She broke the kiss and his hold, shaking her head. “You are still clothed.”
“As are you, and we are in my library. Perhaps we should move upstairs.”
She shook her head and backed up two more steps. Looking around, she finally brought her gaze back to his. “No, I like it in here.” She bit her lip to keep from laughing at his surprise.
“Did you wish to read, then?”
His confusion made her laugh. “No, I have already read much.” She moved to the opposite side of the table with the books. Lifting the first from the pile, she held it up. “I’ve readthis.” She lifted the next. “And this.” She added the other two to the pile in her arms. “And all of these.” She set them on the bookcase nearby next to a small statue of a horse. Trailing her fingers over the table, she walked halfway around it. “I like the table bare. The same way I like you.”
His brows lifted before his gaze turned shrewd. “I like you bare as well.”
Her heart skipped a beat at the predatory gleam in his darkened green gaze.
He slowly unbuttoned his black tailcoat and, shrugging it off, pulled a chair from the table and laid the coat over the back. Then he untied his white cravat and laid that atop the coat. Next, he unbuttoned his white waistcoat and dropped that on the chair as well. “Now let us see about your dress.”
She’d thought to entice him, but she was caught in a dream of her own making. Walking alongside the rest of the table, she stopped in front of him and laid her hand where the V of his shirt opened wide, revealing his skin. His chest was warm, with small, soft hairs and beneath, she could feel the beat of his heart. Its strength must be due to his fitness, which she had only seen in candlelight. Now, in the afternoon sun, she wished to see him again. She used both hands to push his shirt from his shoulders, but before it could fall, he pulled her against him once more.
He lowered his head and whispered into her ear. “Will you be my wife in all ways?”
Her heart filled with love even as her excitement rose at what was to come. “Yes. I want to be your wife in all ways.” She lay her face against his chest, enjoying the feel of his hard body against her cheek.
His hands moved once more to the strings holding her wedding dress together. Then the neckline of her shift loosened and cool air caressed her back.
She lifted her head and looked at him. “I understand there are many ways to be a wife.” She expected him to be shocked, but instead, he gave her a sly smile.
“Indeed, there are. I promise to show you them all, but it will take many months if I show you one each day.”
“Months?” She’d seen dozens in the book. There must be more. Her curiosity had her anticipation rising. “I look forward to learning every way possible. I believe I’m going to be very happy as your wife.”
His eyes widened at first and then he broke into laughter. “And I will be quite pleased as well. Now, shall we start with your dress?”
She nodded and lifted her arms as he pulled her favorite dress over her head to join his clothes on the chair. Her shift fell off her shoulders and down on top of her stays, exposing half her breasts and barely covering her nipples.
He turned and moved toward her, but she stepped back again. “Your shirt.”
He looked down, as if he’d forgotten it, and quickly pulled it over his head, throwing it on the table. Covering the space between them in a single stride, he cupped her face in his hands. “I’m going to make you feel pure bliss. I’m going to show you with my body how much I love you.”
Confident she’d never been so filled with joy in her entire life, her breath caught and her eyes itched with tears. “I want to show you with my body too.”
His lips came down on hers in a kiss of promise and love. Then he moved behind her and untied her stays, dropping them over the chair.
She smirked. “I do believe we are going to need another chair.”
He didn’t agree or disagree. He simply started unbuttoning his black trousers.
Standing in her shift, she watched his every movement. She felt a strong, feminine need to see him rise up from the depths of her belly. Never had she wished to see a man as she craved to look at him once more.
Kicking off his shoes, he pulled down his socks and set them aside. Straightening, he stepped out of his trousers and turned his back as he folded them and placed them on the chair seat.
She sucked in her breath at the strength of his thighs and buttocks, no doubt built from years of riding. She may have fallen in love with him in candlelight, but in daylight, she discovered a sexual need for him that would not be denied.
When he finally faced her, he did not move, allowing her to look her fill, and she did. He was all lean strength, coated in a smattering of dark hairs that tried to soften the hardness but did little to hide his need for her.
Tired of waiting, she pulled her shift over her head and threw it on the table before walking to him. “Fen, love me.”
He pulled her against him, holding her as he lowered his head and spoke into her ear. “I will.” His mouth traveled down her neck then, kissing her sensitive skin, causing excitement to skitter down her arms and chest. He walked her backward until her bare behind touched the table. With nowhere to go, she bent backward to allow his lips full access to her body, but instead, he left her skin to capture her mouth in a kiss that left her dizzy with wanting.
Breaking their connection, he stared into her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t wish to see your new room, your new bed?”
