Page 68 of Romancing the Rifleman
He surprised her by pulling out of her at the last second, and she felt the pulse of his seed splattering onto her backside and dribbling down her thigh.
His breathing was harsh.“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.He leaned down to fish his handkerchief out of the pile of clothing strewn across the floor.He tenderly wiped her clean, then tossed it toward the washbasin in the corner.
Pulling her into his chest, he lay down on the narrow bunk.Diana smiled as she settled against his shoulder.“And here I thought my first time was supposed to be a miserable experience.That wasincredible.”
He gave her a squeeze.“It was incredible for me, too.”
“Good.”She bit her lip, because the question she wanted to ask him was a bit awkward.“I noticed that you withdrew before your peak.”He said nothing, but his body remained relaxed beneath her head.She added, “You also mentioned not having a sheath—an odd concern with your wife, surely.”
He shrugged.“Part of that is force of habit.I’ve never lain with a woman without one before.”
Good.Not that she was an expert on such things, but she knew there were diseases one could get through sexual intercourse.She knew Harrington did not have the reputation of a choirboy, but it was reassuring to know that he had taken precautions.“And the other part?”
His expression was thoughtful.“I suppose I still can’t believe it.Thatyou”—he made a gesture that swept the length of her nude body—“would want to be married to the likes ofme.I think a part of me is still trying to keep the door open for you, in case you decide you want an annulment after all.”
She squeezed him tight.“We’re not getting an annulment.I defied my brother to marry you.I came to your room every night during that house party.I bribed my way onto this ship, then shoved you down on the bed and ravaged you.What more do I have to do to convince you that I want to be your wife?”
He smiled.“Ilovethe fact that you came after me.I’m not too proud to admit that I was in something of a state before you showed up.I was so certain you would be furious with me for leaving without a word.”
“Have you learned nothing about us Latimers?Beneath the elegant façade, we’re mulishly stubborn.”She stroked a fingertip across his chest.“And we do not hesitate to take what we want.”
“And what you want is me?”He shook his head, and his voice held a note of incredulity.“I guess there’s no accounting for taste.”
She tickled his side.He tried to squirm away, but there was nowhere to go in the narrow bunk.
She took pity on him, sitting up.He settled on his back, smiling up at her.
She swung a leg across him, straddling his hips, and feigned a put-upon expression.“I can see that you will require a little more convincing.”
“I certainly wouldn’t object,” he said, his voice husky.
She leaned forward, kissing his jaw and trailing a fingertip down his taut stomach.Her body hummed with satisfaction as she felt his cock harden and rise between her spread thighs, eager to make her acquaintance once more.“I believe I can guarantee that you won’t have any objections.”
As usual, Diana was correct.
Chapter35
It was the best week of Harrington’s life.
He and Diana didn’t leave their cabin for two days.They made love so many times, he lost count.It wasglorious.
When they weren’t busy giving one another an ever-increasing number of orgasms, they talked.And—he couldn’t believe he was even thinking this—that was just as good!He adored her acerbic wit, which was a perfect complement to his own.
At one point, she mentioned that perhaps he should obtain some French letters once they reached Ireland.Her cheeks—and other areas that were delightfully exposed to his view—had flushed a becoming shade of pink as she added, “I do hope we’ll have children one day.But it will be easier for me to follow you on your deployments if we can delay that happy event for a few years.”
Harrington had readily agreed.He was still gobsmacked by his good fortune at having Diana as his wife, and if there was anything he wouldn’t do to make this woman happy, he certainly couldn’t think of it.
He didn’t have the heart to tell her that safe assignments like this one would be few and far between.The Rifles were prized as fighting men.There was little possibility that his superior officers would send them to languish in some sleepy outpost with comfortable lodgings.He would surely be back on the march by this time next year.Although officers’ wives did sometimes accompany their husbands, those women typically came from military families and had grown up following their own fathers’ battalions.They weren’t the sisters of a bloody duke.
But he didn’t want to spoil their little idyll, so he merely nodded and smiled.
When they finally gave in to the need to stretch their legs, they dressed.Harrington offered to assume the role of Diana’s lady’s maid, but she surprised him by pulling out a pair of front-lacing stays and a simple wrap gown of plain grey wool.The fact that she had a single hand was no impediment; she was into her gown by the time he finished buttoning his coat.
“What’s this?”he asked, looking her up and down.“I didn’t realize you owned anything that wasn’t dripping in lace and seed pearls.”
“Ha-ha.I was raised byAunt Griselda,” she said, twisting her hair into a knot, holding it in place with her right arm, and deftly pinning it into place.“And she was the one to pack my trunks for me while I was gallivanting across London, blissfully unaware that I would be sailing for Ireland that night.”
Harrington grinned.“Edward oversaw my packing while I was out looking for you.He sent me off withThe Complete Works ofPlutarch.”He gave a mock shudder.“But I shouldn’t complain.Otherwise, he did a bang-up job.”
