Handfasted (To Love a Governess Novella) Read online

  Timothy barked out laughter. He had been fighting the desire to seduce and make love to Katrina since he met her and all along it had been her plan from the very beginning. She had thought to seduce him? She didn’t even need to try because he was more than willing.

  Katrina scooted away from him and turned her face to the window. What had she said or done? He gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her toward him and was taken aback by her tears. “Katrina, what is wrong?”

  “A simple no thank you, or I am not interested in that type of relationship would have sufficed. You don’t have to laugh.”

  When she tried to turn away again he held fast to her. “Katrina, I was not laughing at you but at the situation.”

  “It is the same thing.” She continued to fight to move away but he was not going to let her go.

  “No, it is not. Do you know the reason I was so adamant about not taking you to Willanton?”

  “No.”

  “Because I was afraid I could not last so long in a carriage with you without touching you. I’ve wanted to touch, hold, kiss and make love to you for the past two weeks.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “Really?”

  “I knew if you were with me it would be damned uncomfortable because my desire would be straining to be released and I would not be able to act on it. You are an unmarried woman, innocent, who should experience nothing until she is married.”

  “But we are handfasted now.”

  “Yes, I know.” He let go of her shoulders now that she was not struggling to get away from him and raked his fingers through his hair. “But, it isn’t anything permanent and I will not be the one w takes your virginity.”

  “Shouldn’t I be the one to decide that?”

  “No, not now. I can’t imagine you not marrying, in truth, one day and I would not take what a husband has a right to.”

  She slumped in her seat. “So, despite what I want and what you want, you won’t let anything intimate happen.”

  A smile pulled at his lips. “On the contrary, Katrina. There are many things we can do to satisfy the need for each other without sacrificing your virginity.”

  Her brows knit together in confusion.

  “Have you not read the books?” Surely she wasn’t carrying them around without gaining some knowledge. He knew for a fact she browsed at least one. She had been reading it on their wedding night.

  “Well, yes. But I just assumed joining is what completed the pleasure and everything else led up to it.”

  He chuckled. “There is much pleasure to be had without joining.”

  She opened her mouth to speak or probably ask a question but he didn’t give her a chance to talk and placed his lips against hers. The time for discussion was over. If she had so many questions it was best to demonstrate instead of explain.

  Chapter 7

  He did want her? But what did he mean that there was as much enjoyment to be had without joining? How was that possible? Maybe she should have read more of the books. But, that really didn’t matter now. His lips were on hers and this was just the beginning.

  Katrina gave into the sensation and kissed him back. Molding her lips to his, tilting her head for better access. His tongue swept into her mouth. She never dreamed he would do something like that, or that kissing involved tongues, not that she was objecting. She tentatively touched hers to his and Timothy’s arms came around her back and pulled her close. Given he apparently liked it when she did this she continued and was soon lost in a sensation of mouths melding.

  Her body grew warm and her breasts tingled with the contact of his chest. It was impossible to get physically closer without removing their clothing. But, it was still daylight.

  His hands traveled down her back, caressing, molding her hips, and back up. One hand caressed up and down her side, his mouth never leaving hers. Katrina raised her arms to his shoulders, pulling him closer yet as her fingers threaded through the hair at the back of his head. His hands and lips had a dizzying effect and she was certain she was falling. It wasn’t until her back connected with the bench cushion did she realize he had laid her down. He adjusted her legs and brought them over his lap before he moved his lips from hers and trailed kisses down her neck. His hand skimmed up her ribcage until it caressed her breast. Katrina arched her neck and moaned. Her breasts strained to be released from the dress, swollen and heavy. He ran his thumb over her nipple and it tightened. Jolts of pleasure shot to her groin. Oh, this was so much better than when she touched herself.

  His hand left her breast and she almost objected until she felt the fingers behind her back and her gown loosened. He pushed one shoulder down until she was only covered by her chemise. Timothy sat up slightly and lifted the breast in his hand as if weighing it. Again he brushed his thumb across this hardened nipple before be placed his lips upon it and gently sucked it into his mouth, wetting the material of her chemise.

  Katrina squirmed, wanting to be out of her dress so the rest of her body could enjoy these delights as well, but he remained focused on that one breast, caressing and suckling until she thought she would go insane. Her pulse pounded and an ache developed in her nether regions. Timothy shoved the chemise aside and now his mouth was directly on her skin.

  She arched and moaned.

  Timothy exposed both breasts. He lifted and molded, pinching the nipples before he lowered his mouth to the breast previously ignored. Katrina grasped his head with both hands and arched. The ache between her thighs grew and she wanted him to touch her there. She didn’t know what kind of relief he could bring since they weren’t going to join, but anything had to be better than this.

  She shifted and her buttocks pressed against the hardness in his pants. If what she read was true then he had his own aches that needed to be addressed as well and she would like nothing better than to pleasure him as he was her. Her hands left his hair and skimmed to the front of his chest. She pushed the jacket from his shoulders. Timothy paused only long enough to withdraw his arms from the sleeves before he tossed the jacket to the opposite side of the carriage. Katrina set to work untying his cravat, thankful it wasn’t some impossibly, intricately tied piece of art but something standard and easily loosened. It landed on top of his jacket and she began jerking his shirt from his pants until her fingers connected with the heat of his smooth skin.

