“I think so, too.”
That spark ignited something more. Dipping his head down, Gar kissed her forehead, and her cheek. The fragrances of roses from her hair met his nostrils and he inhaled deeply. But that sweet scent was to be his undoing—it was warm and alluring. His embrace tightened and he buried his face against Mattie’s fragrant neck.
Mattie gasped again as Gar’s mouth moved down her neck, roving over the soft flesh. He was smelling, but he was also tasting, very gently. She could feel his lips. Certainly, she’d asked for a kiss, but this wasn’t what she had expected. In fact, his hot breath against her neck had her heart pounding so forcefully that she was positive it was about to burst from her chest.
He grew bolder.
Gar’s tongue, hot and lusty, lapped at the flesh of her shoulder as his hands began to roam. They were timid, butcurious. He touched the skin on her arms, his big hands gripping her then releasing her, stroking and touching. Mattie could feel his hot breath on her skin and she could hardly breathe because of it. She hadn’t even known such a sensation existed. She never knew a fire like this was possible.
A fire that was beginning to gain strength.
The flames crackled softly in the hearth, sending sparks up the chimney as Gar abruptly swept Mattie into his arms and deposited her upon her bed. He gently kissed her face, moving to her chin and neck as his fingers went to work on the ties of her gown. He was clumsy about it, but persistent. Mattie finally had to untie them herself and they both giggled a little, awkwardly, but it was a sweet moment.
“Should I tell you what I’m going to do next?” he asked. “If you do not want me to do it, I hope you will tell me.”
She was on her back, looking up at him. “Doyouknow what you are going to do next?”
He smirked. “Not really,” he said. “I was just… exploring.”
“I do not mind exploring.”
“You don’t?”
“Nay,” she said. “And you do not have to tell me what you are going to do next. Just… do it. If I do not like it, I will tell you.”
He nodded, cupped her face gently, and kissed her right cheek.
Onward, the intrepid explorer went.
The shift Mattie was wearing was the same one that had been under her blue silk gown. That was all there was between her and Gar. He was inspecting the shift, looking at the stitching, the way it lay upon her skin, and then he pulled it away a little, looking at the flesh underneath. He kissed the exposed flesh and repeated the process, like a man inspecting a new and valuable acquisition, only there was more to it.
The truth was that Gar had kissed women before and had perhaps done a little fondling, so he wasn’t as much of an amateur as he’d led Mattie to believe. He knew how to kiss and how to touch, but nothing more than that. This was the moment when he would experience everything and he was soaking it in more than he’d thought he would. Mattie stared up at the ceiling as he went about his exploration, as the shift came off her shoulders, her arms, finally baring her breasts in the weak light of the chamber. She showed no signs of being embarrassed by her nudity. She wasn’t even embarrassed when he pulled the shift over her hips and slid it the length of her legs.
She simply let him.
It wasn’t that she was paralyzed by fear or indecision. It was simply that much like Gar, Mattie was soaking it all in.Is this what it means to have a husband?she thought. Because if this was what being married meant, then she was willing to embrace it. If Gar could make her feel like this, with her heart racing and her breathing coming in gasps, then she would let the man do whatever he wanted to do.
She was more than willing to let him.
As Mattie found herself overcome by her first sexual encounter, Gar was having a difficult time pacing himself. Every touch, every kiss, had him wanting to thrust his body into hers until he was satisfied. But he also wanted to go slowly because every move, every touch, every taste was something to experience. He didn’t want to rush through it. Perhaps his touch wasn’t entirely skilled, but it was genuine. Perhaps every kiss wasn’t delicate, but it meant something. He wanted to build something with Mattie and the only way he could think to do that was to be slow and gentle with her. At least, that was his intention until the sight of her nude breasts in the firelight nearly undid him.
He’d never seen anything so arousing in his entire life.
But he didn’t touch her there yet. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know how, or didn’t have permission. He did and he did. It was a matter of putting his hand to her flesh. But it was such a personal move, something so intimate, that he was having trouble taking that step. He didn’t want to frighten her or chase her away. She was new to this, too, and he wasn’t sure he could live with scaring her off. As he wrestled with some indecision, Mattie abruptly reached up, took his hand, and put it against her right breast.
“Here, Gar,” she whispered breathlessly. “Touch me here.”
Gar’s control vanished in an instant. He growled low in his throat as he descended upon her luscious body. Their lips came together in a cataclysmic clash, his mouth slanting over hers, suckling her lips furiously. Mattie’s gasps of passion were muted against his mouth until he moved away from her lips and feasted hungrily at her breasts. As Mattie writhed beneath him, Gar moved to touch the unfurling flower between her legs.
For a man who had never really done this sort of thing before, he was moving with confidence. He knew what he needed to touch and what needed to happen because he had enough friends and brothers who had been quite detailed in their experiences with women. Gar knew, so he just had to put it into practice. Mattie cried out with surprise when his fingers touched the thick outer lips, matted with a fine fluff of black hair, but he maintained his hold on her nipple as he gently fondled her to allow her to become accustomed to his touch. Mattie gradually relaxed as she became accustomed to his fingers, and only when her body relaxed did he attempt to part her lush petals.
She was as slick with moisture, unbelievably hot. Gar stroked the tender folds, his entire body shaking with the power of his need. He’d never known desire like this and he could no longerhold back. It was time to make Mattie his wife in every sense of the word.
The wife he’d never wanted.
He wanted her now.
Gar finally slipped a finger into her sheath, so incredibly tight that he very nearly soiled himself at that very moment. Mattie’s pants of shock quickly turned into cries of pleasure, and Gar could feel her tight passage contracting about his slick finger, pulling at him and demanding him.
