Chapter 17

Stunned into silence, Marcus stared at Kate, not believing what she'd just asked him. "If that was a jest, Kate, it was in very poor taste."

And yet the words brought immediately to mind images he'd envisioned over the past weeks—Kate standing in his bed chamber, naked save for her flame-colored hair cascading over her shoulders, covering her breasts except where her pert nipples peeked through the long tresses. Both of them naked, tangled in the sheets of the great bed, making passionate love, him bringing her to the ultimate pleasure time and again. And her doing the same for him.

Marcus bit his lip, trying to remove that image before he tented his breeches. This was no way to behave when he was about to ask the woman to marry him.

"Does that mean you wouldn't like to take me to your room?" The siren stared at him then licked her lips, worse than any wanton.

"That is not the question, Kate. There is a time and place for everything, and this is not the time for that ." He had to find a way to get her out of the townhouse before either someone discovered her here or he lost control and did as she asked. At the moment, it was touch and go whether there was enough control in the world for him to succeed.

"The kiss we just shared said this is the perfect time and place." She moved toward him, and he backed until he hit the door.

He grasped the handle and opened it. "The time would be after we are married, not before I have even proposed."

Her eyes brightened. "Then you were going to propose in the park today."

Sighing, Marcus nodded. "Yes. I wished to make a grand gesture by proposing at the spot where we were first friendly together."

She frowned. "You mean under the tree where you pelted me with grapes?"

"Do you not think that romantic?" He grinned at her. "I remember that afternoon with great fondness."

She blushed. "I do as well."

He took her hands. "So let us go there now. Let me kneel and declare myself properly."

Squeezing his hands, Kate drew them around her until she was pressed against him.

God, she must be able to feel his cockstand through his breeches. He certainly could.

"I know you desire me, Marcus. I desire you too." She rose on tiptoe until she could whisper in his ear. "Declare yourself with your entire body, and I will do the same. Oh, my love," she kissed his cheek, "let us act as ever we have, with spirit and fire toward one another."

To say his flesh was weak was an understatement, but then his spirit was equally vulnerable. Her request was wrong, by society's standards. She should remain innocent until they were married. But they were going to marry. She'd said as much, and when Kate Locke made up her mind, it took heaven and earth to change it. Why not be a little scandalous—or a lot? If they were careful, no one would know. No one had discovered their tête-à-tête at Vauxhall. And besides, so many couples anticipated the wedding night these days it was almost expected.

One more look into her brilliant blue eyes, gazing up at him with uncontrolled desire he'd never imagined seeing from her, sealed their fate. After pressing a searing kiss to her lips, he grasped her hand and opened the door. "Be quiet and follow me."

He led her around the corner from the study to the servants' staircase. Stealthily, they ascended the steps, Marcus praying the maids were taking advantage of his sister and aunt's absence to clean the lower floor rooms. He hadn't seen them as he'd been showing her around, but then he never did. They were almost invisible, which had its advantages and disadvantages. One never knew when one would surprise a maid with her duster. He stuck his head around the corner on the second floor and sighed with relief to find the corridor empty. Marcus put his arm around Kate's waist and swiftly ushered her to the first door on the right. He jerked the large oak door open, and they sped inside, Marcus then able to breathe again.

He closed the door, turned the key, then removed it and placed it on top of the dressing table. Absolutely no one was entering this room while they were here. Thinking rationally once more, he stood back and took in the sight of Kate, actually here in his room. Just as he'd dreamed it. She was looking around as though this was quite a normal occurrence. Of course, in the future, it would be.

She turned toward him, a smile on her face. "This room is such a reflection of you."

How could she be so blasé about this? Well, that was Kate down to the ground.

In two strides, he was in front of her, his arms sliding around her, his mouth descending on hers. Every time they kissed, a hunger for more of her grew within him. Today, at last, that hunger would be satisfied. He pressed his tongue against the seam of her lips, hoping she'd understand and grant him entry.

She tensed in his arms, her head tilting a little, then tentatively relaxed her lips. With a groan of victory, he slid his tongue into her as he'd dreamed of doing these past weeks. Her mouth was soft as velvet and sweeter than any woman he'd ever known. He plundered here and there, needing to discover every bit of her.

Moaning low in her throat, she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him with total abandon.

That guttural sound sent a streak of fire directly to his member, which had already been semi-erect. Now his cock bumped against his smallclothes, impatient to play as well. Marcus broke the kiss, panting as he stared into Kate's incredulous face.

