Miss Merton's Last Hope Read online

  He grabbed the candle from the bedside and rushed down the stairs to unlock the front door. As soon as he’d opened it a crack, he was pushed backward and a small shape darted inside his home.

  “What took you so long?” Melanie gasped. “I was afraid I’d have to toss pebbles at your window to get your attention.”

  “I was in bed reading.” He wasn’t decent for company, least of all for Melanie’s, so he buttoned his shirt quickly. “Melanie, what are you doing scarping around at this time of night without even your warmest coat on?”

  “Seeking you out.” She set aside her shawl and took the candle from him. “Should you not lock the door again?”

  Walter closed and locked the door but he was confused. “Is Julia all right?”

  “Yes, she is resting well.” Melanie set the candle on the entrance table and drew closer, her gaze riveted to his. “Do you mind that I’ve come to see you?”

  “Not at all.” He caught her hand in his and squeezed. “But there are many reasons you shouldn’t be here.”

  She glanced around the hallway. “Will you send me away?”

  “No.” He chuckled and brought her bare hand to his lips. “I want to see you all the time, but I’m running out of excuses to use with your brother.”

  She leaned into him, pressing against his chest. “I’m not leaving Brighton now. Julia needs me.”

  “I need you more.” He pinched the wick of the candle, throwing the house into darkness. Through the thin shirt he wore, her touch was fire. He couldn’t help his reaction to her. He brought his hands to her head and cupped her face. “What should we do about that?”

  “I don’t know. This is Julia’s idea.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “She suggested we needed to talk without interruptions but I don’t know what there is to say now. I have never sneaked into a bachelor’s home before. I’ve never done anything impulsive or scandalous in my life, and here I am doing everything I’ve ever disapproved of.”

  He sent silent thanks to Julia for her unexpected aid. “And you will never have to again, I promise.”

  He bent to kiss Mellie, still stunned that she’d risked her reputation to come and see him in the middle of the night, but so very pleased. In truth, he’d been wishing to return to her all evening to be sure she was still calm after Julia’s injury.

  Rather than continue at the front door, Walter caught her hand firmly, intending to lead her into his parlor. They could talk in the dark for an hour perhaps and he could steal another kiss or two before helping her return home unobserved.

  “Should we not go upstairs to your bedchamber?” she whispered.

  He snapped his mouth closed and drew closer. “Ah, Mellie. If we go upstairs, I won’t stop kissing you. I’ll make you mine and there will be no turning back for either of us.”

  She nodded. “I agree.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “No, but when I’m with you, I don’t seem to worry about what is right or wrong. Everything makes sense when I’m with you.”

  “I’m so very glad to hear it.” He scooped her up into his arms before she changed her mind. Melanie hugged his neck and rested her face against his shoulder with a sigh of pleasure. He carried her upstairs, directly to his bedchamber, and turned the lock once they were inside.

  The room was dim, only lit by what little moon shone through the window, but perfectly warm from the fire. Since he’d been in bed when Melanie’s knock had roused him, the covers were turned back. He released Melanie and set her on her feet.

  There were papers scattered over his bed. Imogen’s latest work should be packed away from sight. He gathered a few sheets together. “Another story of Imogen’s.”

  Melanie smiled. “She has such a clever turn of phrase. The number of people who claim to know the author always astounds me.”

  “You kept her secrets. Thank you. Not many know about her work but if they did, I dread to think what would be said to her.”

  She grinned and handed him a stray sheet. “An easy task to hold my tongue. No one would ever expect me to know the author of such daring prose. She’s almost considered notorious, which I’m sure she finds amusing.”

  Walter pulled Melanie against him. “What shall we talk about?”

  “I have not stopped thinking about what you said to me about intimacy.”

  “Desire, kisses, touching.” He grinned slowly, loving the feel of her against his body. He let his hand drift over her back and lower. “I must confess that when I saw you downstairs, I hoped you had come for me.”

  She nodded, and slid her hands up his chest. She teased the expanse of skin revealed by the loose fit of his shirt. “I don’t know anything about desire.”

  “I will teach you the rest.” He kissed her again, devouring kisses that made Melanie moan whenever their lips parted. He fumbled with the buttons on her gown and pushed the garment off her shoulders to reach her skin. Beneath, he found a light chemise but no corset. He drew back in surprise.

  She blushed and glanced down. “I could not manage a corset without my maid’s help. She would ask questions.”

  He lifted her chin and kissed her lips softly. “I’m not scandalized. I am delighted by your practicality.”

  “She has been looking at me so strangely since last night, and I discovered tonight she and Julia have been talking.”

  “They wonder about us?”

  “They do.”

  “I was right. You are loved and belong here.” He cupped her breast and tucked her hips against his. “With me.”

  She gasped, turning her face into his neck. Her lips brushed his throat and her hot breath drove him wild.

  “Take down your hair for me,” he whispered.

  She smiled and moved to his dressing table stool. Her gown had fallen down her arms and she slipped them free so it pooled at her hips. Walter’s breath caught at the arousing sight of Mellie half-dressed in his mirror. Through the thin chemise, her nipples were two dark patches teasing him.

