by Isabel Morin
***
Luke couldn’t quite believe that the woman sitting next to him was now his wife. Every so often she glanced at him with a tentative, uncertain smile and then averted her gaze, unable to maintain eye contact.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her, the line of her throat and curve of her cheek, her lush eyelashes that masked and revealed her beautiful gray eyes. He’d spent the last four months wanting nothing but her, and now he was going to have her. Today, tonight, and every night hereafter.
Jeremy dashed out of the house for the horses as soon as they drew up in front of the house, as if he’d been standing at the window waiting.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Fletcher,” he said breathlessly, touching his cap before leaning in to take the gifts.
Rose’s eyes were wide in her face and she looked a bit pale, but she smiled at Jeremy as Luke took her arm and led her up the brick steps. She looked so beautiful and yet so unsure as they stood at the threshold of their new life together. Though he knew he ought to be thinking about all the ways his life was about to change, all he seemed able to think about was getting her into his bed. Immediately. Somehow he needed to get her straight upstairs to the bedroom without delay.
Just as Mrs. Williamson opened the door for them he realized the perfect solution. Sweeping Rose up in his arms he headed for the stairs, delighting in the feel of the curves he would soon uncover. Her eyes widened in surprise but she threw her arms around his neck and tucked her head into his chest.
He strode with her into the bedroom before setting her down on her feet. Much as he would have liked to toss her onto the bed and ravage her, that would have to wait for another time. Today required gentleness, patience. God willing he would have enough of both to keep from scaring her.
The question was, would she understand what he wanted, or would he have to explain himself? Just how innocent was she?
Rose looked at the bed and then back at him, her hands clasped tightly as if to control her agitation. He was just about to kiss her when she spoke.
“Luke,” she began tentatively, “is there perhaps a book I might read that would explain…that would detail the wedding night and what is expected of each party?”
Luke’s mind went utterly blank. He opened his mouth to reply only to realize he had no idea what to say.
A deep flush had worked its way up her neck and over her cheekbones, and she was wringing her hands in agitation. All at once he realized she must be utterly terrified.
A surge of tenderness and the desire to protect her, even from himself, moved through him. Though he was already desperately aroused, he didn’t want her fearing what he was so anticipating. Taking her hands in his he tried to quell her fears.
“All you need do is let me give you pleasure. If there’s something you don’t like, tell me and I’ll stop.”
He could see she was relieved by this, but still she looked unconvinced.
“Do you like how it feels when I kiss you?” he asked, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips.
“Of course,” she answered, and he was gratified to hear the breathlessness in her voice.
He reached up and caressed the delicate line of her jaw, traced the column of her throat. “And you like how I touch you?”
She nodded her head, her beautiful eyes going smoky and heavy-lidded.
“We’ll kiss and touch each other more, and I feel certain you’ll enjoy it.” He hesitated to continue, but clearly she wanted to know what to expect. It would be unfair not to tell her. “There is a part of making love that may be uncomfortable for you the first time. I’ll do everything I can to give you pleasure, but a woman’s first time often hurts.”
“Yes, I had heard that,” she replied, her eyes wide and serious. “For how long will it hurt?”
Now this was getting awkward.
“I suppose it’s different for every woman. But I swear to you, I’ll stop whenever you want me to.” Lord help him if she asked him to make good on his promise.
“Very well,” she said, squaring her shoulders in determination, as if she were a soldier going off to battle. “Let us begin.”
***
Rose stood ready, determined to do her best. She was an intelligent person, capable of learning things quickly. Surely she could do this.
Luke stepped toward her until he was nearly pressed against her. Gone was the tender sincerity of a moment ago. Now he looked at her with fierce hunger.
She felt as if he held her in a trance, so impossible was it for her to move. She waited breathlessly as he bent his head toward her, his lips brushing over hers as if to gentle her. As soon as she felt his mouth on hers she wanted more. Mindlessly she pressed against him, finally free to ask for everything she’d been wanting.
On a groan he pulled her closer, the hard length of him pressed to her curves as he rained kisses over her face and down her throat. The rough skin of his jaw abraded her into shivers of new awareness, every point of contact igniting her already scorched nerves. His teeth nipped her bottom lip before his tongue slipped inside, stroking her into pliancy before retreating.
Rose grasped his arms, afraid she’d melt into the floor. She could feel the tensed power of his muscles and ached to feel more of him. Tentatively she lifted her hand to his face, stroking his jaw before moving to his mouth, where her thumb ran over the curve of his lower lip. So full and soft, so devastating.
She felt him go still and looked up from her study of him to find his eyes blazing down at her. Then his hands were in her hair, pulling the pins out one by one until her hair cascaded down her back. Another kiss as his hands dove into her hair, tugging on the long tresses until her head fell back, offering him her throat.
Wordlessly he turned her around so that he was behind her. She felt her dress loosen as he released button after button, his fingers tracing the curve of her spine as it was revealed. Then he was in front of her again, his hands sliding the silky material down her arms, slowly grazing it over her hips until it pooled at her feet.
