Room to Breathe (8 page)

“Yes, of course,” he answers the smile returning to his face.

“I will have the same,” I add.

“Perfect. I will be right back with that and drinks,” Aggie says heading to the kitchen.

“She didn’t ask us what we wanted to drink,” I realize.

“It will be milk or at least for me it will be. Aggie is worried that since I am a bachelor I am going to die of malnutrition.”

“Oh, that makes sense. She seems sweet.”

“She is great. I was glad we found her and that she wanted to run the tea shop.”

“What do you mean ‘we’? Don’t tell me you own this place?” If he tells me he owns a castle on top of everything else I will pass out.

“Oh, no. I just helped with the restoration and opening of this place,” he shrugs like that is everyone’s normal chore for the day.

“Oh, well if that is all,” I roll my eyes at him. Before I can ask him anything else Aggie returns. She is carrying a tray with two bowls of soup, a basket of bread, two glasses of water, and a glass of milk for Eric.

“Thank you,” I say as she places everything on our little table. She nods and walks back towards the kitchen. The soup is chicken with dumplings. It is fantastic and I may have to start driving up here just for soup.

As we eat, Eric fills me in on the history of the surrounding area. I love listening to him talk. His voice is so comforting I swear I could listen to him reading the dictionary and be captivated. When we both finish, Aggie shows up with a to-go bag with a treat for later.

“Aggie, thank you so much. That really was the best soup I have ever had,” I tell her as I stand.

“Oh you are very welcome. Please come back anytime,” she smiles at me.

“She will. No one can stay away from you for too long, Aggie,” Eric grins at her. Blushing Aggie heads back to the kitchen where someone is calling her name. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Not yet. Would you want to go wander through the gift shop?” I have always been a sucker for gift shops.

“Sure,” he says placing his hand on my back as we cross the tea shop to the attached shop.

There are the usual souvenirs you would expect to find. Shirts, mugs, racks of post cards, and books all about the castle. There are also general England souvenirs. A spinning rack of bookmarks grabs my attention. They have the spine of a classic book on one side and quote from the book on the other.

I am reading the back of a one for
Jane Eyre
and Eric is on the other side of the rack. “You have bewitched me body and soul,” I hear him say in a soft voice.

“What did you just say?” I ask as I feel all the blood rush to my head. My brain has literally gone blank.

“Oh, just reading this bookmark for
Pride and Prejudice
. I am just amazed that people would talk like that.” I exhale as my blood goes back to where it is supposed to be.

“Why? You have never talked to a woman like that?” After seeing how thick he put it on for Aggie I find it hard to believe.

“No, I haven’t,” he says steeping around the rack. I give him a look of obvious disbelief. “Honestly. I have never said anything like to any woman.”

“You must have said something at least close to your wife,” I worry at little that he will be upset I mentioned her but I know he loved her.

“No, we never talked like that to each other. There wasn’t ever really a need for it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for either of us to feel like this,” he says waving the bookmark like it is evidence, “Sarah and I were always calm. We made sense on paper and in person. No one ever questioned us being together, even us. It just always seemed like it was planned. We only had two fights the entire time we were together. You have to have a certain amount of passion, of crazy, to talk this way and mean it.”

“Oh, well that makes sense,” I say as he wanders away from the bookmarks. I can’t imagine a relationship like the one he described. “It might be nice to have things always fall into place but I don’t think it would work for me. I want someone I drive a little crazy.”

“I don’t think you will have a hard time with that,” he smiles playfully at me.

“Geez thanks.”

“I mean that in the kindest way possible.” He takes my hand as we exit the store. We climb inside the plush car and head back to Greenwood Manor. It has gotten gloomier in the past hour. It looks like it will be raining before long. I find my mind drifting to the man sitting next to me. I have really enjoyed learning so much about him. Just when I think I have him figured out I find out something else that throws me.

I look over at him and feel a heat rush through my body collecting between my thighs. He is staring intensely at the road with an almost scowl that makes him look even sexier than usual. His velvety brown eyes are burning with that slight fire. His strong jaw is set tight and has a little bit of manly stubble. My gaze lands on his perfect full lips and it takes every ounce of self-control to stay in my seat. I want Eric right here and now.

