He could smell her desire. The sensuous odor drifted off her to attack his senses and when mingled with his own raging scent, it intoxicated. He warned himself to be careful, told himself to think, reason, grab hold of his sanity before he lost all control. But sanity was the fur-thest thing from his mind.
Nothing mattered.
And that was a dangerous place to be, for then he gave no thought to his actions; he merely followed his emotions. And presently his emotions raged out of control.
“I want you,” she cried again and moved against him with such fervor that he thought he would explode.
“That is it,” he said, issuing an order.
He pulled back away from her, his scalp feeling the sting of her reluctance to let go. He grabbed her beneath the arms, raised her up and walked toward the bed.
He threw her down on the thick mattress. “Now it is my turn.”
Chapter Thirty
Colin stripped off the last of his garments and reached down to strip Hope bare as well. He then settled his naked body over her, his hands braced on either side of her head. He brought his lips down to faintly brush over hers and when she attempted to reach up and steal a kiss he pulled away.
“Nay, my turn, I told you.”
He sounded as if he threatened, threatened with passion, and she shuddered.
He smiled, wicked that it was, and bit at her lower lip before whispering words that had her shuddering with a moan. He took her mouth then, claimed it for his own and made certain that she knew he marked his territory.
He followed down along her neck, causing her another shudder as her flesh raced with a sensitive tingle. Playful bites left gentle marks as he drifted down to her breasts and scooped a tender nipple into his mouth.
Her breath was stolen from her as she grabbed at the linens on the bed and allowed herself to enjoy the intense pleasure his tasting brought her. The flick of his tongue over the sensitive tips caused her body to arch and her moans to grow in volume.
He was true to his word when he had told her it was his turn. He followed suit and did to her what she had done to him. He worked his way down her body, nibbling and feasting on all the exquisite curves and mounds he found temptingly appealing.
She squirmed beneath him, the sensuous torture he inflicted driving her completely mindless. And when his mouth finally came to rest between her legs she cried out with the pleasure he gave her.
She could not think or reason. He drove her past all sanity with a tongue that worked absolute magic. She squirmed, she moaned, she cried out to him, and when her release came, she screamed his name.
Breathing was difficult, thought was impossible and when he moved over her, working his way up her body with a determination that drove her wild, she thought for certain she would die from the pleasure.
He thought to make her mindless again but she wished for him to join her in the madness and reached down to touch him.
“You play dangerously,” he warned on a whispered breath.
“Then come taste danger,” she challenged and caressed him with hands that promised fulfillment.
He moaned and arched his back, pressing against her and trying with an ounce of sanity to control himself.
She wanted none of his control. She wanted only his need. She took the length of him in her hands and squeezed. “Do I get to taste you?”
Her remark sent him over the edge, and he moaned low in his chest fighting against the primitive urge to take her fast and hard.
She could tell from the sweat on his brow and the taut tension in his body that he barely maintained control. And with a smile she pushed him over the edge with a whispered, “I want you in my mouth.”
“Damn you,” he muttered and with an urgency that was foreign to him he entered her with a swiftness that had her crying out.
He immediately stilled, throbbing with an aching need inside her. I am sorry,” he said on a shaky breath.
“I am not,” she said and wrapped her legs around him. “Please, bring me to pleasure.” She playfully nibbled at his chin. “But make certain you come with me.”
He laughed, dropping his forehead to rest on hers and began to move within her. I will join you only after I have given you pleasure several times.”
“Promise?” Her question teased.
“Promise,” he said, no charm in his smile, only wickedness.
He set the rhythm, she joined in and he kept his promise. Her cries filled the cottage again and again until she fell limp and exhausted beneath him. He came then, fast, hard and furious and roared out a groan of satisfaction that brought a smug grin to her perspiring face.
When their breathing calmed and he settled beside her, he reached a hand out to her and ran gentle fingers down over her breast and stomach and then up again. “You never cease to surprise me.”
She turned her gaze from his and sighed. “I was not proper in bed.”
He laughed and gently squeezed her nipple. “And lucky I am that you are not.”
She looked up at him in question. “Really, you do not mind my need for you?”
Her innocence showed but he would not let her know that. He kissed her softly. “I cherish your need for me.”
“Truly?” Her hand went to stroke his face.
He sighed at the gentleness of her touch. “Truly.”
She ran her thumb over his swollen lips… lips that she had swelled with her nibbles and bites.
He watched as her thoughts drifted and took her far away, and he would not have her leaving him. “Stay with me.”
She looked with surprise at him. “I go nowhere.”
“Aye, you do in your mind.”
“I but think.”
“Not now,” he urged. “Now is not the time.”
“What is this time for?”
“For us,” he whispered and brushed her lips with his.
“Only us?”
“Us and us alone,” he assured her. “No thought of yesterdays or tomorrows; only here and now.”
“And what will we do with it?” she asked, uncertain.
