Chapter 44

Chapter Forty-Four

H ow so very typical of him. They were in the middle of the worst crisis of their short marriage, and he had to go throwing ‘I love you' at her. Victoria's heart had caught those words and held on to them for dear life.

His declaration only served to make this so much harder. But she owed him the truth, her truth. So she said it again. "I love you, Robert. I honestly wish I didn't. It was so much easier when I thought I hated you."

Every time he had done something awful, she had managed to half convince herself that she could live without him. When she'd realized that part of his reasons for marrying her had been because she'd seen his stolen spices, Victoria had been ready to hide her heart away from Robert forever. But as soon as she had firmed her resolve, he went and did something like this; something so lovely that her plans to stop loving him had all fallen apart.

But I do love him. I can't stop loving him.

Somewhere between that night at his house, and the many nights they had spent together, Robert had stolen her heart. And if the beautiful expression of joy on his face was anything to go by, he didn't plan to ever give it back.

"You love me?"

His question was edged with pain and hope. With a deep need for reassurance.

"Yes, I love you. But I'll be damned if I am going to live the life of a widow at two and twenty, so we have to come up with a solution to keep the murderous hordes at bay. And if the East India are on to you, then we had better be quick about it."

His head dropped, and he nodded. Robert was still nodding when Victoria slipped her hand into his and whispered, "I'm exhausted. Let's go home, get some sleep, then when we are rested, we should sit and talk about things. I know this all sounds like an impossible situation, but we can't lose hope. If we do, then they will have won."

He bent and brushed a kiss on her lips. And then another. When he pulled her hard against him, Victoria felt the firmness of his erection. "I want you," he murmured.

Her gaze shifted to the bed. She was tempted to ask him to wait until they got to the manor house, but with the way he breathed into her ear and nipped at her earlobe, she sensed he wouldn't be listening even if she did. Robert needed this, needed her. And she couldn't deny him.

"What about your shoulder?"

"I'll manage."

Untying the clasp which sat at her throat, Victoria let the cloak fall to the floor. Robert worked feverishly at her garments with his good hand, while her hands went to the falls of his trousers. He moaned as she took a hold of his erection. With her fingers wrapped around it, she stroked him long and hard. Just the way he liked it. "Wicked girl," he ground out.

She dropped to her knees. Robert let out a snarl of pleasure as she worked his cock with her mouth. His hand settled lightly on her shoulder. Victoria's tongue traced a long line up and down his shaft, sucking the tip between her lips as she reached the end.

When his grip tightened, and he growled, "Come to me, wife," she took that as her signal to let him go and got to her feet.

Robert wasn't adverse to spilling in her mouth, and she always enjoyed those moments, but for this encounter she sensed he wanted to be closer to her, to see her face as he reached his climax.

Her skirts were lifted over her hips, and in a quick role reversal, he sunk to his knees on the hard, stone floor. Victoria closed her eyes as Robert pressed two fingers deep into her sex. They were both fully invested in the moment. Sure of their need to be one.

She whimpered as his thumb brushed over her sensitive bud, loving how he spread her wetness across her parted folds. "Robert," she gasped.

He slowly got to his feet, and with his finger and thumb still buried deep in her sex, kissed her. Each stroke took her higher, brought her closer to her crisis. When he finally broke the kiss, she caught the lust which blazed in his eyes.

Without a word, he led her over to the bed and lay her down. Victoria parted her legs and welcomed him into her body. Robert buried his face in the crook of her neck and thrust his cock in hard and deep.

She cried out. "Yes. Oh god yes."

She hooked her ankles against the back of his knees, opening herself fully to him, exalting as his firm erection now brushed against the entrance to her sex. Every stroke was right over that magic spot which had her sobbing with need.

The bed creaked and groaned as Robert took Victoria in a heated encounter of pure, driving claim. Thrust after thrust he demanded everything her body could yield. The sound of the wooden frame protesting at the veracity of their coupling sent her pulse racing.

She clung to him, her fingers digging into his skin, marking him as hers. When she finally crashed into her orgasm, Victoria's cries echoed off the walls. But he didn't let her rest; he continued to pump deep and hard into her, drawing out every last moment of her sobbing climax.

Only when Victoria had finally fallen silent did he shift in the bed and pull her legs up to his hips. She smiled up at him. This position had its own distinct advantages. It allowed him all the room to plunder.

And there was nothing better than being plundered by this man.

He claimed her mouth, biting her bottom lip each time he broke the kiss. "No other man will ever have you, this body is mine. To have and to hold. To fuck and to love."

How on earth had she ever thought she could survive without these frenzied moments with him? Victoria laughed. "I would have lasted a week at best, then gone mad without you. Please Robert, don't be gentle."

He held her gaze as he pumped long, deep strokes into her sex. His fingers gripped her ass, and she didn't care that there would be bruises later. She just wanted him.

"I can't last a day without you. Without us. I would have died if anything had happened to you," he growled.

The tears which shone in his eyes had her heart on the verge of breaking. He was a misguided fool, but he was her fool, and no one and nothing would tear them apart.