“Only if you wish to. You can take it in your mouth but… you must be careful with your teeth.”
She looked at it, a little frown of concentration between her brows. She lowered her head and took him into her mouth, just a little at first and then more. His hips rose, pushing him in deeper into the ecstasy of her hot mouth. She did this experiment with hands and tongue, Tony guiding her way.
She was a quick study, too good. “Oh, Lord, you better stop, or I’ll spend.”
She lifted her head. “Did I do it wrong?
“Not at all but if you go too far I will not be able to satisfy you in the way I wish.”
Taking her hands, he pulled her onto his chest. “Straddle my hips. Yes, that is it.” He reached down and slipped in a finger, then two. He needed to know she was ready for him.
“Tony,” she gasped. “Hurry.” She was wet for him, and he guided himself inside, his hands on her hips to guide her up and down. Resting her hands on his chest, she threw her head back, riding him with ever-increasing thrusts. Her moans matched his own. “Lord, you feel so good inside me,” she moaned.
“Lucinda.” It was all he could say before he felt his climax coming on. They both cried out in pleasure. She collapsed atop him, and he wrapped his arms around her and rolled over so that he was now on top.
“Have I told you how much I love you today?” He kissed her nose.
“Not today, for surely it is past midnight.”
In fact, the pink streaks of dawn were already lightening the sky when he looked towards the window. “It is nearly dawn. Let me take you to your room.”
“I can make it there on my own.”
“I know that, but it will help me sleep to know you are tucked up safely in your bed.”
“Will you always worry over me?”
“Until my dying day.” She seemed pleased with that and got off the bed to collect his breeches and shirt for him.
Once upstairs, he kissed her thoroughly before closing the door. He knew what they were doing was wrong. He should have waited until after the wedding, when they could make as much noise as they wanted and stay in the same bed all day if they wanted to. He got into his own bed and fell asleep with the scent of her all around him.
Lucinda had notexpected his demand while at luncheon. “I will not!”
“Be reasonable, Lucinda.” Tony crossed his arms over his chest.
Putting down her cutlery, she glared at him. “I will not hand over my ring to someone I have never met. I thought we had discussed this,” she hissed.
“Stafford is trustworthy.” Tony ran a hand through his hair.
Hair that last night she had pulled her fingers through as he had made love to her. “If my father had trusted the king’s men he would surely have handed it over then, but he did not. So, I will not.”
Tony stood, throwing his napkin on the table. “To be honest, who knows why your father did what he did. He was a damn fool.”
“Well, thatdamn foolis not here to ask so I must assume he had no plans to give it to anyone.” She could hear the pitch of her own voice rising and took a few calming breaths, but Tony had not finished.
“If he had not intended to hand it over, he would not have put it in a ring and given it to you to keep.”
She unclenched her hand that had been crushing her napkin. “He gave the ring to me. Therefore, it is up to me what should be done with it.”
“You are being unreasonable. Are you going to live here forever? Never being able to leave in case someone finds you and kills you for that bloody ring.”
“Nobody knows it is there. If they did I could have been killed ten times over in the last few weeks. If I get murdered, it will be because they believe I have the secret or know of it, not that it is in the ring. It will not matter if it is on my finger. Like us, the last place they will look is in that ring.” Her heart was racing, and she could feel the heat rising on her face.
“Brother,” Marianne interrupted. “Perhaps you could give her some time to think it over.” She put her arm around Lucinda’s shoulder in support.
Lucinda raised her chin nearly to the ceiling, but her eyes were filling fast with tears.
Tony sighed and took up her hand, the napkin falling to the table. “I am sorry this simple request has upset you. However, I cannot make sense of why you would not want to be rid of it. We cannot pretend we don’t know it is there, as we did before. That you are in danger at all rubs at me, Lucinda. And do you know why? Because I love you. I cannot contemplate a world without you now.” He kissed the palm of her hand and placed it over his heart. “I want us to start our life together, but we cannot do that if we are constantly looking over our shoulders. Do you understand?”
