Claiming His Wife Page 7

  As usual, Grace's maid Rose was waiting for her inside the bedroom. While Grace had still not forgiven the young woman for what felt like a great betrayal, she was no longer so angry. Rose had apologized on the trip, and she'd seemed quite sincere in her guilt over having spied on Grace for Alex. Her mother had been sick and when he'd offered so much extra money, as well as better lodging and the services of his personal physician for her mother, Rose hadn't been able to refuse. It didn't mean that Grace would ever trust her maid again, but she no longer felt tempted to throw the woman out of the room either.

  Apparently Alex didn't agree.

  "Thank you Rose, but your mistress won't need you this evening," Alex said as he came in the room behind Grace, already undoing the elaborate knot on his cravat.

  Immediately Grace turned around, her eyes flashing. "I absolutely need Rose, who else is going to undo my corset?"

  As soon as she asked the question, she wished she'd held the words back. The look that Alex gave her was utterly rakish, as if his usual granite expression was just a stone facade and it had just dropped to make way for the Alex she'd started to fall in love with, years ago. It took her breath away. But that was just a physical reaction, she reminded herself, and it didn't have to mean anything.

  "That would be me," he murmured, his voice filled with seductive intent as he tossed the cravat onto the floor in front of his wardrobe. He barely glanced at Rose as she stood, frozen in place, eyes darting between the two of them as she tried to decide who she should listen to. "Out, Rose."

  The maid fled. Something else that angered Grace, even though she couldn't blame the servant for her actions. But now she was all alone with her husband. After that first night, on the trip here, she'd managed to have Rose undress her so that she could be in bed before Alex even returned to the room in the evenings. He'd always gone down to the taproom for a glass of port before retiring, and she'd used that time to change into her nightgown, so that she could feign sleep by the time he'd come back upstairs. Then she'd wait until he was up and gone in the mornings before she'd rise and dress for the day. Always with Rose's help.

  "I hope you don't think that the mere act of undressing me is going to make me eager for any kind of amorous acts between us," Grace said tartly, turning her back on him to hide the tremor in her hands as she began undoing the buttons on her dress. They were small and hard to slip through the loops, which gave her plenty to do. Just because she was about to be naked in front of Alex for the first time in years, that didn't mean she had to act like a ninny about it. If he could be unaffected by it, then so could she.

  "I live in hope, as they say," he countered, his voice much closer than it had been before. She stiffened.

  "I will never be interested in acting as your wife again."

  "You didn't mind when we were first married," he said silkily. "You loved acting as my wife then."

  "I wasn't acting, you bloody idiot," she snapped back, hating the way her body had responded to his seductive tone. It felt like something deep in her core had pulsed in response to the memories of their lovemaking. "And that was before I knew you were a lying bastard."

  She shrieked as she was suddenly spun around to face him, one hard hand on her bicep, her dress gaping down the front to show the curves of her breasts as they heaved inside her corset. The expression on his face had hardened again, although his eyes did skim over her exposed bosom, before returning to her face.

  "What did I tell you about cursing and insulting me?" There was suppressed fury in his voice, carefully controlled.

  "Let me go!" Grace tried to pull away - she honestly hadn't thought that he'd hear her - and shrieked again as she was pulled forward. Alex's hand was firm but not rough as he took the few steps towards the bed and sat down. It took him less than a moment to pull her dress down and let it drop to the floor, before tipping her over his lap.

  A tremor went through her as she tried to push herself back up, but his hand splayed across the center of her back, pressing her down to the bed. She felt cool air waft over the skin of her bottom as he yanked down her drawers as well, leaving her cheeks completely bare.

  "I'm sorry, okay, I'm sorry," she said, trying to wriggle away.

  This was far worse than in the carriage when her skirts had been over her head, giving her a feeling of anonymity and protection, even as Alex had spanked her exposed arse. Without her dress on, with her drawers already fallen around her ankles, she felt horribly exposed. She sincerely doubted that this was going to be anything like the pleasurable spankings that Eleanor had hinted around.

  The first hard slap to her bottom only confirmed that and Grace gasped, barely able to draw in a breath before Alex's hand came down again, just as firmly on her other cheek. The swats came hard and fast, so that he landed four blows on her creamy buttocks before she even had time to shriek. They were sharp and stinging, and the damned man was landing them on the same two spots over and over again. Damn Hugh! He hadn’t had to show Alex how to do this!

  Grace wriggled under his other hand, crying out as he continued to pepper her bottom, focusing his discipline on the center of each of her cheeks. The two spots felt like they were on fire, smarting and stinging as he smacked his palm against them over and over again. It burned, and she was starting to wish that he would spank her anywhere else… any other part of her bottom, just to spread out the punishment. His relentless focus on those two specific spots was undoing her far faster than the spanking in the carriage had.

  "Please Alex, I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I promise," she begged between cries and sobs. Her legs kicked uselessly and she tried to reach back to stop him - since this time her skirts weren't in her way - but he just paused to catch her hands and press them down into the small of her back before resuming the stinging blows.

