The Viscount's Runaway Bride (Marriage by Bargain Book 1) Read online

  Chuckling, he kissed her again. “No. You’re the only one.”

  “Then what made you decide to give me a moment of your time?”

  “You’ll think it’s silly.”

  “No, I won’t. You can tell me.”

  “All right, but if you laugh, I’m tickling your feet again.”

  “It’s a deal,” she agreed.

  “I let you into my carriage because I wouldn’t have done it a year ago. I used to play it safe all the time. I also let others dictate my life. It was easier to do that than to risk making the wrong decisions myself. But when I saw you, I thought it was time to do something different. For once, I was going to act without worrying about what others thought.”

  “You took a very big risk in agreeing to marry me.”

  “It was no bigger than the risk you took in making the offer. I could have been a brute.”

  Since Anthony was turning out to be one of the sweetest people she’d ever met, she found the whole thing laughable. “Oh, you’re not a brute.”

  “You didn’t know that at the time.”

  “No, but you didn’t know I wasn’t one, either.”

  “Yes, that’s very true. We could have been two horrible people. If that had been the case, then we would have deserved each other.”

  “Yes, you’re right. We would have.” Realizing this conversation might lead him to ask her why she’d been on the road looking for a husband, she said, “I’d love to go horseback riding. Does your sister have such an outfit for the occasion?”

  “She has an outfit for every occasion.”

  “Good.” She kissed him. “Then I’ll be appropriately dressed for anything you want to do around here.”

  “First, we should take a bath. Then we’ll have something to eat,” he kissed her hand, “and after that, we can finally go for a ride.”

  “It sounds like a perfect day.”

  “It will be,” he promised then kissed her on the lips.

  She responded to him, thinking they’d be getting up soon and getting dressed, but one thing led to another and they were making love once more.

  ***

  Damara stared at all the clothes hanging in the armoire. As it turned out, this wasn’t the only selection of clothes Anthony’s sister possessed. There were three armoires total in the lady’s bedchamber. And to think Celia had more clothes at the townhouse in London! Damara couldn’t even conceive of having so much of anything.

  One would think having such a wide selection would make the process of picking a morning dress easy. But it wasn’t. The very fact that there were so many to choose from only made it more difficult.

  There was a knock on the bedchamber door. She pulled the robe closer around her and went to open it, fully expecting it to be the maid. But instead, she saw Anthony.

  “You’re already dressed?” she asked, which was a silly question since the answer was obvious.

  “I think it takes ladies longer to get ready than it does for gentlemen. Mind if I come in?”

  “No, of course not.” She stepped aside and let him into the room. “Your sister has so many beautiful dresses that I don’t know which one to pick.”

  He chuckled as she shut the door. “Would you believe she doesn’t think she has enough?”

  Her eyes grew wide. “No.”

  “It’s true.”

  Just what kind of lady was his sister? She had more dresses than a dress shop, and her bedchamber was elaborately decorated with only the finest things. The lady lived more like a princess than the sister of a viscount.

  “Do any of these dresses draw your interest?” Anthony asked as he went over the armoires lining the wall, each of the doors wide open.

  “There are so many. It’s hard to choose.” Then, thinking it would make the decision easier, she asked, “What is your favorite color?”

  “I’m partial to black, but I’d rather you didn’t wear that color. We’re celebrating our marriage, not mourning it.”

  She chuckled. “Yes, we’re definitely celebrating it.”

  “What about this purple one?” He gestured to the light shade of purple that was between a darker shade of purple and a maroon one. “I like purple when ladies wear it.”

  She nodded and took it. The dress was lovely, and she did like its shade. “It looks like this hasn’t even been worn. Is it new?”

  “I can’t recall when my sister got it.”

  With his sister having so many dresses, she couldn’t blame him. It must be hard to keep track of everything his sister acquired. Between the clothes and the items decorating the room, she had to wonder if his sister remembered them all.

  “At least now you have the comfort of knowing you won’t run out of things to wear this winter,” he said, drawing her attention back to him.

  “Yes, that’s true.”

  Another person knocked on the door, and the maid called out she was there to help Damara get dressed.

  Anthony kissed Damara. “I should leave you to get ready. When you’re done, come to my bedchamber, and I’ll escort you downstairs. After we eat, we’ll come up here to change into our riding clothes.”

  “All right.”

  He gave her another kiss and went to answer the door.

  Damara gave one more look at the assortment of clothes she had to choose from. She’d have this luxury for the whole winter. Instead of being overwhelmed, she ought to enjoy it. Anthony was being extremely generous with her. He wasn’t limiting her to only three outfits. He was giving her the freedom to wear more dresses than she’d ever seen in her entire life. It was like stepping into a dream, and if she were dreaming, she’d take as much pleasure from it as possible.

  Before Anthony left the room, she thanked him then turned to the maid so she could get dressed. Fortunately, the dress fit. Well, except for the bosom area. As much as Damara adjusted her breasts, they strained against the material.

  “I can loosen the top for you so it’s more comfortable,” the maid told her.

