When Only a Rake Will Do (14 page)

Fastening his mouth against her breast, Brendon drew upon the tender flesh, licking and suckling, using both his tongue and his teeth with utter finesse to flame her burgeoning passion and awaken her body’s inherent yearnings until he felt her sag against him, limp with desire.

Her breath coming in short little pants, Daphne was lost in a maelstrom of sensation as Brendon’s hands moved to her waist, pushing her gown, chemise, drawers and petticoat downward until they fell to the floor, pooling around her feet.  It was only when he stepped back and the cool night air touched against her naked skin that she regained a portion of her senses and forced her eyes open.  He stood before her, his eyes traveling ever so slowly from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, the intensity of his gaze causing a sudden heat to warm her cool skin.  It was somewhat surprising, for standing there completely naked she should have felt embarrassed and insecure, but his gaze was so blatantly admiring that she felt only the tiniest bit self-conscious.  

“God, you’re beautiful,” Brendon breathed as he gazed admiringly upon the young woman standing before him, a dewy, fresh faced ingénue with a body designed for sin. And in that moment he felt like the luckiest man alive.  Then, noting the faint splash of color upon her cheeks, he realized that while she was gloriously naked, he was still fully clothed.  “Would you like to undress me?” he asked, his voice a husky whisper.

Daphne blinked in surprise, the question catching her off guard.  But she hesitated only a second before nodding, her mouth going dry, her fingers already twitching at her sides.

“Then by all means,” Brendon offered with an encouraging smile, “be my guest.”

In an unconsciously seductive gesture, Daphne ran her tongue lightly across her lower lip as she eyed the small pearl buttons that ran the length of Brendon’s shirtfront.  Then, with hands that were surprisingly steady, she reached out and pulled the first button free.  Moving on to the next, she gradually worked her way down until she reached the waistband of his breeches. 

As her fingers brushed lightly against the skin at his waist, it was nearly all Brendon could do to remain still, for Daphne’s gentle ministrations were having an alarming effect upon his libido. 
Damn
, perhaps allowing her to undress him hadn’t been such a good idea after all, he realized belatedly.      

Daphne, however, was thoroughly enjoying the task she’d been given and eagerly continued the pleasant undertaking.  Tugging gently upon the cotton fabric, she freed it from his breeches, making quick work of the last two buttons, removing the studs from his cuffs as well before dropping them to the floor. Then, with bated breath, she pushed aside the two halves of his shirt, revealing Brendon’s muscled torso and flat, hard stomach to her eager gaze. For a moment she simply drank in the sight of his broad chest and sun-bronzed torso, so very different than her own pale skin.  His masculine form was quite simply… magnificent.  But she longed to do more than look, she wanted to touch him; and so she did, hesitantly at first and then more boldly.  Pressing her fingers against his heated flesh, she explored the planes of his stomach and traced the outline of his ribs, moving upward through the light dusting of baby fine hairs that adorned his upper chest and onward to the wide breadth of his shoulders. 

With his arms at his sides, Brendon did his best to remain unmoving as Daphne pushed the cotton shirt from his shoulders and down the length of his arms until it fell with a quiet rustle to the carpeted floor.  When her hands began moving in the direction of his waistband once again, however, he found it increasingly difficult to remain still.

Even in the faint candlelight, Daphne couldn’t mistake the enormous bulge straining at the front of Brendon’s breeches.  And as her hands once again hovered at his waist, her initial sense of bravado quickly gave way to uncertainty, for aside from a handful of museum paintings and the occasional nude male statue, she’d never seen a naked man before.  She wanted to touch him, but did she dare?  Biting down anxiously upon her lower lip, she decided that she did.  Reaching forward, she pressed her hand lightly against the bulge, then recoiled in surprise the very next instant when it stirred beneath her touch, almost as if it had a mind of its own.  

“Don’t worry my little innocent,” Brendon said with a rakish grin, “he won’t bite.  But considering how your touch affects me,” he continued in a husky murmur, “perhaps we’d best move things along.”  Then, sweeping Daphne up into his arms, he turned to the bed and laid her atop the silken sheets. 

Lying back against the pillows, Daphne watched unabashedly as Brendon worked the closure of his breeches and then pushed them down along his muscular thighs and kicked them aside, allowing his manhood to spring free.  She stared in wonder as it jutted out from his groin, long, thick and slightly imposing.  Good heavens, the thought of it impaling her, filling her, moving within her body, was both daunting and shockingly arousing at the same time. 

