Pirate Hunter's Mistress (The Virginia Brides) (10 page)

The one way which she knew to make her husband desire her was to show him what he’d be leaving behind. Perhaps her money hadn’t tamed him—she realized her money must be financing his voyage—but there was another way to tame a man. Before she was through expressing her love for Arden, he’d never want to leave her again. And maybe, just maybe, a marriage based only on mutual physical attraction wasn’t a bad way to begin.

“All is in readiness, my lady.” Mrs. Mort completed the two table settings, then lighted the large white candle which stood between the gold-rimmed plates.

Marlee turned from the looking glass where her image reflected a silver gown, light and airy of material, with red rosettes on the full sleeves. The bodice was tight and much too low, as was the fashion. She’d originally hated the scandalous-looking creation after she’d bought it before leaving the village. It had been the only gown at the dressmaker’s shop which wasn’t sewn for an elderly matron, and she hadn’t had the time to have her own dresses made before hurrying to Arden. But now she was rather pleased at the way her full breasts strained upward and liked the way her already small waist appeared to be tinier. With her hair loose and fluffed about her face, Marlee decided she would appeal to Lord Arden. She must appeal to him. Her heart was overflowing with love and desire for him.

She turned to Mrs. Mort. “My husband knows to come here after he’s bathed and changed?”

“Yes, my lady. Lord Arden is aware he is to dine in here tonight.”

“I shall serve him myself.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Don’t be so glum, Mrs. Mort. Smile for me, please.”

“Yes, my lady.” But the smile was nonexistent.

Mrs. Mort had hardly withdrawn when Arden tapped on Marlee’s door. Marlee’s heart beat hard and fast when she opened the door to him. A tender smile broke out upon her face because he seemed to be baffled at having been summoned to her room. “Come in,” she sweetly invited.

“I’ve been told we’re to dine in here tonight.” Arden glanced at the table and then back at Marlee. “Are you ill, my lady?”

“Goodness, no!” She laughed up at him with sparkling eyes. “I’m very well—and I thought it might be nice to have an intimate supper—alone.” She wanted to say more but couldn’t when his large, warm hand took hers and brought it to his mouth for an endearing kiss.

“I quite agree with you,” was his husky-voiced assessment.

Tingles of anticipation and desire streaked through her faster than a comet racing through the heavens. “Please be seated, my lord, and I’ll serve your supper. You must be hungry.”

“I am,” he said, but she sensed he wasn’t speaking about food for his eyes fastened on her mouth before straying to the lush, rounded mounds of her breasts. He smiled a lazy, crooked smile as he took his seat. “Outfitting a ship is not an easy task. I’m lucky to have found able-bodied men.”

“Yes, good help is a wonderful thing to have.” Marlee started serving the succulent beef that the cook had already cut into portions. She bent low over Arden when she placed his plate in front of him. Her breasts were so tightly laced that she feared they’d break loose of the stays she wore, but the beads of perspiration on her forehead had nothing to do with her attire. Suddenly she realized that his mouth was so near to her bosom that if he’d wished, he could have brought the pale, soft mounds to his lips—and she’d have willingly and wantonly allowed him to feast upon them.

“So is a beautiful woman.” The heat of his words washed across her bare flesh like hot, licking flames.

“Your supper, my lord,” came her voice in a breathy whisper as she pushed the plate near to him.

Instead of picking up the fork as she thought he’d do, he took her hand in his. “What have I done to warrant such personal attention?”

His touch caused a slow burning in her blood; her face flushed. Should she admit the truth to him about loving him, should she admit she’d miss him unbearably while he was away and would count the hours until his return? Ever honest, she realized she must. If he knew she eagerly awaited him, then maybe life would be different when he came home.

