And yet in spite of this, she managed to say, “I know I’ve made life difficult for you, and I must have given you plenty of reason to second guess marrying me.”
“No, Abby. I—”
“Please. Let me finish.” She took a deep breath. “The weeks since our wedding have been the best weeks of my life. And you, James, have been wonderful. In truth, I doubt there’s another man in the world who would have been as understanding as you have been. You accepted me as I was and did your best to help me through the sort of experience that’s bound to leave scars.
“Before you and I were properly introduced, I always admired you from a distance. You were the handsomest man I’d ever seen. Just being in your presence reduced me to a blithering idiot.” She gave a low chuckle and he took the opportunity to squeeze her hand. “But I’ve gotten over that for the most part, and now that I know you better, I think it’s time to let you know my heart belongs to no one but you. I love you, James, with all that I am, and I’d like to be more than the woman who happens to sleep in the room next to yours. I want to—”
The restraint James had put on himself since their wedding finally snapped. Sweeping his arm around his wife’s waist, he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her with all the pent-up need he possessed. He crushed her lips with his own and pressed his body to hers until he was sure she knew how eager he was to love her. God, how he’d longed for this moment. Looking back, he wasn’t quite sure how he’d managed to keep his distance from her for this long. Not that it mattered. The only thing he cared about right now was that she was kissing him back, her fingers raking through his hair while soft, throaty murmurs escaped her.
“Abby...” He whispered her name as he hugged her close, the oil lamp swinging from his hand and causing the light to flicker. “I love you more than words can say.” His voice cracked with emotion and he placed a soft kiss on her cheek, forcing himself to think of her and not of his own desire. So he breathed her in, loving the scent of honey and chamomile in her hair, and asked the one question he knew could ruin what promised to be an incredible evening. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
There was a pause, during which he was certain his heart stopped beating. And then she said, “Yes. I’m sure. I want this, James.”
He was tempted to ravish her right then and there. Instead, he deliberately reined in his fervor and quietly led her into her bedchamber. There he set the oil lamp on top of a dresser and finally closed the door. How he approached this first time between them would likely determine how willing she’d be to let him bed her in the future. So he knew he had to be gentle. And he also knew he had to keep her mind focused on him and the pleasure he meant to give her.
With this in mind, he started by pushing a stray strand of hair away from her brow. His hand scraped her skin in the process, moved over her ear, and settled more fully against her cheek. “I love you,” he told her, then he kissed her again, this time with the sort of languor that suggested he had all the time in the world to explore her mouth with his own. And when he felt that the time was right, when she seemed relaxed and pliant in his arms, he kissed his way down the side of her neck and began unfastening her dress.
#
ABIGAIL HADN’T KNOWNwhere this evening would lead when she and James left the library earlier, but somehow, before she’d reached the foot of the stairs, she’d realized the time had come for them to be husband and wife in truth. During the past six weeks, she’d forged a closer bond with him than she’d ever shared with anyone else. Day by day, her attachment to him had grown, as had her longing to connect with him on a deeper level.
And so she’d made her decision, and proceeded to speak of nonsensical things in an effort to focus on something besides her nerves. She couldn’t help the jitters tumbling through her even though she knew being shy and worried was silly. James knew her better than anyone and there was no doubt in her mind that he would be a considerate lover or that she’d enjoy the experience.
So it really shouldn’t have surprised her when every concern she’d had about how to address the subject of their lovemaking had been swept aside the moment he’d kissed her out in the hallway. It almost made her wish she’d told him she was open to his advances sooner.
His lips left hers and she uttered an unhappy whimper.
“Don’t worry,” he told her with a wry smile, “I’m just untying my cravat.”
She watched in mesmerized silence as he unwound the long length of fabric and tossed it aside. He met her gaze head on as he reached up to push her gown down over her shoulders.
The garment fell to the floor with a whoosh that caused a surprised gasp to spring from her throat. James’s eyes smoldered with deep appreciation, and the edge of his mouth curved into a roguish smile. Abigail’s heart fluttered wildly against her breast.
“Seems to me I’m now overdressed,” James murmured and promptly shrugged off his jacket. Fire burned in the depths of his gaze as he shucked his waistcoat next.
Abigail stared. She’d never seen him with so few clothes on before, and the thought of soon watching him strip off the rest sent a thrill through her veins that heated her blood. “Perhaps if I take off my stays you’ll remove your shirt?”
His nostrils flared. “Turn around so I can untie you.”
She didn’t hesitate, and then she felt his fingers tickling the back of her neck as he unpinned her hair. A delicious series of shivers swept the length of her spine. It almost felt like his fingers trembled against her skin as he swept the fallen locks aside and went to work on the laces. Her stays fell to the floor; a bit of cool air came between her and James, followed by a low rustling sound. And then she felt him, his warm chest against her back, his bare arms caging her, and his lips kissing the curve of her shoulder.
Instinctively, she leaned back against him and savored the slow slide of his hands as he started exploring her body. The way he smelled, of spice, brandy, and a hint of sandalwood, was so heady she sighed with the pleasure of breathing the masculine scent. He answered with a low growl and began pulling her chemise up over her thighs.
“You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” he told her, then scraped her skin with his teeth in a way that caused hot desire to burn low in her belly. “Everything I need and all that I want.” Hands splayed so they touched as much of her body as possibly, he slid her chemise even higher, until she raised her arms and he was able to sweep it up over her head.
With aching slowness, he trailed one fingertip down the length of her back and over the curve of her bottom. She sucked in a breath when his hand fell away and was stunned to realize how desperate she was for a far more intimate touch.
“James,” was the only word she could manage, and even that sounded more like a breathy caress than actual speech.
His hands moved to her hips and as he turned her toward him, she barely managed to catch the hungry look in his eyes before his mouth was on hers. Somehow, he managed to deepen the kiss while removing his trousers and still keeping one hand firmly planted on her waist. He tasted incredible, of decadent pleasure and sinful adventure.
“I’ll make it good for you, Abby,” he promised as he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.
“You already are,” she whispered, feeling suddenly shy when he laid her down and took a moment to let his gaze sweep the length of her body.
She looked at him too, though only out of the corner of her eye since her curiosity embarrassed her slightly. And what she saw almost stole her breath, for his naked physique was the most magnificent thing she’d ever seen.
His chest, sculpted with peaks and valleys in all the right places, rose and fell in accordance with his breaths. “You can’t imagine how much I want you.” The chords at his throat seemed to strain, and when he reached down to cover her breast with his hand, she saw that the muscles in his arms were tense.