“We will enjoy us,” he said, kissing her swiftly again and again. “We will not think, we will only feel.”
She sighed and relaxed to his touch, enjoying the gentle intimacy.
“You are innocent, yet so knowledgeable. How is that so?”
She ran a finger over his chest. “Curiosity.”
He seemed to understand. “Which means when you decided to learn about mating, you did.”
“I was not satisfied with a mere explanation. I wished to see how things worked for myself.”
He grinned. “This should be an interesting story.”
She laughed and poked at his chest. “I was lucky.”
“How so?” He appeared eager to listen.
She was eager to share the occasion with him, feeling him a kindred spirit. I found out when my uncle would be mating the horses and decided that an early visit to the area would be worthwhile. I hid and to my amazement two of the servants decided to mate before the horses did.”
Colin laughed. “And you watched?”
I peeked,” she said with a bit of guilt and a smile. “And I learned.”
“What did you learn?” His hand rested on her stomach.
She covered his hand with hers. “I learned that sex could be fun and enjoyable.”
“And?” he asked, sensing there was more she intentionally did not mention.
She decided that with the intimacy that had just passed between them there was no longer any point in keeping secrets. “I learned that love mattered.”
“How so?” His intent eyes told her that his interest ran deep.
“With love there comes a trust that allows two people to move past their doubts and insecurities. They can share without fear or disappointment. They can depend on each other and with that knowledge comes a deeper commitment and binding love.”
“All this from watching a couple mate in the barn?”
S
he shook her head, her smile fading. “Nay, I learned from watching people and listening to their joys and sorrows. I learned that nothing is perfect, but in imperfection beauty can be found.”
Her depth of intelligence amazed and intrigued him. He ran his finger over her lips. “I admire your tenacity.”
She laughed. “Some would suggest it was a curse.”
“They are fools,” he said seriously.
“You truly believe so?”
“Your tenacity has brought you endless knowledge and the quest for more. You do not fear to search for answers, you eagerly seek them, and they take you on exciting adventures.”
She laughed again. “Many would disagree with you. I have been called spoiled and selfish.”
He kissed her. “Nay, you possess too caring a heart to be spoiled or selfish.” He teasingly poked at her. “I like your curiosity.”
“Truly?” She looked at him with hope, wanting him to speak the truth.
And he did. “Truly, your curiosity makes you unique. A one of a kind. A rare gem.”
“You do not think me a troublesome burden?” She almost seemed afraid to ask but again her curiosity got the better of her and she needed an answer.
He tapped her nose lightly. “How can a pint-sized female be a burden?”
She gave a brief wave to the small room. “Look where I have gotten us.”
He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “Aye, look where you have gotten us.”
I will not change,” she said on a sigh, his eager nibbling causing her flesh to tingle with anticipation.
He spoke into her neck as he continued to feast on it. “I have not asked you to, though—” He paused and looked at her with a teasing smile. “We will work on your stubbornness.”
She shoved playfully at his chest and he fell back as if her strength was no match for him. “I am not stubborn,” she insisted as she settled herself comfortably on top of him, her hands braced firmly on his chest.
He grabbed her around the waist and positioned her over him.
“I wish to ride you,” she said boldly.
He shook his head. “You are not too sore?”
“Should I be?” she asked innocently.
He reached down between her legs with a gentle hand to touch her and she moaned when his fingers found her.
“That feels so good.”
He shook his head again. “You are a rare woman, Hope, and I am glad to have found you.”
She laughed and attacked his lips with teasing bites. “You could not find me, Colin. It is I who found you.”
“Aye,” he agreed, his fingers gently exploring her. “But it is I who caught you.”
She moaned when he slipped a finger inside her and responded immediately to his gentle persuasion.
They were soon lost again in the throes of passion and the small room once again filled with cries of pleasure.
Late that night Hope woke from the sleep she had drifted into after they had made love for the third time. Colin slept peacefully beside her. She turned on her side to look at him, tucking her hands beneath her cheek to prevent herself from touching him.
It seemed that all she wished to do was touch him. She loved the feel of him, hard and powerful in so many places. She giggled quietly to herself. She liked very much his hard places—they made her feel alive with pleasure.
He was a considerate lover, though she liked when he lost control and had no choice but to surrender. The feeling gave her power and aroused her all the more. Actually she felt almost a constant arousal around him but then this was all new to her. And yet …
She sighed softly. She would forever want him because she would forever love him. Was not that the reason for her surrender? Did she not realize the foolishness of her actions and know that there was nothing left for her to do but to surrender her heart?
Would he ever come to love her?
She knew that was a question that would forever haunt her. And she thought, or perhaps it was more of a wish, that when they made love that she saw a spark of love in his eyes when he looked at her.
She could dream, or wish, or pray that someday it would be so.
