know. She needed to know.
"No." His voice left little room for doubt. "It is none of those things, and by
tomorrow at nightfall, I shall have proved it to you. If you will allow me. One
day, Amelia. One day is all I ask. But then I will need an answer, one you must
give freely."
She swallowed hard, all of this
almost too much to take in all at once. "And if I do allow it? And
if I do believe you?" For she
already half-believed him.
"After that, if you consent,
we shall be wed before the first notes of the grand ball begin, and we shall
start the new year as husband and wife. And tomorrow night, when the other guests are abed, I will make love to
you and show you just how sweet the pleasures of the flesh can be. For they are sweet, my lovely, delightful,
delectable Amelia. And I long to show
them to you. Each and every one."
Amelia's heart leapt into her chest
and she felt dizzy, as if she might faint. She remained standing only because of David's strong arms wrapped
around her. Then, he brought his lips
to hers in a scorching kiss and her knees buckled so quickly that he sank with
her to the carpet and she was no longer standing at all.
His lips were everywhere, kissing
and caressing, the stroke of his tongue against her neck sending shivers down
her spine. His fingers tunneled through
her hair, heedless of how he disheveled her. His hands caressed her arms, the soft skin of her shoulders and then, finally
- blessedly - lower to her breasts, cupping each one in turn before using the
pad of his thumb to stroke her already stiff nipple into painful points.
"David," she murmured,
her hands sliding over the hard planes of his chest, feeling hints of muscle
and bone that she had only guessed at before. And through it all, there was the hard press of his cock against her,
letting her know precisely what he wanted from her. Telling her without words how much he desired her.
"Shhh, my love." He kissed the long column of her throat
before going lower, his skillful fingers freeing first one breast and then the
other from her gown so that he might kiss the rosy tips before taking one
nipple into his mouth and suckling at her. "Trust me," he whispered as he pulled back to lavish attention
on the other breast. "For tonight
is only the beginning, Amelia. There is
so very much I long to show you. But
for the moment, this will have to suffice."
Then he did something incredible
with his tongue and Amelia ceased to think at all.
Chapter Four
"Did you have an enjoyable
evening?" Lady Diana was all
knowing smiles the following morning at breakfast. Not that Amelia was interested in eating. She was far too tied up in knots to care
much about food.
"He kissed me. Last night in the library." Amelia said the words so softly they were
almost lost in the clank of the cutlery in the breakfast room.
Diana's face lit up like the sun,
which did not go completely unnoticed by Lord Hathaway. "That is wonderful! Did I not tell you that the gown would
convey the proper message? That he
would know you were amenable to whatever he had in mind?"
"You did," Amelia
acknowledged quietly, a blush stealing up her cheeks. "And you were right. Thank you."
Diana arched a pretty eyebrow. "And is there more? For I have the feeling you are not telling
me everything."
"And he wants to marry me," Amelia blurted without
thinking, wincing a bit when the words were out. "I believe he is mad."
Diana laughed and the eyes of the
other houseguests, again Lord Hathaway included, turned towards them. However when they realized nothing untoward
was going on, they turned back to their own plates, including Lady Lydia who
had been shooting daggers at Amelia all morning with her eyes.
It was not lost on the other woman
that this morning, Amelia was clad not in another one of her own boring frocks,
but rather in another gown borrowed from Lady Diana,
"No." His voice left little room for doubt. "It is none of those things, and by
tomorrow at nightfall, I shall have proved it to you. If you will allow me. One
day, Amelia. One day is all I ask. But then I will need an answer, one you must
give freely."
She swallowed hard, all of this
almost too much to take in all at once. "And if I do allow it? And
if I do believe you?" For she
already half-believed him.
"After that, if you consent,
we shall be wed before the first notes of the grand ball begin, and we shall
start the new year as husband and wife. And tomorrow night, when the other guests are abed, I will make love to
you and show you just how sweet the pleasures of the flesh can be. For they are sweet, my lovely, delightful,
delectable Amelia. And I long to show
them to you. Each and every one."
Amelia's heart leapt into her chest
and she felt dizzy, as if she might faint. She remained standing only because of David's strong arms wrapped
around her. Then, he brought his lips
to hers in a scorching kiss and her knees buckled so quickly that he sank with
her to the carpet and she was no longer standing at all.
His lips were everywhere, kissing
and caressing, the stroke of his tongue against her neck sending shivers down
her spine. His fingers tunneled through
her hair, heedless of how he disheveled her. His hands caressed her arms, the soft skin of her shoulders and then, finally
- blessedly - lower to her breasts, cupping each one in turn before using the
pad of his thumb to stroke her already stiff nipple into painful points.
"David," she murmured,
her hands sliding over the hard planes of his chest, feeling hints of muscle
and bone that she had only guessed at before. And through it all, there was the hard press of his cock against her,
letting her know precisely what he wanted from her. Telling her without words how much he desired her.
"Shhh, my love." He kissed the long column of her throat
before going lower, his skillful fingers freeing first one breast and then the
other from her gown so that he might kiss the rosy tips before taking one
nipple into his mouth and suckling at her. "Trust me," he whispered as he pulled back to lavish attention
on the other breast. "For tonight
is only the beginning, Amelia. There is
so very much I long to show you. But
for the moment, this will have to suffice."
Then he did something incredible
with his tongue and Amelia ceased to think at all.
Chapter Four
"Did you have an enjoyable
evening?" Lady Diana was all
knowing smiles the following morning at breakfast. Not that Amelia was interested in eating. She was far too tied up in knots to care
much about food.
"He kissed me. Last night in the library." Amelia said the words so softly they were
almost lost in the clank of the cutlery in the breakfast room.
Diana's face lit up like the sun,
which did not go completely unnoticed by Lord Hathaway. "That is wonderful! Did I not tell you that the gown would
convey the proper message? That he
would know you were amenable to whatever he had in mind?"
"You did," Amelia
acknowledged quietly, a blush stealing up her cheeks. "And you were right. Thank you."
Diana arched a pretty eyebrow. "And is there more? For I have the feeling you are not telling
me everything."
"And he wants to marry me," Amelia blurted without
thinking, wincing a bit when the words were out. "I believe he is mad."
Diana laughed and the eyes of the
other houseguests, again Lord Hathaway included, turned towards them. However when they realized nothing untoward
was going on, they turned back to their own plates, including Lady Lydia who
had been shooting daggers at Amelia all morning with her eyes.
It was not lost on the other woman
that this morning, Amelia was clad not in another one of her own boring frocks,
but rather in another gown borrowed from Lady Diana,
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