The Bad Widow Read online

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  The Bad Widow

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  The Bad Widow Copyright © 2009 Barbara Elsborg

  Edited by Sue-Ellen Gower

  Cover art by Syneca

  Electronic book Publication July 2009

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

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  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  The Bad Widow

  Barbara Elsborg

  Chapter One

  Rose cursed when she saw the two men walking toward her through skeins of early morning mist. Silas Smith, the pastor’s son and Henry Potter. Spotty young men with too many rampaging hormones, and Puritan fanatics for parents. Double trouble. She’d been careless to be caught out here alone. She watched Henry’s gaze sweep over the surrounding forest and return to rest on her. He had a nasty glint in his eye and a lascivious twist to his mouth. Shit.

  Silas smiled to reveal stained, crooked teeth. “Good morrow, Widow Thorne.”

  Well, it had been up until now, Rose thought. She’d had a lovely morning finding every one of the plants she’d been seeking, plus a cache of field mushrooms to fry when she got home.

  “What’s in the basket?” asked Silas.

  He moved his podgy frame to one side of her and boney Henry took the other.

  “My breakfast.”

  The men circled, staring at her, hands reaching toward her body though they didn’t touch.

  “We’ve not had breakfast yet,” said Silas. “We’ve been out looking for goodwife Mary Pym.”

  “Why? Are you going to eat her?” Rose asked.

  Henry narrowed his eyes, the joke bypassing his brain cell. “Maybe you know something about her disappearance. We’ll go back to your cottage and discuss it.”

  “No.”

  Silas grabbed the basket and Henry grasped her wrist, digging in his nails.

  “No meaning yes?” Henry snarled.

  The mist thickened around them. Rose chewed her lip and considered conjuring a large snake from the basket, one that would bite Henry and then squeeze Silas until he popped. Maybe that was unfair to the snake. It would also seal her fate. Rose had heard the rumors circulating even before Mary Pym’s ridiculous accusation and knew it was time to move on. Past time.

  She puffed out a breath. She’d hoped this village might be the place but the men of Eastchester had been a huge disappointment, just like the men in the last twelve settlements. Silas put out his tongue, waggled it up and down and cupped his balls. Oh lovely. She’d leave today.

  “I’ve got something to show you.” Silas thrust his hips against her thigh as Henry kept her in place.

  Rose felt the hard ridges of their cocks pressing against her.

  “Sorry, I don’t work with inferior material, boys.”

  Maybe she didn’t need the snake. Silas’ face turned beet red. He looked as if he were about to explode. Henry trembled with fury.

  “You fucking cunt,” Silas said with a growl. “You’ll pay for that.”

  He knocked her off her feet and raised his fist. No, you’ll pay. Rose opened her mouth but the blow never landed. Silas wailed as his arm was wrenched behind his back. Henry moved to help him and crashed to the ground. The mist cleared and Rose looked up into the most mesmerizing face she’d ever seen. Sensual lips curved into the hint of a dangerous smile. Strong, straight nose. Green eyes the color of new holly leaves. Black shaggy hair.

  Almost before she had time to lick her lips, the dark-haired stranger had pummeled both men into submission. The pair rolled on the ground clutching their groins. Rose’s gaze slipped down her rescuer’s lean, muscled body. The bulge in his pants didn’t look like inferior material.

  “Who are you? Where did you come from?”

  He looked over his shoulder, then turned to smile at her.

  She scrambled to her feet. “Thank you for dealing with the vermin. The least I can offer you is breakfast.”

  He whistled and a horse stepped out of the mist. Once her savior sat astride, he reached for Rose’s hand. A moment later she perched in front of him, clutching her basket.

  “What’s your name?” When he didn’t answer, she turned. “Can’t you speak?”

  He shook his head.

  “Mouth the word.” Rose watched his lips. “Will?”

  He smiled and nodded.

  Strong arms wrapped around her and she settled back against his broad chest, enjoying the feel of his erection rubbing along the cleft of her bottom as the horse walked on in jerky steps. How quickly life changed. A good-looking guy. A great body. A cock she just knew would be fantastic and he couldn’t ruin things by saying something stupid. Could life get any better?

  Yes, it could. The moment he’d kicked the door of her one room-cottage closed, Will ripped her frumpy dress from the neck to the waist. She was so sick of wimpy men asking Is it permissible to touch your bosom? Can I lick your nipple? Where’s your love button? At last, a man who knew what he wanted and took it. More sounds of material tearing and Rose stood naked in front of him. He twirled a strand of her long, white-blonde hair between two fingers and she heard his breathy gulp, saw the way his pupils darkened and his nostrils flared, and wished for a moment he could speak.

  Then she forgot everything because in the time it took her to blink, he was naked too, all solid planes and rounded muscles, long lean legs and narrow hips. Rose’s mouth felt as though she’d inhaled sand. His long, thick cock reared up from a nest of wiry, black curls like some eager beast, anchored by heavy, dark balls. His swollen cockhead shone with pre-cum making her mouth water in excited anticipation. A pearl of moisture blossomed at the slit, growing so fast it broke over the crest and trickled down the length of his shaft. An echoing spurt of moisture erupted from Rose and wet the top of her thighs.

