Page 38 of Pawns of Fate
“Lord Nicholas is sure to fulfill his marital duties if you wear this, my lady,” Lyla interjected with a snicker as she and Betty began to dress her in the lingerie.
Rose looked at herself in the mirror when they finished. Once again, the maids had outdone themselves. She felt… alluring. It was a new feeling for her; she’d never dressed up for this sort of occasion before. Rose didn’t think she’d have trouble getting Nicholas to fulfill his marital duties wearing this. Maybe it wasn’t the worst tradition.
The maids offered her a small silk robe while she waited for Nicholas, then left the room with a few winks and chuckles.
Rose sat on the bed with her hands folded in her lap. She was too nervous to do much else. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take her new husband much longer at the reception. Matthew had said that Nicholas only needed to talk to a few more guests.
She took a closer look at Nicholas’s room. Heavy, velvet curtains covered what Rose imagined to be large windows. They were the same deep, forest green as pine needles, so were the rugs and blankets that covered the bed. Two plump armchairs sat by a coffee table littered with documents and papers that probably weren’t supposed to migrate from Nicholas’s office to his room. It didn’t surprise Rose that they had. Nicholas had a penchant for working too much.
Just as she was about to sin in one of the armchairs and pour herself some of the wine one of the servants had left before Lyla and Betty had undressed her, a gentle knock came. Rose spun toward the door, and Nicholas stepped inside.
They stared at each other for a moment.
“You were the perfect lady of House Sharp tonight,” Nicholas said as he approached Rose. His throat bobbed, and she noticed a little flush of pink on his cheeks as he forced his gaze up to her face. “I’m glad that we’re finally married.”
It was a funny statement—they had known each other for less than a month. Still, the day had been a flurry of activities.She understood his sentiment.
“It is nice to finally have a moment to ourselves,” she replied
Nicholas shrugged off his formal jacket and boots, depositing them beside the bed. He pulled off his tunic, leaving himself undressed except for his breeches. Rose felt heat begin to pool at the base of her spine. She’d seen Nicholas training with the other knights, but that had been from a distance. Seeing the planes of his broad chest and the ridges of his abdominal muscles up close like this affected her more strongly than she wanted to admit.
He sat down on the bed, leaning against the headboard. “Rose?” His voice was a whisper, almost a prayer. “Come closer.”
She obliged him, wondering if he could hear her heart beating, wondering if his was beating just as fiercely. She reached out a hand, which Nicholas happily caught. He began to kiss her fingertips, slowly, while looking at her through eyes hazy with lust. Every time his lips touched her skin, the most pleasant jolts of electricity coursed through Rose’s body.
A soft sound, something between a moan and a whimper, escaped her lips. It was all the encouragement Nicholas needed; he pulled her into his lap and kissed her lips. Rose’s mind went fuzzy as the entanglement of their limbs and his crisp, evergreen scent overwhelmed her senses. And yet it wasn’t enough. She wanted more of him.
The kiss deepened, going from something gentle to something passionate. Their tongues explored and tested each other. Rose felt her whole body relax into him, any earlier nervousness melting away under Nicholas’s skilled touch.
She drew away to catch her breath and placed her forehead against Nicholas’s. One of her hands wandered to his firm chest. His heart was pounding just as fiercely as hers.
“Do you want to take off this robe?” He let out a ragged breath. “I want to feel your skin on mine.”
A thousand butterflies fluttered through her chest. She was already so overwhelmed with all the sensations that Nicholas’s touch awakened. How was she ever going to get used to this?
She managed a quick nod. Nicholas pulled the silky robe off her shoulders, ivory fabric falling away and pooling on the floor beside the bed.
“You’re beautiful, Rose.” The grin on his face caused her to bite her lip.
Nicholas took in the sight of her, and Rose’s gaze meandered to the growing bulge in Nicholas’s pants. During their time together, Ava had made a few crass jokes about York being well-endowed. Did the two brothers share that trait? Nicholas’s shaft already looked larger than anything she’d dealt with before, and she didn’t think it was even fully hard yet. She tried not to stare, but her desire to join with Nicholas grew nearly unbearable as she noticed him growing more aroused.
After his eyes had thoroughly inspected every inch of her, Nicholas began to kiss her and explore her body with his hands. His touch was featherlight while his kisses were firm and deep. The combination made Rose’s core melt, and he hadn’t even touched her lower, where her body begged to be teased.
Nicholas broke their kiss to tug at her lingerie with his mouth, causing her breasts to bounce free. Rose didn’t considerherself particularly well-endowed, but when Nicholas stared at her breasts and murmured ‘beautiful,’ she felt like a goddess. He nibbled at one while taking the other in his hand and pinching her peak; electricity shot straight to her core.
She leaned into him more, enjoying his touch. Rose arched her back and rubbed herself against his hardening member, craving more friction between them. Even with his pants still on and the lacy lingerie covering her lower region, she could feel the heat coming off that part of his body. She ached with the need to have him inside of her.
Nicholas continued to give attention to her bosom, and he unconsciously ground against the motion of Rose’s hips. One of his hands wandered down to the apex of Rose’s thighs, and he gently explored with his finger while still worrying the peak of her bosom with his mouth.
“You’re already wet, Rose,” he said with a low, gravelly voice.
“It’s because of you, Nicholas,” she whispered sweetly, then playfully nipped his ear.
He groaned like an animal caught in a trap.
Nicholas removed his hand from her most sensitive flesh and slowly licked the juice off his fingers, making eye contact with her the whole time.
All she could do was stare at him as her thoughts dissipated into a lust-filled mist. She’d never been so entranced by a man before. The idea that he enjoyed her taste to the point of licking it off his fingers made her melt like butter.
