His Uncle's Favorite (66 page)

His hand touched her bare arms then ran over her ribs and lingered upon her breast. His fingers did not move, only cupped her soft roundness then brushed slowly, tenderly, barely touching the soft fabric. She sighed, and his mouth covered her moan.

“We must behave properly,” she said breathlessly after some time. He smiled and nodded then separated from her but did not release her from his embrace. His right arm remained around her shoulders, and she cuddled to his chest, silently admiring the passing landscape.

They stopped every few hours to change horses and refresh themselves. Everything was perfectly arranged for their journey, a good sign that Miles, who had been sent ahead, was managing his duties most diligently. Inside the carriage, their behaviour became less proper several times, as Elizabeth pointed out with equal amusement and embarrassment.

Finally, at the end of a distressing, warm, and lengthy day, they stopped for the night at a small inn in Northamptonshire. It was a nice building—not large but well cared for—with a lovely yard full of flowers and lit by several torches.

The owner and his wife hurried to welcome them; it was obvious that Darcy had been their guest previously, and they seemed pleased to see him again. Darcy introduced Elizabeth to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, who offered warm congratulations.

“Mr. Darcy, we have prepared the upstairs rooms for you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Johnson. Do you have other guests?”

“No, sir. Miles paid for all the rooms yesterday.”

“Excellent. Thank you.” Elizabeth watched her husband with equal amusement and anxiety. He certainly knew how to have his way. He had paid for the entire inn, so nobody would disturb them, she thought, feeling her cheeks flush.

The rooms were large and nicely furnished. There was a small office separating the bedroom doors, which were now open.

“There is hot water prepared in your rooms. I will send a maid to help Mrs. Darcy.

“Thank you, Mrs. Johnson. Everything is perfect, as always.”

“I will ask for dinner a little later,” he whispered to Elizabeth, and she smiled, flustered.

She had no patience to enjoy a long bath, so she prepared herself rather quickly. She glanced at her image in the small mirror and was pleased enough. She then dismissed the maid and hesitantly knocked at his door. He opened and looked at her so intently that she could feel his eyes caressing her. He took her hand, kissed her and invited her to sit at the small table in the middle room.

“This is lovely,” she whispered, “but I doubt I will be able to eat much.”

“You have to.” He smiled. “You must eat well and sleep well; it was a long day, and we have another one and half ahead.”

She laughed nervously. “I guess I must obey you, now that we are married.”

“True…” He watched her closely then suddenly took her hand and raised her from the seat; he gently embraced her and kissed her temple.

“Are you nervous?”

“No, no…yes…a little…”

He cupped her face, and his gaze deepened into her eyes.

“There is no need to be nervous. This will not be our wedding night…”

“It will not?” She stared at him in disbelief, uncertain of his meaning.

“I would like our first time as man and wife to be in our home if you agree…”

“Oh…” She averted her eyes from him a moment, her cheeks burning. He smiled and stole a hasty kiss, his thumbs caressing her cheeks.

“I do not want anything or anyone to disturb us; I want to have my mind and my heart and my body preoccupied with nothing but you. I want us to love each other as we please in comfort, without hurry, then to sleep if we like then love each other again…”

She could feel his gaze deep inside her, invading her soul, and she shivered at each word. She put her palms over his hands.

“I think it a perfect arrangement…” she said with a trembling voice, attempting a smile.

“No, it is not perfect; a perfect arrangement would have been to marry at Pemberley and take you to our rooms a minute after the wedding, but we must make the best of this. Now let us eat; you must be starved. Then we shall try to get some sleep; we must wake early in the morning since we have a full day of travel. We will see how far we can go tomorrow, and we will decide whether we spend another day on the road.”

When they returned to the dinner table, Elizabeth’s anxiety had vanished completely, and her appetite seemed to increase with every bite. He poured her a little wine, and after the first gulp, her cheeks turned crimson, and she grew more animated. To the contrary, Darcy’s hunger for food diminished as he could think of nothing but the beautiful woman who was now his wife—the one who gazed at him with adoring tenderness, blushed for him, and laughed at him, her long, dark hair falling on her shoulders in heavy, silky curls. He wondered whether he would be able to restrain himself ’til they reached Pemberley. He planned to use the time to allow her to become more at ease with him, more comfortable with his touch, to become aware of her own wishes and determine she desired him as much as he desired her. It was a little scheme he had planned since they decided to journey to Pemberley after the wedding, yet he was uncertain whether he would have the self-restraint to control his passion.

“Should we go to sleep?” she asked timidly, and her voice brought him back from his reverie. She seemed to wait for his indication as to what to do next. He gently took off her robe then lifted her in his arms. She released a small cry of surprise and encircled his neck with soft, warm arms; then a moment later, their lips joined passionately. He put her on the bed, went to blow out the candles, and returned to sit on the bed beside her. She snuggled to his chest, and he put his arm behind her to pull her closer.

“I have long wished to sleep in your arms again,” she whispered while her fingers touched the thin fabric of his nightshirt.

“And I have wished to have you in my arms again even longer, my love.” He gently nestled her against the pillows, his fingers brushing over her eyes and cheekbone, and lingering on her lips a moment; then suddenly his mouth captured hers with tender passion. The kiss started gently, but soon the tenderness turned into breathtaking desire. As his lips became more demanding, his hands eagerly caressed her throat, her shoulders, her bare arms, then returned to reach the edge of her nightgown. The soft fabric was pulled down from her shoulders and gathered on her breasts; he broke the kiss and withdrew from her a moment, but her hands were tightly clasped around his neck, and she seemed unwilling to allow his departure. He smiled and returned to her lips until their need for air became stronger. He looked at her through the darkness; the moonlight shyly entered through the windows, and her eyes sparkled like stars.

