“Never!” she giggled, drawing his shirt up over his head. Her breath caught when she saw his naked torso. He was built like a sculpture, but what stole her breath were the scars all over him. Some looked like whips, and others were raised enough to suggest cuts. Her chest tightened and she looked up at him. “Colin, what is this?”
He did not answer, and instead took both of her breasts in his hands, fondling them. Her eyelids fluttered, and her legs began to weaken from the pleasure. She tried to concentrate on the question she had asked him, but he suckled her and made her begin to forget.
“Colin,” she whispered, straining to remember, “this is not fair.”
He pulled back and grinned devilishly at her. “Yes, it is not fair how beautiful and seductive you are.” He straightened and reached to unfasten his breeches.
“You know that is not what I mean,” she began to argue, but looked down as he exposed himself. He took her hand and curled her fingers around his member, and Anna truly forgot as her body dominated her mind, pronouncing its need.
She stroked him and he groaned, closing his eyes. His brows furrowed as though he was holding himself back. Anna pressed her body to his such that his hardness was very close to her center. Opening his eyes, Colin touched her with his tip, and her insides convulsed, craving more. He granted her wish, holding her to him with one arm while he stroked her center with his searing flesh, sending reckless flares all over her.
Anna clutched his shoulders to keep upright, but then he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. When he set her down, he hovered above her, a marvelously blue flame in his eyes. “Are you certain?” he asked.
“I have never been more certain of anything.” She touched his jaw. “Now, fulfill your obligation as a husband.”
His eyes widened. “Is that an order?”
“I believe it is,” she giggled and played with the hair at his nape.
He moved and laid on his back, drawing her to sit astride him. His hand found her molten center again and touched. A breathless moan pushed through her parted lips, and she started to lean forward. He stopped her, shaking his head. “I want to see your glorious form while I please you.”
Anna’s giggle was interrupted by yet another moan as he slipped a finger into her, curling it. The tension began to build in her body again, and her belly clenched every time he moved. His jaw tightened, and a vein throbbed at his temple. She could see his control slipping in his eyes—and unable to bear it any longer, he withdrew his hand and replaced it with his manhood.
“This might hurt a little, and—"
“I do not care, Colin,” she cried. “Please!”
He pushed slowly into her, watching her intently as he did, his handsome face strained. Fully sheathed inside her, he sat up and kissed her, taking hold of her hips and guiding their movement. They formed a slow rhythm that both gratified and tortured. His thrusts matched his kisses, then they grew in pace, and his mouth left hers. Still holding her in place, Colin leaned back such that he moved instead of her.
Anna was filled with wonder—how he thought of her at every point and ensured she was not in any pain. Her eyes tried to close but she held them open so she could see him, appreciate him. The tension where they joined grew and began to erupt, becoming an unbearable sweetness that went on and on.
He sat up again, swelling impossibly inside her, and held her close as his passion reached its pinnacle. Colin buried his face in the crook of her shoulder just then, and she ran her hand up and down his scarred back, their breathing jagged.
Iridescent delight was all she could feel for several minutes as they remained entwined. He pulled back and cupped her face with both hands. “Anna…”
She waited for him to say more, but he did not. He kissed her and laid back on the bed, pulling her with him. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, finding the rhythmic drumming of his heart greatly comforting. A smile feathered across her lips and fulfillment sent her into a dreamless slumber.
All of her dreams were on the trajectory of being realized, and nothing could stop them now.
Chapter 16
My husband must have suffered as I have. He had never been to war, so I cannot imagine where he could have gotten such scars from. I wish he would tell me instead of distracting me with kisses and tender strokes, not that I truly mind them.
Colin moved and felt Anna’s soft form alongside his. He opened his eyes and turned his head, her raven hair the first thing to grace his sight. The beams of morning light that filtered into the room fell upon her, bathing her in an ethereal glow. She had claimed him, and for the life of him, he did not know how it happened.
With very little effort, she had managed to make him break most of the rules he had laid out for her. As if that was not enough, she occupied a constant place in his mind. She had slept in his arms, yet he saw her in his dreams. He pushed her hair from her face and a smile crept onto his features without him calling for it.
She was unthinkably beautiful, and what was more magical about that beauty was how unaware of it she was. Leaning, he kissed her forehead, and something unfamiliar ached under his left rib. His body also began to harden with need. If she were completely healthy, he would have roused her for another round of pleasure. Such as it was, it would be better to remove himself entirely.
He had already allowed her to come closer than she should ever have gotten. It was too dangerous, and he must repair it immediately. Sitting up, he turned and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her. Her soft sigh reached his ears, calling him to return—and how tempting it was. But he could lose every ounce of strength he had fought to build over the years if he indulged. He could become his father; cold, cruel, and the devil’s acolyte if not the devil himself.
Drawing himself up, he found his banyan slung over the back of a chair and covered himself, then strode out of the room, closing the door behind him. He rang for Bishop before pouring himself a finger of brandy. It was very early, but he needed the liquor because of the dark path his thoughts were veering onto. He walked to a window and stared out at the grounds being tended by the groundskeeper and his hands.
Anna saw him as her savior, and that flawless regard would do her more harm than good. He was as imperfect as any other man, perhaps even worse than most, but she could not know that because he had buried his story in the past, in the foundations of Edinfield.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” Bishop greeted, and Colin turned around. He had not heard him enter.
“Good morning,” he returned. “I wish to travel.” He was unsure where he would go, but he needed to leave Dawnton for a while. He would not be able to create the distance he needed from Anna if he stayed.
