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She nipped at his chin and to his shock rolled her hips, in a move of such breathtaking sensuality he almost released then and there. The eyes that peeked up at him held laughter, a dare, and such lust,
her eyes glittered. Arousal burned through him, fierce and all-consuming, but he kept his thrusts slow and deep. Her soft sighs and shivers had lust coiling in his gut. She nipped at his chin again, and he dipped so she could have his mouth, and not once did he stop his slow, torturous thrusting. Her mouth moved under his with raw carnality, her tongue stroking his in ravenous delight, her hips arching and rolling, teasing him, tempting him to lose control.
Their lips parted, and she nipped his lower lip slightly and breathed huskily, “I want more.”
That soft plea ripped away the measure of control he was trying to keep, and with a shudder, he tightened his grip on her hips and ravaged her with deep, piercing strokes. A wild cry came from his wife and traveled straight to his balls, tightening them, making him more insatiable in his rough demands. Hugh took her freely and with all the passion burning in his heart for her. She shattered in his arms, bathing his cock in her release. His fingers dug into the lush curve of her hips as he chased the pleasure and peace he found being with her.
His wife chuckled, the sound one of awe and contentment. And with a sigh, her body melted into his. In that instant, he felt utterly at peace. After ensuring they were cleaned, he retrieved their drinks and placed her glass back in her hand. They sipped their brandies, and admirably she did not cough and splutter as she had done yesterday when he had lain in the couch with his head on her lap while she read.
He held her in his arms as her body shivered, coming down from the devastating pleasure.
“Do not move,” he signed, quickly going to the bed and tugging off the thick, voluminous coverlet. Hugh went back to the windows and drew her to him so that her back was flushed to his body and the top of her head bumping his chin. He wrapped them both in the thick coverlet, cocooning them in the warmth as they watched the sun disappear through the large windows of his chamber.
He recalled to mind what had prompted them to be here, hidden away from the world, as he buried his grief and all unexpected emotions in her welcoming body.
Hugh turned her to face him, and he smiled at how small and adorable she looked bundled inside the coverlet.
He lifted his hands. “Thank you for not letting me go.”
Her eyes softened. “I am sorry that you had to lose him, Hugh. The old earl was a wonderful man.”
“I expected it.”
“That does not lessen the pain of it,” she murmured, brushing a kiss across his knuckle.
He took a deep, steady breath. “There was a time I wondered at the identity of my real father. There were many rumors. He could have been an Italian count…so I visited Italy for several months. Then he could have been an ambassador from China.”
“So you visited Italy and China.”
“Yes. Even Egypt. It was a bit silly. I searched without even understanding what I searched for. For a long moment, I felt an odd sort of guilt, a feeling I had never endured before. That I somehow dishonoured the old earl by trying to find the man who had the affair with my mother, and I am the consequence.”
She cupped his cheek, and he turned his face and kissed the middle of her palm.
“There is nothing to feel guilty about. Nothing. I should never know a moment’s peace if I had such a hunger. It is only human, my love.”
Her eyes flared wide, and he could see the wild flutter of her pulse at her throat.
My love.
They stared at each other, and he wondered at the painful throb that went through his entire body. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then turned her back around so they could watch the stars.
My love.
Am I really your love? he was tempted to ask, but he remained still, for he was not sure what he would do if she said yes. They watched the skies, which held a few streaking stars for a long time. His wife did not shatter the beauty with speech but lifted her hands and signed, “I feel safe…cherished.”
A wave of tenderness swept through him. And you make me feel I can slay the world. Yet he did not sign the words brewing within. Instead, he merely closed his hands around her waist and held her to him. His heart trembled perilously with an emotion never felt. Hugh turned it around on its head and tried to examine it, and with a sense of shock he realized it was happiness. A feeling he vaguely remembered having as a child as he ran in the apple orchard, his mother laughing and chasing after him. And when she caught him…the kisses she would rain upon him had been a treasure unto themselves. Instead of closing his eyes against the memories and shutting out the images of her, he let them flow through him.
He lifted his fingers and she looked at them.
“I feel happy.”
Then he lowered his hands and wrapped them around her waist. In the reflection of the windows, he observed the wide, beautiful smile that curved his wife’s lips.
Chapter Sixteen
Only a week had passed since the first night he had made love with his wife and six hours since he had last kissed her, touched her soft skin, inhaled her unique scent into his lungs. He missed her. How terribly fascinating was the ease with which his wife had captivated his senses and his attention? She had taken her usual morning ride, and he’d noted that she took a basket with a book. Sometimes she lay under the large tree near the cliff and read before heading back to spend time with their daughter. Sometimes, like yesterday, she would fall asleep, and it was Hugh who would go for her, lift her in his arms, and take her back to the main house in a carriage.
Whenever she left the house for time to herself, he did everything to allow her that peace and gave orders that she was not disturbed. Though she had a small army of servants to tend to their daughter’s needs, his wife was incredibly involved in reading to Franny. At times he could see her exhaustion—though he suspected that the passionate way he commanded her in his bed every night added to that.