Since I am pretty sure climbing into his lap while he driving is a bad thing, I decide to have a little fun with him. I bring our entwined hands to my lips and gently kiss at his fingers. He looks over and smiles at me. I then take his index finger and gently suck on the tip. I swirl my tongue around it and then lap at the pad. He lets out a soft moan.

I lean towards him and I am just able to reach his neck with my lips. I start kissing from just under his ear down to his collar bone. I then work my way back up to the soft spot just under his jaw. He inhales sharply and grips the wheel tighter.

“You better be careful. You are going to make me pull over and have my way with you,” he says in his gravelly voice.

“I might be okay with that but I would rather you have your way with me in bed,” I say against his warm skin.

“Are you serious?” He looks down at me briefly.

“More than you know.” I stretch my body up so my lips are almost to his ear. “I want you to fuck the hell out of me,” I whisper softly and smile my cutesiest smile.

“Thank God we are almost there,” he says as he steps on the gas.

Within just a few moments we pull through the gates of Greenwood Manor. He brings the car to a stop in front of the main door and turns off the engine. Eric jumps out the car leaving the keys in the ignition. I have just undone my seatbelt when he is opening my door. He grabs ahold of me and lifts me out of the car. He literally throws me over his shoulder and heads towards the front door.

“Um, I can walk you know,” I say as I’m swaying behind his back.

“I know but not as fast as I will want you too,” he says as he is already starting up the staircase taking the steps two at a time.

Chapter 12

When we reach the top he turns right down a hallway and pauses only a second to open the door to the room. He walks in and closes the door behind him. It is only then that he sets me down on my feet.

I take a quick look around the room. It doesn’t look at all like the kind of room Eric would call his. The walls are a very light pink with large white trim. There is a large four poster bed a few feet from the door. The linens are white and the duvet has a soft rose pattern. I am unable to look around further as my focus is on the very good-looking man in front of me.

Without a word he takes his sweater off exposing his chiseled frame for the first time. Right now I couldn’t even tell you what day of the week it is. His body is very lean and muscular. His shoulders are strong and clearly defined, as are his chest and arms. My gaze travels down over his hard rippled abs and stops at the indents above his hips pointing down to below his jeans.

He grabs the bottom of my sweater and gently pulls it over my head revealing my black lace bra. I feel my nipples harden from just the heat of his stare. Eric reaches behind me and expertly unfastens my bra pulling it down my arms and letting it fall to the floor. I kick my boots off to the side. I am thankful I picked a pair that slide off so easy. His hands move swiftly to the waist of my jeans. He unfastens them and eases them over my hips with my panties in one quick move. I step out of them and my socks at the same time.

I am standing before him completely naked. For the first time in my life I am completely comfortable standing in front of a man utterly exposed. He rakes his eyes up and down me a few times. The way he looks at me makes me feel sexy. His desire is so clear in his eyes.

“Dear god. Honey, you are fucking beautiful,” he says as he continues to scan my naked form. I love how sexy he sounds with his beautiful polished accent. Even the word “fucking” sounds romantic. The ever present fire in his eyes is blazing like I have never seen before.

“I want you to touch me,” I plead.

“I will, I need a moment to gather myself. I plan on spending the rest of the day touching you.” He takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. After a few seconds that feel like hours he wraps his arms around me. He buries one hand in my hair. The other hand cradles my face turning it up to him.

He kisses me painfully soft, barely brushing my lips. I stand on my tip toes pushing our mouths together. He responds passionately, kissing me deeply. His tongue enters my mouth and dances gracefully with mine. I wrap my arms around him and crush my body to his. I can feel his hardness pressing against my stomach.

“Come here,” he says, pulling away from me and taking my hand. He leads me over to stand next to the large four poster bed. He spins me around so I am facing the bed.

“Put your hands on the bed in front of you,” he commands in a whisper behind me. I do as he asks and bend at the waist to rest my hands on the bed. “Keep them there.” I like his stern tone. It sends a chill through me.

Eric cups one of my breasts in his hand, slowly working the nipple between his thumb and finger. I moan softly as he moves his hand over to the other breast. He takes his hand from my breasts and gently runs the tips of his fingers down my spine. He softly brushes his hands over each of half of my backside. Every fiber in my body is standing to attention. I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation of his soft touch.