Once divested of his clothing, Brendon quickly lowered himself onto the mattress, stretching his lean body out alongside Daphne’s and drawing her into his arms, one of his long legs settling in between hers as he gently nudged her thighs apart.  Unhurriedly his hand moved along the smooth skin at the back of her knee and then leisurely made its way upward; softly caressing the length of her inner thigh, moving ever so slowly until his fingers were mere inches from her silken core, all the while murmuring calm, comforting words in her ear.

As his hand drew ever closer to the apex of her thighs, Daphne felt an ache, an unfamiliar yearning that began in the pit of her stomach and moved slowly outward throughout her limbs to the ends of her fingers and the tips of her toes. 

Delving his fingers into the soft blonde curls that covered her sex, Brendon pressed lightly downward, exerting just the right amount of pressure as he moved the heel of his palm in slow circular motions against her pelvis.

Daphne gasped, her eyes squeezing shut as a sudden, white-hot flame seemed to shoot through her very core.  She felt her stomach muscles clench and tighten, her body longing for…something, but entirely uncertain of what that something was.

“Easy sweetheart,” Brendon whispered, “for we’ve only just begun.”  He spoke the words like a soothing caress, even as his finger slid unerringly along her moist cleft, stroking her tight little nub and her sensitive folds until she writhed beneath him, arching her hips against his hand.  

Daphne’s hands clenched at her sides, her body taut, like a tangled knot waiting to unravel as Brendon slipped one slender finger inside of her while his thumb continued to tease her delicate nub.  In and out, back and worth, he rhythmically stroked her inner softness until the mind-numbing pleasure, the likes of which she hadn’t known existed until that very moment, was nearly unbearable.

Sensing that Daphne was nearing the precipice, Brendon withdrew his hand, grinning when she emitted a faint whimper of protest.  “Soon, my sweet,” he murmured as he nudged her thighs further apart with his knee.  Then, positioning himself above her, he held himself still.  “Open your eyes,” he commanded softly, waiting until she complied before lifting her hips to receive him.

Daphne’s eyes were wide as she lifted her hands to Brendon’s shoulders, her fingertips pressing into his shoulders as she felt him enter her, inching forward bit by bit into her tight sheath, her body opening and stretching as it sought to accommodate his considerable size.

Near to bursting, Brendon drew upon every last bit of his self-control as he fought the overwhelming urge to plunge forward and bury himself deep within her silky depths.  But wanting to cause her as little pain as possible, he continued to press forward ever so slowly, until finally he reached the unmistakable barrier of virginity. He stilled then, his eyes locking with hers for one endless moment. 

Daphne braced herself for the pain she knew was to come.  She was ready. 

“Forgive me,” Brendon whispered.  And then, with a sudden thrust of his hips he drove into her, breaching her maidenhead.

Gasping as he broke through the thin barrier, Daphne felt a sharp, burning sensation; but the pain was far less than she had anticipated and easily bearable.

Holding himself still, Brendon allowed the extraordinary sensation of her tight sheath squeezing and contracting around his pulsating shaft to wash over him.  The feel of her, so unbelievably hot and tight around him was incredible and he very nearly spilled himself inside of her right then.  Releasing a ragged breath, he fought for control as Daphne lay quiet beneath him.  “Are you all right?” he asked softly, once he was able to form a coherent thought.

Noting his tender expression and the genuine concern in his voice, Daphne’s heart seemed to swell within her chest, knowing she couldn’t have possibly chosen anyone more perfect to share this moment with.  “I’m fine,” she avowed with a small, reassuring smile.  “The pain lasted but a moment.”

Resting his weight upon his elbows, Brendon gazed down upon her beautiful face, smiling gently in return.  Then, dipping his head, he kissed her.  Unmoving, his rigid shaft pulsing and throbbing within her, he continued to kiss her sweet lips and after a time began to trail feather light kisses along her delicate cheekbone, moving slowly to her temple and then to her eyelids, kissing them softly as they fluttered closed.

Lying quiet beneath him, Daphne felt her body begin to respond, the feel of him buried deep within her causing that unfamiliar ache to slowly begin again.  Then, when he began to move, slowly withdrawing and then pressing forward once again, the pain was quickly forgotten as the pleasure began anew. 

