Page 65 of His Scandalous Viscountess
Assured she was still with him, he gathered his will and drew out of her back passage and completely out of her body. Her hole sat there open and waiting for him to plunge back inside, and he did, slamming into her arse with a long, hard thrust. He repeated the motion again and again, pulling out completely and then slamming deep inside her. He wanted her to feel him every time she sat down the next day. Wanted her to remember who she belonged to now. Each collision of his hips and her bottom pushed her chest against the mattress, and he was certain the coverlet abraded her nipples, because she yipped and moaned in pleasure again and again.
He climbed toward his peak once more, and so shifted to a shorter stroke, remaining buried in her tight heat. Reaching around her hip, he found her soaked slit and swollen clit. Timing his touch with the slide of his cock filling her arse, he worked her hard. Her moans and groans only got louder when he added his finger to her swollen nub. And then her backside clamped down on his shaft like a vise.
He could barely move inside her as she exploded around him, his name a chant on her lips as she bucked against him. Her entire body shook with her release, a vibration that carried into his own frame and made him desperate to join her. As her tight grip eased, he resumed shuttling in and out of her backside, fucking her hard now that he merely had to focus on his own release.
Three strokes later, his balls tightened, a tingling sensation his only warning before he came, pouring himself deep inside her. He continued to pump his hips, letting the extra lubrication add to the pleasant jolts that still fired through his system. Then everything settled down as he hung over her, careful of her bound hands.
After catching his breath, he straightened up, but found himself reluctant to move yet. Concerned about her arms, he released the ribbon that held her hands tied and curved over her back as he rubbed her arms. “Are you well?”
She chuckled, sending a ripple over his softening shaft that ultimately dislodged him from her warmth. He slid free, and with no reason to remain in place, collapsed onto the bed and pulled her with him.
“Thank you.”
She smiled. “I feel as though I am the one who should be saying those words.”
“No, Jules, it is most certainly me.” He smiled and then yawned mightily. Sleep was coming for him, so he moved from the bed before he would be incapable. After quickly cleaning himself up and then Jules, he crawled under the covers. “Come sleep with me.”
She bit her lip but nodded and followed him under the covers. “Good night, husband.”
“Sleep well, wife.”
He smiled, pleasure stealing through his limbs and dragging him into oblivion.
Chapter 26
Julia and Ros sat in Lady Stonemere’s—well, Theo’s, because the woman didn’t have a formal bone in her body—drawing room. Surrounded by both familiar faces and a few new ones, Julia smiled and nodded even as worry ate at her. She’d been married for two weeks. Two wonderfully, delightfully naughty weeks. And still, she had concerns.
Not about Wolf. The man was proving himself to be a kind and caring husband. He was everything she once thought a husband would be, and certainly nothing like her first husband. If she were honest, a small part of her had worried that once the wedding guests had departed, the man would somehow turn into a monster, too. Perhaps she needed to change up her reading preferences from gothic horror novels to something more soothing—though she doubted she could stand a book of poetry.
No, her lingering concerns were about herself. She’d been an independent woman for so long, and had been so determined to stay that way, that she didn’t think she could change. It was part of her internal fabric, but now that she was truly wed to a peer of the realm who was certainly an indulgent husband, he would expect obedience from her. She was doomed to fail at this, and leave both Wolf and herself heartbroken in the process.
A small sigh escaped her. She didn’t want her marriage to fail. She wanted to change somehow, if that meant she could have him in her life forever.
Laughter rang out around her, and she realized her sister was enjoying the female company immensely. There was another front of concern for Julia. Ros was well and truly alone now, living in their house despite their parents’ insistence she move home. Of course, they didn’t understand that living with them could never be home—probably never had been to be honest. Julia also worried that Ros would be lonely, that she might find herself at loose ends without a close companion at hand. She had gone from her parents’ home to her husband’s home, to her sister’s home, never once having spent time living alone.
Julia still remembered her first year after her husband’s death. Though some would have considered a houseful of servants to be company, the truth was, they weren’t. She had been very much alone then, and it took a while for her to adjust to that. At first it was a relief, a great weight off her shoulders. But then, with so much time on her hands, all she could do was think about the things that had gone wrong in her life, picking apart each decision she’d made or allowed others to make for her. The first six months were the loneliest she’d ever been.
But loneliness wasn’t an issue any longer. No, she had a much bigger and more dangerous issue now. If she came to depend on Wolf—or any man, really—could she survive being on her own again when it inevitably occurred?
A gentle touch drew her attention.
Theo smiled brightly and leaned toward her. “You look as though you’ve brought weighty thoughts with you today.”
Julia tried to smile back, but couldn’t dissemble in the face of such honest, heartfelt concern. She let her gaze drop to her clenched hands. “Mayhap I did. My apologies for being such a poor guest.”
“Do not apologize. If you have weighty thoughts, you have come to the right place. This is my marriage cabal.” She grinned wickedly. “While the husbands would be—and have been—dismayed to learn of the plots we devise here, there is no group of ladies better suited to help solve a marital issue.”
Julia glanced about the room, seeing Emily, who she’d met through Wolf, and of course her sister and Theo. But Lady Heartfield was new to her, as was Theo’s sister, Lady Carlisle.
Theo squeezed her hand. “Trustworthy to a woman. No secrets shall be exposed by anyone in this room. We’ve all been in the position to have doubts about our marriages, to worry about our futures. If we can aid you in any manner, you must know we will do so without question.”
Conversation ebbed and flowed around Julia. The others were clearly otherwise engaged. The earnestness in Theo’s steady gaze reassured her, and gave her the courage to reach out. “I’m worried I cannot stay married to Wolf.”
The room had gone quiet then, and all eyes turned to her. Cheeks hot, she looked around to see a strange array of looks. Most held sympathy, one woman—Lady Heartfield—looked amused, but Ros appeared quite angry.
Her sister broke the awkward silence first. “Do not be ridiculous, Jules. You love him. He loves you. Why can’t you stay married to him?”
“I’ve lived as my own woman for a decade. I come and go as I please. I have my own funds and my own way of doing things. But most importantly, I have long refused to ever find myself at a man’s mercy again. This was only ever intended to be a temporary arrangement.”
