Becoming Lady Thomas (Becoming Her Book 1) (7 page)

HER EYES ARE SO INFINITELY sad. It pains me to see the heartache. That bastard of a man thinks he can push her away for four long years only to return and have the right to wed her. Yet I, having only known of her existence for only a couple of months, would be willing to give up everything to be with her. Luckily, I don’t have to give up anything. I just have to make sure she doesn’t leave me.

I made a deal with the scarlet-haired devil.

But she’s nothing more than an angel in my eyes.

“Please, let me hold you,” I tell her as I stand from the table.

Her hesitation is brief, but she eventually nods her approval and allows me to pull her to her feet. I want to be a gentleman and offer her my elbow so I can escort her, but when she stumbles slightly, I realize she may need more than an arm.

“Dear woman, are you drunk?” I question with amusement.

When a giggle bursts from her, the smile on my face is immediate. Her green eyes find mine and shine with an emotion I want to see more of. She almost seems happy—here with me.

“I don’t think I can walk,” she whispers conspiratorially.

Now, I’m tickled. “Well then, I shall carry you, honeysuckle.”

Her cheeks blaze, but she slides a hand up my chest, preparing herself to be picked up. I don’t hesitate at all and scoop her into my arms. Even with all of her clothing on, she’s still light as can be. I’ll have to get her to eat a little more if she’s going to mine—I need her to have curves and more to grab on to.

“How old are you, Jasper?” she questions as I stride down the dimly lit hallway.

Briefly, I glance down at her inquisitive eyes before speaking. “Thirty-three.”

Her mouth forms an “O,” but she doesn’t say any more. I’m over a decade older than she is, but it doesn’t matter. Age has never deterred me from anything. I took this business over from my father when he passed away when I was only eighteen years of age. Men who owed my father suddenly thought they had been given a free pass when he died. Unfortunately for them, I was tougher than my father and had something to prove. I gave them absolutely no leeway and collected in some form on every debt that was owed.

Now, fifteen years later, I have a reputation that states that I’m not a man to be messed with. The word in this town is that, if the debt is not honored, I will take what is owed without hesitation. Whether it be a life or a daughter or a farm. I. Will. Take. It.

“Where are we going?” she asks as I open a door at the end of the hallway.

I flash her an easy smile. “We’re going into my quarters. If I’m going to hold you, I want to do it in my bed.”

Her eyes widen, and I see the fear in them.

“Honeysuckle, don’t fret. I won’t hurt you. It will be more comfortable there. My bed is far larger than the one in the guest room.”

Seeming satisfied with my answer, she rests her head against my shoulder. I don’t miss the fact that she inhales me. The thought of her wanting me as much as I want her thickens my cock.

Once I’ve entered the room and closed the door behind me, I saunter over to the bed and set her down in front of it. She watches me with interest when I begin to pull my top coat off. I take the time to neatly fold it and drape it over the chair beside the bed. Pretty soon, I’ve removed my bow tie and started on the buttons on my dress shirt.

In her drunken state, she stares at me unabashedly. The fact that she seems eager to see my chest delights me. To tease her, I slowly remove the crisp, white shirt, my eyes ever watching her. For effect, I let it drop to the floor.

Her eyes lift to mine. “What are you doing?” Those pretty, green orbs stay on mine for a moment before she’s staring at my chest again.

“I’m getting comfortable so I may hold you. You should do the same,” I tell her gruffly as I take a step toward her. I expect her to retreat as she’s done before, but instead, she lifts her chin and faces me bravely.

“I’ll need help untying the back.” She turns and tugs her hair over one shoulder to reveal the open back.

Her snow-colored skin invites me to mark it up. One day soon, I shall leave “love notes” from my mouth all over her body.

Reaching toward her, I grasp the end of the ribbon she managed to tie tight by herself while dressing and pull it toward me. Her petticoat loosens as the ribbon slips through the eyelets. Once I’ve loosened it enough, I push it down in a gentle way down her body. After the dress makes it over her hips, it falls to the floor in a heap.

“Comfortable yet?” I ask. Dipping down, I place a kiss on her shoulder.

She shivers but shakes her head. “I can’t breathe well in this thing. Can you help me out of this as well?”

I’m glad she cannot see my features at the moment because the grin on my face is that of a schoolboy—so eager and excited, such a far cry from my normally cool demeanor. As I unhook each fastener of her corset, I wonder how in the hell she managed to get into this thing by herself. Perhaps Gretchen helped her. If it were Gerald, I would have to murder him with my own two hands. No other man shall ever touch her flesh again. She belongs to me.

I free the last fastener and the corset drops to the floor with her dress. Taking a step back, I nearly curse aloud from the sight. This vixen of a woman isn’t wearing any knickers or other undergarments. She sat through dinner with her pussy open and waiting, and I was a fool for not having picked up on her exotic scent—a fool for not having climbed under the table and feasting upon the dessert that is her.

As if she knows that her body teases me, she takes her time crawling up onto the bed, baring her ass at me. Everything in me screams to grab hold of those hips and yank her to me—to bend her over this bed and fuck her into oblivion. The sane part of me—the businessman—remembers that we have a deal. She’ll have to want me to make love to her. I’ll need to hear her beg before I grant her my cock inside her.

“You’re a tease, Elisabeth,” I growl as I tug my trousers down. After stepping out of them and my shoes, I climb after her onto my massive bed.

