As hunger and desperation seeped into every kiss, the barn became their wedding chapel, the vows they exchanged with touches and mingled breath more absolute than what she’d recite to the vicar tomorrow. Their love—for what else could it be—was holy in its own right, blessed and sanctified. All she knew was gratitude, even for the pain their inevitable separation would cause, because the pain meant she was alive, that her heart was bleeding because it still beat strong in her chest. As long as her pulse thrummed on, she could have Will, and he could have her.
He removed her soaked garments in restrained movements, worshiping each inch of exposed skin with the reverence of a pilgrim before divesting himself of his clothing. By the time he’d stripped every layer between them, she was shivering, desperateand hungry for his touch, the adoration that singed her flesh with each caress.
“You’re too beautiful,” he breathed against her lips, the hollow of her throat, “too perfect for me.”
For once, she didn’t need words. She told him how she loved him with her gasps and moans, the skim of her fingers over his belly and in the silky hair at the nape of his neck. He responded in kind, loving her with kisses and nips to her breasts, the slick of his tongue along her collarbone. What was too monumental to say aloud permeated every touch, every breath, every moment, until time lost meaning, stretched and bent and disintegrated. They had forever, every second until the end of the universe and no time at all.
But she never said the words. She simply prayed he heard them.
Will guided her to where he’d spread out the bedroll, sprawled on his back, and tucked one fist behind his head. Adelaide bit her lower lip, but it did nothing to hold back her groan. The man was strength incarnate, undeniably powerful, but he held himself reserved, altogether controlled. She dragged her attention down his torso to his—
“Seen enough, love?”
She chuckled. “Not nearly.” Approaching him in cautious steps, she hesitated and brought her arms around her middle as her confidence faltered. For all they’d shared, he had never looked at her body in its entirety, and intrinsic vulnerabilities flashed.
“Don’t cover yourself.” His gaze may as well have been his mouth for how it heated her, and she dropped her hands to her sides. Will hummed his approval. “I want to see all of you.” The bob of his Adam’s apple was the only proof of how she was affecting him. Well, that and—
She gestured towards the evidence of his arousal. “May I repeat my concern aboutthatbeing…”
“Ridiculous?” His lips pulled into a smirk that somehow only made him more irresistible. He motioned her closer.
His smile reassured her, and she kneeled, straddling his hips. “Precisely.” She rocked her cleft against his erection, and sparks shot up her spine. “I—I want to pretend I’m strong for you,” she gasped as his hands dug into the flesh at her hips. “But I’m lost. I’m falling apart, Will.”
He bent at the waist, tugged her against his chest, and she pressed her eyes shut to fight the tears. “You’re not lost.” His lips buzzed against her neck. “You’re exactly where you should be.”
Her thoughts scattered as he ground against her clit, and a whimper fell from her throat. “I want to see you come again.” There was something desperate in his voice, a broken thread that undermined the confidence in his tone.
“You do?” she gasped.
“Yes.” He slid his hands from the swell of her hips over the curve of her belly to briefly cup her breasts before stroking down the back of her thighs. “Get up here,” he growled, urging her from behind her knees until she straddled his neck.
“No, Will…” She attempted to move away as she realized his intent, but he stilled her. “I’m too much. I’ll hurt you.”
He nipped at her inner thigh and she gasped, pleasure rushing in behind the shock of pain. “What did I tell you about saying you’re too much?”
She moaned as he laved his tongue over the spot, her nerves singing. “I can’t remember my own name when you do things like that.”
“I need you to remember.” His breath caught. “For when I’m not there to remind you.”
Rational thought disintegrated when he pulled her fully atop him, her thighs pressed against his ears so she engulfed him, andthe man sent up a moan that rattled through her core and into her chest. He held her tight until she bore down on him, unable to resist the pleasure he was making her take, take, take again and again. Her climax roared towards her, the power of it awing and terrifying her.
The tension building low in her belly burst free, and she scrambled her hands over his shoulders, dug her fingers into his hair and ground against him, taking every drop of pleasure he offered her, willing herself to remember the sensation, to keep it close.
Before the last ripples of her crisis left her body, he’d moved her until she sat on his lap with her thighs wrapped around his waist. He devoured her mouth like he had her quim, the taste of her release salty and sweet on his lips. His erection pressed against her throbbing flesh, notching at her entrance, and they both gasped.
“Please, Adelaide, love.” His voice was broken, desperate as he spoke against her neck, his chest heaving with the effort of control. “I need you—I need… you.”
I need you.
Not her mind, not her body, not her wealth or position, buther. Every part of her, everything that the rest of the world had rejected, he found beautiful. Helovedher,even if he didn’t say the words. She heard them.
They moved together, her chest pressed to his as he helped her find the rhythm, to rise and fall on him until she chased another peak, her ears rushing with her thrashing pulse and his praise. She wanted this to last forever, but she felt him straining and his tempo faltering.
When she came, her climax tore at her, throbbed like its own heart, pulsing and loving and pushing tears from her eyes. Christ, she wascrying, but nothing could feel better than this while hurting so much. Because she couldn’t have it, not forever.If she’d known they would be this good together, she’d never have set out to find her book that first night. Because no force of nature, no insurmountable circumstances, would tear her away from Will’s arms. It was herchoice, her decision to marry to further a cause, that was to blame for their parting.
Will bellowed a shuddering groan and lifted her, his release pulsing in the fold between her thigh and stomach. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her, took the tears from her lashes, shared her breath as they both strained for equilibrium again.
After a long moment, he laid back on the bedroll, bringing her with him until she draped across his chest. The night air retained so much of the day’s warmth that even as her skin cooled, she wanted nothing to cover her.
