Kade's mouth opened and closed several times before he managed a strangled, "Er..."
Averill sighed with disappointment. It seemed she need not explain her other failings. As with Lord Seawell, the size of her breasts must be important to him, and he was now struggling to sort out how to tell her he had changed his mind. Clearing her throat, she said quietly, "You need not worry that I shall hold you to the offer to marry me, my lord. I would not--"
Averill's words ended on a gasp of surprise as Kade reached out with his other hand, caught her behind the neck, and drew her forward to cover her mouth with his. Eyes wide, she found herself staring at his ear and the side of his head as his mouth moved over her slightly parted lips. It was soft and questing at first, then his tongue slid out and rasped its way into her mouth. Her eyes closed against the riot of sensation stirring through her. His hand was no longer quiescent on her breast, but was now squeezing the orb through her thin chemise and lifting it as if testing its weight.
Averill couldn't stop the moan that slipped from her mouth into his as he then began to pluck at the nipple. Much to her regret, the sound seemed to recall him to the moment, for he broke the kiss. Rather than straighten away from her, however, his mouth trailed away to her ear and his hand continued to knead and pluck at her breast as he whispered, "No' a plum. An apple, and I like apples."
"You do?" Averill breathed, her head tilting of its own accord as he began to nibble at her ear.
"Aye. Verra much."
"Oh." She sighed and leaned unconsciously into the hand at her breast. "I like apples, too."
Kade chuckled, his breath blowing across the skin he'd just dampened, and Averill shivered and instinctively turned her head back to find his lips again. He allowed it, claiming her mouth as she silently requested, his tongue coming out again, this time for a more thorough inspection. As it wrestled with her own, then ran across her teeth, Averill was reminded of the thought she'd had that afternoon that she should open her mouth so Lord Seawell could examine her teeth...which led her to remember that she had not informed Kade of all her faults yet.
Perhaps it didn't matter, she thought hopefully, and moaned as the hand at her neck dropped down to clasp her bottom and urge her lower body against his. She sighed into his mouth and turned her head away to break the kiss. It did matter. She liked Kade and had to be sure he knew what a poor bargain he was making.
"I stammer," she gasped as soon as her mouth was free of his. "'Tis most--Oh!" She gasped with surprise as he suddenly stepped back and dropped into one of the chairs before the cold hearth, tugging her onto his lap as he went. He tried to capture her lips again, but Averill avoided his mouth and repeated almost desperately, "I stammer."
"Ye doona stammer with me," he said simply and turned his attention to the breast he'd been kneading, tugging the top of her chemise aside so that he could touch and fondle the breast he'd revealed.
"I...I...Ohhhh," Averill moaned, and clutched at his shoulders as his mouth suddenly bent to her breast and closed over the now-erect nipple. She closed her eyes, swallowing thickly, as heat exploded through her. This was really the most amazing--
Shaking her head, she forced herself back to what she was supposed to be doing. Flaws. Which ones had she listed? Hair, breasts, stammer...What the devil was the other--Oh yes! Catching his head, she forced him away from her breast to meet her gaze.
"I have a birthmark on my cheek. 'Tis quite large and ugly and--" Averill paused abruptly as he began to chuckle. Eyes narrowing, she asked, "What, pray, do you find so funny, my lord?"
"You," he admitted gently, then said, "'Tis no' large or ugly. 'Tis quite small, barely the size of the nail on your baby finger, and at first I mistook it for a dimple. 'Tis adorable."
Averill's eyes widened at this claim, then closed in brief defeat as his lips covered hers once more. It was simply impossible to argue with his tongue in her mouth. Besides, she didn't really want to argue. She wanted him to continue doing what he was doing, kissing her and touching her and--She moaned and sank against his chest as he resumed caressing her breast again, then just as quickly stiffened and broke the kiss again as a thought struck her.
"How do you know 'tis small and shaped like a straw--" She paused and thrust herself off his lap, gasping, "You mistook it for a dimple? You can see me?"
"Aye." Kade tugged her back onto his lap despite her efforts to avoid it, then holding her there, he met her gaze, and said, "My vision had cleared by the second morning I was awake."
