Linna : Historical Romance (The Brocade Collection, Book 5) (7 page)

She slit her eyes open and froze
. There was a snarl across his face, a glint of moisture coating what she could see of his eyes, and nothing else. He might as well be an animal. Linna’s eyes went wider. Her back stiffened and nothing on her felt anything except locked into position. He was still pulling at her sleeves, not realizing he had to untie the bow between her shoulder blades. She felt the ribbon raise a welt across her back as he kept stretching it until it ripped free.

Linna heard the sound, felt the air, and started shaking
. Realms of shivers flew down her, coating her skin with what she recognized was fear. She turned her face away, clenched her teeth, and fought the emotion. Linna Daniels feared no man! She never had and she wasn’t starting now. She’d bargained for what he wanted. And that was all he was going to get.

“What is it?”  The voice matched the snarl
.

Linna shook her head.

“Avoidance isn’t what we bargained for, lady,” he rasped.

“And...ra
vishment is?” she whispered the answer.

He sucked in air so viciously, she fell into the well of his abdomen with it
. And then he let it out, making her rise again. Linna kept her hands right where they were on his upper chest, where she could feel parts of him tensing and shifting. Still. Her palms were itching from the contact. That was odd. She’d committed herself to numbness and was usually very good at reaching it.  

He went to a sitting position, moving more ribbons of muscle against her inner thighs,  then he was standing and taking her with him
. Linna kept her face averted, her jaw tightly clenched, and chased the numb feeling back into existence. She knew he had her in his arms, felt the strange sensation of being carried  as he walked, moving soundlessly, but with a slight sway to each step. She knew where he was taking her, too...his bed. She barely felt it when she reached the mattress. She didn’t open her eyes to see any of it. She wasn’t about to face anything or anyone. No one could make her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Cord sighed heavily
. The mattress moved with his weight as he joined her on it. He blew gently on the skin of her throat, watched the quick rise and fall of her bared breasts and the satisfactory tightening of their crests. He wasn’t a rapist. A soulless wretch, destined for hell - yes. That he was. But a ravisher of women? Never. Cord Larket was famous for the satisfaction he gave. Wasn’t that why he’d agreed to this in the first place?

“Linna?”  He whispered it at her ear and nuzzled the skin just below her lobe
. “Linna? It’s Raoul. Your lover. The man who will be your husband. The man who would never harm you. Ever. Such perfection should be tasted, relished, savored. Never taken and harmed. Linna?”

He said more nonsensical things to her until she reacted, jerking a little in
response to the words. Or his breath. He made sure she felt it, as he gave each word more breath than necessary, and watched the response as it slid over temptingly bare flesh. He didn’t know which was affecting her and he didn’t care. He got the bit of satisfaction from it and put it aside until the next one. He went to his haunches beside her, reached out to move the wealth of reddish-brown hair away from her temples as he waited for her to look at him again.

She had whiskey-colored eyes just meant for getting lost in; dark, swirling, mysterious, whiskey-brown eyes
. Sometimes they were a golden hue and sometimes they were dark...dark enough to drag his thoughts to a stand-still with the mesmerizing quality of them. He didn’t think she knew the power of her own gaze yet. If she did, she’d have used it already.

“As you’ve no maid at your disposal, may I be allowed to assume the position for this eve,
Mademoiselle
?” 

Raoul asked her a question as he lifted himself from the bed
. Linna watched his lips and knew he moved from the sway the mattress made as it recovered from his bulk. She just couldn’t feel anything nor hear his words.

“What?” she asked.

“You need a lady’s maid. To grant assistance. With your clothing. I’ve been told I’m a fair replacement if the need arises.”

She turned her head away
. All she had to do was get through this one night - regardless of how horrid it became, and he’d promised her freedom. Freedom from her father. Freedom from him. She’d made certain of it. That was a strengthening thought. She smiled slightly, turned back, and answered his chin.

“Very well
. If you won’t…take liberties again, I’ll allow it.”

Raoul’s eyebrows rose
. He executed a perfect bow, made extremely visual by the lack of upper body attire and held out his hand. She watched the play of movement beneath the skin of his chest and caught her lip between her teeth.

“I cannot undo hooks if you are lying on them, you know.”  He smiled, making small creases appear beside his eyes
. She swiveled away from him and lifted her hair out of his way.

