Tempest of Passion (13 page)

William clutched her breast, kneading the flesh. He grasped
the nipple between his teeth, making her cry out. His tongue rolled
over the nub, soothing the tingle of pain. With his other hand, he
reached between her legs, rolling the flesh there in pleasurable
strokes. Emily’s hips lifted off the mattress, her breathing became
labored as moans and whimpers trapped at her throat spilled forth.
William sucked her other breast, his movements between her legs
became faster. Kneading the nipple between his teeth, Emily cried
out as stars danced behind her eyelids, a rapid fire spreading from
between her legs across her whole body and leaving in its wake
tingling embers. She didn’t have time to explore the newfound
feeling as William’s prick started to stretch her. She held her
breath.

“
This will hurt, Emily. I’ll try to be quick.”

He didn’t give her time to reply as he pulled back and slammed
into her with force. Emily cried out, tears gathering in her eyes
and slipping down her cheeks. William hurried to kiss her. He
brushed away her tears with the pad of his finger.

“
It’s all over now,” he whispered.

Inch by inch, she felt him move deeper inside of her. Darts of
pleasure traveled across her flesh. She wrapped her arms around his
neck, needing to kiss him deeply, to feel more of him. As they
kissed, William’s hips began to rock back and forth. Emily met each
and every one of his thrusts. Pleasure like she hadn’t known before
built inside of her.

“
William,” she gasped as he picked up the rhythm of his
thrusts. “Kiss me,” she demanded.

William brought his lips over hers without preamble. Sweat
coated his body, making it gleam under the yellow light coming from
the hearth. Her own body was slick with sweat, making their bodies
glide against each other like two well-oiled machines. Over and
over he pushed and shoved into her, grunting. Emily thrashed her
head from side to side. She dug her nails into William’s shoulders.
Her body was on fire. She’d never felt anything like this before.
Wild abandonment, pure desire–– passion. It was as if everything in
the world had lost importance, everything except her and William
and that moment in time as their bodies joined in one place.
William reached between her legs again and she closed her eyes in
pleasure.

“
No,” he said with a raspy voice. “Look at me.”

She forced her eyelids open and gasped at the raw emotion in
his depths and the swirling amber that had replaced the brown.
William pinched her between the legs and she cried out as her world
toppled and turned into a million shattering pieces of glass that
reflected golden eyes.

Chapter
Fifteen

William’s smile died on his lips as he caught sight of Emily’s
face. Her cheeks were full of healthy color as she glanced his way,
and he knew that without a doubt their night of passion affected
her, but the raw anger in her eyes replaced any thoughts of
happiness he’d entertained since he left their bed chamber the
previous night.

“
Good morning, Mr. Dalton,” she said, her tone icy.

William
ground his teeth together, fighting for patience. So they were back
to that. Very well.

“
Good morning, Mrs. Dalton,” he said, making sure to enunciate
her new married name. Her cheeks turned redder and her lips thinned
so much they disappeared for a brief instant as she sat in front of
him at the table. “Did you sleep well?”

He was toying with her, he knew, but he couldn’t help it.
They’d shared a magical night: one that he knew was beyond the duty
of a wife to a man, or even of that of a man to a wife. If he
closed his eyes he could see the unguarded emotions in her gaze. He
could feel the softness of her flesh against his fingertips. She
cared for him, even if she was furious.

Emily
glowered at him. “Not as well as I would have liked.”

“
Why is that? I found the chamber to be quite comfortable and
the bed warm, and more than welcoming.” He smiled pleasantly while
buttering his toast. The truth was he hadn’t intended to consummate
the marriage last night, but lying next to such a receptive Emily
had proved to be more than he could resist.

Emily’s frown grew more enunciated. She crossed her hands over
her lap. Unable to stop himself, William reached across the table
and stroked his thumb across her almost invisible lips. Her mouth
opened in a gasp. He smiled. Ah, so he’d just found a way to get
those beautiful lips to show, if only for a split
second.

“
Sucking lemons again, love?”

“
Take your hands off me or I’ll bite them,” she
retorted.

William laughed, though he knew the gesture wasn’t reaching
his eyes. He couldn’t understand why she was so furious again. He
could understand her anger the day before … but after last night,
he thought things between them would have improved.

“
Emily.”

“
Aren’t we supposed to be hurrying toward London? You seem to
be taking your time having breakfast.”

“
I was waiting for you.” He waved his hand over the breakfast
table richly laden with toast, jams, pastries, tea and
coffee.

“
I’m not hungry.” She pushed her plate aside and crossed her
arms over her chest like a petulant child. A slow trickle of anger
flared inside of William. If only he understood why she was so
upset, he could maybe try and solve the issue … but she seemed bent
on hating him. Very well.

“
Then let’s go.” He stood up with force, his chair teetering
before it fell to the floor with a loud crash. The noise increased
his anger. He wasn’t one to lose his temper. As alpha wolf, he had
learned to be violent only when there was extreme need, the rest of
the time, a wolf had to keep his calm. He had to keep his presence.
If he was angry unnecessarily, someone could get the better of him.
Emily was definitely getting the best of him that
morning.

“
Hurry,” he snapped. She glared at him but instead of
quickening her steps, she took her time to brush off the invisible
crumbs from her dress. William grabbed her arm. “Don’t play with
me, Emily, or you will get burned.”

“
You’re hurting my arm,” she snarled.

William loosened his grip a little but he did not release her.
Touching her, simply touching her, was electrifying. His wolf
howled in admiration. She was a worthy mate. Another woman might
have backed off or cowered at his sudden anger, but Emily stood her
ground, staring at him as if he had grown two heads and deserved to
have one chopped off.

“
I’ll do much more than grasp your arm if you don’t
move.”

