“You know that the servants hear when we—”
“Oh, I know.” She squeezed his hand, pulling him toward the stairs again. “What was it you said to me that first night you were able to, um, ‘complete’ our marriage? When I was so surprised by what you knew?”
His low laugh thrilled Mary to her core. “I believe I said, ‘I am without experience, not without knowledge.’ And I already knewa great deal about what pleased you.” He paused and kissed her temple.
“And I accused you of only reading about it.” They took the first steps down.
“As opposed to having followed George around for ten years. George, who had plenty of experience and could not stop talking about it. In great detail.”
“Thank you, George.”
Thad paused on the landing and took both her hands. “I had almost convinced myself you would not enjoy it. That your previous—”
Mary put a finger to his lips. “I know. But you washed all that away. Your gentleness, your touch, was like nothing that happened before.”
“Oh, my love.” With a sudden motion, Thad scooped Mary up, holding her tight against his body. She squealed and put her arms around his neck, giggling as he carried her down the stairs, pushing the half-open door open with his foot.
Mary glanced around quickly. They were alone, but she laughed out loud when she realized the bed covers had been turned back, the pillows plumped and braced against the headboard.
Thad followed her gaze. “What—”
“I warned Raleigh.”
He looked down at her. “You warned your maid that you were about to ravish me?”
She giggled again. “Yes. I told you I wanted privacy.”
Thad backed against the door to close it, then he released her knees, letting her feet slide to the floor, and his hands cupped her face, as he always did, a gesture so familiar and tender that it always made Mary’s heart race. From the very first moment he had reached for her, every touch, every caress had been an act of worship, as if nothing existed in his life in this moment but her.
Thad stroked her cheeks, drawing her closer, his lips brushing hers before his tongue pressed against them. Mary parted them, welcoming him in, and Thad pressed her hard against him, his tongue exploring her mouth with a thoroughness that sent fire lacing down her body. She ran her hands up his chest, along his shoulders, and into his hair, her fingers entwining in the curls.
Thad moaned—how he loved her fingers in his hair—and his hands left her face, moving down to cup her breasts. Breaking the kiss, he took her shoulders and turned her away from him. His fingers nimbly moved over the laces on her dress, even as he tilted his head to kiss her neck, his teeth making tiny nips along the skin. As the back of her dress opened, Mary shrugged it forward, pulling the bodice down and releasing the skirt, letting it all flutter down to a puddle on the floor.
Thad stripped off his coat, tossing it on top of the dress, then began to tug on the laces on her stays. As they also slipped free and followed the dress to the floor, Thad traced his fingertips lightly over her shoulders, playing at the edge of her chemise. Mary shivered as her nipples hardened and her stomach tightened as her breathing became ragged.
“Are you cold, my love?” His breath whispered along her spine.
“I am . . . anything . . . but cold.”
Mary could feel his smile on her shoulder. Moisture gathered between her thighs, and Thad’s butterfly touches moved down over her shoulders and back, his hands resting with a warm caress of her bottom. He kissed her neck again, whispering, “I want to see you.”
She turned to face him, her fingers pulling at the ribbon tie of her chemise. As it loosened, she pushed it off her shoulders, letting it shimmer to the floor with the rest of her garments.She stood before him, bare, as his gaze traveled over her, hair to ankles, a long, low moan easing out of him.
She shivered again, but definitely not from a chill.
This had been almost impossibly difficult for Mary in the beginning, this acceptance that he adored looking at her, bereft of clothes. She had always been somewhat ashamed of her form, with its heavy breasts and too round hips. After Mina, her distaste for her body had increased, given the round pouch of her stomach, which had never gone away, and the thickness of her thighs.
Thad, however, had always looked at her with desire and adoration, as if she were a queen, a goddess, a...
“My perfect angel.”
Mary’s eyes blurred with tears. Thad’s expression softened, and he stepped to her, kissing each eye, brushing away the moisture with his thumbs. Only once had she protested this description, and he had scolded her, proceeding to demonstrate exactly how perfect he thought her to be. She had not complained again.
His fingertips roamed over her shoulders and down her breasts, resting for a moment on her taut nipples, rubbing them as they hardened further, her arousal spreading through her like warm wine, mesmerizing and exotic. Then his hands trailed down her belly and her thighs as he bent to kiss and suckle her nipples. Mary groaned, her desire for him now building into a roiling heat that spread through her, tensing her muscles and increasing the wetness in the soft folds of her sex.
Thad touched the top of each thigh, his gesture that she should spread her legs. She did, bracing her hands on his shoulders as his fingers parted her, exploring deep within as his bites on her nipples hardened. Mary gasped for air, her need for him spinning through her, and she let her head fall backwards ashe released her breasts, knelt, and lifted one leg and braced her knee over his shoulder.
As he blew soft streams of air over her slit, Mary clutched the cloth of his shirt. “I am going to fall.”
