The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy (10 page)

Darcy heard a light tapping on his bedroom door. He assumed it was Bingley and did not bother to rebutton his shirt before opening the door. It was not Bingley, it was Elizabeth. He was too surprised to say anything.

“Sorry, is there an internet connection?” she asked hesitantly. She was holding her laptop in her arms. He blinked at her. She studiously avoided looking at his chest.

“Of course,” he replied. He buttoned his shirt and showed her downstairs to his study. He quickly set up her laptop and connected the internet for her. He noticed that she was again in pajama bottoms and a tank top but this time she still had a bra on and her hair was in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck. Still sexy, though, he thought. He ground his teeth and mentally berated himself. Get a grip, man!

“Thanks,” she smiled at him.

“No problem, feel free to use it anytime,” he answered. She smiled and immediately opened her laptop and turned it on.

“Goodnight again,” he said. She looked up at him and grinned.

“G’Night,” she replied. Darcy made his way back upstairs and lay awake in bed, thinking about her and what it would be like to see what was beneath those pajamas.

Elizabeth logged on to her Instant Messenger account. As expected, Lou was logged on. She ping-ed him.

she wrote.

Lou replied.

“
Will” = Speed
Racer = Judge Darcy = HOTHOTHOT

June 4-Tuesday

Elizabeth slept soundly, dreaming of green eyes and running her fingers through dark wavy hair. She woke up flushed, nearly panting from the vividness of the dream. This would not do at all! The best thing to release this pent-up energy was vigorous exercise! After slipping on her track pants and halter, she knotted her hair at the back of her head. She flitted lightly down the steps and out the door, iPod blasting in her ears. She ran along the main road until she found a path leading to the fields. When she came to a puddle she splashed through mud, laughing with childish pleasure. Then she wiped her shoes in the grass so that she wouldn’t track mud into the house.

She had run about two miles when she stopped, leaning over gasping for breath. She put her hands on her knees panting when she felt something nuzzle her rump. She turned and jumped back with a violent start and a yelp as she came face-to-face with a large horse. It took her a moment to see Darcy sitting on the horse looking very amused. She jerked her headphones from her ears.

“That was not nice!” she exclaimed, putting her hand on her chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“I’m sorry, he’s a very rude horse,” Darcy laughed. “You should sue him for sexual harassment.” Elizabeth laughed a little, over the worst of her shock, but heart still pounding. He looked
...
magnificent was the only word she could think of
...
astride his horse. He had on riding breeches and boots, clinging to the sensual curve of his strong legs. She wasn’t sure if her heart was pounding from just shock anymore.

Darcy had risen early after a very poor night’s sleep and gone for a ride to expel some of his restlessness. He had been riding for over an hour when he saw her running along the path before him. He had called her name but she had not heard. He followed her for a while at a walk, hoping she would turn and see him but she never did. He watched her butt bounce as she ran, admired the curve of her thighs and arms. She looked strong. A piece of her hair had escaped from its knot to curl around the nape of her neck. He had been fantasizing about kissing it when she stopped running to catch her breath. Now he was perilously close to pulling the band from her hair and running his fingers through those dark, damp locks.

The horse pranced a little as Darcy looked down at her. “Listening to ‘Hot Stuff’?” he grinned. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“How do you know about that?” she looked up at him accusingly, hands on her hips. “How? Did Bingley tell you?”

He laughed and swung down from the horse. “No, I was there. It was quite a performance. Especially the part where you spanked yourself.” Her face turned bright red.

“Now Miss
Bennet
, don’t be bashful. You are a very skilled
...
er
...
what was that? A strip show?” he teased as he approached her.

“And just what were you doing there, Judge Darcy?” she replied archly, embarrassed and, well, amused.

“I had been invited by my very good friend Bingley. I got there late, saw your performance, and decided that there was no way I could compete with that. I left.”

