He nodded to the bedroom. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
* * * * *
Instead of five minutes, he gave her ten. From the expression on her face when he walked into the room, that might have been a mistake. She looked like a cornered wildcat, ready to lash out at the least provocation. Considering the direction his thoughts had taken while waiting for time to pass, he’d probably give her provocation aplenty.
“It’s been longer than five minutes,” she growled from the rocking chair where she sat hunched, a sheet clutched so tight in her hands, her knuckles were white.
“Must be my watch stopped.”
Her chin came up and her back straightened. “Do you even own one?”
“Nope.” He closed the door behind him. A glance at the window revealed the yellow drapes were pulled tight. Three strides brought him to her side. She took a shuddering breath. Pity touched his heart. “You know, if a stranger walked up to me and asked me to drop my pants, I’d be hard put not to put a bullet between his eyes.”
Her smile was feral. “Apparently, we’re alike, Mr. MacIntyre, because, at this moment, I would very much enjoy putting a bullet in you.”
He snagged a finger under the sheet where it touched the bottom of her chin. “I imagine you would.” He tugged gently. She took one deep breath and never let it out. The sheet slowly expanded, sliding off her shoulders. When it pooled around her waist, he ordered, “Breathe.”
“I could hate you for this.”
“I bet you could.” Truth was, she didn’t have much to hate him for. He couldn’t see beyond the frilly bits of material that cupped her breasts, the ruffled lace shuddering against her pale skin as she fought to keep her breathing even. He touched a ridge of what he supposed was her corset. “I thought I told you to get rid of this.”
She glared at him. “You told me to take off my dress so you could see my bruises.”
He smiled at her hair splitting. “So I did.”
He slid his finger under the bit of lace. She stared at a point beyond his shoulder as he pulled it away from her skin. The exposed nipple puckered immediately. It was a very tempting sight. He touched the tip of his finger to the tip of her breast. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“It wouldn’t matter if you did.”
“No. I suppose it wouldn’t.” And that was a hell of a note on which to start his wedding night. He pinched her nipple delicately. Her eyes flew to his and her lips shaped around a soundless “Oh.”
He made a mental note of her sensitivity while his free hand coaxed her lower body closer to his. It was his turn to groan when her soft belly cuddled his cock. The heat of her skin scorched him through his denim. As a result, his grip on her nipple tightened. She jerked in reaction, her body surging against his creating an exquisite friction that had him clenching his teeth. He wanted that nipple in his mouth. Between his teeth. He wanted his cock buried deep in her sweet cunt, relishing her climax as he bit down lightly. He twisted her nipple gently before reluctantly letting her go to tug on the edge of the corset.
“This contraption is going to have to come off.” His voice was a hoarse parody of his normal drawl.
She sucked in another shuddering breath, but didn’t pull away. “Why can’t you take my word for this?”
“I’m not the trusting sort.” And he very badly wanted to see her breasts.
“Just my luck,” she answered sarcastically.
He smiled, regaining his voice. “You married a very thorough man, darlin’.”
He snuggled his finger into the valley between her breasts beneath the corset. A quick tug emphasized his order to stand up. His opinion of his bride went up as she did as he ordered. Were their places switched, he didn’t know if he’d have been capable of such control.
“Let go of the sheet.”
He could tell she tried. He took pity on her. After all, modesty wasn’t a bad quality for a man’s wife to possess.
“Cotton can be a bit mule-tempered, can’t it?”
Instead of soothing her, the softness of his voice set loose her temper.
“Damn you! Stop torturing me.” She threw the sheet to the floor. He only had a second to appreciate the generous curves emphasized by her undergarment before she was muttering, twisting this way and that, yanking on ties he couldn’t see and tossing the corset in this face.
“You wanted the corset? There it is!”
He pulled the stiff garment away from his face. The spot where it had struck above his eye stung. “I guess if you can move like that, you weren’t hurt too bad.”
She stamped her foot, causing her breasts to bounce enticingly. “I believe I already told you that.”