  Damara shook her head. “I can’t. This isn’t my dress.”

  “It’d be an easy fix to tighten it again when you and your husband return to London.”

  Damara considered it, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to agree. The dress would be altered. If she had Celia’s permission, it’d be something she could agree to, but as it was, Damara felt compelled to keep the dress intact.

  “I’ll be fine,” Damara assured the maid. “I’ll comb my hair and then go to my husband.”

  “I can help with that, too,” the maid said and guided Damara to the vanity.

  “Maybe we should use my comb,” Damara told her. “I have it in the other room.”

  “Miss Barlow isn’t here, my lady. Besides, she has plenty of them. She has plenty of pins and other accessories, too.” To demonstrate, she pulled open the top drawer of Celia’s dresser and showed Damara six brushes, three combs, hairpins of all sorts of designs, and other things a lady could want to make herself attractive. “She also has jewelry if you’d like to wear some of it.”

  “No,” Damara quickly said before the maid could open another drawer. “It’s enough I’m using her clothes and brushes and pins. I can’t do more than that.”

  The maid shrugged and gestured for her to take a seat. “As you wish, my lady, but it’s no imposition. Miss Barlow complains about them and rarely even wears them.”

  Damara sat in front of the vanity and studied the maid’s reflection. She thought that perhaps the maid was joking, but the maid seemed serious. “Isn’t Celia happy with her things?”

  The maid chuckled. “The better question is, what can make her happy?”

  What a curious thing for the maid to say. Certainly, Celia was happy. She had more than she could ever want. The staff was ready to help at a moment’s notice. She had a brother who gave her whatever her heart desired. How could Celia not be happy?

  The maid brushed Damara’s hair and pinned it back in a way that allowed a couple of Dam
ara’s curls to frame her face. She’d never worn such a hairstyle before, but she liked it.

  “Will that do, my lady?” the maid asked.

  Will it do? “It’s perfect,” Damara said. “Can you do this style again?”

  The maid smiled at her. “Any time you wish.”

  After the maid left, Damara went to Anthony’s bedchamber, feeling just like a fairytale princess. She thought about knocking on his door, but he opened it.

  He blinked and scanned her up and down. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to look any prettier, but I was wrong.”

  Pleased, her cheeks warmed at his compliment. “Then you like it?”

  “Like it? I love it.” His gaze went to her breasts and a sly grin crossed his face. “I especially like the way you fill out the dress.” His finger brushed the neckline of the dress and settled at her cleavage. “If it were up to me, you’d wear this all the time.”

  Sure her face was bright red, she giggled. “You never want me to take this off?”

  “Not unless we’re alone. In the meantime,” he pulled her into his arms, “it’ll only make me anticipate our moments alone all the more.” He lowered his head and kissed her.

  She melted in his arms and kissed him back. Yes, this was just like a fairytale. With the evil parents out of the way, the princess could, at last, be happy.

  When the kiss ended, he tucked her arm around his. “It’d be my pleasure to escort you downstairs.”

  Smiling, she let him do just that.

  Chapter Seven

  Anthony took a breath of the fresh air and slowly exhaled. It was good to be back on a horse. Next to him, Damara rode in the sidesaddle, looking very comfortable, something that proved how well she handled horses.

  It was nice she was getting use out of Celia’s riding outfit because Celia had no interest in horses. She’d only gotten the outfit since it’d caught her fancy. It’s a marvelous shade of brown, she’d told him when he asked why she had to have it.

  At long last, someone was finally getting some use out of it. Better yet, Damara did the outfit far more justice than his sister ever would have. In fact, he suspected Damara could make any article of clothing look a lot better. The color yellow might even look good on her.

  He was glad Celia had chosen to stay in London. He wouldn’t want to share Damara with her. Celia would have been so excited about having another lady to talk to, he doubted she’d let him have this opportunity to take Damara horseback riding. She most likely would have insisted Damara stay in the drawing room so they could discuss the gossip in London.

  But this way, he didn’t have to fight for Damara’s attention. He had her all to himself. At least for the winter. Come next Season, he’d be happy to share Damara with his sister. Sure, Celia would be shocked to learn he married Damara instead of Loretta, but he had no doubt she’d like Damara once she got to know her. The two would be close soon enough.

  “You have a beautiful estate,” Damara told him as they came to the top of a small hill overlooking the entire landscape. “I bet you can’t wait to come here in the winter.”

  “I do enjoy being here,” he replied, “but usually, I like to be in London more. There are a lot of profitable businesses to tend to there, and I like going to White’s. However,” he quickly added before she got the wrong idea, “I’d much rather be here because you’re with me. You make the place much better.”

  “Do I?” she asked in a playful tone.

  “Yes.” He closed the distance between them and leaned over to kiss her. “I can’t do the activities with others that I do with you.”

  She giggled and returned his kiss. “I should hope not. I never enjoyed myself so much in my entire life, Anthony. You’re an easy person to like. I bet you have a lot of friends.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it, but yes, I have a good number of them. Some are closer than others, but I think that’s the way it is with anyone.”