Elizabeth turned her head away from him in embarrassment and laughed. She looked back at him.

“Well, I guess you know my dirty little secret,” she said. She took a step closer to him, hands on hips, pert challenge written all over her body. She arched her brows at him. “What’s yours?” Was she flirting with him? With Will, not with Speed?

He took a step closer to her, closing the space between them to inches. He looked down at her upturned face. “That I enjoyed it.”

There was no denying the electricity that was flowing between them; he could see that Elizabeth had goose bumps on her arms. She could smell the masculine scents of horse and tack and oiled leather on him. He could smell her sweat and her shampoo mingled with her natural scent of
-
was it pears?

Elizabeth swallowed hard, but did not back away from him. Her eyes were fixed on the hollow at the base of his throat, where she could see his pulse.

He was not sure whether he should follow his desire and kiss her. He raised a hand and touched a strand of hair with his forefinger.

She raised her eyes to his. “It doesn’t get much more inappropriate than this,” she murmured but did not pull away. She felt the chemistry with him, the chemistry she’d felt at the Halloween party.

“Oh, yes it does,” he replied. He dipped his head and kissed her tentatively, testing her receptivity. She returned his kiss with restraint, her heart pounding in her chest. “I’ve been wanting to do that since Halloween,” he murmured.

“Funny, I’ve been wanting that since Halloween,” she answered. “I just didn’t know Judge Darcy could give it to me.” She raised her lips to his and kissed him again, with a little less restraint this time.

“Ah, yes, that does present a problem, doesn’t it?” he said a moment later. His head was full with the scents of her, he could not
-
could not
-
believe he was kissing her and she was enjoying it.

“Yes, well, I believe we have a compelling argument that we are outside the jurisdiction of the American Bar Association,” she said against his lips.

“Except that we have the same rules in England,” he countered, brushing his lips against hers.

“As for that, you’re not a judge here in England, are you? And I don’t have a license here. As far as I’m concerned, for the next two weeks, I’m just a tourist and you’re just a barrister.”

“I have always admired your legal reasoning, Miss
Bennet
,” he said, smiling.

Her response was to brush her lips across his again.

“Two weeks, then,” he whispered against her lips. She responded by opening her mouth under his and deepening their kiss. One hand caressed her neck while the other snaked around her waist, pulling her tight to him. She stood on her toes to reach him; her arms crept around his neck and her fingers curled in his hair. She opened her mouth against his again. He hungrily returned her kiss and pressed her hips against him. She could feel his arousal pressed against her belly and felt her own tingling arousal between her legs. She wondered what he would be like in bed; she was sure he would be spectacular if his kisses were any measure of his talent. His hand had moved from her neck to her shoulder, where one finger slipped under the strap of her halter. Elizabeth brought herself back to reality and stepped away from him. Both were breathing hard in the throes of desire.

“We are in the middle of a field,” she laughed shakily. He seemed to come to his senses as well and ran shaky hands through his hair. After a moment, he said,

“We’ll miss the seminar. I’ll give you a ride back.” He helped her onto the horse and swung easily into the saddle behind her, putting his strong arms around her. His erection was pressing against her back. As the horse began to trot, he grunted.

Elizabeth smiled mischievously. “Are you ok back there?” she said, snuggling against his groin with her back.

“This is wrong on so many levels,” he said in a pained voice.

She laughed and he flicked the horse into canter, causing Elizabeth to yelp in delight.

Elizabeth showered quickly and dressed for the seminar. She looked in the mirror at her khakis and sweater and her sedate ponytail and frowned. Not sexy enough. She tore her clothes off and found a grey flannel pencil skirt. She put on a crisp white button down shirt and resisted the temptation to undo one more button. She put on her amber necklace. She did her hair in a loose knot at the nape of her neck. She looked very prim and proper
-
for now. She slipped on black pointed pumps and nodded at the mirror in approval.

Darcy was in one of his suits as usual, waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. She saw him arch his eyebrow at her when she came down.

