The Earl's Wallflower Bride (17 page)

He couldn’t recall a time when he’d ever had
so much pleasure in a lady’s company. She’d stop reading from time
to time to tell him what she thought of what McGregor had written,
and he found her insights especially appealing. Had he any idea a
lady was capable of such a deep and meaningful discussion on money
and business, he would have looked for a wife sooner.

At the moment, Iris happened to be reading a
chapter on the benefits and downfalls of being conservative with
investments. She stopped in mid-sentence to glance up at him.

“Which approach do you take?” she asked. “Are
you willing to risk more for the chance of a higher profit, or do
you prefer to play it safe?”

“I like it as safe as possible,” he replied.
“Money is too easy to lose to take any chances.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m surprised. I thought
you were the type who liked to see if he could get as much of a
return on his investments as possible.”

Picking up his glass, he noted it was empty
and rose to his feet. “I do like to receive as much back on my
investment as I can.” He went to the decanter and poured the brandy
into his glass until it was almost half full. “I just like to make
sure I don’t lose any money.”

“But how can you be sure you won’t lose
anything? There are no guarantees.”

“You’re right. There aren’t. But I like to
hedge my bets into the safest position possible. That’s why I seek
advice from gentlemen who know what they’re doing. Rushing into
anything is a bad idea.”

His half-brother rushed into things all the
time. He’d even gotten himself into debt twice. Debt he’d expected
Warren to pay off for him. Too late did Warren learn that doing so
had only made Byron that much more dependent on him.

But it was best if he didn’t think about his
half-brother. No. Today, he wanted to spend his time learning more
about this lady he’d just married. A lady, as it so happened, who
was turning out to be so very different than he’d thought she was
when he first met her. What a refreshing change it was to speak to
a lady who had such intelligence.

“Would you like more tea?” he offered, ready
to summon the butler.

“No, thank you. I still have some in my cup,”
she replied, her gaze going back to the book in her lap.

Warren put the cap back on the decanter.
Instead of returning to his chair, he decided to sit next to her.
He put the glass on the table beside him and turned toward her.
“Tell me, do you take risks?” he asked before she could start
reading again.

“I do,” she replied, looking back at him.

He could tell by her expression that he’d
taken her off guard by choosing to sit next to her. But he was
tired of sitting in the chair. He didn’t know if it was the brandy
that had relaxed him, the fact that they were having a fun
discussion, or if he couldn’t stop thinking she was lovely to look
at. All he knew was that he had a strange compulsion to get closer
to her.

She cleared her throat. “While I take risks,
I don’t risk anything I’m not willing to lose.”

“How do you decide how much is enough to
risk?”

He was interested in hearing her answer.
Really, he was. But as she answered his question, his mind started
to wander. And it wandered in ways it never had before. He didn’t
recall a time when he focused in so much on a lady’s physical
appearance. Oh, he knew they were attractive. A gentleman would
have to be blind not to appreciate their curves.

But at this particular moment, he found
himself especially intrigued with Iris’ subtle beauty. Her blonde
tresses fell in gentle waves over her shoulder. Her brown eyes
twinkled as she talked. Her lips curled up ever so slightly as she
discussed what was probably one of her favorite topics.

Despite his attempt to keep his gaze on her
face, he found it going down to her breasts. They were covered.
Well, for the most part. The design of the neckline did allow for a
glimpse at her cleavage when she made a gesture with her hand or
shifted in his direction. He was sure she wasn’t aware that her
excitement for the topic made her do these actions even more.

As silly as it seemed, the thought was now
just occurring to him that they were married. He didn’t have to
restrain himself around her. Funny how he’d never been tempted in
this area before. Up to now, his biggest temptation was not taking
on a high-risk venture even when Robert, Malcolm, and Anthony
prompted him to.

When he’d decided to get married, he hadn’t
once given thought to how sexual desire would play into it. He just
assumed it’d be like any other venture he went into. A simple
transaction. Something to be done out of necessity. Sure, he knew
it’d be pleasurable. He wasn’t so daft to believe it wouldn’t
be.