Then warm fingers were playing up and down the length of her garment, seeming to fumble much more than was necessary before stilling altogether
. Linna looked over her shoulder and caught the gasp. Raoul had his eyes closed and the strangest expression on his face. A half-smile hovered on his lips, showing a dimple in his cheek. Then he opened his eyes, bringing the moss-green of his into direct contact with hers. The connection stunned. Electrified. Took her breath.

“You are
tres belle, Mademoiselle
, but of course you already know that. Your skin resembles silk to the touch. Warm...perfectly woven silk.”

Linna flushed at the
words and bowed her head to keep the hair out of his way. She had only one petticoat, her pantaloons, and a chemise beneath the dress. It was exactly what she needed for her original plan and nothing more. She had to help him remove the dress, since she was lying on it, and he wasn’t helping. In fact, his fingers were sliding over every bit of her with little intent at clothing removal.

“You wear no stays?” he asked as he rolled the petticoat into large snakes of material as he removed it from her.

“I’ve no need of them.”  She thought she’d kept the note of pride from her voice, but knew she hadn’t succeeded when he chuckled. She never wore a corset. She didn’t need one. Ever. All of the Daniels maids knew it.

“Is that proper?” he asked.

She shrugged slightly. “It’s efficient and comfortable. I don’t need one, so I don’t wear one.”

“My mother wore one,” Raoul continued in a conversational tone.

“I think they’re out of style and outmoded. And uncomfortable. I had no idea Paris had such styles. That’s where we copy our fashions from, you know. How long ago was this?”

His silence went on so long that Linna turned to see why
. He wasn’t looking near her face. He was looking at the curve of where her lower back met her buttocks.

“My parents were exiled
aristos
, Linna. As was my
grand-pere
. My family couldn’t have set foot in Paris for any reason. Loss of estates and titles is one thing. Loss of life...another.”

“Oh
. I didn’t think—. Forgive me.”

“
Mademoiselle
, the past is gone. We cannot change it. We cannot mourn it. Tonight is what matters. Tonight. Come. Your groom awaits. You’re lucky to be wedding with such a man, you know.”

He grinned, bringing the small lines back into prominence about his eyes and a dimple to both cheeks
. Linna moved her eyes away. She busied herself with lifting the sheet and sliding between them. She didn’t need the reminder of her luck, nor his handsomeness, nor how much male he was. She knew what his charms were. And the scope of them. She only hoped it wouldn’t hurt as badly as she suspected it might.

“Your shift
? You’ve got to give it over, you know. No marriage bed is in need of such clothing. You won’t need it for warmth, either. You’ve got me for that.”

Linna nodded silently and slipped the chemise down, raising her knees to get it off her ankles
. Then she slid her hand from beneath the covering and gave it to him. Raoul took the garment reverently,  then he shocked her completely by bringing it to his nose and inhaling it. Linna had to look away and held the gasp inside where it wouldn’t be known.

The sheets were cool against her bare skin
. Linna watched as the light dimmed behind her, plunging the room into semi-darkness. It was unnerving. She heard the whisper of sound as he slid from the breeches with ears primed for it. Her whole body felt tense, worried, scared.

The mattress barely moved this time with his entry, surprising her for such a large man
. Linna breathed shallowly, so she could tell where he was. It wasn’t possible. Her own heartbeat was too loud, and it seemed to be increasing with volume and intensity.

“Raoul?”  She whispered it.

“At your service,” came the reply from just above her ear.

Linna choked
. She hadn’t know he was that close. He was chuckling at her reaction. The breath from it raised gooseflesh all along the exposed skin it touched. Linna scrunched her shoulder against it.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Linna love.”

“You promise?”

“It isn’t in me to do so.”

“But, earlier—”

“Trust me
. I promise not to hurt you but rather to pleasure you. Beyond your dreams. Pleasure you’ll find impossible to resist.”

“Pleasure?” she asked.

He sighed heavily. Breath from it cursed her shoulder again.

“
Oui.
Pleasure. I promise. Because of our stupid bargain, this might be the only night I ever get. I have one night to make an impression that this is something you will want much more of. And that it will be me giving it to you. Do you think I want that tinged with unpleasantness and pain?”

