KLS White made me feel so guilty yesterday, for stopping where I did, that I resolved to complete the next chapter ahead of schedule. Here it is, hot off the press. There is a long way to go with this story and several plot lines to be explored, so please bear with me. Thanks, as ever, for your reviews, which are so affirming.
CHAPTER 12
Grace had never felt so treasured, as she did with Roland, & felt as deep a need for him, as he did for her. She was becoming accustomed to the aching sensation deep in her, which caused her to want to push propriety aside and offer her body & soul to him, hoping that he would take her & reach into the core of her being, to merge her flesh with his, lose himself in her, & she in him, and together reach sexual & emotional fulfilment. Her body throbbed and she threw her arms around him, sighing his name into the rapidly diminishing space between his mouth & hers. She did not feel that anyone could love as much as they did. He was her reason for being & she adored him to the point of complete abandonment of custom & convention. If he had asked her to walk naked to his office, she believed she would have done so.
He returned Grace's embrace and pulled her to him, devouring her, plundering her mouth, enjoying the sweetness of her tongue moving against his until they broke apart, breathless but not sated. Again they passionately embraced & kissed, forgetting everything but each other, tempering their desperation to be one flesh with a deliberate sensuousness, designed to keep the ultimate surrender of self at bay, so that they would both derive the maximum pleasure from their lovemaking. Grace felt an intense eroticism in every movement of her body against his, swaying into him & running her hands through his hair & down the thick serviceable cotton of his shirt, her fingers teasing his nipples which caused him to groan. She felt freed from all constraints, floating as if she was gossamer in a miasma of delight.
Roland forced himself to regain control, as he realised that neither of them would rest until they were united once more as one flesh. Drawing breath and resting his forehead against Grace's he said, "Sweetheart, we should take this somewhere more private, don't you think?" "Mmm" came her response of rising pleasure & agreement. He eased her from his lap, rose from the chair, collected the discarded head-dress in case anyone saw it, and drew her after him to their sanctuary at the rear of his office, looking over his shoulder to satisfy himself that they were not observed &, as he did so, catching a smile on Grace's face which promised him everything & more. He felt a surge of primal dimensions travel through him as he closed the door behind them, pushing her unresistingly against it, as he ran his hands down her body, resting at her waist & pressing her against him. Her eyes darkened, as she felt the extent of his desire for her, & she sighed as she caught her lower lip between her teeth, overcome by her own need for him.
They kissed as he threw the head-dress to one side on top of his chest of drawers.
"Col Brett, I may need that!" she said, teasingly.
"Not where you're going tonight Matron Carter," he said caressing her breasts through the top of her uniform.
"And where might that be, Sir?" she huskily responded, pressing against his hands.
"To paradise & back, Matron," as his hands travelled lower, eliciting a moan of pleasure.
"Really? With whom?" She panted as his hands moved upwards again, leaving her wanting more.
"Whomsoever you want," as he removed the stud & her collar parted.
"I want you; only you. Take me with you, please" she begged as his head lowered and he kissed her collarbone trailing up the side of her neck to nuzzle at the hairline behind her ear.
"Your wish is my command, my darling." His hands opened her blouse and he kissed the tops of her breasts, pushed firmly upward by the boned corset beneath, unfastening it slowly so that each inch of her was slowly released to the care & attention of his mouth & hands. She was so aroused; at fever pitch. The blouse & corset met a similar fate to her head-dress, but she didn't notice as her traitorous body had severed all connection with her mind & was drumming a rhythm, as old as time itself.
Her instincts were driving her to levels of response she had never believed possible. She stopped his hands, standing semi-naked before him. He seemed taken aback, until she reached for & kissed him. She slowly raised her hands and unknotted his tie, preventing him from pulling it off.
"No, Roland, I want to undress you too." Then she pulled it slowly from his neck & traced its passage down his body with her hand, feathering his jaw with kisses as she did so.
"Grace, oh Grace" he moaned. She smiled at him, as her fingers moved to unbutton his shirt, easing it from his shoulders & discarding it along with the tie on the chest of drawers. His army issue undershirt followed. They stood before each other, eyes locked, gazes unwavering, as they unfastened their remaining garments. Roland's fingers slipped inside the waistband of Grace's skirt & deftly loosened it, so that the fabric slipped down her legs, pooled on the floor & she stepped outside the circle which it formed, her hands anchored on his shoulders.
Grace's fingers freed the buttons of his trousers &, as they did so, she felt the heat & rigidity of his manhood, which had been pressing against the rough woollen serge material, jump at her touch. She continued to look deep into his eyes as she pushed the thick army trousers down, bending to remove his boots, to ease their passage onto the floor. He looked down at her, his need as naked as his body. She looked up at him and smiled in acknowledgement of his silent request as his hands gently stroked her hair. Mere minutes later his hands stilled the movement of her head, as he teetered on the brink, and he drew her up to him, enfolding her in his arms, amazed at the depth of her love.
"Oh my love, I have never known such joy, such love as you give me. I should never have ..."
Grace silenced his mouth with a kiss.
"I have never wanted to touch a man as I want to touch you. I truly love you, and in love there is only beauty, & the beauty of your body in my eyes moves me to honour you with mine."
He was moved, as never before, by her honesty & her trust.
"I could so easily have reached completion but I wanted you with me," he replied.
"My love, know that in showing my love for you, as I just did, I felt as much pleasure as I gave. Never doubt the depth and breadth of my love for you. I have said before, you are my life."
He held her close, more overwhelmed than ever before by his feelings for her.
"One day, I shall shout out for the world to hear that I love you, Grace."