"What do you call that kiss?" She breathed deeply, her cheeks a bright red, her blue eyes dark with desire.

"A lover's kiss." This woman was so lovely, so desirable. That it had taken him so long to realize it spoke to his addled brain.

"Because we're about to become lovers?" Her gaze met his, warm and eager. He need have no fear that she was unwilling.

Marcus nodded and licked his lips. He was so very ready for her but had no idea what she knew regarding what they were about to do. Most young ladies were sheltered from such knowledge, although knowing Kate, he wouldn't be surprised if she'd managed to find out more than the usual unmarried miss. He pulled her back to him, and she laid her head on his chest, as naturally as if she'd done it all her life. "Do you know anything about what that means, Kate?"

She nodded.

Well, he'd called that one.

"Celinda overheard some things when her mother wasn't paying attention to her. She told me."

"What did she tell you?"

Kate pulled back and peered up at him. "Don't you know?"

Marcus had to bite back a laugh. "I do know, but what young ladies overhear may not be exactly correct. I want to know if you understand what to expect."

Her face pinkened, but she nodded. "I trust you to know what to do if I don't."

She trusted him. Something he'd never thought to hear from her beautiful mouth. He needed to live up to that trust, not just today, but for the rest of their lives. "Thank you, my love. That means more to me than you know."

The smile she sent him made his knees weak and his groin ache. "Shall we continue, then?" He stepped back and stripped off his jacket. "Would you like me to help you?"

But she was already removing her gloves, bonnet, and Spencer then reaching behind her, feeling for the laces. After a moment, during which he unwound his cravat, she shook her head. "Yes, I will need you to act as my lady's maid. Sometimes, I can do it myself, but this gown laces higher than others." She turned neatly, presenting her back to him. "Thank you, Marcus."

So eager his hands shook, he unlaced the cornflower blue gown until the material sagged, revealing her chemise and stays. Marcus swallowed hard then set his lips against the soft nape of her neck.

A shudder rippled through her body, and gooseflesh rose on her tender flesh.

Excited by her response, he slowly drew the material off her shoulders, his lips straying downward as the garment fell away. He nuzzled her slender neck even as he unlaced her stays and drew them off. Slipping his arms around her, Marcus slid his hands up until he cupped her magnificent breasts, eliciting first a gasp then a moan from Kate.

"Oh, Marcus." She leaned back against him, her breath coming faster as he teased her nipples through her chemise until they furled themselves into tight, hard peaks. Kate rolled her head from side to side across his chest. "That feels so good."

"And there is better yet to come, my love," he whispered in her ear. Turning her toward him, he gazed deeply into her passion-glazed eyes. "Let me shed my clothes as well."

Dazedly, she nodded, not taking her eyes from him as he swiftly divested himself of everything save his shirt. They now faced one another, the soft crackling of the fire the only sound in the room. Marcus drew her toward him. "Moment of truth?"

"Moment of truth." She smiled up at him then loosened the tie at her neckline, so her chemise fell further off her shoulders. Tugging the material lower, Kate managed to uncover her decolletage little by little until the fabric clung only to her nipples, a smidgeon away from exposing all her natural loveliness.

Marcus held his breath, his gaze riveted to the scrap of fabric.

Then it plunged to the floor, revealing the luscious form he'd imagined night after night in his most erotic dreams. Her abundant breasts, the rosy nipples round and dark, drew his attention first, as if begging for his touch once more. His gaze lowered to her trim waist, the skin pale and smooth, then finally dipped to the thatch of bright curls that covered her sex. A more beautiful woman he had never seen. And she was about to be his for all time.

Falling to his knees before her, Marcus pulled the slim body to him, burying his face between her breasts. "Oh, God, Kate. I've dreamed about this moment, but I never quite believed it would happen."

She lifted his head until their eyes locked, and her lips curled into a small smile. "Believe, my love."

****

How she'd summoned the courage to be so brazen, Kate had no idea, but standing here now, embraced by the man she loved, she thanked God for it. She was going to marry Marcus, and that was all that mattered right now. Waiting until after their wedding for him to make her his seemed a waste of time. Time they could spend enjoying the things Celinda had told her belonged to the marriage bed.

Marcus rose, scooping her up in his arms, his mouth on hers as he carried her toward the bed. He set her down on the edge of the mattress, broke the kiss, then swept his shirt up over his head in a single, liquid movement that revealed his magnificent body all at once.

