been.
She was a New Yorker, born and bred. Had been raised in Hell’s Kitchen, knew the deal with the Five Points—enough to know that hiding in the fucking wardrobe wasn’t too stupid an idea—and yet, she flushed and blushed and cringed like she was a debutante coming out two hundred years ago.
“Please,” she whispered huskily. “The heat helped some.”
I nodded and maneuvered off the bed. As I did, her eyes drifted over my body. I didn’t preen, but I let her look her fill before I told her, “Don’t move an inch. I’ll know.”
She flared her eyes wide, looking like a cat in headlights. “O-Okay.”
Because I knew she would obey, I just dropped the used cloth on the ground, knowing my maid service would clean up after me. Returning to the bathroom, it took me less than thirty seconds to get another cloth as the water was already piping hot.
When I returned, she was exactly where I’d left her. Legs splayed, her pussy bright pink from my use. Her belly wasn’t firm like a model’s, her hips weren’t as taut, but I didn’t need that. Sure, it was nice to bang. Variety was good for the soul, after all. But what had Paul Newman said?
“Why go out for a burger when you’ve got a steak at home?”
For the first time in my life, I saw the sense in that.
She had hips meant for carrying a child, not that she’d appreciate that particular acknowledgment. But more important than that, they were perfectly ripe for my fists. I could and would, at some point, grab a hold of her there and tug and fuck her how I wanted her. I could bounce my pelvis against her ass without our bones rattling. Her body was soft and padded, perfect for fucking.
I shuddered, knowing she was out for the count tonight, so getting myself riled up wasn’t smart.
I’d been a bastard to her, and I had no doubt I’d be a bastard again—it was in my nature—but I wasn’t about to use her hard on this, her first time with me.
The trouble with this day and age?
Women had a say.
Well, women outside of the life.
Magdalena had come from another Family, one out in Hoboken. The marriage between her and Aidan had been to cement some kind of agreement between two families. There were other daughters that would make smarter choices for wives, and I knew if I asked Aidan, he’d contract one for me.
Because yeah, that was how this world worked.
Contracts.
Arranged marriages.
It was very second world. Very Victorian. But it worked. Women outside of this way of life didn’t understand. Aoife? She did. Maybe she hadn’t learned it like Magdalena had, but she’d learned it from living in the territory.
She was dozing, I realized, when I made it back to her side, and I smirked down at her, ridiculously proud that I’d worn her out. From this angle, her tits were fucking epic. Better than a swimsuit model’s. These weren’t goddamn apples, but fucking melons. Jesus, if I stayed away from them tonight, I deserved a goddamn medal.
I shuddered, forced my gaze away from them, and then carefully placed the cloth over her sore cunt. It was a mixture of pink from exertion, the heat of the washcloth, and her natural coloring down there. I liked seeing it, wanted to see my cum spill from her pussy even more.
Next time, I promised myself.
Next time.
She stirred when I pressed my finger carefully inside her, swirling it gently to try and soothe her inside. When she winced, I retreated, knowing I was trying to help but could be making it worse.
Instead, I left the cloth there and climbed atop her. My cock settled against the fabric, too, separating us, and though she stiffened with me directly above her, she stared up into my eyes with no fear.
She was a bewildering mixture.
Trepidatious, yet also, confident.
It was a concoction I was pleased to decipher.
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
My voice was raspier than I’d intended. When she flinched, I knew she thought I was angry. She dipped her chin and turned her gaze from mine, but I reached up and forced her to look at me.
“I ask because I could have been kinder to you.”
That had her tensing beneath me. “I wouldn’t have changed what happened if you asked me to.”
Her tone was husky, and it sent shivers down my spine. I heard the lilt of home in her words, and it made me need her all the more.
“I