When she raised her eyes to his he was watching her with such intensity that for all her fear she could not look away. He said her name, as if in wonder, and bent towards her again, his kiss voracious, his mouth giving her no quarter. She didn’t want any. Her hands moved up his arms and she felt him tremble, felt how his whole body was coiled, ready to spring but holding back for her.
“Rose, my God, what you do to me.”
His searing gaze moved over her. Swiftly he undid the ties of her petticoats and they too fell. Then, deliberately, his breath coming faster now, he unlaced her corset until she stood only in her thin chemise.
A flush stained his cheekbones and a muscle moved in his clenched jaw, and all at once she saw how he had been reining in his desire, how even their most passionate kisses had been but a fraction of what he held back.
His eyes never leaving hers, he pulled the chemise over her head until she stood in the circle of her gown, naked but for her stockings. Cool air brushed over her skin, and she shivered at her sudden vulnerability. Not since she was a little girl had anyone seen her unclothed.
For the space of several heartbeats she couldn’t look at him, yet she could feel Luke in every pore, in every part of her. When she could bear it no longer she raised her gaze to his, breathless with her own desire.
Luke’s mouth took hers again as his hand closed over her breast. His thumb ran over the sensitive nipple as heat charged through her veins and her knees went weak. She heard herself moan, heard her own breath gasping and didn’t care.
Without a word Luke picked her up and carried her to the bed. Laying her down, he came to her side. His breathing had quickened and his hands shook ever so slightly as he untied the ribbons of her garters and slid her stockings down each leg, his fingers grazing the untouched skin of her thighs until they fell open of their own volition, his mouth following the retreating line of silk in a trail that set fire to every nerve ending.
By the time he slid the se
cond stocking off she was beyond herself, her eyes at half-mast, her breathing labored. She didn’t know what he was doing to her, she only knew she needed more.
Luke’s weight left the bed and he began to shed his clothes.
“Let me,” she said. Beyond shyness, she wanted only to touch her new husband, to make him as wild for her as she was for him.
Luke’s chest rose and fell beneath her hands as she released the buttons of his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders to reveal his muscled chest and the powerful arms that held her so easily. Her hands fumbled at his trousers, and he groaned, closing his eyes as if in pain. Now she understood how close to pain this kind of pleasure was, and she didn’t let anything deter her.
With his help she slid his trousers, shoes and socks off until he was as naked as she. Then she sat back on her heels and stared at him, swallowing hard at his size. How could he possibly fit inside her? Reaching out she touched and stroked him until he pulsed with life in her hand. Groaning as if he’d reached the limit of his endurance, he pushed her back on the bed.
Relentlessly now he kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth, teaching her a new rhythm. Then his mouth was on her breasts, sucking and licking the tender peaks. On and on the torment went, first one breast and then the other, his mouth moving up to kiss her again and again. Rose’s hands raced over his skin. She felt the sheen of perspiration on his back and reached up to taste the salt of his neck.
His hand moved lower, over the slight swell of her belly, the soft hair. Her breath stopped as she felt his hand cover the part of her that ached so desperately. Her hips rose at the sweetness of his touch, the bolt of pure pleasure so intense a cry escaped her.
He was lying beside her now, murmuring praise and endearments as his finger stroked her. Need built and coiled through her until her head tossed on the pillow and she called out his name, frightened by the intensity of her feelings. She didn’t know if she could go on and yet she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. Desperately she sought something from him.
“Luke, please – ”
Her nails dug into his arm as the pleasure crested and broke. Arching into his hand she rose to meet each wave until gradually they receded.
She opened her eyes to his beautiful face above her, his eyes blazing.
“I have to have you now, darling. Stay open for me a little longer,” he coaxed, his voice tight with need.
Rose nodded, too awed to deny him anything, wanting whatever he wanted.
He kissed her long and deep as slowly he entered her. But he was so big, she felt herself stretch around him, and the stretching turn to burning pain. Panicking a little, she moved restlessly, her fingers clenched on his arms.
“Easy, darling. Easy,” he soothed. His voice shook, and all at once Rose understood what he was feeling, the pleasure she could give him. Her panic subsided and she relaxed, her body welcoming him.
Once again he stroked her, renewing her pleasure as she grew accustomed to him. Soon she was responding fully, rising to him, accepting more of him with every thrust. Soon she wanted him deeper, filling her, and her hands instinctively moved to his buttocks, urging him on.
“Sweet lord,” he groaned, burying his face in her neck, his hands fisted in her hair as his powerful body moved over and inside her. With one last thrust he called out her name as he shook with his release.
Rose lay cradled in Luke’s embrace listening to his heartbeat return to normal. Everything had taken on a sensual dimension, and her skin felt even the simple act of lying in bed in a new way, as is she’d never felt sheets slide over her skin. She finally knew what she’d been yearning for all those nights she lay awake thinking of him.
She stretched lazily against him and gave a small laugh.
He smoothed the hair from her forehead and looked down at her. “What’s so funny?”
