To Have and to Hold (19 page)

Stubborn
determination made her persist in her gentle onslaught and following his
actions of earlier she began to rub her lips against his.
 
A thrill of delight grew at his answering
moan.
 
She slid her arms across his
shoulders as his arms slid around her, pulling her so tight against his chest
she wasn’t sure how she managed to breathe.

It was several
moments before they reluctantly drew apart.
 
“I will take you home now.”
 
Dominic’s
murmur wasn’t so harsh but still held a hint of determination.
 
Isobel fought the urge to thwack him upside
his head for his own stubbornness.
 

They froze as
the sound of booted feet approaching grew louder in the silence of the
night.
 
Dominic cursed softly, and with a
quick glance around the empty cavern of the barn shook his head before swiftly
tugging her towards the stairs. “Up!”
 
He
snapped as he grasped her waist and hoisted her upwards.
 
 

Without
question, Isobel followed his command and climbed the steps to the loft as
quietly as she could.
 
She had barely
reached the top before Dominic joined her.

“’
oose
there?”
 
Dominic cursed as the soft yellow glow of
light appeared at the bottom of the steps.
 
“I can see ye’ get down ‘ere now.”
 

“It’s me man, be
quiet.”
 
Dominic’s disgruntled voice
carried authoritatively in the gloom.

“Are ye’
alright?”
 
The light rose a little to
allow the Head Groom to see better.
 

“Yes, I am fine.
Just a little erm-“Dominic paused meaningfully and waited for the man to put
two and two together.
 
He hated
announcing Isobel’s presence to the curious man below them but knew if he
didn’t the man would probably linger.
 
There was no way Dominic was leaving Isobel inside the barn alone.
 
Instead, he allowed the man to realise he was
with a woman and assume Dominic needed some private time with the young maid
who couldn’t be entertained within the house proper.

“
Aaah
.”
 
The man chuckled knowingly.
 
“Well
sir, if you need any assistance you only have to call.”
  
He laughed outright at his own humour before
turned towards the barn doorway.
 

“I am sure I
won’t need any help.”
 
Dominic murmured
sardonically as darkness descended once again.
 
Ruefully he turned to the woman lying beside him and shook his
head.
 
He knew he was sunk.
 
God he loved her.
 
Even though he knew right now he wanted to
strangle her for her own waywardness, he couldn’t bring himself to be
angry.
 
In truth, he was delighted she
was here and they could have a few more precious moments together.
 
If only he was strong enough to parcel her up
and send her on her merry way untouched.
 
He certainly couldn’t afford to deflower her before leaving for several
months.
 
There wasn’t enough time now to
rush through a hasty marriage, he was leaving early morning and knew the
mission he was going on would take some months, even if it did go well.

“Isobel we
shouldn’t do this.”
 
Dominic murmured,
silently accepting the inevitable.
 

“But I want
you.”
 
Isobel murmured softly as she
cupped his stubborn jaw, smiling as the soft bristled tickled her palm.

“I want you
too.”
 
Dominic replied knowing it to be
the truth and cursed quietly as her soft lips placed gentle kisses along his
jaw line.

Turning his head
his lips captured hers commandingly and Isobel knew she had won this particular
skirmish.
 
The shimmering tension left
his body, and he relaxed against her.
 
Wonderingly Isobel thrilled at the weight of his chest as he eased her
backwards until he was looming over her.
 
Her doubts reassured by the insistent but gentle pressure of his lips
upon hers, and his tender embrace.

“Tell me to
stop.” Dominic beseeched imploringly in a last desperate attempt to get her to
realise the import of her actions.

“Don’t stop
Dominic,” Isobel murmured arching her back wantonly in mute appeal.
 

“God you’re a
stubborn wench.”
 
Dominic muttered easing
her exploring hands off him and raising them above her head.
 
Unfortunately, whilst it brought his body the
brief respite it needed to retain control, it also pushed the soft mound of her
breasts upright against his chest.
  
His
manhood throbbed behind the placket of his breeches until he thought he would
go quietly mad.
 

Hoping to at
least give her a few moments to consider the wisdom of what she was asking,
Dominic eased her thighs apart before carefully bringing himself to lie between
them, only just managing to stop
himself
groaning at
the sensation of her lithe thighs encasing his hips.
 
The rigid length of his erection lay against
her femininity meagrely hidden behind the soft folds of her skirts as she lay
beneath him.
 
He knew she had frozen
beneath him and wondered if she would call a halt, shaking his head in wonder
as after a few thoughtful moments, she wriggled her hips a little before her
hands once again began their quest for knowledge.
 

Dominic knew he
couldn’t hold out much longer and succumbed to the passion that swirled around
them.
 
With a groan, he set about giving
her everything she had so insistently demanded.

Isobel became
oblivious to everything other than the sensations his tender ministrations were
creating within her.
 
Somehow, sometime
over the last few moments he had divested her of her undergarments and lowered
the neckline of her dress enough to bare her breasts to his hungry gaze.
 

