. “I’ll probably have a choice of several young women, all of them virgins.”

“You want to seduce your wife?”

“Mostly, I don’t want to frighten her.”

“With your size,” I said.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he cleared his throat again and blushed even deeper.

I blushed myself, I’ll admit. He did have a problem. If his cock was in proportion to the rest of him, he couldn’t help but cause a virgin pain. Only arousing her to the point of desperation could make her beg to take something so big into her body.

I, on the other hand, had only dreamt of taking a lover so well-endowed. Millford, bless his heart, had given me everything he could but not that. I’d given up on filling that erotic dream. Now Chatman was offering me the opportunity.

“I know what marriage is,” he said. “I don’t expect my wife to love me but I don’t want her to cringe when I slip into her bedroom.”

And there it was. The exact moment when I first fell in love. I just didn’t realize it at the time. It felt like a surge of lust so powerful it made my knees weak.

Millford had cultivated my lascivious nature for both our pleasure. I’d always known that his body had been aging and imperfect, but I’d counted myself so lucky to have a husband who cared about my satisfaction, I’d never thought to indulge myself with a large and eager young cock. I’d searched for what I’d missed after Millford’s death, but none of the men I’d had offered the combination of kindness, beauty, and sexual prowess I’d desired. Chatman did, and I could have him. The possibilities set my mind to racing.

“You’re thinking of helping me, aren’t you?” he said.

“I could hardly think of anything else.”

He smiled. “Then you won’t slap me.”

“Not unless you ask me to.”

He stopped walking, turned, and took my hand in both of his. He stood there, looking down at where his fingers held my own. “I’d like your help.”

“Are you sure you’d find me attractive? I’m quite a bit older than you.”

His head snapped up and his eyes widened in surprise. “You’re a handsome woman, Lady Millford.”

I blushed again, the heat creeping over my cheeks. Nothing made me blush anymore. Nothing except for this man. My heart tripped in my chest. For a moment, I might have been a young girl with her first suitor.

I looked back up at him. “Come back tomorrow. We’ll begin your lessons then.”

I spent the next day berating myself for not telling Chatman what time to come. After spending most of the night dreaming of huge cocks and strong fingers teasing my pearl, I had awoken in a state of anticipation that stole my breath and left my skin tingling. I might have slipped my fingers between my thighs and given myself some relief. But that would have taken the urgency from my need without fully satisfying it. In the end, I decided to enjoy my arousal as it grew over the hours.

I tried reading, but the words swam past my eyes without penetrating my brain. I picked strawberries and ate them still warm from the sun. Their succulence and sweetness only heightened my sensual awareness, and I imagined licking their juice from the swollen flesh of my new lover’s cock. I tried taking walks to clear my head but—as I hadn’t worn drawers in order to be ready for my young lover—I only became more and more aware of the friction between my legs.

Finally, I lay quietly on my fainting couch—closer than I’d ever come in my life to actually swooning—and counted the hours every time the clock chimed.

In midafternoon, Woodson appeared at the sitting room door with a silver salver in his hand. “A visitor, my lady.”

I sat up on the couch and extended my hand. Woodson approached and held the salver out to me. For a moment, I hardly could bring myself to look at the printing on the card for fear it was someone besides Chatman. If it was, I’d have to send them away and hope they didn’t cross paths with my young swain on his way in.

I took a deep breath and read. Thank heaven. I looked up at Woodson. “Send him in.”

I arranged my skirts around me but stopped when the trembling of my fingers became pronounced. An observer might have thought me a green girl for all my fluttering.

He appeared in the doorway wearing riding clothes and carrying his hat in his hand. If he’d tried, he couldn’t have found clothing to outline his physique better. The britches stretched taught along his thighs and the jacket barely contained his shoulders. His hair was pleasantly mussed as though the wind still rustled through it.

He gave me a tentative smile. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“Please close the door and come in.”

He did as I asked and then stood in the middle of the room as if waiting for my next command. My heart pounding, I patted the surface of the couch beside me. He sat and fidgeted with his hat until I took it from him and set it onto the floor nearby.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” I said. Although, heaven only knew how I’d manage my lust if he decided to back away.

“I want to,” he answered. “I just don’t know what I’m about.”

“That’s why you’re here. So I can teach you.”

He took a breath. “Right.”

“Let’s pretend that I’m an innocent. We’ve met several times, and I’ve been showing interest in you. We’ve sneaked away, and we can’t know when someone will find us.”

“Miss…” He stopped. “It would help if I knew your name.”

“Lily Sandridge.” My last name hadn’t been Sandridge for years, and only Millford had called me Lily during our marriage.

Chatman took my hands and gazed into my eyes. “Miss Sandridge.”

“Very good. Start slowly, and if the woman shows any reticence, retreat. She must feel safe.”

He cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

I studied him for a moment. “Have I made you uncomfortable?”

He looked me straight in the face. “What makes you say that?”

“You seem…I don’t know…hesitant.”

“I can manage hand-holding on my own. I’d like to move past what would be appropriate between us if we might be discovered.”

“Certainly.” I wanted that, too, of course. I’d spent the entire day waiting for his hands on my body and mine on his. I might not have his rod inside me during this lesson, but I’d get a good idea of its dimensions. That would fuel more erotic dreams and a heightened tension for more days yet. With a bit of skill, I might stretch out the titillation until it had reached unparalleled levels. And to think, if Chatman hadn’t appeared out of the blue the day before, I might never have thought of such delicious play on my own.

“Good, then,” I said. “Let’s move on.”

“Yes, let’s.” He gave me a wicked smile then, so unlike his earlier shyness. It made his eyes sparkle and formed his lips into sensual curves too delicious for any mortal woman to resist. Yes, we’d start with kissing.

”We’ll assume you’ve already touched the young lady several times—all innocently and by accident.”

