To Catch A Spinster (The Reluctant Bride Collection) (6 page)

She was startled when Nathaniel’s hand found hers in the darkness. His thumb began to draw lazy patterns on her glove and she suppressed a shiver. She glanced at him but found he was suddenly quite fascinated with the show.

All of a sudden she was finding it quite exciting as well.

The beating of her heart drowned out all other sound as he continued to fondle her suddenly sensitive fingers. Her breath came faster and her stomach flipped and flopped. She fanned herself vigorously; the room had become inexplicably warm. She noticed a slight smirk on Nathaniel’s face; the man needed a taste of his own medicine.

She began to fondle
his
fingers- stroking the long lengths, encircling the thickness. His breath hitched and she feared there was a little smirk on her face now. She glanced at him and met his eyes. His were bright and shining and he smiled a little at her. His own fingers once again sought to take control of the situation and she choked back her laugh as they fought for fondling dominance.

The longer she and Nathaniel courted the more she thought how well suited they were together. He was quite the most wonderful gentleman she’d ever gotten to know. They had the same interests, the same non-interests, and he made even the most head-pounding evening fly by. Every once in a while she thought it was a shame this was not a real courtship. Would they suit for real?

Of course, it wouldn’t be very fair to him if she started thinking and acting like this was a real courtship. They had a deal and marriage wasn’t part of it. She had propositioned him, so it wasn’t likely he still thought her a proper young lady fit for a gentleman.

Intermission came quickly enough. Nathaniel’s hand fiddling had kept her quite occupied, but she still begged Mary to leave early when they visited the lady’s withdrawing room. Hand fiddling, while quite exhilarating, could not silence the interminable screeching.

“No. You asked us to accompany you, and Rufus has been so excited to come. We can’t leave half-way through.”

“I don’t understand how he can be so passionate about it.”

“None of us can understand what you find so all-consuming about the stars, yet we let you get on with it.”

Olivia could think of quite a few instances where her family had not left her alone in peace to study her stars. Yet, she knew that Rufus felt quite passionate about music and she wouldn’t want to deny him the pleasure. No matter how much it made her want to yell.

“Besides, aren’t you enjoying sitting so close to your Mr. Jenkins?”

“I am. But he doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself so much either.”

“At least you have that in common. You won’t have to attend with him in the future if neither of you enjoys it. Rufus says Mr. Jenkins prefers the country; you two can squirrel away to the countryside and be happy forevermore.”

“The stars are clearer in the country. Town is all about fashion and gossip. I dare say this will be my last season here.”

Mary grinned at her, happy. “I dare say it will be, too.”

Olivia shook her head. “Even if nothing comes of Mr. Jenkins. I am about ready for spinster-hood.”

Mary glared at her. “I will be ever so grateful when I no longer have to hear you call yourself a spinster. I am quite tired of it.”

They left the lady’s room and found themselves in quite a crush. They wound their way through to the gentlemen and Olivia could hear whispers and laughter. It was mostly gossip about fashion, but then she heard “...gray bombazine...” and realized it was she they were laughing about.

She smiled at such foolishness. She really did not understand what the fuss was about. She had dressed appropriately for the opera, if not fashionably.

“...Jenkins doing with her?”

“...do much better...”

“...joke? Not like him...”

And she stopped smiling. Would his reputation suffer because of his supposed interest in her? At least no one could believe that Nathaniel was really courting her. Why would they? He was a solid gentleman with a solid fortune, he could have any woman he wished. He wouldn’t choose to court a set-in-her-ways old maid. Oh, if they only knew the real reason he was here with her.

It was good he was such an honorable man. He would never tell anyone of their arrangement, that much she was sure of. When their arrangement came to an end, no one would think anything but that he had come to his senses and stopped pursuing such an unsuitable match.

She had benefited extraordinarily from his attention. She had experienced walking the green, flirtatious dancing, attending the opera, and been the object of a man’s studied attention. It was getting hard for her to pretend it wasn’t for real, and it seemed it was getting hard for others to ignore his attention as well. She hadn’t meant to make anyone believe they had an attachment, least of all herself. She had simply wanted to know what it felt like to be wanted. Now she knew.

She also knew it was time to end the public courtship. She did not want his reputation to suffer from their association. She liked him far too well to cause him any harm.

At last, the opera ended and they escaped. Nathaniel kept her close, ostensibly to guide her through the masses of people. “That was an experience I won’t be quick to forget.”

“Nor I. Thank you for suffering through it for me.”

“Of course, Olivia. I did enjoy parts of it, though I hope we won’t have to again for quite some time.”

She shook her head. “Once was more than enough for me. But thank you, Nathaniel. This has been a wonderful courtship.”

“Do you consider yourself wooed and won, then?”

She laughed, squeezing his arm.

“I do, indeed.” She paused, looking away. “But I wonder when the next part will come.”

“I admit I’ve been hesitating.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been hoping you would change your mind.”

She scowled at him. “I won’t.”

“And also because once a couple unites, it changes their relationship. Sweet kisses and passionate embraces are no longer enough, the act itself becomes all important. It is very hard to go back to what one was before... Are you sure you want to continue, Olivia?”

As they stepped outside, the cool air made her shiver. She took a deep breath.

“Yes. That was what we agreed to, Nathaniel. I want to know. I want to know why the act becomes so important. I want to know why passion grips men’s souls and makes women go all aflutter.” She looked up at him and whispered. “Please show me.”

He stared in silence at the line of carriages, then chuckled. “Will you be watching the stars tonight?”

Olivia glanced at the foggy sky, then smiled at him. “I expect not for long.”

