Handfasted (To Love a Governess Novella) (8 page)

Timothy barked out laughter. He had been fighting the desire to seduce and make love to Katrina since he met her and all along it had been her plan from the very beginning.
 
She had thought to seduce him?
 
She didn’t even need to try because he was more than willing.

Katrina scooted away from him and turned her face to the window.
 
What had she said or done? He gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her toward him and was taken aback by her tears. “Katrina, what is wrong?”

“A simple no thank you, or I am not interested in that type of relationship would have sufficed. You don’t have to laugh.”

When she tried to turn away again he held fast to her. “Katrina, I was not laughing at you but at the situation.”

“It is the same thing.”
 
She continued to fight to move away but he was not going to let her go.

“No, it is not.
 
Do you know the reason I was so adamant about not taking you to Willanton?”

“No.”

“Because I was afraid I could not last so long in a carriage with you without touching you.
 
I’ve wanted to touch, hold, kiss and make love to you for the past two weeks.”

Her eyes grew wide.
“Really?”

“I knew if you were with me it would be damned uncomfortable because my desire would be straining to be released and I would not be able to act on it.
 
You are an unmarried woman, innocent, who should experience nothing until she is married.”

“But we are handfasted now.”

“Yes, I know.”
 
He let go of her shoulders now that she was not struggling to get away from him and raked his fingers through his hair. “But, it isn’t anything permanent and I will not be the one w takes your virginity.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one to decide that?”

“No, not now.
I can’t imagine you not marrying, in truth, one day and I would not take what a husband has a right to.”

She slumped in her seat. “So, despite what I want and what you want, you won’t let anything intimate happen.”

A smile pulled at his lips.
 
“On the contrary, Katrina.
 
There are many things we can do to satisfy the need for each other without sacrificing your virginity.”

Her brows knit together in confusion.

“Have you not read the books?”
 
Surely she wasn’t carrying them around without gaining some knowledge. He knew for a fact she browsed at least one. She had been reading it on their wedding night.

“Well, yes. But I just assumed joining is what completed the pleasure and everything else led up to it.”

He chuckled. “There is much pleasure to be had without
joining
.”

She opened her mouth to speak or probably ask a question but he didn’t give her a chance to talk and placed his lips against hers. The time for discussion was over. If she had so many questions it was best to demonstrate instead of explain.

Chapter 7

He did want her? But what did he mean that there was as much enjoyment to be had without joining?
 
How was that possible?
 
Maybe she should have read more of the books. But, that really didn’t matter now. His lips were on hers and this was just the beginning.
 

Katrina gave into the sensation and kissed him back. Molding her lips to his, tilting her head for better access.
 
His tongue swept into her mouth. She never dreamed he would do something like that, or that kissing involved tongues, not that she was objecting. She tentatively touched hers to his and Timothy’s arms came around her back and pulled her close.
 
Given he apparently liked it when she did this she continued and was soon lost in a sensation of mouths melding.

Her body grew warm and her breasts tingled with the contact of his chest. It was impossible to get physically closer without removing their clothing. But, it was still daylight.

His hands traveled down her back, caressing, molding her hips, and back up.
 
One hand caressed up and down her side, his mouth never leaving hers.
 
Katrina raised her arms to his shoulders, pulling him closer yet as her fingers threaded through the hair at the back of his head. His hands and lips had a dizzying effect and she was certain she was falling. It wasn’t until her back connected with the bench cushion did she realize he had laid her down. He adjusted her legs and brought them over his lap before he moved his lips from hers and trailed kisses down her neck. His hand skimmed up her ribcage until it caressed her breast.
 
Katrina arched her neck and moaned.
 
Her breasts strained to be released from the dress, swollen and heavy.
 
He ran his thumb over her nipple and it tightened.
  
Jolts of pleasure shot to her groin. Oh, this was so much better than when she touched herself.
 

His hand left her breast and she almost objected until she felt the fingers behind her back and her gown loosened.
 
He pushed one shoulder down until she was only covered by her chemise.
  
Timothy sat up slightly and lifted the breast in his hand as if weighing it. Again he brushed his thumb across this hardened nipple before be placed his lips upon it and gently sucked it into his mouth, wetting the material of her chemise.

Katrina squirmed, wanting to be out of her dress so the rest of her body could enjoy these delights as well, but he remained focused on that one breast, caressing and suckling until she thought she would go insane.
 
Her pulse pounded and an ache developed in her nether regions.
 
Timothy shoved the chemise aside and now his mouth was directly on her skin.

She arched and moaned.

