1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Surrey, England - Spring 1811

“ I love you, Eliza, and I intend to marry you. To hell with our fathers. Please tell me you want to be with me as much as I wish to be with you. In every way.”

Elizabeth Nelson, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Nelson, melted into the arms of her sweetheart, Nicholas, who would one day become the Earl of Craven. She had loved him from the first time she’d come across him swimming in the stream that ran between their fathers’ estates, almost five years ago.

Although the ownership of that very stream had been a long-disputed issue between their fathers. They each believed that the stream belonged to them and made trouble for each other when either household made use of it for livestock or to provide irrigation to crops. Ultimately, they both ended up using it for their estates anyway, and one would think they could be content with that. But a silly stream had been enough to cause such a rift that the men had sworn to hate each other. The bad blood only became worse between the pair over the years.

When she first saw Nick all those years ago, he hadn’t given one whit about her back then. She had been far too young, and he had only been home for the summer from Eton, and by the time fall came again, he was gone. When he returned years later, he came across her reading a novel by the very same stream and finally noticed her, a woman and no longer an annoying young chit. They spent the next few months falling more in love each day and taking a few scandalous swims together at night in the stream in a rebellious slight against their fathers.

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she wished to marry him, and she wanted nothing more than to give him every part of herself. To truly become his and make him hers. As a young woman of eight-and-ten whom no one spoke of such things to, she knew very little of what that would mean, but she knew she only wished to experience such things with Nick.

He would have offered to marry her already, and they would already be betrothed if they knew for certain how their fathers would react. Given the hatred the men harbored for each other, they feared that Eliza’s father wouldn’t agree to the union. With her age, they needed his approval to do so properly, or they would have to do something scandalous like elope to Gretna Green.

“I love you, too,” she said, burying her face in his neck. “I want very much to be with you, Nick.”

He took her mouth with his, kissing her with fervent intensity. When he broke the kiss, he brought her hands to his swollen lips. “Meet me at the hunting cabin tonight, after it is dark. We can be alone there, just the two of us with no one to disturb us.”

She looked at their hands, attempting to mask her frown.

“What is it, Eliza? If you have doubts, we can wait,” Nick said. He lifted her chin to meet his mesmerizing green eyes. His chestnut hair was just a bit longer than was fashionable, and it made him all the more roguish and handsome. “Look at me. I mean it, if this isn’t something you wish to do—”

“It’s not that,” she said, cutting him off.

“Then is it something I have done? Did you not enjoy when I touched you…” his voice trailed off as he gestured towards her skirts.

“It is most certainly not that either,” she said before swallowing hard. She had quite enjoyed it when he introduced her to the most exquisite pleasure she had ever experienced. “It’s just that I know you have experienced these things before, and I haven’t a clue what to expect or what to do.”

Nick had always been honest with her, and he told her of his time at Cambridge and that there had been women who warmed his bed. He spared her the details, which she appreciated, but she wasn’t so secure in herself that it didn’t spark a flicker of jealousy, especially when she was about to lay herself bare before him.

She knew that the rules of society were different for men than women, especially since Nick was two-and-twenty and exposed to the things men do while at university, but it didn’t mean she had to like it.

He cupped her cheek with his hand. “My love, you will be perfect. All I need is you. The rest we can explore together.”

“But you—”

“Nothing that happened before you matters,” he said, cutting her off, “and I know it isn’t fair for me to say so, but I would be driven mad if I had to imagine even the mere notion of another man touching you. If I could change the past, I promise you, I would. Just know that it is of little import to me. You are my future. My everything.”

She pressed onto her toes and kissed him again. “I will meet you tonight. I shall have to wait until after Papa goes to bed if I hope to leave.” Her papa would not approve of her sneaking out to meet any man, let alone the son of the Earl of Craven. He might have apoplexy if he knew she intended to give Nick her virtue. Papa tolerated Nick’s presence when he came to call only because of the politeness society expected. She was certain Papa would refuse him if it wouldn’t upset Eliza. Perhaps when she and Nick married, their fathers might resolve things between them. One could only hope.

He brought her hand to his lips again and kissed her knuckles. “You had better return home before someone comes looking for us,” he said. “I will see you tonight, my love.”