“Hmph,” was all he said. She smiled and walked to the car.

***

She spent the entire afternoon tormenting him. In the car on the way to London she ignored his stares and then put her hand high on his thigh when he wasn’t looking. During the seminar she yawned and stretched her arms, pulling her blouse tight across her breasts as she arched her back. She spied on him and saw that he was not taking any notes but was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She got up to use the restroom and brushed her belly against his arm as she murmured her apologies about the tight seating. When she returned, she leaned over when she sat down, showing him her cleavage. She saw him smirk.

She faced forward and tapped her pen against her lips. Darcy dropped all pretense and leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, watching her with interest. She dropped the pen down her shirt. “Oops” she whispered, eyes wide with an astonished laugh. She saw him lean forward and press his mouth to his fist, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

She fished the pen from her blouse and put it on the table next to a pad of paper. He picked it up and put it under his nose, appearing to think very intently on his notes but in fact smelling her perfume. He jotted on his notepad then passed it to her. It said “Tease.” He looked at her with one cocked eyebrow and she nodded at him seriously, as if he had made some comment relevant to the seminar they were both ignoring. She took the pen from him and scribbled “H.S.” and handed it back to him. He read it and smirked. Hot Stuff.

He crossed his long legs under the table, mostly to hide his erection, but also to touch her leg with his shoe. He put his toe under her Achilles heel and nudged, flicking her foot up. She stared straight ahead and uncrossed and recrossed her legs, drawing her ankle along his as she did. He felt a frisson of excitement shoot up his leg. He rested his chin on his hand and looked at her through his lashes. The room erupted into motion around them as the presentation ended and people began to shuffle their papers and leave. Darcy remained seated, looking at Elizabeth. She remained seated as well, hands folded on the table before her, looking straight ahead.

He languidly leaned toward her. “I hope you enjoyed yourself,” he said quietly.

She turned her head to look at him through her lashes. “It wasn’t for my enjoyment,” was her sultry reply.

When his blood had cooled enough to allow him to stand, the room had begun to fill again for the next presentation. They left quickly to meet Jane and Bingley for a dinner that neither of them now wanted to attend.

As usual, at the mention of Darcy’s name they were immediately ushered to the best table in the house with a spectacular view in a secluded corner. Jane and Bingley were regaling them with an account of their adventures in London and talking about the play they were seeing after dinner; but Darcy had eyes only for Elizabeth. He ordered absently and ate without tasting his food. The only taste in his mouth was Elizabeth’s lips. He struggled through dinner; thank god she wasn’t teasing him anymore. He knew he was throwing everything away for the next two weeks. He had not thought out what would happen at the end of those two weeks. Would he be sated enough to walk away or would this only whet his appetite for more from her? He knew they could not continue any type of relationship once they returned to California but he couldn’t think about that now. He had two weeks to figure it out.

He watched Elizabeth listen intently to some story Jane was telling her
-
he couldn’t have said that Jane was even in the room, let alone what they were talking about. Jane said something and Elizabeth closed her eyes and laughed a long, easy laugh. Not too loud, not to high, not too sultry; the perfect laugh. He smiled so that he would not be conspicuous in his ignorance of the conversation. His plate was removed barely touched and another set before him. But his appetite was only for her.

He had thought himself so clever this morning when he kissed her. He had shown her that he was interested, that he found her attractive. She had responded so well to his kiss, he thought she would be like jelly in his arms, that she would be looking at him dewy-eyed all day
,
that was, after all, what usually happened with women. He was wrong; she had completely turned the tables on him, seduced him most effectively without a touch. He was entranced by her face, her laugh, her smells, even the way her eyebrows knitted together and separated, arched and scrunched as she talked. She made little jokes and Jane and Bingley laughed. She tried to engage Darcy in their conversation but he had no desire to intrude on her charms. He answered her questions in monosyllables. She gave him a subtle questioning look and touched his leg under the table. He smiled at her and shook his head slightly; nothing was wrong. In fact, everything was perfect.

