Part One
NSFW Warning - Adult Nonsense Ahead
Damian quietly seethed as he glanced around the room. He didn’t like the way other men’s eyes followed the lines of her body. They were longing stares, watching every step she took and fantasizing about all the hidden parts of her. Pathetic fools. He could feel something possessive rise up inside him, like an animal that was threatening to break its chains and claw at any face who looked a moment too long Raven. She made him feel wild and untamed in a way that excited and frightened him.
His thoughts returned to the brandy-soaked kiss they had shared only last week, and he felt his whole body react before he could pin down his own memories. Raven’s back had been pressed against the stacks in her bookshop, eyes wide as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes searched his face, and her delicate fingers slid along the stays of his open shirt, teasing the dip of his throat. He had never felt someone so brazenly touch him like that, like his skin was meant to be worshiped, and he was amazed that he hadn’t ripped her own clothes off just to touch her in return.
Damian took a sip of his drink and tried to pay attention to whatever the hell Drake was talking about - something having to do with business and tea trade in the east Indies. His mind wasn’t in the conversation. Honestly, right now he couldn’t care. All he could focus on was the way the soft fabric of Raven’s dress clung to her curves and-
“You’ve been staring at her like a dog in heat.”
Damian jerked and whipped around to see Drake staring at him, lifting an eyebrow in a blatant tease. Damian finished his drink and muttered a curse under his breath, ignoring the way Drake was quietly laughing at him from behind the rim of his own brandy class. It was one thing to be teased by his brothers, but something about Drake teasing him made the situation so much more embarrassing.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all fall in love at some point.” Drake paused and tilted his head to the side, watching Damian with a smirk. “Admittedly, I never thought you would fall in love. I thought you were doomed to be a bachelor for the rest of your life.”
Damian scoffed. “I’m not in love.”
Oh, that was most certainly a lie. He was very much in love. And, no matter how much he tried to avoid the emotion, or Raven, he knew he was very much in love with her. He just wouldn’t admit that to Drake. Not in a thousand years would he admit that to any one of his brothers. They would never let him live it down.
Damian set his brandy glass down and straightened his jacket, trying to make it look as though he was nonchalant about Drake’s comment. “I’ve had enough of this nonsense with you and the rest of our family. Go tell someone to ready my carriage. I’m returning to town tonight.”
“Are you?”
A soft voice slipped down his spine, and Damian turned to see Raven standing behind him, her dark eyes somehow seeing through every crack in his armor. He glanced down at her and felt like he was going to break apart at how absolutely beautiful she was. Her dress might have been out of fashion for several seasons (the paltry income she made from her bookshop would never afford her anything new), but there was something about the way it clung to her that shook him to the core. He followed the delicate line of her necklace that rested against her breast bone, and tried not to think about all the secrets hidden underneath.
Tried valiantly, and failed spectacularly.
Damian set his jaw and gave a curt nod, trying to keep his face expressionless. “I’ve never been one for parties like this.”
“Would you care to bring me along?” Raven moved toward him, and he caught the scent of some kind of fruity cordial and cinnamon, and it was a dangerous combination. Although Damian felt like anything with her was a dangerous combination. Everything reminded him of that moment last week. Her sharp stare continued over the planes of his face. “I know it’s rude to invite myself, but I should return to my shop soon. I purchased a collection of old books and I need to go through them for resale.”
His eyes narrowed. She was playing a game with him, he could feel it. “At this time of night?”
“Is there a better time?” Raven tilted her head to the side and smirked at him, as if she knew a secret he didn’t. Oh, she was most certainly playing a game with him. “No one will interrupt me and I have plenty of oil for my lamp, if I need it.”
Damian knew better than to engage in a verbal sparring match with her. He’d tried that more than once, and usually lost as often as he’d won. He hated that she could disarm him so easily, and yet he loved it too. She was as sharp with her tongue as she was with her mind, and while that would have easily bothered most men, Damian found it almost exciting. She drove him halfway insane most of the time, but he still found he rather enjoyed it.
He shifted and nodded in agreement, moving towards the exit. “If you want to accompany me back to town, I have no concerns.”
“Thank you. Let me say my good-byes and I’ll meet you out in the foyer.” Raven was gone in a moment, choosing not to give him the opportunity to say no, as Kory followed after her.
Behind him, Drake let out a soft chuckle, and Damian turned to glare. “What?”