Gradually increasing the tempo of his long, fluid stokes, Brendon was rewarded as Daphne begin to move beneath him, her hips arching upward to meet his gentle thrusts as her fingers pressed deeper into the flesh of his shoulders, silently urging him on. Whispering enticing little words into her ear, he encouraged her response, flaming her body’s mounting hunger until he felt her muscles begin to clench and tighten around him.

An overwhelming, almost desperate yearning continued to build inside of Daphne until she could hardly bear it, but then, as Brendon thrust forward one last time, emitting a low groan as he buried himself to the hilt within her aching depths, she was suddenly capitulated into a realm of pleasure the likes of which she’d never known before.  The combined sense of glorious release and ultimate fulfillment left her feeling exultant, yet slightly dazed as well, as if her mind had somehow taken leave of her body.

For Brendon his climax was so intense, so powerful that it rocked him to his very core and sent his senses reeling, a rather astonishing occurrence for a man who tended to view sex with a somewhat cool sophistication after so many years of carnal excess.  And in a rare moment of heedless imprudence, he forgot himself completely, spilling his seed deep within Daphne’s silky depths.

As they lay there, exhausted and replete, their breathing ragged, their bodies limp as they fell slowly back to earth, both Daphne and Brendon were quiet, each of them temporarily lost to their own thoughts and emotions. 

For Daphne it was as if a whole new world had suddenly been opened up to her.  And in that moment she realized that what had just occurred between her and Brendon, the fulfillment of her long-held dreams, was both a physical and emotional awakening, one far more profound than she could have ever imagined.

Unlike Daphne, Brendon was patently familiar with the pleasures of the flesh.  However, lying there spent and utterly replete, his body still joined with hers, he felt almost like an untried adolescent again, experiencing the wonder of paradise for the very first time. Oddly enough, the feeling was both incredibly exhilarating and slightly unsettling at the very same time; for it was something he hadn’t expected and was entirely unprepared for.

Lying on his back, Brendon looked down at the woman sprawled across his chest, her long blonde hair falling in tangled disarray around her creamy-white shoulders and down along the line of her back, stopping just inches above the enticing curve of her gently-rounded derrière.   It was well past dawn, but her breathing was still slow and even.  She was exhausted no doubt, for he’d kept her awake long into the night, making love to her a second time in the wee hours of the morning.   He let her sleep, content to hold her in his arms as she slumbered, her cheek resting lightly atop his steadily beating heart.

Thinking back upon the past hours, Brendon was hard-pressed to recall another time when he’d felt so… so… damn, he couldn’t even think of a word to describe exactly how he felt.  Making love to Daphne had been a novel and wondrous experience, completely different from the sexual encounters of his past.  Perhaps it was her innocence, her youth, the genuineness and sweetness of her nature, the absolute trust she’d accorded him, or maybe it was all of those things, he simply wasn’t sure.  Then again, maybe it was something else entirely, something he couldn’t or perhaps wouldn’t allow himself to define. 

Ah hell
, he thought in the next minute, he didn’t want to think about it any longer, not when he had a beautiful young woman nestled in his arms, a gloriously naked woman whose enticing form was beginning to stir the familiar ache in his loins once again.

Daphne’s eyelids fluttered open as she awoke to the feel of something soft and smooth brushing ever so gently against her cheek.  Blinking, she attempted to focus.  Then, feeling something solid and warm beneath her other cheek, she realized that her face was resting comfortably atop Brendon’s naked chest.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Brendon murmured as he trailed a single red rose petal along Daphne’s cheekbone. “Did you sleep well?”

Pushing herself upward, Daphne looked drowsily into Brendon’s eyes, a scant few inches from her own.  “Not particularly,” she replied with a beguiling, siren’s smile.  “But I’m hardly complaining.”  She should feel shy, she supposed, maybe a little embarrassed even considering the things they’d done the night before, but she didn’t.  She felt wonderful.  She’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted and so much more.  In fact it couldn’t have been more perfect.  She was living her very own fairytale and she was going to enjoy every single minute of it.

Brendon chuckled, dropping the rose petal onto the sheet as he grasped her around the waist and hauled her upward for a kiss.  “You’re a minx,” he said then, rolling her onto her back. 

Daphne giggled and raised her arms, twining them around his neck as she gazed into his beautiful blue eyes.

Dropping his head, Brendon plundered the sweetness of Daphne’s lips until they were both gasping for breath, but mindful of her body’s unfamiliarity with sexual excess, he was careful not to let things progress too far, despite his overwhelming desire to do just the opposite.   “Come,” he said finally, rolling off of her and onto his feet.  “If that is indeed coffee I smell,” he began, raising his nose to the air, “then I am fairly certain that our breakfast awaits.”  Then grasping her hand, he gently tugged her upright, grinning at her playful pout.

