He drew back slightly and turned to look longingly at his desk, she followed his eyes. “Nathaniel would not mind us being a little late, would he?”
“I doubt he is thinking of us,” she said. When their eyes met, everything around them blurred, and he picked her up and made for the desk.
He set her down atop it, pulling her skirts up and bunching them around her waist. His mouth found her neck and he kissed her soft skin, allowing his tongue to swirl around the base of her throat where her pulse beat.
“Anna,” he murmured, kissing down to the mounds of her breasts, then going further down to kiss her thighs, while her fingers grasped his hair. Colin felt as though his skin could no longer hold him, and he had to be inside her. “Anna, I need you,” he rasped, rising.
She reached for the fastenings of his breeches, undoing them with speed and accuracy that improved every day and surprised him. His hardened member sprang free, and she drew him toward her, parting her legs.
Taking himself in hand, he touched his tip to her slick center. Sweet heavens! He could explode from this alone. When he looked at her face, she wore the most beautiful and delicate flush he had ever seen on her.
Her pert pink lips were parted, and her eyelids were heavy with her need. Her breath was coming in short sensual gasps that penetrated his senses and made him grow harder. Slowly, he rubbed himself against her, groaning at the same time that she breathlessly called his name.
“I…” she gasped, “I cannot…wait.”
That was all he needed to hear before he began to slide into her warmth, and she was so deliciously soft and moist that he ached. When he was completely within her, Colin touched his forehead to hers and began to move, gazing into her glimmering dark eyes.
He loved to look at her when they were joined like this, and his heart would expand every time. He circled her waist and pulled her closer, his thrusts becoming more powerful. All he could see was Anna. All he could feel was her beauty, and nothing mattered—at that moment, at least.
When he began to feel his body tighten with that familiar sense of ascension, he reached between their bodies to touch her, rolling her apex with his thumb and feeling her clenching around him. Her eyes fluttered shut and her head fell back, her skin flushed and dewy. Perfection. And with a long moan, she gripped him so tightly, his release came.
He took her face between his hands and kissed her thoroughly, draining himself in her warmth. This was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world; having Anna in his arms and loving her.
Chapter 28
I cannot praise Clarissa enough. Sometimes I only need a thought to form in my mind and she would know exactly what I want. I am feeling better, albeit disappointed as I always am when I do not see a change in the state of my body. Perhaps I should heed Clarissa’s advice and host an event in Dawnton to lift my spirits. I wonder what Colin’s opinion on that will be.
Three weeks later, Anna blinked when her tears fell onto Nips’ coat, and she wiped at her eyes with the sleeves of her robe. She had her courses again, and with it came the torment of failing. Once more, she would have to suffer another month, at least, hoping and praying something would change.
She held Nips tighter in her arms and buried her face in the back of his neck. He did not know what was happening, and he purred, thinking he was being petted.
It was worse because Colin was in London with Nathaniel on business. He had never been away from her since they married, but she had let him go because she thought she had become too dependent upon him. Now she shamelessly wished he was there to comfort her. He always knew what to say to reassure her when she got her courses.
The bedchamber door opened and Clarissa walked in, her eyes growing wide and worried when she saw Anna. “Your Grace!” She rushed to her side on the sofa. “What is the matter?”
Anna began to shake her head but an overwhelming sob rose inside her and she surrendered to it. Clarissa wrapped her arms around her, saying something that was meant to make her feel better, but she was not listening.
All that was running through her thoughts was how Colin was hiding his disappointment. He would tell her that he did not mind how long it took for her to give him a child but she knew it would only be a while before he grew weary and resented her. As she considered that between her sobs, she decided it was better that he was not here to witness this.
“Clarissa, I do not know what to do!”
“Something good will come of this one day, Your Grace,” she assured her, smoothing her hair. “I have faith.”
“It is difficult to hold onto mine,” Anna cried, her vision blurring entirely. She felt Nips’ warm paw on her forearm and sniffled, wiping her eyes. He was looking up at her, and she was almost sure he understood what was happening because there was sympathy in his amber eyes. They used to be blue when he was smaller. “I must…continue hoping, mustn’t I?” she asked both Nips and Clarissa.
“Yes, Your Grace.” Clarissa gently rubbed her shoulder. “Fate has looked kindly upon you and it shall continue to.” She gave Anna a soft smile. “Now, I will prepare a bath for you, and you can tell me what you wish to do today so that I may prepare that too.”
“Thank you, Clarissa.”
“You mustn’t thank me, Your Grace. I only wish to serve you and see you happy.” Her eyes were bright and earnest, and it warmed Anna’s heart, helping her smile, but a small shudder ran the length of her back and she looked away.
This was another reason why she had to try harder. Clarissa would be relieved if Anna succeeded in her goal. Mrs. Willis would feel like a grandmother and Colin… He was the most important of all. He had given her everything, from freedom to his affection, and if she could not grant his one desire, then she did not deserve him.
“Christmas is coming, Your Grace,” Clarissa said, and Anna looked up, grateful for the distraction from the mire her thoughts were attempting to snare her in. “Perhaps you should host a ball or a festival for the villagers. I am sure they will appreciate it.”
“Yes, that is a good suggestion, Clarissa. I shall consider it.”
After her bath, she decided that she would have breakfast in her drawing room, then play some music. It was too cold to take a walk, but perhaps she would for a few minutes in the afternoon. She left their bedchamber to carry out her plan with Sir Nips on her heels.
