Golden Desire Ch. 08

Stumbling to the long couch, they fell onto it, he atop her. He tugged at her neckline, fully revealing the alluring nipple. Victoria arched against him with a sigh when she felt the wetness of his mouth against her breast. Running her fingers through his hair, she pressed his head to her.

Through her passion clouded mind she hazily heard approaching footsteps and then the parlor doors closing as Nicholas' hand slid up her thigh. He began pushing up her skirts and tearing at the buttons on his trousers, causing her mind to suddenly clear.

"No, Nicholas, no," she cried, pushing her skirts back down and trying to sit up.

His hands froze and he looked at her, clearly surprised. "No?' he asked.

Trying to calm her spinning senses she concentrated on rearranging her skirts. "That's right. No," she replied.

Sitting up himself, he ran his hands through his hair. "May I ask why?"

Suddenly noticing that her breast was still fully exposed, she attempted to cover it again with the gown but realized she would have to untie the laces, so she had to settle for covering it with her hands as she answered stiffly, "I have no intention of becoming your mistress." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "The first night I came here, you said that you wanted to marry me and the only way that I will ever again join you in your bed is if you follow through with that." She didn't dare look at him. If she saw just a trace of mockery in his eyes, she wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Do you actually want to marry me?" he asked, his voice soft and low, full of wonder. He touched her shoulder, turning her to him. "Victoria, are you saying you love me?"

She stared deeply into his eyes and for the first time saw him completely open, utterly unguarded and her love for him broke free and surged through her. "Yes, Nicholas, yes I do love you," she whispered, her dark blue eyes glistening with tears.

He reached out and tenderly cupping her face in his hands he gently drew her to him. This time their lips met softly, slowly. Nicholas' mind was filled with only one jubilant thought, she loves me.

He pulled away and rose from the couch. He shrugged off his jacket, offering it to her to cover herself and extending his hand, invited, "Come with me."

She slipped on his jacket and taking his hand rose, staring into his eyes. Without question she followed him from the room. She hesitated when he brought her to the foot of the stairs, but he gently kissed her lips, saying, "It's alright. It's not what you think."

She followed him into his darkened bedroom, where he lit a single lamp before opening the doors to his wardrobe. He reached up to the top shelf and slid his hand along it to the back. Victoria watched him, wondering what he was doing, as he withdrew a small object.

He turned to her and gestured for her to sit in a nearby chair. She had never seen him nervous before and she knew that the feeling she had had in the carriage, the feeling that something was going to happen tonight was right and it was happening now.

Staring into her eyes, he took a deep breath as he knelt before her. He stared down at the small box in his hands and slowly opened it, revealing to her a stunning pink diamond ring in a magnificent setting. Looking up at her again, he asked in a trembling voice, "Victoria Somerset, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

Even though the ring was dazzling, she saw only him. The brilliance in his green eyes outshone any diamond. Her own eyes once again filled with tears as she fell to her knees before him and into his arms, "Yes, Nicholas Andrews, I will be your wife," she replied. She pulled back to look into his eyes again, and repeated in a whisper, "Yes."

Sitting with her on the floor, he removed the ring from it's velvet box and slipped it onto her finger. "It was my mother's," he said, watching it flash in the low light. "Even when I didn't have money to eat or a place to sleep, I wouldn't sell it. I literally guarded it with my life and to see it on your finger now, it was worth it."

She looked down at the ring on her finger. "It's beautiful, Nicholas. Thank you."

"I was beginning to wonder if I would ever find someone that I wanted to give this to," he told her, gently touching her cheek. "After our first night together I knew you were different. I had never before felt the way you made me feel. And then during those few days that you stayed with me, you completely did me in. And I haven't been able to stop thinking about you ever since."

"I think that's when I fell in love with you too," she replied, finally admitting it to him and to herself. "I kept telling myself that I didn't have any real feelings for you and for awhile I believed it. But that first night I came here and saw you, I knew I had been only fooling myself." She stared deeply into his eyes. "Thank you for coming for me. If you hadn't I would have married Daniel and ended up miserable."

She leaned forward and kissed him again, her lips at first only gently touching his. However, their newly declared love and simmering passions combined to turn the kiss into something more urgent, more demanding, more carnal. Victoria rose onto her knees and gently eased him backwards onto the floor. She pulled up her narrow skirts so that she could straddle him and slipped his jacket back off her shoulders, revealing again her exposed breast. Taking his hands in hers, she placed one high on her bare thigh and the other over her breast. "Take me Nicholas, make love to me," she whispered, pulling pins from her hair, the ebony locks tumbling down around her bare shoulders.

He caressed the flesh beneath his hands as she bent down to kiss him. Once again she was blinded by the onslaught of emotions his lips conjured within her. His hands moved to her back as he tugged on the laces of her gown. When he had it undone, he held her tightly and rolled them over so that he was on top.