“
What’s your hurry, now?” she leered,
struggling to pull away from him. William pulled her hard and she
stumbled into his arms. Grasping her face between his two hands he
kissed her, hard. Emily resisted, her small fists hitting his chest
a few times before she finally gave in to the invasion of his
mouth. She could be as angry as she wished. She could hate him all
morning, for all he cared, as long as she kissed him like that.
Their kisses spoke volumes to him. She might be furious, for what
reason he failed to understand, but her tongue rolling around his,
her soft lips molding to his and her fingers tangling in his hair,
told him that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. When he
released her, they were both panting and had he not had the urgent
need to reach London, he would have taken her back upstairs. Emily
clearly didn’t agree. Unexpectedly, her palm smacked his face with
a resounding
clap
.

“
I might be your wife, by force I might add, but I’m not your
kissing board,” she said between clenched teeth.

Surprise and anger flared in William, his wolf pacing against
his chest in distress. “Indeed,” he said, snatching her hand and
pulling her outside. “You’re not my wife by choice and you’re not
my kissing board, you’re simply my brood mare.” He cursed as he saw
the flash of hurt in her eyes. Damnation. “Emily.”

She shook her head, climbing into the chaise without another
word. His wolf cowered. He’d acted like an idiot, hurting his
mate’s feelings and all because she’d slapped him. The actual slap
hadn’t hurt … it stung, yes, but he’d had worse. No, it was the
volatility of her character that upset him. He’d had foolish
expectations, not taking into account that Emily felt differently.
That much was clear.

William spoke briefly to the driver before climbing in after
her. Emily sat in the corner, staring out the window.

“
I apologize, Emily.”

She did not reply. She did not even acknowledge his presence,
at least not consciously. His wolf sensed the erratic beat of her
heart and her emotions. They bordered on anger and sorrow. William
sighed, reminding himself why he had forced her into a quick
marriage. Someone wanted to hurt her because of him and he wouldn’t
allow it. He’d vowed to keep her safe, and even if she hated him,
he’d do so. But repairing the mess he’d just caused would take some
time. He rubbed his tired eyes.

Yet, he wouldn’t touch her again. What had happened last night
had clearly been a mistake … Thank God, he had good control over
his wolf and hadn’t fully claimed her, but the beast in him
remained frantic. It wanted her to say yes. It wanted her to commit
to the love that, in its eyes, was as clear as the light of day.
Emily said nothing, admitted nothing. He wouldn’t act until she
did. God, he couldn’t let her know his true nature until her love
was clear. The mating would not work otherwise.

Once their lovemaking had ended and she’d fallen asleep, he’d
left. He’d taken a horse and traveled to the nearest private point
he could find. There, he’d shifted and run. He couldn’t remain in
bed with her. He needed to let out some of the pent up energy his
wolf was experiencing.

William looked out the window. Grey clouds flitted over the
sun, darkening and lighting the world around them intermittently.
He caught sight of the moon, a white shadow in the light of
day.

He didn’t have the necessity to run on full moons, but the
spectral light was definitely an alluring magnet to when it came to
shifting. There were more wolves about during the full moon than
any other day in the month. They would be arriving in London
tomorrow: The third, and last, day of the full moon.

William
ran his fingers through his hair. London would be teeming with
wolves that could smell him out. They wouldn’t engage him in the
middle of the street during the day, but at night, everything was
fair ground. They would hunt him down.

Chapter Sixteen

William quietly eased into the upholstered armchair near the
fireplace without bothering to remove his damp clothes. He closed
his eyes. Water droplets clung to his hair, making it stick to his
forehead. Outside, the storm that had surprised him while he went
out for a quick scout of the area, pattered loudly against the
window panes. Behind him, Emily breathed deeply, fast
asleep.

He glanced at her. Her hair, which she usually styled to
convention, was loose around her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed
from the heat in the room. He curled his hands into fists. His
palms itched to touch her, to caress her flesh once more. His cock
grew hard, the need to claim her growing more with each passing
hour. He pulled off his cravat and laid it out in front of the
fireplace next to his boots and coat.

He could accept her anger if he knew its source, but she was
being quiet about it. It bothered him immensely. In the weeks he’d
gotten to know her, he had grown accustomed to her more or less
direct ways. If she wanted him to leave, she’d find a way to word
it so as to get him to leave. If she wanted him to stay, she’d say
so. If she found him presumptuous, pompous and annoying, she’d say
so.

William shrugged out of his waistcoat. He couldn’t understand
why she was so upset. They’d made love. They’d shared their bodies
with one another and instead of finding a happy wife, he had
uncovered one that glared at him every time he moved. With a sigh,
he stood and went to the window. Lightning lit up the sky. The wind
shook the window. William’s wolf paced nervously against his heart,
a caged animal in all senses. Bereft of a family and frightened
about discovery, there would be no more shifting until they were
safe. Not that that would stop a determined wolf bent on catching
him. At least, they weren’t being followed.

His flesh prickled with awareness and he spun around. His eyes
widened when Emily’s brown gaze found his. “Did I wake you up?” he
asked softly.

She
nodded and stared at him, not with hate or anger, simply with
confusion.

“
Why can’t you sleep?” she asked in the softest voice he’d
heard her use.

William shrugged. “The proximity to London makes me nervous.”
He paused as Emily sat up straighter in bed. Her long hair curled
above her breasts and his cock twitched at the sight. He wanted her
naked and screaming his name again, but clearly by her
sleep-induced gaze she wasn’t thinking the same thing.

“
Why? It’s only the city.”

William
took in a deep breath. He had planned in telling her about his
problem with the city tomorrow on their way there, but perhaps now
was the best time.