Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoy reading this fluff-fest!
A soft smile curled John's lips when his wife grazed the tip of his nose with hers as she laid beside him in bed, their heads resting on the same pillow, in the aftermath of their lovemaking. Her eyes were still closed, her cheeks still holding the slight blush that had risen in them during their lovemaking as her hair was still messy from his eager fingers. His hand was running along the curve of her side under the quilt and the soft sighs that she was letting out told him that she was content and his touch was more than welcome.
It had taken six months for them to get to here. It had taken six months for her to be able to bear the feeling of his hands exploring her again, of his weight pressing her into the mattress, of his hands in her hair and his mouth on her skin. Over the last couple of months, the two of them had tried a number of times to reintroduce lovemaking to their marriage, but whenever he had tried to remove whatever piece of clothing that she had been wearing she had gone stiff beneath him and whispered that she just couldn't do it.
After each failed attempt at lovemaking she had cried in his arms, apologising countless times for being stupid and weak and for not being the wife that he deserved. Whenever that had happened, however, all he had done was stroke her hair and hold her trembling form close whilst shushing her until she had settled. Once she had calmed herself down somewhat he had stroked her face and reassured her that – to him – she wasn't weak or stupid and that she was an exceptional wife. He had meant every word that he had said.
Just because the two of them had been unable to go so far as to make love, that hadn't meant that there had been no passion in their marriage at all. There had been a handful of nights where a snuggle and a cup of tea on the sofa before bed had become a heated kiss that had left them both panting. There had been a handful of nights where she had been able to let him lie her down on the bed and kiss her neck and throat and lips as his hands had twisted themselves in her hair. Their need for each other was still so strong.
When the two of them had left work and returned to the cottage that evening – a little earlier than usual since His Lordship and Lady Mary had both decided to have an earlier night – John had gone to the kitchen to make them both a cup of tea and had been quite surprised when she had laced her arms around his middle from behind and stretched up to leave an open-mouthed kiss on his neck. 'On second thought, I don't want tea…' She'd whispered after peeling back and sighing gently, 'I think I'd just like to head up to bed.'
He had turned in her arms then and rested his hands on her shoulders before caressing her arms. 'Are you sure, sweetheart?' He had asked her whilst looking into her eyes and permitting her to massage his lower back with both of her hands through his waistcoat.
When she had nodded in response it hadn't been the timid not that she had given him in previous months. It had been a confident nod and when he had studied her face and her eyes there had been no fear or unsureness in them. 'I want you to make love to me.' She had said. 'I've wanted you to make love to me for months now and I know that you know I have, but I wasn't ready then. I know that I'm ready now though, John, and I want you to make love to me tonight.' She had then stretched up to peck his lips with hers. 'Now.'
When she had pulled back from his lips he had lifted his hands to her face – just like he had done on the night that he had found out about her attack – and brushed his thumbs across her cheeks. 'If you want me to stop or slow things down – I don't care what point we're at – then I want you to tell me. I don't want you to just lie there in silence and let me continue if you're terrified. I love you, my darling, and I would hate to frighten you.'
'I promise I'll tell you.' She had reassured him. 'Now…time for bed, Mr. Bates.'
He had then allowed her to unwind her arms from around his middle, slide her hand into his and guide him out of the kitchen and down the hall to the stairway that led upstairs.
She had kissed him as soon as he had closed their bedroom door, her hands cupping the sides of his neck whilst her lips had moved over his. He had kept his hands fixed on her waist for a while before she had covered them with hers and moved them around to her back, her hands finding her chest once he had pulled her close. 'Buttons…' Was what she had sighed against him before deepening their kiss and lacing her arms around his neck.
It had taken him moments to run his hands up her back and open the buttons which had held her uniform closed, his breathing as fast as her own had been when she had ended their kiss for a second so that she could slip out of her black dress. When it had pooled around her feet he had taken her hand and helped her to step out from the middle of it before she'd rested her hands on his waist, her lips soft when she had kissed him again.
The kiss that she had given him had been a chaste one that had lasted for just a second before she had taken his hand in hers again, walked him over to their bed and gestured for him to sit down. Once he had done so she had sat herself down on his good knee and pressed her lips back to his, one of his arms winding itself around her as she had begun to slide the buttons on his waistcoat through their holes. 'I love you.' She had mumbled.