The evening air has taken a chilly turn, and a gust breezes in from the open window. I clutch the thick blanket at the bottom of the bed and pull it up over us.

“This is awkward,” she murmurs. Her hands are neatly clasped over her belly and she won’t make eye contact with me. I suppose someone as inexperienced as she would think that lying naked in bed together would seem awkward.

“How do you suppose we rectify that?” I muse aloud.

She shrugs her shoulders and exhales a nervous breath. Enough of this nonsense.

“I’m going to taste your nipple,” I tell her boldly.

She begins to protest, but as I slip under the covers and suck it into my mouth, she cries out in surprise.

“Jas—that—oh—my—”

Her words are cut short when I take a soft bite of her flesh. She tastes like perfection—so sweet. As I tease her breast with my mouth, I squeeze the other one with my free hand. My honeysuckle writhes against my touch. The whimpers of pleasure that come from her body cause my cock to grow thick and hard.

“You’re supposed to be holding me,” she whispers.

“Where shall I hold you?” I question against her nipple as I start sliding my hand along her belly. The moment my finger grazes the hair on her cunt, she freezes. “Here?”

She doesn’t speak. Instead, she begins to breathe quickly. I’ll take that as permission. Lifting my head up as I lazily stroke her clitoris, I grin at her. Her eyes are lust laden.

“Honeysuckle, does my finger feel good there?”

Biting down on her lip, she nods once.

“Do you know what will feel better?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

Her head shakes from side to side. Instead of answering right away, I slowly kiss her pale skin as I inch my way down her belly. The breaths coming from her are erratic with occasional kitten-like mewls. This woman wants me whether she wants to admit it or not.

When I reach the scarlet hair between her legs, I inhale her.

So fucking sweet.

“What are you doing?” she murmurs.

The blanket has drifted along with me, so when I lift my head, I can see her peering down at me with a mix of horror and excitement.

“Darling, I’m going to draw an orgasm from you with my tongue.”

Her eyes go wide at my proclamation. But as I blow a breath of hot air on her pussy, she slams them shut. Then I take hold of both of her slender thighs and part her open for me. The sight is breathtaking—her body just begs to be tasted and fucked.

I run my thumb along the slit and am pleased to find her wet with arousal. Seeing her juices glistening on my thumb has me deciding to have a little sample of her there first before I finish with my task of pleasuring her. With a dip of my head, I bring my tongue between the lips of her southern region and run it upwards, lapping up her essence.

My God, she’s heavenly.

“Oh!” she wails, her fingers tangling into my hair.

Her clear enjoyment encourages me, so I set to licking every inch of the flesh between her legs. My tongue punishes her in a delicious way, and I groan in pleasure when she shamelessly pushes my head against her—needing more from me. Using my thumbs to open her up to me, I thrust my tongue into her cunt.

So tight.

So fucking tight.

The walls of her pussy clench around my tongue, and for a moment, I wonder how she’ll ever be able to take the size of my cock. I bury my face deeper into her, my nose connecting with her clit, and she loses her mind.

“Don’t stop!” she shrieks and holds me in place.

As if I would ever stop. I will never stop.

“Oh, God!” she chants over and over again as my tongue fucks her.

Her body suddenly seizes and she screams my name out as she shudders against my mouth. My cock weeps with pre-come as I nearly explode my orgasm all over the bed. With some shred of self-composure, I manage to hold back though.

“W-what are you doing to me?” she stammers.

Slipping my tongue out, I lift up and grin at her. “I’m making sure you’ll never want to leave me.”

She gapes at me, her cheeks crimson from the release I gave to her. “You’re really good at that,” she admits.

I crawl over her naked body and find her lips with mine. Kissing her deep, I let her taste the honey I’m addicted to. My cock slides along her wet cunt but doesn’t enter.

“Do you feel how badly I want you?” I question when I break away from our kiss.

Her bottom lip pouts out and she nods. “I’m not ready for that,” she tells me with tears welling in her eyes.

The sudden rush of sadness breaks something within me. My cock curses my brain because it already knows I have no plans of taking her.

“It’s all right, honeysuckle. I promised I would hold you. What I just gave to you was a treat, nothing more. I didn’t expect anything in return. From the moment I laid eyes on you, the desire to taste you has been overwhelming.”

She blinks her tears away, and a smile tugs at her lips. “Well, maybe I could make you feel good as well.”

“I don’t doubt that you could, but—” My words are cut short when one of her hands grips my length between us. I slam my eyes shut because it feels so goddamned good to be touched by her.

“What do I do?” she murmurs as she strokes my cock.

“That. Exactly that,” I hiss through my clenched teeth.

Her hand is incredibly soft as she fists me up and down, sometimes slow and sometimes faster. There’s no rhythm to the way she handles my cock, but I don’t care. All that matters is her and the fact that she wants to return the favor.

“Elisabeth,” I groan when my climax explodes from me, drenching her belly.

She still clutches me, but her movements halt as I become flaccid. Lazily, I open my eyes and peer down at her. Her eyes are shining with pride, and I nearly become hard again from the sight. She’s so beautiful and innocent.

“Did it feel good?” she questions.

I dip down and steal her lips before answering. The kiss is a hasty one. “It felt better than good. It was unbelievably perfect. You’ve ruined me for any other woman.”

“I think you’re ruining me too,” she admits with a whisper.

And even though she seems horrified by her words, I’m fucking ecstatic.