She knew they would have to work at it.
She has seen the difference of what would happen in a marriage, when the partners could be friends as compared to when they were… not. Her memories of her mother were vague, since she had died when Ella was a very little girl, and yet something about the way Father had always talked about her made it clear that they’d had a genuine respect and affection for each other.
His second marriage had been something that Ella never wanted to aspire to. Cold and unfeeling almost from the beginning, the Lady Isabelle had put up a front of trying to pretend that she wanted to be a mother to yet another little girl. And Father had even said that was his reason for remarrying: he believed that only a woman could help his daughter grow up properly.
Which was a noble intention in and of itself.
It was just his execution that had turned out to be a bit flawed.
But she wouldn’t think about that now either. She’d had enough of memories for one day and the sun was indeed pleasant. There was just the slightest breeze too. Not strong enough be uncomfortable, but just enough to take the edge off the heat of the day.
Ella had never been one to enjoy spending much time in nature. It was simply not something that was done, something she had not been exposed to very much as a girl. Even riding horses had been a carefully controlled activity, mostly done within the confines of her family’s estate. Which in itself had been close enough to the heart of the capital city that there was nothing truly wild about it.
This place was just the opposite. And though it was occasionally rough going on the uneven trails, she never once felt unsafe. Perhaps because Luke was so attentive and caring, taking the time to help her find her footing on even the most challenging of paths.
He did most of the talking, but she didn’t mind. He was an excellent conversationalist, witty and entertaining. Regaling her with stories of what he and his two brothers had gotten up to in these very woods.
It was a side of him that she had never seen before and she rather liked it. It was also very different from what she always been told by Adrian. When they were children, the youngest prince had often bemoaned the fact that his older brothers had little time for him.
Perhaps that was true, in a way. Most of Luke’s memories did seem to have to do more with Edward. But there were enough tales of the mischief that Adrian himself had gotten into to make it clear that he had not always been left behind as much is he said he was.
She realized that she could truly learn to like this man. Maybe even…
No. It was too soon to think of those things.
They followed a small stream up the mountain, eventually coming upon an area beneath a small cliff, which allowed the stream to widen out into a small pool beneath a waterfall. Luke grinned and there was something very close to mischief dancing in his eyes. “Any chance that you know how to swim?”
“Not at all.” There would’ve been no reason for her to learn.
“Do you want me to teach you?”
She looked from the water, to her husband, and back again. Heat rushed through her body as she realized exactly what he was asking. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”
He unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt, then lifted it up over his head and tossed it aside. Exposing the sleek muscles of his chest and shoulders. His hands went to the buckle of his belt next, but instead of undoing it, he paused and looked at her, still grinning. “No one’s around but us. You know that.”
What he was suggesting was highly improper and maybe even a little wicked, but at that moment, Ella wasn’t concerned about rules. She turned her back to him. “I suppose you’re right. But I’ll need a little help with these buttons.”
His deep chuckle was warm and masculine and sent a series of shivers down her spine. “Of course.”
He took his time, lingering over the task. Kissing each and every bit of exposed skin as he slowly pulled her clothing away. First her dress, then her shift, and finally her corset and stockings, until she was naked before him. She heard another one of those low growls rumble from deep in his chest and glanced over her shoulder.
He was staring at her, his eyes dark with need. “You’re so beautiful, Ella,” he whispered. “This all feels like a dream. Something too good to be real, knowing that I get the chance to actually touch you.”
She could tell him so many things, that he had rescued her from her living nightmare. That she too felt like it was a dream, something too good to be true because it should have been impossible for someone like him to want her.
But she feared breaking the spell.
Instead, she turned and reached for him. For the buckle of his belt. “It’s not fair that you get to see all of me, while you’re still wearing this.” She almost didn’t recognize her own voice in that moment, it was so full of need and a confidence that she had never known herself capable of feeling.
She pulled the leather strap free, then began working on the buttons that lined the fly of his trousers. The thick fabric was stretched taut over a large, prominent bulge.
He wanted her.
Ella wished she could be as sure with his fastenings as he had been with hers, but she had never had to undress anyone before. He did nothing to help her, and her fingers grew clumsy as she felt the way he was pulsing and growing harder under her touch.
That part of him sprang free as soon as the last button was slipped out of its hole. She couldn’t resist running her fingers along the hard length, marveling once again at the difference between her body and his.
He took her hand, pausing only to kiss each of her fingertips in turn, before he led her toward the water. Though the pond was fully exposed to the sun, the water itself was chilled from its high mountain position. She shivered and gasped as it touched her skin, but then Luke drew her into his arms and she quickly forgot everything else around her.
The pond was too shallow to have to worry about drowning, but he made good on his word and taught her to swim. It wasn’t long before they were chasing each other around the water, teasing and splashing.
Ella couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much. Or felt so… free.
Then Luke caught her by the waist and drew her close, claiming her mouth with his.