Thwack!
He brings his hand down on my bottom. I yelp in surprise. He quickly smacks the cheek causing me to yelp again.

“Does that hurt?” He asks, rubbing my flesh warmed from his attention.

“A little but in a good way.”

“Good,” he says and I can hear the smile in his voice. He brings his hand down twice more causing me to squirm a little. He grabs ahold of my hair at the base of my head and gently pulls, tilting my head up. He kisses my mouth, his tongue teasing mine. With his mouth still on mine he smacks my backside once more. I moan against his mouth.

“Come here,” he says grabbing me by the wrist. He pulls me to standing and kisses me again. I am so aware of every inch of my body. I feel like I could burst into flames.

“Eric, please, I need you,” I plead desperately.

“I like hearing you say that,” he says smiling a coy smile at me increasing my need. He lifts me by my hips and set me up on the bed. “Lay back, honey.”

I do as he asks as he places my heels on the edge of the bed. He looks down at me. “Every inch of you is so pretty,” he says in barely more than a whisper. He finally unfastens his jeans and lets them slip over his hips. His short boxer briefs follow and he is standing in front of me looking as perfect as I could possibly imagine.

He runs his hands over my thighs easing them apart. He takes his thumb and gently presses it to my hard button as he rubs it in circular motion. My back arches off the bed.

“You are so damn sweet,” he whispers as he presses the tip of his cock against my opening. Very slowly he enters me, stretching me fully. He pauses giving my body a moment to adjust to him. He then starts to move in and out of me slowly at first. He guides each of my ankles so that they are braced on his shoulders.

I want to sit up so that I can touch him. I start to rise up on my elbows and he places a hand on my chest gently urging me down. “Not yet, honey,” he says as he runs his hand down my body until his thumb finds my clit. He continues to massage it as his body crashes into mine. I feel my inner muscles clamp down around him as I near my end.

“Oh, that feels so good,” I softly moan.

“Let go, honey,” he requests. I do as he asks and feel the warm release spread from my center to the very tips of my body. I pulse around him, my body silently begging him to follow me. A moment later he does. He is shaking slightly as he calls out my name and folds himself on top of me.

His head is resting on my chest as I sleepily run my fingers through his dark hair. He slides from me and stands up.

“You are wonderful,” he says as he urges me further on the bed. I half crawl half roll until my head is resting on the mountain of pillows. Eric follows me onto the bed.

“Thank you. You are pretty wonderful yourself.” I smile at him. I have a feeling I am not going to be able to stop smiling for a while.

I take a moment to look around the room a little more. It is over all feminine and what I would have expected to find in an English country manor. There is a dressing table and chair opposite the bed. Also a small table and high back chair with a lamp. There is a door, that is closed, that assume leads to a bathroom. There is no chance this is Eric’s room.

“Whose room is this?” I ask.

“Yours. Don’t you like it?”

“Oh no, I love it. I just knew it couldn’t be yours,” I respond still a little confused. I guess it was silly of me to think we would be sharing a room. We are supposed to be casual and sharing a room wouldn’t really give that impression.

“Are you sure? If you don’t like it I can have another one arranged for you. I picked this one because it made me think of you and it is next to mine but I can show you the others if you would like,” Eric says, furrowing his brow at me.

“No, really I like it, honest. How many other rooms are there?”

“Well the manor has eight rooms total but including you six of them are occupied right now.”

“Who else is here?” I inquire. I am a little thrown. I would have thought he would have told me other people were living here.

“Well let’s see. Dean lives here full time and has a permanent room in my home in London too. Then there is my room obviously. The other three rooms are taken by Claire, Lucinda, and Brad,” he answers and seems slightly uncomfortable.

“Okay, so who are they?” That’s wonderful. I have agreed to live with three people I have never even met. Maybe I didn’t think this through enough.

“Claire is a charge but she has lived here since I made the move and lived in London with me too. She doesn’t have any family and it was imperative that she finish college before I would help match her. So, I let her stay with me but there is no need to scowl at me. There has never been anything but friendship between us,” he explains running his thumb across my tense forehead. I didn’t know I was scowling until he pointed it out.