  "No, you won't," he replied, his voice hard as he did his best to hide his arousal from his squirming, crying wife. Not that he took pleasure in her pain, but there was something gorgeous about the two bright red splotches on her creamy, quivering bottom. "I won't tolerate insults, Grace. There are other ways to show you're displeased with me which are much more productive."

  Something about the way she cried out then made him sure that she wanted to yell another insult at him, but she didn't. She just squirmed and begged, trying to placate him with apologies, what Hugh had described as a "spanking chant;" a series of meaningless pleas and promises that fell from a woman's mouth to try and stymy her punishment. Alex had gotten a much more in depth lecture from all of the men that afternoon in the library, as they'd compared notes on the kinds of discipline they'd meted out and what was most effective.

  He supposed that he should be thankful Grace wasn't like Cynthia. Unlike Wesley, he didn't feel confident enough to wield a strap or a cane. Edwin's creative use of a spoon sounded much more his style.

  Deciding that Grace had probably had enough, he gave the bright red spots on her ass two more sharp slaps each, holding her in place as she bucked in response, and then he settled his hand down over one of her heated cheeks. Sensing that her punishment was finally over, Grace slumped across his lap, sniffling, although she'd finally stopped squirming. Which was surprising, he'd thought the moment he'd finish that he'd have to hold on to her to keep her from running.

  Remembering another suggestion the other men had made, he let his hand begin to slip down to the plump lips between his wife's legs.

  "Alex! NO, STOP!" Grace squealed, bucking again. Which only made her cunny press against his fingers, and he knew immediately why she'd wanted him to stop.

  The others had been right. She was wet. Her pussy had creamed as he'd spanked her. Despite her protests and pleas, some part of her had liked everything he'd just done to her - hell, loved it, from the feel of her.

  "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he murmured, dipping his finger into her soft folds and swirling his finger again. It was torture for his cock, to know that her heated quim was so close, yet quite sure that he wouldn'
t be burying himself in heaven tonight. Grace moaned in humiliation, hanging her head as much as she could in her current position as she tried to close her legs and force his hand out. She wanted to keep fighting, but at the same time, she didn’t want to incite him back into spanking her. Worse, she didn’t want him to stop what he was doing. It felt so good, so right, to be touched by him.

  He let his finger slide further, finding the swollen pleasure pearl and rubbing against the sensitive bud while she gasped and writhed.

  "Alex, please." The husky, throaty plea made his cock throb even harder, and he knew he was already seconds away from cumming. Months of abstinence combined with Grace over his lap, slick and ready for him, her bottom red from a spanking, had done that to him.

  "Please what? Are you ready to beg for me Grace? If you want me in your bed, all you have to do is ask."

  She shuddered, and he swore he could hear her teeth grinding together, right before she made a sound like a little growl. Even though she was aroused and had been right on the point of begging, his reminder had her pride rearing back up with a vengeance. Drawing a small circle around her clit with his forefinger, he slid his thumb into her wet hole as he tormented her a little bit more, feeling the tightness of her inner muscles clamping down on him. She gasped, but she still didn’t say yes, she still held herself back.

  Then he sighed, letting his disappointment fill his voice. "I suppose not. Very well, Gracie."

  With great reluctance, Alex pulled his hand away from the soft heaven between his wife's legs and released her wrists. It took a moment, and then Grace pushed up and away, both of her hands in front of her mons as if to cover herself from him, since her drawers were pooled around her ankles. The red heat in her cheeks wasn't only from embarrassment, he would wager his title on that.

  As she stared at him, breathing heavily and looking like a chaotic mix of confusion, anger, embarrassment and passionate arousal, Grace's mouth opened and closed several times. Very deliberately, Alex brought his thumb to his mouth, making sure that she could see her juices coating the digit, and then he sucked it between his lips. The sweet, musky taste of her exploded on his tongue and he felt the ache of it all the way into his kidneys as his cock and balls tightened even further.

  "You still taste delicious, Gracie," he said, after pulling his thumb back out of his mouth. He wasn't at all averse to showing her how much he desired her. Especially because right now he was sure that she desired him too. Her pretty pink lips made a small 'o' of shock as she blinked, completely stunned. Alex grinned at her, feeling so much like his old self that even his aching cock didn't bother him. "Turn around, sweetheart, and I'll undo your corset so that you can go to sleep."

  Surprisingly, she didn't argue with him, she just turned and he was treated to the sight of the hem of her chemise hovering over her spanked bottom. The sheer material did nothing to hide the bright red splotches from his gaze. It was quite erotic.

  Very quickly, Alex undid his wife's corset. Knowing that he wasn't going to find relief with her tonight, he wanted to touch her as little as possible right now. He had no desire to torture himself any further.

  The unlacing of her corset should have made it easier for Grace to breathe, but she still felt utterly breathless. Her bottom was throbbing on its fiery surface, but that was nothing compared to the hot, pulsing need between her legs. Part of her wanted to throw herself at Alex and just sate the need. If she thought she could give her body to him without endangering the walls around her heart, she would… but she wasn’t sure of her defenses at the moment.

