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“Lucky for you, you don’t have to. But you’ll get used to me. That’s what happens with old, married couples—they get annoyed with each other.”
“Not this one,” he said firmly, and I grinned at how serious he had become. “Aw, hell. You’re teasing me.” His lopsided smile made my insides turn to mush.
“You like it.”
“I do,” he admitted, kissing my forehead. “I’d very much like to help you out of that wedding gown, but if I’m asking too much…”
“I’d like you to do more than that,” I said. It pained me to see his wariness. There was no mistaking the desire, but he would not push me and was determined to set me at ease.
“We don’t have to. I want you to be sure.” Open honesty and love stared back at me, strengthening my desire.
“I trust you. I want to try. Ineedto. I’m not afraid. How can I be, when you’ve let me take the lead? You trust me to know what’s right too.” I pressed my hand against his cheek, and he leaned into it.
“I just don’t want there to be any fuzzy area. Make no mistake, I want you, but not at the expense of your well-being. When you say stop, I stop. And don’t be afraid to say it, because you think I need to be physical. It would kill me if you didn’t. Do you understand?” His expression became even more serious.
“I do want to make love for you, but I want it as much for me. If I can’t handle it, I’ll tell you. But you have to promise not to give up on me. If you tiptoe around me, that will make it worse.”
“I can’t keep my hands off you. I won’t.”
“Good.” Relief flooded me, and I let out a deep breath. “Thank you for not making me feel like damaged goods.”
Stone took my hands. “You are the most precious thing in my life. If you ever feel like anything less than that, then I’m doing something wrong.” He lifted my left hand to his lips, kissing the rings that adorned my fingers with reverence. “Today you made me the luckiest man alive.”
Stone searched my face, silently asking one more time if I was sure. I nodded, and his gaze heated with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. Carefully, he removed the mantilla, laying it and the combs on the chair. His hands trembled as he touched my shoulders, gently turning me away from him. He swept my hair to one shoulder, out of his way.
He pressed his lips to my neck, and I leaned back against him, a shiver rolling through me.
“I love you,” I said, inhaling the familiar scent that was uniquely his.
“And I, you.” His voice dropped an octave. My center throbbed, my skin ached for his touch. He nipped my earlobe, and I moaned, every part of me overly sensitive, the slightest touch making me yearn for more.
I leaned heavily against him for support. His hands slid around my waist and settled on my stomach, holding me flush against him. I gasped when the hard length of him branded my back. Heat radiated off him even through the layers of our clothing.
I shivered as his hands made slow circles over my stomach.
“Are you with me, Muriella?”
“Yes.” My nervousness was rapidly evaporating. I wanted him more than ever. I needed the connection, wanted to seal us together in the most intimate way possible.
His hands slid around to my hips, up my sides to my neck. “I can’t believe you’re my wife,” he whispered. His breath hit my skin where he’d unfastened a few of the buttons on my dress.
He feathered his lips across the back of my neck, and pressed a kiss between my shoulder blades.
His fingers neared the base of my spine. I was almost free of the gown. “You unfastened all the buttons much faster than Vivian fastened them.”
He caressed the cool skin of my exposed back. “I’ve got a lot of incentive.” Stone pulled me against him, his mouth at my ear. “Are we still good?”
“Yes.”
He took me at my word. His trust was something I valued as much as his love. He pushed the dress off my shoulders, and the long sleeves got hung up on my wrists. He pulled on the lace until my arms were freed before working the dress past my hips. It hit the floor with a soft whisper, and he held my hand, helping me step out of the puddle.
“Definitely gonna need that chair,” he said as he turned me to face him. His eyes stayed on mine as he dropped down and scooped the dress off the floor, draping it over the back of the chair. He leaned against the furniture, drinking me in with a look that warmed me from across the room. Stone made me feel sexy, desired, loved, as if I was one of a kind. When he couldn’t stand the space between us any longer, he stalked toward me in long strides.
He brushed my cheek, staring deep into my eyes with wonder and longing. I began to tremble, but it wasn’t fear. I wanted him. He fingered the leather garter, and I shivered.
“I know you’re supposed to take it off, but can we leave it on?”
“We can do whatever you want, darlin’.” His Texas drawl deepened, sending goosebumps skittering over my skin.