'I love you too.' Had been his response when he had taken his arm from around her for a second to help her slide his waistcoat off of his shoulders. She had deepened their kiss again when her fingers had gone up to the knot of his tie and undone it before removing it from around his neck. Once that had been removed it hadn't taken her long to rid him of both his collar and his shirt and her breath had caught at the sight of his chest hair.
From the first time she had set eyes on it on their wedding night she had had some kind of obsession with it. As she had run her fingers through it John had sighed and she had seen the tension leave his shoulders. She had started to kiss the side of his neck as her fingers had explored the thatch of hairs on his chest and she had smiled against his skin when he had tilted his head to one side and breathed her name whilst holding her tight.
After a time, she had pulled back from his neck and crawled out of his lap in order to lie herself down on the bed. 'Come here.' She had whispered to him after running her index finger down the outside of his arm, a gentle smile curving her lips when he had moved to cover her body with his. He had then pressed his lips against hers in a tender kiss, both of her arms lacing themselves around his neck so that she could bring him closer to her.
When their kiss had broken he had leaned his forehead against hers and gazed into her eyes. 'You are so, so perfect.' He had whispered, his soft breath hitting her in the face.
'Make love to me…' She had breathed before stretching up to kiss his lips again. 'Now.'
Once he had chuckled in response to her boldness and had – once again – asked her if she was sure, he had covered her warm mouth with his and wasted no time in doing just as she had asked. Now, as he laid right beside her in the aftermath of their lovemaking, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked so at peace and the candle that was sat on her nightstand was casting a golden glow over her, making her look just like an angel.
And, to him, she was one.
He stopped stroking her waist beneath the covers after a few moments and brought his hand to her face, his heart swelling in his chest when her eyes flickered open somewhat as he feathered a caress against her cheek. 'Hi…' She whispered, her breath hitting him in the face due to how close she was lying before he pressed his lips against her temple.
'Hello, you…' He replied, 'how are you feeling?'
Her lips curled up into a radiant smile as she snuggled further into his embrace – if that was even possible – and tangled one of her legs with his in order to trail her foot up and down his calve. 'I feel perfect.' She reassured him. 'A little tired, perhaps, but perfect.'
'And you have an appearance to match.' He tucked a blonde curl back behind her ear.
'What about you?' She nuzzled his nose with her own once again. 'How are you feeling?'
'So proud and in love with you.' He admitted.
She raised her brow at him. 'You're proud of me? What for?'
'For how far you've come over the last six months.' He explained. 'When you first moved back into the cottage I couldn't hold you as you slept and I couldn't come up behind you and wrap my arms around you or else you would jump. I can do both of those things now, darling, and so much more and that's because of how strong you've become.' He told her.
Tears sparkled in her eyes as she looked at him. 'It's because I had you to help me.'
'I was here to support and to hold you when you needed me to, yes,' He agreed with her, 'but you were the one who got yourself past it. You could have given up, my love, but you didn't. You kept on fighting it and pushing all the negative thoughts right to the back of your mind and that is what got you past it. I was just here to offer you encouragement.'
A tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek before he brought his hand up to sweep it off of her skin. 'I love you so much, John.' She whimpered as she looked into his eyes and allowed him to bring her flush against him when his hand slid back beneath the quilt and found her hip again, the two of them sharing a smile before he gave her a light kiss.
'I love you too,' He sighed, 'my beautiful, brave, incredible wife.'
Anna lowered her gaze to his lips again when she brought her hand out from underneath the covers and rested it on the side of his neck, her thumb running along the line of his jaw when she pressed her lips to his. Their kiss started off light and soft but when she rolled over onto her back and brought him with her she deepened their kiss and allowed her tongue to find his. 'I thought that you were tired.' John murmured as he kissed her.
'I was…' She tangled her fingers in his hair, '…and now I'm not.'
The two of them chuckled into each other's mouth as he massaged her waist soothingly.
He made love to her again that evening, each touch and kiss as soft as the one before it as his hands became reacquainted with her body and hers with his, and as he laid beside her in silence whilst she slept in his arms afterwards he gave the top of her head a kiss and sighed to himself as he knew that in just a couple of hours it would be another day.
Another day to love his incredible wife and become reacquainted with her all over again.
Author's Note: I really, really hope that you all enjoyed this little one shot as much as I enjoyed writing it! I also hope that you'll review and let me know what you thought of it. See you all soon! x