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She moved her hands, too, sliding them fervently over his shoulders and around the back of his head, holding his face against hers. Every part of her body seemed to be aching, straining towards him before they broke apart finally, both of them gasping for breath.
‘Take off your clothes.’
He spoke like a centurion, issuing the words like a command, and she smiled, toying briefly with the idea of refusing him. But she didn’t want to refuse. Instead she pulled herself loose from his grasp, dodging backwards as his fingers tightened convulsively, and then reached down, grasping the hem of her stola and pulling it over her head along with her tunica.
His expression didn’t alter, though his breathing seemed to become even more ragged as he looked her up and down, taking in every inch of her body. She kept her arms at her sides, unmoving, making no attempt to cover herself, basking in the heat of his gaze. There was no criticism in it. For the first time in her life she felt as if she were being looked at as the person she truly was, as an equal, not a barbarian or someone who ought to be ashamed, but simply as herself.
‘Now you.’ She challenged him with the words and he did as she asked, unfastening his sword belt and greaves and setting them aside before removing his tunic in one sweeping motion.
She caught her breath at the sight of him. In broad daylight his chest looked just as impressive as it had the first time, though more damaged, too, pitted with scores and bruises.
‘What happened?’ She pressed a hand tenderly against one of the scars.
‘I’m a soldier. It’s part of the job.’
‘But these bruises look recent.’ She grazed her fingers over his abdomen, the muscles seeming to ripple as she touched them. ‘From yesterday?’
‘Probably.’ His voice sounded almost hoarse. ‘Livia...’
‘Won’t it hurt you if we...?’
He claimed her mouth again before she could finish the sentence, kissing her thoroughly before growling a protest against her lips. ‘It’ll hurt me more if we don’t.’
‘Then you’ll need to remove these, too.’ She smiled and tugged at the drawstring of his braccae, hearing his breath catch as the male part of his body strained beneath.
He gripped her wrist, holding it in one hand while he removed his braccae and boots with the other, his gaze never leaving hers until he stood naked before her.
‘Oh!’ She couldn’t help but look downwards. In ten years of marriage, she’d never seen that part of Julius. Then she couldn’t stop herself from staring.
‘Do I pass inspection?’ There was a hint of amusement in his voice and she lifted her gaze again, her cheeks burning.
‘Yes.’
He moved suddenly, lifting her up in his arms and carrying her across to the bed. She tipped her head back as he laid her down in the centre, overwhelmed by a feeling of exquisite pleasure. Her whole body was tingling with a surfeit of new sensations, each one seemingly stronger than the last as his hands moved skilfully over her limbs, starting at her ankles and then moving upwards, pushing her legs apart as he bent his head to press kisses over her calves and between her thighs.
‘What are you doing?’ She didn’t know whether to feel shocked or excited.
‘Haven’t you ever been kissed here?’
‘No.’ His voice was so deep it set all her nerve endings to quivering. She’d had no idea that anyone might want to kiss her there.
‘What about here?’
His lips moved higher, hovering over her skin for a moment before his tongue darted outwards. She gasped aloud, seized with the powerful desire to start moving, to match the rhythm of her own heartbeat, pounding so heavily now that she could almost believe the whole room was shaking along with it. She’d never moved so much as a muscle in bed with Julius, had never even considered it, but now she felt as if she couldn’t keep still. She didn’t want to keep still.
‘Or here?’ The tongue darted outwards again and she groaned.
‘No.’
‘I told you your husband was a fool.’ Marius lifted himself up on his forearms, moving up the bed until he was covering her. ‘I intend to kiss every part of you.’
‘Every part?’ She felt as though she were panting.
‘Unless you have any objections?’
‘None at all.’
He smiled slowly and she reached up, trailing her fingers down the sides of his face as he lowered his head and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She sighed into his mouth as she slid her arms around his waist, feeling as if every part of her were being caressed at once. At that moment, with their naked bodies moulded together, she didn’t want to move. She simply wanted to lie there beneath him, to enjoy the feeling of contentment, the heady sense of warmth and mutual desire and togetherness.