“You know it’s nearly an hour’s ride back to town from here.” Drake reached for the decanter of brandy on the sideboard and smirked. “You’re going to be spending all of that time in such a small space. Alone. Together.” Drake grinned as though he knew a secret Damian didn’t. “And the way you’re looking at each other, I highly doubt you’ll be whiling away the time talking about the books she sells in the shop.”
Damian caught the inflection in his voice and he forced himself not to blush, staring blankly into Drake’s face. But, it was too late, his mind was suddenly filled with thoughts of his hands thoroughly tracing her shape though the thick fabric of her clothing, and watching those sharp eyes darken with need and desire. He thought about pushing her skirts up slowly, exposing inch after inch of her pale, creamy skin. Grumbling under his breath, he glared at Drake, who looked unrepentant.
“I am a gentleman.” Damian straightened his jacket and moved through the drawing room to the door leading to the foyer. “I wouldn’t take advantage of someone like that. And certainly not someone who considers the Wayne family as patrons.”
“It wouldn’t be taking advantage if she was an active participant.” Drake took a sip of his brandy and continued to grin. “But that is my humble opinion.”
Damian huffed out another curse and made his way to the main entryway, watching as a footman pulled a deep, indigo cloak over Raven’s shoulders. She lifted her head and gave him a small, almost secretive smile, eyes lighting up. His heart did something unusual in his chest, and Damian felt like the world dissolved around him. There was a whole crowd of people filling the entryway, but he could have sworn that the only people here were him and Raven. His heart thundered wildly in his chest, and Damian took a few shaky steps forward as he closed the space between them.
“Miss Roth. We should be going now.”
“Oh, of course.” She nodded and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, following him out of the hall.
As they stepped into the outside, the wind seemed to pick up speed and a light drizzle of rain fell down over them. Damian glanced down at the top of her head and tried not to think about how her touch burned through his clothing, branding him. It was like she was becoming part of him, just by being this close. Heavens help him, he was an utter mess when it came to her. He swallowed and helped her into the waiting carriage before following after her, shaking the water from his coat.
Raven looked out the window at the front of the manor, and Damian examined her profile for a long moment, until the carriage pulled too far away from the house, drenching her in shadows. Finally she looked back at him and lifted an eyebrow.
“You know how this is going to appear to our friends and your family?” The teasing inflection in her voice wasn’t lost on him. “The two of us escaping into the darkness, taking a single carriage back to town.”
Damian snorted and leaned back into the seat, unable to keep the smirk from pulling at his lips as he looked at the outline of her across from him. “Yet you were the one who invited yourself along. I can only imagine that Drake is telling the entirety of my family of our scandalous trip back to town.” He snorted. “He’s a damn gossip.”
Raven’s laughter eased over him, and without warning, the small space of the carriage seemed almost suffocating. They were too close together, and Damian could feel the heat of her form curl along his skin like whispers of memories from their kiss last week. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to strip himself of his clothes if only so he could feel more of her pressed against him. He took a deep calming breath and wet his lower lip with his tongue.
“I do need to get back to the shop. That isn’t a lie.” Her words were barely a whisper, but he could hear the caution in them, as if she wasn’t entirely confident in what she was saying. Raven leaned forward, looking into his eyes. He felt her hands rest on the seat on either side of his knees, as if to steady herself. “And… perhaps I thought we should discuss what happened last week… without your nosy brothers hanging around.”
Tch. Discussion wasn’t exactly what was on his mind, not when she was so close to him and he was very eager. Damian opened his mouth to say something sensible, to at least get her to put much-needed space between them, but the carriage wheels hit a large stone, and the cabin lurched. Raven tumbled forward, her slight body nearly ending up in his lap. Heat exploded through him, and his arms went around her waist, unsure if he wanted to steady her or pull her closer to him. His breath stuttered in his chest and he waited for her to pull back with an excuse or apology.
But she didn’t.
Raven just sat there, still for a moment before she pushed herself forward even more, angling her face towards his. The carriage continued to jostle, pressing the full length of her against him, and that was… that was not helping.
He heard Raven’s mouth open, her voice a careful reminder of their situation. “We… should talk.”
Once again, talking was not something he wanted to do right now either. He took a deep, ragged breath as his fingers slid from her waist up her spine. He found the buttons of her dress, and fidgeted with them, wondering if he should rip them off. Rip them off. Strip her bare. Lay her out over the small seats of the carriage and- Argh!
Damian ground his teeth together, biting back a growl. He shouldn’t be thinking things like this. Not about Raven, at least. This was his family’s close friend, and someone he respected greatly. She was sharp-witted, smart, clever, and determined, and he needed to treat her like that. Giving into his base desires and taking advantage of her in a damn carriage was not respecting her. If they ever were to make love, he wanted to do it properly - in his bed, far from the rest of the world. Where he could spend all the time in the world pleasuring her.
