Punishing His Ward (8 page)

It had only been their stalwort
attention to each other that had deflected the others, but now they
could relax and enjoy themselves in this very different
company.  Which gave Eleanor some time to think and ponder
other things, such as some of the revelations she’d had during her
afternoon with Cynthia.

While Eleanor knew she’d been
considered headstrong and that some of her actions, especially at
her coming out ball, would have been seen as brazen, she had
nothing on Cynthia.  It was a good thing that they weren’t in
London or the girl’s reputation would probably already be
shredded.  For her part, Eleanor didn’t see anything
particularly wrong with Cynthia wanting to know the same things
that Eleanor had wanted to know before she’d married Edwin. 
So she’d shared what she could with the young woman.

But Cynthia’d had a few things to share
with Eleanor too.

Such as the very astonishing idea of
taking Edwin’s cock into her mouth.  He'd done the reverse to
her, but somehow it had never occurred to her that Edwin might
enjoy it as well.  After all, he was so very dictatorial, so
very demanding in their love making, that she assumed he would
initiate anything that he desired. 

What would it be like to surprise him
with something pleasurable? 

She rather liked the idea.
 

In the past few days their
relationship felt as though it had done more than relax, away from
the bustle of London, it felt as though it had become something
softer, sweeter.  Although she didn't doubt that he would
still spank the dickens out of her if she were to misbehave.
 But honestly, Eleanor didn't feel like misbehaving as much.
 She was too busy trying to get her husband to admit his
feelings for her, because she was becoming more and more hopeful
that they existed even if he didn't say so.

Perhaps surprising him with something
new and different would also motivate a new verbal admission from
him.  At the very least, it would be fascinating to see his
reaction when she wanted to take control.  Would he let
her? 

"Nell, your mind is wandering," Edwin
murmured, his finger stroking lightly down the back of her neck and
making her shiver.  She very nearly glared at him, right in
front of Lady Montgomery, who was watching their amusement with
interaction.

"I'm sorry Lady Montgomery," she said
instead.  "What did you say?"

"I was just declaring how glad your
mother must be, having both you and Hugh make such brilliant
matches.  And your father as well, I know he's hated the
necessity of spending so much time apart from your mother, but she
really cannot tolerate London for any length of time."

"Yes, I don't believe I've ever seen
her happier," said Eleanor, smiling.  "Although I don't think
she realized that Lord Hyde would come up to scratch quite so
quickly."  That was a little nudge at Edwin.  Even though
she didn't throw any larger temper tantrums, hadn't since he'd
caught her trying to leave London without him, she couldn't help
but twit him a little.  It was just part of her personality.
 And for the most part he didn't seem to mind too much.
 His fingers exerted just the slightest bit more pressure on
the back of her neck, a warning.  It made her skin
tingle.

To her surprise, Lady
Montgomery waved her hand dismissively.  "Pish.  Of
course he came up to scratch immediately."  The older woman
smiled at both of them, her sharp eyes piercing.  "It's
obvious that you'd be a Diamond of the First Water given a full
Season, and with your antecedents and dowry, the competition would
be fierce.  I can't imagine an intelligent man letting any
time waste, especially not one that's practically been waiting for
you to step onto the Marriage Mart."

Eleanor gaped.  "Waiting for
me?"

Beside her, she could feel Edwin
stiffen.  She didn't dare look at his face. 

"The two of you were inseparable as
children.  It was obvious to all of us that knew both of you
that it was only a matter of time," Lady Montgomery said, smiling
benignly.

That was a new viewpoint,
one that Eleanor had never considered before.  She rather
liked the idea of Edwin waiting for her.  The only question
was, was Lady Montgomery correct?  Eleanor finally snuck a
look at Edwin's face, but his expression was blandly
impassive. 

Maybe she could ask him about it later.
 She'd found it easier to coax tender words and memories from
him while they were in bed.  It was all part of her latest
plan to get him to confess his feelings for her.  Because she
wanted a marriage based on love, and when she'd first wed Edwin she
didn't know if he had those feelings for her.  Indeed, she'd
thought that it was clear that he didn't, although she had fallen
in love with him far too quickly for comfort.

While he hadn't yet said
the words, many of his actions seemed to indicate something deeper
than the affection of a childhood friend.  But she wanted the
words, the acknowledgment... the security.  And she was
determined to get them. In fact, the more days that passed without
that declaration, the less certain she was of her
perceptions.

******

Waving off his valet, Edwin finished
shucking off the rest of his clothes by himself and strode into the
bedroom.  Eleanor had gone to bed about an hour before him, as
he'd had a few matters to attend to when they'd returned home from
the Montgomery's dinner.  Hopefully she was still awake, not
that waking her up for his amorous desires was a chore, but he
always did feel a little guilty about disrupting her slumber.
 Even if he did enjoy it when she was all soft and languid, an
entirely different Eleanor than the rest of the world ever got to
see.  

Fortunately, she was still awake,
sitting up in bed reading a book and wearing a gossamer thin
nightgown that clung to her curves.  The faintest blush of her
nipples was visible through the material in the flickering
candlelight.  Edwin grinned and strode forward, his erection
hard and ready against his belly.  It had been that way since
he'd begun undressing, anticipating joining his wife in their
bed. 

Eleanor sat up, setting her book to the
side as her lips curved in a small, welcoming smile.  There
was something to be said about a passionately inclined Eleanor,
although he had to admit, he did also enjoy the chase and seduction
when she was being reluctant as well.  He adored Eleanor in
all her moods, even the bad ones.

"Aren't you a pretty
picture, waiting for me in the candlelight," he murmured, stalking
closer.  He could feel his blood rising as she waited
patiently for him, excitement kindling on her face and in those
sparkling blue eyes.  Beneath the folds of her night rail, her
nipples were hardening into little buds that poked out at him,
begging for attention. 