Marlee settled her glittering blue gaze upon him. “You’re leaving, and I want you to know how much I’ve—come to care for you.” Lowering her gaze, she nearly stumbled over her words so nervous was she. “I would deem it a great honor, my lord, if you would make me your wife in every sense of the word. I know I’m only a common person, but I swear to you that I love you, will love you forever.” She bravely looked at him. “You don’t have to love me in return. I know that a man of your background cannot love me and I dare not believe you ever shall—”

“Marlee! For God’s sake do you know what you’re asking?” Arden bolted out of the chair. His mouth was a white line in his tanned face.

“Yes, I know,” she answered simply and molded her body against his, eager for his kiss upon her lips, in fact burning for it. “I’m asking—no, hoping—you will make love to me. I pray to God that you do.”

“Be careful what you pray for, my love, you just may get it.”

“I hope that I do, my lord.”

With that, she wrapped her arms around his neck and wantonly pulled his head down until their lips met. It was a kiss filled with aching need and pent-up passion, exploding in an inferno of melting ecstasy. When his arms went around her and pulled her into him, Marlee knew she had won. “You’ve asked for this, my love, remember that,” she heard him say over the pounding of her heart. “I’m a man who can no longer resist you, sweet Marlee. Forgive me—”

“Shh, my darling. I don’t want to speak or to think any longer. I want you to make love to me—now.”

“Oh, Marlee, now is all I can give to you. Please don’t hate me for wanting you.”

“I can never hate you,” she softly assured him, and at that moment she didn’t believe she would ever feel anything for him but love.

With skillful hands, Lark undid the back of her silver gown, allowing it to fall like a pool of moonlight at Marlee’s feet. Next, he removed her hoop petticoat and then her stays. Her breasts broke free of the restraint and Lark smothered a husky groan. Never in his life had he seen a more beautiful woman, and he’d seen and sampled many a lady’s charms in his time. But there was something pure yet sensual about Marlee, a quality which stirred his blood from the very first moment he saw her. He needed her, wanted her, and no matter that his mission had brought him to Arden Manor and would cause his departure, he was determined to have her. For the first time in his life, he felt absolute tenderness, a melting of his senses. In the back of his mind he knew he should admit the truth to her, that he should do the honorable thing and leave. But he’d become engaged to Bettina out of honor and experienced no happiness because of it.

Now he didn’t give a damn about honor. All he wanted was Marlee and a fleeting moment of happiness to last the rest of his years.

“You’re so beautiful,” Lark praised and cupped her breasts in the palms of his hands. Through the silky material of her chemise, he felt her nipples harden in response as his thumbs gently massaged them.

“I love when you touch me. I feel so alive—so quivery”

Her candor about her feelings amazed him. He couldn’t help but smile. “And do you always feel quivery when a man touches you?”

She didn’t realize he was teasing her. Her horrified expression lent credence to her true innocence. She stiffened imperceptibly but Lark felt her resistance. “No man but you has ever touched me. Please, I beg you not to believe the gossip.”

“I don’t,” he hastily assured her with a fiery kiss upon her lips, but it wasn’t until that moment that he truly discounted the story about her virtue. Her body relaxed against him and she placed her arms trustingly around his neck. He couldn’t wait any longer for her, his loins ached with a fierce burning he’d never before experienced. Scooping her into his embrace, he lifted her off of her feet.

Marlee giggled in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Carrying you to bed, sweetheart.” Which is exactly what he did when he placed her in the center of the fluffy coverlet. He watched her for a moment. She appeared so beautiful in the candlelight, so seductive, with the transparent chemise doing little to hide her physical attributes. His tongue wanted to savor every luscious inch of her, to taste each curve and crevice of her body. He’d never hungered for a woman this much, and knew he must go slowly with her, but the fire curling through his loins caused him equal amounts of pain and pleasure.

“Are you supposed to undress, too?” she asked him with wide eyes which were softer than deep blue velvet. “I mean, is it customary for the man to undress?”

His deep laugh sent ripples of delight down her spinal column. Bending over, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Yes, my love, very customary.”

With his gaze never leaving her, Lark stripped down to his trousers. His fingers stalled on the waist cord of his pants at her gasp. “Are all of the clothes removed?”