“Sorry,” I apologize. “What about the other two?”

“Brad is another charge. He has been here just two weeks now and has a few pending matches. As for Lucinda, she is a little harder to explain. She is sort of a former charge. She has had a tough few months and I am letting her stay here as a favor to her sister. I hope that she will find an opportunity to do anything, really,” he says with a heavy sigh.

“She has been matched twice before and both times it didn’t end well. It will be best if you just steer clear of her. She is a fairly horrible person,” he says in a serious tone.

“Okay, I will do my best. So how will you match Claire and Brad up?”

“Well there are a slew of benefactors looking for charges. We sort through them until we find possible matches. Then the charges and benefactors communicate for a few weeks to feel each other out. After that I usually have some sort of event that they can all meet in person to how they get along. I’m hosting a large gala in a few weeks for this purpose. It is going to be quite a bit larger than what I usually would do. It is to show off the manor as well. It will be the first time that I have had any kind of gathering out here.”

“That sounds like fun,” I say with a smile. I leave out that it all so sounds a little scary. I have never been to any kind of gala and he talks about it like it is Sunday brunch. Sometimes I wonder if our worlds are just too different.

“I hope it will be. You will be fantastic. Don’t worry, honey. Everyone I know is going to be head over heels with you,” he reassures me as he runs the back of his hand across my cheek.

“Are you sure? Sometimes I worry that I really just don’t fit here,” I confess.

“Cora, please don’t ever worry about that. I know that this is different for you but if I didn’t think it would work I wouldn’t have asked you here. Trust me when I say that you fit perfectly,” he says as his expression softens. He can be so sweet sometimes.

“Well that is good to know.”

“Honey, do you want something to drink? I feel I am in need of a cup of tea,” he asks while still stroking my hair.

“I am a little thirsty but I am so comfortable. The last thing I want to do right now is leave this room,” I say as I snuggle against him tighter.

“I think you forgot where you are,” he says with a slight chuckle. He rolls over and presses a button on a black rectangular box on the night table. Within seconds a voice comes out from it.

“Yes, Miss Allen,” the sweet voice asks.

“Sally, this is Lord Ashford,” Eric replies.

“Oh, apologies your Lordship.”

“Oh no, don’t worry about that. Could you bring a tea tray up to Miss Allen’s room? Just leave it at the door please.”

“Of course, your Lordship. I’ll do it straight away.”

“That was one of the maids, Sally,” Eric said taking the black box off the night table. It seems to be wireless. “This is the control center for this room. Every room has them but in the common rooms downstairs they are a little different.”

“Okay, what is a control center?” I ask as I stare at the little black box trying to figure it out.

“Well, it controls the room. You can program it when you have a moment. After that when you enter the room all you have to do is enter your password and it will adjust the room to your liking,”

“What do you mean ‘my liking’?”

“It will adjust the lights and temperature to whatever you have programmed. It works as an intercom as well. This button rings the servants down stairs. If you need anything they can get it for you.”

“’Anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

“Really? What if I want doughnuts from my favorite place in Oregon?”

“Doughnuts, seriously?”

“Yes, seriously! Everyone knows the best doughnuts in the world come from Portland, Oregon!”

“Okay, so not ‘anything’ but most reasonable requests will be fulfilled. And if there are any concerning this area,” he rubs my breasts, “or this area,” his hand slides down between my legs. “I will be more than happy to take care of them myself.”

“I love how you can be so proper most of the time and then so dirty other times,” I sigh.

“I was raised to be proper so I don’t even notice it really. As for the dirty, I blame you entirely,” he says, kissing along my jaw and down to my neck.

“Me?” I ask innocently as I run my hands through his dark hair.

“Yes, you. You are so different from any other woman I have ever been with. It is easy to forget who I am when I am with you.” His hand continues to work the most sensitive part of my body.

“You keep doing that and I am going to forget who I am,” I say trembling slightly. He kisses my mouth and I lost in him once again. I run my hands over his toned body. I love how firm he is under my fingers. His skin is soft and smells of warm spice and clean. My hand glides down his body until I find his increasing hardness. I slide my hand up and down the full length. He closes his eyes and inhales sharply.

“I can’t get enough of you touching me,” he says in a breathy whisper.