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Audrey fforbes-Hamilton woke up with a dry mouth, pounding head, in only her slip and underpants in a strange bedroom. Though it was hard to open her eyes, she managed to ascertain that she was in her bedroom. Correction. Her old bedroom. In the manor. Which now belonged to Richard DeVere. Who was nowhere to be seen.
What did I do? Her head hurt and her memory was foggy at best. Did I sleep with him?
She recalled coming to the manor to watch herself in the Fontleroy's Old English Tonic ad before she and Richard left for the Lord Lieutenant’s Charity Gala. Their evening started well. He had told her that he couldn’t think of a better way to add a touch of class than taking Audrey to the ball. She had added that she couldn’t think of a better way to add a touch money. Quite unlike her. Any talk of money was, in her books, vulgar. This seemed to start a trend of the night where her actions and words seemed completely disconnected from who she was. Who she had been raised to be. It was all Richard DeVere’s fault. He brought her undone.
At the gala Audrey had indulged in a little more champagne than normal. A lot more. Whether it was the excitement of being in normal society, of being in an advertisement or being on the arm of Richard DeVere she wasn’t sure, but her normal two drink limit had been passed within the first twenty minutes of arriving.
By the time they reached the dance floor Audrey had a distinct buzz from the many more glasses of bubbles. She felt like she was floating. Richard was as charming as always, he held her closely in his arms, he was strong and she felt secure with him.
They were dancing, her head nestled into his neck, her lips so close to his skin. She breathed him in. His scent. Fresh. Subtle. Spicy. Sexy.
He loved the feeling of her closeness to him. Her breath tickled his neck, her breasts rising and falling against his chest. He stirred and embarrassed tried to move away but she wouldn’t let him.
She felt his hardness and she liked it. She moved her head so that she was facing him, their eyes now connected. He looked bashful and her attraction to him increased. She bit her lip, smiling at him.
The look in her blue eyes was one he had never seen before. Burning desire. He stirred some more.
“Kiss me.” she murmured.
“Are you sure?” he checked. He wanted to kiss her, desperately. He didn’t want World War 3 tomorrow when she regretted a drunken kiss.
This memory was what caused her first cringe. She, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, propositioning a man. She cringed again, knowing it was about to get worse. Much worse.
“I never say things I don’t mean.” Now she looked at him, challenging.
His eyes flickered over her. Her breath caught in her lungs. No man had ever looked at her that way before. She tried to breath normally as his head lowered for his lips to meet hers. Sweetly. Softly. Slowly. So slowly. Like time was standing still and they were the only two people in the universe. Every movement created more electricity through their bodies.
This memory didn’t make Audrey embarrassed, she tingled with excitement recalling it. That first kiss was so addictive, so perfect, she needed more of him. And she told him, now she cringed at this memory.
“We should go somewhere more private.” she suggested with a wicked smile.
His eyebrows raised. He couldn’t deny that he had dreamed about being with Audrey, and that their kiss was even better than he imagined. But he didn’t want a sober Audrey to regret the actions of an inebriated Audrey and he loses any chance of them being together.
“I would love that Audrey.” he smiled. “Why don’t we go back to my place for a nightcap.” His intention being to give her time to change her mind.
“Ooh a nightcap. That sounds good.” She giggled and brushed up against him and her hands cupped his face to kiss him again. He lost himself in this kiss. The full lips of Audrey’s caressing his, her tongue brushing his. He stirred some more. His body betraying him, putting on show how much he wanted her. So much for playing it cool.
When the kiss broke, Audrey grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”
She grabbed a glass of champagne and in the most unladylike fashion skulled it. What was I thinking? Richard kept his arms around her as they left and made their way to his car where they hopped into the backseat to be driven home.