  “What do you and your friends do?”

  “Most of the time, we try to figure out ways to make more money.”

  “Are you telling me that you do nothing but work?” she asked.

  “Making money doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s something I do for pleasure. But, before you think I’m a dullard, I do know how to have fun in other ways. I play cards, charades, and chess. And from time to time, I like to dance.”

  “I imagine you’re just as charming in London as you are here. Were you breaking ladies’ hearts last Season?”

  He laughed. “Breaking hearts isn’t something I do. To be honest, I hadn’t seriously pursued any ladies until you came into my life. Now, all I want to do is chase after you.”

  She shot him an amused grin. “Perhaps I’ll let you catch me from time to time.”

  “I hope so. I have lots of things I want to do with you.”

  “Oh?”

  Noting the way her eyebrows rose in interest, he asked, “Would you like to find out right now?”

  “Well, you have me intrigued.”

  “Then why don’t you race me to the row of trees over there?” He gestured to the secluded spot that would give them plenty of privacy for anything they’d like to do. Even now, his penis thickened as he imagined her straddled on top of him as she made love to him. “If I get there first, I get to do whatever I want with you.”

  “And if I win?”

  “Then you get to do whatever you want with me as long as it involves the removal of clothing.”

  “I suspect no matter who wins the race, we’ll end up doing the same thing.”

  “I fully intend for that to be the case.”

  “Then what’s the point in racing?”

  His grin widened. “The winner gets to choose the position we do it in.”

  “Since you put it that way…” He waited for her to finish the sentence, but instead of doing so, she urged the horse into a full gallop.

  “That’s not fair,” he called out as he followed her. “You’re cheating.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a disarming smile. “That’s because I have something interesting in mind.”

  He had fully intended to win the race when he’d brought it up, but now his curiosity was getting the best of him. He’d have to lose. It was the only way he was going to find out what she wanted to do. So he chose to stay close enough behind her to give her a reason to think he could overtake her at any moment, thereby making it more of a victory when she won.

  When they came to a stop, both were out of breath. He slid off the horse, calling out, “I’ll help you down in a moment,” before he tied the reins around one of the trees.

  “I think you let me win,” she said as he came over to her.

  “You don’t know that for sure.”

  “No, I don’t, which is why I said I think you let me win.”

  He reached her side and held his arms up to her. “Do you mind?”

  She hesitated then smiled. “No, I don’t.”

  He helped her down then took her horse over to another tree. As he tied the reins around it, he said, “You said you had something interesting in mind if you won. I wasn’t about to let you lose after hearing that.”

  “I suppose I asked for it when I teased you like that.”

  Grinning, he returned to her. “Yes, you did. And now that we’re here, what did you have in mind?”

  “You’ll have to drop your breeches.”

  Already, it seemed like he’d made a good decision in letting her win. He quickly complied with her wishes. Even in the cool air, the heat flooding through him caused him to be fully erect.

  Her gaze lowered to his penis. “I can do anything I want?”

  “I’m all yours.”

  Her gaze on his shaft, she reached out and traced the length of him. “I’ve never seen a gentleman’s thing before. Well, before you and I married.”

  So that was what she wanted. She wanted to study him. Well, he certainly didn’t mind that. He’d already explored all
of her. It was only right she do the same with him.

  He brought his hands up to her arms and squeezed them. “Do anything you want,” he whispered, both intrigued and excited as she continued her exploration.

  He detected a slight blush on her cheeks and thought it made her all the more attractive. Yes, there was no mistaking the fact that his bride had never been with a gentleman before they married. Not only had she been a virgin when they consummated their marriage, but the way she gingerly touched him revealed how naïve she was.

  “You don’t have to be so gentle,” he said.

  She swallowed then exerted more pressure.

  He let out a contented sigh and shut his eyes. He had no idea it’d feel so good to have a lady touch him so intimately. She spent a few more moments tracing all of him, even allowing her thumb to slide over the slit in his tip, which made him shiver with pleasure.

  “You’re moist here,” she whispered as she ran her thumb back over his tip.

  “That’s because I like what you’re doing,” he softly replied.

  “I thought you might like me touching you this way.”

  “I’ll also like this.”

  Deciding to show her how he preferred to be handled, he wrapped one of his hands around hers and cupped his erection firmly in her grasp. He then lowered her hand to the base of his shaft then brought it up to his tip then lowered it back down. After several seconds, he had the rhythm established.

  “You can use more pressure if you want.” He squeezed her hand so she was even tighter around his erection. Then he released her hand and let her continue on her own. With a moan, he added, “Everything feels good. It really doesn’t matter how you’re touching me.”

  “Then it’s similar to how I feel when you’re touching me between my legs. I enjoy all you do down there, too.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes. It brings me intense pleasure.”

  If it was anything like how she was making him feel, then he needed to pay more attention to that area of her body. “Did you find fulfillment in that pleasure?”

  “I enjoyed it.”