Kate gasped. His was the first nude male body she'd ever seen—as startling as it was arousing. The sheer heat his closeness generated in her was astounding.

She'd known Marcus was a powerful man, but the muscles laid bare for her to see—from broad shoulders to his expansive chest to his firm abdomen tapering down toward his hips—caused a frenzied beating of her heart. When her gaze strayed further down to his male member, standing straight out, the sight of him started a strange ache between her legs. Suddenly everything Celinda had told her to expect flew out of her head.

"What…what do I do now?"

"Let me take care of you, love." Marcus lifted her face to his then sank his mouth onto hers, his lips burning away any lingering doubt or fear. He strayed over to her ear, the rasp of his ragged breathing sending exquisite shivers throughout her body.

Kate arched her neck, inviting his next caress.

"Mmmm." His lips descended slowly, trailing one hot kiss after another until he stopped, his mouth poised over one breast. "Never have I tasted anything as sweet as you, my love."

Her own breath coming harder, Kate pulled his head toward her, needing him, urging him to continue. When his mouth engulfed her nipple, a streak of fire erupted within her, shooting down to the place that ached so badly. Each time his tongue licked or swirled around the crest—now tightly furled and with an ache of its own—she moaned and writhed with the strangely pleasurable sensations coursing through her.

"You like that, love?"

"Oh, yes." Kate's breathy voice had lowered.

"And now?" He skimmed his lips lower, across her stomach to her navel, where his tongue circled the small cavity.

"Yes." The ache below became more insistent, and Kate clutched the bed covers, almost overcome by her growing need for…something more.

"What about this?" He dipped his tongue fleetingly into her navel, and she moaned deeply as another streak of heat shot straight to her core.

"Or this." Marcus moved lower, his lips moving into the thicket of curls between her thighs.

A gasp brought Kate up off the bed. "Marcus!"

He raised his head, his eyes dark and calm. "Shhh. Trust me, love." He grasped her hand. "Lie back."

Trembling, Kate lay back down, eyes closed, her whole face aflame.

Marcus returned his attention to her nether regions, finding his way to a little nub that lay there. He touched his tongue to it, and Kate gasped as a shock flew through her. Her hips bucked of their own accord, and the ache inside her spiraled upward. Every lick, every touch brought a new wave of sensation crashing over her. Kate rolled her head from side to side, moaning as the spiral inside her grew more insistent. Marcus swirled his tongue around her delicate flesh until she shrieked as she shattered from the inside out. Over and over, waves of pleasure crashed through her until at last her body stilled.

Then she was in Marcus's arms, being cradled, being caressed, being loved by him. A wonderful heaviness assailed her, and she rubbed her cheek against his chest, quite willing to stay there for the rest of eternity.

"Did you enjoy your first time, love?" Marcus had moved them to the middle of the bed and somehow got them under the covers.

"That was the most wonderful thing ever to happen to me." Kate grasped him to her, wanting to feel his warmth against her. "Thank you, Marcus."

"There is more, you know."

She met his eyes and nodded. "I know." What had just happened was not what Celinda had prepared her for at all.

"We can continue on or we can stop now and resume after we are married." His face was set in serious lines. "The decision is yours, my dear. Although you must understand that even though you are technically still a virgin, you can hardly be deemed an innocent after what you just experienced. So whether we continue now or not, we will marry regardless."

Kate smiled into his chest. That ultimatum had been foregone the moment she stepped into his bedchamber. "Well then, we might as well be hung for a sheep as lamb."

"How delightfully flattering you are, Miss Locke."

"You should know that about me by now, my lord."

His lips seized hers, and he rolled them until she was situated beneath him, pressing her down until his body covered hers, warming her from the inside out. He nudged her legs open and at once the hot presence of his member strained against her opening.

Kate closed her eyes, steeling herself against the pain to come. This was the part her cousin had told her about, that it was supposed to hurt, but she hadn't known how much or for how long. Well, she'd find out soon enough.

"Kate."

She opened her eyes to find Marcus gazing down at her. "Trust me again, love."

"I do." And she did. It wasn't his fault this time it was going to hurt.

"Look at me, Kate." His voice was soft, insistent.

She nodded, raising her gaze to his loving face.

"Remember, we are together in this." He shifted his weight, and the pressure between her legs increased.