"Who says I was waiting for you?" she
responded tartly.  "Perhaps my book took my
attention."

"Perhaps," he said, grinning wickedly
as he reached her, knowing how she enjoyed it when he played the
rake for her.  "But I doubt it."

Grasping the covers, he yanked them
from her body, chuckling at her outraged gasp.  But she didn't
fight him as he replaced the covers with himself, inserting his
knee between her thighs and hovering over her with his body, his
lips descending to hers and taking them with a conqueror's kiss.
 Her hands came up to press against his chest, fingers sliding
across his skin and hair.  

Then, without warning, she pushed him
off to the side, taking him utterly by surprise so that he landed
on his back.  

"What do you think you're
doing?" he asked, bemused, as she immediately followed her
advantage by straddling his thighs, the soft fabric of her night
rail teasing his legs and groin.  

"You always take the lead," she said,
looking down at him in a challenging manner, her stubborn chin
thrust outward.  "I want to take the lead tonight."

Keen arousal, hot and needy, shot
through him and he only barely resisted the urge to turn her on her
back and take her immediately.  It was the instinct of a man
who was always in control, who had never considered relinquishing
it.  During his time as a rakehell, he'd occasionally come
across a woman who desired to take the lead; he'd never allowed
them.

But this was Eleanor.  His wife.
 

And she wanted to take the
lead.

With a supreme effort of willpower,
Edwin forced himself to lay back against the pillows, dropping his
hands to his side.  Achingly aware of Eleanor's scrutiny as he
battled with himself.

"Very well," he said shortly,
uncomfortable with the idea but wanting to indulge her now that
she'd made a request.  

His reward was a brilliant smile that
made every bit of discomfort worth it. 

Leaning over him, her
night rail brushing fleetingly against his body and making him
ache, Eleanor pressed a kiss to his lips.  Her kiss was much
gentler than his, and he opened his mouth, allowing her to take the
lead in this as well.  The movement of her tongue was
inquisitive, almost tentative, before growing in confidence and
eagerness.  

When she pressed her soft curves down
on top of him, Edwin immediately lifted his hands to cup the ample
mounds of her bottom.  Immediately Eleanor pulled
away.

"No... no trying to tempt me to go
faster," she said fiercely, pushing his hands back down to his
sides.

Edwin groaned.  "I can't touch you
at all?"  He sounded depressingly whiny.

The teasing little smile that flashed
across Nell's lips wasn't the least bit reassuring.  She was
enjoying her newfound power over him.  He hoped that she got
the most out of it, because this wasn't going to be on the menu on
a regular basis. 

"Not until I tell you that you can.
 I want to explore."

True to her word, she began her
'explorations.'  Fingers dragged across his skin, followed by
her lips, lightly at first and then harder.  She constantly
looked back up to his face, looking for clues about what he enjoyed
and what he didn't.  That was easy: he loved and hated all of
it.

The light caress of her fingers, the
moist kiss of her lips.  When her breasts pressed against his
chest and she sucked his earlobe into her mouth, dragging her teeth
across the sensitive lobe, he nearly lost his control.  His
hips thrust upwards, his hands moving, before she pulled away,
obviously delighted as his response but irritated that he'd moved
again.  

Taking his hands, Nell
shoved them up towards the rails on the headboard.  "Hold
onto
that
 and don't let go," she admonished, her blue eyes
narrowing at him.  

Inwardly gritting his teeth, outwardly
being as stoic as possible, Edwin obeyed.  It was not in his
nature to acquiese easily to something like this.  Eleanor sat
back, studying him, and a little smile went across her face.
 

"I have an idea," she
said.  Her weight left him and Edwin let out a long breath,
taking the opportunity to marshal his willpower back underneath his
control.  Eleanor seemed bent on testing it, and while part of
him enjoyed her brazenness, he was also not entirely comfortable
with it.  But she was pleased, and that counted for something.
 

When she came back, one of his cravats
hanging from her hand, Edwin scowled darkly at her.
 "Absolutely not.  You are not tying my
hands."

The look that Nell gave him was
reminiscent of when they were younger and he'd said something she
considered stupid. 

"No, I didn't think you'd
let me do that."  It was reassuring to know that she had some
measure of what kind of man he was, at least.  He was
allowing
 her to be
in control, and he could take back that lead anytime it pleased
him.  Even restraining his wrists wouldn't help her.
 Truthfully, it would probably only make him more likely to
take it back sooner rather than later.

What Eleanor wanted quickly became
evident as she placed the cravat over his eyes.  Edwin
groaned.  He'd liked watching her even if he couldn't touch
her, and he knew that her touch was going to become much more
intense now.  Although he'd never let another woman blindfold
him, since their marriage he and Eleanor had made love in complete
darkness several times.  He'd found the experience achingly
erotic, being able to feel but not see her. 

But he allowed her to tie the cravat
around his head, before dropping his head back to the pillow
beneath it.  His fingers gripped the rail he was holding so
hard that the bed creaked.

******

Utterly delicious.

If Eleanor was asked to
describe how her husband looked at this moment, those were the
words that came to mind.  His hard body was tense, stretched
out before, a veritable banquet for her eyes.  In fact, that
was part of why she'd wanted to blindfold him, so that she could
look her fill without feeling awkward, as he could no longer watch
her look at him. 

Trailing a finger down the center of
his chest, all the way to his belly button, she watched in
fascination as his muscles tensed and quivered.  Out of the
corner of her eye, she could see his fingers re-wrap around the
rail of the headboard, as if he was reminding himself not to let
go.  Licking her lips, she lowered her mouth to his chest,
kissing one brown flat nipple.