A/N: These characters belong as ever to L. M. Montgomery.
Chapter One
They stand in the doorway with their hands clasped together; both of them staring at the large, soft bed in the middle of the room.
Gilbert Blythe turns to his wife, suddenly lost for words. After all his patient waiting, now he's here. With Anne. Finally.
He is staring at her, still unsure of what to say, when Anne speaks. Of course she knows the perfect thing to say to him in this moment.
"I love you," Anne tells him, with such a look burning in her eyes that Gilbert knows he could never dispute that fact.
Still unable to speak, Gilbert does the only thing he knows he wants to do. Slowly, he raises both of his hands to touch her. First he caresses her soft cheek with the back of his fingers and then he tenderly cradles her face in his hands. He takes a tiny step closer to her as he lowers his head and leans down to brush Anne's lips with his in a soft, warm kiss.
When their lips finally part, they stand staring at each other for a long moment, his hands linger on her cheeks and a soft smile plays about his lips. They haven't moved from the doorway of the bedroom.
Our bedroom. This is our bedroom, Gilbert thinks to himself in wonder. His heart skips a beat and his mind can barely comprehend that fact as he continues to stare at Anne's beautiful grey eyes.
"Anne."
It's the only word he can say. The only word he wants to say. The only word in his head.
"Oh, Gilbert," she murmurs.
The sound of Anne's voice sends a shiver down Gilbert's spine. It jolts him out of his stupor and he reaches out to clasp her sweet hand in his. He looks at the shiny new gold band which has joined the circlet of pearls on her finger and Gilbert thinks his heart might burst with joy.
"I love you," he says, raising his gaze to look into her sparkling grey eyes once more.
"Then, come love me, husband," Anne says, her limpid eyes intense. "I'll just go and change…"
"No." Gilbert clasps her hand tighter to stop her from moving away. "Don't change."
"But, I've a beautiful nightgown I made especially," Anne replies. "I want to wear it for you tonight-"
"You can wear it for me tomorrow," he says, his hazel eyes blazing. "Please, Anne. You don't know how often I've dreamed about undressing you. Please let me do it?"
Slowly, Anne raises her huge grey eyes to his with the most tempting smile curving her lips.
"Have you?" she asks, quirking one eyebrow at him.
"Yes," Gilbert admits. "Ever since -"
He can't finish the sentence when he feels Anne sliding her arms around his neck, tilting her face upwards, pressing her body against him and standing on her tip toes to place her warm lips on his.
"Well, then," Anne says in a low voice as Gilbert's arms slip around her waist. "I think we ought to do something about that, don't you agree, husband?"
Gilbert nods, his hazel eyes never leaving hers. His heart is pounding and the fluttering in his belly has grown stronger at the promise he hears in her voice.
"Yes," he mutters hoarsely. "I think we definitely should."
Gilbert bends his head to kiss her again, and then with his hands still around her waist he turns Anne with him, as he walks backwards and draws her into the bedroom until they're standing next to the bed. Without breaking their kiss, Gilbert raises his hands to slowly pluck the pins from Anne's hair, delighting in feeling it fall in soft waves around her shoulders.
Slowly, Gilbert slides his fingers from where they are tangled in her hair until he is touching the tiny buttons at the top of her collar. Then his mouth is pressed to the tender skin just below her ear.
"I love you, Mrs Blythe," he murmurs, and smiles when he feels Anne shiver in his arms.
Gilbert straightens to watch Anne's eyes as he runs his fingertips lightly along the line of tiny buttons from where they are fastened at her throat, then his fingers drift on a slow downward path, past the delicious valley between her breasts, to where the buttons finish just below her waist.
"Gilbert," she sighs, her grey eyes shimmering pools in the light from the lamps.
Anne's chest is moving rapidly with her breath as she stares at him. Without moving his eyes away from hers, slowly, slowly Gilbert runs the tip of his index finger back up until it rests on her top button once more. Then deliberately and ever so carefully he begins to unfasten it.
As the buttons loosen and Anne's collar falls away from her throat, Gilbert lowers his eyes to watch as more of her soft skin is revealed to his heated gaze. When he releases the fifth button, he catches sight of the tiny pink heart nestling coyly in the hollow of Anne's throat and his breath begins to quicken. Pausing to reach his finger out and touch the pendant, a smile hovers around Gilbert's lips. When he sees the heart fluttering with Anne's rapid pulse his smile grows wider.