“This is what you’ve been wanting to do since you met me?” she asked.
“Since the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“I’m glad I didn’t know how wonderful it would be. It was difficult enough to be around you as it was.
“I quite agree,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on her nose.
“I can’t imagine everyone feels this, or no one would leave the house.”
Luke laughed and rolled her over until he was on top of her again.
“Well, my sweet wife, I don’t intend to. Not for a long time.”
Though they didn’t have time for a honeymoon trip, Luke didn’t go back to work until the following Monday. They had five days together with nothing to do but make love, eat, take long drives and explore Boston together. But though they ventured out of bed, it almost seemed as if they never stopped making love, for every moment with him was intimate and fraught with sensuality. Never in all her imaginings, either before their engagement or after, had she thought it would be like this.
Mrs. Williamson kindly put together baskets for their drives and sent trays to their room. And when they did descend for a meal, the housekeeper appeared to take no notice of their flushed appearance and addled demeanor, though Rose detected a discrete smile or two from her. Rose would have been embarrassed, were she not so woozy from lovemaking.
Yet in the midst of this profound pleasure her grief still reared its head, and with it came guilt that she could experience such happiness. Tucked away in her trunk, the soiled glove was a reminder of what she must face. But it was too soon. Perhaps in a few months she’d feel more confident in the possibility of Luke forgiving her betrayal, but their marriage was too new and fragile to burden it now. And if she were honest, she couldn’t bear the thought of spoiling the happiness unfolding between them. Silently she asked her father for more time, hoping he understood.
***
Luke stood looking at Rose as she lay sleeping, her hair spilling over the pillow in brilliant waves, the light from the fire gilding the silky skin of a shoulder and arm, the long leg that slipped out from under the covers.
They’d had five blissful days together, but now he must leave her and go back to the office. How he would think about anything but his new wife was beyond him. He’d washed and dressed while she slumbered but found himself sitting back down just to look at her, putting off the inevitable.
Her skin, flushed from their recent lovemaking, invited more caresses, but he stilled his hand in order to let her sleep. He’d been stealing enough hours meant for sleeping.
He couldn’t get enough of her, could hardly keep his hands off her even when they were both fully dressed and around the staff or out on the street. And it wasn’t just the pleasure of taking her to bed that held him. Her husky voice, the slow smile that started as if unsure of itself and then lit up the room, her sense of humor – all these things made him loathe to leave her side.
Still, as much as he was discovering her, she was slow to reveal herself, and he felt that part of her was still kept from him. There was a nervousness or retreat in her manner, a shadow that came and went. They were still too new to each other for him to question her, but he often wondered what his new bride was thinking.
She stirred, her lids slowly opening to reveal those mercurial eyes. She smiled shyly and pulled the covers over her.
“What are you doing over there?” she asked.
“Trying to tear myself away from you so that I can return to work.”
Rose’s smile faded and she sat up, modestly holding the blankets in place. Her hair spilled over her shoulders and down her back, and in an instant he was hard. Again.
“Must you go?” she asked, her lower lip forming a delicious pout.
Bending over he nipped her lip and then drew it into his mouth before kissing her long and lingeringly. Finally he pulled away. Much as he wanted to ravish her, it would have to wait.
“I must,” he sighed. “A great deal has been happening this past week, and I need to be there to ensure things don’t get any worse.”
“Has something gone wrong?”
Luke took Rose�
�s hand in his, for it was impossible to be near her and not touch her. “The board still thinks there’s a chance to save the original route. They insist that we make another offer to Mrs. Harris, which is absurd. But they don’t listen to reason.”
Luke stopped and looked at Rose with concern. All the blood had drained from her face and her hand clutched his.
“Will you do it then?” she asked.
“Make Mrs. Harris another offer? Absolutely not. We have our new route set and we’re to start blasting this week.”
Her hand unclenched and some of the tension left her.
“What’s the matter? Why are you so upset?” he asked, unsettled by the strength of her reaction.
“I suppose I just feel sorry for that poor woman. She’s already given her answer several times over. I hate to think that the railroad would continue to bully her.”
“I don’t like to think we’ve been bullying her, but I quite agree we ought to move on. You needn’t worry on that score.”
She gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry to overreact. You’d best go or you’ll be late.”
Luke hesitated, still feeling as if there was something more to her distress. But perhaps he was the one overreacting now.
“Very well. If you’re sure you’re all right,” he said, leaning over to kiss her once more. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
Gathering his jacket he left the room, turning around at the last moment to see Rose lying back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling.
Chapter Twelve
Once Luke went back to work Rose spent her days decorating the house, visiting with Vivian, and reading every book in Luke’s library. For the first time in her life she was mistress of her own home, and not since she was fifteen had she had any leisure time.
She had no chores and no particular place to be most days, a not altogether comfortable feeling after so many years of usefulness. She therefore created her own daily structure of walks to the market, reading in front of the fire in her sitting room, visits with Vivian, menu planning with Mrs. Williamson and, of course, her midday meal with Luke.