the caressing that was about to shatter his remaining wits. He fought for control, or a semblance thereof, eyes closed and forehead resting on hers.
“I need a moment,” he croaked, “or I will toss you onto that bed and ravage you like a beast. God, Kitty! What you do to me!”
“I am sorry.”
“No, no! Please do not be sorry.” He opened his eyes. “It is my problem to deal with, not yours. I should be the one in control, leading you gently and not rushing in like a bull in his first rut! Yet this is new to me, how I want you and how much I love you. I have never done this before.”
“Oh! I did not… That is, I thought you had, well, experience.” She blushed to her toes—he knew because he was looking at them and thinking that even her toes excited him—and tried to step away.
He stayed her retreat, clasping his hands around her face, smiling and chuckling. “
“Then we are on equal footing, except that I have no fear of you or our emotions and passion.” And before he realized what she was doing, the satin gown slithered down her body to join the robe, rendering him speechless and transfixed.
“You are beautiful,” he finally managed, his fingertips lightly sliding from her shoulder blades down to the outer swell of her breasts, circling. “Perfect, absolutely perfect.” He cupped each breast, their fullness heavenly, filling his large hands and spilling over. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples, her gasp and instant hardening deeply satisfying. “Yes, perfect. I bet they taste like peaches.” And he bent his head, taking one into his mouth while continuing to rub the other.
She was wondrously receptive, her ardor affected by every touch and kiss. To his amazement he suddenly did not feel so rushed. He craved exploring her body, inch by glorious inch. He reveled in witnessing her awakening to passion.
For the first time he experienced rapture from nuzzling a woman’s breast, ecstasy from stroking the velvet skin over a curved hip, and jubilation from lithe legs squeezing his waist. Her hands on his chest was unparalleled euphoria, her mouth on his nipple delirious, her nails grazing his buttocks unimaginable bliss, and his name panted into his ear an angelic chorus.
And when he finally entered her, making her his wife, the words to describe how he felt did not exist. It was new. Everything about making love with his Kitty was unique. She was paradise on earth, holding him tightly and riding the wave with him at every point.
Kitty stayed with him until well after the sun rose. It was risky, they knew, but the pain of separating was not something they looked forward to. They did not sleep. They cuddled and talked, explored each other’s bodies, and made love again.
“I hope I have not hurt you too much?” he asked, eyes scanning the figure now illuminated by the rising sun and revealed as more glorious than in soft candlelight.
“I may be a bit stiff, but nothing a hot bath will not cure. You were very gentle,” she assured, kissing the frown away, “not that you always have to be.”
“Keep talking like that and I will never let you leave my bed.”
“Oh please, not that!”
He laughed, nuzzling her neck. “Once we are married and I do not have to let you go I won’t.”
“Part of your devious plan, is it?”
“It is. And now that I know how incredible it is to love you, I look forward to it even more. This night only whets my appetite, Kitty. I shall never, ever get enough of you!”
“I can tell.” She slid her hand between their bodies, encircling the evidence of just how strong his appetite, Randall groaning loudly.
“Lord, woman! Have mercy! You need to leave before the house rouses, and I do not want to cause you pain with my uncontrollable lust.”
“My only pain is in saying good-bye. Do not ask me to do that yet, please?”
How could a man passionately in love resist that? He did not, responding to her tug and rolling onto her body with a contented sigh that rapidly turned to muffled moans followed by stifled shouts sometime later.
Before he opened the door to check the hallway, he carefully inspected her for any overt signs of their tryst just in case she was caught outside her room. “Do not worry,” she whispered, “I am not stamped with a sign that says, ‘She has been making love all night long.’”
“I am not so sure. You do look properly ravished.” He pinned her against the door with an arm on either side of her body, leaning close but not touching. “I would doubt my abilities if you
“No regrets. And if I am caught then we can get married today, which would suit me just fine since then I would not have to leave you again tomorrow morning.”
She lifted to kiss him, but he pulled away. “Are you sure that is wise? God knows I want you to come. Lord, I do not want you to leave now! By tonight I will be in a frenzy to hold you. But I can wait rather than risk…”
She interrupted with a kiss and then slipped under his arm, opening the door a crack to peer outside. “All clear. See you soon. I love you, Randall.”
“I love you, my Kitty.” But she was gone.
Chapter Ten
After Kitty left his room Randall agonized for hours. Had she been seen? When Mr. Darcy did not come pounding on his door with pistol in hand he assumed she had safely reached her chambers. Then, despite her assurances, he worried that she would regret what they had shared, that once alone the guilt might overwhelm. He chastised himself for weakness, for being a rogue and taking advantage of a fragile female who trusted him to be a gentleman and leader. He started to doubt how passionate and receptive and willing she had been, twisting specific actions or words to emphasize his loutishness. When he finally walked into the breakfast room his nerves were seriously on edge.
She was there and turned instantly as if sensing his presence before he crossed the threshold. She smiled radiantly. In fact, her whole countenance was radiant, glowing, and breathtakingly beautiful. All of his doubts evaporated, leaving behind a rush of pure love and excruciating desire. So much for the idea that tasting of her delights would curb his hunger since it was tenfold what he had ever felt in her presence. He staggered from the assault, literally, Mr. Darcy instinctively grabbing his arm to steady.
“Hold up there, Major General. I did not think you drank all that much last night. The rest of us should be the unsteady ones. Personally, I wish someone would take pity and darken the sun.”
Randall noted Darcy’s pained grimace, collecting himself with a shake that Darcy again concluded was the by-product of excessive carousing.
The day passed in sedate activities. Most of the men were recuperating from varying degrees of indisposition as a result of their public house revelry so did not leave the drapery drawn rooms. The ladies embarked upon one long walk with the children scampering alongside, but also spent a fair portion of the afternoon chatting as they lounged in the spacious parlor. Disappearances in the latter hours of the afternoon were mostly for rejuvenating naps, Kitty especially needing to regain her strength for what she hoped was a second long night of passion.
She and Randall finagled a few minutes of alone time, both of them suffering acutely with the need to touch and kiss. By that evening, when the wedding party gathered in the Netherfield parlor awaiting the announcement for dinner, he could barely stand straight due to the churning sea of ardor wrecking havoc on his insides. But having his fiancee clutching his left arm and agreeably plastered against his side was wonderful in its own way. Plus, he was momentarily content to be surrounded by her family.