For now she would accept her fate and do what was expected of her. At least it would not be a chore to be married to Colin. And it would certainly not be a chore to share a bed with him.
A sudden thought nagged at her, a thought she did not like. She wondered whether he would be a faithful husband to a wife he did not love. Would he continue to charm other women? The idea disturbed her and the more she thought on it the more upset she grew.
She understood that many men did not remain faithful to their wives, but she wanted no such husband. And she wanted to know now what to expect of him.
Without thought to the consequences, she gently poked at him.
He stirred only slightly.
She gave him another poke.
He mumbled incoherently.
This was not working and her frustrated sigh turned to a sudden smile when she reached out and ran a loving hand over his napping manhood. With a few caressing strokes she brought him to full attention.
She also brought herself to an unexpected arousal. She thought to torment him but it seemed that she tormented herself.
Her passion grew with his and when he felt thick and heavy in her hands, she was suddenly grabbed around the waist, flung backward on the bedding and with a need that mirrored her own Colin entered her swiftly.
She cried out, not from the twinge of soreness that struck her briefly but from the immense pleasure the full, hard length of him brought to her. She could feel the intense swell of him and she moved to take him deeper inside her, moving in a rhythm that he matched.
She moaned and tightly grabbed hold of his shoulders.
He kissed along her neck and whispered in her ear. “I do not hurt you?”
“Never,” she whispered back.
“Then hold on,” he ordered firmly, “for I want you with a need I never thought possible.”
His confession fanned her arousal and she herself swelled with passion for him.
He took her like a man long denied, though she took from him with the same intensity. It was a fast and furious mating that had them both crying out in their combined and sudden climax.
They clung to each other, refusing to let go, refusing to allow the ripples of pleasure to die away.
When the last shudder was released and the last breath finally gasped, he moved off her though he wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly to him.
She had barely caught her breath when she asked, “Will you have other women after we wed?”
Her question stunned him speechless.
“Does your refusal to answer alert me to your intentions?” she asked on a shaky breath.
He was finally able to speak and it was with a note of annoyance. “You ask me this after what we have just shared?”
“I wish to know,” she said candidly, though a shred of doubt entered her tone. Did she wish to know the truth? Or was it better she did not know?
He rolled her onto her back and took an authoritative position over her, his hands locking with hers and stretching them up and out above her head. “Listen closely,” he said, his face a mere inch from hers.
Her body tensed, fearing his reply though her wide, bold eyes belied her true emotions.
“As far as I am concerned our vows were sealed the moment I took your virginity. To me you are my wife. We will make it official in the eyes of the church but the ceremony matters not to me. I will cherish, care and protect you for all my life. I need no clergy to speak these words to me and though I have yet to exchange vows with you, my heart and soul have already done so. I will not break them nor will I dishonor them.” He smiled and brushed a kiss across her lips. “And you, dear wife, please me in bed, so why should I look to another woman?”
She opened her mouth and he kissed her, his tongue darting, playing and teasing hers.
“I look for no answ
er,” he said, ending the playful kiss. “I but wish to know why you feel the need to ask such a ridiculous question of me?”
“Your reputation,” she said without hesitation.
He rested his forehead to hers, stole a brief kiss and rolled off her, taking her with him to nestle in his arms. He seemed to pause and consider her words and then with a tight hug, he said, “I will be a faithful husband to you, Hope.”
He did not expect her response. “Why?”
He sensed her frustration and doubt and he wished to ease her worries. “Because I take my vows seriously.”
Had she expected him to declare his love for her?
Foolish.
Would that word forever haunt her? Would she forever want a love from him that he could not give? And why did the thought upset her so? Why could she not accept and admit that she must wed him no matter what he felt or did not feel?
Why was love so important to her?
I will be good to you, Hope,” he said, his remark spoken with a confidence that was meant to ease her concerns.
“I have no doubt of that, Colin,” Hope said.
“Then what disturbs you? Tell me so that I may ease your worries.”
“What if you cannot?”
He sounded confident. “I can and I will.”
She thought of the deep, soul-reaching love she felt for him and the thought that if he could love her with a mere fraction of what she felt for him …
She shook her head. Foolish dreams. But then was not one allowed to dream foolishly?
“You are mine,” he whispered with a strength that challenged her to deny him.
She could not deny the truth. She was his, her heart belonged to him and as much as she fought her emotions, she also surrendered to them.
She loved him, plain and simple, and she told him so. “I love you, Colin. With all my heart I love you.”
He hugged her tightly to him and felt her love, and at that precise moment he realized that it was not only her love for him but his love for her.
The realization startled him and words failed him. Actions, however, did not and he did what he did best. He turned and with a gentleness that disarmed her he began to make love to her.
She surrendered easily and most willingly and she understood that she could not deny her love for him, nor did she want to. However it was to be she would accept, and right at this moment she wanted him with all her heart. That was how she surrendered to him… with all her heart.
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