His smile broadened. “Of course.”

“Now, the two of you find yourselves alone. Her chaperone has nodded off or some such.”

He leaned toward me, his eyes bright with excitement. My own most likely looked the same.

“It’s time for your first real kiss,” I said.

“Oh, yes.” His voice came out husky and full of promise.

“You still should move slowly. Signal your intent and let the lady come to you.”

He leaned closer to me, his lips nearing mine.

“That’s it,” I said. “Hesitate, looking into her eyes. Show her you want her but that you’ll wait until she’s ready.”

He stopped there, his mouth only inches from my own. I’d never had a more tempting invitation and I paused to savor it. The world slipped away as we sat there, each waiting for the contact that would begin our ascent to heaven.

Finally, weak human flesh that I am, I surrendered. I closed my eyes and sampled his lips.

And, oh, what lips they were. Soft and full, yet firm. Sweeter than my strawberries and headier than brandy. He held himself still while I explored every inch of his mouth from the corner to the fullness of his bottom lip and to the other corner.

After a moment, he began to tremble, so I ran my arms around his neck to encourage him. He took the message and groaned as he pulled me against him. Then his lips moved, brushing mine and sucking. Soon a fog of arousal filled my brain. This was no lesson but an assault on my senses. One I happily surrendered to. I offered him my tongue, and he grazed it with the tip of his own.

A shock raced through me, and I gasped. Immediately he pulled away.

“I’m sorry.” He took a shaky breath and then another. “I was carried away.”

I pressed a palm to my chest, as if that would help me get air. “My fault. I moved too quickly.”

“I’m not complaining.”

“Nor I. That was quite remarkable.”

He smiled. “You liked it?”

“My dear Mr. Chatman, when you know women better you’ll realize that you seduced me thoroughly with a kiss.”

“Please call me Arthur.” He looked quite pleased with himself. A true rake in the making. Only the flush to his own skin gave him away. He’d become as aroused as I was.

“Well, Arthur, you’ve done a very good job of kissing an experienced woman. A virgin will take a bit more work.”

“That’s what I’m here to learn.”

With another man, it might have worried me to give a fellow such power over women. An unscrupulous rake could cause misery for large numbers of young girls. Though I preferred adventurous men myself, I found the predatory sort beneath contempt. Taking someone’s innocence for one’s own enjoyment with no thought of the consequences was a selfish act of the worst sort. Selfishness had no place in good sex, as I’d learned from my late husband. But Chatman seemed to honestly want to please his wife-to-be. In that regard, he was much like Millford. In fact, if I’d believed in the supernatural, I might have thought Millford had sent him to me so I could have the joy of mutual pleasure with a strapping young specimen.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

I brought myself back to the present and found him studying me. Rather that the timidity he normally displayed, he gave me a frank appraisal, as if he could see inside my mind. For just a moment, I got a glimpse of the man he’d become in the prime of his power and worldly accomplishments. A glimpse of a stunning man, indeed.

“Hmm?” He leaned toward me and pressed his lips to my temple. His hot breath slipped into my ear, and I couldn’t help but tremble.

I put my hand on his chest and pushed him back. “I think you’re getting much too good at this.”

“Let’s go on.”

“Now then, after you’re shared several of those kisses with your young lady, you’ll find she makes more and more opportunities to get you alone.”

“I do hope so.”

I raised a finger in true instructor fashion. “Always pretend to be surprised. Pleased, but surprised. It’ll make her feel very clever.”

”That’s dishonest, isn’t it?” he asked.

“An innocent deception. You want to encourage her.”

“So, what should I do once she has me to herself?”

“More body contact.” I rose from the couch. “Here, let me show you.”

He stood, too, and stretched out his arms. I walked into his embrace and held myself against him, my head on his shoulder. I’d never had such a large man before. Size like that could intimidate, or it could feel like a shelter. He held me so gently—as if he feared I’d break—that my heart melted. Truly, I could have rested against his chest forever, except for one thing. The fire still burned inside me. I needed far more than such innocent contact could give.

I looked up at him. “Kissing’s more intimate in this position.”

“Yes.” He’d gone breathless again. No doubt the press of my body against his had aroused him as it had me. In fact, a definite hardness pressed against my belly. With a more experienced man, I would have pressed against his britches to stroke his cock through the fabric. Before he left today, I would feel the thickness of him between my fingers, and naked, too. For now, I’d find some patience.

“If you’ve kissed the lady before and she’s come willingly into your embrace, you can do it now with more authority,” I said.

He didn’t wait for more instruction but bent to take my mouth. Again, his kiss sent heat spiraling through me. Strong and yet soft, his lips moved over mine with just the right pressure. Not pushing or demanding, but drawing me to him. I clung to his shoulders as my knees grew weak. Since my marriage, I’d led a voluptuous life—first with Millford and then with other lovers. Nothing had ever made me hotter than the feel of this man’s lips on my own.

I whimpered and opened my mouth under his, begging without words for more. More of his heat, his strength, his sweetness. He held me, his hands roaming my back. When they went lower to cup my buttocks, I pressed myself against him until my belly rubbed against the bulge of his cock.

A roar rumbled through his chest, and he pushed me away. His strong hands gripped my arms though, holding me up. If not for that, I would have fallen.

“Mercy, Lady Millford,” he said. “I’m only human.”

“You wanted me to teach you how to fuck.” The disappointment, the hunger, the desperation rang in my voice. Normally I kept tight control of my emotions and only surrendered to my own orgasm. In another moment, this man would reduce me to begging.

“I want to fuck you, too,” he said. “But we must go slowly, or I’ll spend in my britches.”

Again, my heart soared. The fact that I could capture his body as completely as he’d captured mine promised pleasure beyond anything I’d known. Patience. I only needed patience.