His hands tightened on her hips, and he moved to set her back on the bench across from him, but Damian found himself unable to move. Something that felt like a spell he couldn’t break was taking root in his veins, and he wasn’t thinking clearly anymore. No, all he could think about was their slow, languid kiss last week, and how he had pulled her skirt up a few inches, just enough to taunt them both. She had tasted of whispers and tea, and he wanted. He wanted her more than he wanted anything in his life.
Damian’s lips twitched and he felt her small hands slide up his chest, pausing over his heart. He looked into the dark shadow of her face and huffed, hoping his tone would force her to behave a little. “Is that what we’re doing, Miss Roth? Talking?” He was ashamed at how low and desperate his voice sounded, but it wouldn’t be much longer before either of them made absolutely terrible decisions.
Raven moved closer to him, her eyes darker than the night around them. “I said we should talk. I didn’t say we were talking.”
The inflection wasn’t lost on him, and before Damian could think of the right response, he felt her soft lips on his own. She tasted of that spiced fruit cordial and darkness, and it made him feel like he was breaking under her. His hands tightened on her waist and he dragged her hard against his chest, feeling her move her skirts out of the way to settle in his lap. Even through the layers of petticoats and undergarments, he could feel her muscles twitch against him. He was too far gone to tell her no. Damian groaned into their kiss, his head suddenly spinning as his resolve disintegrated under her touch. With another curse, he nudged her mouth open tasting every part of her and gasping between kisses as her fingers started to untie his cravat.
The carriage bounced against another rock, and Raven tumbled into his lap even more, the soft flesh of her ass resting against his thighs. His fingers dug into her coiffed hair, spilling cheap gems and hairpins onto the floor. She molded to him, meeting his desperation with one of her own, barely breaking the kiss as she pulled the cravat from around his neck and dropped it next to her. He reached up and flicked several buttons open, exposing her chemise underneath. Honestly. Women’s clothing was a damn riddle sometimes.
She loosened the collar of his own shirt and ran her fingertips along his exposed skin under the fine linen. It was like her touch was fire, and Damian was content to burn under it. He cursed again and pulled away, just enough to catch his breath.
Somewhere inside of him there had to be… something. Something that would keep him from ravishing her as though he was starved. He just had to find it. Damian’s hands covered her own and he tilted his eyes to the shadow of her face. “Miss Roth…”
“Raven.” Her voice was stern, reminding him that she would hold her own against anything he said. Raven’s mouth found his again, stealing another harried kiss as her fingers unfastened a few buttons on his shirt before she pulled away. She nipped at his lower lip and adjusted herself in his lap again. “If we are going to make love in this carriage, I am begging that you call me Raven. You owe me that at least.”
Make love? With Raven?
His thoughts were spinning before he could find a response. Make love. As if this was premeditated. As if she wanted this. Drake’s words buzzed in his head like an annoying insect: it wouldn’t be taking advantage if she was an active participant. Damian’s heart stopped in his chest and he looked up at her as she pushed his waistcoat from his shoulders and leaned closer to him. Her hands stilled suddenly and he could feel her touch trembling, as if she realized she said something she shouldn’t have.
Her eyes swept up to his, and Damian cursed that he couldn’t see them in the darkness. “As long as you don’t… think less of me.”
Think less of her? He jerked back more out of surprise than anything other response. How could he think less of her? His eyes fluttered and he searched her face, still bathed in shadows.
“I’m not… so innocent.” She cleared her throat and looked away.
Oh. A spark of jealousy snapped in his chest before he could quell it. Raven was a grown woman, perfectly capable of indulging in flesh when she so desired. But the thought that she had been intimate with someone else unnerved him, and Damian set his jaw with an audible click. He didn’t want to share her. Not with anyone. He wanted to ruin her for anyone else. He wanted to give her such pleasure that she would keep coming back to him and him alone. The thought of her on his bed, spread out like a sacrifice for himself, made his body roar to life.
“I could never think less of you, Raven.” He dropped his voice as his hands tightened in the folds of her skirt. “Not for knowing precisely what you want. If this is what you want, then let me give it to you.” He began to draw the skirt up the length of her body, exposing trim legs wrapped in the pale white silk of her stockings. The sight was enough to make him curse in his native tongue. He had never wanted the way that he wanted her.
