{2022 WATTY SHORTLISTER} {18+ COMPLETED}
England, 1842
Lady Hutton, otherwise known as Penelope Chapman, cares not that her husband has a wandering eye. That is, until he wanders away completely--all the way to the continent with his mistress, wh...
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Penelope woke up next to a very warm and very muscular body pressing into her from behind.
She was naked beneath the sheets; Beckett had thoroughly claimed her last night after they made it back to her bedchamber. Something had possessed him, and she could not be sure what it was...but she was not complaining. He was always spirited in bed, but last night had been entirely different. She ached, her muscles sore in the best of ways.
But despite lying abed naked, Penelope was overheating. She attempted to fling Beckett's arm off her, but he merely tightened his grip around her waist, unrelenting and unwilling to let her escape.
"No," he grumbled before falling silent once more.
He had never been a very expressive man.
Although...that had indeed begun to change. Penelope had been utterly shocked when Beckett had been so...open in front of Griffin. After all his reluctance, she never imagined that he would be willing to act with such affection in front of her brother. Whatever had happened while they were outside?
"If we stay in bed too long, we will be discovered by the maids," she said with a sigh.
Besides being overly warm, Penelope had no strong urge to rise from bed. She reckoned she would be quite content here with Beckett for most of the day. But alas, the morning was upon them.
"They can discover us," Beckett said, uncaring.
Her eyes grew wide. Was this the same man who had staunchly refused her advances for weeks?
Penelope had to giggle at the turnabout. Now he was refusing to leave, was he? She rather enjoyed that, snuggling further into his embrace even though she was nearly sweating from all the huddled body heat.
"Suddenly you do not care?"
"There was only one person whose opinion I cared about, and he now knows." Beckett pulled her hair away from her neck and began kissing it, trailing his lips up the side. "So no, I do not care."
"Did you tell him?" She arched her neck, letting him have every inch of skin he could get his lips on. "Or how did he find out?"
There was no time for talking last night. Beckett had been a man of few words when he brought Penelope to bed and worshiped every inch of her.
"He saw me," Beckett said simply. His tongue licked along the slight trace of a bruise left on her shoulder.
She sucked in, trying to focus. It was challenging, considering how his hands were now dragging up her sides as well.
"He saw you?"
"He saw me looking at you." Beckett's rough palm reached around to cup her breast, his fingers squeezing slightly. He swore beneath his breath as he continued to explore her like it was their first time. "He accused me of ogling."