I nodded my understanding and rested my hands on his arms, leaning into his strength while I gathered what I could of my wits.

Finally I was able to stand on my own, and I smiled at him. “All right. Slowly.”

He rubbed his hands over his face for a moment and took deep, even breaths. Then he dropped his arms to his sides and straightened. “Will an innocent respond like that to a kiss?”

Honestly, his questions about how another woman might feel about his touch were growing tiresome. Especially his emphasis on innocence. I’d never cared about that sort of judgment, but now, for some reason, it mattered.

“An unpracticed girl won’t respond as well,” I said. A bit petty, perhaps, but true. If he thought a prissy young thing would be as passionate as I was, he’d be sorely disappointed. “But, if she seems agreeable, you can press on.”

“How would I do that?”

“Nibble at her earlobe. Press kisses along the length of her throat.”

“If you don’t mind…” He swallowed. “Can we keep that for another day? I feel…well…overwhelmed.”

As did I, but I had no intention of stopping here. “Touch her breast and see what she does.”

His eyes widened and he stared at me. I’d confounded him. Good.

“Through her clothing,” I said. “Pretend it’s an accident.”

“Her breast.” His gaze fixed on my bosom. Slowly, his hand came up as if acting on its own. He watched its progress as it approached the swell of flesh under my bodice.

When the backs of his fingers grazed my waiting nipple, I couldn’t hold back a little cry of pleasure. Again his gentleness threatened to undo me.

“Soft,” he whispered. He moved his hand back and forth, teasing the nipple until it ached, and then cupped my breast. The flesh felt hot and heavy as he stroked it. I could have melted right then, and indeed, my pussy grew wet. How I burned for him.

“What else should I do?” he asked. His voice was none too steady and his breathing had grown ragged.

“Before she’s agreed to marry you, probably nothing more.”

He dropped his hand. “Nothing?”

“Anything more could ruin her.”

His brows furrowed. “But, surely there are other things I could do without taking her virginity.”

“But they’d ruin her, nevertheless.”

“I don’t understand.”

I sat on the couch again and gestured for him to join me. “If you awaken her lust but don’t marry her, she’d most likely search for satisfaction with another man who might not have your scruples.”

“Now I really don’t understand.”

“A woman’s sexual needs are every bit as strong as a man’s. Perhaps stronger,” I said.

He looked clearly surprised at that. “Can that be possible?”

“You must have pleasured yourself, haven’t you?” I asked.

His cheeks grew bright red. “Every man has.”

“Then you know you can spend without penetration.”

He didn’t even try to answer that but only nodded.

“For every climax a man has, a woman can have two or more.”

“The tension, the inevitability and then the explosion?” he said. “More than once?”

“You could make a woman spend without taking her virginity.”

“I’d like to see that,” he said.

“I could show you right now.”

He smiled, but his cheeks turned a flaming red. “Lady Millford!”

“Lily.”

“Lily, I…” His voice trailed off. “You want me to watch your orgasm?”

“I want you to give me one.”

“Now? Today?”

“Your kisses have aroused me beyond what I can endure. I imagine you feel the same,” I said.

He took my hand and brought it to his lips. “You have no idea.”

To the contrary, I had a very good idea. Both of us needed more. If he left now, he’d no doubt take his sex in hand and finish matters. I know I would. How much sweeter to do it for each other.

“A gentleman wouldn’t leave me in such misery,” I said.

“I would never hurt you, dear Lily.”

“Then touch me. Reach beneath my skirts and share heaven with me.”

I leaned back against the cushions and brought one foot up to rest on the sofa. With my legs parted in invitation, he could have no doubt what I wanted. Immediately, he reached to my ankle and moved his hand upward to where the garter held my stocking. From there, his fingers traveled over the naked skin of my inner thigh, headed toward my aching cunny. I sighed, closed my eyes, and waited for the touch I’d craved since awaking that morning.

“When you find my lips, you will have reached your goal,” I whispered, scarcely able to talk because of the anticipation.

“Ah, yes.” He touched my sex, stroking the swollen flesh. “Lovely.”

A jolt of pleasure raced through me and my back arched, pressing my flesh harder against his hand.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked.

“Don’t stop!” I cried. “Whatever you do, don’t stop!”

“It’s very wet. My fingers are covered with moisture.”

“My cunny’s readying itself for your cock.” As much as I’d love to tear off his clothes and mount him, I’d save that for another day. No need to rush, especially when today’s pleasure had grown so intense.

“This is where you’ll take my rod.” He slid a finger inside my depths. “It’s so hot.”

“Dear heaven,” I gasped. “Don’t stop.”

He slid another finger inside me and pumped until all reason fled and I was utterly at his mercy.

“Hot, sweet and wet,” he murmured, his own voice strained.

“Where the lips meet…above…” I had to fight to form words. “There’s a nubbin. Hard. Rub that.”

His thumb flicked over my pearl. “Here it is.”

“Yes. Yes. Oh, yes…”

His fingers still probing my cunny, he kept stroking my clitoris with his thumb. All the lust I’d endured during the day, all the passion of his kisses, the burning of my pussy—all of it built to impossible heights. I hovered on the edge of bliss for a long moment, and then the storm burst over me. Unable to endure further, my sex clenched and then erupted into spasms as I spent with a force that stole my consciousness.

After it finished, I lay back, boneless with pleasure as my sex continued to flutter around his fingers.

“My dearest Lily.” He removed his hand from under my clothing and leaned to press a kiss to my lips. “What an honor. I’ll never forget this moment.”

I held him to me as I drifted back to reality. “You did that very well.”

“I had no idea such a thing was possible.”

“There’s much more possible than that. In a moment, I’ll show you.”

We sat that way for a bit while I returned to full reality. Finally I couldn’t wait to continue our explorations. He’d touched me in the most intimate places and reduced me to pure lust. I’d do the same to him—and delight in making him the slave of his own passion.

