Otto felt as if a vise was closing around him. A vise formed from the reputation built for him by Lord Ulric. A reputation that helped ensure prosperity for Darkmoor, but at what cost? Was he a man or a mere fighting machine?
“Everything I do is for the good of Darkmoor,” he said, unsure why he felt the need to speak so forcefully.
But Ariana surprised him by laying one of her cool hands over his. “I know,” she said.
The fact of her reaching out to him took his breath away. When was the last time anyone had shown him such spontaneous affection?
“You do?”
“I have seen another side to you,” she said simply.
He thought to make some quip about keeping such insights to herself, but the words dried on his tongue when a sudden breeze brought a waft of clean, citrussy scent from Ariana’s hair. He closed his eyes and inhaled, twisting his hand so their fingers entwined. When she didn’t pull away, he leaned in closer, so their sides were touching. A frisson passed through her. Fear, or mayhap just awareness. But he cautioned himself to move slowly.
“You bring that other side out in me,” he told her, surprising himself with his truthfulness.
She tilted her face upwards, her beautiful eyes just inches from his, and for a long moment they gazed at one another. Then, as if moving of one accord, they closed the gap between them and kissed.
As much as he longed to claim her mouth with his own, Otto made sure he stayed soft and gentle. But he couldn’t resist twining a hand through her hair and pulling her head closer to him. She gave a low moan which seemed to uncork something inside him, and he encircled his arms around her, delighting in the softness of her curves. She positioned her hands on either side of his face, responding to his kiss with renewed urgency and releasing a current of desire which bolted straight to his core.
“Ariana,” he whispered, pulling away before he lost control and ravished her by the river.
Her cheeks flushed pink. “Don’t stop,” she said, so quietly he wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. But when she moved against him and tentatively placed her palms against the hardness of his chest, her meaning was clear.
“Lay back,” he told her, his voice coming out in a rasp, as he gently lowered her to the blanket. Her green eyes locked onto his, following his every move. He kissed her cheeks, dropping butterfly kisses onto the side of her mouth, and then moved down to her neck. He deliberately kept his hands away from her body, but when she traced her fingers in a line from his chest to his navel, he was undone.
With a groan of pleasure, he cupped a generous breast with the palm of one hand while the other fastened around her waist. His kisses grew hotter and more urgent, his tongue darting out along her collar bone. Ariana twisted with anticipation, arching against his hand until he couldn’t help but reach beneath her gown to find the hard nub of her nipple.
Her response to his touch was electrifying. His desire for her strained at his breeches, but he was determined to give her pleasure first. With trembling fingers, he unfastened her gown until her breasts sprang free. Ariana bit down on her lip and he instantly covered her mouth with kisses, warding off any embarrassment.
“Your body is beautiful,” he murmured, stroking her firm breasts with delight.
She pulled him closer towards him. “I never thought…”
Her sentence trailed off as he gently fastened his mouth against one rose-colored bud. She groaned, twisting her fingers in his hair and driving him wild with longing.
He couldn’t help it. He had to explore more of her. Without shifting his position, and still paying homage with his tongue to the wonder of her breasts, he lifted her skirts and traced a gentle path up the velvety softness of her inner thighs.
She tensed and he immediately stilled, determined not to move faster than she was ready for.
“Otto,” she breathed.
He raised himself onto his elbow and looked down upon her. Her face, which had been flushed with pleasure, was now creased with alarm and he cursed himself for letting his desire get the better of him.
Ariana was struggling into a sitting position, and he wanted to tell her he was sorry, but she was already grasping at her open gown.
“What is it?” he asked, surprised by the sudden shift.
“Voices,” she said, her eyes wide with alarm. “Can’t you hear them?”
His attention had been firmly attuned to Ariana, but now he could discern the chatter of distant conversation from further along the river. His first reaction was to stride out and tell them to take another path. These were Darkmoor lands, and he wasthe earl. If he wanted to banish everyone from this patch of land so that he could bed a woman on the banks of the river without being disturbed, it was no more than his right. But one look at Ariana’s anxious face told him that her sense of shame was too great. Their moment had passed. The best they could hope for now was an appearance of propriety.
“Here.” He gently pushed her fumbling fingers aside and fastened her gown with practiced dexterity. “No one will know,” he told her firmly. “And if they do, then so what?”
She caught his eye, smiled, blushed, and looked away.
“We are husband and wife, are we not?” he continued lightly. “And I for one was very much enjoying getting to know my wife better.”
She bit down on her lip. “As was I.”
