Lydia Dare - Wolf Next Door

"No," he assured her. "It's not always like that." Her bottom lip poked out as she frowned.

"It's not?" she asked.

"No. Sometimes, it's better," he growled as he adjusted her hips so that she straddled him. He freed himself from his drawers. His want for her was nearly painful. If he didn't have her soon, he'd surely lose his mind.

"Oh," she sighed with one long breath. She laid her head on his chest. "I have much to learn." Her words slurred a bit.

"I know. I like teaching you. I'll teach you more tonight, and when we're married, I'll teach you more and more." He lifted his hips so that his shaft touched her wetness.

"Married?" she raised her liquor-soaked, passionnumbed head. It was no wonder the woman was dazed. "We'll talk more about that tomorrow," she murmured as she turned her head and laid her cheek over his heart.

"You can depend upon it," he assured her. "But we've other things to do tonight." At last, she would be his. After wanting her and lusting after her for years, he'd finally move inside her, claim her as no other could or would.

A soft snore rose from her. "Priss," he said as he nudged her. She didn't move, except to breathe heavily.

Will lay his head back on the counterpane and cursed. "Bloody hell." His teeth ground together so loudly he thought the sound might wake her. He nudged her again. No. Nothing would wake her at this point. She was soundly asleep. Her naked body lay atop him, and though he was hard and ready, she slept.

Very slowly, he rolled her from atop his body, so that he could stare down at her sleeping face. He'd planned to have her that night, needed her desperately. But even he had a conscience.

Will picked her up and carried her to the bed where he laid her down gently. He retrieved the counterpane, covered her with it, and then slid in beside her. She barely moved, except to roll toward him and throw one leg over his hip.

Will groaned. Only Prisca could torture him so thoroughly.

Fourteen

Prisca opened her eyes slowly as a soft hand brushed the hair from her forehead.

"Good morning, Prissy," Will said softly from where he lay beside her.

"What?" she mumbled, raising her head to look around. "Where am I?"

He didn't answer. He just continued to stare at her, his eyes as hot as the fire from the previous night. He simply placed a hand on her hip and gently rolled her onto her side to face him. He lay with his elbow bent, his head resting in his hand. A welcoming smile tilted the corners of his mouth. She shivered.

"You're not cold, are you?"

The front of her body lined up against the front of his, heat flowing from his body to hers. "Please, tell me I'm not naked," she breathed, closing her eyes tightly.

"Sorry, love. I can't do that," he laughed. She squeezed her eyes closed tightly.

"Then please, tell me

you're

not naked?" she tried. But she already knew her breasts brushed the sparse hair of his chest.

He brought his mouth close to her ear and said, "I'm not naked. Not completely, anyway. You, on the other hand…" He let the sentence trail off. He lifted the edge of the blanket and held it up. "Did you want to see?"

She turned her head quickly away and rolled onto her back. He laughed. The cad actually

laughed

.

"I think you're enjoying this," she mumbled.

"Having you in bed, naked, beside me? Of course, I am." His thumb brushed her bottom lip. "I was so worried last night when no one could find you."

She snorted. "You never worry about me."

"You're wrong about that." His voice was strong and firm.

She lay there in silence while her mind tried to sort out the situation. How had this come to pass? Images popped into her mind from the previous night. Him laying her before the fire. Unbuttoning the shirt she wore. Licking down her body. "Oh, Lord," she moaned.

"Your head hurts?" he asked as he softly kissed her brow. That was as good an excuse as any. She nodded.

"You saw me naked."

He inhaled sharply, his chest pressing into hers. She held her breath until he laughed. "I did. And it's a sight I will never, ever forget."

She was going to die of embarrassment. Prisca tucked the counterpane firmly beneath her arms and stared up at the ceiling. How could she ever look at him again?

"No need for modesty now. I've already seen you," he whispered, his voice teasing yet intense as his eyes fell to her breasts. "And you're quite perfect."

She shivered again as his tone and heated gaze did odd things to her belly. His eyebrows drew together. "Are you still cold?" He reached a hand beneath the counterpane to place it on her hip and roll her back toward him.

"I'm quite all right," she squealed and reached for his hand to stop its slow slide across her bare skin. He let her tangle her fingers with his. "I need to get out of this bed," she murmured.

"Not if my life depended on it," he growled as he rolled her beneath him and settled between her thighs.

***

At that moment, Will heard the tromp of horses in the distance and groaned as he buried his face into her neck. He'd never get inside her at this rate.

"Do you remember anything about last night?" he asked, his gaze boring into hers.

Prisca gulped.

"Do you remember me making love to you?" he asked, praying the whisky still numbed her mind, praying she'd forgive him for this when she learned the truth.

Her eyes grew wide at the question. "D-did we?"

Will breathed a sigh of relief. "Hmm," he lied. "You were marvelous, Prissy."

"I was?" she squeaked, unable to meet his eyes any longer.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, love." He tried to soothe her fears away and tried to ignore his own feelings of guilt. "You did promise to marry me first. Not every bride waits until her wedding day to seal the deal, so to speak, no matter what they say."

"I remember you said something about marriage."

Voices of her brothers could be heard on the other side of the door. Will steeled himself to receive their wrath.

Prisca squirmed beneath him, finally meeting his gaze. "That's Emory!" she hissed, horrified.

Will nodded. "Don't worry, love. It'll all turn out for the best."

A knock sounded on the door. "William!" Emory called. "Are you in there?"

"Please," Prisca whispered. "Don't say a word."

But it was too late for that as Pierce already peered in through the small window. Even if Will had wanted to change his plan now, he'd gone too far to turn back.

Her brother's eyes round with surprise. "He's in there. They both are."

Then the door swung open, and no one said a word. Not a gasp, grunt, groan, or bellow left their lips.

"Does the end truly justify the means?" Garrick's stricken voice was so low that Will barely heard it. Certainly the vicar couldn't know of his duplicity.

He glanced over at his old friends. Perhaps someday they'd forgive him. Aside from Garrick, who looked to be on the verge of expiring, if the color of his face was any indication, the others' expressions shifted from shocked to smug to relieved before starting the cycle over again. Certainly not what he expected. "Morning," he offered lamely as Prisca groaned beneath him and covered her face with a pillow.

Emory rubbed his jaw. "See you found Prissy," he said, for lack of anything intelligent to say.

Shouldn't they have been more angry? Will nodded. "Do you mind giving us a moment?"

Blaine closed his mouth, which had been hanging agape. "By all means, take a couple."

The brothers Hawthorne filed back outside.

Prisca's tortured groan only grew louder beneath the pillow. Will tugged the pillow away from her face. She looked completely devastated, not that he could blame her. The emotion niggled at him, too. After all, he'd told Ben he'd bring her back in the morning. There was no way the Hawthorne brothers would have found them without his little brother's assistance.