Chapter 10
With Kilman’s arm firmly in her grasp, Phoebe led the way up the stairs to the chamber where she had been held prisoner for one night. Ossie had been stationed outside her door, much like when he had guarded Ruth and Lillian at the inn three weeks before when Phoebe tracked her friends down.
Phoebe stopped on the top stair riser and turned to look down at Kilman. “Do you think of Lady Margaret as a villain or perhaps merely a bored spinster up to no good?”
“Is this a trick question?”
The dark circles under Kilman’s eyes was evidence that the man had very little sleep over the past few days. Perhaps now was not the time to discuss his kidnappers” motivations. She shook her head and turned back around to step up onto the landing, except Phoebe couldn’t help but wonder if they had been in fact swindled by a spinster. She turned around. “I can’t seem to figure out what Lady Margaret’s true motivations are for taking such bold actions.”
Kilman rubbed his eyes with his free hand and then blinked up at her. “After spending multiple days with the woman, who made it a point to not to answer any of my questions, I doubt I could provide any insight into how Lady Margaret’s mind works.”
“If the two of you didn’t converse, what transpired?” She dropped his arm and placed both hands upon her hips.
He covered her hands with his and said, “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“How can that be? You are an agent for the Home Office, trained to extract information from others.”
“Lady Margaret is extremely talented at evading questions and was quite content to simply sit in the corner and observe me. Thinking upon it, I don’t believe I’ve ever met a woman that quiet.”
His lopsided smile told her he was teasing her. But she wasn’t going to be distracted by the roguish glimmer in his eyes. There had been many a stolen kiss or two over the years, with which Kilman had managed to elicit a moan from her that he claimed he would never tire of.
“Behave, Kilman or I’ll…” Her empty threat was left unspoken as he picked her up by the waist and then hauled her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She knew it to be useless to ask to be put down. Needing to regain control over the situation, her gaze fell upon his bottom and before she could think twice she planted her palm flat against his bottom with a swat.
Kilman didn’t even break his stride, he merely chuckled and forged forward.
Only when they were in front of the bedchamber door did he stop. “You know, I’ve always been in favor of treating others how you wish to be treated.” He rubbed his buttocks and over his shoulder he gave her a wink.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
He let her slide down his chest until her feet were firmly back on the floor and then said, “Oh…is that so?”
Eyes narrowed, she studied his features carefully. Phoebe had the distinct feeling he was being entirely serious despite the teasing smile that remained on his handsome face. “Kilman…We need to talk…first.”
He reached around her, released the latch and pushed open the door. “After you, my lady.”
The man’s ability to set her heart racing and yet settle her nerves at the same time was a unique skill only Kilman possessed. He never pressed her to partake in any adventure she wasn’t willing to and he supported her unconditionally, which is why she grabbed him by the lapel and rolled up onto her tiptoes to kiss him as she slowly backed into the room.
The backs of her legs bumped into the wood frame of the bed, bringing her to a halt. Phoebe broke contact with Kilman’s all too delicious lips to look back over her shoulder at the inviting bed. “We… we should… I should…”
Kilman turned her by her shoulders and said, “Breathe. Relax.”
The tips of his fingers grazed her skin as he began to make short work of the row of buttons at the back of her gown. It wasn’t the first time he’d played maid for her, and she was certain it wouldn’t be the last. She slowly expelled the breath she had been holding and the tension in the muscles of her neck eased. Her gown dropped to the floor.
Kilman stepped to the side and pulled back the corner of the bed linens.
Her future husband motioned for her to lie down. “I doubt you slept much last night. Let’s get you tucked in under the sheets and then we can discuss whatever is bothering you.”
Cold with only her shift on, Phoebe obediently crawled up onto the bed and let Kilman cover her with the thick coverlet. She didn’t dare close her eyes for fear she might fall asleep.
Kilman divested himself of his vest and boots and proceeded to the other side of the bed. “It will be warmer with the two of us in the bed.”
She pushed back the bed linens next to her and waited for Kilman to hop in. They’d never shared a bed before. She had slept on his shoulder and curled up in his lap, but not in a bed together.
