Corisande was calm beneath him, her hands on his enormous biceps for support as he forged ahead into virgin territory. Beneath her hands, she could feel his heated body trembling as he struggled to maintain control, but that didn’t last.
His desire overwhelmed him.
Drawing her knees up, he thrust into her tender body and Corisande gasped loudly with the sting of possession. Cole was seated to the hilt and he pulled her into an embrace as he began to move gently within her. Slowly at first, relishing the feel of his erection embedded within her tender body as Corisande clutched him, wrapping her legs about his hips to hold him fast.
Cole’s pace increased, quickening his thrusts into her. His strokes were measured and long; enjoying the moment, the closeness to her, experiencing an outlet for the emotions he was feeling for her. Against him, Corisande’s gasps of passion told him that she was beginning to experience the same pleasure that had so easily consumed them both.
It was passion on an entirely new plane.
But it was passion that was building to a climax faster than Cole had wanted. He had hoped to draw out their experience, to savor every move, every taste, but his body had other ideas. He was so highly aroused that his climax came like a tidal wave. It washed over him and he growled low in his throat ashe spilled himself deep into her body, feeling every last spasm with the greatest of pleasure. But his release never stopped his movement; he continued to stroke in and out of her even after he spent himself, wanting Corisande to experience the same delirium that he was.
He shifted his weight, gazing down at her flushed face as he continued to roll his pelvis against hers. Her eyes were closed, her head thrown back, and he found his gaze drawn to her magnificent breasts as they bounced every time their bodies came together. One hand trailed down her neck, encircling a breast before moving towards the junction where their bodies were joined.
Seeking her hard little nub, he stroked her a few times before Corisande’s eyes flew open with surprise. In the next moment, she bit off a loud shriek against his shoulder, muffled against his heated flesh. The last thing they wanted was to tip anyone off to their activities, so Corisande kept her mouth against his shoulder until the ripples faded and she was reduced to a quivering shell.
“Breathe, love,” he whispered. “Just breathe.”
Corisande pulled away from his shoulder, gasping for air. “What… whatwasthat?”
He buried his face in her neck, chuckling. “Thatis why men and women risk everything to do what we have just done,” he said. “Are you well? I did not hurt you, did I?”
Corisande swallowed hard as she caught her breath. “Not at all,” she said, looking at him as he loomed over her. “That was… miraculous.”
He smiled tenderly. “Are you sure you are well?”
“I am,” she said. “I promise, I am. Oh, Cole… swear to me that it will always be like this. That this moment will come again.”
He brushed a bit of stray hair off her forehead as he looked at her. “If it is within my power, it will always be like this,” he murmured. “Forever and ever, I swear it.”
She smiled faintly, gazing into his unique eyes. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, my lady.”
He said it seductively and she realized that he didn’t understand her. “I did not mean for that,” she said. “I meant for coming to The Keld in the first place. For seeing something in me that I have never seen in myself.”
“What’s that?”
She lifted her slender shoulders. “Love, I suppose,” she said. “You saw a woman you would marry. You saw love. No matter what happens tomorrow, I am yours until the end of time, Cole. There is no one in this world or in any other that could ever take your place in my heart or soul.”
He put a massive hand on her face, dwarfing it. “Iwillsee you tomorrow at the end of the day,” he assured her softly. “I will return to you, Cori. The only thing that can keep us apart is death and I am not even sure that is strong enough to keep me from your side. I will always be with you, no matter what comes.”
She reached up and cupped his big face with her two hands, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. “I am not entirely sure I will have a chance to speak with you tomorrow before you go into battle, so I will speak to you now,” she said. “I am so proud of you, Cole. I’ve never known pride like this. I pray God keeps you safe during the trials you must face in the coming battle, but whatever comes, know that I will be waiting for you in the end.”
“Thank you, my queen. That means everything.”
“And then we are going to get married!”
He laughed softly. “We are, indeed,” he said. “Which reminds me– my father is probably down in the common room, wondering where I am. So as much as I hate to leave you, I must.”
She sighed unhappily. “I know,” she said. “And I must dress and come with you.”
He scowled. “We cannot go into the common roomtogether, you silly wench,” he said. “We shall both be coming down from the upper floor? Do you have any idea how that will look?”
“Suspicious, I would imagine.”
He grunted, kissing her swiftly before pushing himself off the bed and going in search of his clothing.
“Suspicious, indeed,” he said. “I would have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, and I do not wish to get into a row with my father the night before a battle. Let me go first and you will give us about a half-hour before coming down yourself. I must tell him about us and I want to do it alone. In fact, I think I will climb out the window and come in through the front door just to be safe.”