  The wispy contact of Will’s hand sliding down the side of her body made the breath catch in her throat. When his fingers trailed over her belly and paused at her hairless mound before slipping between her legs, a whimper escaped. Rose’s knees shook. She clamped them together and trapped his hand. The sound he made, a low growl of raw need, sent Rose racing toward the edge of the cliff. He pushed her thighs apart and thrust two fingers inside her and she plunged over the sheer drop, coming hard, muscles clenching, pleasure bursting from every pore. Her head spun. Where had this man come from? Will o’ the mist? How could she persuade him to never leave her?

  Rose took a ragged breath before she spoke. “More.”

  Will grinned and lifted his hand to his lips, licking then sucking each finger in turn. Rose sighed and he caught the back of her neck, lowering his face to hers, his breath brushin
g her lips in a tantalizing tease before their mouths fused.

  Rose was lost. Gone. Swept away faster than a husk of wheat in a millrace. His tongue slid alongside hers, tangling and playing as he explored every part of her mouth. He tasted sweet, of the woods, flowers, mist, something…else but as Rose reached for recognition, he deepened the kiss and her mind fogged with lust. She was bewitched. All she could think about was Will. Inside her. Fucking her. Making her come and come and come until she screamed. His hands roamed her back, pulling her close, trailing down her spine, cupping her ass, rocking her hips into his. One finger pressed into the crease of her bottom and slid down the dark path to the hot junction between her thighs, silky slick with her cream. He pushed forward to her clit, rubbed with the right amount of pressure, circled and pressed as Rose quivered against him. Her vision blurred as though the room had filled with smoke. It felt as though he had fingers everywhere—delving into her cunt, massaging her clit, pressing against the puckered ring of her anus as well as her back, her legs, her arms. Impossible. Rose groaned into his mouth. He caught the sound and let out a choked laugh. Her hands explored smooth skin, hard flesh and his body grew fiery under her touch, his cock swelling and throbbing against her stomach.

  Clutching her hips, Will edged her back until her legs hit the bed, then he lowered her gently, still kissing her, feeding her the heat from his mouth until she burned to the point of combustion. Rose’s inner muscles clenched around his fingers as he dipped and twisted them in and out of her slick channel. Will licked and nipped a wet path to her breast. His lips and teeth teased one nipple, his fingertips massaged the second while his other hand wound her to a frenzy, stretching her, stealing her control, winding her to destruction.

  Awash in sensation, Rose clutched Will’s arms and her back arched in need. Tremors seized her body, rippling from her core, sending ribbons of fire fluttering down her veins.

  “More,” she gasped.

  He bit down on one nipple, pinched the other, scissored his knuckles inside her and Rose came again, the world turning black for a moment in a hiatus of unfathomable delight before she unraveled in shuddering ecstasy. Ooh, he’s good.

  “Will, Will, Will.” She gasped his name over and over until the blurriness vanished from her eyes and she could see his upturned mouth.

  He soothed her brow, blew whispery breaths along her collarbone and Rose’s heartbeat calmed. Then Will slid down to bury his face between her legs and her pulse jumped back onto a galloping horse. He pushed her thighs over his shoulders and tucked his hands under her backside, opening her to him. The heated look in his eyes when he raised his head, the way his Adam’s apple rose and fell meant she could deny him nothing. He’d put her pleasure first and no man had ever done that.

  Will trailed his tongue along her swollen outer lips, sucking, lapping, kissing, and the increased ache in her womb dragged a series of louder and louder groans from her throat. The contractions began again, tiny tightening clasps that grew in intensity with every twisting swirl of his tongue, each panted breath, the rasp of his chin and the gentle nip of his teeth.

  Her bones melted, stars burst in her head and she let out a sob. He had power over her. The first male she’d found who’d made her want with such desperation. Will had given her a taste of his strength and Rose both feared and desired him in equal measures. He was perhaps the most dangerous man she’d ever met because he meant her no harm, only pleasure. What would she give up to have him forever?

  Rose shook the fog from her head. She could give him pleasure too, make him hers—but because he wanted to be, not through any trickery. She was already his, he just didn’t yet know it. She rolled Will onto his back and dropped off the bed to kneel on the floor, tugging him until his backside reached the edge of the mattress. Rose gazed at his straining cock, licked her lips at the sight of the thick purple veins that ran down its length and the glistening, velvety tip that invited her to taste.

  His balls looked hard as stone, drawn up tight at the base of his cock, ready to burst with joy. One fingertip stroke along a bulging vein and his noisy intake of breath made her jump. Why couldn’t he speak? He leaned on his elbows, staring at her. For a moment his pupils didn’t look perfectly round. They reminded her of…Rose sighed…of something, but another glance and she decided she’d been mistaken. More interesting things to investigate.