Kilman tilted his head up and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling for a moment and then lay upon the bed and rolled onto his side to face her.
He raised up and supported his head with the palm of his hand. “Are you still uncertain about marrying me?”
“It was never a matter of me being uncertain.” She curled up on her side, tucked her hands beneath her cheek and faced the man she loved. “Did we not agree to wed under the right circumstances and at the right time?”
“I’ve come to realize that there is no better timing than the present. Waiting for some unspecified event to occur is just delaying the inevitable.” His eyes were closed.
He must be exhausted and here she was wanting to talk matters through.
Kilman blinked his eyes open and smiled. “If I remain a lord of leisure and not return to the Home Office, will you marry me?”
“If that is truly what you wish. Yes. I’ll meet you at the altar and declare in front of a reverend that I don’t want to be separated from you ever again.”
Lowering his head to the pillow, Kilman murmured, “I love you.”
It was the first time he’d uttered the words to her and she soaked in the declaration as she watched the even rise and fall of his shoulders. She leaned forward to place a kiss upon Kilman’s cheek but hesitated. She should begin to refer to him as Torrance now that they were engaged. There was no reason to continue to maintain a polite distance. She’d always been fond of his given name. Lips a hair’s width away from his cheek, she whispered, “I love you too, Torrance.”
Arm slung over his eyes,Torrance began to awake from a deep sleep. A warm body was snuggled close to his side. He slowly lifted his arm and peeked over to find Phoebe sound asleep. She had finally addressed him by his given name, confirmation that she did indeed wish to be his wife. For the first few years of their partnership she’d used honorifics to keep him at bay, then he’d slowly built a level of rapport and sufficient trust for her to call him by his title. His patience had finally paid dividends, and she was ready and willing to be his.
He rolled onto his side, careful not to wake her. She was bloody gorgeous. Watching her sleep was one of his favorite things to do. He couldn’t resist, he ran the back of his finger down the bridge of her nose.
Her eyes fluttered open. “A good morn to you, Torrance.”
His heart soared at the sound of his name upon her lips. It took a moment or two for him to float back down to reality but once his pulse settled back to its normal pace, Torrance reached out and brushed the pad of his thumb across her lower lip. “Good morning, Phoebe.”
“I don’t hear any commotion below stairs. What do you think has Archbroke delayed?”
He let go of her pretty face and rolled onto his back placing his hand firmly behind his head. “You are a sound sleeper, my pet. The walls were practically rumbling all night. I’d wager Archbroke and the others are still sound asleep after their long journey.” Hopes of making love to his future wife were being dashed by the second yet his cock remained hard and at attention. All he could do was lie there and stare up at the ceiling and pray for divine intervention of some sort to save him.
The bed linens slipped lower down his chest as Phoebe sat upright. He reached down to grab the edge of the material before it could go any lower and reveal his uncomfortable state.
“Then there is no time to waste. We should…” Phoebe paused when she caught him staring.
Pert nipples pressed against her thin shift. Damn. Damn. Damn. He averted his gaze but it was too late. He’d been caught. “My apologies, my pet.”
To his absolute surprise, Phoebe crawled atop of him and sat up. “Do you remember our trip to Bath last summer?”
Egad. He’d never forget suckling her breast while she straddled him in his travel coach. “Of course,” he croaked. “Ahem… Bath… yes… Bath was both a successful and memorable mission.”
She reached down and grabbed his arm by the wrist. He released the bed linen and groaned as she pressed her taut nipple into the center of his palm. Instinctively he cupped her full bosom, and with the fresh memory of how she felt in his mouth he rose and sat upright. She was a quick study no matter the topic, but especially when it came to his lessons in love making, not that they had progressed beyond touches and kisses.
Phoebe wrapped her arms about his neck and lifted herself up to press her lips to his. She had mastered the act of kissing. Skilled at adjusting the pressure of her lips, the twirl of her tongue and the occasional graze of her teeth over his lower lip. Phoebe could bring him to the edge of control in moments. With the knowledge that they would be wed, his willpower to resist taking her was in jeopardy. He should take control over the situation or her enthusiasm to learn more might result in them not venturing downstairs for hours, because he’d not be satisfied with bringing her to climax only once.