He didn’t recall paying the bill or standing to leave. He held Elizabeth’s coat while she put her arms into it and he touched her neck with his finger. “I surrender,” he murmured to her. She looked at him askance over her shoulder as he ran one hand over her arm. “I am yours completely.” He saw her nod and look away with a small smile on her lips.

The drive home was nearly a disaster. It started out fine, she was well behaved while he navigated through the city streets. But as soon as he merged onto the freeway, she was back to her tricks again. She played with a curl of hair near his ear. He caught her hand and kissed the palm. She turned toward him and undid one of her shirt buttons. Then she took his hand and pressed it to the flat space between her breasts.

“Elizabeth, please, you will make me wreck,” he laughed as he tried to pull his hand away. She held it and kissed his fingertips. Then she leaned over and kissed his earlobe. The thrill that shot through Darcy was almost too much. She took his earlobe in her teeth and tugged while sucking on it. She was up on her knees and he put his arm around her, caressing her bottom. His erection was back and his breathing was short.

“Please. Please stop,” he said hoarsely.

She put her lips to his ear and said “As you wish.”

She sat back and buckled herself back into her seatbelt. Darcy gripped the steering wheel hard with both hands, knuckles white. He was breathing hard. She was turned toward him, looking at him.

“You have no idea,” he said after a few moments.

“Yes, I do,” she replied softly. “If you think I’m not squirming you’re wrong.”

The image of her squirming, naked, beneath him flashed through his mind. He hadn’t had sex in a year. It wouldn’t be long, no way was he going to bed alone tonight. It was all he could do not to swerve to the side of the road and have her right now. But for Darcy, anticipation always sweetened the reward. He had wanted her for so long, spent countless hours thinking of her, that he couldn’t waste that build-up on a romp in the car or a night in a motel. He would have her in his bed, in his house, and he would take his time with her. That was, if she would just stop running her finger over his straining erection. He laughed shakily and grabbed her hand, pulling it away from him.

Somehow they made it to Pemberley and parked. She was out of the car and up the front steps before he could even grab her to kiss her. He followed her quickly up the stairs and down the hall. She paused by her bedroom door but he grabbed her hand and led her to his own bedroom. He looked at her as he twisted the doorknob, looking for any sign of hesitation. She reached past him and pushed the door open.

They tumbled into the room closing the door behind them, kissing passionately. She was pushing his jacket off his shoulders, while he undid the buttons on her blouse. Yet they were not hurried. They had both anticipated this all day long, they could savor it now. There was no need to rush, they had two weeks.

Darcy pulled her blouse from the waistband of her skirt and slid it off her arms. She ran her fingers over his chest and began to undo his shirt buttons. He undid his cuffs while he nuzzled her neck. She kicked her heels off as she undid his belt buckle. He kicked his shoes off and unzipped her skirt. He stepped out of his pants, clad only in his boxers and socks. She stood before him in her lacy bra and panties. He kissed her again and undid her necklace. She didn’t need any ornamentation at all. He wanted to see her completely natural.

She took a step back to look at him. He was simply perfect. His shoulders were broad and smooth, his arms muscled. His chest had a sprinkling of dark hair. His pecs were firm but not large, his stomach was flat but not ripped. He was muscular without any bulk.

While Elizabeth looked at Darcy, tracing her fingers over the lines of his chest, he was savoring his own view. He ran his fingertips over her collarbones and then undid her bra. She didn’t even need it. She had round, firm breasts tipped by rose-colored nipples. He ran the flat of his palm over one breast, feeling the nipple harden under his touch. He heard her breath catch as he touched her.