  As her hands rose to remove the pins from her hair, he dragged his shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor.

  Melanie’s soft gasp filled his ears and despite her inevitable blushes, he moved closer so she could see him. Her gazed fixed on his bare chest reflected in the mirror and her tongue darted over her lips to wet them. The way she stared made his cock thicken.

  She shook her head then finished removing her pins, laying them neatly beside his ivory hair comb. She pushed her hands through the mass and let it tumble down her back in great dark waves. Her hair was almost long enough to sit upon and he groaned. He’d not expected her to leave it so long.

  She stood but kept a distance between them as her gaze darted over his body. He kept his impatience in check, becoming anxious that she was disappointed. Once he had been tubby around the middle and he’d worked himself hard to lose the bulk and become fitter. He wanted her to like what he’d become. Slowly, she loosened her grip on the garment around her and it slipped down her legs.

  He groaned softly as she stepped out of the prim gown and drew close to him. “Are you afraid?”

  She reached to touch his chest tentatively. “Yes, but not of you,” she murmured.

  He brought her fingers to her mouth and blew over the tips, warming her. “Allow me.”

  He breathed over her fingers again, and then pressed her hand flat over his heart.

  Melanie moved closer as she explored his upper body with a gentle touch. “You are so strong.”

  “The swimming each day has helped.”

  Her brow creased as she stroked his chest, following the pattern of hair there. “Helped with what?”

  Walter buried his fingers in her hair, and clenched the soft tresses at her nape. “Well, I was always rather round before.”

  “You were?” She shrugged. “I never noticed. You seem the same to me as you’ve ever been.”

  Walter was crushed that she hadn’t noticed the improvement in his physique,
but since her hands were sliding around to the back of his neck and over his shoulders, pulling him closer, he didn’t complain. “My dearest, Mellie.”

  “My Walter.” He curved his lips into a smile. “I like the sound of that.”

  She rose on her toes suddenly and brushed her lips across his. With urgency building inside him, Walter quickly divested Mellie of her chemise. Her breasts were pert, and perfect. Heaven against his bare chest. Walter hoisted her onto his bed and grinned down at her surprise. “I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.”

  He joined her on the bed and Melanie eased back, her head resting on his pillow, her dark hair fanned out around her. “I would expect no less of you.”

  She laughed then and Walter covered her, raining kisses over her cheeks, her nose and at last her lips. She curled her arms about his neck and held him tightly against her. Her body brushed against his cock and he broke the kiss to stare at her. With one hand and one foot, he nudged her legs apart. He could detect a slight increase in her tension and he smiled. “Trust me. I would never do anything to hurt you or make you unhappy. You don’t want children and I will honor your wish. But you will be mine. Tonight and always.”

  “I’d like that,” she whispered as her hands fluttered over his back as if she didn’t now where to put them.

  “But first, I want to kiss you everywhere.”

  He buried his face between her breasts and then moved to kiss one. She stiffened so he swept his hands over her chest and down her sides. He turned her over and then kissed every part of her back, including her bottom. When he rolled her over again, her face had taken on a fierce blush. She pulled him against her and they kissed and touched each other until they were both panting.

  She touched his hip, resting her hand lightly over his trousers. “Only one of us is naked, Walter.”

  “I know. I wanted to take enough time that you would feel comfortable.”

  She laid her arm over her forehead. “I am entirely too comfortable like this. Please undress too.”

  He jumped to his feet and fought free of his trousers. His erection was curved against his abdomen.

  When he met her gaze, her eyes had widened. “Now you see me.”

  She rose on one elbow, eyes fixed on his groin. “Oh my.”

  He climbed on the bed but kept a distance so she would not become concerned. “Speak your mind, Mellie.”

  “I…” She pointed. “That isn’t going to fit inside me.”

  “You might be surprised to find that I will.” He stretched to brush her long hair over her shoulder. “You will even enjoy me.”

  Her gaze flew to his. “I enjoy this. Being alone with you. Touching you.”

  She stretched to touch him next, her brow furrowing as her fingers slid over his erection. “So warm.”

  “I burn for you,” he whispered. “And I’ll make you burn for me too.”

  She moved closer to him, a bit nervously, and he wrapped his arms around her and simply kissed her for the longest time.

  When her kisses grew heated enough that she was tugging on his hair, he pressed her onto her back and parted her legs. The apex of her thighs was concealed by a dark patch of curls and she tried to cover herself with her hands. “Don’t hide from me, Mellie.”

  She slowly moved her hands aside.

  He stroked over her there and then gently parted her folds.

  Melanie jumped. “Walter?”

  “Let me love you like this first,” he whispered. “It will make things easier for us.”

  He lowered his mouth to her curls before she could protest. The touch of his tongue to her inner folds made her moan. He flicked his tongue over her slit and found her clitoris to tease. She moved restlessly until he gripped her hips tightly and he lost himself in her taste and her ragged moans. She muffled her scream when her release came upon her.

