The Black Diamond (13 page)

"…I now pronounce you man and wife."

The finality of the proclamation, suspended in the air, permeated the chapel with its significance. The unthinkable had just occurred. After four generations of relentless hatred, the Huntleys and the Bencrofts had been irrevocably joined.

With a gentleness that surprised her, Julian tipped Aurora's chin up, brushed her lips with his. "Hold on a little longer," he urged in a husky, teasing voice. "At least until there's a secluded spot for me to carry you to. Then you can collapse."

Despite the swooning sensation induced by his vow, Aurora smiled. "That's quite an incentive, Your Grace," she whispered back. "Why, I'm feeling steadier on my feet already."

Julian sucked in his breath, golden sparks igniting his eyes. "Careful,
soleil
. Else we'll miss the party you wanted so badly." With that he straightened, gripping Aurora's elbow and guiding her to the congratulations that awaited them.

The midday breakfast at Pembourne was perfect. Laid out in the spacious green salon, it boasted a buffet of delicacies ranging from potted salmon and lobster to turkey and ham in jelly, to pastry sandwiches with all different types of jams and marmalade, to a magnificent brides-cake adorned with a rainbow of wildflowers. Most of all, it encompassed all the people Aurora loved, from Courtney and Slayde to Mr. Scollard, to the servants who had raised her.

It was everything a bride could dream of.

Still, throughout the entire splendid event Aurora was acutely attuned to Julian's presence beside her—a fact that he was not only aware of, but hell-bent on intensifying. His glances were frequent, seductive, his movements orchestrated to ensure as much physical contact with his bride as possible—his fingers brushing her, his breath ruffling her hair, his arm anchoring her waist. By midafternoon, Aurora's head was swimming, the tension inside her having escalated to the point where she felt as if she were dangling at the edge of a tantalizing precipice.

She wondered how much more she could endure. "Shall we?"

She was standing at the window clutching her wineglass and watching the sun shift to the west when Julian's deep voice resounded behind her, asking the long-awaited question.

Nearly dropping the glass, she whirled about to face him. "Shall we what?" she blurted, sounding like a bloody ninny.

A corner of his mouth lifted. "And here I thought you were eager for tonight to begin."

"I am." She drew a calming breath. "Does this mean you're ready to leave?"

"I was ready before the party began. I simply tried to give you as much time as you needed to fulfill your dream. Have I?"

"Yes." There was no point in lying. She wanted to be alone with Julian as much as he wanted to be alone with her.

"Good." His smile applauded her candor. "Then go up and change. After that, you can say your good-byes and we'll be gone."

Aurora blinked as a sudden thought occurred to her. "Are we going to Morland?"

"No," he stated flatly. "Morland is not my home. We'll attend to business soon enough. For tonight, we're traveling to my manor in Polperro."

"Polperro! Is that where your Cornish manor is located? Mr. Scollard has told me so many legends that revolve around Polperro."

"I'm sure he has. And yes, that's the home of which I spoke. 'Tis a quiet manor nestled beneath the cliffs, right along the Channel. I think you'll find it infinitely more appealing than Morland's dreary walls. I know I do."

"I'm sure I will." Aurora fingered the lacy folds of her gown. "Since I'll see Courtney and Slayde tomorrow, I won't need to make any lengthy good-byes."

"Splendid. I'll have my carriage brought around. Your bags have already been placed inside. But I'll make sure everything is in order."

Aurora's brows rose. "You're very resourceful."

"You have no idea how resourceful—yet. But you will soon." With a provocative wink, Julian strolled off.

Her heart drumming, Aurora slipped from the room and sprinted up the stairs. Without assistance she unpinned her headpiece, then reached behind her, working free enough buttons of her wedding dress so she could squirm out of it. She lay both gown and headpiece on the bed, pausing to caress the gown's diaphanous lace, touch the rainbow-hued flowers that had crowned her veil.

Yes, her wedding day had indeed fulfilled all her dreams.

But she had a distinct feeling that her wedding night would surpass them.

With that in mind, she scooted about the bedchamber, readying herself for the trip to Polperro.

