AllFreeNovel
Share Us
breaths slowing, limbs entwined, souls forever bound.
A RAKE’S TALE
REMEMBERING THAT SHE was but newly opened, Alessandro raised himself up from where he lay. “Are you all right?” he asked, steeling himself.
Despite all his skill at lovemaking, he knew that for women, pain was an inevitable part of surrendering one’s virginity. He’d been a callow youth with no real knowledge of how to pleasure a female the first time he’d deflowered a virgin, and his memory of the experience was one of guilt at the pain he’d caused.
But when he looked into Mélisande’s eyes, Alessandro saw only the tranquil, sated expression of a woman well loved.
A shy smile curved her beautiful lips. “I’m wonderful,” she whispered. “You were right; there was hardly any pain at all.” Her eyes dropped in embarrassment and a rosy blush stained her cheeks.
He smiled back at her, feeling a surge of tenderness as he traced the outer edge of a delicate ear. “We need to separate, and you should probably bathe again. The warm water will help ease the pain,” he said, kissing the corner of her mouth. Her effect on him was truly incredible. Already he could feel a renewing of desire. Lest he risk hurting her, he needed to withdraw before he became fully hard again.
He began to move, but stopped in terror when she gasped. To his astonishment, instead of crying out or pushing him away, her legs wrapped around his waist and drew him back in.
His manhood rallied to the challenge as her motions compelled him to move with her. In amazement, he watched as she came to crisis again. The pleasure of seeing her beautiful face in the throes of ecstasy was well worth the effort. When it was over, he kissed her deeply, withdrawing at last to lie at her side.
He wanted to laugh aloud but had no air left in his lungs with which to do so. They had done nothing unconventional, yet he felt more fulfilled than ever before. He’d bedded many women, some of them famed courtesans, but none of them compared to this woman.
After resting a moment, he propped himself up on one elbow. He could not stop staring at her. “Mélisande,” he murmured, his heart aching as he stroked her cheek and followed the touch with a feathery kiss.
Turning, she met his lips in a lingering kiss that spoke of longings fulfilled. Then, before he could react, she broke away, stood, and walked to the tub. Without so much as a backward glance, she climbed in and began to wash in the now-tepid water.
Confused, Alessandro stared after her for a moment and then scrambled off the bed to follow. She did not look up at his approach, nor even acknowledge him as he stood waiting.
“Mélisande, look at me.” He reached out and tipped her chin up with a gentle hand. A riot of turbulent emotions warred in her forest eyes, fear and confusion among the most prominent. “You have nothing to fear from me,” he reassured.
She chuckled, and the broken sound cut at his heart like a thousand shards of glass.
Having completed her ministrations, she stood. “I don’t fear you.”
Grabbing a drying sheet, he offered it to her. “Then what is it, amora?” He struggled to maintain composure. The distance between them was growing with every second that passed. He could see it in her eyes as the walls of her fortress went up, stone by stone, layer upon layer, shutting him out.
She bowed her head. “I was very afraid,” she admitted. “Afraid you would not want me once you saw me, afraid of disappointing you as a lover, and afraid of the pain.”
“And how do you feel now?”
“I never imagined it would be like that,” she said, her surprise evident. “I expected pain and hoped for at least some small amount of pleasure, but I certainly didn’t expect what just happened. That was...”
No fool, Alessandro realized he’d been subtly redirected. The beginnings of her tender emotions for him had been snuffed out like the flame of a candle as she chose to focus on the physical aspect of what they’d done, rather than the heart. There was nothing to do now but play at her pace and try to rekindle it. It would take time to cultivate a fire that could not be extinguished, but time was a luxury he possessed.
“I am glad I was able to give you pleasure.” He stroked her soft skin with a reverent hand. “I hope to bring you joy many, many times over. It truly only improves with practice. I shall enjoy showing you just how delightful it can be.”
She peered at him sidelong. “You are not at all what I expected. You place a great deal of importance on giving pleasure as opposed to receiving it. Most men are not so minded. They know only how to take.”
“If I was interested only in my own release, I would simply amuse myself and have done,” he replied, “but I have learned that pleasure experienced alone is a mere shadow of that which is shared.” Leaning over, he caressed a still-damp shoulder. “And pleasure should never be taken, but always given in equal measure.”
“Is it always like this?” she asked, moving back to the bed. “Because if it is, I can’t help wondering why anyone would ever want to leave the bedchamber,” she said with a sinful smile, climbing in.
Joining her, Alessandro kissed that smile. “I share your opinion, amora, and I certainly hope to bring you such pleasure each and every time. But we should not make love again tonight,” he warned. “Already I fear you will be indisposed tomorrow. We should wait a few days.”
Mélisande nodded, but he could tell she didn’t like it. The feeling was mutual, for he would gladly make love to her all night, were it possible.
“That does not mean we cannot see each other, of course,” he amended rather hastily. “As you said, we should become friends.” Good friends...
“Of course,” she answered, toying with a corner of the sheet. “I should like that very much, truly. I’ve been curious about you since the day I first saw you,” she admitted. “I know next to nothing of you, really, other than what I observed in Versailles and what I know of you now.”
His heart sank, for he could well imagine the impression he must have made. “Our attraction to one another has rather taken precedence, hasn’t it? What would you know? You may ask me anything,” he bade her, relaxing against the pillows and preparing to be interrogated.