The chill of the water had done nothing to diminish his desire. She felt him pulsing hard against her belly as they kissed, their tongues dancing together in an already familiar rhythm.
She wanted to touch him. Everywhere. It had been too long.
Ella skimmed her fingers along his chest, down his stomach. His muscles contracted and he let out a low groan against her mouth. He began to touch her in return, caressing her breasts, her bottom, her…
She cried out sharply as he pressed one hand between her legs. “You’re so wet for me.”
She caught that part of him in her hand. He was so hard for her, but she wasn’t bold enough to say that out loud. She squeezed him and stroked him, and his low groans turned into rough growls.
Luke suddenly clasped both hands on her hips, lifting her free of the water. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”
She did.
He carried her out of the pond, barely letting their lips part from each other. The kisses grew hotter and wetter. More desperate.
She tried to reach down again, but the position of their bodies made it impossible for her to touch him in that place, that part of his body, that so fascinated and intrigued her.
He laid her down on a soft patch of grass that was under a nearby tree. Disentangling himself from her embrace, he began kissing his way down her body. Ella bit back another gasp and lifted her hips in instinctive anticipation.
Luke guided her to spread her legs for him, then knelt between her thighs. He kissed her breasts, sucking the water from her nipples, then worked his way down. Exploring her with his mouth.
Then he was down there.
Licking her between her legs in the most intimate sort of kiss possible. Just as he had the first night. She cri
ed out again and again as he slowly worked his tongue over her heated flesh, her insides contracting as a flood of wetness surged to greet him.
“You taste so good.” He barely lifted his mouth from her body to whisper the words, and the feel of his breath against her slick skin sent a fresh shiver all through her everywhere. “Come for me, Ella…”
The pleasure built upon itself, higher and higher with each slow and deliberate sweep of his tongue. Then his fingers were sliding inside her, caressing her from the inside, and she clamped down on him hard.
It was too much.
She cried out, arching into his hand and his mouth as she surrendered to him.
Body and heart and soul.
Completely.
Chapter Thirteen
He would never tire of how responsive Ella was. Her natural sensuality. In ordinary situations, she was already beautiful, but like this, spread open for him, her body quivering with the orgasm he was giving her, she was the most exquisite creature he had ever seen. Her contractions were strong, her inner muscles clamping down on him until he thought she might manage to snap the very bones of his fingers.
If she had, he wasn’t sure if he would care.
Because right now and for always, she was his.
All his.
No other man had ever seen her like this. And no man ever would.
Her tremors stilled and she flattened against the ground, her rasping breaths seemingly too-loud, even in this open space. Luke drew his fingers from her sheath, pausing to lick off her juices. He groaned at the taste of her desire, closing his eyes to relish the sensation.
When he opened them again, he realized that she had risen up on her knees. Still trembling as her hands landed on his shoulders and her mouth found his. She kissed him the way he had taught her, her tongue plumbing deep between his lips as she reached down and gently skimmed her fingers over his aching cock.
Such a light contact. Like feathers over his flesh. And yet it had the most powerful effect on him, because it was from her. His breath quickened and his balls drew up tight against his body. His cock pulsed and he groaned as he nearly spent his seed right then and there.
He broke the kiss as he pushed her hand away. “You’re going to make me lose control, if you keep doing that.”
“And what if I want you to lose control?”
He inhaled sharply. His shy bride was quickly losing her reticence along with her innocence. “Not right now. I had other plans for you.”
“Oh?”
“Lie back. I need to taste you again.”
She made a small sound, deep in her throat, and did as instructed. He fell between her legs, running his tongue over her wetness, taking her taste deep into himself.
He started with the broad strokes of his tongue that he knew she liked, then began alternating between those motions, and tracing just the tip of his tongue along the rim of her pussy.
Teasing them both.
He placed one hand over her clit, lightly rubbing that sensitive spot as he thrust his tongue inside her as deep as it would go, sliding in and out in a small imitation of the way he would normally take her with his cock.
Her juices flooded him again, her need becoming nearly overwhelming. The animal inside him roared to life, despite the fact that the full moon was well and truly over. Growling at him to claim her again.
To mate with her.
To fill her with his seed and mark her body as his in the most basic way possible.
He would do that, but not just yet.
Luke pushed his tongue into her as far as he could, so deep that it became difficult to breath, but was rewarded by the sharpening cries she made and the rhythm of her hips rising up to bounce against his face.
He drew back and replaced his tongue with his fingers. She was so ready for him, she easily took two digits immediately, despite her natural tightness. He worked them in and out several times before adding a third, stretching her more thoroughly in this manner than he had ever dared to do with her before.
She began to climax once more, her pussy pulsing with life and need and an oh, so delicious rhythm. He rode out her orgasm, leaning in to flick his tongue over her clit to drive her higher and higher.
