She met him thrust for thrust, loving the way their bodies moved in tandem, in awe of the deeply binding intimacy. At that moment, he was hers, and she was his. Nothing would ever sever this bond, nothing would ever diminish it. She was capturing this moment in time so nothing and no one could ever take it from her.
Never again would she experience this closeness. Never again would she revel in such familiarity. Her heart was swelling to such an extent she thought it might burst through her chest. She loved this man, with all that she was, with all that she would ever be.
Tears welled in her eyes.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked, through clenched teeth, his breathing harsh and tortured.
“No. Never.”I love you. I love you. I love you. I always will.
Within her, sensations once again began to mount—
Then she was soaring into the heavens.
With a grunt, he thrust twice more, before collapsing on top of her, his arms closing around her as he pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck.
She’d never known such bliss for having had this... or such sorrow at knowing she’d never have him again.
He should have withdrawn, should have spilled his seed elsewhere. If he’d gotten her with child, he would know no regrets because tonight she had become his fully and completely and he’d become hers. She’d brought him to his knees. Even though he hadn’t been standing, she’d managed it all the same.
With her nestled against his side, his finger slowly drawing circles along her spine, he needed to tell her who he was, but not now. Not while she lay replete in his arms. He wanted to find a romantic way to break the news to her. Perhaps he’d take her for a ride in a hot air balloon. Up in the heavens, with the world at her feet, he would reveal the truth and promise her that even when she was on solid ground, he would lay the world at her feet. Anything at all that she wanted would be hers for the taking.
He loved her. The thought of once again falling should have terrified him, should have given him pause. Instead, he knew that nothing in his life had ever felt so right. In spite of his resistance, the hardening of his heart, love had found him. This remarkable woman had broken through the barriers, destroyed his defenses, and won him over.
Every word she voiced came from the depths of her soul. He’d never known anyone as open and honest. Not only with her words, but with her body as well. He’d never known all the aspects of any woman as thoroughly as he knew every facet of her. This woman in his embrace held nothing back, kept nothing hidden. He could only hope that she would understand why he’d kept a portion of himself hidden from her.
In the beginning it had been because he wanted an escape from Society. As he’d come to know her, the right time had never arrived. On the morrow, he would make it arrive.
Dragging his hand down her back, he cupped her bottom. “I already want you again.” His other hand joining the first, grabbing her hips, he urged her onto him, straddling him. Then he cradled her face. “I think I shall always want you again.”
She traced her fingers over his jaw, his lips, his nose, his forehead with such deliberation that it seemed she was striving to memorize every line, dip, curve, and hollow. “And I shall always want you.”
Lowering her mouth to his, she took what he wasn’t certain she realized she now owned. He understood that he would never find as much satisfaction with any other woman. Not that it mattered. He intended to never have another. From this night forward, she was the only one who would ever grace his bed, the only one he would ever pleasure.
When she lifted away from the kiss, he was surprised to see that she had a look of shyness about her. “What’s wrong?”
She licked her lips. “I want to be wicked.”
“You don’t think being here is wicked?”
“More wicked. Like we talked about when we went boating.”
He slammed his eyes closed. “Christ.”
“I want to kiss every inch of you.”
Opening his eyes, he spread his arms wide. “Who am I to deny you so simple a request?”
Her laughter floated around them, and he wanted to harness the sound and place it in a music box so he could listen to it whenever he wanted.
She pressed her lips to his forehead, and it was his turn to laugh. “You don’t have to be literal with theeveryinch.”
Holding his gaze, she gave him a stern look. “Shh. I’m counting how many kisses you’re comprised of. So every inch it shall be.”
And every inch it seemed it would be. His face, his throat, his arms, his chest. The dear woman even went down to his toes. Up his calves, over his knees, along his thighs. He’d never known the inside of his thighs were so sensitive, that a lick here and a nip there would cause his breath to hitch.
Then she stopped and studied his swollen cock. She had to know how badly he wanted her. The damn thing was practically begging for her touch. He reached for her. “Straddle me.”
Moving beyond his reach, she shook her head. “I’m not done yet.”
