questioning eyes; the hand holding hers was gentle for all its strength.
“All right.” She was willing. She had never wondered so much about anything in her life. To causesuch a reaction from Justin, this object must be quite out of the ordinary.
He laughed. “Don’t tempt me,” he muttered, bending forward to press a quick kiss to her lips. He straightened almost at once, his hand still gripping hers. “I am both relieved and sorry to have to tell you, my darling, that this very interesting discussion will have to be postponed. If I don’t sit down pretty soon, I may fall down.”
“Oh, Justin, of course!” Instantly, she was all concern. How could she have forgotten his leg, and allowed him to stand there for so long? He was not even supposed to come downstairs, and yet he had walked all the way to the stables, and then supported her weight as well as his own. “Can I help you?”
“I think I can manage,” he told her with a slow smile. Megan hovered close beside him as he released her hand and started to move with halting care toward the door. Although his leg really hurt him, he wanted to get them safely to the chaperoned confines. He mustn’t lose his head again. But his infirmity defeated him. He was able to ignore the throbbing discomfort of his injured leg, but when his good leg began to cramp, he knew he would have to rest before he could get back to the house. Grimacing at his own weakness, he cast his eyes around for a likely place to sit. Bales of hay were stacked neatly in an empty stall almost directly opposite where he was standing, and he headed for them, his movements growing more and more labored. When at last he reached the piled-uphay, which extended like a shelf from the stable wall, he sank down onto it with a groan of relief, his hand moving automatically to massage his aching thigh.
“Are you all right?” Megan hovered over him. Justin looked at her, smiling despite his pain. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. He watched the graceful flow of her body as she gently removed the crutch from beneath his arm and set it aside. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted a woman in his life. But her innocence, even more than her position as his ward, prevented him from taking what he most desired. Only a complete bounder would undertake to seduce such a child, and he had already gone further than he should. But at this point, no real harm had been done to anything except his own frustrated senses. And really, he thought, although such kisses and caresses as they had exchanged might go far beyond the boundaries of what was considered proper, he might even have done her and her future husband (the mere idea of whom cost him a wince that had nothing to do with his leg) a service. He had always thought it was barbaric to expect a young lady to enter into marriage with no more idea than an infant of what was expected of her in the marriage bed. His own disastrous wedding night was a case in point. Alicia, when confronted with his eager, adoring lustiness, had gone into screaming hysterics which had robbed their union of its first bright promise within six hours of their having entered into it. It had taken him weeks of painstaking effort tocoax her into allowing him to consummate their marriage vows; it took the threat of an annulment before she consented. The whole experience had been a disaster. She had lain unmoving beneath him, stiff with distaste, tears trickling down her face, sobs racking her throat while he made her his wife. Afterwards, she had cried even more bitterly. Then she saw the virginal blood staining her legs, and started to scream. Nothing he could say or do would convince her that he had not rent her in two.
For a while after that, he had tried to get her to take pleasure in the sex act, but she continued to despise it—and to despise him. Within six weeks of their wedding, he went to her bed only reluctantly, aware of his duty to sire an heir;
“All right.” She was willing. She had never wondered so much about anything in her life. To causesuch a reaction from Justin, this object must be quite out of the ordinary.
He laughed. “Don’t tempt me,” he muttered, bending forward to press a quick kiss to her lips. He straightened almost at once, his hand still gripping hers. “I am both relieved and sorry to have to tell you, my darling, that this very interesting discussion will have to be postponed. If I don’t sit down pretty soon, I may fall down.”
“Oh, Justin, of course!” Instantly, she was all concern. How could she have forgotten his leg, and allowed him to stand there for so long? He was not even supposed to come downstairs, and yet he had walked all the way to the stables, and then supported her weight as well as his own. “Can I help you?”
“I think I can manage,” he told her with a slow smile. Megan hovered close beside him as he released her hand and started to move with halting care toward the door. Although his leg really hurt him, he wanted to get them safely to the chaperoned confines. He mustn’t lose his head again. But his infirmity defeated him. He was able to ignore the throbbing discomfort of his injured leg, but when his good leg began to cramp, he knew he would have to rest before he could get back to the house. Grimacing at his own weakness, he cast his eyes around for a likely place to sit. Bales of hay were stacked neatly in an empty stall almost directly opposite where he was standing, and he headed for them, his movements growing more and more labored. When at last he reached the piled-uphay, which extended like a shelf from the stable wall, he sank down onto it with a groan of relief, his hand moving automatically to massage his aching thigh.
“Are you all right?” Megan hovered over him. Justin looked at her, smiling despite his pain. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. He watched the graceful flow of her body as she gently removed the crutch from beneath his arm and set it aside. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted a woman in his life. But her innocence, even more than her position as his ward, prevented him from taking what he most desired. Only a complete bounder would undertake to seduce such a child, and he had already gone further than he should. But at this point, no real harm had been done to anything except his own frustrated senses. And really, he thought, although such kisses and caresses as they had exchanged might go far beyond the boundaries of what was considered proper, he might even have done her and her future husband (the mere idea of whom cost him a wince that had nothing to do with his leg) a service. He had always thought it was barbaric to expect a young lady to enter into marriage with no more idea than an infant of what was expected of her in the marriage bed. His own disastrous wedding night was a case in point. Alicia, when confronted with his eager, adoring lustiness, had gone into screaming hysterics which had robbed their union of its first bright promise within six hours of their having entered into it. It had taken him weeks of painstaking effort tocoax her into allowing him to consummate their marriage vows; it took the threat of an annulment before she consented. The whole experience had been a disaster. She had lain unmoving beneath him, stiff with distaste, tears trickling down her face, sobs racking her throat while he made her his wife. Afterwards, she had cried even more bitterly. Then she saw the virginal blood staining her legs, and started to scream. Nothing he could say or do would convince her that he had not rent her in two.
For a while after that, he had tried to get her to take pleasure in the sex act, but she continued to despise it—and to despise him. Within six weeks of their wedding, he went to her bed only reluctantly, aware of his duty to sire an heir;
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