  He rose up to meet her gaze, pleased and almost overcome himself from rubbing his cock against the sheets.

  He took a moment to think of something unpleasant, eager to lessen his arousal before he claimed her.

  However, she reached for him, hands beckoning him close.

  When he slid against her, she buried her face in the crook of his neck. “That was not pleasant. That was almost too much for a body to bear.”

  He kissed her cheek and then chuckled softly against her skin. “That was only the beginning too.”

  Walter positioned himself and hovered outside her body. Anticipation was making him light-headed. He couldn’t believe she’d come for him tonight and he needed her to come again. He slipped his hand between her legs and parted her folds carefully. She would be sensitive still, and she did jerk as he traced her cleft with the tip of his finger. Moisture had pooled there and he found her clitoris and stroked over it repeatedly.

  When her hips rose to meet his hand, Walter placed his erection at her opening and set about to slowly claim her. An inch in and he was huffing. She was so tight, so much what he wanted. But he had to take this slow, make her enjoy their night together, make her understand that he deserved her trust and her heart the way she had his. But he had to keep his head at all times so he would withdraw before finding completion.

  With all the patience he could muster, he worked his cock in and out of her body as carefully as he could.

  “Walter?”

  Conversation? Thank God for distractions. “Yes, darling?”

  “Isn’t it supposed to hurt more?”

  He studied her face and saw absolute consternation reflected there. As he drew back his hips and eased into her again, he saw no sign of discomfort on her face.

  Walter moved his weight to one arm and increased the pace of their lovemaking. He caught her breast with one hand and pinched the nipple gently. Touching her was heaven. She moved with him, a little awkwardly at first but soon enough her hands clutched at his sides, urging him on to love her with even greater passion.

  Walter encouraged her to twine her legs about his, enjoying the slide of flesh against soft flesh. The added friction increased his desire. He studied her face, noticed her skin glistened, and she was panting along with every thrust too. Walter slid his hand between them and touched her clitoris again. The bud was large and Melanie’s eyes widened as he stroked it firmly. He slowed his pace as her eyes shut and her fingers dug into his arms.

  She stiffened suddenly, her sex fluttering around his cock with a second release.

  A soft wail left her mouth, adding an additional threat to his good intentions.

  He was almost too far gone in passion to hold back. He clenched his jaw as her tremors subsided and he was master of himself again, but he didn’t imagine he could hold back for long.

  When she relaxed, he set both hands to the bed on either side of her shoulders, lifted his body up and put his heart and soul into every thrust.

  Her eyes opened and a tender smile greeted him. A shiver of desire stroked his spine as his release became imminent. He withdrew and turned aside just as his seed spilled from his body onto the bedding. When he was steady again, he gathered her close and groaned against her neck, completely overcome with intense satisfaction from their joining.

  She struggled out from under him suddenly, her breath fast and rough. She put the whole of the bed between them—eyes wide with fear and trembling.

  He waited till her breathing evened out then stretched to caress her cheek. “My Mellie forever. There’s nothing to fear. I only wished to hold you a moment.”

  She slithered back toward him and collapsed on his pillows. “It was too much all of a sudden. I’m so sorry.”

  “I understand, Mellie. Truly I do.” He eased close to her so they shared the same pillow. “Is it better if you hold me?”

  “Yes,” she sighed. “I would enjoy that.”

  He shifted and put his head on her shoulder. He caressed her breast and then let his hand rest on her belly rather than wrap around her. “You can hold me for as long as you like,” he whispered. “And later i
f you want more, you only have to ask for what you need.”

  Her arms tightened about him, and she pressed a kiss to his hair. “I just need you like this, Walter. Just this and you.”

  Seventeen

  As the sun set on Brighton at the end of another day, Melanie paced the parlor in her newest day gown, seething with frustration and troubling confusion. She had been uncommonly alert to every sound since daybreak had stirred the house, but the sound, the man, she’d expected to call on her had never arrived. She stared out the window in consternation.

  Walter was late. Unbelievably late, in fact. She’d expected him to present himself at first light to speak to her brother and propose. She was dying to say yes to him. She loved him and he’d proved himself a man of his word last night.

  She could marry him and not bear him children.

  But she could not have a chance to say yes if he did not come to call in the first place.

  Her sister-in-law eased into the room slowly, arm bound in a sling but dressed to go out. “I have the most extraordinary news.”

  “Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Melanie snapped without thought then winced at how waspish she sounded. Melanie was always calm, always in control of her emotions, except when Walter George featured in her thoughts too heavily. She was annoyed at him for that. “Forgive me.”

  “If I am careful, I feel quite fine. No pain, thanks to the laudanum.” Julia peered into her face and then smirked. “Did you not sleep last night?”

  She had actually slept very well, with Walter in her arms or close by, and the rightness of their lovemaking soothing her senses. Except, she wasn’t now sure last night was so perfect after all. When she considered the matter, it became obvious that at no time had Walter alluded to a desire to actually propose marriage to her. In anyone else she would say that she’d been utterly duped and she was beginning to feel foolish not to have sought that assurance before she’d climbed into his bed.