With wantonness
she didn’t know she possessed she lay still under his marauding gaze as it
swept over her bare flesh in the moonlight.
 
She felt like a goddess as she lay there bathed in moonlight, supplicant
to his every demand.
 
She could deny him
nothing.
 
A burning hunger grew deep
within her belly as she squirmed impatiently.
 
She needed something.
 
Only she
didn’t know what.
 
Suddenly, she didn’t
want to lie there and wait.
 
She
astonished herself
as she sat upwards and reversed their
positions, smiling at his low moan as she sat astride him.
 

His hands held
her hips firm against him until she could feel the rigid length of his manhood
against the growing moisture between her thighs.
 
She moved hesitantly against him, delighted
as his hips thrust upwards in response.
 

She almost
screamed as the heat from his mouth suddenly captured a budding nipple before
laving it gently with his tongue.
 
Hot
spears of sensation shot low in her belly each suckle of his mouth as instinctively
Isobel began to rock her hips.
 

“Enough.”
 
Dominic murmured reversing their positions
until she was again lying beneath him.
 
Within moments, she could feel the cold air against the warmth between
her legs and shivered at the delicious sensations it created.
 
“I am sorry my darling, but I have to do
this.”

Sweat beaded on
Isobel’s brow as she lay quivering beneath him.
 
She could feel the hot shaft of his manhood against her.
 
It seemed huge.
 
She tried to peer down at it through the
gloom but couldn’t see anything through the darkness.
 
Instead, she slid a soft hand down his side
and around until she captured and held the turgid length.
 
Fully aware of Dominic’s hissing breath,
Isobel slowly explored his shaft from tip to base.

“I’m sorry but this
is going to hurt a bit.
 
I will be as
gentle as I can.”
 
Dominic murmured
placing tender kisses randomly over her delicate features as he carefully eased
his throbbing erection out of her hand and positioned it at the tip of her
feminine warmth.
 
As gently as his
screaming senses allowed, he eased inwards, groaning as her tight sheath
encased him.
 

Isobel lay
perfectly still as he invaded her body.
 
This was what she wanted wasn’t it?
  
She didn’t know what she had expected, but she hadn’t expected lying
upon her back with her legs held wide, his solid form lying within her thighs
as he slowly pushed his way inside her.
 
She was so full she was certain she was going to burst.
 
Gasping with surprise, she waited as he
seemed to pause before slowly withdrawing from her before sliding into her once
again.
 
There was something not right,
Isobel in all of her innocence knew that instinctively.
 
It didn’t feel as it ought.
 
Certainly, there was more to it than that,
surely?
 
She was aware of a certain sense
of unsatisfied frustration as he thrust into her once or twice before slamming
his lips down upon hers, his tongue thrusting deep into the moist recesses of
her mouth as his hips rose from her withdrawing his manhood from her once again
before thrusting more heavily into her.
 

Lips stifled her
scream as he suddenly surged forwards slamming to a halt inside her.
 
Pain lanced briefly within her belly as she
lay there.
 
He had undoubtedly taken her
maidenhead as he was inside her far deeper than he had been before and his
sudden intrusion within her body hurt a lot more.
 
She longed to slide her lips free but
couldn’t twist her head to one side.
 
Her
body was tense as she prepared herself for his withdrawal once again.
 
She knew it would hurt.
 

Dominic lifted
from hers.
 
“Now you’re mine!” He
murmured huskily as he raised himself onto his elbows above her, placing tender
kisses upon her quivering lips.
 
“You are
a woman, my woman.”
 
Dominic growled as
he kissed her lips, slowly withdrawing his erection from her before sliding
into her welcoming heat.
 
“You are
mine.”
 
He muttered sliding out of her
again before the rhythmic demands of his body took hold.

He was vaguely
aware of her gasps of delight beneath him and the upward thrust of her questing
hips.
 
Determined to bring her release in
her first time with him, he willed his body to slow down enough to allow her
time to catch up.
 
She was so very
wet.
 
So very welcoming he had to grit his
teeth to hold back his release.
 
The more
he thrust into her, the tighter she became.
 
Every sense within him was locked firmly upon the woman beneath him as
she jerked and jarred to his heavy thrusts.
 
He couldn’t prevent the pounding through his veins as he desperately
tried to hold back his release, and that made his thrusts heavier.
 

“Take it.”
 
He growled huskily into her ear as he felt
her tightening around his erection.
 
“I’m
here my darling.
 
Take it.”
 
He muttered as he thrust into her once,
twice.
 
Her breasts shone in the
moonlight, her hair a silken cascade around her shoulders.
 
She was a siren sent from the Gods to tempt
him of that he was sure.
 
Suddenly, the
needs of his own flesh took over, and he increased the tempo of his thrusts.
 
The heavy haze of passion suffused his senses
until he was lost to everything other than the welcoming warmth of the woman
beneath him, clamping around him in feminine glory.