She felt the caress all the way to her toes.
His eyes moved back to hers, and the longing there stole her breath. "I want to kiss you, Grace.” His voice rumbled through her. “But…I won't unless you want me to."
Every fiber of her being ached for his kiss, but the words stuck in her throat. He was being so bold, laying his feelings bare. She had to work up the courage to do the same.
Slowly, she reached out and placed her hand on his cheek, something she'd never dared to do before. He’d shaved the day before, and stubble pricked her palm.
Her thumb wandered to his mouth, tracing the contour of his lower lip. Sampson turned enough to place a kiss on the pad of her thumb.
The gesture drew her gaze back up to his eyes. Their brown had turned nearly black with a desire that made her insides quiver.
Yet still he held himself back, not pushing for more than she was ready to give. This man, her husband, was attuned to her in a way no one else had ever been.
That fact gave her the courage to say the words. “I want you to kiss me.”
The heat stayed dark in his gaze, even as his eyes somehow turned soft. He shifted, rising up on his good elbow to hover over her. Slowly, reverently, he lowered his mouth to hers.
The first brush of his lips sent a shiver through her. So tender, yet so exquisitely intense. He pulled back the slightest bit, his breath mingling with hers, before capturing her mouth again.
And again.
Every caress of his lips cherished her in a way she had never imagined possible. His kisses journeyed from her lips to her chin, then along her jawline.
When his mouth neared her ear, Sampson murmured in that deep, velvety voice that sent fresh heat coursing through her veins. "You are everything I never knew I needed."
The aching sincerity in those words undid her. She gripped his shirt with one hand and slid the other up his neck and into his hair.
He returned to her mouth with a low growl, the kiss deepening, intensifying. She could feel the barely restrained power thrumming through him, yet he remained gentle. Not pushing her farther than she was ready to go.
At last he pulled back, his breathing heaving as hard as hers. He dropped his forehead to her shoulder as he sucked in air, his shoulders rising with each inhale. Somehow, this felt every bit as intimate as the kiss.
She grazed her fingers over his scalp, relishing the softness of his hair.
He let out another groan, then lifted his head to gaze into her eyes once more. A flicker of uncertainty touched their depths. Did he want her to say something?
Her mind still reeled from the intensity of that kiss. She could barely form coherent thoughts, let alone put them into words. She longed for Sampson to kiss her again, to lose herself in him.
But a small, cautious voice whispered that she wasn't quite ready for where that might lead. Everything about this was so new.
His eyes searched hers, as if seeking assurance he hadn't overstepped. "Grace." His voice was low, rough with emotion. "Can I…would you allow me to court you?"
Relief washed through her, loosening the tightness in her chest. Maybe he realized how new this was for her. And this man, her husband, was making her feel safe and treasured, just like he did in every other way.
She nodded, a soft smile curving her lips. "I would like that very much."
His answering grin sent another flutter through her middle. He turned his head to press a kiss to the skin on the inside of her wrist.
Then he pulled back, enough to sit upright. “I guess it’s time I get up.”
She reached for his arm, halting him. She needed to give voice to the feelings welling up inside her, the emotions she'd been grappling with these past days as they'd spent so much time together.
He looked at her expectantly, his expression open and encouraging. She took a steadying breath. "Sampson. I just want you to know how thankful I am that you’re my husband. Truly."
He stilled, his eyes taking on a sheen. He didn't speak for a long moment, just studied her face as if memorizing every detail. Then he leaned close again to brush the gentlest of kisses across her lips, a bare whisper of contact that somehow conveyed the depth of his feelings more than any words could.
When he pulled back, his gaze locked with hers. The emotion there made her chest ache.
"I'm the one who's thankful, Grace. More than you can possibly know." His voice was low, thick with feeling. "I've been thanking God every day, for bringing you into my life. Even when I was being stubborn and selfish, staying out in the bunkhouse, deep down I knew you were the best thing that ever happened to me."
