The Marquess Tames His Bride

She swallowed. Again.

‘And I, um…’ She didn’t get to finish what she’d been going to say about not wanting to let him down and how she would do her best to be a good wife to him, even though he wouldn’t have chosen her in a million years, for he took her in his arms and kissed her. Full on the mouth. As though he couldn’t stand listening to another single word of the nonsense she was babbling.

Or…no…better to pretend he was showing the eagerness of an impatient bridegroom. Yes, yes, that was better. For her self-esteem. It also gave her the courage to yield to the temptation to slide her arms up his muscular body and round to the back of his broad shoulders. After all she was his wife now and so this was no longer a sin. On the contrary, it was positively her duty to appreciate her husband’s caresses and return them. With fervour.

‘You are shaking,’ he observed huskily after a few deliciously fevered moments of doing what she’d always wanted to do. At which point she made a startling discovery.

‘So are you!’

‘It is merely lust,’ he said dismissively. ‘In my case, that is. Though I dare say you are trembling with nerves.’

‘Umm…’ She felt her cheeks heat with shame. At the fact that she was, apparently, as responsive to his kisses as any of the other women he’d bedded. And also at her reluctance to admit it. Because to let him think she was trembling with nerves was a sort of a lie. And surely no marriage founded on lies, or half-truths, could possibly prosper. Could it?

‘Which is why I decided not to wait,’ he said, stroking one finger along her jaw line. ‘I could see you working yourself up to such a pitch that making you mine tonight would have become impossible.’

‘Oh.’ That was actually rather thoughtful of him. He could be considerate, in his own fashion. No, no, considerate by anyone’s standards. Only think of the way he’d sent for ice after she’d punched him, knowing her knuckles would be sore.

And…he was trembling, too. With lust, he’d said. For her. When he was such a connoisseur of women.

‘Oh,’ she said again. Or rather, sighed. For his admission he was so filled with lust he was shaking with it made her feel desirable for the first time in her life.

Womanly.

‘Turn around,’ he growled.

‘Wh-what?’

Instead of repeating his order, he spun her round in his arms and his intent became clear as he began to tug open the fastenings at the back of the gown Lady Harriet had given her for her wedding. She’d wondered how she was going to manage it, tonight, without the help of a maid. All her own gowns fastened at the front, or under the arms since she’d never had a personal maid to help her dress and undress.

Though it looked as though she wasn’t going to need one now. Her husband was amazingly efficient. He had her gown and stays undone before she could say Jack Robinson. Had slid them down her arms, and kicked them away, and spun her back to him and was kissing her again as though he needed to have his lips upon hers without wasting one second.

Which was fine by her. After all, she’d longed, for years, to know what it would feel like to have him kiss her. And, oh, it was everything she’d dreamed. Exciting, and pleasurable and…golly! He was picking her up and carrying her over to the bed.

He set her down with deliberation on top of the counterpane, before straightening up and removing his neckcloth. Jacket. Waistcoat. Shirt.

She lay still, licking her lips and breathing rather fast. My, but he had a beautiful body. Lean and muscular. With just a smattering of hair in the centre of his chest. Which formed an arrow, pointing down to where his hands were impatiently tugging at the fall of his breeches. Oh, dear. That was just a bit much.

She squeezed her eyes shut before she caught sight of anything too…masculine.

She heard him chuckle. Heard the noise of fabric rustling, the thud of a garment landing on the floor. Felt the bed depress as he climbed on to it.

She might not be ready to look at him, naked, but she didn’t want him to think she was too prudish to make love with her own husband. So she reached for him blindly. And he let her catch him before drawing her close to his firm, naked body and kissing her.