Caspian laughed; a sound that was becoming more familiar by the day. “For which, I am glad to be blamed.”
They lay in bed together, wrapped about one another’s bodies like vines growing up a tree. Their clothes were strewn across the bedroom, leaving them completely naked beneath the sheets. And while Thalia might have once been more reserved about lying naked next to her husband… that he was also naked made it a non-issue.
And that he looks so good without his clothes on certainly helps…
The entire day had been a most unexpected surprise for Thalia. What started as a morning with no plans whatsoever changed quickly when Caspian asked her to spend the day with him. Even then, she had been careful about getting her hopes up, not for a second imagining that what he had planned would even touch on the romantic. This was Caspian she was talking about.
However, as was starting to become a common theme in Thalia’s life, she had grossly misunderstood her husband.
That he had chosen a secret location for them to have a picnic was one thing. That this location was secluded and deeply personal was another. But that the day had been spent talking to one another, opening themselves, and revealing past secrets with the express purpose of growing closer was a development in their relationship that Thalia was still getting her head around.
Even if Caspian’s revelations weren’t wholly personal, that he was choosing to share them was what mattered. Slowly, bit by bit, she was learning more about her husband. And slowly, this marriage was becoming something real.
It still has so far to go. We are far from being a perfect couple. But he is trying, I am trying, and considering where we started, what more could I possibly ask for?
And none of that was to mention what happened when they returned from their secluded picnic. Thalia thought the day to be over, and she washed herself and dressed in her night shift, looking forward to a quiet evening.
That was when Caspian asked her to see him in his room.
That was when Caspian invited her to sit on the bed beside him.
That was when Caspian kissed her deeply and passionately and refused to stop.
They made love that evening. It wasn’t the same awkward affair as the first time. Nor was it the wild and uninhibited debauchery of the second time. This time, it was a more personal feeling, softer and more tender, and infinitely more pleasurable because of it.
And to add a final cherry on top of what was a near perfect cake of a day… once they were finished, he asked her to stay.
“What are your plans tomorrow?” Thalia asked him. She was nuzzled into his body, with her back to him, and his arms wrapped around her nakedness.
“Nothing comes to mind,” he said, kissing her on the shoulder.
“What a coincidence,” Thalia purred. “I am also free.”
“How lucky for you.”
“Lucky for you, you mean,” she shot back at him.
He chuckled deeply and she felt the vibrations of it ripple up her body. “Now you are being entirely too presumptuous.”
They hadn’t spoken about their agreement once. They hadn’t mentioned the need to have an heir, as if that was the only reason they might sleep together. It felt to Thalia now that they were beyond such circumstances as that. In her mind, they were not sleeping together because they had to, but because they wanted to.
And while my husband might still be stiff and formal in his day to day life, once I get him alone he transforms into another beast entirely. Which means that in some ways, I was right. There are two sides of him.
Where would they go from here? Thalia could not say.
What did she expect from the future? Thalia preferred not to think about it.
For now, she was simply happy living in the moment that the two of them shared. They were in a good place, they both seemed to want the same thing, and so long as things continued in this way, Thalia could not foresee a situation that might ruin what they had.
For the first time in a long time, Thalia was happy.
Chapter Twenty-One
It was a pleasant morning so far, and Thalia’s mood was bright. Why wouldn’t it be? As she saw it, everything was going well for her, and there was really no reason that she should not be happy. And not just happy but glowing.
She hummed softly to herself as she settled in the sitting room, right by the window, with a book in her hand and a smile on her face. The sun shone across her lap, the weather was warm but not hot, and memories of the previous evening danced through her subconscious in ways that were a tad risqué but nothing overtly scandalous.
If there was one thing to worry about, it was a feeling that things were going a little too well. Often in life, when all was good in the world, there was disaster waiting around the corner, there to shatter the safety of reality. Thalia was aware of this, and she tried her best not to ponder on it for too long.
