He lifted them to his lips and licked away the slick evidence of her release before he moved into the space between her legs and positioned himself there.
“Look at me,” he whispered.
She did so, locking gazes with him without hesitation. She saw everything she’d ever wanted in his stare, everything she’d given up hoping for, everything that would come in their future together. And it was like looking straight into heaven.
She cupped his cheeks, smiling up at him in pure joy.
“You are my wife,” he said, sliding into her in one long stroke. “My love. My life.”
She nodded. “And you are mine, at last. Forever.”
He crushed his mouth to hers as he took her in heavy, hard strokes. Her clitoris, still sensitive from her previous orgasm, ground against his pelvis as he took her, and she let out a cry as pleasure mobbed her a second time. He groaned her name loudly against her neck as she milked him, and then he spent deep inside of her, grinding his hips against her body as they shuddered together.
He collapsed over her, whispering all his love to her as she smoothed her hands over his back and held him close to her. It felt like a heavenly eternity, but at last he lifted his head and smiled at her.
“Am I crushing you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I like your weight. It lets me know this is real.”
He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “It’s real.”
He rolled to his side, gathering her up against him in the safety of his arms. She snuggled against his chest, at peace for the first time in what felt like forever.
“How long can we stay here?” she asked at last.
He smoothed a hand over her hair. “Days,” he promised. “Food will be delivered, we’ll be left alone otherwise.”
She glanced up at him. “But—but what about Felicity?”
He arched a brow. “Not exactly what I expected my wife to say when I told her we get a few days of privacy after our wedding.”
She laughed and slapped his chest playfully, but her mood sobered as she said, “I only meant, shouldn’t we be helping?”
Lucien shook his head. “Right now I don’t think there’s anything we can do. Dane is doing his research and Gray will be there to assist. And I have a thought about someone else who could help, but it will take a few days at least for him to receive the message I sent and either come here or send one in return.”
“So you’re saying Felicity is as safe as she can be,” Elise asked.
“For now.” He smoothed the tangled locks away from her forehead and she shivered at his touch. “We are going to find a way to save her,” he promised. “Together, this time.”
She nodded as love swelled inside of her. “Yes, together,” she whispered. “It turns out we are far stronger that way. I’ll never forget that again.”
He leaned in to kiss her, erasing all troubling thoughts from her mind, making her lose herself in pleasure once more. And in that moment, she realized that anything was possible, everything would work out and all she ever wanted was right here in her arms.
Epilogue
Ten Days Later
Lucien stepped into the parlor, a letter in hand, and took a moment to look around the room. There was an incredible sense of rightness in what he saw. Gray and Rosalinde sat together by the window, talking softly. Celia and Dane were nearby with Felicity, looking over papers spread out on the table before them.
And then there was Elise. She stood beside the fire stirring her tea, and when he entered the room, her face lit up with pure joy, pure pleasure, a pure welcome home.
Despite the troubling circumstances surrounding Felicity, Elise and Lucien had been enjoying a wonderful honeymoon period. He woke every morning to her beautiful face resting next to him on the pillows. She found ways throughout the day to touch him, to connect with him. And at night they surrendered to so many varied pleasures that his body thrummed just thinking about it.
But most important of all was that, slowly but steadily, they were rebuilding the trust and bond between them. Being broken had been the worst time of his life, but the break had led to healing stronger than ever. When he looked into his future, it seemed almost too bright to believe.
And it would be, if they could resolve the situation with Felicity.
“Good afternoon,” he said.