She took his lips again for a few quick pecks and peeked around the corner from the back of her family’s stables, ensuring no one could see her as she hurried back towards the house. Her father might tolerate Nick visiting for tea, but if he caught her with him unchaperoned, she wasn’t certain she’d see the light of day again. They had to get creative to find ways to sneak off without her maid in tow.

Eliza made it back to the terrace of her grand country home without anyone taking notice. As soon as she entered, she almost walked straight into her father.

“Where have you been, daughter?” he asked .

“I was just taking in the air in the garden, Papa,” she lied. She didn’t enjoy lying to her father, but she couldn’t have him locking her away in her room. Surely love was a reason to justify the minor sin.

His brow furrowed, assessing her. “Where is your maid? You shouldn’t be roaming the grounds alone.”

“You are quite right, Papa. I just stepped out for a few moments after I was tired of reading. I will make sure Dot goes with me next time,” she said, hoping her father wouldn’t press her any further.

“Very well. See that you do. Did that boy call here today?”

“Nick?” she asked.

Her father nodded. “And shouldn’t you refer to him as Lord Craven?” Hate spewed when her father spoke the title. “You aren’t on familiar terms.”

Eliza opted not to point out that her father should also refer to Nick by his title and not “that boy,” but she opted to leave that unsaid. “Papa, he isn’t his father and has done nothing to you. And no, he didn’t,” she replied. It wasn’t exactly a lie since he didn’t come calling to their door. “Perhaps he will come for tea tomorrow.”

“You are to depart for town with your mama in a few weeks for the season. You are certain to marry before the season ends, so there isn’t much point in the boy calling here, I should think,” he said, his lips curled into a smirk .

“Perhaps he will offer for me and save you the expense of a season, Papa,” she said, testing the waters for her father’s reaction.

If she hoped to find a hint of his thoughts on her statement, she would be disappointed. His expression remained unchanged, other than a slight squint of his eyes.

“Perhaps,” he said, “but you would have many acceptable options if you had a season.”

She patted her father’s arm. “The most important thing is that I marry someone who loves me, right, Papa?”

“And someone who is respectable and comes from an excellent family. Someone who would ensure you are provided for,” her father said, his cool expression still unchanged.

“Of course, Papa,” she replied. “I should like to return to the new book I just purchased with my pin money. May I be excused?” She wasn’t ready to tell her father she had already made her choice and would marry Nick. Even if she had to run away with him to Gretna, he was the man she would marry, and there wasn’t a thing her father could do about it.

“See you at dinner,” her father said before departing towards his study.

Eliza continued to her room, unable to concentrate on reading as her heart wouldn’t stop racing. She couldn’t wait for her rendezvous with Nick later that evening, where she would learn what it meant to couple with the man she loved.

Around eleven o’clock, Eliza poked her head out of her room to see if anyone was lurking in the hallway. Dot had dressed her for bed a couple hours ago and set her hair into a long plait held in place with a ribbon before she sent the maid away for the evening. Eliza slipped on a serviceable day dress over her night rail and then covered herself with a pelisse to help keep from catching a chill in the cool night air.

Once she was certain there was no one moving about the house, she slipped out of her room and closed the door behind her. She made her way downstairs and snuck out via the door the servants used to access the kitchen garden.

The hunting cabin was only a ten-minute swift ride away, and she knew the route well. With a confident smile, she set off on the journey, assured of her safety under the luminous full moon. She crept to the mews, and a groom greeted her .

“Please saddle up my horse and tell no one that you saw me,” she said, handing him a couple of coins.

He pocketed the coins and set off to do as she asked. Jimmy had done so for her a few times before, when she would sneak out to see Nick. The last time they snuck to the hunting cabin, she learnt what an orgasm was. Who knew that a man’s hands could give such pleasure? She clenched her thighs together, already thinking about what delights he would introduce her to that evening.

A few moments later, Jimmy handed her the reins, positioning the horse by the mounting block. She thanked him and climbed into the saddle before flicking the reins and racing off into the night.

When she reached the cabin, Nick’s horse was already tied up outside. He waited on the porch for her and came right beside her horse and lifted her down. “I’m so very glad you made it, my love. I would have preferred to escort you,” Nick said, pulling her into an embrace for a quick kiss. “Let’s get you inside. I already started a fire for us.”

