“You can let go,” he assured her. “I will simply continue until you do it again.”
That was all that she needed to hear. His name escaped her lips as her body tensed, throwing her head back as she whimpered against him.
“Good,” he whispered, and his fingers left her.
She missed the feeling, but only for a few mere moments, as they were replaced by something else at her entrance, something as demanding as she had been. Spencer gritted his teeth as though he was to feel pain himself.
“How do you want it?” he asked. “Slowly, or all at once?”
“Whatever you want. I trust you. I–”
He pushed forward slowly, and there was that intense pressure that she had expected. He took her inch by inch, clearly trying to give her time to adjust to him, and that care gave her the strength to tell him what she had been trying to say.
“I love you,” she finished.
At her words, he stumbled, thrusting into her entirely. A harsh moan escaped her, her jaw tightening. He remained still for a moment, and she was dazed entirely. He pulled away from her just enough to look at her face.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yes, quite.”
“I will not move until you tell me to.”
She adjusted her position and tried to slow her breathing. After a moment, she nodded for him to continue, and he did so slowly. The pain subsided quickly, mostly because she was so aroused that she was ready for him, but also because she was so focused on how good it felt.
Soon enough, he picked up his pace and was thrusting into her as though it was a necessity that he took her. She felt incredible; desired and needed in a way that she had never thought possible.
“Spencer,” she whimpered, “if you do not stop, I will–”
“That is fine by me,” he replied, breathing heavily. “I want to make you feel good.”
She tried to fight it, but she knew that she could not. There had never been any use in fighting how she felt for him, nor in pretending that he did not have such a profound effect on her. Her hands flew to his back, her nails pressing into his skin.
“If you do that,” he warned, “I shall not last much longer.”
“Good,” she said firmly.
She pressed harder, and she felt him losing his rhythm. He needed her as much as she needed him, she could tell, and the reciprocity of it all was enough to send her over the edge. His name escaped her one final time as she dug her nails in hard in an attempt not to scream.
“Anna,” he muttered into her ear, thrusting one more time before going still.
She felt him pulsing inside her, filling her before withdrawing completely. She felt his absence in a way she had never anticipated. It had been her first time, and yet she felt the insatiable urge to take him again. He had made her into a wicked woman, and she adored it. She adoredhim.
And yet, as they lay in each other’s arms, Anna could not stop thinking. It was a foolish thing to focus on, she knew that even as she felt herself falling asleep against his chest. He had given her all of the proof that she needed that he cared for her, but that did not take away from the empty feeling in her stomach. As he breathed deeply against her hair, sleeping soundly, she wondered the same thing until she fell asleep herself.
She had told him she loved him. And he had said nothing in response.
CHAPTER 27
Spencer had not expected to take his wife that night, nor had he expected her to tell him she loved him.
Shelovedhim, or so she claimed. They awoke together the following morning in sunlight, Anna still in his arms, and he wondered what he was supposed to do with that. He knew that the proper thing would have been to say he felt the same way, but he could not. He could not tell her something that would impact his future, so he needed to act in accordance with his duty.
He simply hoped that she had not noticed.
“Good morning,” he smiled when she stirred.
“Good morning. I cannot believe that I agreed to go horseback riding.”