I raised his face and looked into his eyes. “Now, dear Arthur, don’t be shy. I must see your cock. I must feel its weight in my hand and pet its length.”

Instead of a blush, he gave me a smile as warm as sunshine. Still innocent, but lusty and open to whatever I’d planned. I’d planned a great deal, and now I’d drive him to the same ecstasy he’d given me.

He straightened and opened his riding jacket. Finally I had a view of the outline of his rod where it pressed against the tight fabric of his britches. He hadn’t exaggerated its size. A broad ridge extended from the space between his thighs to the waist of his pants. I pressed a palm to it and marveled at how thick and hard it was.

He closed his eyes in bliss and pressed his pelvis against my hand. “Take care. You’ll make me wild.”

“My intent exactly.” I unbuttoned his britches, my fingers fumbling in my haste. I would have this treasure in my hands. I would stroke and caress it until I could watch it let loose his seed. Only I needed to work quickly, as he’d spend soon.

When I finally had the fastenings open, his cock nearly sprang free, it was so eager to be petted. I’d seen a few pricks in my day, and this one put the term to shame. The thorn of a rose could prick, as could a needle or knife. This resembled a mast, so thick at the base I couldn’t close my fingers around it. The tip was a wonder—as large and purple as a ripe fig. My poor lover had pushed himself to the breaking point while bringing me pleasure. He’d put off his own completion to satisfy me. Now I’d take care to give him the reward he deserved.

I stroked the length of him, all along the shaft to the balls beneath. Then I bent to kiss the head and lick the ridge that circled it.

He jumped and his eyes flew open. “What are you doing?”

“He’s such a fine, lusty fellow. Let me love him. Let me suck him deep into my mouth.”

“You’d want to do that?” he asked.

“Can you doubt it?”

“Other men have told me no lady wants to take a man’s member between her lips.”

“Then I’m no lady,” I said. “Because I want to savor every inch of you.”

If only that were possible. Nothing this large would fit into my mouth. But I’d take as much as I could and stroke the rest. With some effort, I could massage his sac at the same time. I bent to my work—sucking at the head of his marvelous tool while my fingers were busy with the rest of him.

He took a shuddering breath. “Oh, Lily. By God, I never imagined. Ah, my love.”

He seemed to swell even further, and I strained to take more and more of him. Oh so gently, I slid my teeth along the underside of his shaft. In response, his pelvis moved, imitating the thrusts of a man about to spend. Indeed, a slight tang of salt told me he’d released that first droplet that preceded the rush of his lust. He wouldn’t last much longer.

No longer speaking in words, his sounds told me of his mounting arousal. Murmurs and soft grunts—the song of the male in full rut. I didn’t slow, but worked him for every second of madness I could give him. Truly, a cock had never been more thoroughly loved.

Finally, he snapped. “Stop!” he shouted. “Oh, now…I can’t…Stop!”

I removed my mouth from his rod and stroked him hard and fast. He roared as his body went rigid. Semen shot out the tip of his cock in hot waves. It sprayed on him and on my hand. So hot and sweet.

I kept up the pressure until he’d finished and then gently released him to float on the same cloud of bliss I’d just occupied. Disturbing him as little as possible, I reached into my bodice to find my handkerchief and then blotted up his love juices. It seemed as if they’d gone everywhere.

After a moment, he sighed and slipped his fingers into my hair. “You’ve undone me. I’ll never be the same again.”

“Any lusty woman would do the same for you.”

“No, Lily. Only you.”

My heart shouldn’t have warmed at that. A man would say anything for fellatio. He’d just had his first taste and was understandably moved. He’d come to me for an education, no more. I’d enjoy the considerable pleasures of his body, and he’d go away again. The two of us would make some young girl happy in their marriage. A boon for all around, and yet…if I had foolish notions about men and love…

He sat up and pulled me to him, taking my lips in a kiss so sweet it brought tears to my eyes. He was such a mixture of innocence, passion and tenderness, only someone heartless could fail to respond. I’d best rein in my own heart before it came to hope for more than it could have.

I straightened and gathered my skirts around me. “That’s enough for today, I think.”

He tucked his limp but still impressive cock into his britches and did up the buttons. “May I come again tomorrow?”

“Oh, yes. Please do.”

Chapter Two

The next day, I sent Woodson into town on an errand that would put him right in the path of the butcher’s widow—a lady he admired for her generous disposition and even more generous bosom. If I had to rid myself of him so that I might enjoy an afternoon in my lover’s arms, he might as well enjoy himself, too. I told my maid that I had a wicked headache and would snap at anyone who showed her face, so she disappeared as well. In this way, I was able to pace the length of the drawing room in nothing more than a shift and dressing gown in complete privacy. I left the door open so that I could hear a knock at the front.

Heaven help me if anyone else were to drop by, but then, everyone for miles around knew my reputation. If they found me déshabillé, they had only themselves to blame.

My darling boy was punctual, and his knock came at exactly the same time it had at our last meeting. I greeted him at the front door, put my finger against my lips to command his silence, and then took him by the hand to my bedroom. The moment I’d locked the rest of the world out, he took me in his arms and gave me a kiss that set my senses reeling. After several moments of breathless sparring of our lips and tongues, he broke off and rested his forehead against mine.

“I can’t believe I’ll finally have you,” he said. “We will fuck today, won’t we?”

“I swear, I’ll perish if we don’t.”

He laughed and kissed the tip of my nose. “I wouldn’t want you to die on my account.”

“Oh, but we will die. Both of us.”

“I was awake half the night thinking of this. I had to use my hand to get some relief.”

“I wish I could have done that for you,” I said.

“When I remembered your mouth on my cock, it made me mad with lust.”

“Today you’ll feel my cunny around it.”

