“Boosting my confidence?” Evan asked, kissing along her jaw.
His fingers circled her nub, applying the perfect amount of pressure, causing her to tighten her legs around her husband. “You have things well in hand.”
“Do I now?” Evan drawled against her neck, his breath hot on her skin as he slipped two fingers inside her. “You’re soaking my fingers, love.”
Marina’s eyes fluttered closed as pleasure coursed through her body. The contrast of textures—his smooth fingers, the coarse tree, the soft breeze caressing her flushed skin—heightened every sensation.
“I want you,” she whispered, her voice catching as his thumb continued circling her pearl while his fingers curled inside her, teasing and tormenting.
The sunlight filtered through the leaves above them, casting golden patterns across Evan’s face as he gazed at her with hunger in his eyes.
“Then come for me, love.”
Evan gripped her bottom with one hand and increased the pressure and intensity with his thumb as he worked between her legs.
Marina’s breath quickened as pleasure built within her, coiling tighter with each expert stroke of his fingers. She gripped his shoulders, nails digging into the fine fabric of his coat.
“Evan.” She gasped, her head falling back against the rough bark.
“That’s it,” he murmured against her ear, his voice brimming with desire. “Let me feel you come undone.”
When release finally claimed her, it crashed through her body like a wave breaking against the shore, powerful and all-consuming. She cried out his name, her body tightening around his fingers as he coaxed every last tremor from her.
He withdrew his hand and brought his fingers to his lips, sucking them into his mouth. His eyes burned with a mix of adoration and possessiveness. “Perfect,” he murmured before capturing her mouth again in a kiss that left no room for doubt—he would always be hers, and she his. “Absolutely fucking perfect.”
He gripped both of her hips and lifted her. “Guide me inside of you.”
Marina, still breathless, did as her husband commanded, loving the way he filled her as he lowered her onto his shaft until she had taken all of him. Evan held her there for a moment, both of them trembling with desire, foreheads pressed together as they shared the same heated breath.
“You feel like heaven,” he murmured against her lips, his voice strained with the effort of restraint.
Evan moved with slow, deliberate thrusts that made Marina’s breath catch, lifting her slightly before letting her slide down his length again. Each movement sent ripples of renewed pleasure through her still-sensitive body. He never failed to turn her into nothing but a wanton puddle.
She gripped his shoulders, preparing for what her next command would do to her husband. “Harder,” she moaned.
He turned feral, just as she knew he would. Thrusting into her as he pushed her flush against the tree. “See what you do to me?” he growled.
“Yes.” She gasped, her fingers clutching him tighter, feeling the powerful muscles beneath his coat flex with each movement. It was the same reaction she had to him.
Evan groaned against her neck, his breath hot and ragged, and everything building within her released. She screamed his name as she came, tightening her legs so much she wasn’t certain how he could still move. Then she felt his cock throb inside of her as he rested against her, pinning her to the tree while he whispered her name against her neck.
“You drive me to the brink of madness from how much I love you,” he finally said, catching his breath.
“And what is it exactly that you believe you do to me?” she countered, her hand reaching up to brush the hair away from her husband’s forehead. “Yet I love you, husband.”
He placed a quick, tender kiss on her lips, then flashed her a grin. That grin made her heart catch every time, and he knew it. “In case you are keeping score, you might have won the little shooting match, but I believe I just won this battle of ours.”
“Because I love you so much,” she teased, “I shall allow you to believe that.”
Evan gave her another quick kiss, then shook his head as he set her back down on her feet, helping her to right her skirts. “I suppose we should return.”
“Would you mind checking in on Arthur?” Marina asked. “I want to see to my correspondence. I saw a bundle arrive this morning before you suggested our little contest.”
Marina loved being a mother and loved her little family, but she also missed seeing some of her friends since they were missing the social events in London. Their son, Arthur, was still too small, and she didn’t want to travel with him yet. And she didn’t truly want to be apart from him for all the events, so her correspondence kept her connected to society until one of their friends might visit or perhaps next season.
“Of course, love. I’d love a bit of alone time with our son.”
Evan was truly the best of husbands and the best of fathers. Her life couldn’t be any more complete, and part of her felt a tad guilty that she also wished she could see some of her friends. Did that make her selfish? Perhaps, but she wanted it all.
