She hated herself and what she had become.And then her gaze fell upon a list Estelle had made, detailing everything Lady Schmertach had instructed.
Whether it was a list of reminders or a list of orders, Hannah didn’t care.She tore the paper into tiny pieces, ripping apart all the expectations.
This washerlife, was it not?If she wished to wear violet, she could.If she wanted to wear her hair down, as scandalous as it was, who were the servants to tell her otherwise?
The years of fettered isolation were drowning her.She didn’t know if she could stand living in this isolated, rigid palace of rules.But there was one thing she wanted more than anything in the world, one man worth fighting for.
She slid the aquamarine-and-diamond ring upon her finger and threw open the door to her room.Picking up her skirts, she raced down the hall.When she rounded the corner, she nearly crashed into Michael.
He caught her before she fell, his hazel eyes questioning.Hannah didn’t speak a word, but took his hand in hers, leading him back to her bedchamber.Once they were inside, she turned the key in the lock.
“What do you want?”he asked.His eyes stared hard at the ring upon her hand.
“I don’t want to wear this gown tonight,” she answered.“Or these pearls.”She reached behind her neck, fumbling with the clasp.Her hands were shaking, her heart pounding in her chest.
Michael came up behind her, his warm hands resting on her nape.With the flick of his thumb, he unfastened the necklace.
“Now the dress,” she ordered.“Help me.Please.”She wanted his hands upon her, removing all the layers between them.
I don’t care that this is wrong.I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care.
But Michael took his time unfastening the dozens of buttons, his fingers touching her with unbearable slowness.With each release, her skin erupted with goosebumps.She was waiting for him to kiss her, but he held himself back.
Hannah removed her petticoats, standing before him in her corset and undergarments.
“Am I to play your lady’s maid?”he murmured.
“No.You’re going to play my husband.”She reached up to kiss him, and their mouths came together in a heated frenzy.He stripped off his coat, and she helped him with his waistcoat and shirt until his chest was bared to her.Hannah kissed his skin, moving her mouth over his pectoral muscles, the marbled skin that was everything she wanted.
He unfastened her corset, turning her to the wall as he unlaced her stays.His hands cupped her breasts, pushing away more clothing until both of them were naked.Her palms pressed against the wallpaper and behind her, he moved close so that his erect shaft slid between her open thighs.
With his fingertips, he teased her breasts.His mouth moved over her shoulders and down her spine until he eased the tip of himself inside her slick heat, from behind.
She bloomed with moisture, aching for him.As he slid deeper, he murmured, “This isn’t the proper way to make love to a lady.”With himself still inside her, he guided her to move towards the sofa, leaning over the side.She cried out with exquisite pleasure as he filled her from behind.
“I don’t care about what’s proper any more,” she breathed.“Just be with me now.”
He withdrew, then penetrated her again.“I am at your command.”
Chapter Twenty
MichaelkissedHannah’sshoulder,her hair falling against his face as he plunged inside her.He couldn’t stay away from her, no matter how hard he tried.When he was with Hannah, the emptiness of his life and his past failures all seemed to dissolve.She made him feel whole again.
No kingdom was worth being without her.
She was close to her release, and he pushed himself against the wetness, driving her nearer to the fulfillment she craved.Half-sobs were coming from her, but the long smooth strokes weren’t giving her what she needed.
“Hold on,” he urged.Bracing her hands against the couch, he took her roughly.The increased tempo and pounding of his body inside hers made her breathing quicken.
His erection grew harder, and as her body tightened around him, squeezing him in her liquid depths, his control was splintering apart.
Michael stroked her nipples, coaxing her, “Reach for it, Hannah.”He didn’t care how long it took; he wouldn’t stop until she succumbed to the pleasure she needed.
He reached down to caress her intimately.The touch of his hand made her buck against him, and the counterpressure of her hips sent his own release blasting through him.At last, she emitted a shuddering gasp, her body trembling wildly.Her inner walls climaxed around him, and he groaned, pulling her hips tight against his own.
For a moment, he rested his cheek against her back, no longer certain he’d be able to walk.No woman had ever made him feel this way.He couldn’t possibly let her go.She was his to protect, his to care for.
He withdrew from her, sweeping her into his arms and taking her to bed.They lay facing one another, skin to skin.He kissed her lips, apologizing, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
