Chapter 16
"What do you think?" he asked a trifle anxiously as she stood there looking at the weathered building.
"I thought it would be smaller. You said it's a homely place which gave me the impression of small." She shook her head and turned to face him, her eyes shining. "This is a fricking mansion."
Delighting in her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and breathed her in. He had kept his eyes on her the entire time while they were in the horse-drawn carriage, which had been a tradition for more than a thousand years. Her smile had captivated him anew. She was so unaffected, leaning forward to greet those who were now her people. "I adore you," he whispered. Feeling her shivering, he wrapped the ermine cape securely around her.
"Shall we go in?"
He took her hand and led the way up the stone steps etched into the ground. A sturdy stone railing surrounded the entire building, the roof spearing upwards from various turrets and a conical roof.
"How old is this place?" she whispered as they stepped into what seemed like a funereal atmosphere. It was as if they had steppedback in time. Silk tapestries hung from the walls, with sconces secured at strategic places offering light.
"Too old." Taking her hand, he led the way up a spiral staircase, until they stopped in front of a pair of redwood doors.
"Our honeymoon suite." He swept the door open to a stunning gold suite overlooking the lush grounds.
"It's lovely," she whispered, turning from the window to face him. "Who lives here?"
"An old couple who has been with the family for more than thirty years. Hi mi amor." Tipping her chin up, he brushed his lips against hers. "My princess." Lifting his head, he gazed into her eyes.
He was married. In the past, he had considered it a duty, something he had to do because of who he was. It had been drummed into his head since he could understand actual words that when the time came he should take a suitable wife, one who would have been carefully vetted for her beauty, bloodline and submissive nature. That was a particular requirement.
A smile tugged at his lips as he considered that the woman he had fallen in love with and who was now his wife had noneof those qualities. He had been brought up to think that only someone from his society would do. It took this wonderful woman coming to his country to show him a different path, one where he was in love and completely committed to just one person.
He had repeated the vows earlier and bound their lives together forever, and he had no intention of ever looking back.
"What is it?" She was staring at him, puzzled, and he realized belatedly that he was just standing there, staring at her.
"I love you," he told her hoarsely, shaking his head. She had changed from her wedding finery and was wearing a soft teal blue wool dress that hugged her curves seductively, a dress that he was going to be taking off her very shortly. "I love you." His hands cupped her face gently, his entire body trembling. "I never dreamed..." He swallowed the lump that had settled in his throat, and words failed him. But she understood perfectly, because the same rush of emotions coursing through him were coursing through her as well. It was all real, she thought in wonder, as she touched his handsome face.
He loved her completely.
"Make love to me," she whispered, fingers touching the sculpted cheek that was already sporting a stubble.
"Come to bed with me, wife," he said gruffly.
"My husband." Her smile glimmered as she floated into his arms.
The kiss was at first demanding and hungry, his hands roving over her body with an urgency that told her how much he needed her.
Without lifting his mouth from hers, he drew her over to the graceful French walnut bed surrounded by a gauzy white canopy. He carefully took off her clothes, kissing the exposed skin, his lips lingering.
"I love the taste of you." He nibbled on her throat, biting the skin lightly. "The scent reminds me of pomegranates."
"Pomegranates?" she laughed huskily, gasping as he nibbled his way down her neck.
"Hmm." Pushing her back on the bed, he followed her down. "You smell wonderful."
"I should," she murmured. "I was pampered for more than an hour this morning." Her hands roamed over his muscledchest and down his arms. She loved the feel of him, which reminded her of velvet-covered steel. This handsome man was her husband.
"Mine," he growled as if reading her thoughts.
"Mine," she whispered back, lifting her face to his. He kissed her with his feelings completely bare, nothing hidden, no shame or vulnerability where she was concerned. Her arms came around his neck, her body arched, offering herself to him with unabashed joy, unrestrained passion that fired his own. His body moved on hers with a hunger and a yearning that never ceased to amaze and confound him. He needed her. It was not just the physical, it was also something so spiritual that it touched his very soul.
When he joined himself to her, it was like two people becoming one. The passion that had flared up between them from the very beginning rose and swelled until they were both lost in a maelstrom so strong, it consumed them.
The climax tore through their bodies as if it wanted to rip them into pieces.