But it was just starting to occur to him that
the process of having an heir didn’t have to be such a casual
affair. It didn’t have to be something he did out of duty. Maybe,
just maybe, it could be something he could do for enjoyment. Maybe
it might also be something he could look forward to.

He was already enjoying his time with Iris
immensely. Far more than he ever thought he would, in fact. He
wasn’t sure if she felt the same way. At one time, he suspected she
had enjoyed his company. He just hoped he hadn’t ruined his chances
with her. He hoped it wasn’t too late to change things for the
better.

“Warren?” Iris asked, drawing his attention
back to her face.

His face warmed. Did she realize he’d been
staring at her breasts? Deciding it best if he not allow her to
even mention the fact that he hadn’t been paying attention to what
she’d been saying, he offered a smile and took the book from her.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually tired of talking
about money.”

“You are?” She looked disappointed. “Did I
bore you?”

“No, you didn’t bore me in the slightest,” he
assured her. Noting the skeptical frown on her face, he added, “I’m
telling you the truth. I’ve enjoyed your insights. I just thought
it might be time to do something else.” He put the book on the
table. “I would like to discuss more of it with you later. Right
now, I’d rather focus on you.”

He brought his hand up to the side of her
face and brought her lips to his. She was soft and warm, and, more
importantly, she responded to him. She didn’t push him away. That
was a good sign. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she did.

He’d given her plenty of reasons to refuse
his advances. In fact, he hadn’t expected them to even do this much
on their wedding night. But there was something about her that
pulled him to her, and he found himself acting more boldly than he
otherwise would have.

His heartbeat picked up as he deepened the
kiss. He didn’t dare confess he’d never kissed a lady before.
Surely, all ladies expected their husbands to be experienced in
this area. Iris probably assumed he knew what he was doing.

Thankfully, she was a virgin, so she wouldn’t
know any better. Now that he thought about it, he was greatly
relieved the Duchess of Ashbourne had matched him with an untried
lady. Maybe the duchess realized he wouldn’t be able to satisfy a
lady in bed because of his formal and stuffy nature.

In the back of his mind, he thought it’d be
best to take this upstairs. The den, after all, was hardly a place
where they should be doing this sort of thing. But an insistent
part of him, the one fully erect and pressing against the
constraints of his trousers, demanded he keep going.

This part of him had never been so persistent
before. Oh, he knew what it meant and where things were going. It
was just that he’d never been so aroused in a lady’s presence. And
if he was honest with himself, he would have to admit, while it
definitely excited him, it also scared him. He was beginning to
wish he’d done more research in this area. Perhaps he should have
paid more attention when Lord Roderick had said Lord Edon’s book
was worth reading, despite its graphic content.

But it was too late to run out and grab a
copy. He was here with Iris now, and there was no way his body was
going to let him out of this room without consummating the
marriage. Unless Iris didn’t want to do it.

To make sure he had her permission, he ended
the kiss and looked down at her. She opened her eyes, and he
detected a question in the way her eyebrows furrowed. He struggled
for a way to ask if he could continue, but words failed him. He was
no good at this. He was sure a gentleman who was used to sleeping
with ladies would know exactly what to say. But he didn’t. And
because of that, he decided to gauge her willingness by lowering
his head and giving her another kiss.

She leaned into him and returned his kiss.
Assured he had her permission, he proceeded forward with what he
had started. He wrapped her in his arms and deepened the kiss. She,
in turn, wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Good. That was very
good. Now there was no question as to whether or not she was
willing. She was. And that being the case, he became more
assertive.

He lowered one of his hands and traced her
breast. He hesitated for a moment, just to make sure she wouldn’t
push him away. Did ladies even like being touched this way? He
liked touching her like this, but how could he be sure if she liked
it?

