Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

A fter spending the night alone in his bedchamber struggling with his ever-present restlessness, John came downstairs to the breakfast nook hoping to encounter his new bride. He assumed Olivia still might be flushed with pleasure, and he dared to hope that she had listened to him, taken the book to bed with her, and perhaps done some experimenting on her own.

With a chortle of amusement, he entered the breakfast nook to find it empty. Quickly, John glanced around the place, and just as he was about to summon a servant and ask after his wife, the butler appeared.

"Yes, Simmons?" John questioned.

"Lady Frontershire asked me to tell you, my lord, that she has adjourned to the library this morning."

John's eyebrows lifted reflexively. "Did she ask that I join her there?"

Simmons' wrinkled face contorted in confusion, so John saved the butler from making a conjecture and added, "Never mind. I shall seek her out at once."

He started to turn away then as an afterthought, paused and added, "Please see that Lady Frontershire and I are not disturbed for the rest of the morning…err…or perhaps we should be left alone for the rest of the day."

"Yes, my lord."

There was a spring in John's step as he left the breakfast room and skipped toward the library.

I would be lying if I pretended that I was not looking forward to this moment.

Had they not been interrupted back at Auntie Aggie's country estate, John would have done all he could with Lady Olivia then. Now that she was his wife and he had been so carefully gentle with her last night, he saw no reason to put off the inevitable. He had gone to the house party hoping to find a wife whom he could wed and bed, but as luck would have it, he wound up with someone like Olivia. She excited all his senses and made him look upon the task of siring an heir as a pleasure, rather than a chore.

He opened the door to the library slowly, not wanting to startle his wife, and found her sitting on the window seat, much as she had been doing the night before while he nuzzled his head in her lap. Instinctively, after shutting the door behind himself, John started to unbutton his jacket and in a carefree manner he tossed the garment onto the desk as he walked by it.

"You are in a good mood this morning, my lord," Olivia said as she looked up from her book and stared at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

"And why should I not be?" John returned. "I am stuck with you, my lady, and that is not always such a bad place to be."

Olivia's brow furrowed slightly. "Do you still feel trapped, my lord? Do you…"

He continued peeling off his clothes, shucking his vest next and flinging it over his head.

"Do I what?" he prompted. "Do I find myself drawn to you? Why, yes, yes, I do. Am I pleased to see you waiting for me in the library, dutifully reading the book I gave you yesterday?" He paused and licked his lips. "I could not be happier to find you in such a state."

"But…" Olivia shifted uncomfortably on the cushion. "I suppose I thought…after last night…"

"Last night was sensational," John finished the thought for her. He tipped his head to the side and looked at the book she held loosely in her grip. "But if my eyes are not deceiving me, it seems that you have skipped beyond page seventy-seven. Could it be that you tried out some of the plot points on your own? Did you pleasure yourself after we parted ways last night, Lady Olivia?"

Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson, and John could not stop himself from falling to his knees right in front of her. "Or do you want to pick up where we left off and see what happens after the lady cries out in ecstasy?"

"I want…I want…oh!" Surprisingly, Lady Olivia tossed the book aside and reached for him. Her hands groped along his chest greedily. She clutched at him, and before John could laugh or even react properly, her lips were upon his, and she was kissing him with a ferocity he had not expected. Her tongue darted in and out of his mouth, and even though she was no expert, he was exceptionally aroused by her technique. Her touch was ravenous, as if she had been waiting all night to try out the tricks the book had taught her, and John could not be more surprised or delighted by this enthusiasm.

I should have known that she would take her studies seriously. Olivia always did think it best to educate the masses.

Her hands flew to the buttons on his shirt, and as she struggled to undo just one, he hiked up her skirts quickly and began massaging her thighs.

"Yes," she mumbled as she pulled her mouth away from his and nuzzled her nose against his cheek. "More of that, please."

John lifted her skirts as high as he could get them to go then he ran his hand up and down her thighs, feeling goosebumps when they rose underneath his fingertips.

"Olivia," he said, before leaning into her and kissing along the neckline of her day dress.

He was mildly disappointed that she was not wearing the same, sheer night dress that had scantily clad her curves the night before, but he did not begrudge her for wearing proper attire, either. Instead, he just used the point of his chin to lower the material away from her heaving bosoms and licked the tip of his tongue along the newly exposed line of flesh.

John moved his mouth over her breasts, kissing her gently, but down below, his hands worked feverishly as he parted her legs and found her warm, wet center.

"Oh, my lord," she cried out. "This cannot be happening again."

"It can be…and it is, my sweet," John said, covering her mouth with his and kissing her lips ardently. "You told me you wanted more, and as you already know, I will do whatever you say."

"Yes, yes," she moaned, and because it seemed as if she was prompting him to do as much, he pulled his lips away from hers, sunk further onto his knees and prepared himself to bury his head between her parted thighs. But just as he was ducking low, her fingers clutched his hair, and she pulled him back so that he had to look up and see the wildness in her eyes.

"Yes?" he purred seductively. "What do you want me to do, my lady?"

She panted quickly then murmured, "Take off your clothes."

He snickered. "I will."

"No." She shook her head. "Now." She relaxed the hold she had on his hair and allowed her fingertips to move slowly down the sides of his face. "I want to see you…your body. I want to run my hands over your chest and…"

There was no need to hear anymore. Quickly, John backed away from her, and forgetting all about the buttons on the shirt, he whipped it off over his head before slinging it down at his side. "Is that better, my lady?"

Olivia's hands were on him at once. She ran the smooth pads of her fingers over his broad chest muscles then she flexed her fingers and dug her nails into his shoulder muscles, giving him a gentle yet tantalizing massage.