His cock was so hard, he was in real pain. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he would be able to take.
But every other time between them had been rushed in some way. Even their first. And for once, he was determined to draw it out. To bring her to a higher and more intense pleasure than she had ever known before.
She opened her eyes, her lashes lifting in an excruciatingly slow motion, as if they suddenly weighed far more than usual. Or she simply didn’t have the energy to do it quickly. “Tell me what to do,” she whispered. “I want to please you too.”
Well, since she asked so nicely… He took one of her hands and guided it between her legs. “Touch yourself.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not sure how—”
“You like the way I usually touch you, right? Do that.”
He released his hold on her wrist and leaned back on his haunches, stroking his cock with his hand as he watched her slowly begin to explore her own body. “Use your other hand to hold yourself open. So I can see you.”
She bit her lip, moaning again as she spread her pussy lips for him with one hand while stroking the area with the other. Her motions were uncertain at first, her expression in her scent full of embarrassment and uncertainty.
But as arousal rose, her stroking fingers moved faster and her head fell back. Ella closed her eyes, her teeth still embedded in her lower lip as she began to rock her hips.
The sight of her pleasuring herself was nearly too much, but he squeezed his cock hard to stop himself from coming too soon. He leaned forward slightly, careful to touch her with just one hand.
If he touched anything else, if he let himself play with her wetness and heat once more, he would not be able to stop himself from thrusting himself deep inside her.
And as much as he wanted that, he was enjoying this little show. He wanted Ella to know how much he worshipped her body. To learn to savor the delights that could come from openly indulging in one’s desires.
Plus, watching her was an incredibly sexy experience. One he wouldn’t trade for everything in the world.
He guided her hand away from her slit, to touch her clit. “Rub yourself here, now. That’s it.”
She moaned, turning her head to one side as she began to toy with the taut nub of flesh, the rocking of her hips growing quicker, more prominent. Then she suddenly arched her back hard, crying out, and he knew she was coming again.
The scent of her arousal swamped his senses.
He could stand it no longer. He rose over her, guiding himself into her still quivering sheath. She wrapped her arms around him, her hands clutching at him and pulling him closer.
She was so wet, he slid inside easily, even as her tightness wrapped around his cock like a glove. Ella began to undulate beneath him, as if trying to draw him even deeper. “Please,” she said with a whimper.
“What do you want from me, Ella. Say it.”
“I want—” her cheeks flushed and she swallowed hard. She screwed her eyes shut even tighter, as if she were trying to hide from him, despite the fact that their bodies were joined. “I want more of you.”
“Where?” She was normally so quiet during sex, he wanted to teach her to talk to him. He drew out slowly, so just the tip of him was inside her. “Here?”
She made a sound that was half-sob, half-laugh. “That isn’t what I meant!”
“Then say the words, sweetheart. I know you can.”
Her eyes flew open. He could see the need in those beautiful green depths. The confusion and doubt. “I can’t. It’s too embarrassing.”
“Nothing’s too embarrassing. Not when you’re with me.”
She swallowed, visibly. “I want you. Deeper.”
“Like this?” He thrust back into her in one smooth motion, until
he was buried to the hilt.
She let out a short scream and her fingers tightened on his shoulders. “Yes!”
“Want more?” Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He was fighting for control, something that had been second-nature before he’d been with her.
“More.” She lifted her hips, sliding her hands down his back to cup his ass. Kneading the muscles under the flesh, as if to urge him on. “Don’t hold back any longer, Luke. Please!”
Her nails scored his skin, leaving her mark on his flesh. The slight sting, combined with the need in her voice and the scent of her peaking desire, shattered the last remnants of his control.
He covered her mouth with his, swallowing each of her heated cries as he rammed into her. Felt her tighten around him, squeezing him. He drove harder and faster, the slick sound of his flesh gliding inside her punctuated by the slapping together of their hips and thighs.
It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
It felt like he would never get as deep inside of her, as close to her, as he craved. He needed to be joined with her in every sense.
She screamed into his mouth, her fingers tightening on his ass as her slender body bowed beneath his. She shook and shook and he slammed deep one last time. His cock swelled and the pleasure exploded within him.
Out of him.
He pulsed. She squeezed.
It was a perfect rhythm, movements buried deep inside her as their bodies stilled against each other. The seed shot from him once, twice, with a force he’d never felt before, and her pussy tightened around him still more, as if trying to wring out every last drop…
He fell into her. Became lost in her.
As their breathing slowed, he rolled onto his back, dragging Ella across his body to protect her from the rougher ground. Keeping them joined. Her head rested on his chest, her small hand beside it, seeming to take measure of his heart.
His cock softened and slipped out of his body, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before he was hard again.
That was the power she had over him.
It might have made him feel helpless, out of control, but in a way, it was a part of him that he was more than willing to surrender.
The Wolf Prince: The Cursed Princes, Book One Page 10