He wanted the same, desperately, and it was time for him to appease them both. She was beyond ready and he would soon go mad if he didn’t have her within the next second. So he captured her mouth in a passionate kiss meant to steer her mind away from any possible pain as he joined his body with hers. Air rushed from his lungs. His breath hissed past his lips as he strained to maintain control. He gripped the sheets and flexed his muscles.
“All right?” It was all he could manage to ask between gritted teeth.
“Yes. Is that it?”
He nearly choked on the laugh bubbling inside him and only managed a croaked response. “No.”
“Then show me the rest.”
And so he did, until sweat glistened across his shoulders and the sheets were a tangled mess on the floor. Until Louise found the rapture she sought and he groaned with pleasure. Until they collapsed side by side in a heap of panting exhaustion.
Her fingers traced the length of the arm he’d flung over her hips. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more alive. What you did… Whatwedid just now… It was incredible.”
“Magnificent,” he murmured in his state of dazed bliss. “Splendid. Beyond compare.”
“So it’s not always this good?”
“No.” This experience had been special. How could he explain without ruining the mood by mentioning the women he’d taken to bed in the past? They had been nothing more than a means by which to sate a physical need, but when it came to Louise, the experience had been spiritual. His heart expanded until he was filled with a curious urge to declare his feelings for her to the world. “You and I share more than attraction. We love each other, and that love amplifies the splendor of our joining in a way that makes the experience almost magical. Never in my life have I felt as close to another person as I did just now with you.”
“I know what you mean,” she whispered. “It was as if your soul melded with mine.”
“Yes.” He propped himself on his elbow and allowed his gaze to sweep the length of her body. His fingers followed suit, trailing a path that soon evolved into one more round of lovemaking.
Goodness.
Louise fell back against the pillows with a sigh. Clearly, she must have died and gone to heaven. It was the only explanation for the incredible series of responses Marcus had managed to coax from her body. Never in her life had she imagined herself capable of such extraordinary sensation. It was beyond compare and certainly something she knew she’d never tire of experiencing with him.
“How do you feel?” he asked from his spot beside her.
She rolled over and straight into his arms. “Wonderful. Like I never want to get out of bed again.”
He grinned. “I’m glad, since I feel much the same way.”
“It never occurred to me that there could be different ways of…um…doing it.” She paused on the cusp of backing away from the question she wanted to ask, then changed her mind. “Are there others?”
“Yes.” His fingers trailed up and down her back.
“And would you think me wanton if I told you I can’t wait to try them all?”
He grinned, then kissed her. “Not at all. If anything, I look forward to being your most dedicated tutor. But first, I suggest we get some sleep. It’s been a tremendously long and eventful day. For you especially.”
Louise immediately yawned. Now that he mentioned it, she was rather tired. But most of all, she was happy - happier than she had ever been in her life. This awareness curled itself around her as she snuggled closer to Marcus, and stayed with her as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.
A soothing dream involving a beach, a group of laughing children, and Marcus ensued. Until an obnoxious sound wrecked the idyll and forced her awake. The mattress dipped and swayed. She reached for Marcus, but her hand clasped nothing but air. When she opened her eyes, she saw his blurry figure moving about. Someone banged on the door.
Still half asleep and confused, Louise tried to force herself more fully awake. “What’s going on?”
“Louise?”
She froze in response to that voice.
“Open the bloody door this instant!”
“Your father’s here,” Marcus said, dismantling any chance of her ears having deceived her.
“But how?” She grabbed her spectacles and put them on, then leapt from the bed and retrieved a dress. Marcus, she saw, was already wearing his shirt and trousers.
“I’m sure we’re about to find out,” he said as he crossed to where she stood and helped her fasten the gown. She’d have to deal with her stays and chemise later. “How do I look?”