With a sigh of resignation Daphne sat up, dragging the sheet upward and clutching it to her chest as she dropped her legs over the side of the bed, watching as Brendon moved about the room, completely at ease in all his naked glory. 
Did she dare?
she wondered, casting her gaze uncertainly about the room; for it was one thing to reveal her body in the flickering shadows of candlelight, but quite another to do so in the bright light of day.  Then again, considering that Brendon had kissed and caressed nearly every inch of her naked body throughout the long hours of the night it seemed rather silly to feel self-conscious now.  And so, summoning her courage and before she had a chance to change her mind, she cast the sheet aside and rose to her feet.  Nonetheless, she made quick work of securing her clothing and then promptly hastened behind the dressing screen that stood in the corner of the room.

Once they’d dressed and made their way downstairs, Brendon seated Daphne at the small dining table and went in search of Mrs. Stone.  He found her bustling about the tiny kitchen, humming softly to herself as she moved about the space.

“Oh, my lord, you’re up,” she said, a cheery grin lighting her face as she noted Brendon’s presence. 

“I hope we haven’t kept you waiting too long,” Brendon said, smiling apologetically.

“Don’t be silly,” she replied, already waving him toward the dining room.  “I’ll fetch your breakfast from the warmer and bring it in straight away.”

“And is that coffee I smell?” he asked, looking toward the stove.

“Of course it is,” she said with a laugh.  “You didn’t think I’d go and forget to fix up a pot of that special brew you like, now did you?”

“You are a woman after my own heart, Mrs. Stone,” Brendon replied with a playful wink.  “Lord only knows what I’d do without you.”

“Go on now, you silver-tongued devil,” she said, shooing him away.  “I’ll be along in a minute.”

A short while later, as Brendon and Daphne made quick work of Mrs. Stone’s simple, but scrumptious breakfast of ham, eggs and toast, they discussed how to spend the remainder of the morning.

“There’s a hot springs not far from here,” Brendon informed her. “It’s perfect for bathing, if you’re feeling adventurous,” he continued with a rakish grin and a playful waggle of his dark brows. 

Bathing…outdoors… with Brendon.
  Yes, that most-defiantly sounded adventurous.   “As a matter of fact, I am feeling rather adventurous this morning,” Daphne replied after only a moment’s hesitation.

“Excellent.  Once you’ve finished your tea we can be on our way.”

They took the same path from the cottage that they had taken the day before, but this time before they reached the stream they turned where the path branched off, following a narrower and less trodden footpath than the first. 

“It’s about a ten minute walk from here,” Brendon said, holding Daphne’s hand as he guided her through the picturesque woodland that surrounded the cottage.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she said as she gazed up at the lush green blanket of tree branches swaying in the gentle breeze above them, “and so peaceful too.” 

“It is isn’t it,” he agreed, glancing around.  “In many ways it’s like my own private sanctuary from the rest of the world.”

“Do you spend most of your time here… alone then?” she asked.  Though it was none of her business, she couldn’t help wondering if she was the first woman he’d brought to Rose Cottage or if there had been others.

Brendon noted her tentative expression and knew precisely what she was asking. “I’ve never brought
anyone
here before, Daphne,” he said truthfully, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. 

“Oh,” she said softly.  Considering his reputation, it felt wonderful to know that this special place was something he’d never shared with anyone but her. 

As they continued their walk they kept their conversation light, focusing on general, innocuous topics and stopping from time to time to study some of the more unusual plants and flowers that grew along the trail.  They admired the vibrantly-colored birds that flew amongst the trees and stopped to watch as a pair of ungainly porcupines emerged from the bushes and made their way slowly across the path a short distance in front of them.

“It’s just beyond the next bend,” Brendon said as they neared the small outcropping of rocks that surrounded the pool of heated water.

Eager to view her very first hot spring, Daphne was delighted when the steam-shrouded pool finally came into view.  “Oh how marvelous,” she exclaimed as she took in the enchanting, almost ethereal-looking setting.  

“There’s another, smaller pool just ahead,” Brendon told her.  “But this one is far more suited for bathing.”

Promptly kicking off her shoes and stockings, Daphne stepped gingerly onto one of the flat stones that edged the pool and dipped her toes into the water.  “Oh, it’s so warm,” she exclaimed gleefully, lifting her skirt and dipping her foot further into the pool.