"The s-second--B-but--"
He covered her mouth with his hand, bringing an end to her stammering. When she stilled, he said solemnly, "Will said ye were self-conscious of yer looks and might stammer or avoid me did ye ken I could see ye. I wished yer company, so when he claimed I still could no' see, I let the lie stand."
Kade waited a moment for that to sink in, then took his hand away. "Yer hair is glorious, and the birthmark charming, ye doona stammer around me, and I like yer breasts. I'm happy to take ye to wife. The question now is, will ye have me?"
Averill stared at him with disbelief. While she was pleased that he seemed content with the size of her breasts, after so many rejecting her because of her hair and birthmark, it was hard to believe he liked both of those. However, he had no reason to lie that she could think of. Averill supposed he could be trying to prevent her thinking he wished to marry her mostly for her dower. She didn't know why he would bother, however. That was only to be expected, it was why hers was so generous, why dowries even existed at all, to lure a husband. In fact, Averill would have been surprised had someone claimed it wasn't the reason he was interested in marrying her.... He was right about the fact that she didn't stammer around him, however, Averill realized quite suddenly, and wondered why that was.
"Avy?" He used the nickname Will had always called her and gave her a little shake, drawing her attention back to him. "Will ye have me?"
"Aye, but--" Her attempt to tell him her final flaw, that she had a temper, was halted when he kissed her again. Averill tried to keep her wits about her so that she could gasp out the confession the first chance she got, but it was most difficult to think with the upheaval he was causing in her. His tongue was dueling with hers again, and somehow her chemise had got pushed off her shoulders to pool around her waist, leaving her bare from the waist up. His hands were taking full advantage and now covered both her breasts, squeezing and kneading, tugging and pinching so that she moaned and wiggled in his lap. The action made her aware of a strange hardness under her bottom, and she wondered briefly what it was before Kade suddenly broke their kiss to lower his head to her breast again.
"I have a temper," Averill breathed almost dreamily in the brief moment before his mouth latched onto her breast.
"Aye," he growled against her flesh. "I like that, too." Then his tongue slid out to rasp her nipple, and she let the matter go. She didn't really believe he liked her temper, but it mattered little since she always controlled it anyway. She would just have to be sure she did not drink again as her father had made her that morning.
Satisfied that she had confessed all her flaws and that Kade could not now be surprised or disappointed, Averill slid her fingers into his hair and leaned her head back with a moan as he suckled and nipped at first one breast, then the other. She was aware that he had shifted one hand to her back, keeping her from overbalancing, but it was his mouth and his other hand that had her real attention. Kade's mouth was driving her wild as he feasted on her, and his hand was sending little shivers through her as it slid up and down her leg over the chemise, moving closer and closer to the apex of her thighs each time.
Stomach muscles jumping with excitement, Averill instinctively allowed her legs to spread on his lap. When his fingers then reached high enough that they brushed against the very core of her through the gossamer cloth, she groaned and clasped at his head almost desperately as her back arched, hips shifting on his lap.
"Oh, Kade," she breathed, legs closing ar
ound his hand, only to open again in the next heartbeat. But when his fingers brushed against her again, more firmly this time, the sensations it caused were overwhelming and even frightening. Panting, Averill closed her legs once more and gasped, "I cannot--"
"Aye. Ye can," he assured her, letting her nipple slip from his mouth to claim her lips even as his fingers drifted away.
Averill felt a moment's regret, but then his hand slid under her chemise, skimming up her bare skin until it reached her core. This time there was nothing in the way as his fingers brushed over the core of her.
He broke their kiss to whisper, "Yer wet fer me."
"I am sorry," Averill gasped with embarrassment as she became aware of the dampness he spoke of, and for some reason that made him chuckle.
"'Tis good," he growled, then claimed her lips once more.
This kiss was different than the others. While those had been gentle and questing, this one was hard and demanding. His tongue thrust into her mouth like a sword, filling her and forcing out any embarrassment at the moisture gathering between her legs. His fingers continued to play over her, more firmly now, and when she groaned this time, his mouth caught it, muffling the vibration between them.