  Her hands skimmed under his shirt until her fingers splayed across his nipples. Experimenting, she gently pinched both, wondering if a man’s were as sensitive as a woman’s. He groaned and brought his mouth back to hers. Plundering and taking and she met him with equal enthusiasm. His hand moved from one breast to the other, never moving lower, much to her frustration.

  The carriage came to a halt and Timothy lifted his head and looked outside. “We are here.”

  “Already?” Katrina screeched.

  She sat up and yanked her dress back into place. It would not do to have the coachman open the door and find them in this state. Timothy shoved his shirt back into his pants and grabbed his jacket. Katrina struggled to fasten her dress. It was so much easier when one was standing. Timothy turned her and finished fastening her dress just as the door opened.

  “We made better time than I anticipated, Lord Timothy.”

  “I see that.”

  Katrina glanced at him. His hair was a mess, standing at odd angles from where her fingers had combed through it. The coachman arched a brow but said nothing. “I will wait for you out here.” He closed the door.

  Katrina quickly set to smoothing down his hair and he fussed with hers, sticking pins in places she hadn’t even realized had come loose. Last, he hastily tied his cravat, looking much worse now, but smoothed it the best he could.

  They glanced over each other’s appearance one last time. Their eyes met. A grin pulled at her lips. He smiled and winked at her. “We are not finished,” he promised. Katrina’s pulse increased in anticipation.

  They were as put together as anyone could be after such an enunter in the back of t
he carriage. Timothy reached over, opened the door and exited. He helped her from the carriage and escorted her into the inn as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. They were half way through the yard and to the door and stopped.

  “One moment.” He left her standing there and practically sprinted back toward the carriage. A moment later he emerged with the bag containing her books. Perhaps he did need further reference material. Not that she cared. She was more than happy with what she had experienced so far and knew more and better was yet to come.

  * * *

  Timothy wasn’t sure why he grabbed the bag of books. He certainly didn’t need any ideas, but he couldn’t just leave them there either. Katrina arched a brow at him and he only offered a tilted smile. Let her wonder what he was about. Soon, very soon, she would be discovering much more than what she experienced in the carriage, but he must do this right and not rush anything. They had very little time together and he wanted to draw out their pleasure for as long as possible.

  Once he registered he led Katrina to their room. It was small, but possessed a large bed. Not that it mattered. Tonight he would not be trying to stay on his side. He set the bag down out of the way and their trunks were soon delivered. Katrina stood in the middle of the room watching him expectantly.

  “Why don’t we go down to dinner?” He offered his arm and she allowed him to lead her back to the common room. She barely ate anything of her midday meal and the last thing he wanted was Katrina passing out from hunger.

  His mind churned with possibilities of bringing her pleasure and prolonging the night and stopped at the front desk. “Could you please have a bath delivered to our room after dinner?”

  Katrina tilted her head and looked at him. She’d bathed last night and was probably wondering why he asked for one tonight. She would soon learn it wasn’t for cleanliness.

  “Of course.” The proprietor turned to an older woman to relay the request before turning back to Timothy. “I am afraid our private room is unavailable. I could have your dinner brought to your room.”

  If he returned to the room now, he would have no control. “We will dine in the common room, but thank you for the offer.”

  He escorted Katrina to a table further away from the large fireplace. There were enough people in here that it was already hot. Being next to toasty flames with a full meal and glass of wine would more likely put Katrina in a state of sleep. Not exactly how he wanted her at the moment.

  A plate of roast goose, turnips, boiled potatoes and warm bread was placed before them and a young serving maid poured deep red wine into their goblets. Unlike the midday meal, Katrina ate everything on her plate. Timothy ate everything except the turnips. It was a ghastly vegetable and he could never understand how anyone could eat them.

  Katrina sat back in her chair, the near empty wine glass in her hand and a pleased smile on her lips. He grinned in return. One appetite sated. Now for the other. Timothy rose from his seat and assisted Katrina from hers. “Shall we retire for the night?” he whispered in her ear.

  Katrina shivered and he hoped it was from anticipation. She took his arm and allowed him to lead her up the stairs and back to their chamber.

  The bath waited before a small fireplace. Steam rolled off of the water so it must have been placed here not long ago.

  “Let me help you with your dress?”

  * * *

  Katrina stiffened at his words. Wasn’t this what she had been waiting for? For Timothy to divest her of her clothing and show her the ways of physical pleasure? Why was she suddenly nervous? Was she supposed to bathe without the benefits of privacy?

