The Kissing Bough (7 page)

Percy placed a hand on one ankle and lifted her foot, relieving her of her shoe. He kissed her toes first, making her giggle, then her ankle and shin as he made his way up her leg to where her garter still held her stockings in place. One of his favourite things was the stretch of skin between the top of a lady’s stocking and her bush. He kissed her there, slowly making his way up her thigh, until it was quite obvious where he was headed. She shivered when he finally licked along her split, and her breathing became sharp, but she opened for him.

Her perfume filled his nostrils, as he roused her with his tongue, paying special attention to her sensitive little nubbin that grew hard and peeped out at him eager for attention.

Percy couldn’t get enough of her taste. She was so sweet and delicious, and warm and giving. She wriggled her hips and pushed herself against him, eager for more of everything he offered. Her legs quivered as he coaxed her toward her first peak. And this was her first. He silently thanked Will a thousand times for allowing him this privilege.

They’d definitely made the right choice. Viola was absolutely the right woman for them: responsive, giving and sweet as an angel.

She was close now. He could feel it. She was going to come apart.

Chapter Nine

Viola had never imagined. She understood that animals mated, and that humans joined together too, but she’d no idea it would feel anything like this, nor had any notion that a man might use his tongue in this fashion. It seemed so rude. Hell, it
was
rude. It made her blush all over, exactly as William had claimed he wished to see her. He was exploring every inch of her blush now. Pressing kisses to her skin, teasing her with his caresses until she was almost overloaded with glee, but the true pleasure came from what Percy was doing. That—it dashed her thoughts to pieces. It made her want to writhe and twist, and squeal and yell. It made her feel heavy and achy, and caused her muscles to clench and set every inch of her skin alive. It felt as though something was building up inside her, something that might at any moment shatter and cause her to fragment into a thousand pieces.

She thought she was going to die from the bliss of it when he finally tipped her over into climax. Viola cried out as she lost herself for a moment it some cloud of ecstasy. When she came to again, both men were holding her tight. She blinked at them and their serious faces, and then lapsed into the broadest of smiles. “Again, please,” she mouthed, making them both laugh.

“I think we owe Percy some attention first,” William said, cuddling her against his fiery warmth. “Take your clothes off, Percy. It’s time she learned what a beast you really are.”

Percy tugged his shirt off over his head and cast it aside. His breeches immediately followed, leaving him just as naked as Will. Except, he wasn’t quite like Will. Will was hairless and smooth, his skin like porcelain. Will had dark hair on his legs and arms. A diamond of it covered his upper chest, and from that a line led down toward his groin. He looked animal, and masculine. Her mouth turned dry.

“Fantastic, isn’t he?” Will whispered.

She could only nod, as Percy climbed onto the bed beside them. He stayed upright on his knees, leaving them both head level with his, “cock” Will informed her. He wasn’t as long as Will, but he was thicker. She watched as the little eye at the tip wept beads of fluid.

“Go ahead, taste him,” William whispered into her ear. “Open your mouth and let him slide inside, or else I’m going to deprive you of that prize.”

“Show me,” she whispered back. She wanted to see that, as much as she wanted to do it. William obediently opened his mouth, and let Percy thrust into him. She could see his throat working. She watched Percy’s hands fist within Will’s hair, and the flick of Will’s tongue over that little weeping eye as Percy pulled away again.

“Now you,” Will prompted. He gathered her into his lap and held her as she tasted his lover’s prick. Percy whimpered as she kissed down the length of him and then back up to the tip of him. She didn’t try to take all of him as Will had done, but sucked only the tip instead, using her hands to hold him steady.

Shivers ran though his body. “Can’t…can’t hold it,” he panted. “Want it too much.”

“Yeah,” sighed Will, taking another turn at sucking him, before releasing him again into her hands.

“You taste so musky and rich,” she said, then licked across the head of his shaft.

“Oh, God!” he cried. “That’s it. Here it comes.” A sudden jet of fluid filled her mouth. Reactively, she swallowed, as she felt him buck. He held onto her tight until his spasms abated, then he sagged against her and laved messy kisses across her mouth. “I didn’t mean for it to be such a surprise. Sorry about that.”

“It’s all right. It was a nice sort of surprise.”

“God, you’re sweet.” He mussed her hair.

“Ahem!” Will coughed. She turned and saw that his cock was still standing proud, whereas Percy’s had lost its vigour.

“Do you want me to suck you too?” she asked.

Will shook his head. “I’ve something else in mind.” He rolled onto his back. “Come and sit astride me.”

Given the way he wrapped his hand around the base of his cock so it stood perfectly upright; there was no mistaking where he meant her to sit. “Shouldn’t we wait until our wedding night?”

“Only if you mean to kill me. I need you, Viola. I need to be inside of you. I need to absolutely make you mine.”

Thank heavens. She didn’t know what she’d have done if he’d agreed that it might be best if they waited. She wanted to be theirs and to understand what part of this equation was still missing. Tentatively, she straddled him, lining herself over his rampant cock. “That’s right,” he encouraged. “Now slowly, sink down onto me. That’s it.” He guided his cock between the lips of her quim. “Slowly. There’s no rush.”

