WARNING: There is sexual content in this chapter. The most graphic sex scene is towards the beginning and I have included the **~** at the beginning and the end. However, there are references to intimacy throughout the chapter. Read with caution.

~Charlotte~

I woke up to a beam of light coming through the small window and hitting my face. I can't say I slept much at all during the night. Thoughts filled my head almost instantly of what my first night with Sidney was like. Every kiss, every touch, every new experience was at the forefront of my thoughts. Feelings and emotions, I didn't even know were possible happened. Sidney and I barely slept as we continued throughout the night making love and talking about everything. Both of us were still trying to grasp the reality of our marriage and our freedom to be intimate with each other. There were so many new things to learn about the other and we took full advantage of our time alone. Being wrapped in his bare arms was the most enticing feeling I'd ever experienced. At one point during the night, I even began to cry as emotions took over all my senses and I truly felt happy. Of course, Sidney was instantly concerned thinking he had done something wrong. Once I explained my tears were tears of joy, he took liberty in kissing my tears and allowing me to have the moment of pure happiness.

I rolled over in the bed, fully expecting Sidney to be next to me. The thought thrilled me. I was excited to wake him with kisses and touches along his body. As I rolled over, I realized he wasn't there, and his side of the bed was rather cold like he hadn't been there for some time. Concerned, I sat up and looked around the small cabin. He was nowhere to be found. The anxiousness inside of me grew as I tried to figure out where he might be.

I heard a strange banging sound coming from outside. I walked over to the window and saw Sidney swinging an ax against the large block of wood on the ground. He placed a smaller log of wood on top and swung again, splitting it in two. The snow had stopped, and the sun shone brightly in the sky, but snow still graced the ground with its glistening glow. He had his pants and boots on, but his shirt was thrown on haphazardly and undone in the front revealing his bare chest. His sleeves were rolled up exposing his forearms. The sight of him swinging an ax was arousing, and I had the urge to be wrapped around him once again.

I shuffled through my bag and found the thin robe I had brought with me. I put it on and wrapped it closed in front with a small tie. I slipped on my shoes and carefully walked out onto the porch. Even though there was snow on the ground, the air was warm, and the bright sun was a welcome heat against my face. I stood watching Sidney while he swung the ax perfectly every time, hitting the center of each piece of wood and splitting the pieces in half and then in fourths. The muscles of his forearms and his chest tightened with every swing and occasionally I would see a small drop of sweat fall from his hair down his cheek. Before every swing, he would focus his eyes on the piece of wood in front of him, his jaw would clench, and his forehead would wrinkle. With every precise swing, he would let out a small grunt. I licked my lips and looked him up and down with my head tilted to one side. I fully enjoyed the sight in front of me. He was quite beautiful, and I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact he belonged to me.

He noticed me watching him and stopped swinging the ax. A grin spread across his face. "You're awake," he said. I didn't say anything in return, just continued my way across the yard towards him. He watched me intently as I stood in front of him and focused on his bare chest before raising my eyes to him. The desire in my eyes must have been very apparent, because the next thing I knew he was kissing me forcefully and pulling me flush against his hot body. "Were you able to get some sleep?" he asked, once he reluctantly pulled his lips away from mine.

I answered with a nod. "Did you?" I asked, looking up at his eyes.

"Very little," he admitted with a grin. "I had my beautiful wife lying next to me for the first time. You can't expect a man to sleep with such a sight."

"Why are you out here chopping wood?" I wondered. "Trying to work off some pent-up tension?"

He grinned coyly. "All that built up tension was relieved last night." He laughed a little as if he was continuing to think about what I had suggested. "I asked everything to be ready for our arrival, but apparently having enough wood inside to last longer than a night must have slipped his mind," he explained.

"Slipped whose mind?" I asked.

"The man I borrowed this cabin from. He lives a distance away and built this cabin for his hunting purposes many years ago. He has been very helpful having everything prepared for our arrival and was even here last night to get the fire going so when we arrived it was warm inside. He was waiting in the barn when we arrived. It's why I had to pull away at first, so I could go thank him and bid him farewell."

"I see," I said shyly. The thought of someone being outside when we first arrived was slightly embarrassing, especially when I thought back to how we started to kiss. What if this man happened to see us? It was a bit unnerving.

"Do you want to try?" he asked with a playful grin on his face.

"Try what?"

"Chopping wood?" he answered. A smile spread across my face, knowing full well he was not aware of my own wood chopping skills. He turned me around in his arms, letting his hands brush across my stomach and hips. He stood flush against my back and placed the ax in my hands. I let him show me how to position my feet and where to place my hands on the ax. He kept his own hands wrapped around mine while he lifted the ax above our heads and slowly brought them down against the piece of wood in front of us. His hot breath played against my neck while he spoke of what to do. I didn't hear a word of it, solely focusing on the warmth of his body against mine.

"Now, you try," he said, pulling away from me and standing a few steps away while he watched. His hands were placed on his hips, opening up his shirt further revealing his stomach muscles. I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the wood and ax in front of me, rather than my husband's body.

I got into position and gripped the ax before raising it above my head and swinging it down against the wood with all my force. The piece of wood split in half and fell to the ground around me. I smiled at what I had done and glanced towards Sidney.

