Jakob was waiting for her in their room. Corrin always liked to walk around and talk to her soldiers and check the armory before retiring for the night, and Jakob respected that.
But he also longed for his wife.
He sat on the bed. Then he checked the bookcase, considering reading for a moment before dismissing it. He was too agitated to read.
They'd only been married a few days, and Jakob was finding it difficult to reconcile his life before as her servant to his life now as her husband… No matter how many times she said it, he just couldn't believe that she loved him… that she had married him, that she was his now and forever….
He tidied up the room even though it wasn't messy and started pacing.
When footsteps sounded outside the room, a flutter of excitement and nervousness and joy flared through him, and he stood at attention, straightening his clothes out of habit. The door swung open, and her silhouette framed the entry.
"Ah! There you are, Corrin. I've been waiting for your return," Jakob couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face as he went to her.
With a tired smile of her own, she replied, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. It was a long day." She sighed and removed her sword from her hip. As she went to remove her breastplate, Jakob instantly assisted, and, after a few moments, she finally laid down her gloves, the last pieces to go, leaving her dressed in only a crinkled shirt and shorts underneath.
She sighed again, relieved to be out of it all and turned to Jakob. He smiled, warmly at her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Shivers of delight swept through him. His own arms twined about her. "Jakob…," she murmured, and he answered her by covering her mouth with his own, pulling her close and kissing her deep. He moved across her lips anxiously, needing her love more than he needed food or water. Her body crumpled against his own, and his arms tightened, and he kissed her desperately as she returned all of his fervor.
Breathless he moved across her face, slowly, adoringly placing kisses along her jaw, her cheeks, her eyelids, her ear, where he whispered, "I want to spend every waking moment with you…" and moved on to her neck.
Never before had he thought this could happen. Almost his entire life, Jakob had been in love with Corrin, knowing nothing could come of it. For the longest time he had been able to keep it in check, delighting in just being her servant, and when it had started to overpower him, he had decided he would leave her. For her own sake, since he thought he knew she couldn't return his affection.
And now he was sliding the sleeve of her shirt down and kissing her shoulder.
"Jakob," Corrin whispered, her voice low and wanting. "I love you so much—" At these words, Jakob lost himself and cut her off with a wild, desperate kiss, his teeth nipping on her lips, his tongue sliding into her mouth. Corrin moaned, her muscles tensing, her hands clenching in his shirt, and Jakob's arms roved across her back, his fingers finally delving into her hair and undoing all the careful twisting and tying he had done that morning to fix it up. His mind was gone, and his senses were taking over, drinking, devouring his love, the only love he'd ever had, and the only one he ever would.