I could have taken him right then—I’d grown that wet and hot. But I’d agreed to teach him how to pleasure a virgin. The lesson would be long and slow, and we’d both approach the boiling point before I could have his huge tool inside me. What a glorious coupling that would be.

“Now then, we’ll pretend that I’m your virgin bride,” I said. “You’ll have to work to win your reward.”

“How should I start?”

“Undress me, and as you go, praise my body. A woman glows when she believes she’s pretty.”

He opened the top button of my dressing gown and slowly moved to the second. “You’re far more than pretty, my dearest Lily.”

“Do you really think so?”

He opened a few more buttons and stroked my skin. “It feels like rose petals. I must kiss it.”

Playing my part, I pulled the dressing gown closed and pretended shyness.

“You like my kisses, don’t you?” he asked.

I bit my lip and nodded.

“Then, let me kiss you everywhere. It won’t hurt, I promise.”

He undressed me further, bent, and placed his lips in the hollow at the base of my throat.

I’d had furious couplings—clothes flying, hands groping, bellies slamming together. I’d had the expert touches of my husband, as he’d taught me my own body’s responses. I’d never had anything like Arthur’s tenderness and reverence as he lowered his lips to the top of my shift. My breath caught and my skin grew extra sensitive. My breasts, especially, felt heavy and full. As if reading my need, he slipped a hand inside my dressing gown and cupped one peak through the fabric of my shift. The nipple hardened instantly, and I couldn’t hold back a gasp of surprise and pleasure.

“I must see you naked,” he whispered. “I must have all of you.”

“It isn’t right.” Although my voice came out strained with desire, it might have sounded like fear. Playing my part again.

He looked down into my face. “Lily, I’m your husband. Nothing is wrong between us.”

My husband. This mythical Lily he spoke to had better be worthy of him. If not, I’d find her and steal him from her. But then, who could be worthy of such a man?

I moved my hands and allowed him to finish unbuttoning my dressing gown. Once he’d done that, he pushed the garment over my shoulders and let it drop to the floor. My shift went next, as he bunched it up in his hands and pulled it upward. I lifted my arms to help, and in a moment I stood before him without a stitch on my body. Not acting this time, I covered myself as best I could with my hands. Thirty-five isn’t old for a woman, and I’d kept my figure well. But I didn’t have the bloom of youth he’d expect on his real wedding night.

He took my hands and moved them away from my body and stared at me until I trembled.

Finally I couldn’t bear his scrutiny another second. “Do you find me pleasing?”

He looked up at me as if he didn’t know the meaning of the word. “Pleasing?”

“I’m not young.”

“You’re magnificent.” He stroked my shoulder and then lowered his hand over my chest and cupped my breast. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

Something broke free inside me and my spirit took flight. He thought I was beautiful. His face showed no guile, no act for the benefit of another woman’s pleasure. He wanted me as much as I wanted him. I could give in to passion, knowing that he shared it.

“You may take me to the bed now,” I said.

He lifted me up into his arms and whirled me around as if I weighed nothing at all. I’d only meant for him to lead me to the bed, but floating in his embrace was so much more exciting. I could have him now. I could touch him anywhere and order him to do the same for me. My hours of waiting had come to an end. Satisfaction was within my reach.

He walked to the bed and laid me on the comforter. I lay there, gazing up at him, and oddly, this did feel like a first time. Certainly, he looked at me out of fresh, young eyes. What did he see? A woman past the blush of innocence that so many men valued above all else?

“Tell me again that I’m beautiful,” I said. Pitiful, and yet I couldn’t stop myself.

“You’re the most beautiful woman on Earth,” he said. “Your limbs are graceful, your breasts lush and full. And your cunny…ah, your cunny. It looks like heaven.”

“You can see it?”

“The lips are pouting beneath their curls. Luscious. I want to devour them.”

I did my best imitation of a girlish giggle. “You mustn’t. It’s wicked.”

“I want to kiss every inch of you,” he said. “That spot especially.”

He took off his jacket and dropped it to the floor. His collar and cravat went next, and then he unbuttoned his shirt, showing the smooth muscles of his chest. Even in trousers looser than his riding britches, his cock made a definite impression against his front.

Staring at it, I put my hand to my throat in mock alarm. He sat on the bed and took my hand. “I’ll be gentle, Lily. The pleasure will make up for any pain. Do you trust me?”

I nodded, and he bent to press a chaste kiss to my lips. Then he removed his shoes and socks and stretched out next to me.

“Our life together begins now, Lily, and you mustn’t be afraid of me.” With that, he kissed me in earnest, and the warmth of his body enveloped mine. I dropped all pretense and welcomed him, running my arms around his shoulders and answering his lips with my own.

The caress stole my breath as I opened my mouth to accept his tongue. He groaned and took us deeper, running his lips over mine and taking the lower one between his teeth to nibble gently. Heat rose between us, and I pressed myself upward against him so that I could savor the fabric of his shirt against my nipples.

He trembled, leashing in the power of his body. “I want you so much. It’s killing me to go slowly, but I will.”

I stroked the side of his face. “Kiss my breasts.”

“Ah, God, yes.” Moving lower, he let his lips trail over my chest until he reached one nipple. Teasing that with his tongue, he circled it until it hardened, peaking upward. Finally, he took it into his mouth and sucked—and I nearly flew off the bed, the feeling was so intense.

He assaulted all my senses—the pressure of his mouth against my breast, the sounds of his ragged breathing, the sweetness of his kiss. My entire body screamed for him, silently begging for more. I needed his hard rod inside me, and yet I needed to hold off the ultimate pleasure to make it more intense.

After loving that breast, he moved to the other one and continued his magic. His hands moved over my ribs, massaging me and pulling me to him.

He released my nipple and looked up at me. “Am I doing this right?”

I stroked his face. “Wonderfully right.”