Again, there was no way he would ask.
Gentlemen weren’t supposed to ask ladies these kinds of things.
They were supposed to just know how to do them. These things were
guided by instinct. Except, he had the same feeling he experienced
whenever he embarked in an unfamiliar business venture. And that
didn’t exactly give him a high boost of confidence.

Even if he was a novice, he owed it to her to
act as if he knew what he was doing. Keeping this in mind, he
cupped her breast in his hand, gently squeezing it, noting how soft
it was. The contact only served to arouse him more, and thankfully,
this helped him overcome the bulk of his apprehension.

His lips left hers, and he left a trail of
kisses down her neck. From her neck, he descended further, glad her
dress had a deep enough neckline so he could kiss the top of her
breasts. She let out a soft moan, but, truth be told, he was too
enraptured by kissing the space between her breasts to appreciate
the fact that his efforts to please her were paying off.

He lifted her breast and was happy to note he
was able to see more of it. He gently lowered her neckline so he
could see all of it and sharply inhaled. Not only did it feel
wonderful in his palm, but it was the most beautiful thing he’d
ever seen.

“You’re exquisite,” he whispered before he
lowered his head and brushed her nipple with his tongue.

The pink bud hardened in response, and she
ran her fingers through his hair, effectively pulling him closer to
her. He continued exploring her breast until the male part of him
ached to the point where his trousers were much too
restrictive.

But before removing them, he brought his
mouth back to hers, and this time he traced her lower lip with his
tongue. She parted her lips for him, so he deepened the kiss, this
time allowing his tongue to brush hers.

He’d heard brief talk about this type of
kissing at White’s, though he had quickly walked to another room,
figuring he had no business knowing the details in other people’s
love lives. But, he had to admit this type of kissing was far more
intimate—and stimulating—than the other kind was. Oh, he had
enjoyed that kind of kissing, too. There was no doubt about it. It
just seemed this kind made him ache all the more to be inside
her.

Unable to take it anymore, he brought one of
his hands to his trousers and unbuttoned them, relieved when the
pressure holding his erection in place was finally gone. That was
better. Now he could concentrate more on what was happening between
them. More specifically, he could concentrate more on learning her
body.

He lifted the bottom of her dress then slid
his hand under it, noting the flesh on flesh contact with her legs.
She shifted and spread her legs, and he took the opportunity to
bring his hand up higher. The soft fabric of her drawers hindered
him from being able to feel more of her until he realized there was
a slit in the fabric between her legs.

Intrigued, his fingers slipped through the
cut in the fabric. Warm, damp flesh greeted him, and upon further
exploration, he noted the opening between her legs. Heart racing,
he dipped a finger into her silken flesh and groaned. Oh, but she
was heavenly. She leaned back on the couch, encouraging him to
recline with her. She parted her legs further and lifted her hips,
an action which drew him deeper into her.

He brought in another finger. She was wet. He
hadn’t expected it, but he surmised that if he was going to enter
her, this made it easier. Still kissing him, she urged him on top
of her. The last of his patience departed. He wanted nothing more
than to be inside her. And he wanted it right now.

After removing his fingers, he ended the kiss
long enough to pull down his trousers and both of their
undergarments, which happened quickly, given his excitement. He
hurried to settle on top of her, only able to get a glance at the
flesh between her legs as he did so. The image was enough to make
him groan with need.

She brought him into her arms and wrapped her
legs around his waist, allowing him the perfect opportunity to
enter her. And he took it. He pressed into her, her silken folds
surrounding him, tight and warm. He let out a moan and stopped for
a moment to savor the initial pleasure of being inside her. She’d
felt incredible when his fingers were in her, but this was so much
better.

Unable to remain still any longer, he began
moving inside her. It seemed as if she’d been made specifically for
him. Her flesh wrapped securely around him, welcoming him as if
they’d always been together. He went almost all the way out and
then back in, and soon established a rhythm, noting that it was
easier to move inside her with each thrust.