“I want to show you how much I love and desire you…” he said hoarsely.

“Please show me,” she whispered, closing her eyes and parting her lips for him.

But his mouth was eager to taste more; his lips slowly traced warm kisses on her chin, then lower, along her jaw, down to her throat, then back to her ear and finally back to her own thirsty mouth. He lowered her nightgown, and countless chills overtook her; she moaned and he stopped, trying to hold her gaze. His stare made her breathing rapid, and her heart beat wildly. His eyes lowered, resting with passionate greed upon her soft roundness. Her breathing increased even more as his fingers—gently and so very slowly—brushed a trace of fire from her neck, down along and around her left breast again and again then cupped it with tender possessiveness, perfectly fitting in his palm. She moaned louder, and her back arched into his hand while his thumb daringly caressed her hard nipple. She released a soft cry, and he silenced her with another kiss; his hand moved to her other breast, starting the sweet, unbearable torture again. Her moans increased together with her breathing, and her body started to move as if of its own will.

“I want to taste you,” he whispered, but she could not comprehend his words until she felt his mouth abandon hers and travel down, following the burning trace left by his fingers.

She shivered as her mind told her what would come only a moment before her body felt it. His lips soon reached the place where her heart was beating wildly; her skin, still burned by his fingers, had to bear the torturous touch of his mouth, which kissed, tasted, savoured, and then closed around her nipple. She moaned again, covering her mouth with her hand. He suddenly stopped and lifted his head to look at her, kissing her lips softly. His hand returned to her breasts, unable to abandon their softness.

Then he withdrew a bit, watching her closely; she opened her eyes and held his own, her desire matching his. His hand slowly resumed its journey and stopped a moment on her belly; lifting the nightgown, it moved down slowly and patiently, tantalisingly brushed over her right thigh then slid gently between her legs. A deep moan escaped her dry lips, and she licked them as her legs moved. His eyes still held hers, and she could feel his gaze burning her as much as his hand, which slowly moved against her inner thighs. His eyes seemed to tell her what would happen; she slowly parted her legs, and a smile lit his dark gaze. His caresses increased, becoming more daring, more demanding, and more determined. His fingers persisted on her thighs for some time then moved up tentatively and remained still, pressing on her most intimate place. She gasped and looked at him in disbelief, holding her breath. He smiled and kissed her again; slowly, his fingers found their way to her bare core with tender caresses. His mouth suddenly captured hers again in a possessive kiss, his tongue conquering her mouth while his fingers moved in torturous, daring strokes, burning her core. Her mind could not understand what was happening while her body melted under the fire he built within her. She felt her mouth abandoned as his lips travelled down her neckline; his mouth tasted her skin and lowered again to her breasts, conquering her skin inch by inch, while his fingers conquered her core until everything vanished around her and there was nothing but his mouth, his fingers and a storm of fire and ice that shattered her senses.

She remained still, struggling to breathe again and to comprehend what had just happened; she needed some time before she dared to open her eyes. Slowly her senses recovered, and she could feel his hand still caressing her thighs, her belly, her hips…

Their eyes met, and a smile was softening his face; she briefly wondered how she looked and what he might think of her. He gently placed a kiss on her lips, then he leaned over her, covering them both with the soft sheet, his lips tantalising her ear.

“William, that was… I never imagined anything like that…”

“It makes me so very happy that my caresses please you. I have dreamed about that for such a long time… I have dreamed about
you
for such a long time, my love…”

She turned to face him, and unexpectedly, she put her hand upon his, which was cupping her breast. “Words cannot possibly describe what you made me feel… Is this how much you love and desire me?” she asked with blushing shyness.

“Not really; I love and desire you much more than that…” He kissed her hair.

“It cannot be much more… I know there is
something else, but it cannot be more than what I felt. Such pleasure is unbearable…” Her voice trembled slightly.

“You must trust me, Mrs. Darcy—there is much more than that. Much more indeed,” he whispered, and he could feel her tense in his arms. He chuckled and caressed her face.

“Let us sleep now; you must be tired. Good night, my love.”

There was a long moment of silence, and he was certain she was asleep. He could not possibly rest, as their little interlude was pure torture for him. He smiled as he remembered her beautiful face aglow and her eyes darkened with passion and pleasure—the passion and pleasure she had experienced for the first time.

“William?” she unexpectedly called his name and he startled. “I wish to show you how much
I
love and desire you. Will you teach me?”

His heart nearly stopped, and he could barely breathe. Her earnest request made his blood boil, and he was instantly so warm that he had to remove the covers. Every part of his skin craved the hidden promise behind her words, and his body cried to him to reply. He glanced at her eyes, tenderly raised to meet his, her face lit by a bright smile. She offered herself to him without knowing what she was offering. He kissed her temple.

“I shall teach you everything, my love…as soon as we are home. Now close your eyes and speak no more because you are in great danger of not sleeping at all this night.”

It was already light when Darcy awoke. He had not slept much, and his body ached, but his mind and his heart were light and easy.

Elizabeth was still asleep, her bare body covered. She breathed peacefully, her hair falling over her back as she rested on her side. He slowly removed himself from her, dressed and closed the door quietly as he went downstairs. Mrs. Johnson offered to send a maid to help Mrs. Darcy, but he refused. The servants prepared food and drink for the road; when the carriage was ready, he returned to fetch Elizabeth.

He sat on the bed and stroked her hair; she sighed with delight and smiled but did not wake up. Then he gently pulled down the sheets, and as her skin was revealed to his eyes, his fingers brushed over it; then he pressed his lips to her shoulder and bit her skin gently. She moaned and turned to him, covered with nothing but her hair. When she finally met his smiling eyes, she allowed herself to be caressed by his gaze for a moment then suddenly realised her state. She gasped and grabbed the sheets to cover herself.