Timothy exposed both breasts. He lifted and molded, pinching the nipples before he lowered his mouth to the breast previously ignored.
 
Katrina grasped his head with both hands and arched. The ache between her thighs grew and she wanted him to touch her there. She didn’t know what kind of relief he could bring since they weren’t going to join, but anything had to be better than this.

She shifted and her buttocks pressed against the hardness in his pants.
 
If what she read was true then he had his own aches that needed to be addressed as well and she would like nothing better than to pleasure him as he was her.
 
Her hands left his hair and skimmed to the front of his chest. She pushed the jacket from his shoulders. Timothy paused only long enough to withdraw his arms from the sleeves before he tossed the jacket to the opposite side of the carriage.
 
Katrina set to work untying his cravat, thankful it wasn’t some impossibly, intricately tied piece of art but something standard and easily loosened.
 
It landed on top of his jacket and she began jerking his shirt from his pants until her fingers connected with the heat of his smooth skin.

Her hands skimmed under his shirt until her fingers splayed across his nipples. Experimenting, she gently pinched both, wondering if a man’s were as sensitive as a woman’s.
 
He groaned and brought his mouth back to hers.
 
Plundering and taking and she met him with equal enthusiasm. His hand moved from one breast to the other, never moving lower, much to her frustration.

The carriage came to a halt and Timothy lifted his head and looked outside.
 
“We are here.”

“Already?”
Katrina screeched.

She sat up and yanked her dress back into place. It would not do to have the coachman open the door and find them in this state.
 
Timothy shoved his shirt back into his pants and grabbed his jacket.
 
Katrina struggled to fasten her dress. It was so much easier when one was standing.
 
Timothy turned her and finished fastening her dress just as the door opened.

“We made better time than I anticipated, Lord Timothy.”

“I see that.”

Katrina glanced at him. His hair was a mess, standing at odd angles from where her fingers had combed through it.
 
The coachman arched a brow but said nothing. “I will wait for you out here.” He closed the door.

Katrina quickly set to smoothing down his hair and he fussed with hers, sticking pins in places she hadn’t even realized had come loose. Last, he hastily tied his cravat, looking much worse now, but smoothed it the best he could.

They glanced over each other’s appearance one last time. Their eyes met. A grin pulled at her lips.
 
He smiled and winked at her. “We are not finished,” he promised. Katrina’s pulse increased in anticipation.
 

They were as put together as anyone could be after such an enunter in the back of the carriage.
 
Timothy reached over, opened the door and exited. He helped her from the carriage and escorted her into the inn as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
 
They were half way through the yard and to the door and stopped.

“One moment.”
 
He left her standing there and practically sprinted back toward the carriage. A moment later he emerged with the bag containing her books. Perhaps he did need further reference material. Not that she cared. She was more than happy with what she had experienced so far and knew more and better was yet to come.

* * *

Timothy wasn’t sure why he grabbed the bag of books. He certainly didn’t need any ideas, but he couldn’t just leave them there either. Katrina arched a brow at him and he only offered a tilted smile. Let her wonder what he was about.
 
Soon, very soon, she would be discovering much more than what she experienced in the carriage, but he must do this right and not rush anything.
 
They had very little time together and he wanted to draw out their pleasure for as long as possible.

Once he registered he led Katrina to their room.
 
It was small, but possessed a large bed. Not that it mattered.
 
Tonight he would not be trying to stay on his side.
 
He set the bag down out of the way and their trunks were soon delivered.
 
Katrina stood in the middle of the room watching him expectantly.

“Why don’t we go down to dinner?” He offered his arm and she allowed him to lead her back to the common room.
 
She barely ate anything of her midday meal and the last thing he wanted was Katrina passing out from hunger.

His mind churned with possibilities of bringing her pleasure and prolonging the night and stopped at the front desk.
 
“Could you please have a bath delivered to our room after dinner?”

Katrina tilted her head and looked at him.
  
She’d bathed last night and was probably wondering why he asked for one tonight.
 
She would soon learn it wasn’t for cleanliness.

“Of course.”
 
The proprietor turned to an older woman to relay the request before turning back to Timothy. “I am afraid our private room is unavailable.
 
I could have your dinner brought to your room.”

If he returned to the room now, he would have no control.
 
“We will dine in the common room, but thank you for the offer.”

He escorted Katrina to a table further away from the large fireplace. There were enough people in here that it was already hot.
 
Being next to toasty flames with a full meal and glass of wine would more likely put Katrina in a state of sleep.
 
Not exactly how he wanted her at the moment.