Gilbert continues slowly unfastening Anne's dress, until his fingers are lingering on the final button at her navel. He slides his hands to push the fabric down past her shoulders and continues to draw it slowly along her arms, gently removing her wrists from the sleeves until finally her entire dress falls to the floor, pooling at Anne's feet. Her petticoats soon follow until Anne is standing before him clad only in her corset, frilled pantalets, lacy stockings and a gossamer thin chemise. On her feet are a pair of delicately heeled, ivory beaded silk slippers. Anne's breasts are rising and falling rapidly with her breath as she continues to stare intently into Gilbert's eyes.
His hazel eyes are blazing and Gilbert is breathing hard as he stares at the soft expanse of Anne's silken flesh now in front of him. He can't resist the urge to touch her, so Gilbert brushes his fingertips lightly along her collarbone and then across the soft skin of Anne's breasts exposed above the lace of her delicate chemise before he traces a path down her slender arm until he grasps her fingers in his, lifting her left hand to his lips. Gilbert brushes gentle kisses along the back of her fingers, pausing to kiss the pearl ring on Anne's finger and the gold band next to it.
Slowly, Gilbert turns her hand over and places a soft kiss on Anne's palm, then his lips move to the pulse at her wrist before he kisses a trail up the silky skin on the inside of her arm until he is kissing the delicate crease at her elbow. He hears Anne sigh when his tongue flickers out to taste her soft skin as he lingers there.
Her breath is coming in ragged gasps now and Anne's body is trembling as Gilbert's lips continue their upward path along her skin until his mouth is caressing the curve between her neck and shoulder. Gilbert's heart is hammering in his chest and he tries to still the quivering deep within his belly as he breathes in the sweet fragrance of her skin.
He whispers her name and feels Anne shiver as her arms move to grasp his waist.
"Oh, Gilbert," she murmurs. "I've waited so long for this…I've longed to touch you like this…for you to touch me like this…"
Anne's voice acts like a spark inflaming the fire already burning deep within his belly. Gilbert is suddenly filled with an urgency to feel her against his bare skin. With his fingertips caressing Anne's shoulders, he begins kissing her sweet lips and Gilbert moans when her fingers tangle through his brown curls. She pulls him closer to her and she kisses him harder.
Anne's hands slide from his nape until he feels her fingers pushing his jacket off his broad shoulders. With his lips still on hers, Gilbert moves his arms, helping her so that the jacket falls to the floor behind him. Immediately, Anne's slim fingers are unfastening the buttons on his vest which quickly follows his jacket to the floor, before she is loosening his tie.
Their tongues meet and Gilbert feels Anne's fingers pushing his suspenders from his shoulders, then they are on the front of his shirt as she begins unbuttoning it. His own fingers are jerking his collar off as Anne starts tugging his shirt from the waistband of his trousers, and their lips break from each other momentarily while she pulls Gilbert's shirt over his head and drops it on top of the growing pile of discarded garments on the floor.
Anne's hands seem to be touching him everywhere and Gilbert moves to cup her face in his hands as he captures her lips in another urgent kiss. Then he moves his hands down and along the silky skin of her chest until his fingers are at the front of her corset. Gilbert's heart is pounding as Anne's soft, warm hands slide across the muscles of his bare chest and over his broad shoulders as she moans into his mouth. He feels Anne's hands sliding across his back and then her fingers are digging into his skin as she clutches at him.
Still kissing her, Gilbert begins trying to unfasten the corset, but it stubbornly refuses to co-operate.
"Anne," he mumbles into her mouth. "I can't work out this confounded thing -"
Without a word, she brushes his fingers away and unfastens it in a trice. Distantly, Gilbert hears the corset fall to the floor as Anne's fingers return to their caresses across the muscles of his torso and chest. Gilbert's belly quivers as Anne runs the back of her fingers lightly upwards along his skin. He hears Anne moan softly when her fingers begin running through the hair on his chest.
