Page 74 of Romancing the Rifleman
As appealing as the image was, he wasn’t thinking with his stomach at the moment.
“I could arrange to have your laundry done.I could rub your back at the end of a long day.I could polish your rifle for you.”
Her hand lingered at the waistband of his trousers.His back and his rifle weren’t the things he was imagining her rubbing and polishing, as he imagined she knew.
Her voice was husky as she said, “There are so many things I could take care of for you.”
He gasped as she let her hand drift over his cock where it tented his trousers, and she began to stroke and tease him.
“Diana,” he gasped.“S-soldiers.Just over the rise.Someone will”—he made a strangled sound as she started flipping open the buttons of his falls—“h-h-hear.”
She gave him an arch look.“And what do other officers and their wives do during a deployment?When conditions force them to bed down on the ground together, or when only a thin layer of canvas separates them from their men’s listening ears?You can’t tell me their husbands don’t have…needs.”
Harrington shuddered as she slipped her soft little hand inside his trousers and wrapped it around his straining cock.“They do.Everyone can hear them coupling, of course.It’s unavoidable.But people tactfully pretend not to hear anything.”
He could hear the smile in her voice.“Fascinating.”She peeled the topmost blanket back and crawled inside.He watched as if in a dream as she undid the wrapped tie on her gown, then pushed it off.Her stays and petticoats immediately followed until she wore nothing but her shift.God, but she looked beautiful in the moonlight.
She lay back on the blankets and lifted the hem of her shift, exposing the intimate flesh between her thighs to the starlight.“Take off your coat,” she encouraged.“And your boots.I want to make youcomfortable.”
God help him.He was probably damning himself to hell.But he wanted her about as much as he wanted oxygen, and in spite of his good intentions, he removed his clothing with trembling hands.
“Good,” she whispered as he settled between her spread thighs.“That’s so good.”She arched her hips, eager for him.“Give me what I need.”
He shuddered.It was as if she somehow knew every one of his secret desires.How he loved to be praised in bed, how he longed for it.
Of course, the ultimate catharsis was to be told that he’d been good after he’d received a spanking, then been forced by his partner to “atone” for his misbehavior.Preferably by placing his head between her thighs and giving her an absurd number of climaxes.It was difficult to explain, but after a good spanking, he felt as if he had been absolved of his sins.That was when he most craved praise and adoration from his partner, because for the briefest of moments, he could bring himself to believe all the wonderful things they said were true.
But hearing Diana tell him he was good made his heart glow, and even if the feeling wasn’t as intense as it would have been after a proper spanking, it was as much as he was ever going to get.He would never ask her to spank him.It was important that she never find out what a degenerate he really was.
She reached down, taking his cock in her hand, and guided it to her entrance.He groaned as he found her already wet.
“That’s it,” she sighed as she helped him slip inside.“That’s so good.This is what it will be like.After a long day drilling your men, you won’t be alone.You’ll have me by your side, and in your bed.”
He moaned because that was everything he’d ever wanted.
This was all too much.Diana was overwhelming him with the tantalizing promise of comfort and caring and even love.Suddenly he was on the brink of his own climax, before he’d had the chance to bring her to pleasure.
He might not have access to his full array of tricks with half the King’s German Legion bedded down a few yards away.But he would be damned if he didn’t make sure his wife found her pleasure.Slipping a hand between their bodies, he found that special spot between her legs where she loved to be petted and gently circled his finger.Diana gave a breathy gasp and spread her legs wider, giving him access.
Somehow, he managed to hold off until her thighs started to quiver and her fingers dug into his back.“Harrington!”she gasped in his ear.For a second, it made him feel like a king in a palace, instead of a humble soldier lying on the muddy ground, to know that he had brought her to pleasure.
Then it was his turn to groan and shake and tremble in her arms as white-hot pleasure burst behind his eyes.
Afterward, she pressed kisses against his jaw as she snuggled against him.“I’m going to make you see.I truly am happy being here with you.And our marriage is going to be an unequivocal success.”
Harrington felt peace wash over him as he drifted off to sleep beneath the stars.
Chapter38
It took them a full week to reach their final destination of Bandon.At the rate they’d been going, Harrington supposed he should be pleased they’d made it there at all.
They spent another day on the island, then two days in the small port town of Bearhaven, where they were able to resupply sufficiently to resume their journey.This time, the voyage went smoothly, and they anchored in Cove Harbor outside of Cork the following day.From there, they made their way overland to Bandon.
Bandon was a pretty town that was unusual in that it had been founded by English settlers sent to Ireland by Queen Elizabeth some two hundred years earlier.For a time, the town was exclusively Protestant, and Protestants remained the overwhelming majority of the population.Although just last year, the first Catholic-owned business had opened on Main Street—a pie shop run by a man named Paddy Gaffney who was so good-natured, people were willing to set aside their religious differences.Because of this history, Bandon had a reputation for giving British troops stationed there a warm welcome.
The soldiers were quartered in four-story barracks buildings made from plain grey stone.But, as Harrington was a married man and Diana had the means, they were permitted to rent accommodations of their own choosing.Diana found them a cottage on the outskirts of town, and they hired a local woman named Maeve to come over each day to cook and clean.
On their third night there, the officers and their wives were invited to dine at Castle Bernard by the Earl and Countess of Bandon.In spite of its name, other than an old medieval tower, the castle was newly built and boasted every modern convenience.The earl and countess were particularly delighted to discover that a duke’s sister would be taking up residence in town, a significant addition to the local society.
