Jack Valentine (Haberdashers Tales Book 4) Read online

  "This and some fine coats," she corrected him.

  "You may have all my coats if you like."

  "They are warm and smell quite nice."

  "Then they are yours. Will you marry me, Teddy Minett?"

  She took a moment to let the question run over her heart like sunlight and water. With her eyes closed she could feel the core of her warming as it hadn't since their kiss. As though she had been more frozen by his rejection than she ever had by the cold of winter. She opened her eyes again to see him staring at her anxiously. She had one more question. "If I say yes will you kiss me?"

  "If you like," he said carefully.

  "Do you want to?"

  "I think of little else."

  "Then yes."

  He strode forward to pull her against him for her kiss. This time it didn't start with the gentleness of their first, but rather began almost exactly where their last kiss had ended. With a desperate, heated mating of lips and tongues. With both of them wishing to be closer than clothing would allow. His hands moved from the back of her neck down to her bottom, pulling her up tightly against him. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his.

  He tore his lips away and rested his forehead on hers, his breath harsh. "Teddy, if I don't stop now then I might not stop at all."

  "Don't stop," she pleaded. "The last time you did I think a part of me died."

  His blue eyes were startled as he looked down at her. "Teddy, don't say that. I love you. I can't stand the thought that I hurt you."

  "I've always loved you," she admitted quietly.

  His grip loosened and he gently set her back on her feet. For a moment she worried that he was going to set her aside again, but he kissed her lips gently and took her hand to lead her into the bedroom that had a bed covered over in a sheet. He carefully folded the sheet back to keep it from scattering dust. Once he set it aside, he shrugged off his jacket and spread it open on the bed.

  "It's not much, but it's what I can offer you this first time."

  She smiled tremulously. "You know I love your jackets."

  He stepped behind her to work free the buttons of her dress.

  ***

  Artie's fingers were shaking so much he was surprised he could work the buttons. Once the dress was loose he pushed it from her shoulders and watched it fall to the floor. His warm, beautiful Teddy. He kissed her shoulder where the bare skin met the strap of her chemise. She shivered and made that mewling sound in her throat that he loved so much. Part of him wanted to rush, wanted to see how hot and hard their lovemaking could be. But another part wanted this to spin out to eternity. To make these moments, of her accepting his love in the most primal and carnal of ways, to be his forever. He knelt in front of her to remove her slippers, and could smell the musk of her arousal. It took all his strength not to bury his face in her scent, to run his hand up the chemise that only covered her to the knee and feel her arousal slick against his fingers. But he didn't want to scare her, his sweet, lovely nymph.

  He stood and looked at her, barefoot and covered only in the slight gauze of her undergarment. Her full breasts had upturned peaks. He couldn't imagine a more perfect woman. Nor could he stop himself from covering one of her perfect breasts with his hand, feeling that rigid nipple graze against his palm. She gave a little gasp and bit her bottom lip. He kissed her while continuing to stroke her gently, delighting in how her hips began to shift against him. Soon she would learn why her body squirmed in reaction to his touch, what her body hoped for.

  "May I remove your chemise?"

  She nodded shyly and he slowly lifted the gauzy material over her head. The figure hinted at under her clothes was even more staggering than he had guessed. Large breasts that begged to be suckled and rounded hips that he couldn't wait to hold while surging into her. Her body was made for every sexual delight.

  "Go lie down on my jacket," he said, his voice husky from need.

  She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands, her shyness dictating that she guard herself in some way. But she finally move to the bed and crawled over to jacket he had lain in the center. Watching that beautiful bottom up in the air as she crawled gave him a new flood of sensual plans. He would never tire of his sweet Teddy. She was perfect in every way. And if he could undress without accidentally strangling himself with his own cravat, he could claim her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Teddy was reminded of how she had felt naked and powerful walking down the stairs toward Arthur the other day. His eyes now were hungry and determined as he shed his own clothing. She wished she knew more of what happened between lovers, but he certainly hadn't seemed upset with her so far. When he freed himself of his shirt she wished she could run her fingers over all the skin revealed.

  "Thank God I wore shoes rather than boots today," he said, kicking them off and removing his stockings. Finally, he unbuttoned his placket and lowered his pants. She'd never seen a man's member before, but Arthur's was long and thick. She didn't think she could wrap her fist all the way around it. For some reason looking at him, thinking about touching him, made her itch to do... something. She wasn't sure what yet.

  He came to her, crawling over the bed and lowering his large frame down on her.

  "Tell me if I'm too heavy," he whispered into her hair before suckling her earlobe into his mouth.