A quarter hour later, clad in a soft pearl-colored carriage dress, Aurora descended the stairs and made her way back to the salon. Standing at the threshold, she motioned to Courtney, who spied her friend at once.

Acknowledging Aurora's signal, she turned to Slayde, touching his arm to alert him to the situation.

Together they walked out and joined Aurora in the hallway.

"I thought I saw you disappear," Courtney said with a twinkle. "I assume you needed no assistance donning your gown?"

"No. I managed just fine. Besides, I didn't want to disturb the servants. They're all having such a lovely time."

"You're leaving, I presume," Slayde inserted.

"Yes." Aurora's heart accelerated yet another beat. "We're going to Julian's house in Polperro."

"Very well." Slayde didn't question the choice.

"Have your bags been loaded?" Courtney asked.

"Yes. Julian took care of everything. He's gone to summon his carriage, after which we can be off."

"Here he is." Slayde gestured toward the entranceway where Julian had just reentered the manor.

Courtney gave Aurora a fierce hug. "Remember what I said," she whispered.

"I will." Aurora returned the hug, then leaned up to kiss her brother's cheek. "T
hank
you for this day," she said solemnly. "It was all I hoped for, and given the circumstances, more than I deserved."

"You
deserve
to be happy," Courtney countered. "And I believe your new husband is just the man to manage that." She cleared her throat as Julian approached, raising her voice to a normal tone. "When will we next see you?"

"Tomorrow," Aurora answered.

"Or the day after." Julian's expression was the picture of innocence. "After all, the ride to Polperro will take several hours; longer, since much of it will be under cover of darkness. Aurora will be exhausted by the time we arrive. She needs a chance to rest and settle in. So don't worry if our visit to Pembourne is delayed a day or two." So saying, he captured his bride's arm, drawing her gently—but determinedly—toward the door. "The day was memorable," he added, his gaze locked with Slayde's. "T
hank
you. And don't worry. Aurora is in the very best of hands."

Chapter 6

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^
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P
embourne's iron gates disappeared in the distance, the sun an orange glow on the horizon.

"At last," Aurora sighed, leaning back against the carriage seat. "Freedom."

Julian chuckled, crossing one long leg over the other. "An ironic proclamation. Most people would refer to marriage as confinement, not freedom."

"Are you one of those people?" Aurora inquired, feeling not the least bit threatened.

"I was once. Now? I think not." One dark brow rose in amusement. "Given your smug expression, I suspect you already knew what my answer would be."

"I did. Not because I'm smug, but because you're hardly a man who would commit himself to a life he expected to be confining."

"True. Nor are you a woman who would agree to marry such a man."

"Also true." Aurora smiled. "I suppose we both crave the same things."

"We do. What's more, we will. I'm counting on it."

There was no mistaking the suggestive gleam in Julian's eye, the husky note in his voice.

Aurora found herself wishing the journey ahead were not quite so long. Or, given that it was, that the message Julian was issuing were not quite so explicit or quite so effective.

Silence hovered—thick, charged.

Excruciating.

"Lady Altec must be racing about Devonshire with her news by now," Aurora blurted at last, unable to withstand the escalating tension.

"You're nervous," Julian stated in that same unbearably seductive tone.

"No, I'm searching for a topic of conversation."

"Don't." Julian yanked the carriage curtains shut, then swung across to sit beside his bride.

"Don't what?" Aurora managed. "Don't be nervous? Or don't search for a topic of conversation?"

"Either." He tipped her chin up, wrapping one red-gold tress about his forefinger. "We've waited an interminable fortnight—not to mention an unending day—for this." He brought the tress to his lips, savored its texture with his mouth. "Finally, finally, the wait is over."

"Not yet," Aurora reminded him, staring at the tanned column of his throat, her heart slamming against her ribs. "Polperro is still hours away."

"Exactly." Julian lowered his head, kissed her neck, the curve of her shoulder, the hollow behind her ear. "And I intend to make the most of every heated moonlit hour."

Aurora's eyes widened. "You're not suggesting…?"