She grabbed his hand, and he led her inside. The warmth from the fire kissed her skin right away. She removed her pelisse and laid it across the back of the settee. She turned to face him, and in a single fluid movement, he swept her into his arms. Nick pressed his lips to hers, running his tongue along her bottom lip before her lips parted and he massaged her tongue with his. She returned his kiss, sucking his tongue into her mouth until he groaned.

He ambled her backward towards the bedchamber, not breaking their kiss, which grew wilder by the moment. Once inside the room, he kissed her jaw and neck, nibbling at her and then soothing the nips with his tongue.

Eliza sighed, loving the man before her more than she could have thought possible. She glanced around the room and noted he had started a fire in the bedchamber as well, and there were a few candles lit on the mantle above the fireplace.

Nick took her hands in his and leaned back to look at her. His expression was an intoxicating mixture of need and love, and with the light from fire casting shadows on his handsome face, it was an image depicted right out of one of her romance novels. His chestnut hair was almost black in the low lighting and the candlelight hit his green eyes just perfectly so that they shone like a precious gem. She lost her heart to him all over again.

“Are you certain you wish to do this?” he asked, placing a soft kiss on her jaw.

“More than anything,” she replied. They had talked about waiting until they were married, but the desire to be with him had consumed her. She couldn’t wait for her father to approve her choice. She needed to be with him in every way, and then they would fight for their future together.

A low growl escaped his lips, and he began working the buttons of her dress, unfastening enough that he could lift it over her head and then tossed it on the chair beside the bed.

Curious about what Nick would look like without his clothing, she unbuttoned the coat he wore and pushed it off his shoulders until it fell to the floor. She worked the buttons of his white shirt next. He remained still and allowed her to do as she wished, staring into her eyes as she undid each button and freed him from his shirt.

Her breath caught when she saw his muscular chest with a light smattering of dark hair. When she ran her hands across chiseled muscles and over his shoulders, he sucked in a breath, and the nerves she had about coupling with him evaporated, leaving only raw desire. She kissed his chest, becoming wanton and bold with each press of her lips to his skin. She used her tongue in the same way he did against her neck, and his muscles flexed beneath her touch.

“Eliza, that feels so good.”

She licked and kissed his collarbone and up his neck, finding the lobe of his ear. She sucked it into her mouth.

He grabbed her head and kissed her lips again. After a few moments of exploration with their tongues, he broke the kiss and pulled her night rail over her head, leaving her naked before him.

She watched his response to her, and the hunger in his eyes only emboldened her further.

“You are so beautiful,” he said, looking from her breasts and down her body. “I must taste you.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant, but he clasped her bottom and lifted her onto the bed. He tenderly laid her down across the massive bed and positioned himself on his knees between her legs.

He kissed her lips, then kissed his way to her breasts. Her entire body shivered from the sensation of his powerful form hovering over her and the anticipation of what he would do. She gasped when he took one of her nipples into his mouth and began suckling her. “Nick,” she cried out.

“Do you like this?” he asked, stopping what he was doing.

“Oh, yes,” she replied.

He dipped his head to continue, smiling against her breast every time she moaned or sucked in a breath. When he used his hand to find her nub in the nest of curls between her legs, she moaned again.

He released her nipple and kissed his way down her stomach. He kissed lower and lower, shifting himself further down on the bed until his head was between her legs.

“What are you—” She cried out when his tongue flicked her pearl. “God, yes,” she moaned.

He stopped and glanced up at her, a smirk playing on his lips. “Does that mean you wish for me to continue?”

“I may never wish for you to stop.”

He gave a smug laugh and flicked her pearl again before circling it with his tongue. He inserted a finger into her core and moved it in and out. Her hands flew to his head, and she undulated against his mouth and hand.

She approached a release similar to the one he gave her a couple of nights ago with his hand, but this was different. Far more intense and wicked. When she tipped over the edge of her climax, she rocked and moaned, calling out his name.

He shifted himself on top of her and kissed her lips. She tasted herself on his tongue and licked the wetness off his lips. It was erotic and exhilarating, and she knew that once would never be enough.

“I could drink from you all day,” he said.