A wave of tiredness washed over Audrey and she leaned into him, his arm moving around her. “This is nice.” she mumbled and seeing his neck so close decided that she must kiss it. His sigh at the feeling of her lips on his skin, was it contentment, satisfaction or a signal for more? He thought it was all of them. She had never had that reaction from a man before and her loins ached for more of him. She kissed up his neck, enjoying her affect on him and by the time their lips met he was hungry for her. His moan drove her careless behaviour even more, sliding her hands over the hard lines of his chest, his stomach, his arousal (cringe) and then her fingers ran along his leg and he longed for more of her.
“Let’s skip the nightcap.” she whispered in his ear and he groaned. His senses were overwhelmed with this side of Audrey he had not known existed.
At Richard’s they practically ran through the manor holding hands to his room. Audrey pushed the door shut behind them, flicking the lock. Richard’s dark eyes raked over her with love and lust and he pulled her into his arms, his hands on her bottom and she ran her fingers through his hair, loving being loved by him. They made their way to his bed.
His hands expertly slid down her dress zip while she was busy pushing back his jacket and undoing his buttons. Due to her state she felt clumsy and too slow.
Down to just their underclothes, Richard paused. “Audrey, darling, I love you. I want us to be together.”
She looked at him seriously and he worried about what she was about to say. “Richard, I love -“ she started but before she could say ‘you’ she ran to his ensuite where she threw up in the toilet.
He followed her. As she remained over the bowl, he pulled her hair back and tried to wet a face cloth for her. She was sick again and used his toothbrush and toothpaste when she was finished. Audrey already knew she was disgraced but for some reason did not care. Cringe. Cringe. Cringe.
She walked to the bed where Richard was waiting. His arms went out to her and she went to him. My Richard.
“I always make a mess of things with you.” she said quietly.
“I wouldn’t say always.”
“I get in your way, I’m a proper pain.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love seeing you, no matter what the reason.”
“Hmph.” she smiled shyly and their lips met again. She was tired now.
“Richard, darling, I just need a little nap. Can you unclip my bra?” She still had her slip on and he gently unclipped her bra that was underneath, kissing up her spine as he finished.
“That feels nice.” she cooed and he had never found her so alluring as he did in that moment. Then she flung her bra off and curled under the covers.
“Hold me Richard.” she ordered him and he happily cooperated. It was the weirdest, more natural feeling in the world, lying cocooned together.
As she was dozing she started to babble tiredly to him. “I love you too darling. I meant to say it to you…But we can’t be together….No….No, but I want to…But we can’t…. You would think I want you for this pile of bricks…No….Not again… We can be together when I can prove to you we’re equal … or when you move away….. But don't move away…. I shall miss you terribly …. I need you close by …. I love you … more than anyone.” and with that she fell asleep with a small snort.
Richard stroked her as she slept, and thought about the babble she had said at the end. Did she really mean it? Audrey was right when she said she always means what she says.
Audrey cringed as her head pounded and the memories came flooding back, although she couldn’t remember most of her babbling, she certainly remembered other parts.
He had thoughtfully left her out a robe and fresh towels and she first stood under the shower ice cold, bringing her whole body to a shocking wake up call, easing the fogginess in her brain. Then she made the water lukewarm to wash herself. After cleaning her teeth, with Richard’s brush again, she threw on the robe and walked back into the bedroom.
Richard was sitting in the armchair, a cup of hot coffee and glass of water waiting for her. She startled. “Richard! You scared me!”
He took her in. This morning he had thought over and over again about their night and was still unsure what it meant, but he was prepared to give everything he could to win Audrey’s heart. She looked even more beautiful than he had seen her before. Her hair was wet and her eyes were the most stunning shade of blue without any make up. Her skin was clear and creamy and slightly dewy from the shower, and in his robe she looked like perfection.
“I’m sorry. I bought you coffee, properly made, and an aspirin.”
She nodded, “Thank you.”
She walked over to him and sat down accepting the water and tablet, grimacing as she drank it. Normally she would be appalled by the situation, she sitting in nothing more than a robe in a mans bedroom. She had already lost her dignity, what more did she have to lose?
“I made a total fool of myself.” Audrey said, not able to look him in the eye.