Linna caught the sigh.

“You’re going to have to start this though.”

“Start...this?”

“Touch me. You’re going to have to do it.”

“I don’t think I can.”  She was blushing so hotly, the sheets reflected the heat back at her.

“Well you’ll have to. I certainly can’t touch you. We’ve already seen what happens then, haven’t we?”

“Yes,” she replied, with just a touch of hesitancy.

“Then it’s to be you. Touching me. I’ll not move.”

“You promise?”

“Do you want out of our bargain?”

He didn’t sound like he was teasing
. Linna already knew the answer before she gave it, but she made him wait. Her plan had succeeded. She was lying naked next to the most incredible male anyone could envision. He was the key to her freedom. He had wealth. He had status. He definitely had presence. He was handsome. He was manly. He was exactly what she’d been praying and hoping for, and he was promising to give her pleasure beyond her dreams. His was a foolish question. “No,” she said finally.

He exhaled a held breath before speaking again
. “
Bien
. Then touch me. You’ll find I’m just normal flesh and bone.”

She snorted.

“Very well, I’m a bit larger than the usual, but just a man. You’ll see.”

Linna snaked her hand out and connected with skin almost immediately
. She pulled back as though burnt.

“
Merde
! Your hands are like ice!”  She could have sworn he gritted his teeth before speaking again. “Touch me. Again. I’m prepared this time.”

She complied, and then she was running her fingers up heated ridges that were clothed with satin-like skin
. She recognized the area as belonging to his belly. Linna spread her hand open, filling her palm and fingers with the warmth and feel of him, and enjoyed the slight intake of his breath as she did so.

It wasn’t enough
. Linna went to a kneeling position to reach him. That way she could let both hands roam about him. She’d never felt so wicked, so enchanted, and so bold. It was better than any amount of teasing in her past. In the dim with her eyes half-closed, no other soul knew where she was, and he wouldn’t stop her. All of that was heady.

He felt even more immense than he looked
. She suspected it had something to do with her nervousness, inexperience, and the lack of light. She played with the crease in the skin defining the dual humps of his chest before searching for, and finding his nipples.

Raoul’s sharp intake of breath emboldened her even more, and Linna bent forward to touch her tongue to one
. The man beneath her trembled at the first touch. The tremor transferred to her. Linna drew back and tucked her tongue between her teeth, engrossed despite herself. She reached forward and slid both hands to his shoulders then over them, leaning close in order to make the movement. When her own nipple flesh touched him, although involuntary, she jerked back as the contact sparked. Heated. Enticed.

These sensations were the ones she’d once toyed with, fantasized about, and dreamed of
! She traced the sinew arching at the tops of his shoulders before wrapping about the back of his neck. How had he gotten so strong there? She didn’t know men grew muscles in the places this Raoul had them, and she’d been around slaves all her life.

Linna was going to have to stretch out atop him if she was going to reach his other side
. The thought was exhilarating...fascinating. She opened her mouth, released her tongue, making it easier to breathe in the small excited gasps. She moved her hands down his arms, stretching out until her arms gave out and she fell atop him. Such heat met her own flesh that she cried aloud at the sensation.

Below her, Raoul twitched in non-rhythmic motions, but otherwise didn’t move
. Linna got braver. She shoved her body along him, moving her hands down his arms. At the same time, she slid her own nipples across the valleys and hard knots of his belly. Her closest hand had reached him, and she entwined her fingers with his. Her breath stopped for the barest moment as his fingers gripped hers, pressured hers, and then relaxed; releasing her. Linna moved farther, flattening onto the span of stomach and chest he had, and still couldn’t get her other hand down to his. She wanted that embrace. She wanted to lock fingers with him, and she didn’t question why. She pushed farther and felt the dual muscles of his upper chest harden against her breast at the motion.

“You did that?” she asked.

Raoul groaned.

“You can make them move
? How?”

In answer, he made first one side move then other as he tightened them against her
. Linna rose and fell and swayed with the action before lifting away.

“You must stop now
. You promised.”

He groaned again, deeper this time, and slackened his chest
. Linna waited a heartbeat, then another,  then she lowered to him again in order to reach his other hand.

“You’re too immense, Raoul
. I want to hold your other hand. I can’t reach it. I’m not certain how.”