  She ran her hands over his hot flesh and relished the feel of him pressing down onto her, skin to skin. His member pressed against her thigh, large and hard. Under her fingertips his skin was rougher than her own, covered in coarser hair. She was thrilled with the differences. He kissed her mouth again, plunging his tongue in to tangle with hers. Sucking and nibbling until he wrought another helpless whimper from her. Then he kissed and licked down the column of her throat and to her breasts. The first time he sucked her nipple into his mouth she thought she might die from the pleasure. Encouraged by her reaction, he covered her other nipple with his hand and set up a rhythm of pinching one, then sucking the other while she called his name breathlessly. His journey down her body continued, kissing her belly and hip bones. He spread apart her thighs with his large hands and she didn't even feel shy. She was his. Boneless and restless and all his. He kissed the inside of her thighs and murmured sweet words of her beauty and how lovely she smelled. His warm breath washed across the apex of her thighs and suddenly she wanted him there. There between her thighs. As though he somehow heard her heart's plea, he licked between her folds. She was too shocked at first to know what she felt. Then he spread her with his fingers and set to kissing her there with all the enthusiasm he had shown her mouth before. When he suckled there, like he had her nipple, she bowed up on the bed, her body clenching in spasms of a painful pleasure.

  He returned his mouth to hers, both of them breathing hard, and cupped one hand over the curls, petting her gently.

  "Arthur?"

  "Yes, Teddy?" he asked, biting at her jaw.

  "Is it always like that?"

  "We can hope."

  She wrapped her arms around him and gave herself over to his lovemaking again.

  ***

  Teddy was every inch the nymph he had accused her of being. He would gladly drown in any pool she led him to if it meant reveling in her body.

  He smoothed her hair back to get her attention. "The first time I enter you, it could hurt."

  "But not always?"

  "Not always," he agreed.

  "All right."

  He wasn't sure if he should bring her to another climax before entering her, but he didn't think he could last that long. Listening to her moan his name with her first one had almost undone him. Perhaps he should spill his seed against her thigh rather than entering her as they weren't yet married, but this was Teddy. He wanted her, needed her, in a way he couldn't even explain. And he knew now that if he withheld himself from her in any way, she would take it as a rejection. He dipped one long finger into her channel, testing her.

  "How do you like that?"

  He
r answer was a whimper followed by a breathless, "Yes."

  He added a second finger and set a gentle rhythm. Her hips shifted against his hand. "Good," he breathed into her hair, so close to his own completion already that he desperately prayed he could last more than a moment in her. Another little mewl from her prompted him to spread her thighs wide and settle between them.

  "Ready?" he asked.

  "Yes," she answered softly, running her fingers through his hair.

  He gently pressed into her. She was hot and wet, but also tight. So tight. He bit his lip and looked into her eyes. Teddy's eyes, like golden pools in the forest, her hair spread out like leaf litter. This was where he was to drown, then. He shifted and started a gentle rhythm, dipping a bit deeper each time, one hand gripping her hip and the other under her shoulder. How he loved holding her, making love to her. Her hips tilted to his rhythm, her hands trailing down his body to rest at his waist.

  He nipped at her ear. "Deeper?"

  "Yes?" It sounded more a question than confirmation, but she wouldn't know until she'd felt it. He surged harder against her, faster. Finally he was buried entirely in her. He wouldn't last long like this, but he couldn't stop. She whimpered and rocked her own hips against him. He put his hand under her bottom to encourage her motions. Sweet Lord, nothing would ever feel better than Teddy. He wanted to bring her to another climax, but his body was greedy for her. He found his completion, his spasms of pleasure spinning out almost endlessly until he collapsed against her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Arthur had shouted her name and then collapsed atop her almost like a dead weight. She didn't know what to think of that. Her body still quaked and shivered with pleasure she had never felt before. At least she knew that he still breathed so he hadn't actually died.

  "Teddy?"

  And he was awake. "Yes?"

  "I never want to leave this bed."

  She smiled against his shoulder. "No."

  He finally propped himself up on his elbows. "Do you ever talk very much?"

  She ran a finger along his jaw, thinking she would never tire of touching every part of him. "Yes," she answered simply.

  He shifted to her side, pulling her close and throwing a leg over her hip. "I've never seen it."

  "Of course you have. When I came to ask you about the toys."

  "That deluge of words? I assumed you were nervous."

  "I was, but there are other times I'm chatty."

  "When?"

  She thought. "When I wake up, when I've seen something new, when I've just gone to a social occasion."

  He nuzzled her ear. "What if I wake you up with kisses and lovemaking?"

  "I suppose we'll find out."

  He took to petting her curls again, dipping a finger inside her. "Because all I heard earlier was a lot of yes and Arthur and yes Arthur."

  "You asked a lot of questions."

  He chuckled and then pulled her closer. "I've just noticed that it's downright frigid in here."

  "We can't let you relapse into your cold." She pushed at his shoulder until he acquiesced to roll onto his back, then clambered on top of him.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Being your blanket."

  ***

  Arthur stared up at the dingy blue ceiling of their new home and thought he'd never been so happy. Soon he would teach his sensual wife other things she could do on top of him other than be his blanket. But it was surprising how much contentment could be found in simply holding her close.

  "Aren't you cold?" he asked.

  "Not yet." She kissed his chest and laid her cheek against him again, her hair spilling off his ribs and down to the bare mattress. The first thing he needed to do was get this bedding in shape. When he returned with her as his true bride he wanted to have a bed of decadent comfort. The rest of the place could go hang so long as the bed was warm and comfortable. Even though he had warned her that they might be snubbed by their class and no longer have social invitations, he had to admit that the idea of being cloistered here with her and his carving was very appealing. Almost ideal, if he were to be honest. They could visit their parents from time to time and otherwise retreat here to enjoy each other's company. He ran a hand over her rounded bottom.