  Alex’s gentle hands as he unlaced her, the way he’d aroused her after punishing her, had her completely off-kilter. When he turned her to face him again, she found that she couldn’t look up at him. The hard shell that she’d cultivated over the years, that she’d clung to the past few days she’d spent in his presence, felt like it was crumbling around her.

  “You took your punishment very well, but no more insults, Gracie. I won't tolerate it,” Alex murmured, pressing his lips against her forehead. His hands were gentle on her shoulders, sliding over the thin fabric of her chemise. “Next time I’ll use a hairbrush.”

  She shivered, wondering how he could sound so threatening and so tender at the same time. The spot on her forehead where he'd kissed her felt feverish. Part of her wished that he would hold her again, comfortingly, the way he had after he'd spanked her in the carriage.

  Instead, he released her and walked over to her dresser, pulling out one of her nightgowns. Grace let him dress her like a doll. Everything felt surreal, as if she was dreaming rather than being awake. Except that her bottom hurt too much for this to be a dream.

  "Grace..." Alex's voice was deep, seductive. "Tell me you want me." She looked up into his glowing eyes, and for one horrifying moment she felt herself weaken. The shock of it made her jerk away and she shook her head, clutching her arms, thankful for the covering of her nightgown.

  Whipping around, she fled to the other side of the bed and practically threw herself under the covers. She didn't trust her voice right now. Why being spanked lowered her defenses so much, she didn't know. She would have thought that it would make her even more determined against him, but for some reason it made her feel almost cared about. Of course, his behavior after punishing her might have something to do with that too. While she didn't like the spanking, and she was shocked at her arousal even after hearing Cynthia's brazen report, she did like the comfort and praise he gave her afterwards. Somehow she felt closer to him.

  Which was just idiocy on her part.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to even her breathing, hoping to force herself into sleep before Alex finished with his nightly ablations and joined her in the bed.

  Glancing over at the lump of sheets that covered his wife, Alex stifled a sigh. She was on her side, he could tell, probably protecting her bottom from any further stimulation. Part of him had hoped that she'd relent and let them at least join together physically. A woman who was well satisfied in bed was halfway to being well-satisfied with her life. He wanted to connect with her again, and the best way he knew how was physically. Even when he'd been younger and less cynical, he'd always had trouble expressing himself in words.

  His cock was still throbbing painfully, and as he stripped down he could see that it was a dark, angry red color. He'd seen plenty of women naked before his marriage, and in the years after it, but none of them ever caused the same kind of reaction that Grace did. That pale, creamy skin made him want to search out all of her sensitive pink parts with his tongue. Hours could be spent, worshiping her from head to toe, discovering what spots made her whimper and what spots made her moan. Helping her change her clothes had been torture, but well worth it, just to see her bared to him again. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure Grace was still facing away from him, he picked up one of his handkerchiefs. Gritting his teeth, he faced away from her, leaning one hand against the vanity as he wrapped the handkerchief around the turgid rod and began to pump his hand.

  Immediately, the taste of her in his mouth seemed much more vibrant, the memory of her quivering buttocks danced before his eyes, and the sound of her moan as he'd teased her pussy filled his ears. It only took a few hard strokes of his hand before he was spilling into the handkerchief, the relief of culmination making his knees feel weak. Fortunately, he'd managed to keep from making even the smallest sound, only the faster pace of his breathing indicated he'd been doing something illicit.

  Glancing over his shoulder again, he made sure that Grace hadn't moved, and was both relieved and disappointed to confirm the fact.

  Discarding the handkerchief, Alex made his way back to the bed, completely nude. He'd allow Grace to keep her nightgown as long as she wanted to, but he was no longer going to be uncomfortable in bed. Tonight, she'd wanted him. He knew she had, even though she'd turned him away. The fact that she'd hesitated before doing so gave him hope.

  As he crawled into the bed, all too aware of the p
roximity of his wife, he wondered what she had meant by calling him a lying bastard. Grimacing, he acknowledged that this was not the time to ask. If he'd wanted to know, he should have said something before her spanking. Because, as far as he could remember, he'd never lied to her about anything, ever.

  Chapter 5

  Cynthia was bored. Which, in and of itself, was not unusual, but she did take exception to being bored when she was at a dance. Looking wistfully over at the floor, filled with whirling couples, she wished she were one of them. Instead, she was trapped within the Countess' circle, all of whom wanted to know every detail about the upcoming wedding.

  There were even more of them than usual to flutter over her, as people had been pouring into Bath once they'd received their wedding invitations. Most of them had made it a stop on their way back to their estates, following the Season. Eleanor had told her that the wedding certainly wouldn't empty the capital, but it would tempt quite a few of the ton to depart earlier than they normally would. Unfortunately, that just meant she had to be at the Countess' side for what seemed like endless rounds of interminable introductions and bland, socially acceptable interactions.