Clarissa gave her an appreciative look and continued. “She married when I was nine but she did not have any children until five years later. Like you, she worried and cried, and she almost lost faith, but her husband was a good man, and he encouraged her. A year after she had her first child, she conceived again. Now she has six wonderful children.”
Anna’s mouth curved and she felt her eyes mist. “That is an inspiring story,” she whispered.
“Yes, and it is why I told you, Your Grace. Never lose hope and victory shall be yours.”
Anna took her hand and squeezed it. “I appreciate that.”
After Clarissa had left her, she climbed underneath the covers and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come. It did not, and she stared at the roof of the four-poster bed for what felt like hours, her thoughts reeling and never settling on anything.
The door opened and she turned to see Colin walk in with a tray. She sat up quickly and stared at him.
“I told you I can carry a tray.” He grinned, coming to set it down on the bed before removing his coat and boots.
“I never said that you cannot carry it. Only that I cannot imagine it.” The tray held an assortment of fruits, cheeses, and bread. “Now, I know.”
“This is how the Grecians eat,” he said, going to fetch a bottle of wine from a table at the far end of the room, and two small crystal goblets. As he was returning to her, pleasure and pain warred inside her. He was so thoughtful, so caring, too good for her.
Her conflict must have shown on her face because when he sat on the bed, he asked, “Anna, what is it?”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth when she felt it tremble slightly, and she picked up a slice of dried fig and raised it to his lips. “I think it is my turn to feed you,” she murmured.
Colin ate the fig from her hand, then she scooped some cream cheese with her finger and he licked it, driving ripples of desire through her. Despite everything, he still wanted her with the same molten passion she wanted him, and Anna held on to that, determined to have it aid her in achieving her dream.
She only had to feed him some cheese again before he rose from the bed and removed the tray, saying, “We will return to this.” Then he came back to her, and kissed her lips, gently and slowly, making her forget her tumultuous thoughts.
Anna fumbled with the buttons of his waistcoat and he helped her slip them free, then their garments started getting tossed all around the room. His hands stroked every inch of her body, and wherever he touched, he left a soft kiss that electrified her.
As Colin reached her core, his kisses grew more intense, and he pulled her legs onto his shoulders, burying his face within her. Gasping and writhing, she clutched the sheets, rolling her hips to feel his strokes even more. How he could make her melt into a pool of need every time, and then worship her body as though she was a goddess, never ceased to amaze her.
Tension coiled in her belly, and flares of pleasure gathered where his mouth was. She trembled and took hold of his shoulders as if to brace herself for the coming wave, but it took her even before she could be ready for it, and she cried out, closing her eyes and seeing the little sparks of light behind her eyelids.
“Darling,” Colin whispered as he came up, kissing her face. He continued to caress her bliss-coated body. “You are magnificent, have I told you that?”
“You are telling me now,” she giggled, exhilarated.
He lay beside her, and when she felt his hardness at her side, she sat up, a smile playing on her lips and her fingers curling around him. “Anna,” he groaned, his blue eyes holding hers intensely.
“Yes?” she answered sweetly. She moved her hand from his base to his tip, and his breath hissed through his clenched teeth. Licking her lips, she kissed his member. Then she let her tongue glide over his velvety skin.
Colin’s hand raked her hair, and his hips jerked upward. She loved doing this to him, and it made her grow hot and hungry all over again. Anna took him into her mouth, and he cupped the back of her head to guide her movements. Steadily, she established a rhythm that both had him calling her name over and over and her body wanting him.
As if he could feel her new desire, he sat up and pulled himself from her mouth, drawing her to straddle him. In one swift movement, he was within her, his arms holding her hips tightly, and his pelvis thrusting upward. Anna surrendered to the moment and she thought of nothing and only felt. The quietness in her mind was wonderful, and she wished she could have such all the time.
They reached a beautiful peak together, and Colin kissed her and smoothed her hair as their bodies calmed. He leaned back against the pillows and gathered her close.
She lay in his arms, replete and smiling, then her eyes found his pocket watch on the nightstand. “Colin,” she whispered.
“Hmm?” He sounded sleepy.
“You never did tell me why you keep your father’s watch.” She raised her head and looked up at his handsome face. His brows furrowed and he sat up, reaching for the watch and opening it.
“You must have wondered why there are no portraits of my father in the manor.”
“Yes.” She wanted him to tell her everything she had already discovered so she could understand his broken childhood better.
Colin climbed down from the bed and brought their repast back to the bed, but placed it on one side so they could sit with nothing between them. “I need something to distract me while I tell you this story,” he said, pouring wine into the glasses and handing her one. After a long sip, he began. “I hated my father, and I still hate him. When he died, his valet gave me the watch and told me that he wanted me to have it but he did not reveal the reason to me. I later discovered it…”
“What was the reason?” Anna asked when his pause was prolonged. Colin closed his eyes, and she grazed his cheek with her fingers. She could see how difficult this was becoming for him. “You do not have to tell me.”