"I simply love you; I know nothing else, nor want for anything, save your love."
Roland held her as if she were made from the finest porcelain, stroking and kissing her with increasing passion as she moved against him, aroused beyond anything she had felt before. Her mouth meshed with his as she pressed her breasts into his chest. He slowly eased down her thin undergarments, stroking & cupping her buttocks, & then moved to the seat of her femininity, pressing the heel of his palm against her. She rocked against his hand, leaning back against the door, feeling the cold, rough wood dig into her back, pressing harder, implicitly asking for more. Roland knew her body's responses, as well as she did, & his fingers gave her what she needed, circling those areas of greatest sensitivity with the deft skill of a musician, who intimately knows his instrument, taking her higher, her body tensing, anticipating the wave of pleasure, until she peaked and fell into him, crying into his shoulder, and the diminuendo commenced. Grace clung to him, shaking with the force of her climax, as her body relaxed.
"Come; lie down with me. I want to hold you, my darling" he said.
He led her unresisting to the bed & pulled back the sheet & blanket. Grace slid beneath the covers &, as they lay side by side & he stroked her face, she became so overwhelmed that she wept against him. He raised her tear stained face to look deep into her eyes & said,
"Why the tears, sweetheart? Did I hurt you?"
"Oh no, never. You could never hurt me. But did I shock you by wanting you so much & doing what I did? I love you, Roland. I have no shame with you and I wanted to make love to you with my mouth."
"Is that what this is all about? You goose! I wanted you to do it; I've dreamt of it, so don't cry for making my dreams come true. I'm a man, Grace; I want you to want me, & the sight & feel of you were beyond anything I imagined."
"I wanted you so much & I still do. You make me want to explore every part of my femininity with you & to give you love in whatever way you want it. I know that isn't what a woman should admit to, if she wants to be treated as a lady, but it is honestly how you make me feel. You do still love me, don't you?"
"Oh my love, my Grace, I love you more than ever. And if that love expresses itself in the physical act, I know it flows from our hearts. You're my woman, in my heart you're my wife. There I've said it. Feel what you do to me & know that this is the outward manifestation of the deep love I have for you. Yes, I love you; yes, I want you; yes, I plan to have you now and marry you when I am free, not because I have to, but because I want to & I need to, if I am ever to be happy in this life. You are my joy. I adore you. Does that tell you what I feel?"
"My darling Roland, I'm yours forever, if you want me." Her hands rested on his chest and she moved her fingers up to tenderly touch his face, the same sense of wonderment flooding through her. He sensed it, too, as he kissed her fingers, gently eased her onto her back and knelt between her legs. She raised them, threading her legs around his and gasped as he slowly & deliberately, entered her, inch by inch, the pressure subtly shifting deeper inside her, with every movement he made, until he stopped & pulled out of her. She felt bereft & looked at him in surprise. With that, he entered her in one smooth thrust and she gasped with pleasure, as he repeated this over & over again, slowly & deliberately stroking her towards the point of no return, until he, too, could no longer distance himself from the sensations he was creating & his body drove him towards completion. His thrusts became swifter and harder; Grace felt her body urging him onwards, as she met his thrusts, pushing upwards, pulling him deeper into her. Her head moved from side to side, her body was damp and she reached down to touch him, as he loved her into oblivion. Grace felt the start of a wave of pleasure, which spread outwards & then drew back, each time spreading a little further & contracting more. With the final contraction came an inundation, as she reached a shattering climax, & Roland was with her, consecutive thrusts culminating in his own peak a split second later, head thrown back, the veins on his neck standing proud, as he struggled not to cry out her name. She pulled him down to lie on her, held him, cradling his head against her breast, which he cupped in his hand. As Roland recovered, he slid down her body & kissed her, where they had been so recently joined, sending tiny after-shocks of pleasure through her over-sensitised flesh. She caressed his head, where it rested, until he kissed his way back up.
"I love you Grace."
She understood what he had just shown her, saw how her earlier fears were without foundation & reaching for him, she settled against him, her head on his heart & her arm around his waist. He held her to him, his lips brushing her hair & hands gently stroking her back. Contentment enveloped them in its soothing embrace and. as sleep finally claimed them, as one, they realised that they had never loved so well.
Grace, ever an early riser, woke two hours later. Roland was still asleep. He had slept on his side, giving her as much space in the narrow bed as possible. She looked at his face, peaceful & at ease, and her heart filled with emotion. He shouldered such a heavy load with the hospital & she knew how deeply he cared for their patients because she felt the same. Now that they had each other, that responsibility was truly shared, in a way it had not been before. She lay in the dark, treasuring this time, when she could watch over him, as he did her each day. She couldn't help herself and gently stroked his cheek. He moved in his sleep, edging closer to her, and she responded by snuggling into him. He stirred & quietly said "Grace, are you alright?"
"Yes, my love I've never felt better."
"Come here, heart of mine." He pulled her into the circle of his arms, even more closely, & kissed her forehead.
"I love you, Roland."
"I know. And I love you, my angel."
"Sleep, darling. You need your rest."
"Says the woman, who drives me wild with desire, so that I am unable to rest without, or with, her by my side!" He bent his head & kissed her mouth, easing her head back so he could deepen the contact.
"Why is my need for you my constant companion each day and night? I shall never know the answer to that, for its source lies beyond the realms of men, I am certain. Yet, I know this; that you are truly my beloved and we shall be together. It will happen, Grace. Love like this will not be denied."
So saying, he kissed her the top of her head and pulled her into the circle of his arms once more. She rested quietly against him and treasured the assurance he had just given her, which filled her with hope for the future.