“Pet, Archbroke and the others will awaken soon. We should…”
She silenced him with kisses. Not that he truthfully wished to stop. The minx pressed herself against him and he fell backward.
Lying atop of him, Phoebe kissed and nibbled her way along his jaw until she came upon his ear. “You like the danger of being caught.” Argh. She knew him well.
“Yes, pet. However…”
“No more howevers…no more excepts… no more excuses. We are to wed…thus your reasoning to stop is no longer valid.” She wiggled her hips against his erection that he knew would be difficult to ease without release.
“We should marry first.”
She pressed her palms to his chest and sat up. “You”re not going to go back on your word, are you?”
“What promise did I make?” He covered her hands with his so that she couldn’t test him further.
Head tilted to the side, she gave him a wickedly tempting smile and said, “I believe you agreed to teach me everything as long as I promised to marry you.”
Torrance tried to recall his exact words. Had he really given her his word to do such a thing? It was plausible. There had been times he’d been desperate to grasp at any feasible reason to prevent him from taking her against a wall, in a darkened alcove, in an abandoned stable, in a conservatory… over the years there had been countless times and places he’d had to exert supreme self-control. Self-control that was slipping through his fingers like sand.
To hell with propriety. He’d never denied her anything she asked for before and he wasn’t about to today.
He tugged her forward until her breasts were pressed up against him once more and then rolled until they were both on their side. Tucking a wayward strand behind her ear, he asked, “You promise to marry me?”
“I promise.”
And with that, the last strand of self-control he possessed snapped.
He skimmed his palm along her side and down her thigh as he nimbly gathered the material of her slip until his fingers found her bare skin. Sliding his hand between her thighs, he slipped two fingers between her slick nether lips, searching for her sensitive bud. His cock ached with need. To join bodies was an intimate act that he didn’t take lightly. Since it was Phoebe’s first encounter, he wanted to ensure her experience was not only pleasurable but one she would wish to repeat often. Phoebe pressed her pelvis into his palm, increasing the pressure applied against the tiny mound that he circled over and over. He wanted to taste her like he had on occasion, but the need to bury his cock in her was becoming unbearable. The soft moans escaping Phoebe mirrored his own guttural groans.
“Torrance…please.”
Phoebe’s plea had him rolling on to his back and making quick work of divesting himself of his stockings and breeches. He turned to face Phoebe who was lying on her back, eyes closed, head thrown back as her fingers moved in and out between her legs like he had taught her. Damn. It was the most erotic sight to witness Phoebe pleasuring herself. He waited until she was about to climax before kissing her, muting her cries of pleasure.
Phoebe spread her legs and welcomed him as he positioned himself at her core.
He looked down at the woman who was to be Baroness Kilman. “Ready, pet?”
“Ready.” She stared directly at him, gaze filled with trust and wonder.
Torrance glided the tip of his cock along her slit and pushed into her tight passage until he came up against her maidenhead barrier. He pulled back and then forged forward, repeatedly until Phoebe’s fingers dug into his hips. She was wet and ready. He thrusted deep into her center and once more covered her mouth with his in hopes his kisses would distract her from any pain she might be experiencing.
Phoebe shifted her hand and placed pressure on his butt and motioned for him to move again. He did as she bid, moving in and out slowly at first until he couldn’t hold back any longer. Quickening his thrusts, he emptied his seed in her. It was his promise to care for and love her until her last breath. Unable to hold himself up much longer, he shifted to lie next to her so as not to crush her. Phoebe draped an arm and a leg over him and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. Moments later he looked down at her and the minx was fast asleep.
Torrance smiled and closed his eyes. He was looking forward to the future. He may not be an agent for the Home Office with duties that provided adventure any longer, but he was certain that fulfilling the role of Phoebe’s husband and becoming father to her children would be far more rewarding.