Averill moved her hands to his shoulder, unconsciously digging in with her nails. She began to kiss him back fervently, with more passion than technique as her hips shifted instinctively into the caress. She was vaguely aware that the hardness under her bottom had somehow grown larger and more firm, and when Kade groaned into her mouth, Averill worried that her shifting against it was digging whatever it was into his lap and hurting him, but she couldn't seem to help herself. With every caress of his fingers, her body arched and writhed as if moving to music only it could hear.
She was just becoming aware of something easing into her, and stiffening at the alien sensation, when a knock sounded at the door.
Kade stilled, and they both seemed to hold their breath, then the knock sounded again.
Sighing, he broke their kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, breathing, "I'm goin' to kill yer brother."
"Will?" she asked in a whisper. "Why?"
Kade merely sighed again, shook his head, and urged her to stand up as the knock sounded a third time.
When he got to his feet and moved toward the door, she caught at his hand to stop him. "You cannot answer the door while I am here. Wait until I--"
Kade silenced her with a quick kiss. When he raised his head, he said dryly, "'Twill be Will, and do I not answer, he'll just keep knockin'. I'll send him away."
He moved off before she could protest further, but afraid Bess had realized she'd come to see Kade after all and was coming to try to trap him into marrying her, Averill didn't take the time to argue with him. She snatched the candle off the mantel and scampered for the door into the tunnels.
She raced the length to her room, the candlelight briefly illuminating an old rag doll she'd thought she'd lost as a child. It was obviously the soft thing she'd stepped on earlier, and while Averill felt a moment's relief at the knowledge, she didn't take the time to slow down and grab the dear item. She was in too much of a panic to get to her room and close the tunnel door.
"Go away," Kade growled when he saw Will standing in the hall. He started to close the door, but Will put his foot out to stop him.
"I just wanted to know--Oh. Were you sleeping?" he asked, surprise replacing the determination on his face as he peered into the room beyond him.
Kade glanced over his shoulder, eyebrows rising when he saw that the room was in darkness. Averill had taken the one lit candle in his room and fled.
"How did she manage that?" he muttered. The light in the room had been wavering but still there as he'd reached for the door handle. The only thing he could think was that she must have closed the tunnel door just as he opened this one.
"Ah-ha!" Will said, drawing his head back around. "So she was still here."
"Aye." He scowled at his friend. "And ye interrupted a verra important talk we were havin'."
"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow, looking amused rather than apologetic. Snatching the torch from the sconce beside the door in the hall, he pushed past him into the room. "Tell me all about it."
Kade shifted on his feet, considering tossing his friend out on his rear and going in search of Averill, but then decided this might be for the best. The way things had been going, they were like to anticipate their wedding night were he to be alone with her again.
"Here, put this back."
Kade took the torch Will had used to light another candle and leaned out into the hall to replace it in its sconce. He then pulled the door closed and followed Will to the chairs by the fire. When the other man settled in the very chair he and Averill had been occupying just moments ago, Kade was recalled to what his arrival had interrupted. It made him scowl irritably at his friend as he settled in the opposite seat.
"So?" Will prompted when he didn't speak up at once. "What happened?"
Sighing, Kade relaxed back in his chair and shrugged. "She came to warn me o' her faults."
"Which ones?" Will asked curiously.
"Her hair, her birthmark, her stammering, her bosoms, and her temper," he muttered.
"I have told Averill her hair is not all that ugly," Will said with a frown, and Kade rolled his eyes. He was not exactly flowery with words, but even he didn't count "not all that ugly" as reassuring. 'Twas no wonder the girl had no confidence.
"And her birthmark is not--Just a minute, did you say bosoms?" he interrupted himself, as his brain absorbed what had been said.
Kade nodded, amusement plucking at his lips as he noted Will's horror. His tone was dry, however, when he explained, "It seems Lord Seawell thought them too small."
"Oh, for God's--" Will paused, took a breath, and shook his head. "The fool. I have never really noticed, but I am sure Averill's breasts are perfectly fine."
