Raph held himself still, letting her adjust to his size. His hands stroked her sides, grounding her.
“Don’t stop. I trust you.”
She slowed her breathing, and her body gradually relaxed. The slow, gentle strokes began to feel good as the sharp sting dulled to a tender ache.
Raph’s warmth filled her and stirred a new kind of heat. He kissed her deeply, his tongue teasing hers as he continued to gently slide in and out of her.
“You’re doing so well, Duchess,” he groaned, his voice thick with desire. “Let me take you higher.”
He began to thrust faster, plunging deep inside her, and she felt a familiar pressure build up in her core. She moved with him, and their bodies entwined in a rhythm that felt like a vow.
“Every inch of you is mine, every fire in your soul.” Raph watched as she moaned in pleasure and pain.
Camelia felt free and cherished under his gaze.
I am his, and he is mine.
“Raph, don’t stop!” she cried out, her hands clutching his shoulders.
He listened and kept his rhythm.
Their lovemaking was tender and unhurried. Each touch was a promise, and each kiss was binding them closer to each other.
As they reached their peak, Camelia’s cries mingled with his, a shared release that left her trembling and weak in his arms, her heart full and her body sore yet satisfied.
She had never dreamt that such pleasure existed.
Raph rolled off her and pulled her close to him. They lay together, breathless, her head resting on his chest as she traced lazy patterns on his skin. She reached the scar on his shoulder and traced her finger around it, causing him to hiss.
“Did I hurt you?” Camelia pulled her hand away, but Raph grabbed it.
“No, little flower. It’s just an odd feeling. No one has ever touched it before.”
Camelia felt a tenderness towards him that she had never felt before. “Raph?”
“Yes?”
“Stay with me tonight. Sleep here, in my bed. Please.”
Raph tensed, then answered hesitantly, “I never stay, Camelia. You know that. It’s… a rule.”
She lifted her head, her eyes pleading. “Break this rule, just for me? I want you close to me.”
Not just for now, but always.
“Camelia, I?—”
“I want to wake up with you and know you’re here,” she interrupted.
He looked at her, his resolve slowly crumbling under her gaze. “You’re impossible, Duchess.”
She beamed at him.
“But… all right. For you, I will stay tonight.”
Camelia nestled closer to him. “Thank you, Raph.”
She closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart as he held her close, and she fell into a deep, restful sleep.
