“Ah, but I haven’t claimed ye yet,” he purred, dipping his head to kiss her shoulder. “Although, this heart of mine willalwaysbe yers, whether ye keep me waiting or not.”
She smirked and leaned into him. “Did you not call it… anticipation?”
“Aye, and I’m starting to wish I hadn’t introduced ye,” he replied, laughing, as he swept her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs to her chambers.
The bath would not be ready for a while if the household had been sleeping, but Anna had come to realize that the waiting was part of the fun. Besides, what was another delay when they had the rest of their lives together?
EPILOGUE
Atorturous hour later, and the bath was ready, rich with oils and heady powders that turned the water milky. It wasn’t lost on Anna that there were petals floating on the surface that Katherine had never put into her bath before. Evidently, the maid had guessed that the newlyweds might wish to continue where they had previously been interrupted.
“Jeremy?” Anna called out, wondering where he had gone. He didn’t respond, a little bristle of frustration moving through her chest. She wanted to wait for him, but she didn’t want the water to get cold. “Jeremy, where are you?”
When he still didn’t reply, she made her decision. Slowly, she shuffled off the robe she had changed into and let it pool at her feet, eager for the comforting caress of that hot water.
She was just about to step into the tub when an all-too-familiar voice purred from the adjoining door to her bedchamber, “Starting without me?”
“I shouted for you,” she replied, glancing back at him. “It is no fault of mine if you were not there to see me undress.”
He, too, was in a state of undress, standing there in naught but a long shirt.
He smiled. “I’m enjoying meself well enough.” His black eyes shone in the honeyed light of the dressing room as they took in the sight of her, standing there beside the bathtub. “Aye, I’m enjoying meself a great deal.”
Biting his lip, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. A soft gasp escaped her as she looked at him in his bare entirety, denied the chance to see him reveal himself gradually.
She couldn’t help where her gaze was drawn to, her eyes widening at the sight of his arousal. It seemed he hadn’t been lying when he said he was enjoying himself well enough.
Oh goodness…Her throat bobbed, the sheer size of him stirring up a small flurry of nerves. How on earth was he supposed to fit inside her? It couldn’t be possible.
“Are ye not getting in?” he asked as he moved toward her.
“What? Oh… um… yes, of course.” She hurried to step into the tub and slowly sank down into the hot water, as if the warmth of it would be enough to distract her from that startling, enticing protrusion.
He laughed as he came to the edge of the bath. “I assumed ye’d wait for me, but nay matter.” He climbed in behind her, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her back against his chest. “Are ye comfortable?”
She nodded, letting her mind wander to the feeling of his thighs flanking hers, and the perfect fit of her body against his; the heartening sensation of just being held by him, safe in his arms.
“Do you realize it is not our wedding night anymore?” she asked, relaxing into him.
“Then, ye don’t need to worry,” he replied, as he bent his head to kiss the nape of her neck. “All ye need to do is relax and leave everything to me.”
She quite liked the sound of that, feeling her anxieties fade as she turned her upper body toward him. His mouth met hers in a slow kiss that felt as comforting as the manor they were in, his hand resting against her cheek and running into her hair, his thumb softly brushing her skin.
It was all she had needed to be rid of her nerves, and as she kissed him back with all of the love in her heart and the anticipation that had been building since they left London, her body began to awaken.
She sank deeper into the moment, her eyes closed, her hand moving over the slick skin of his chest, her other hand exploring the hard muscle of his thigh. He responded in kind, his handgliding up her stomach and over the swell of her breasts, grasping as if he couldn’t get enough of her.
“I need you,” she murmured against his mouth, her breath catching in her throat. “My love, I need you.”
He growled, low and stirring, in response. “Aye, I need ye too, or I might go mad.”
The air shifted between them, crackling with a new surge of desire. They kissed one another in almost frantic desperation, his hands exploring her every curve and contour, while her touch savored the new lines and muscles and shapes of him.
Suddenly, his hand disappeared beneath the milky water, but she didn’t need to see what he was doing to feel it. She gasped at the first strum of his fingertips against her eager bud, and turned around, leaning back against his solid chest while his lips kissed the curve of her neck and along the ledge of her shoulder.
“Yes, my love,” she moaned. “Oh, yes… like that…”
He obeyed her command, applying exquisite pressure to that sparking center of pleasure, knowing exactly how to unlock her bliss. Indeed, it wasn’t long until she began to feel herself building toward her conclusion, the sensation flaring like a flame with each talented touch.
