Page 53 of The Last Warrior

He was playing with fire and he knew it, for he had no intention of undressing her…or did he? As though struck by a tomahawk, a realization came to him.

What was wrong with him? There was more than one way to give and receive satisfaction. Yes, the old ones had spent many hours lecturing the young boys on the duties of a husband, but this didn’t mean he had to be stupid about it.

She was his wife. She deserved pleasure, as did he. There were other ways of making love, and the thought of those ways almost sent him spiraling out of control. But again, he held himself in check.

“My wife, I will show you my chest, if you like, but realize if I do this, there will be no going back for us. Once we begin going down this path⁠—”

He had no more than started speaking when she threw herself into his arms. “Would you stop talking?”

“Hau. I can stop talking.” He gently lowered her back to the ground, whereupon he followed her down. “It is cold.”

“I am not cold,” she uttered.

“Still, we will place your cloak under you, for I intend to see you naked.”

“Oh.”

“But I may need your help, for the white man’s clothes confuse me, and white women wear so many of them.”

She smiled at him, and he grinned back. “I do not think this will be a problem.”

“Good,” he said. “It is good.”

Kneeling beside her, he removed his shirt, and Suzette stared at him as though he might have been a Greek statue, rather than flesh and blood. Of one matter, it was certain: he rivaled those Greek specimens as to the image of the ideal man. Firm muscles met her vision, a view completely unhampered by the unsightliness of hair. Light and shadows danced over his silhouette, causing her to wonder, was it simply her perspective of him? Was it the way the moonlight shone on him? Or was he truly beautiful?

Here in the deep shadows of the place where they had said their vows, the moment seemed somehow sacred. Perhaps it was only right for them to consummate their marriage here.

Exactly how this deed would affect their future life, she could only speculate. In sooth, such reflections didn’t seem important. Right now, all that mattered to her was him and the way he gazed at her as though he adored her.

She whispered, “I think you are beautiful.”

He shook his head. “No,” he murmured. “You…you are the one who is beautiful. I have always thought so, from the first instant I saw you. Though our first words to one another might have been said in anger, this does not make a man blind. And I have much admired your physical beauty. Perhaps it was not in jest for me to have proposed to you on that day. Maybe I was wise in ways I do not understand. I can only now thank the Above Ones for giving me the sense to suggest what I did to you. But come, I am much ready for this, as you are, too, I think. And I have yet to undress you.”

“Yes.” She sat up, and turning slightly, she presented her backside to him. “I will help you. There are buttons at the back of this dress. I think you could undo those easier than I.”

“Hau.”

She felt his fingers against her, and she shivered as tingles raced over her skin.

“Are you cold?”

“No,” she replied. “I am…wanting this…very much, I think.”

At last it was done, and he lowered the front of her gown, but far from being naked, there were yet other layers of clothing to be considered.

“It is a chemise and a loose corset,” she whispered, “but these I can easily remove.”

“I am glad. This one piece of your clothing looks unmovable to me.”

“There are hooks and ties that hold this garment together, and you may have to help me again, for the ties are at the back of the corset.”

“Hau, I see them. They are tight. Ah, now I understand why the white woman has an uncannily tiny waist. She is helped.”

“Indeed.” Suzette grinned and glanced at him over her shoulder. While working over the lacing, he returned her smile and placed a kiss along her cheek.

At last, it was done, and Suzette felt the relief she always experienced upon the relaxing of her corset. But the garment looked as though it were glued to her, for it continued to hug her curves. At least it did until he released her from it, pulling the clothing away from her body.

Then, still kneeling at her back, he reached around to caress her breasts, showering her neck with kisses at the same time. She sighed, leaning back into him, opening herself up to him. “Oh, what you do to me.”