He shook his head. “No, it was very endearing.”
“Embarrassing.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, I was the one throwing up. I think that qualifies as embarrassing.”
He nodded, “I didn’t mind. You were very sweet.”
That was not a word often used in conjunction with Audrey fforbes-Hamilton. She had been sweet though. Not quite defenseless, she was willing to let him help her. She looked innocent and sexy all in one.
He was kind to her, even now. Although her memory of the night before still had haziness, his kindness did not. He had gently taken off her shoes, held back her hair when she was being sick, multiple times, wiped her forehead, bought her glasses of water and let her use his toothbrush. Kind was an understatement.
Marton had never been so kind, in fact, he was the reason for her two drink rule. Enough to be social but not too much that she would let her defenses down around him to be taken advantage of. The one time she did he laughed at her for being sick and didn't talk to her for days for falling asleep so quickly afterwards.
“We didn’t sleep together?” she checked, unsure of what she wanted the answer to be. She would hate to not be able to remember such an occasion.
“Not in that sense. We shared the bed though.”
He was so sincere. So decent. So damned attractive. She remembered the chills of excitement that ran through her body when he kissed her back. It was not appropriate, but then he had seen so much of her that wasn't, could it really hurt?
“That’s a shame.” she said quietly, her eyes dancing when they met his gaze.
“I agree." His own eyes started a dance of their own.
"It should be rectified.” Who was this bold Audrey?
"As quickly as possible." The first time they had agreed on a matter so quickly.
Richard moved over to sit on the chaise lounge with her, his hands sliding into her robe, his touch light. Her body tingled from it, her stomach dancing from excitement and anticipation. His lips came to hers and she met them eagerly, her own hands working the buttons on his shirt undone so that she could feel the hard lines of his body, firm muscle. His lips trailing down the column of her long elegant neck, her breath hitching as he pushed aside her robe for his mouth to find her breast.
The sensations he created within her came like waves of ecstasy, slowly, slowly and then building up as his fingers explored her most intimate areas, her mouth on his, needing him like she had never needed anyone, demanding more as the waves, once slow and gentle, began crashing through her body, consuming her desire for him, so that she actually whispered, "I need you Richard darling."
He groaned at her words, his own body responding to every touch she made, delicate but purposeful as she became more familiar with him, experimenting with what he responded most to so that she was able to create the same waves of excitement in him. She wasn't used to being loved in this way and she enjoyed discovering him, until the point that she needed to feel him fill her. He complied, adjusting their bodies so that they could join, again and again. Audrey let herself completely surrender to Richard, observing his handsome face which showed the effects of their lovemaking on him. The noises he made of gratification were primal, and Audrey longed to hear more of them, he was a man who did not do things by halves. He gave everything until he was completely spent and felt Audrey's pulses of climax around him. He collapsed, his head on her breasts, listening to the beating of her heart, her chest rising and falling as her breath returned to normal, her fingers lazily playing with her hair.
"Lucky we rectified this." she murmured and he laughed.
"I hope we can more often." He felt her fingers running through his hair pause, at least momentarily. He recalled her babblings the night before, surely she wasn't serious. He propped himself up on to his elbow so that he could look at her. And she was magnificent.
"Darling, we can't not be together, while I'm in the manor. I want to be here forever." He saw the tears spring into her eyes. "I want you to be the Lady of the manor. My Lady. Forever."
"Oh Richard." It was almost a sigh.
"I meant what I said last night - I love you Audrey, every part of you, and I know that you love me. Would you love me without the manor? If I didn't buy it we would never have met, so it's a moot point. But if I had to leave tomorrow, I know you would come with me." She nodded. I would go to the ends of the earth for you. "So why wait for then? And miss out on all of this?" He kissed her, moved his hand gently over her curves. "Say you'll marry me Audrey, darling. Stay with me forever."
"Yes," she whispered, "I will marry you." She moved his head so that his lips met hers again and let him lead her, teasing, loving, needing, knowing she was where she was meant to be.