He pulled her close and kissed her again. His hands ran down her back and cupped her bottom, tracing the joint between cheek and leg with his fingers. Elizabeth twined her arms around his neck and searched his kiss for the remnants of her
self-control
. Her breaths were short and she tipped her head back with a quiet moan as he kissed her neck. His fingers caught the sides of her panties and pushed them down; she stepped out of them. Darcy picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. He walked to the bed and dropped her on it. She smiled and leaned back on her elbows. She put one foot up to the waistband of his boxers and hooked a toe in, tugging them down. He helped her when they got caught on his erection. Each took in the naked body of the other with wicked satisfaction.

Darcy crawled onto the bed beside her and leaned over her to kiss her. His hands continued to caress her skin, stroking her breasts, twining his fingers in with hers, tracing the curve of her waist to her hips, palming her inner thighs. He drew back and took the band from her hair, letting her dark curls fall around her shoulders. His breath caught at the sight.

“Ah, Lizzy,” was all he could manage to say. Saying her name was more exhilarating, more seductive than he expected. He knotted his fingers in her hair and buried his face in it, inhaling deeply. Pears. Sunshine. Elizabeth.

She quivered inside at the raw hunger in his voice. It was more than saying her name, it was a capitulation.

Elizabeth put one leg around Darcy and pushed her hips toward him. His erection was digging into her stomach and that wasn’t where she wanted it. She curled her fingers in his hair and pulled him to kiss her.

“Will,” she murmured in his ear. He settled between her legs, spreading her apart but teasing her. He pushed into her but only a little way. She writhed against him to pull him in deeper but he resisted and pulled out. He did it again, but still did not push all the way in.

“Will, please,” she half-laughed, half-pleaded. He pushed a little deeper in.

“Say you want me, Lizzy,” he murmured in her ear.

“I want you, Will,” she sighed. She pushed toward him but he resisted. He kissed her ear and then went to the other ear.

“Say you surrender, Lizzy,” he whispered.

She closed her eyes and said huskily, “I surrender.”

He pushed into her and both of them shuddered with pleasure. She was lithe and wriggly beneath him; he was hard and supple on her. He began to thrust slowly, his breathing ragged. She met each thrust with her own, squeezing as he pulled out. He clenched his eyes shut and let out a little exhalation of pleasure.

He lifted up on one elbow, the other hand under her hip, and pushed into her with a groan. He did it again and again. He looked down and watched himself enter her. He watched her run her hand over her own breast. He lowered himself to her again, pressing his chest against hers, and pushed in deeply. She undulated with him, their rhythms synchronized and quickening.

She was on fire under his touch. He was pleasuring her with long, slow strokes, torturing her with her own body. She loved the soft grunts he was beginning to make with each thrust. She felt her pleasure building inside of her, a rich ache that built until she knew it must crest. She pushed her hips up to meet his and quickened his rhythm. She buried her face in his neck and heard herself softly saying
‘
oh, oh, oh
’
as her climax began.

She rolled her head back, thrust her hips up, and uttered a long, gentle moan from the bottom of her throat as she reached ecstasy.

Darcy pushed himself into her warm, snug body. He felt her excitement rising, her pace quicken. When she began to pant little
‘oh’
s
’
into his neck, he thought he was undone. He thrust into her and she came. Three more thrusts and he joined her with a crashing orgasm. He groaned in her ear as he reached fulfillment, tightening his grip on her hair.

Waves of intense pleasure washed over both of them as they moved together. As the waves subsided, Darcy covered her mouth with a kiss, which she hungrily returned. He planted warm kisses on her neck and breathlessly murmured
‘
Lizzy
’
in her ear. She clung to him and buried her face in his neck. Even after their pleasure subsided, they clung to each other.

Eventually, he shifted off of her and draped his arm across her belly. She opened her eyes and smiled with satisfaction.

“That was delicious,” she purred. He propped his head on his hand to look at her.

“Sorry for the lack of foreplay,” he said as he traced a circle around her bellybutton with his finger. She looked up at him, bemused.