She shot him a smile, then pulled her dress over her head and tossed it away. Aelius sat up in bed. He had seen her body many times by now, but he always had the same stunned, worshipful expression on his face whenever she bared herself.
He patted the bed next to him. “Come to bed.”
“I need to take down my hair.” Still naked, she sat at her dressing table and removed the pins and thread holding her hairstyle in place. Now that the discussion of politics was done, her mind returned to what she wanted tonight.
It would be easy, not to mention pleasurable, to go along with the activities they always enjoyed. He wouldn’t ask for more.
If she wanted this, she had to ask for it. Nerves tumbled in her stomach.
Aelius got out of bed and came to stand behind her. She stilled her hands and let him take over. He extracted the last few pins, then leaned over her to pick up the ivory comb from her dressing table. He ran it through her hair gently, reverently, to clear the tangles. Then, his fingers divided her hair into three parts. He braided it just as she liked, not too tight or too loose, and tied it with a thin leather cord. His hand swept from her hair to the front of her throat, gently tipping her head back. He bent and kissed her.
Her nervousness spiked as their lips met, but she allowed the pleasure of his touch to wash away her anxiety. She broke the kiss to stand and turn around. He kicked the chair out of the way and pulled her to him, his hands skimming down her back to grasp her bottom. His arousal, temptingly stiff, pushed against her hip through his tunic. She stroked it through the fabric, and he groaned in her ear.
He drew her toward the bed, and a moment later she was beneath him, his fingers delving between her legs.
“Aelius, I…” She swallowed hard. “I want you,” she whispered.
He chuckled. “I’m yours.” He lowered his head to kiss her shoulder.
“No, I, I…” She shivered as his lips tickled her skin. “Iwantyou.” She tried to imbue the words with more significance, but he merely looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
She tried again. “I want you…inside me.” Her cheeks burned. Divine Juno, why did this have to be so difficult?
“As you command.” He slid a gentle finger inside her, followed by another.
She arched into him, her eyes fluttering closed as he filled her. “I didn’t mean fingers,” she managed amid a gasp of pleasure. He was going to make her spell it out, wasn’t he?
He withdrew his hand. “Tell me what you meant.” His voice sounded deeper, rougher than usual.
She struggled for words once more. “I think you know what I meant.”
“I want to hear you say it. Ineedto hear you say it.”
She kept her eyes closed. There was no way she could look at him now. “I want…your cock…” Her voice dropped to a pathetic mumble. “Inside me.”
His breath caught. His lips brushed her neck. “And what do you want me to do with it?” he murmured against her skin.
Her eyes shot open. “I imagine that’s perfectly clear. Surely you’re not that dense.” She managed to regain some sharpness to her voice.
His hand found her breast, thumb sliding over her nipple. “You know a great many words, Crispina. Use them.”
“I fear I would rather recite Homer.” Her voice became unsteady again, rendered breathless by his touch.
He let out a soft chuckle. His hand trailed down her stomach to tease between her legs. He stroked her slowly, maddeningly.
She groaned. Why did her husband have to be the sort of man who delighted in these evil games? Why couldn’t he be the type who would fling her onto her back and take her as soon as he had the barest permission?
“All right,” she finally gasped. “I want you to fuck me, Aelius. There. Are you happy now?”
“Blissfully. Just one more question.”
“Aelius!”
He stopped touching her and sat up, taking the warmth of his body away from her. His face grew serious. “Why now? Why tonight, after all these months?”
Another question that would be painfully difficult to answer. Crispina sat up too. “This will sound strange, but I believe it’s partly due to Max.”
His eyebrows raised. “That beastly little scamp has made you want to lie with me?”