"Indeed I am." He feathered kisses across her cheekbones, the delicate bridge of her nose, nibbled lightly at her lower lip. "Did you really expect me to wait hours longer? Never,
soleil
. I've been on fire for you from the instant we met, burning to be inside you. Now my ring is on your finger. And nothing is going to stop me from making you mine."

"But, Julian…" Aurora struggled for sanity. "In a carriage?"

"Um-hum." His tongue traced her lip. "Shockingly unconventional, wouldn't you say? A closed carriage, a cramped seat. Nothing but you, me, and the ecstasy of our joined bodies becoming one." He kissed her deeply.

"What if the driver should…"

"He won't." Julian was tugging pins from her hair, tossing them haphazardly to the carriage floor. "No one will." His molten gaze bore into hers, lush with promise. "No one will see how abandoned I make you. No one will hear your cries of pleasure. No one but me." He tunneled his fingers through her hair. "Adventure. Excitement. Passion. Everything I promised you. Say yes."

Aurora shivered, excitement flaring deep inside her.

"Tell me you want this," Julian breathed into her lips. "Tell me you've dreamed about having me inside you, filling you to bursting, moving until you shatter in my arms. Tell me, Aurora."

"I have," she whispered, her head swimming from the impact of his words, the graphic images they invoked. "Constantly."

"Then let's throw ourselves into the fire—douse it, reignite it. We have hours. Let me make you my wife. Here. Now. Then let me take you to bed and start all over again, make love to you until you beg me to stop."

Aurora's palms slid up his coat to his shoulders. "Somehow I doubt that will happen."

"Good. Then we'll make love until we die." Julian's arms closed around her, no longer coaxing but insistent. "Say yes."

She could barely speak. "Yes."

His mouth crushed down on hers—hot, hard—blazing with an unrelenting possessiveness that said there would be no turning back, no stopping until their passion was spent.

Aurora never wanted to stop.

With a soft cry of pleasure, she twined her arms about Julian's neck, submerging herself in the kiss, tilting back her head and parting her lips to his seeking tongue.

A hard shudder wracked Julian's body, and he took what she offered, dragging her onto his lap as his mouth ate at hers, devouring her in a kiss of absolute, utter possession. He raised her arms higher about his neck, crushing her against him as their tongues mated, stroked, melded, their breath coming in tight, harsh rasps.

Aurora was lost. The power of Julian's body, the fervor of his touch, the unyielding pressure of his lips as they claimed hers—the sensations were almost too much to bear. Liquid heat surged through her, rendering her breasts heavy and her muscles weak. Shaking with reaction, she pressed closer, her fingers gliding through the longer hair at his nape, sliding beneath the cool strip of his cravat.

Julian's entire body went taut.

Abruptly he responded, his hand shifting to unfasten her gown, to find the smooth skin of her back and awaken it with his hungry caresses. The gown slid down baring her shoulders, the upper slope of her breasts. He tore his mouth from hers, his gaze a topaz inferno as he stared down at her. Then he lowered his head, burning a series of hot open mouthed kisses across her newly bared skin.

Desire coiled tight in Aurora's abdomen, licked fire through her loins. She shifted restlessly on Julian's lap, cradling his head in her hands as she silently begged him to continue.

Her wordless plea was answered. Julian shifted lower, capturing her nipple through her chemise, drawing the aching tip into his mouth, and surrounding it in liquid heat. He repeated the caress—once, twice, then again and again as his need intensified.

A muffled whimper escaped Aurora's mouth.

Suddenly Julian raised his head, scrutinized Aurora's face, and then satisfied with what he saw, yanked at the ribbons of her chemise, pushing it away from her body.

Her breasts spilled out, rising toward him, the tight nipples begging for his touch.

"You're so bloody beautiful," he muttered, reaching out to cup her warm flesh, smooth his palm over the sensitized peak.

"Julian … please." Aurora was trembling, her whole body exploding at his caress. "Please."

Again he lowered his dark head, running his open mouth across her breast until waiting was no longer feasible. Then he captured her naked nipple between his lips, drew it into his mouth—not softly, gently, but urgently, fully, his tongue lashing across the hardened peak.