Eager to feel his bare skin, she pulled his shirt out of his trousers and slid her hands underneath it. He sat up watching her as she touched him. Her dress was pulled down, revealing her full breasts, her hair was spread out over the carpet, her partially parted lips were red and slightly swollen from their intense kisses, but it was her eyes that captivated him the most. Even half closed as they were, the dark blue depths shone in the soft light of the room He impatiently unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. She delighted in his bare skin, running her fingers all over his chest, arms and stomach.

With a groan, he finally stood and extending a hand to her, intended to pull her to her feet, but she only rose to her knees. Nicholas looked at her quizzically as she reached for the buttons on his trousers. Her gown had fallen, revealing her upper body to him and he gazed down at her, drowning in her incredible beauty. She had his trousers open and was holding him in her hand as she glanced up at him. The heat from his green eyes was visible from beneath his lowered lids and was reflected in her own eyes as Victoria parted her lips and flicked her tongue out at the head of his shaft as she gently stroked him. He gasped loudly as she repeated the motion and then boldly took him into her mouth.

A deep groan rumbled from his throat as she slowly pumped her head back and forth, experimenting with how much of him she could take. He stared down at her with surprise as her nose pressed against him, the incredible feeling of being fully inside her delectable mouth coursing like fire through his body. He wound his hands in her hair as she pleasured him and his grip tightened as he felt his climax approaching.

"Oh Victoria," he groaned, giving her a chance to move away but she only increased her pace, sucking him harder and faster and unable to hold back, he came in her mouth. She swallowed every drop before gazing up at him, an unsure look in her eyes.

"Was that alright?" she asked.

He responded by pulling her to her feet and kissing her with such passion that her knees almost buckled beneath her.

Victoria woke to find the room still dark and Nicholas gone. She sat up looking about when the door opened and he walked in carrying a large tray.

He stopped when he saw her sitting amongst the rumpled sheets, unabashedly naked, her long ink black hair tousled about her shoulders. Smiling at her, he stepped towards the bed, setting the tray in her lap before dropping his robe and climbing in beside her. Taking the tray back from her, he lifted the lids from the dishes sitting on it. "We seemed to have missed dinner," he explained, still smiling. "Mrs. O'Malley was kind enough to keep this warm for us."

Victoria didn't realize how hungry she was until the delicious smells tickled her nose. "I've had breakfast in bed before but never dinner," she said with a giggle.

"I think I could become used to this quite easily," Nicholas replied, eyeing her naked breasts.

Suddenly shy, she pulled a sheet up, tucking it under her arms. Pulling it away, he playfully admonished, "Don't you dare. I like looking at you."

Victoria watched him as they ate and chatted. She had never been happier in her whole life as she was right now. She was with a man who not only loved her, but who she loved as well. And they were going to get married. She knew she really shouldn't be here in bed with him right now, that they should have waited, but since this certainly wasn't the first time, it was a little late for false modesty, she thought. And since Daniel had already left for New York, they could get married right away.

"Where are you, beautiful girl?" he asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. "You seem a hundred miles away."

Smiling, she replied, "I was just thinking about how happy I am and wondering when we'll get married."

After setting the tray on the floor, he pulled her to him and whispered, "As soon as possible." He pressed his lips to hers, laying her back down onto the sheets, and began making love to her all over again.

When Nicholas awoke next he knew it was morning before he even opened his eyes. He held his breath and listened. He could hear sounds from the street outside and the odd creak from the house, but couldn't make out the soft sound of another person's breathing. He squeezed his eyes shut, afraid to open them. If he did and she wasn't there, his heart was going to shatter. He wouldn't be able to bear it if she was gone again. As he braced himself to look, he felt something slide across his chest. He opened his eyes to see a delicate hand with a stunning pink diamond ring on the third finger stroking his skin. Looking over at her, she snuggled up close, laying her head on his shoulder.

He stroked her cheek and she opened sleepy eyes to him. "Good morning," he whispered, smiling at her.

"Good morning," she answered, returning his smile.

"You're here. You didn't slip away at dawn," he said, unable to erase the smile from his face.

"Well, you completely wore me out. I slept right through until now," she replied, still smiling.

"So, is that what it takes to keep you here? I'll have to remember that," he said, slipping his hands beneath the sheets, stroking her body.

She sighed with pleasure as her own hand slipped lower down, over his stomach before disappearing beneath the sheets.

A lavish wedding was held a month later. Victoria had at first insisted on a modest affair as it was her second marriage, but Nicholas wouldn't hear of it. It was to be a grand celebration of love and it was going to be memorable. His mansion was finished and the ball room was filled to capacity. The guests were awed by the beauty and splendor of the house and the party continued well into the night, long after the groom had carried his new bride across the threshold of their bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them.

The End