Gilbert's fingers are on the tiny bow at the front of her chemise now and he draws his lips away from hers slightly, turning his head to watch as he tugs at the delicate satin ribbon and the sheer fabric falls away from Anne's breasts. His panting breaths grow more frantic as he feels her open mouth and her hot breath on his cheek at the same time as Anne's fingers slide up to his shoulders, pushing the soft, delicious mounds of her breasts upwards.
"Gilbert," she breathes against his skin. "Please…"
Gilbert's fingers are trembling so much they seem to have lost all their dexterity and he is fumbling at the lacy straps of her chemise as he attempts to push it off Anne's shoulders.
"Like this, darling," Anne whispers in his ear. Her silken arms slowly glide up and she raises her hands over her head.
Grasping the gossamer fabric gently between his fingers, Gilbert lifts the garment over Anne's head and delights in the feeling of her arms coming back down to rest so that they are loosely wrapped around his neck and shoulders. He moans as she leans up to kiss him once more.
Gilbert runs his fingertips lightly over her skin, tracing a line from Anne's shoulders down either side of her body, along the sides of her soft breasts, gasping in delight at the feel of the skin over her ribs, until his hands finally come to rest on the waistband of her pantalets.
They're both breathing hard now and Gilbert pulls his lips away from hers slightly as he gazes into her scorching grey eyes.
Slowly and deliberately, Gilbert pushes the lacy fabric down past Anne's slender hips until it joins the rest of the clothing on the floor.
They stare at each other for an infinite moment. Gilbert's heart is racing and the blood is roaring in his ears so loudly that he can barely hear Anne's panting breaths as she watches him. She is now standing before him wearing only a pair of frilly garters, lacy white stockings and her delicate beaded slippers. His hands are resting on her slim hips and his fingers begin gently caressing her soft white skin as Anne stares into his blazing hazel eyes.
Finally, with her huge grey-green eyes never leaving his, Anne slowly steps back and sits down on the edge of the bed.
Gilbert's mouth goes dry as he kneels before her, with the heat curling in his belly and his eyes still locked with hers. Unable to stop himself, he reaches out his index finger to touch Anne's lips and he watches as she kisses his fingertip before he lowers his eyes to stare at her velvety skin. She is watching his face and her breath is coming in short, uneven gasps now.
"Anne," he breathes in awe, his eyes feasting on her. "You're so beautiful…"
Almost of their own volition, Gilbert's fingers brush lightly across Anne's soft, warm skin and his eyes are avidly watching their leisurely path. His fingertips move across her flushed cheek, then he gently pushes the tendrils of long red hair behind her shoulder before his fingers slide down the soft column of her neck, pausing to caress the enamel heart at her throat and then over the smooth skin of her chest.
Anne's skin feels like silk as he moves his fingers lower still. Gilbert's breath catches and he hears Anne gasp softly when his fingers pause to gently encircle the rosy peak of her breast. Enthralled, Gilbert watches as her soft skin puckers beneath his touch with his heart hammering frantically in his chest and the warm twisting in his belly growing stronger. His fingertips glide across to touch Anne's other breast and he gives it the same loving attention before tracing a trail down over her soft stomach and along the curve of her hip. Gilbert's hand finally comes to rest on top of Anne's slender thigh, his fingers playing with the frilly garter above her knee.
Scarcely able to breathe, he cups one hand behind Anne's calf muscle, lifting her leg gently. His hand slides up her leg and strokes the silken fabric of her stocking as Gilbert slips first one shoe, and then the other, from her slim feet and places them carefully together on the floor next to her.
Gilbert is breathless, still kneeling, as he slowly lifts his hazel eyes to admire Anne's body once more until his eyes meet hers and he is overwhelmed at the intensity of her gaze. He has never seen Anne's eyes look greener and she has the most enticing smile on her lips as the masses of her gorgeous hair frame her flushed face.
"Please, won't you finish undressing me, Gilbert?" Anne murmurs as she places her hands on the bed behind her, leans back and places one slender foot on the top of his thigh.
Swallowing and breathing hard now, Gilbert lowers his eyes to Anne's long, shapely legs, and continues along their slender lines until his heated gaze reaches her stockinged foot resting lightly on his thigh.
"Anne," he breathes, reaching his index finger to touch the lace covering her foot. His hand slides slowly up her leg and Anne gasps, closing her eyes briefly.
