The Dragon's Bride by Jo Beverley Read Free Book Online

affection, his boyish adoration, had been essentially pure, but his body had been young, healthy, and lusty.
    Mel Clyst had given one blunt order—no more nighttime meetings. Without a word of threat, Con had known that he, and probably Susan, would suffer sharply if they disobeyed.
    So they had met in the afternoon the next day, in Irish Cove, a mile or more along the coast from both the fishing village and Crag Wyvern. It was not easily reached, since an old road there had been cut off by a landslip, and the way down to the beach was steep and treacherous. A smuggler’s path, Susan told him, intended to be difficult. They’d scrambled down in search of privacy, aware now of being observed.
    They hadn’t been planning anything.
    At least, he hadn’t been.
    They’d shared their grievance about interfering adults who didn’t understand a friendship, and laughed at the suspicions.
    Then they’d kissed to test it out, to prove that it wasn’t…
    Except that it was.
    He had kissed a girl or two before. It had been mildly intriguing, but not something he particularly wanted to do again.
    When he’d kissed Susan, it had been different. He closed his eyes now and could almost feel it again, taste it again, that soft, uncertain innocence that had left him hot and breathless.
    He could still smell her—something subtle and flowery over the heat of her body in the sun. He could relive the hesitancy, the growing enthusiasm, the absorption. Then the breaking apart in shock, fear—and intense, burning speculation.
    He’d had an erection. Astonishing, alarming, demanding. He’d had many erections before, but never one with such direct and present purpose.
    She knew. She looked at his breeches and smiled, blushing. He was fiery-faced too.
    “Cold water will cure that, they say,” she said, and stood to strip off her dress. She hadn’t even been wearing a corset on her firm, lightly curved body, only a shift, stockings, and shoes. She’d shed shoes and stockings, then said, “Come on!” and run down into the water.
    Slim, lanky, but oh, so feminine in those subtle curves hinted at beneath her sturdy shift.
    They were in view of anyone on the clifftop! But the road there went nowhere, so unless they were being closely watched, no one would pass by to see by accident.
    If they were being watched he’d be married or dead come morning. Susan would likely receive the whipping of her life. Even so, he fought out of entangling clothes down to his breeches and ran to join her in the cool water.
    Since she hadn’t hesitated, he didn’t, and plunged in to swim. She could swim too, better than he could, and they swirled back and forth in the salt water, her shift molded to her body now. It was a kind of dance, but as with other dances, awareness swam with them, heightened by brushing touch and glimpse of shape. Knowledge sat deep in eyes that rarely parted.
    Then she stood, water lapping at her small, high breasts, hiding then revealing her nipples beneath opaque cloth. He couldn’t stop looking at those flickering buds.
    “You can touch them if you want,” she said.
    And he did, after one frantic glance at the deserted headland. He was dead—dead—if Captain Drake found out he’d touched his daughter’s breasts.
    Death seemed worth it.
    Her breasts were cold from the water, and rough with the covering of cloth, but soft and firm, and sweetly unlike any part of his own body. They were womanly mystery in form, and he kissed them by instinct alone, wishing desperately that he were brave enough to uncover them, to feel silky warm skin instead of rough, cold cotton—
    A squawk jerked him out of the past.
    A red-faced maid stood in his doorway, a huge jug clutched to her chest. “I knocked, milord! Mrs. Kerslake said you were up—” She bit her lip, going puce at what she’d said.
    He was stark naked and didn’t need to look to know he had a full erection.
    They both stood frozen for a moment. Then the maid scuttled over to his washstand, eyes averted, then