He looked back into her face as he started to push her skirt out of the way, drawing a hand up her leg under the layers of fabric. He felt the lace on her pantalettes, and moved his hand between her thighs, feeling the split in the fabric. Through the linen, he could tell she was wet and eager, and he felt his mouth water. This carriage ride was not going to be nearly enough for him to satiate his hunger. No, Damian knew that he was going to keep returning to her over and over again.
Damian’s fingers slipped through the split in her pantalettes, and he split her wide, circling her swollen clit with a fingertip. Raven arched against his hand, her eyes so wide they practically reflected what little light there was outside. She made the most delicious noise, and he found himself baring his teeth at her. He kissed up her bare throat, growling.
“But know this, Raven… if you ask this of me, I will never be able to share you again.” He slipped two fingers inside her, pumping slowly as his thumb rubbed her clit. “I will never let you court another person. Ever.”
Her eyes opened a half-inch and she looked down into his face as her body tightened around his fingers. Raven’s hands tightened in his hair and she shivered against him, her body riding his fingers as she pressed slow kisses to the corners of his mouth. “That sounds… as though you expect to court me, Mr. Wayne.” Her fingers tightened in his hair again, and she groaned as his thumb pressed harder against her. “You are going to give a spinster the wrong idea.”
He snorted delicately and added a third finger, stretching her wide. Spinster. Hardly. Raven groaned and pulled him closer for a long, slow kiss, each pass of her mouth desperate for him. Damian let himself drown in her, feeling her tense with every push of his fingers. He could hear her gasp, feel her shiver, taste her cries, and he knew she was close. He wanted to watch her break apart and shatter underneath him, and know that he was the one who gave this release to her. He captured her lower lip and sucked on it gently, and Raven’s head fell back against her shoulders.
“Damian…”
The way she said his name almost made him lose his mind right there. He watched her mouth tighten into something almost like pain, before her fingers loosened in her hair, and her whole body sagged against him for just a moment. A single heartbeat passed, and Raven’s back arched as she clenched her teeth to keep from crying out. She looked gorgeous, lost in pleasure and desire, and Damian realized how desperately he wanted to experience this again. With another muttered curse, he pulled her tight against him, his mouth finding her own as he let her ride out her climax on his hand.
He waited until her kisses eased in intensity, and her arms wrapped tight around his shoulders. She pressed her forehead to his shoulder and sighed against his bare neck, her breath tickling his skin. When she stopped twitching against him, Damian removed his fingers somehow resisting the urge to lick them clean. He bet she tasted amazing, and one night he was going to find out.
Swallowing a deep, shuddering breath, he glanced out the open window, taking in the dark landscape. They were halfway back to town, and he could see a few more houses dot into view. The rain was coming down harder now, and Damian was grateful for small miracles. The sound of the rain would block out the sounds both he and Raven had been making. And Damian didn’t know how he would explain to his footman the grunts and groans that had spilled from the cabin of the carriage.
Damian moved to readjust her skirt, hoping to entice her off his lap so he could have a moment to breathe before his soul burst into flames. But Raven didn’t move. Instead she picked up her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes, and Damian was suddenly ready to give her the world if she asked. She looked wild and insatiable, like she wanted to lose herself in him and him alone, and his body reacted without questioning.
“More.” Her voice was low and husky and her hands fell to the buttons on his trousers, touching him through the fabric. Damian groaned as the palm of her hand eased over the hard length of his erection, tracing him with fascination and desire. She pressed another kiss to his lips, her tongue tracing his mouth. “I want more.”
He felt her flick open one button, then another, and then another… over and over until she had fully undone his pants and pulled his cock out. Damian felt her skirt slide along his sensitive flesh and his head fell back against the seat as he twitched. Raven made a curious sound in the back of her throat as she examined him, fascinated with his cock as though she had never seen one before. Her fingertips traced the length of him, swirled around his head, traveled back down, all before she wrapped her palm around him and pumped.
“I wonder how you would feel inside me.” Her voice was like a feather trying to arouse his common sense, but Damian was too far gone. He’d lost his mind to a haze of need, and he was happy to let her use him for her own pleasure. Whatever she needed or wanted, he would give it to her without question. “But… more than that…”
Mm?
Damian nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt her tongue swirl over the dripping head of his cock. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from cursing loud enough to bring questions from his footmen, and watched as Raven settled on the small floor between his spread legs. Her skirt fanned out around her creating a halo as she looked up at him from the small space. Raven’s mouth was now swallowing as much of him as she could take. He groaned and dug his heels into the floor to keep himself from thrusting into her mouth.