Other than she felt her limbs would give way from the excitement of it.

It felt so strange. Tight, even though she was slippery with need and her body wanted him. Lord, all of her wanted him.

“Let me help.” Percy was suddenly behind her, his warmth moulded to her back, and his fingers there, spreading her lips, guiding Will right into the heart of her. “Relax. I know he’s huge, but you can take him, all of him and more. Press down a little. That’s right. Up and down, just like that. Just a little bit more every time.” She felt a sharp pain then Will was right inside her all at once, moving, rocking her, and filling her up.

“I’m not hurting you, am I?”

“No,” she said, catching her breath. “No, it’s good. It’s…” There weren’t really words, particularly not when Percy shifted his focus and began to rub her sensitive nubbin while Will continued to fill her.

The same soaring tension she’d experienced earlier began to build inside her belly. She knew now it would grow, spread through her fingers and toes, tickle all across her scalp until it possessed her completely, just as surely as William was possessing her now, and how she knew in time they would both possess her together.

“More,” she groaned a few moments later, realising she wanted him to speed up, even though her heart was already racing and she sounded completely breathless.

“You’ll have no complaints from me about that. Ride as hard and fast as you like.”

Yes of course, she was astride him. She leaned forward, clinging to him as she ground her hips, and he met her thrust for glorious thrust. The change in angle not only improved things, it made her wetter, hotter…Oh God! She was there again, shattering all to pieces while he still plunged into her.

She felt him come, felt the pulse of his cock while she was still clawing her senses back together, and the wetness of his seed filling her. She heard his cries and the way he moaned as he said her name. “My precious treasure,” he called her. “My sweet love.”

She was his. His and Percy’s or at least she was going to be. She’d made her mind up. A kind man wasn’t enough. Not when she could have two wicked men instead.

Percy was hard again by the time Will pulled out. He pushed into her, taking her from behind until he spent again. Then the three of them cuddled up tight, their heads all in a line upon the pillows, with one man on either side of her.

“I had no idea,” she admitted. “If I had there would never have been any doubt in my mind. I know what I want now.” She wanted this, wanted both of them, and to hell with convention and the potential backlash. Being loved by them would make it worth it. “The answer is yes. Yes, I will be your wife, Lord Ricborough—Will. And I’ll gladly welcome Percy into our bed and between my thighs.”

“Do you hear that Percy? She agrees.”

Their lover only grunted. He was already sleeping soundly.

Will dropped a kiss upon her nose. “Stay here for the rest of the night, so that we can see you when we wake.”

“If I do that, there’ll be no hiding what we’ve done.”

“I don’t want to hide it. I want to scream it out loud to everyone, so that they know that you are ours.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “I’ll always be that.”

Epilogue

“What do you have to say for yourself, sir?” her father demanded of William the following morning. Aunt Clara had eventually realised that she was missing from her room when she hadn’t risen when called. It’d taken her no time at all to decipher where she’d gone, and to gather her father so that they might storm the room.

Poor Percy had been obliged to hide on the balcony so as not to cause too great a storm, while they were both marched down to the study.

“I should have you expelled from this house immediately. You bed my own daughter, in my own house, and at Christmas no less. It’s not done, sir. It’s not lordly. It’s not right.”

William failed to look contrite. “What I have to say is this—May I please wed your daughter.”

“What?” Mr. Marsh huffed and spluttered, his face turning even redder than hers. She guessed he’d assumed Lord Ricborough to be an irredeemable cad. “Marry her? Well yes,” he blustered. “I damned well think you better had, and soon too.”

“I’d be happy for the vicar to read the first banns today,” William remarked amiably.

“Good,” her father said. “Good.” She’d never seen him quite so lost for words.

“May I please join with the family and guests for breakfast?” Viola asked him. Strictly speaking, she was not invited to mix, but was supposed to return to her quiet life in the nursery on Christmas Day.

“I rather think you had better. It seems I’ve an announcement to make. You’d best go and make yourself presentable somehow.”

Aunt Clara tugged her away. “Leave them to work out the details. Let us go and find you something decent to wear. Perhaps the yellow and blue sprigged muslin could be made presentable. We’ll have to send for some dresses to be made and order stockings and shifts and all manner of new things. If you’re to be a lady, you’ll have to be well turned out.”

“Of course, Aunt,” she agreed, though she didn’t think Will would mind what her clothes looked like, as long as they were easily unfastened.

Percy stood poised at the bottom of the staircase. He met them in the centre of the hallway, shot her a questioning glance and beamed in response to her nod. “I hear that congratulations are in order, Miss Marsh. It seems were about to be cousins.”

“That’s right,” she agreed.

Aunt Clara tutted.

Percy stepped forward a pace, so that he was only an inch or two away from her. “Then allow me to be the first to offer you room in our heats as one of our family.” Then raising a sprig of mistletoe above her head, he kissed her. “I know you’ll make William the most splendid wife.”

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