  "You're cold," he accused, feeling the chill of her skin.

  "Not really," she said.

  He squeezed her bottom for emphasis, which was also pleasurable in its own right. "I can feel how cold you are." He turned over, trapping her underneath him in the jacket again.

  She giggled. "Now your bottom will be cold."

  "It's a man's duty to protect his wife."

  She poked at his chest. "I'll remind you who succumbed to a cold recently."

  He kissed her cheek. "If I have a cold will you bring me tea and soup?"

  "Of course." She laughed. "From the tea house."

  "You can make me tea in the fireplace."

  "Perhaps I'll even learn how to make a simple soup."

  "That sounds nice."

  She laughed again. He loved the sound of her laughter. He should insist that they dress. He should take her home and go about formalizing their engagement. He wished that he could marry her today and bring her back here to continue their exploration of each other. He didn't know how he would survive days without her. Now that he had tasted the pleasure of her body, the delight of her happiness, he didn't want to be without her for a moment.

  "Teddy, do you regret that we did this before we married?"

  That served to sober her. "Marriage is for eternity, isn't it?"

  "Well, yes. I mean, the vicars always say you are married in the hereafter."

  "I should think eternity isn't just the future, it's the past as well. If we are to be married, then we always were and always will be married."

  Damned if he could find a flaw in her argument. To reward her, he set to bringing her to another peak of pleasure before insisting they dress and return to her house.

  Chapter Twenty

  Teddy was so happy she could hardly stand it. Arthur had insisted that they go back to her parents to announce her acceptance, but there were at least another fifteen minutes left in the carriage ride now that they had left Aylsham proper and there was only farmland stretching out in every direction from their carriage windows. She pulled Arthur close for a kiss, enjoying his rumbling groan as it deepened into something wicked.

  "Teddy," he breathed against her lips. She recognized that tone. He thought they shouldn't be doing this. He was her beloved and she refused to believe they shouldn't heed the yearnings of their hearts and bodies. As both her heart and body continued to yearn for his she shyly put a hand on his trouser plackets. He was already swollen from lust again. "Teddy, don't," he pleaded.

  She sighed and kissed his nose, withdrawing her hand. Turning her regard to the window, she let him lace their fingers together again. Holding hands was delightful, but having him inside her was heaven on earth, and she refused to believe they should feel ashamed for it.

  After a few moments he sighed harshly. "Dammit, woman, come here."

  "Beg pardon?"

  He unbuttoned his placket and his member sprang free, long and hard. She wrapped her hand around it, thrilled to finally feel it against her palm. Silky soft skin over a rod of steel. He sucked in a breath as she squeezed and stroked. "Bloody hell."

  "You don't like that?"

  "I like it far too much. I'll never survive without you. The wedding had best be soon."

  "Should I kiss you, like you kissed me?"

  "Bloody hell, Teddy. If you kiss my cock I might pass out."

  She took that to mean yes and leaned down to place her lips on him. She liked the word cock. Kissing the tip, she swirled her tongue over him and heard the hiss of his breath. She kissed the tip again, sucking harder and his hips jerked under her. She wrapped a hand at the base of his cock to hold him steady and set to kissing, licking, and sucking as though he were her favorite treat. He was salty and sweet all at
once. His breathing became harsher and he set a hand on her head, petting her hair gently.

  "Teddy, sweetling, I'm going to come. You needn't swallow, I've my kerchief." She pushed aside his hand with the proffered cloth. There was something satisfying about knowing she was making him come, that she had the power to render him undone. He groaned deep in his throat and his hips surged against her. Inside her mouth she felt his cock spurting hot liquid. She sucked and swallowed the salty treat until he was spent. He pulled her into his lap and hugged her fiercely.

  "You are impossible," he said into her hair.

  "Wayward," she agreed.

  "No, I mean it is impossible that you exist. You are far too perfect."

  She smiled and relaxed against his chest. "I love you, too."

  ***

  When they were almost to the Minett's house he finally let Teddy go back to her seat and buttoned his placket. As the carriage rolled to a stop he whispered a promise to his naughty vixen. "The next time we're alone in the carriage I'll let you ride my cock until you're moaning my name."

  She gave that little surprised gasp that he loved so much and the look in her eyes begged that they tell the coachman to drive on. Gods, but how was he supposed to survive even one night without burying himself in her heat? She had a pool to drown him in, a hot spring between her legs. Now that he knew the pleasures of her mouth he was doubly damned. He had already come three times today and knew he would be using his hand at least once tonight. Bloody hell.

  But now wasn't the time to be thinking how he wanted to be buried deep in her body. Now he had to talk to her parents, and then his parents, and they needed to plan a wedding.

  Somehow he survived the conversation with her parents without simply taking their daughter back to his carriage to have his way with her. The carriage ride home without her was the loneliest of his life. He understood now why marriage was sometimes referred to the making of two into one. Without Teddy there he felt incomplete, as though he had accidentally left something vital behind, like his own leg.