“And far more enjoyable than the baths one takes at home,” Brendon asserted, “for the pool is much larger than a bathing tub and since the water never cools you can linger for as long as you like,” he continued.  “And you needn’t worry that someone will inadvertently stumble upon us, for I own this piece of land as well as all of the surrounding property.”

Nevertheless, glancing about, Daphne was relieved to see that the pool was indeed quite secluded and reasonably secure from prying eyes should anyone be walking along the trail.

“Shall we?” Brendon asked with an encouraging smile as he tossed the small leather satchel he carried onto the rocks and then reached to pull his shirt from his breeches.

Nodding, Daphne pulled her foot from the water and reached for the laces on the front of her gown.  Stripping down to her chemise, she hesitated for only a moment before pulling the garment over her head and dropping it to the ground.  Tempted for a moment to use her hands to shield portions of her body, she resisted the urge, determinedly casting the last of her inhibitions aside as she embraced her nudity as well as her newfound confidence.  It was an amazing feeling and wonderfully liberating.

Quickly shedding his clothing, Brendon stepped down onto the natural ledge and into the warm water.  The pool was deeper than one might imagine, covering him to his waist as he turned to assist Daphne.  Momentarily spellbound by the sight of her standing proud and unashamed before him, every lush curve and delicate line of her body revealed to him in exquisite detail beneath the blazing sun, he was once again astonished by her remarkable beauty.  “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” he said quietly, almost reverently as he gazed upon her.

Daphne stood motionless for a moment, held captive by the sudden intensity reflected in Brendon’s eyes.  When he looked at her like that he made her feel beautiful, in every sense of the word.  “You make me feel beautiful,” she said quietly, voicing the thought aloud.

Brendon smiled softly.  “Come, take my hand,” he said, reaching for her.

Grasping his outstretched hand, Daphne stepped down onto the ledge and into the pool, smiling in pure delight as the warm water surrounded her, reaching just above her midsection.  “Oh, it feels heavenly,” she exclaimed as she bent her knees, sinking deeper into the water.  She submerged herself then, allowing the water to close over the top of her head, wetting her face and hair before rising back up.

Brendon grinned as he watched Daphne’s features light up with pure exultation as she rose from the water, smiling as if she’d been given the most priceless gift.  Her artless reaction, so different from the sophisticated smiles and practiced behaviors he’d grown accustomed to from the women of his acquaintance, was utterly enchanting and unbelievably heartwarming to behold. “You look like a nymph rising from the sea,” he said, as her long blonde tresses fell wet against her back, the ends floating atop the water as wisps of steam wafted around her.

She felt like a nymph, naked and unabashed as she stood in the pool of steamy water, surrounded by an ethereal haze that enveloped them within its midst.  It made her bold.  She moved toward him, smiling as she placed her wet hands against his chest, running them upward to twine around his neck.  “Thank you for bringing me here,” she said, her breasts pressing against his heated chest as she leaned into him.

“You’re most welcome,” he replied, dipping his head to place a kiss upon her sweet lips. 

Feeling his member grow long and hard against her pelvis, Daphne rotated her hips, moving against him in an unmistakable invitation as she curled her fingers into his hair.  Suddenly she wanted him to make love to her again more than anything, here in this magical place.

Brendon groaned, wanting nothing more at that moment than to accept her unspoken offer, but he hesitated nonetheless.  “Daphne, I don’t want to hurt you,” he murmured, drawing back to study her face.

She regarded him in confusion.  “Hurt me?” 

“Are you not sore?” he asked gently.

“Oh,” she said, as understanding dawned.  She had been a little sore upon waking, but only a little and it had long-since subsided.  Now she felt only hot-blooded desire coursing through her veins.  Besides, their time together was woefully limited and she didn’t want to waste a single moment of it.  She shook her head.  “I’m fine, Brendon, truly.”

“You’re sure?”

She felt her heart melt, for he was so sweet, so genuinely kind and considerate that it made her want him all the more. “I’m sure.”

With their eyes locked, Brendon grasped Daphne’s hips and settled her above him, and then ever so slowly he lowered her onto his pulsating shaft so that she could feel every inch of his long, hard length as it gently impaled her.  She moaned softly, her eyes widening, reflecting her carnal gratification as her body opened to him, her inner walls stretching and expanding to accommodate him as she took the full length of him into her tight sheath.