Gilbert's hand continues on its upwards journey until he hooks his index finger around the frilly lace garter on her slender thigh.
"Oh, Gilbert," Anne sighs. She is watching his hands intently.
He pulls the garter down her long slender leg and then Gilbert reaches up to gently roll the silky stocking down, his fingers shaking slightly as they brush against the soft skin on Anne's inner thigh. Then he repeats the process with her other stocking, his fingertips brushing along the smooth white skin of her leg.
Dropping her stocking to the floor beside him, Gilbert stands up, his hazel eyes intense, while Anne slowly moves backwards until she is lying in the centre of the bed. Her eyes are bright and her cheeks are flushed. Soft red curls surround her face and fall about her shoulders in wild abandon.
Gilbert Blythe is, not for the first time that evening, completely dumbfounded.
Anne is lying in front of him naked. Anne is lying in front of him. Naked.
His mouth has gone dry and Gilbert swallows hard as he gazes at her beautiful creamy flesh. He is breathing heavily now, his skin feels hot and his hazel eyes are ablaze with desire as they devour her.
Anne is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.
Gilbert stands there with at least a million thoughts running through his mind and his eyes are eagerly travelling all over the miles of Anne's luminous skin now before him. Even as his eyes move over every delectable smooth curve and contour of her body, Gilbert scarcely knows where to look first or where he wants to touch first.
That hollow in her throat with the pink heart nestling in it. The deliciously soft skin just beneath her earlobe. His eyes travel lower. The skin between her breasts. Those taut, rosy peaks pointing towards him, taunting him with their beauty. The delicious expanse of skin on her soft belly.
Gilbert's eyes travel lower still and his breath catches in his throat again. While he stares, Anne's soft thighs move slightly as she rubs them together. Gilbert's eyes slowly caress her long, slim legs right down to her beautiful feet and slender toes. Absently, Gilbert wonders why he should find Anne's feet so erotic. But he does. Everything about her is erotic to him.
Gilbert is having difficulty breathing. He is also having difficulty thinking straight and his mind is struggling to remember how to move. He wants to kiss her everywhere. Everywhere. He wants to touch her everywhere. He wants...
Then Anne moans softly, her eyes are half closed with desire and her body writhes gently in front of him. She smiles and lifts her arms up as she reaches for him.
"Gilbert, darling," she whispers. "Please touch me."
Gilbert is immediately snapped out of his reverie.
He kicks off his shoes as he begins unfastening his trousers and hastily pushes them over his hips together with his undergarment. Still staring at Anne's body, Gilbert bends to quickly remove his clothing from around his ankles. When he straightens, he sucks in his breath through his teeth at the scorching look in Anne's eyes as they run adoringly all over his hard, naked body.
"Anne," he gasps breathlessly.
One of Anne's arms is folded so that her hand is curled up in her beautiful hair as she stares at him. The other, her left hand, is reaching towards him, the rings on her finger glowing in the soft light.
Gilbert takes her fingers in his as he places one knee on the mattress and then slowly stretches himself out on the bed beside her.
"Gilbert," she sighs as his fingertips skim lightly upwards along her belly and between her breasts before he cups one side of her face gently in his palm.
"I love you, wife," Gilbert says huskily, running his thumb along her cheekbone.
"I love you, my dearest husband," Anne replies as her soft hand reaches out to grasp his waist, pulling him to her as she turns towards him until her soft, naked body is pressed to his.
Finally, they are lying on their sides facing each other, their bodies touching and their legs entwined. Gilbert's breath leaves him in a rush and a shiver curls down his spine when he hears an enchanting humming sound slip from her lips at the same time he feels Anne's hand skimming over the side of his hip.
Gilbert's fingers are on the soft skin at Anne's waist as he smiles at her. Anne's fingers are still brushing his hip when he feels her silken thigh sliding between his and her beautiful eyes are shining with so much love as she smiles back at him he thinks his heart will burst.
At last. Gilbert tries not to think of all the many times he's imagined this moment.
"At last," Anne breathes as her hand glides upwards along his side. Her voice is almost a purr. "I love the feel of your bare skin against me. Please love me now, Gilbert."
A/N: Hello, dear readers, and thank you so much for reading. You might have guessed, the next chapters will be M rated, so please only continue reading if you're ok with that! Please review!