With that, Thomas freed his member from its confinement and gave it several rough strokes. He was already primed to explode and hoped several slow, deliberate breaths through his nose would help. All was lost, however, the first time his sensitive head met the slick petals of her sex. He hissed through his teeth, his every muscle clenched, and knew he would not be able to do this; his every muscle screamed for him to thrust home.
“I do not trust myself,” Thomas ground out as he positioned himself at her tight entrance. Exposure to even that light pressure and moist heat threatened his sanity. “You must do it. Lower yourself on me until you are comfortable. Take as long as you need to adjust.” And he prayed to every deity he knew of that she would not taketoolong.
Nora hesitated only a moment before bracing her hands on his shoulders and lowering herself in minute increments. Both of them gasped as the thick, blunt head entered her, stretching her, gripping him more tightly than any fist. He had to clutch the grass at his sides in an effort not to grasp her hips and plunge her down onto him fully.
“That’s it,” Thomas panted as she sank lower, her body’s moisture helping guide the way. He’d never felt anything like her tight, wet heat. Her body enveloped him in the most perfect way and continued to amaze him as she took more and more of his length. She was so hot and her inner muscles pulled and squeezed him, drawing him deeper and deeper until he was nearly seated fully to the hilt.
“I don’t think I can take anymore,” Nora whimpered with her eyes screwed tightly shut. “It’s too much.”
Despite the tremble in his limbs and the sweat coating his brow, Thomas reached up to cup her face and murmured reassuring noises into her neck. Half the words were nonsense while the other half were praise for her beauty and her bravery and her heart. Gradually, Nora relaxed enough that she sank until the taut curve of her bottom rested on the tops of his thighs.
They sat like that, staring awestruck into each other’s faces, allowing themselves to adjust to the new sensations flooding their bodies.
Then, Nora gave a small jerk of her hips and Thomas saw stars.
“Fuck!” he cursed and his hands flew to her bottom. Together, they found the same rhythm as before, but this…it was so much more intimate, so much more connected than either had anticipated. Finally, Thomas’s restraint snapped and he dug the heels of his boots into the earth to buck up into Nora’s grinding movements. She collapsed against his chest and clung to his shirt, eliciting little mewling cries as the crux of her sex came in contact again and again with his thrusting pelvis. Though they were not always in sync, they found pleasure in one another’s arms, tested the limits of their bodies, and it wasn’t long until Nora stiffened and cried out as she trembled from head to toe. Thomas felt her clench around him and it set off an intense zing in the base of his spine. What began as flutters quickly developed into great dragging pulls that milked his explosive orgasm from his loins and wrung him dry.
They collapsed beside the tree, spent, sweat-slicked, trembling, and content. Thomas wrapped Nora in his arms and held her to his pounding heart; his erection flagged and slid from her body, coating them both in the sticky warmth of his spend.
Never had he been more at ease in the world, exhausted in body, and content in the knowledge of the love the woman in his arms held for him.
His Nora.
Chapter Five
Thomas and Nora’s interludes progressed in frequency and duration, though they never did have another chance to experience what they’d shared in the apple orchard. Time and privacy constraints placed limitations upon what they could accomplish, but one should never discount the determined imaginations of those in love.
Once, Thomas was able to pull her into an unoccupied stall in the stables and there, amongst the sweet smell of fresh hay and the inquisitive nickering of the horses, Thomas took his time learning how she liked to be touched. They worked together to experiment until they found a perfect rhythm with his strong, calloused hands. He’d even, heaven forbid, kissed her most secret of places! That had been something Nora knew she’d not soon forget.
Together, they discovered a small bundle of nerves hidden within the swollen folds of her sex and she nearly fainted fromsheer delight. The sensations elicited by Thomas’s deliberate and steady machinations were even more powerful than the accidental collisions during their first time making love. For his part, Thomas seemed to take great joy in learning and employing all the ways he could make her writhe in pleasure—nearly as much as the times when Nora performed her own explorations of his leanly muscled body and hard, steely length.
Not once did Nora ever feel shame for what they were doing. Like most girls, she’d been raised to covet her virtue and barter with her maidenhead for the most advantageous match. She, however, knew she would only ever want Thomas and everything she shared with him was beautiful. She didn’t dare sully it with the smallest bit of embarrassment.
Eight days after their meeting in the orchard, Nora began to bleed. Her courses were always regular, so it did not come as a surprise. She did not, however, look forward to telling Thomas that they would need to postpone any further interludes for the next five days or so, though. That very same morning, she had discovered a small note had been pushed beneath her door bidding her to slip out and meet in the rose garden during tea—when Beth and the viscountess would be occupied.
Nora experienced a great deal of guilt at feigning a headache to cry off, especially when Beth offered to forgo the afternoon respite and keep her company in her room.
“Thank you, no,” Nora had said pitifully, the bottom of her stomach dropping out at her friend’s concerned expression.
“If you’re certain…” She could tell Beth wanted to override Nora’s request for solitude; thankfully, however, Beth eventually capitulated. “I will check on you in a few hours. Shall I bring our book?” Beth referred to the old tome Nora had uncovered in the library all those years ago.
The book filled with myths and fairytales of the British Isles had become a touchstone for them since that day. Each time oneof the girls was unwell or needed to be comforted, the book was dusted off and they’d curl up in one bed and read to one another, cuddling into the warm embrace of a safe routine.
Nora nodded, knowing Beth would notice something was off if she declined. “That would be lovely.”
After her friend took her leave, Nora silently counted to one-hundred before she sprang from her bed and slipped into the hallway, sneaking down the servants’ stairwell and out to the back of the house. In the freedom of the outdoors, Beth hiked up her skirts and ran; joy, excitement, and pure love and contentment shone upon her face; they emanated from her beaming smile. She skittered along the pathways of the various gardens until she reached the square sectioned off for roses. Thomas and Beth’s grandmother had been very fond of the blooms and had worked diligently over more than twenty years to amass quite the astonishing assortment of them. They ranged in size, color, volume, and scent, but Nora loved them all. The rich aroma beckoned to you long before you grew near enough to see the arched gate leading to the rose garden. Years ago, Beth and Nora had often pretended that it was the Roman arch from their favorite story in their book. Now, the garden held a different appeal.
It was far enough away from the house as to not be easily viewable from any windows. The surrounding hedges had taken a healthy root and now stood nearly eight feet in height. It was secluded.
And Thomas stood in the very center of it.
Nora flew into his arms and he caught her with a laugh before capturing her lips in a deep, possessive kiss.
“Where do they think you’ve gone?” he murmured.
“I told them…that I…had a…headache,” Nora responded in between kisses.
“Brilliant. And I am occupied in the stables.” He gave her a wicked grin and cupped her bottom in his broad palms. “That should buy us enough time.”