Streaks of jagged heat rushed through Aurora, and she cried out, grateful that the noise of the carriage drowned out her ragged pleas.

"More of you," Julian muttered thickly, "God, I need more of you." He shifted to her other breast, his hands and mouth taking her simultaneously this time, as if he couldn't bear to deny himself one shred of the ecstasy derived from possessing her.

Dizziness surged through Aurora's head and her eyes slid closed, all sensation concentrated beneath Julian's caresses. Just when she thought she'd die, his mouth left her breast and reclaimed her lips, his tongue beginning a rhythm of thrust and retreat that was a prelude of what was to be. His arm slid beneath her, arched her closer to him, his thumb moving provocatively across her damp nipple as his mouth ravaged hers.

The earth shifted and the soft cloth of the carriage seat pressed against Aurora's back. Somewhere in the dim outskirts of her mind, she realized she was in a prone position. An instant later Julian followed her down, covering her half-naked body with his fully clothed one.

Aurora's lashes lifted and she stared into Julian's blazing eyes, his handsome face taut with desire. She reached up, tugged at the knot of his cravat until it came free, then tossed the strip of cloth to the floor. His buttons came next—his shirt and waistcoat—and despite their trembling, Aurora's fingers managed to complete their task. She spread open the sides of his shirt, marveling at his strength, the corded muscles rippling beneath his skin. Awed by his overwhelming presence, she smoothed her palms over his hair-roughened chest, the powerful breadth of his shoulders. Julian lay poised, utterly still, the fine sheen of perspiration covering his skin the only indication of the effect she was having on him.

Until her thumbs found his nipples. Shuddering beneath her teasing caress, Julian growled her name, lowered his full weight on her, crushing her into the seat, melding his body to hers.

"Julian." It was a whimper of unbearable pleasure and incredible discovery. Aurora arched, rubbing her breasts against him, gliding her palms beneath his open shirt to explore the solid planes of his back.

With a muttered oath, Julian threaded his fingers through her hair, discarding the remaining pins he encountered along the way. "God, you feel so good," he rasped, nudging her thighs apart and settling himself between them. "So damned good." He pushed against her, and Aurora gasped, feeling the rigid evidence of his hunger as it pressed against her yearning core. Even separated by his breeches and her gown, the sensation was overpowering, so acute she couldn't breathe.

"Do that again," Aurora managed.

A muscle working in his jaw, Julian repeated the motion, pushing deep into her warmth, circling his hips so she could get the full impact of the caress.

"I'm going to die," Aurora gasped, parting her legs further, beckoning him deeper. "Don't … stop…"

Her plea ended on a moan as he thrust forward again, grinding his hips against hers and groaning her name.

Cool air swept over her as Julian rose up, lifting her and tugging her gown and chemise down and away, dragging her stockings along with them.

She was naked.

Rather than embarrassed, Aurora felt only a wondrous sense of relief. She cracked open her eyes and watched Julian's expression as he drank in her nudity.

"Exquisite." His fingers followed his gaze, rounding the curve of her waist and hips, smoothing over the flat of her stomach, descending lower to find the haven he most sought.

His hand was shaking violently as he brushed the auburn cloud between her thighs, shifted lower to open her, touch her where she so desperately needed him to be.

A hoarse growl escaped his lips as he encountered her wetness, the heated warmth that beckoned him into her. His finger slipped inside, parted the tender folds, and eased deeper, touching, stroking, awakening.

Aurora's hips lifted of their own accord, her eyes widening at the realization of her body's reflexive, clamoring response. The feel of him inside her was rapture—and yet at the same time it wasn't enough. She whimpered as he aroused her, his finger withdrawing only to glide forward again, repeating the caress over and over until Aurora begged for more, knowing that without it she would die.

Julian gave it to her. He added a second finger, stretching her as he penetrated, giving her a dizzying sense of fullness that made Aurora moan, toss her head to and fro. Still it wasn't enough—and he knew it—for abruptly his rhythm intensified, his caresses delving deeper, moving faster, matching the undulations of her hips.