She appeared uneasy, as if just beginning to understand the implications of his plan. She hadn’t moved from her place, so he strode over and pulled her chemise over her head in one swift movement.
“In the tub,” he said, slapping her arse.
She yelped and lurched forward, climbing into the tub and drawing her knees to her chest as if to hide her body from his view.
He stood over her, peering down. “There’s no hiding yourself from me,” he said. “I will soon begin punishing any attempts to hide or keep yourself from me. I am your lord husband and your body belongs to me. You’d best get used to it.”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and frightened, but her perfect pink nipples stood in stiff peaks. He knew her mind battled her body at times like this and he rather enjoyed watching the war.
“Show me,” he commanded, because she had not moved from her position.
She moved her knees an inch away from her breasts.
“Spread your feet wide,” he said. “Show me your charms.”
She looked aghast. “My lord… surely this is not… proper?”
He grinned. “It is proper for a man to have carnal knowledge of his wife, is it not? I have made a significant concession in light of your fears. But you must hold up your end of the arrangement. Now open your thighs.”
She cringed, but slowly inched her feet apart.
The water did not obscure his view of her silken curls and the treasures that lay beneath. He made a show of looking her body up and down. “Beautiful,” he remarked.
An enchanting blush colored her cheeks, her lush lips opening as she stared up at him.
“You didn’t know that, did you?” he asked, surprised at the sudden realization.
She flushed a deeper shade of rose. “I never wanted to be,” she answered.
“You’ve been hiding from men.”
The tiny pink tip of her tongue darted out and moistened her lips. “Yes.I refused to cover my hair. I learned to trap and hunt like a boy, to play harp like a minstrel, to make myself seem eccentric.”
He crouched down to her level. “If the men of Hohenzollern passed you by, they were fools.”
She nibbled her lip. “You don’t find me… odd?”
He held her gaze. “I find you fascinating, intoxicating, beyond compare. Last night when I lay down beside you, I thanked God for my good fortune.”
She dropped her eyes to her hands. “You flatter,” she mumbled.
He walked around to her side of the tub and lifted her out, handing her a dry linen. “I speak truth.”
She dried off and reached for the discarded chemise.
“Ah, ah,” he scolded. “No clothing in bed. Don’t you remember?”
She looked pained, but dropped the chemise.
He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed, where he laid her gently down. She thrashed a little when he lowered his own body over hers, but he didn’t put any weight on her, staying on his knees and forearms as he kissed down her neck. He dragged the tip of his tongue across the slope of her collarbone, cupping one breast in each hand and kneading. He began to torture her right nipple between his fingers as he suckled the left, teasing her with nips and bites, pinches and caresses.
She made the most erotic little grunts of protest, her belly tensing and releasing.
Keeping one hand focused on her breast, he crawled lower, kissing down her fluttering abdomen until he reached her little triangle of dark curls. He planted a kiss at the apex of her folds.
“No,” she said, sounding panicked. “What are you doing?”
“I’m teaching you pleasure,” he said.
