He helped her, pushing them all the way to the floor so that he was standing at the side of the bed, exposed to her as she sat on the covers in front of him. Laura held his gaze for a moment as he breathed heavily, then her hand went out to touch him.
That first contact had him moaning, the deep guttural sound thrumming through his body. Laura appeared to have a natural rhythm for it, learning quickly what to do. One of her hands rested on his hip, holding him to her, while the other moved up and down his length, grasping him with just the right amount of pressure.
He had to stop Laura’s hand from touching him. The way her small delicate hand was wrapped around him, the sight of her trying to please him as much as the physical pleasure itself was going to be enough to send him over that edge, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. He placed a hand over hers, stopping it and pulling it gently away.
“Time to try somethin’ together?” Erskine asked, lilting his voice with possibilities.
* * *
Laura’s mouth was dry at this question. She licked her lips, trying to bring some moisture back to her mouth as she looked up at Erskine and nodded.
Erskine was clearly taking things slowly, prepared for her to say no at any moment if she wasn’t ready, but she was. How she wanted him! After spending the last day wondering if he would come home at all, only to have him arrive back, injured and pleading to marry her. It brought a new perspective on things entirely.
I love him. What does it matter if we do this before an official ceremony?
At her nod, Erskine smiled and leaned down over the bed toward her, tipping her back until she was flat against the mattress. His hands went for her breeches and unbuttoned them quickly, sliding them down her legs and revealing her to him completely.
He climbed onto the bed above her, straddling her for a moment, just looking at her. Laura wriggled beneath him, suddenly self-conscious at the way he stared at her body.
“Ye are beautiful,” he murmured, making her blush again.
He took hold of her knees and parted her legs, changing their position so that now he could kneel between her legs. Laura was aware of how tall he was compared to her, of the breadth of his shoulders, and the strength of his muscle as she reached up toward him, pulling him down into another kiss. She loved it all.
As he rested his body over hers, she arched up into him, trying to feel as much of his body against her own. The move made her center brush against his length, urging her to gasp at the brief contact.
She had been surprised by the sheer size of him when he had removed his trews, but any nervousness that had been there disappeared when she had taken hold of him. Seeing the pleasure that she could cause him made her feel loved, and she couldn’t wait to experience being with him completely.
“Erskine, please,” she murmured between kisses.
She could feel him smiling into their kiss in response before one of his hands slid down her body. That hand found her core very quickly, reaching for her wetness. This time, he slipped straight inside of her. She clutched at his shoulders as he began to pump those fingers inside her, stretching her and making her ache to feel the whole of him.
The pleasure humming from her center was ricocheting through her body, to the point that she could feel herself climbing her pleasure again, certain that she would tip over the edge very quickly indeed. He must have been able to sense it from her moans as he parted from their kiss, just watching her for a minute. As she dug her fingers into his shoulders, feeling that edge growing nearer, he removed his hand from her.
She gasped at the loss of contact, only realizing a beat later what was about to happen. This time, she felt his length at her entrance, and he pushed inside of her, moving all the way in until he was buried deep.
There was sudden pain, making her whimper and close her eyes. She felt Erskine’s lips against her temple, delivering a very gentle kiss.
“I’m so sorry, Laura. Yer first time cannae happen without some pain. Tell me when it has passed, and I promise to make up for it in any way I can,” his words were as soft as that kiss, urging her to open her eyes again.
He was not moving. He was just braced above her, resting his forearms on the bed on either side of her head, with her legs parted around his hips.
He smiled as she looked at him and dropped another kiss to her lips. Laura was surprised at how quickly the pain passed. It was there one minute, then gone the next, as though in a brief flash. She rocked her hips upward, experimenting with the feeling, earning a groan from Erskine in response.
“It has passed,” Laura confirmed as they parted from their kiss.
He changed his position, resting his body with just one hand beside her head as his other hand went to her knee, holding her open to him. He rocked back and forth, making the strokes long and deep indeed. The rhythm he created had Laura panting, saying his name in breathy moans repeatedly. The pleasure that was now rolling through her body was tenfold to what had been caused by his hand. She could feel her legs trembling with each thrust he made, at all times holding onto his green gaze.
She could scarcely believe they had come this far. From being the stranger who had fought off the thieves that had attacked her in Covent Garden, he was now her best friend and her lover.
She was holding tightly onto his biceps as he moved inside her, marveling at the strength in his arms. That was when he changed things up. He dropped her knee and looped an arm under her waist, holding her up to him.
“Hold on,” he whispered. She clung to him just as he rolled the two of them over, bringing her on top so that she was straddling him on the bed. “Now,” he kissed her briefly before releasing her, “do what makes ye feel good, Laura.”
Those words sent another shiver of pleasure up her spine as she sat up, suddenly in control. Thrilled by the power of it, she rested her hands on his chiseled stomach and began to rock back and forth, creating a new sensation from the friction that made her drop her head back with another moan.
Soon, she grew confident with the position, making the rock so strong that Erskine was meeting each one with his hips, thrusting inside of her. His hands went exploring, sometimes caressing her breasts, other times her rear and her hips.
“Erskine,” she moaned as she felt that climbing sensation begin again, as though the pleasure was becoming too much. It swelled as she leaned forward, putting all her effort into rocking as she sent herself over the edge. She closed her eyes and saw starbursts behind them as the pleasure echoed through every part of her body.