"Aye, they are," Kade assured him, a smile claiming his lips as he recalled the look and feel of them he'd enjoyed just moments ago. Lord Seawell might have a preference for melon-sized breasts, but Kade preferred apples, and Averill's were perfect.
"How the devil would you know?" Will snapped.
Kade grimaced at his outrage and reminded himself that this was Averill's brother. Unwilling to tell him that she had pressed his hand to her breast, or that he'd then done much more, he just shrugged. "I have eyes."
"Hmm." Will scowled at him, then sighed, and said, "I hope you reassured her."
"Aye," Kade said simply.
"What did you say?" he asked curiously.
"I told her I like her hair and...everything," he finished lamely.
"Hmmm." Will sat back in his seat to consider that, and asked, "Is she going to marry you?"
"Aye." Kade scowled at the very suggestion that she might not. Now that he'd had a taste of her passion, he wanted more. If the woman refused to marry him, he'd just have to do a little creeping through the tunnels of his own, remind her of the passion they shared, and ensure he was caught doing so. She'd have to marry him then. Kade was an honorable man, and wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do...except marry him. She'd be happier with him than any of the English oafs her father kept dragging in to see her anyway, he assured himself.
"Did you tell her you can see now?" Will asked suddenly.
Kade nodded solemnly.
"Was she angry?"
"Nay. At least she didna seem to be," he said, but frowned as he considered that she'd been a bit distracted at the time. He hoped she wouldn't be angry once her brain was no longer fogged with passion.
"Good. Then I shall take myself off to bed."
Kade nodded, but remained where he was as the other man stood and moved to the door. He was vaguely aware of Will's leaving, but his thoughts were now on Averill and what he might expect from her on the morrow.
Would she be angry about the trick they'd played on her about his being able to see? Would she still protest their marriage
? Would he be able to keep his hands off her? The only question he could answer with any certainty was the last. He was definitely going to have trouble keeping his hands off her. The woman had been molten fire in his hands, gasping, panting, moaning, and writhing under his touch even as she dug her nails into him in a silent demand for more. Kade was already having to fight a desire to slip from his room to hers and awaken her passion again. Part of him was arguing that they were going to marry anyway, so there would be no harm in doing so, but another part was reminding him that she was the sister of his friend, as well as the daughter of the man who had taken him in and given him a place to mend from his injury. He couldn't repay such a kindness by deflowering Averill under their own roof before they were married.
He would just have to insist they marry soon, Kade thought. Say in a week even. He should be able to control himself and resist Averill for a week...Probably...He hoped.
Perhaps he'd best just avoid her until the wedding day, Kade decided.
Chapter Seven
"Here we are, lovey. Time to wake up and greet the morning. 'Tis your wedding day."
Averill groaned at that cheerful chirping from Bess. She rolled over in bed and pulled the furs up to block out the sudden glare of sunlight in the room as the woman opened her shutters.
"What's all this?" The maid's voice drew nearer, then the furs were tugged away, leaving Averill blinking owlishly in her bed in nothing but her chemise. "You should be eager and happy, not a layabout on this day of all days."
"I did not sleep well last night," Averill muttered unhappily, but gave in and sat up. Her gaze immediately fell on a pair of maids pouring pails of water into a tub.
"Ah. Too excited to sleep, were you?" Bess asked with a grin.
Averill scowled in response. "Too worried, more like."
Bess's eyebrows flew upward, then understanding creased her face. "Aye, well. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Lord Stewart strikes me as a man who knows his way around a bedchamber. I'm sure 'twill all go well enough."
Averill raised stricken eyes to the woman. That was the one worry she hadn't considered during her fretting last night. She'd been more concerned about the way Kade had been acting since that night in his room. After an extremely restless night reliving every moment in his arms, Averill had left her room the next morning to find Kade pacing the hall. He'd grunted a good morning when he saw her and asked if she was willing to go through with the marriage. When she'd shyly stammered, "A-aye," he'd grunted again, then took her arm and led her below. He'd deposited her at the table without another word, then had led her father away to discuss the marital contracts...and that had been the last she'd seen of him since.