“You make it easy.”

“You make me wild with lust.”

He grinned. “I plan to have my revenge on you for yesterday.”

A thrill rushed through me. “By kissing my cunny?”

“That intimate spot you told me about,” he said. “I want to make you spend again.”

“Oh, my.” A pointless thing to say, but all other words flew from my mind. He’d aroused me already, but now my poor sex throbbed with wanting him. In my mind’s eye, I saw his cock as it hardened to an impossible size, grew crimson and then released the hot stream of semen. I couldn’t take the sperm, of course, for fear of getting with child. But I would take his bulk inside me and ride it to my own release.

He moved lower, sliding his heat over me as he ran his tongue down the center of my body. Then, past my belly and to my pelvis. My heart hammered in my chest as he neared the seat of my desire.

After long moments, he blew hot breath on my thatch. “Open for me, Lily.”

Helpless to resist, I let my thighs part and waited.

“So beautiful.” He pressed his hand against my sex. “You’re wet for me again.’

“Arthur…I need…oh, please.”

“This?” Something hot and moist touched my nether lips. His tongue. It stroked upward and then grazed my pearl. I gasped at the contact as hot currents of need spiraled from my cunny to every part of me. He’d set a fire in me that would soon overcome me completely, and I had no choice but to surrender to it.

He slid his arms under my thighs and pulled my cunny against his face. His tongue continued taking me apart. He rubbed, he pressed, he traced circles over my clitoris until I could scarcely draw air into my lungs. When he sucked that sensitive flesh into his mouth, my hips jerked upward so hard that he had to clutch me to keep up the friction.

And—oh!—did he. Over and over. Now harder, now softer. The world became a red haze of lust as he pushed my body to unbearable levels. I needed to spend, wanted to make the pleasure last but needed to release my lust before I went mad with it.

In the end, I had no choice. My body took over as he worked my pearl. The universe condensed into that one spot between my legs, and the wildness took me. I coiled, shuddered, and screamed as the spasms shook me. It went on so long I almost lost consciousness. No one could survive pleasure that intense without losing touch with reality.

When it ended, I lay back, limp and gasping for breath.

He slid up beside me and took me into his arms. “My treasure. You make me so proud.”

I burrowed my nose into his neck and breathed in his scent, which was now mixed with my own where his lips had touched my sex. In a moment, I’d open my eyes and ask him to proceed. Right now, I didn’t have the strength.

We lay that way in silence as consciousness returned. Sunlight slanted in the window and heated the skin of my back. He shifted and removed his arms from around me. I opened my eyes to see he’d risen from the bed to remove his unbuttoned shirt. I stretched my arms over my head and watched him undress. Heaven forbid I miss this display.

His chest was an expanse of smooth flesh stretched over sleek muscles. It went from broad shoulders to a narrow waist. Once he had his shirt fully off, his hands moved to the buckle of his belt and then to the buttons of his trousers. Under the fabric lay a considerable bulge. I’d seen his cock before, and now I’d take it inside me. My cunny heated up again, waiting for him to enter it and make it whole.

When he had the pants open, he pushed them and his drawers over his hips and to the floor. After stepping out of them, he stood there and let me worship his body with my gaze.

He took his erect rod in his hand. “This will frighten my wife, won’t it?”

“It would terrify any virgin.”

“What should I do?”

“Tell her the truth,” I answered. “Tell her it will hurt the first time but will give her great pleasure once she’s used to it.”

“Will it hurt you?”

“It’ll stretch me.” I smiled to reassure him. “I’ll love it.”

“I’ll go slowly.”

“Delicious. Sink into me one inch at a time.”

He joined me on the bed and stroked my face. “You really are a wanton, aren’t you?”

“I hope so. Only, why are we talking?”

He circled his fingers over one of my breasts. “You’re to teach me how to satisfy my wife.”

“Ah, yes.” That aspect of the encounter had grown decidedly tedious. Why should I have to tutor him in making another woman happy when I wanted nothing more than for him to frig me with all the power of his body? I wanted him blind with lust and pounding his tool into my wetness. Oh, well…this was my part of the bargain and I’d live up to it.

“Now that you’ve shown her how good a cunny can feel, stimulate it again. Eventually she’ll beg you for more.”

He slipped his hand between my thighs and stroked my nether lips. I stretched the way a cat does when petted and let him work his magic on my body.

“So soft and sweet,” he murmured. “I can’t wait to feel its heat around my rod.”

“Oh, yes,” I sighed.

He slid two fingers into me and probed, stretching me. I gasped as the heat of his loving claimed me again. Teasing me even further, he removed his fingers, drew them over my pearl, and then slid them into my depths again. I’d spend this way if he continued, but how much sweeter it would be to grasp at his huge cock when I did.

“Do you want me?” he asked.

“More than my next breath.”

He gritted his teeth. “Good Lord, you inflame me.”

I parted my legs and gazed into his face. “Take me now. Please.”

“I can deny you nothing.” He positioned himself between my legs. “Take my cock in your hand and guide me to you.”

I reached down and grasped his hardness, then brought it to my waiting cunny. He pressed forward until the head entered me. It was indeed enormous, and he waited until I’d accepted that before going deeper.

I gasped in surprise and delight. “Oh, my. That…feels…so…good.”

“Another inch?”

“More. Please more.”

He pushed more of his cock into me and my eager sex devoured it.

“I want it all!” I cried. “Please.”

He held himself above me, the muscles of his arms trembling. “I’m trying to go slowly.”

“Never mind, just fuck me.”

Yet more of him went into my wetness, and I strained upward to take it. “I’m dying!”

“We’ll both die. You said so.” He pushed forward, now almost filling me. “Right now I like hearing you beg.”

I struck at his shoulder. “Cad.”