  One lick, base to tip, and Will growled, his fingers tightening in her hair, pulling her closer. Rose circled her tongue around the sensitive tip, dipping into the slender slit, drawing out a salty jewel of pre-cum. His thighs clenched around her. Rose shouldered them apart and kissed, licked, lapped her way to his balls. She took them in her mouth, separated them with her tongue and sucked gently.

  When she raised her head to look at him, the intense pleasure on his face returned some of her power. He was as much hers as she was his. She released his sac with a sweet kiss. Using one hand to caress his angular hip bone, she wrapped the other around his root, drawing up the length of his cock, twisting as she sucked at the head until he trembled and gasped beneath her.

  Rose closed her mouth over him, pressed down and swallowed until his cock bumped the back of her throat. Using her saliva and his juice as lubricant, she sucked him down, deep swallows and shallow pulses, hard lips and soft mouth, twisting pulls and straight sucks until he bucked beneath her. His fingers stroked her throat, tracing the movement of his shaft beneath her skin until suddenly Rose found herself propelled onto her back. Will loomed over her, wide-eyed and panting, shaking his head in warning.

  A nudge at her soaked folds and he slid his cock into her with a throaty groan, circling his hips, stretching her carefully. Rose gasped as her muscles contracted around him, dragged him deeper. He felt perfect. Will flexed his hips, pulling out until only his tip remained in her, then sliding back to bury his length inside her. Rose watched his face, saw him struggle to maintain his control as he moved into her with both long and slow pulses, saw the exact second he lost himself as his hips thrust forward and he sank his entire length inside her until his balls slapped her flesh. His face tightened, his breathing grew ragged and his green eyes darkened.

  “More,” she gasped.

  Will gave a choked laugh and used his whole body to fuck her in stronger and stronger movements until he was pounding her into the bed.

  “Deeper, harder, faster.” Rose wrapped her hands around his upper arms, her legs around his hips and thrust up into his down stroke. He increased the tempo, powering into her in an impossible lightning-fast action, the burning friction so exquisite Rose screamed her delight. When Will changed the angle of his penetration, twisting his cock at the deepest point so he pressed further inside her, deeper than any had been before, Rose looked straight into his eyes and saw stars explode.

  She couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. He dragged her to oblivion and back, pulled a climax from every cell of her body. The muscles of her cunt contracted powerfully around his cock, he stiffened above her, and they fell to pieces together. She came with such force, she shook with the intensity, her back arching to meet Will’s chest as he jetted hot seed into her. Rose felt every spurt, wanted no other woman to take this from her, and when he buried his face in the dip between her shoulder and neck, something that had been a long time broken, mended inside her. He’d made her belong. Wrapped in his arms, Rose knew her life would never be the same again.

  Chapter Two

  Will had heard them coming before her, which amazed Rose. Even in post-coital bliss she should have detected the menace. Mist clouded her vision and she blinked it clear. Will’s face tightened and his gaze sharpened. Rose sighed. No matter how dangerous he looked, he couldn’t save her. There was a painful irony that for so many years she’d hoped for someone to do just that, but now that was the last thing she wanted. Will would die if he tried. Instead she had to save him by giving him up.

  “You have to leave right now,” she said.

  Rose grabbed
a robe as he pulled on his pants. The noise of the approaching mob grew louder. Flickering lights shone through the windows. Rose tied the belt around her waist and gathered up the rest of his clothes.

  “There’s a tunnel.” She kicked aside the rug and lifted a trapdoor.

  Will took her hand, tugged at it.

  “No.” Rose shook her head. “Not me. Just you. They’ll find the tunnel if we both escape.”

  “Kill the witch. Burn the witch. Kill the witch.” The chants were quite clear.

  Will gave a frantic glance toward the door.

  Rose winced. Burn the witch? Oh damn, anything but burning. She could see Will wasn’t going to move. He’d get himself killed.

  “Look, everything will be fine if you do as I say. Use the tunnel. Escape. Don’t worry about me. Remember the place where we met? I’ll see you there tomorrow night.”

  “Burn the witch. Rip her apart. Pull out her tongue.”

  Ouch. Rose hoped they didn’t. She squeezed Will’s hand. “Trust me,” she said, and kicking hard at the back of his knees, she pushed him down the hole. Rose dropped the trapdoor back in place and arranged the rug and a rocking chair over the top. She sat in the chair and took a shaky breath. The chair wobbled beneath her as Will pushed up on the floorboards and grunted.

  “Will, don’t,” she said. “Run.”

  The latch on the door lifted and Rose muttered a few words under her breath. The chair slammed back into place and she heard a faint croak. She sighed with relief.

  Villagers burst into the one-roomed cottage. At the head was Silas’ mother, Betty Smith.

  “Witch!” she shrieked. “She’s possessed my son. She fills his head day and night.”

  “And my son,” added Joshua Potter. “She threatened to turn him into a toad.”

  “He already is a toad,” Rose muttered.