"Yes." She wouldn't let the fear take over in this moment. Rarely had she ever been afraid of anything. And she wanted this to happen right now. Carefully, she slid her arms around his neck. "So we can become as one."

"Yes, love." Marcus nudged himself closer.

The ache between her thighs intensified. As if seeking his heat, Kate lifted her hips, just as Marcus thrust forward.

She bit back a cry, partly at the suddenness of it, partly at the pain. Because it had hurt, though not as badly as she'd expected. Still, it felt terribly peculiar. She glanced up at Marcus, whose face seemed transfixed with awe. Breathing heavily, he continued to push forward until at last, he seemed fully seated inside her. A miracle considering the size of him.

"Are you all right, love?" he asked, his gaze now trained on her, concern all over his face.

"Yes." It was uncomfortable, but she didn't want to make him feel bad about it. "And you said it will get better?"

"Let's see if we can make it much better. Put your legs around me."

Fearing to move, Kate gingerly did as he asked. The initial pain had subsided, and she didn't want it to return. But moving her legs into the new position made no difference. "Now what?"

"Relax, and let me do all the work." With a smile, he rocked back then gently thrust forward, time and again, each stroke urging him deeper and deeper. The rhythm he set for them became familiar, so Kate could anticipate his movements, lifting her hips in time to meet his thrusts, and that strange ache between her legs began to grow once more.

It spiraled upward, taking Kate's senses with it until, with a suddenness that took her breath away, she reached that ultimate peak once more. Those wonderful waves of pleasure were more intense somehow because Marcus was there inside her, like nothing she'd ever felt before. Kate's eyes opened wide as she clutched at him and called, "Marcus!"

Her cry seemed to spur him on, for he sped up, thrusting faster and faster until he cried out her name, and erupted deep inside her. Sagging against her, Marcus panted as though his lungs would burst. When he could speak, he glanced at her and asked, "Are you all right?"

When she nodded—Kate was far too exhausted to speak—he rolled away from her, throwing his arm over his face as he continued to breathe deeply. After another moment, he pulled her to him, engulfing her in his arms.

Kissing her brow, he snuggled close to her and whispered, "I love you, Kate Locke. I cannot wait until we are married."

The words reverberated through Kate, creating a warmth that stole all the way through her. It was one thing to suspect his feelings and quite another to hear them professed aloud.

She rolled over until she could look directly into his face. "Do you truly mean that, Marcus?"

"How can you doubt it, my love?" He stroked a strand of her sweaty hair off her forehead. "I would not have taken your innocence had I not loved you with my whole heart. Which is why I want you to be my wife more than anything on earth."

"Is that a proposal, Lord Haversham?" Kate grinned at him.

"No. Well, not the true proposal. As I said, that must be made with a grand gesture." He pulled her on top of him. "Although it will be made as soon as possible. So we can be married and spend all our afternoons just like this."

"That sounds lovely, doesn't it?" Kate sighed. "Entwined like this forever."

"Although, I'm surprised you're not more concerned that I will give you warts."

"What?" Kate froze then pursed her lips. "You remembered what I said about you when I was fourteen?" It was rather endearing that he recalled the first insult she'd hurled at him.

"Yes, I did." Marcus sat up, bringing her up with him. "But I was also reminded of it in your list of ten things you hate about me."

Kate's stomach roiled as though she might cast up her accounts. "How?" Nathan couldn't have shown it to him as he'd never seen it himself. "How could you have seen that list?"

"I found it in a desk drawer one day when I was trying to write a note to my sister."

"And you still decided to court me?" Mortified, Kate could scarcely look at him. How dare he look at her private writing?

"My love," he turned her head toward him and ran his thumb down her cheek, "that list is one of the things that made me decide to court you. I took it as a challenge. If that was what you thought of me, then I must mend my ways where you were concerned." Marcus pulled her close and placed a searing kiss on her lips. "That you are now here in my bed tells me I must've corrected some of my atrocious behaviors."

"Wretch!" Kate grabbed a pillow and bopped him over the head with it. "You should've told me you'd read it."

"What would've been the fun in that?" He grabbed the pillow and tossed it off the bed. "I'd much rather have it lead to more battles like this." Before she could protest, he'd pulled her underneath him, the glint in his eyes telling her this battle would end in victory for them both. "Don't you agree?"

His member demanded entrance again, and Kate willingly obliged him. She had to admit, this type of battle was much more satisfying than any of their others. "I do," she said as he slid home. "As long as you assure me there will be no warts."