Nathaniel smiled, too. “No, not for long.”

I
f Mr. Nathaniel Jenkins didn’t get here soon, Olivia was going to beat him with her telescope. They would find him bludgeoned to death and her only excuse would be that he’d promised to seduce her and hadn’t. Could anyone blame her? Disown her maybe, but certainly not blame her.

She had rushed outside as soon as it was dark— eager and expectant. That had been a good three hours ago and she was tired. The thrill had worn down to a dull aching in her stomach.

Perhaps he had changed his mind. He was a gentleman after all. He had been taught from birth to never dally with another gentleman’s daughter. One only married those.

She should have paid him. Then he would’ve had to come back to seduce her. She should have made him swear on his honor.

“The way you’re glaring at that chimney makes me think I’m late.”

Olivia jumped out of her chair, half out of fright, half out of righteous indignation.

“Yes, you’re late. I’ve been out here for three hours. I’m freezing, my bottom has fallen asleep, and you’ve made me wait so long that I am not interested in you or anything you think you can teach me.” She took a breath, pacing in front of him.

Nathaniel watched her with the intensity of a lion-tamer, his eyes following her ragged pacing.

“I apologize, Olivia. I should have been more specific. I didn’t want to come when anyone would be awake.”

Olivia hastily lowered her voice to a whisper. “Well, everyone has been asleep for a good while. I think I’ll join them.”

Nathaniel caught her wrist as she swept by him. “Olivia, wait.”

She stopped, refusing to look at him, and wished the ache in her stomach would go away. She had not felt this ill since her coming-out.

Nathaniel slowly pulled her to the chair, settled himself, arranged her on his lap, and draped the blanket around them. He held her, his chin resting on her head, and said nothing.

Olivia relaxed unwillingly against him, his heat warming her. She breathed deeply and the scent of horse and man and bay filled her. Men smelled so differently than women. They smelled warmer somehow. Or maybe they just felt warmer. She’d been held by her mother before, and she’d hugged her sisters. None of them had been so hot. Nathaniel’s heat almost burned her.

She was getting a bit warm under the blanket.

Nathaniel’s armed snaked around her waist, holding her closer.

“You can change your mind.”

“I don’t want to change my mind, I just wish I hadn’t had so much time to think about it.”

Olivia turned to face him, watching him in the moonlight. “May I kiss you?”

He smiled slightly and his armed tightened around her. “Yes.”

Her heart pounded and her breath came faster. He had always kissed her before. It was all well and good to be seduced, but sometimes a woman had to take control. Otherwise, there was too much time for thinking.

She leaned forward and brushed his lips. Again and again she ran her closed lips gently against his. They were smooth and soft, gliding smoothly against her own. She moved to his cheek, brushing her lips back and forth.

“You shaved.”

She felt him smile, but he remained silent.

She stood, warmed by his heat, warmed by her own. She leaned over him, running her lips over his nose, slipping across his lashes and his closed eyes. His hands grasped lightly around her waist, caressing down her hips and thighs, and up around her rib-cage, gently nudging her breasts. Her breath caught.

He rose swiftly, wrapping the blanket around her. “Stay here a moment.”

He knelt by his saddle-bags, pulling out a thick blanket and spreading it on the small deck. He placed a thinner blanket on top, then held his hand out to her, motioning to her to come. In his hand was a small red rose.

She walked toward him slowly, taking the rose and inhaling the sweet scent. She whispered, “Thank you, Nathaniel. This is more than I expected.”

“You wanted to be wooed and seduced, Olivia. I am a man of my word.”

She smiled, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. She knelt on the blanket beside him and he took her hand, pulling her to press against him knee to chest.

He kissed her cheek and lips and whispered, “You wanted to learn the art of seduction, Miss Blakesley?”

“I believe I called it the acts of seduction.”

He nibbled her bottom lip. “You’ll learn that, too.”

He leaned back, pulling her along until he was lying down with her on top. His hands cupped her bottom and she jumped a little, then laughed self-consciously. One of her knees lodged between his and she felt his rising passion pressing hard against her thigh.

Olivia pushed up a little. “May I touch it?”

Nathaniel chuckled. “I am your humble servant, Miss Blakesley. You may do whatever you wish with me.”

She ran her hands down his torso, coming to stroke his erection. He inhaled sharply.

She jerked her hand back. “Did I hurt you?”

He shook his head, grabbing her hands and pressing them firmly against his hard member. She massaged and stroked him through his breeches, until he cursed deeply and unbuttoned the front and his member sprang free.

Olivia sat back to look at it. Far larger than she expected, it stood straight up pointing toward the sky.

She didn’t think it prudent to say so, but it was a bit odd-looking as well. She had imagined it a fair number of times and it had looked nothing like this.

He started to unbutton the front of her gown. “I have wanted to undo these buttons since I first met you.”

She looked down at his hands. “Really? My mother says I look like a spinster.”

“Hmm. Well, I’ve never wanted to undress a spinster before. It’s quite erotic.”

Olivia leaned closer to unbutton his vest. “I’ve never sat atop an exposed man before. I dare say that’s quite erotic.”

She leaned over until his member prodded her. “I think I’d like it more if we were both completely naked.”

“That can be arranged,” he said, and flipped her on to her back, settling himself between her legs.

He ran his hands up her thighs, under her dress, pushing it up to her waist. He stared down at her, fingering her curls. He grinned wickedly at her. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? I can see you glistening already.”

“Nathaniel!”

He chuckled, leaning over to kiss her. His erection probed her and she held her breath, aching for him. His tongue flicked against her lips, entering slowly to dance with hers. He tasted warm, moist.