  His lips touched her neck and a shiver ran down her spine. He continued to undo the back of her dress, his lips following down her back as the dress became looser. Her breasts became heavy and her nipples tightened. Perhaps the bath was for after. The dress slid from her shoulder and she gave up wondering or even caring about the bath. His hands on her skin were heavenly. Timothy pushed the arms of the dress down until she was free of it then let the gown pool at her feet. His hands came around to the front of her and he pulled Katrina back againbeen placeis body. Her buttocks connected with the hard ridge in his pants and hot desire stirred at the apex of her thighs. His hands lifted, molded and caressed her breasts. His fingers and thumb pinching her nipples, making her ache all the more while he trailed kisses along her neck and shoulder. Goodness, her legs were going to give out. She brought her hands up and grasped his forearms as she arched, pressing her breasts against his hands.

  Timothy turned her to face him and brought his lips to hers as he moved the straps of her chemise down her arms until it fell at her feet along with her dress. Katrina was left standing in her stockings and shoes. Nothing else. She was practically naked before him.

  What she longed for was to touch his skin. Not just the feel of his hands. Her fingers went to work untying his cravat once again before she shoved the jacket from his body. The shirt came next and Timothy broke their kiss only long enough to pull it over his head and toss it to the side. His hands returned to her back, caressing until he reached her buttocks. Gently grasping her, he pulled her close until her womanhood rubbed against the hardness within the clothing. Katrina’s hands moved to the front packet and Timothy grabbed her wrists.

  “Not yet.”

  He led her to a chair and had her sit before he knelt before her. Katrina thought she should be embarrassed being on naked display before him like this but she didn’t care. He removed her shoes before his hand skimmed up her right leg and began to roll the stocking down, freeing her foot. He did the same to the left leg and soon Katrina wore no garments whatsoever.

  Timothy sat back on his heels. He studied her over from the top of her head and to her toes and back again. Did he like what he saw? Did he still want her? His hands came forward and lifted her breasts. “Perfect,” he mumbled.

  Katrina resisted the urge to squirm in her seat. There had been some drawings of women in chairs, and men seated in some of them too. At the time Katrina thought the positions didn’t look all that comfortable. Clearly she was wrong.

  His hands slid down her sides and stopped when they rested on the top of her thighs. His thumbs stroking the inside just inches away from her curls. The aching increased. She needed him to touch her there.

  Instead he stood. Taking her hands in his he led her to the bath. “You should get in before it gets cold.”

  Katrina didn’t care if it got cold. She wanted to go back to what they e doing. But instead of arguing with him, she stepped into the hipbath and sank down into the water. It was hardly deep and barely covered her private areas. Though it was longer so she could almost straighten her legs.

  Timothy picked up the soap that had been left beside the large towels on the small table beside the tub and moved to the foot of the tub. She wished she had a tub like the one she had at home, where she could relax back, but understood that carrying such large contraption and filling it with water in an inn would be daunting. He lifted one foot and began to lather her toes. Katrina giggled and tried to pull away.

  “I didn’t realize you were ticklish.” He grabbed her foot more firmly which relieved the sensitivity of his touch. He washed her leg up to and past her knees, stopping just where his thumb had caressed small circles earlier before he moved to the other leg and repeated the process. If he didn’t touch her there soon she would need to.

  Timothy moved to the head of the tub and washed her from the neck and down both arms.

  “Sit forward.”

  Katrina did as he instructed and he continued to lather her back before he rinsed it with the water in one of the buckets left beside the tub. Then he rubbed the bar of soap across her breasts and stomach, lathering and washing far more than was necessary if one simply wanted to be clean.

  There was only one area that had not been washed but she doubted he would wash her in such a private area, regardless of how badly she wanted to be touched.

  Katrina lea
ned her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his hands. He was not going to let her leave the tub until he was ready for her to do so, so she might as well enjoy the caress of the water and soap against her sensitive skin.

  His fingers skimmed in the inside of her thighs and she opened for him. His hand skimmed her curls and private regions before he added the bar of soap. He rubbed against the area that pulsated to the point it bordered on pain. Before she could press further into the hardness for relief, his hand and the soap were quickly gone. Katrina wanted to cry out in frustration.

  Timothy stood and placed the soap back on the table and picked up the bucket. He slowly poured the water over her body, rinsing the soap away before he grabbed a towel. He unfolded it and held it open. Katrina rose from the tub and stepped toward him and he wrapped it around her snuggly before he brought his lips down to hers. She would have returned his embrace but her arms were locked within the towel and she hadno choice but to stand there and return and enjoy his kiss.

  The hardness of him pressed against her belly. Timothy placed his hand at the small of the back, pulling her closer and groaned. Did he ache there as she did in her womanhood? Though she would have never considered the ache to be something one would associate with pleasure, she certainly did now.

  Timothy scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.

  Katrina practically sighed. She hoped he was finally going to touch her where she most needed it.

  Chapter 8

  Timothy thought he was going to burst. If she touched him right now he would come, of that he had no doubt. It had been too long since he had been with a woman and there was something about Katrina that heightened his need. He needed this evening to go slow. He wanted wanted her build up to the release so that she experienced an intense orgasm the first time. But he was afraid that in doing so he was only going to bring him pain in the end. He may be able to give her pleasure without joining, but he couldn’t exactly ask her to touch him and relieve his ache. Yet, something would have to be done or he would not survive the night. If worse came to worst, he would excuse himself, find somewhere very private and take care of himself.