“Is this what you want?” A bigger thrust this time, and his thickness stretched me even wider and sent me near to heaven.

Finally—finally!—he pushed his hips forward, fully embedding himself inside me. Such a feeling—pleasure so intense it tore a cry from my chest.

“I hurt you,” he said.

“No,” I answered. “Oh, no, my love. You feel glorious inside me.”

“Truly?”

I moved upward, stroking his cock with my wet pussy. “See how I want you.”

“Then may God help me, because I can’t hold back.”

He began moving. Strong, slow strokes. Deep inside me, then sliding back and thrusting forward again. I’d never felt the like, and my breaths turned to gasps, rising in time with his movements. He filled me perfectly, and the root of him made contact against my pearl. I’d spend again, and soon. No one could withstand this assault and not die of pleasure.

He moved faster and deeper as his own need grew more urgent. Holding onto his shoulders as an anchor in this storm, I urged him on with my own answering movements. I’d need to stop him soon, ask him to withdraw before he shot his sperm inside me. But how could I live without him inside me at the ultimate moment? Perfect bliss. I needed more and more.

I’d stop him later. For now, I had to have him inside me.

He grunted and strained as his movements became more frantic. Harder, deeper, pushing us both to the limit. My lust tore me from the real world, leaving nothing but the friction of his body against mine, the pressure of his cock inside me, and the fire building in my belly.

Stop him! my brain shrieked. But my body drowned it out. A few more seconds and I’d spend as I’d never done before. I couldn’t stop him without having that.

Too late. I reached the crest and soared past. Every inch of me burst into flames as it hit, starting deep within me and then rushing along the length of my cunny. Everywhere. I grasped his cock as the explosions wracked me. Heaven.

He pounded into me, wild with his own need. He growled and then roared as he stiffened. Another massive thrust and then another, and he went rigid in my arms. He’d spent, sending his semen in waves inside me.

I should have been angry, aghast at what we’d done, but all I could do was hold him while he reached his own heaven and then floated back to earth. After several heartbeats, he went limp, moaning into my ear, “Oh, Lily. Lily, Lily. I never dreamt…”

I stroked his face and placed kisses against his lips. “My darling Arthur. No one ever dreamt it could be like that.”

“I love you. I swear it.”

My sweet lad. He’d had his first real taste of good sex. Of course he’d say he loved me. At this moment, he did. That would fade. For now I’d take his words and hold them in my heart.

After several shuddering breaths, he opened his eyes and looked down into my face. “I meant to pull out, but I’m glad now I didn’t.”

“My silly boy.”

“I’m not a boy. I know what I’ve done. I’ll marry you, of course.”

“That isn’t necessary.”

He looked down at me, his brow knitted with puzzlement. “We may have made a child. Of course it’s necessary that we marry.”

“How sweet of you.” I stroked his face. “I have the means to take care of things on my own.”

“It’s not a thing. It’s my son or daughter.” He pulled out of me and sat up. “I can’t believe you’d take this so lightly.”

I sat up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s no need for this conversation. We don’t know that I’ll conceive.”

“If you do, we will become man and wife. I insist.”

“Arthur, that isn’t really what you want.”

He turned and glared at me. “I want you as my wife, and I want to raise our child together.”

Oh dear. The man was a romantic. I should have guessed as much, given his tender concern for a virgin wife he hadn’t even met yet. Now, out of misplaced obligation, he planned to tie himself to an older woman with a ghastly reputation.

“You’re a dear man,” I said. “But you’re very young. You’ll change your mind.”

“You’re wrong about that.”

“We had a wonderful fucking.” Wonderful didn’t do it justice, actually. Glorious, spectacular, transcendent were better. In my whole adventurous life, I’d never had its equal. “Once we’ve been apart, you’ll see things more rationally.”

“Stop telling me my own mind.”

“If you feel so sure of yourself, stay away for a month. We’ll know by then if I’m with child. We can deal with each other reasonably.”

“Reasonably.” He huffed. “I don’t see anything reasonable about it.”

“Then stay away because I ask it.”

“All right.” He got up, found his drawers and pants and shoved his feet into them. “One month. Not a day longer.”

“Thank you.”

He slipped on his shirt and scooped up the rest of his things, then went to the door and let himself out. As the latch sprang closed again, I lay back against the bed.

That was that. He’d come to his senses in the next weeks. If he did come back, he’d most likely agree that we didn’t belong together. A polite conversation between two acquaintances. Damn. It would hurt less if he didn’t come back at all.

Chapter Three

Weeks later, Arthur came to me in a dream. Actually, I had dreamt of him almost every night, but this particular nightly visit was the most erotic of any of them. The two of us floated in a warm pond with a waterfall at one end. Fields surrounded us, filled with wild flowers. Brightly colored insects flitted from blossom to blossom. The natural beauty around us fairly demanded nakedness, and the water lapped at my breasts. As my excitement grew, Arthur’s cock slipped inside my cunny, filling me and stroking my inner depths.

If only it were real.

I clung to the image. Savored the feeling of his bulk inside me. Strained for completion before the dream faded. Faster and harder he moved as I got closer and closer to orgasm.

Just seconds from spending, I awakened. Damn. My breath was coming hard and I needed more. I reached to the lips of my sex to stroke myself and found fingers already there.

I gasped and jumped.

“It is only I,” a male voice said from behind me. Arthur. “Go back to sleep.”

“How did you get in here?”

“A determined lover finds a way.” He slid two fingers inside me.

“Arthur…”

“Shh.” He lifted my leg over his hip and inserted the head of his cock into my cunny. “Now be a good girl and let me fuck you.”

As if I had a choice. He pushed forward, embedding more of his thick tool inside me. Shameless, I pressed my hips toward him until I’d taken all of him.

“Ah, God, you feel good,” he gasped.

“You said you’d stay away for a month.”