“Yes, of course. Didn’t you know that?”

“No-o.” Shaking her head, Marlee glanced down at her thin chemise. Her hands instinctively covered herself. “Must, must I undress entirely?”

“If you’d rather not, you don’t have to, Marlee. But it would be very nice if you do.” He kissed her with a sweet longing which left her breathless. “I think you’d like it very much, and if you’re shy about it, I could assist you.”

“Would you? I’m—afraid.”

“Gladly, my love.” His fingers itched to rip away the thin silk from her body. He removed his trousers, suddenly aware of the way Marlee’s large, frightened eyes appraised his aroused manhood. There was curiosity in her gaze, too, but fearing she might withdraw from him, he quickly pulled down the cover and slid beneath it.

“Now, your turn,” he invited and was more than relieved when she rose up on her knees to face him. Gently, he touched the white lace covering her breasts. “I don’t bite, not unless you want me to.” Lark flashed her a mesmerizing smile.

Marlee nodded, but he suspected his meaning was lost on her. Long dark strands of hair fell forward and covered her bosom. “Would your undressing me give you great pleasure?” she asked.

“Very great pleasure.”

“Then undress me, my lord, and make me yours,” she whispered. “I want to belong to you.”

“Ah, Marlee, Marlee, you’re mistress of my heart.”

Tenderly, Lark pushed her chemise down until it rested at her small waist. His throat swelled, she was so beautiful, so perfectly formed. Her breasts were thrust upward, arching toward him, taunting him to take their globular fullness within his warm hands. He responded by bringing each nipple to his lips to suckle.

A wetness gathered within the very center of Marlee’s womanhood. What Arden was doing to her felt so very wonderful that it seemed wicked to enjoy it. “Am I supposed to like this?” she asked, and her hands steadied on his broad shoulders to still the trembling which rocked through her.

His dark head moved from her breasts and he glanced up. “Don’t you like this, sweet Marlee?”

“Oh, yes, very much,” she breathed into his hair.

“Then enjoy it. There’s nothing for you to be ashamed of, frightened about.”

She swallowed convulsively. “Is there more?”

“Much more. Let me show you.”

He guided her down onto the coverlet and removed the rest of the chemise. She lay there in complete surrender before him, vulnerable and so lovely that his heart contracted. His forefinger reached out and found the sensitive bud which was hidden within the lush folds of her body. Gently, he stroked the velvet nub, feeling himself become so hard and rigid that he feared he’d soon explode.

Something was happening to her. Marlee could no longer think, could barely speak. Her whole attention was fixed on the very center of her femininity where something within her was building to a fiery peak, threatening to overflow with molten heat. “What—what are you doing to me?” she asked in a low, breathy voice.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you like it? Should I stop?”

He stilled his finger and she arched her body to make contact with his fingertip. “Please don’t stop. Don’t ever stop. I—I just don’t understand what’s happening to me.”

Her eyes were glazed with desire, and her voice was thick with passion. He knew it wouldn’t be long until she found her release. “Lie still and enjoy, my love. Close your eyes and concentrate only on my finger within you, feel the pleasure it gives to you. Go on, Marlee, close your eyes.”

Like an obedient child, she did as he commanded but was very much aware when he laid beside her to suckle one of her breasts. “I’m going to take you to paradise, my love,” he promised with a spine-tingling tug upon her nipple.

Paradise meant heaven to Marlee, she’d heard a great deal about it from the minister’s sermons each Sunday. But suddenly paradise took on a whole new meaning, and it was no longer a place within the clouds. It was here and now, a physical reality. With each silken stroke of Lark’s finger, he brought her closer and closer to it.

She began to pant, writhing and arching toward the heavenly crescendo Lark promised. She wasn’t certain what she was going to feel, but what she felt now was more wonderful, so stupefying, that no words could adequately explain the intense sensations gathering and spreading like sweet wildfire between her legs. A low moaning began in her throat. She was coming to an end that was also a dazzling beginning.