Heaven help him, he was going to lose his damn mind tonight. Damian stared down at her, watching her expression as she continued to devour him, and he let himself enjoy the sight for just a few moments. The neckline of her dress had slid down to expose the tops of her breasts, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wild, and every part of her looked deliciously wanton. He could happily enjoy this sight for the rest of his life. Damian watched with curiosity as her free hand disappeared under the fall of her skirt, and he realized that she was touching herself while pleasuring him.
He nearly shattered at that thought.
Damian cursed, and without thinking, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and dragged her up to the seat. Raven’s hands went around his neck, and her knees rested against his hips. He stole another heavy, heady kiss as he moved her skirts out of the way, searching for the split in her pantalettes.
“I am going to take advantage of you, habibti.” The endearment fell from his tongue before he could question it, but if Raven knew what it meant, she didn’t say anything at all. Gods. Is this what she was doing to him? Making him lose complete control? Tch. He should know better, but it was too late now. If this was how he died, then at least he was going to enjoy it.
He stole another kiss from her, teeth sinking into her lower lip as he continued to pull her skirt out of the way. “You should tell me to stop.”
“I won’t. I won’t tell you to stop.” She cupped his face and leaned over him, adjusting her knees so that her body rested just over the head of his cock. Her tongue lapped at his lower lip and she pulled away a scant inch to look into his eyes. “And you’re not taking advantage of me if I want it, Damian.” She sunk down on his erection and her head fell back against her shoulder as she shuddered. “And I want it.”
Damian growled and yanked her hips down, spearing her on his cock. She let go of a short, strangled cry and fell against his chest, shivering as she buried her mouth in the crook of his neck. Gods. She felt amazing. Tight and hot and welcoming all at once. His mouth kissed along her shoulder, and waited until he felt her hips move. She lifted herself up and back down. Up and down. Over and over and over, each movement more bold than the last, and Raven was gasping into his chest, frantic.
“My lord.”
Oh, that was a dangerous way to address him. Damian groaned and slipped his hand under the yards of fabric of her skirt and found where their bodies met. She was a mess, wet and dripping all over his clothes, but he was no better off. He practically ripped her pantalettes open and found her clit, rubbing his thumb over it. Raven’s movements grew even wilder, and her fingers buried in his hair as she found his mouth in a harsh, demanding kiss.
“I need-”
“I know.” He nipped at her lower lip, his thumb pressing harder against her clit. “I am here for you.”
Raven’s body twitched and she gave a few harsh thrusts along the length of him before she was tumbling over the edge. Damian watched her, fascinated by the sight. She looked beautiful, her eyes wild and her mouth open in a silent scream. Her fingers clawed down his chest, leaving red marks he would wear with pride, as she let herself fall into oblivion.
He wanted to follow after her, to spend himself inside her, but he knew better. He didn’t want a scandal on his hands. Damian groaned and he wrapped his hand around the base of his cock, squeezing so tightly that he managed to stave off his orgasm. He waited until Raven had finished coming before he slid from her body, and finished himself off with his hand, spilling into the folds of her petticoats. It was somewhat unsatisfying, but a temporary solution. He’d come inside her when they were properly married.
When they were married? Where had that thought come from?
Damian shook his head and watched as Raven crawled from his body, falling back against the seat behind her. She took a few shuddering breaths and stared up at the ceiling, her expression somewhere between elated and wistful, but ultimately content.
“I don’t think I was prepared for that.”
Damian snorted and started rebuttoning his shirt and waistcoat. “That makes two of us.”
He glanced at her again, taking in her swollen lips and flushed cheeks, and knowing she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Raven met his stare with a small, coy smile before she sat up, picking up the pins he had scattered on the floor before. He watched her movements with a sinking feeling in his heart. That they would be arriving at her small shop first. He would help her out of the carriage, help her to the door, and they would say goodnight. And then… she would leave.
But… he didn’t want her to leave. He wanted to stay with her. All night, if possible.
“Stay with me tonight. At my townhouse.” Damian looked at her with a hopeful expression. “At least for tonight.”
Raven’s fingers paused in her hair and she looked at him, her coy smile turning playful. “And do what, my lord?”
He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against her own, stealing another kiss. He nudged her mouth open and swept his tongue inside, tasting her. Raven groaned, and her hands tightened in the front of his waist coat, trying to pull him close. Damian released her mouth with a smile, his tongue sliding against her lower lip.
“Allow me to return the favor, habibti.”