“And so I did.” He started moving, even thrusts in and out.

“It isn’t a month until tomorrow.”

“It’s after midnight, so it is tomorrow. You didn’t specify what time I was to come.”

He kept thrusting and I matched his movements with my own hips. Reality was more erotic than my dream, and soon I’d grown so aroused that my sex made wet noises as he glided in and out of it.

“You sneaked in here when I was defenseless,” I said hoarsely.

He chuckled, but the sound was strained. “Is it working?”

“Not fair,” I gasped.

With his cock still moving inside me, he reached to my pearl and stroked it. “Shall I go away again?”

“No! Please, don’t stop.”

“Don’t worry. I doubt I could stop.”

Thank heaven. How I needed this. Weeks of wanting him, dreaming of having all of his hardness inside me and his fingers driving me until my soul shattered in bliss. Tomorrow I’d puzzle out how to deal with him again. Right now, I’d take the pleasure he offered.

“How I missed this,” he said. “All I had was my hand and my fantasies of you.”

Another image to play through my mind as my body caught fire. His cock, rigid and crimson, spraying hot semen in powerful waves. It would do that inside me in a moment, and I’d take it all.

“Now, my love,” he crooned. “You’re so close.”

“Yes.”

He moved faster—great, frantic thrusts that went right to my core. His fingers burned as they teased my pearl.

“Now!” I cried. “Please, now!”

Finally I exploded, overcome with lust. Tremors wracked my cunny, grasping at his hardness. I sobbed as I spent.

Behind me, his cries joined mine. We strained against each other, together flying into white-hot heaven. His hips jerked as he emptied his essence into me. My cunny soaked it up eagerly, taking every drop of him as my juices mingled with his.

When it was over, we lay together, his cock still buried in me, and floated off, enshrouded in each other’s warmth.

“That’s settled, then,” he said after a bit. “We’ll be married as soon as we can make the arrangements.”

“Nothing’s settled,” I answered. “Nothing’s changed.”

“We’ll have to wait again to see if I’ve gotten you with child.”

I rolled over and looked him in the face. In the dim moonlight from the window, I could just make out the smile on his face. He looked inordinately proud of himself. In fact, he looked outright smug. “You didn’t get me with child last time.”

“Then I’ll keep trying until I do.”

I slapped his chest. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Determined,” he corrected. “Face the truth, Lily. You can’t resist me.”

I huffed my disapproval. In much the same way a prude would, I’m ashamed to say. I could hardly contradict him, as it was true—I couldn’t resist him. If he came back to my bed, I would surrender. And he showed no inclination to stay away.

“I’m too old for you,” I said. “Too much of a pariah.”

“While we were apart, I tried taking an interest in innocent young things. They bored me into a stupor.”

“I’ll grow old before you do.”

He kissed me briefly. “You’ll still be the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“You’re a fool.”

“I’m in love,” he said. “I think you love me, too.”

“What does love have to do with marriage?”

“I can see it in your eyes,” he said. “You may as well admit it.”

I huffed again.

He chuckled. “I can make your body tell me you love me. It’s on my side, you know.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

He reached between my legs but I pushed his hand away. He could make my body do whatever he wanted, and I needed my wits about me if I was going to talk sense with him.

He laughed again. “Come on now. Admit it.”

“Very well. I love you, you insufferable man.”

“Then you’ll marry me.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” If I’d known he was not only foolish but obstinate, I’d never have let him in my bed. No, that was a lie. The moment he’d blushed and mentioned the size of his cock, I’d been lost.

“What would your family think of me as your bride?”

“My mother will take to her bed, no doubt. My father will question my sanity. My sister will love you. She’s a bit of a hellion herself.”

“Well, you see then. Both your parents would hate me, and I’d be a bad influence on your sister.”

“They’ll accept you after a while. They only want me to be happy.”

“I wish I could marry you, Arthur.” The moment the words left my mouth, I recognized the truth. I did wish I could marry him. I wished I could spend every day basking in his smile and every night in his bed.

“You might as well relent,” he said, “because I’m not going to give up, no matter what you say.”

“See reason, my darling…”

“It’s you who needs to see reason.” He stared at me, a stubborn set to his jaw. “I’ll either marry you or no one.”

“But, you can’t do that.” Why had I never noticed his obstinacy before? He’d seemed so shy and agreeable. When had he turned mulish? “You’ll disappoint your family.”

“Then they’ll be disappointed. If I can’t marry you, I’ll play the paramour. I’ll slip into your bed every night, no matter what obstacles you throw up.”

“That would ruin your sister.”

Even that didn’t penetrate his skull; the determination remained in his face. “She won’t care. She’d gladly ruin her own reputation if it would win her freedom.”

“Then you must care for her.”

“You’re hardly one to lecture about decency,” he said. Damn him.

“So, neither of you will marry.”

“And it’ll be all your fault.” He paused to let his words hit their mark. “Now, if you married me, we could all be very respectable.”

“I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous.”

“All right, then. We can all be very happy.”

The man was insane. Worse, I was catching his madness. Why in heaven’s name shouldn’t I marry him? He loved me and wanted me, and I felt the same about him. I had never given a fig for what anyone else thought—why shouldn’t I take this chance at happiness and thank heaven for it?

“Very well,” I said finally. “If you’re a fool, I suppose I am, too.”

His eyes went wide as he stared into my face. “Then you will marry me?”

“It seems I must.”

“Oh, my darling.” He gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll make you happy, I swear it.”

I looked into his dear face, although my vision had blurred with tears. “You already have.”

He cupped my breast and then ran his hand over my abdomen, headed for my sex. “I can always strive to make you even happier.”

And he spent the rest of the night doing exactly that.

ISBN: 978-1-4268-1599-7

The Well-Tutored Lover

Copyright © 2008 by Alice Brilmayer

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