Page 34 of Bedding the Marquess
Caroline nodded heavily and, in the space of a heartbeat, Gideon clambered out from beneath her and knelt behind her delectable bottom. “God, what a sight,” he moaned, caressing the muscles smooth and toned from riding. He spread them and leaned back, watching as she worked her glistening fingersthrough her folds, collecting the moisture and furiously rubbing it against her swollen clitoris. “Are you ready for me, darling?” She whimpered and nodded again, pressing her hips back. It was all the encouragement Gideon needed to notch himself into place and thrust home in one strong, relentless movement. Neither had time to catch their breath before he began pistoning his hips. They rocked together, his hands gripping her hips so hard she’d likely have bruises in the shape of his fingertips in the morning. He couldn’t wait to kiss each one of the marks.
Caroline did not complain, however; she dropped her chest to the bed and changed the angle of his penetration, sobbing, “Yes! More! Like that!” as she did so. Her fingers continued to delve through the petals of her sex, rubbing and pinching and gliding. Fuck, he loved how tight she was. Her body rippled around his, demanding more from him. His balls slapped her sex with every thrust, his pelvis ground hard against the soft roundness of her rear each time he bottomed out.
“So good,” he growled. “My darling. My love.”
Caroline’s orgasm rippled down her spine, beginning in her neck and bringing with it contractions of her muscles all the way down her legs. She clenched around him and screamed his name again and again as he pumped into her, relentlessly coaxing more and more pleasure from her and seeking his own.
Finally, when he could take it no more, Gideon wrapped an arm beneath her breasts and hauled her upright. He never broke his pace as they knelt together, his teeth sinking into the curve of her collarbone, his other hand cupping her breast and pinching the ripe red nipple. Her cries as she crested once again sent Gideon over the edge. He held himself deep inside of her as his climax slammed through him. He was blinded by it, rendered deaf and speechless as pulse after pulse of white-hot ecstasy was wrung from him by her perfect body.
Their bodies hummed and trembled in the aftermath. She would have collapsed bonelessly to the bed had he not continued to hold her with the arm banded beneath her breasts; her head lolled back to his shoulder in surrender. Slowly, his hands coasted down to cup the firm curve of her belly. His fingers spanned the width and he marveled at the life growing within—the life they had created. He closed his eyes and simply breathed the moment in.
Then, there was a slight bump against his palm, like the popping of a bubble. Caroline’s hand immediately covered his.
“Did you feel that?” she asked excitedly.
“Was that—”
“The baby!” she squealed. “You did feel it!” She looked over her shoulder at him, and Gideon was helpless to do anything but dip his head and kiss her.
Caroline awoke toGideon slipping back into the bedchamber. The room was dark save for the low-burning hearth, so she hadn’t slept through the night. She sat up in bed; the coverlet slipped to her waist, but she wasn’t the least bit self-conscious—especially when he eyed her with such naked appreciation.
“Where did you disappear to?” she asked, her voice husky with sleep. He’d dressed once more in his formal evening kit and began to remove it all over again. Even if the effect hadn’t been entirely immaculate, it made him presentable while there were guests in the castle.
“I made your excuses and saw the guests off; left Blackwood and Kempton drinking in the study.”
She could hardly bring herself to care that she’d abandoned the party, not when Gideon had so sweetly handled things for her…and most certainly not when she was still so sleepy and sated from their explosive lovemaking. Caroline lay back down and gave a languid stretch, her husband’s eyes following herevery movement. Figuring it was only fair, she watched him intently as he stripped himself bare once more, padded over to the bed, slipped beneath the coverlet, and curled his body around hers. She snuggled into his warmth with a sigh.
“Oliver and Emily told me they would be returning in the morning with their belongings,” Gideon murmured into her hair.
“Yes,” she yawned. “I asked them to do so; I hope you are not displeased. We have the room—”
“Not at all,” he hastened to reassure her. “I believe it to be a splendid idea.” Gideon pressed his lips to her neck and palmed the weight of her breast. The hard heat of his increasing arousal nudged against her rear.
“Again?” she laughed a little breathlessly as a zing of awareness spiked from her nipple in his palm down to her core.
“Darling, I will never have enough of you…”
Chapter Sixteen
Oliver and Emily’sreturn to Bray Castle was met with no small amount of warmth. Caroline had arranged for them to reside in the best guest room overlooking the manicured part of the grounds. “You can smell the ocean if you open the windows and the breeze is just right,” she explained excitedly as their single trunk was hauled into the room. Emily wore a blue-gray morning dress, elegant in its simplicity, while her husband had opted for buff breeches, a black coat over a crisp white shirt, and a simple knot in his cravat. They looked the part of English country gentry, and Caroline said as much.
“Then the disguise worked,” Oliver surprised her by replying, a wink directed at his wife. Caroline could only blink at the uncharacteristic show of levity. She hadn’t known Gideon’s half brother long, but she already knew that he was far more serious than her husband. The gesture went over Gideon’s head, of course.
“Caro confirmed you are indeed looking to purchase a small country property,” he chimed in.
“Yes,” Emily replied with a smile. “We have enjoyed the fresh air immensely.”
“I would be more than happy to give you a tour of the area. I’ve lands in Gloucestershire, Cheshire, Northumberland, and Norfolk if you would prefer somewhere other than Kent. I can put you in touch with the right people as well.”
“That would be appreciated,” Emily beamed. “Though Oliver has owned properties before, nothing has been outside of London.”
“Any insight into the areas would be beneficial, thank you,” Oliver added quickly, clearly not wishing to discuss any of the properties Emily had mentioned. It was becoming more and more apparent to Caroline that the man was much more guarded than his wife, especially when it came to his past and his former profession. This, of course, piqued Caroline’s interest tremendously. Was he hiding something?
Seeming to recognize her misstep, Emily quickly requested a tour of the grounds. “The party was so lovely, but I saw so little of the castle. I have never been inside such a grand and ancient home before.”
“She enjoys historical accounts,” Oliver explained. “The bookshelves at home are filled with them.”
“Well, then you are in luck!” Gideon chirped. “These halls are dripping with history—Bray family history.” He looked at Oliver, and Caroline watched the unspoken moment that passed between them.