"Better," Olivia said as she wrapped her hands around his neck and towed him back toward her. When their lips collided this time, John felt a fire burn in his loins, and he knew, unlike last night, he would not be able to sustain himself by simply pleasuring her. He needed to undo the buttons on his breeches and free himself completely. And he looked forward to giving Olivia what it was she seemed to want.

Her hands skittered up and down his back, neck, and torso, and with each of her touches, John felt his skin grow feverish. He stood quickly, and she moved right along with him. As he backed slowly toward the desk, she continued kissing him, and he was elated by the way she was able to maintain her balance while proceeding with the gentle caresses.

When they reached the desk, he intimated that she needed to hop up and take a seat, and as she did, he slid his hands underneath her exposed bottom. He caressed her soft skin, and she moaned in a way that was different from last night. This new sound was deeper, lower in her throat, and it was in this way, slowly, by increments that John learned to sense what his wife liked rather than force her to tell him her desires.

He pulled her to the edge of the desk and lifted her legs. As he did this, she leaned back slightly, and his hands moved toward her center. She was slick with wetness, but when John touched just the tip of his finger to her core, she yelped as if this had been the first time he'd done such a thing.

"Just relax," he encouraged. "Try to enjoy this."

"I am," Olivia panted as she struggled to sit up a little straighter. "But I think I want to be able to watch what you are doing. I want to know how you pleasure a woman."

"So eager to learn. Never ending surprises," John whispered as he leaned forward and kissed his wife.

As he moved, he discreetly slid his finger inside her once more, but this time she did not buck or twitch. He worked the finger back and forth, and had she not started kissing him again voraciously, he would have known she was close to climaxing by the way she breathed so heavily.

"Oh, my lord," she breathed.

John pulled his hand away from her for just a second, so he could unbutton his trousers and unleash his throbbing member, but as he did, he teased, "John. Remember. I like to be called John."

"John," she panted as he lowered his breeches, allowing them to hang lightly from his hips. "What…what happens now?"

"Ready yourself," he whispered as he allowed his fingers to trip up her thighs once more. "This is going to be one of those surprises I mentioned a moment ago."

Olivia leaned forward and draped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him even closer. He meant to go slowly, simply because he did not wish to hurt her, but with her tugging and towing on him, practically begging him to claim her as his wife, he could hardly control himself.

She laid her lips against his neck and kissed his earlobe and the side of his face. Impressed by how much she had learned in such a short time with him, he worked his finger against her core once more, wanting to bring her just a little bit more pleasure before he took her completely.

But as she clung to him, calling out his name, whispering breathy, airy words of elation and John readied himself for what was to come next, he felt her body stiffen. Her muscles shook and vibrated just as he was sure she was about to beg for more, she opened her mouth and said something else entirely.

"Who…" she gasped. "Who is that man?"

"What?" John had his finger pressed to her womanhood, continuing to give her more pleasure, and he stopped massaging for a minute. "Is there someone in here with us? Did one of the servants…?"

"No!" Olivia gulped.

Even though she had become distracted, as did he, her body had not gotten the message. He could feel it when an orgasm came upon her, and all the muscles in her core pulsed and twitched in a rhythmic way.

"No," she cried out.

"What is happening?"

Flustered, John stepped away from her and turned to glance around the library, but the room was empty, save for themselves.

"No one is here," he said as he sidled closer to her once more, wanting to take her while she was still throbbing and ready for him. "It is just us, my lady, and…"

Olivia's breasts heaved as she recovered, but when she lifted her hand and pointed, John turned once more to see what had caught her attention.

"Who is that man?" she reiterated, and it was then that John's mouth dropped wide. "He looks so much like you," she continued, "and yet, I know it is not you because of… the smile on his face. Your smile is much more roguish and…"

Stunned, John dropped the hold he had on her legs and moved several paces away from her.

Just seconds before, John was convinced that nothing and no one would stand in his way of having this moment with his wife. He had been looking forward to plunging his member into her and watching her face fill with shock as she realized that he had finally mastered her. But now, he could not and would not touch Olivia. There was nothing else she could have said that would have created a chasm between them more completely.

"John," she said as she lowered her skirts and slid off the desk. "What is wrong? Did I say something to upset you?"

"I…I forgot that portrait hung in the library," he managed to say in a rough, rumbling voice.

"But who is the subject of the painting?" Olivia pressed. "If I did not know better, I would claim that man was your twin, but…"

"He is…or he was…" John shook his head irritably. "I…do not wish to discuss this matter."

Olivia's eyes widened showcasing her surprise. "But if you have a twin brother, where is he?" She glanced around the library as if she expected him to pop out from behind one of the curtains. John snorted disdainfully.

"Let this matter alone," he grunted. He was not just annoyed because she had allowed her attention to wander while they had been nearly intertwined, but he was also agitated because of the subject of her questioning.

"But I should like to meet your brother," she continued in a thoughtful manner as she patted her skirts, apparently readying herself for this introduction. "I cannot believe he did not join you at your auntie's house party and did not attend our wedding either, but perhaps he is the second son." She paused and gave him a long look. "Yes, that would make sense. You were born just before he was, making you the next Marquess of Frontershire, but he…he must be a clergyman or an officer in the regiment."

Once, not so very long ago, John found Olivia's naivety sweet and alluring. But now, he wished for the days when she was obstinate and quarrelsome because he wished to shout that this was none of her business and be done with it.

"We shall not speak of this again," John declared as he stalked from the room, swinging the door open forcefully then slamming it shut behind him, not because he was angry with his new bride for asking questions but because he could not bear to give her any further answers.