“I may wish for you to do just that.” She giggled when he laughed at her declaration. “I didn’t know such a thing was possible,” she said.

He kissed her again. “Would you like to stop now, or would you like for me to show you more? ”

“I want more,” she replied, the need evident in her tone. “Please, Nick.”

Nick climbed off the bed and stood beside it, looking at her.

“Where are you going?” she asked, curving her lips in a playful pout.

“I must remove these now,” he replied, working the buttons of his falls, his eyes not leaving hers. He pushed his breeches down to the floor and his member sprang to life, protruding from a nest of dark curls. Her gaze fixed on it, curious about what it might feel like in her hand.

He climbed back onto the bed and hovered over her, placing another sweet kiss on her lips.

“I want to touch you,” she said, reaching between them to grasp the rod that stood erect between them.

He sucked in a large breath and closed his eyes when her hand closed around it. Balancing himself with one hand and his knees, he reached his free hand between them and wrapped it around hers. His cock was smooth to the touch but hard as steel.

“You can stroke me like this.” He moved her hand with his, and she loved the power she felt from giving him pleasure the way he did for her.

She continued to stroke him for a few moments before he pulled her hand away. “I will spend if you should continue, and I would much rather do so after I make you come on my cock.”

She bit her lip, enjoying his wicked words. “Tell me what you are going to do and don’t be polite about it.”

He slipped his hand between them and slid two fingers inside of her. “I’m going to replace my fingers with the head of my aching shaft, and then I’m going to move like this”—he slid his fingers in and out—“until you shatter and moan in my arms.”

She released a sound that was a mixture of a sign and a moan. He pressed his lips to her ear. “Do you want me inside you now?” he whispered.

She nodded.

“Tell me you want me to make love to you with my needy cock,” he said, kissing along her jaw.

“I want your cock, Nick,” she whispered. “Make love to me. Now.”

He withdrew his fingers and positioned himself at her opening. “This may hurt but not for long, and it shouldn’t do so ever again.”

He pushed himself into her with care, inch by inch. She gasped from the slight twinge of pain when he had his entire length inside of her.

“Are you all right?” he asked .

“Yes,” she whispered, the pain subsiding, and she had the urge to move against him. “It doesn’t hurt any longer.”

He withdrew and then thrust back inside of her, causing her to see stars. She had never imagined such a pleasure and reveled in the intimacy from the man she loved most in the world filling her, the two of them joining as one. Nothing and no one else mattered but the two of them. He did it again, and she cried out.

“That’s it, my love. Moan as loud as you wish. It drives me wild to hear you do so.”

With every moan, he thrust deeper and harder inside of her. She wrapped her legs around him, and it became even more intense when he entered her as far as he could. He panted and groaned, and she pushed herself against him to meet his thrusts.

“You are mine,” he said, thrusting hard and deep.

She responded with a loud moan and dug her fingers into his back.

“Say it,” he whispered against her lips.

Eliza kissed him and broke the kiss to speak. “I am yours,” she said. “I shall always be yours.”

He thrust into her harder and faster.

“Oh, yes,” she cried out. “Just like that. Don’t stop.” With each movement, she neared ever closer to madness and ecstasy. “Nick,” she moaned .

He didn’t relent and made good on his promise to make her shatter. When she did, she cried out his name again and bucked beneath him, arching her back. Once she rode every wave of the intense pleasure from her climax, he withdrew, his breath ragged. “God, Eliza,” he groaned before warm liquid pooled on her stomach.

After a few moments, Nick climbed from the bed and removed a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped between her legs, then her stomach, and set the handkerchief on the table beside the bed.

“I wiped away the blood, but you may be sore tomorrow. A warm bath should help,” he said, settling in next to her and pulling her into his arms.

“That was more wonderful than I imagined,” she said, brushing his hair away from his face. “I hope it was the same for you.”

He pulled her tighter against him. “My love, I have never experienced anything as intense as being with you. I fear I am addicted to you and shall never get enough.”

She giggled beside him. “Is that so?”

“It’s perfect since you are mine,” he said, kissing her forehead.

“Does that mean you shall meet me here tomorrow night and show me more?” she asked, placing a quick kiss on his chest.

“Nothing on this earth could keep me away.”