He had the happiest smile on his face as he stared down at the wood I had just split lying on the ground. His eyes rose to mine and he slowly took the few steps back towards me. His hands gripped my hips with force and pulled them against him. "Seems I have underestimated my wife once again."

I let the ax dangle in my hand at our side while Sidney rocked us back and forth. "I grew up on a farm. It's not the first time I've had to chop wood," I explained.

"Yes. I should have known."

"You do it so much better than I do, though."

He laughed, slipping one chilled hand inside my robe, causing the strap holding it closed to come undone and open up, revealing my naked body beneath. His cold hand against my skin sent chills down my back, which I didn't mind. With his other hand, he took the ax from me and threw it towards the block, before opening my robe further and letting his other cold hand rest against my now exposed breast. My fervent eyes stayed focused on his face while he focused in on my bare chest in front of him. "Perhaps we don't need a fire to keep us warm and all this woodchopping is in vein," he suggested, letting his eyes dart from my eyes back to my chest and even farther still.

"Perhaps you're right," I said, agreeing with his hypothesis. My eyes darted between his eyes and his lips, longing to kiss him.

With a force I had grown to enjoy, his lips crushed against mine, taking what was rightfully his. Our kiss was urgent and forceful while his lips moved against mine. His tongue darting into my mouth, tasting and exploring. He let his lips roam down my neck and around my ear, causing me to giggle. His arms encircled my bare skin, pushing the robe even further out of the way. With one swift move, his hands cupped my bottom and hitched me up around his waist. My legs tightened around him and my arms wrapped around his neck. His lips met mine again in an intense kiss while he tried to make his way across the yard towards the cabin. He broke the kiss so he could see where he was going and I took liberty in kissing him along his neck, his shoulder and behind his ear like he had done to me. Once back inside the house, I let the robe fall to the ground while he carried me across the room and laid me against the bed. I kicked my shoes off and laid against the bed anticipating and longing for what was to come next. Even though we spent most of the night making love, I was eager for more as he clearly was as well. Once he removed his boots and pants, he came over top of me and began kissing me with vigor. It was more intense than it was during the night, but I enjoyed it. He caused so many sensations to happen between my legs and I longed to have more. My fingers roamed along the sweat dampened muscles of his chest and stomach, stopping just above his hips. He moaned against my mouth and rocked his hips towards mine. I raised my hips to meet his and to silently let him know I wanted him. I couldn't imagine a time I'd deny him this wonderful act between a husband and wife.

I let my hand venture further down past his hips and brush against his penis, letting my fingers wrap around him. He quickly sat up and pulled me into his lap. His hand came between our legs and met my hand. He took my hand in his and wrapped it around him again, showing me how to stroke and glide my hand. I kept my focus on his face. He looked pained as he guided my hand with fast-paced strokes. I leaned in and began licking and kissing along the muscles of his chest and along his neck. His groans grew even louder and more urgent with every stroke. Another grunt left his mouth as he pulled my hand away from him and he quickly grabbed my hips sitting me down on top of him. He slid inside of me, deeper than he ever had before. There was a sharp painful sensation at first, but like the other times before, I got used to it quickly and focused on enjoying him. His eyes remained closed while his large hands held my hips and guided me up and down around him. I had never felt anything like this before and couldn't help but cry out and say his name against the soft skin at his neck. This action made him even more eager as his fingers dug into the skin at my hips and rock us even faster. Loud moans and heavy breaths left his lungs and sweat dripped down his face. I panted breathlessly with every thrust inside of me. The explosion was building. I smiled and rose my face upwards anticipating what was coming.

He quickly let go of my hips and grabbed my head, lowering it to his for a searing kiss. He moaned repeatedly against my lips while I kept up the pace of gliding up and down on him. I could sense he was close to his own release when he couldn't kiss me any longer, his panting too strained to do anything but lean his forehead against mine. His hands held my head against his with such force.

"Charlotte," he whispered, through gritted teeth. The sound of my name leaving his lips is what sent me over the edge. I came down on him, letting him in as deep as possible and tightened around him, holding on to the sensation. While a rush of exhilaration went through my body, he too, let out one loud moan before his tightened body relaxed. He let his head fall and rest against my chest while his arms wrapped around my middle and held me close to him. I let my fingers tangle in his damp locks while we both tried to catch our breath and cool down.

"Clearly we don't need any firewood," he said. I laughed, feeling just as clammy as he did after our activities. He rose his head, looking at me with so much love. He brushed the matted hair away from my face and looked at me intently. I took a deep breath, enjoying his eyes on me with so much emotion in his face. I leaned down and gave him a simple kiss. He fell back against the bed, pulling me down with him and laid me on top of him. His arms wrapped around me and tangled in my hair as he held my head against his chest. Our bodies still connected and unable to fully release from each other.

"I enjoyed that immensely," I said against his chest.

He chuckled and tightened his hold around me. "So did I," he agreed.

"It was different than the many times last night," I said.

"I would agree. There's going to be new things to discover every time. I'm looking forward to every moment," he hummed against my hair. "Which leads me to wonder where exactly you learned that little trick with your hand?"

I blushed, not that he could see my face. I wondered if I should reveal my secret. Would he think me strange or improper for looking at such a book? However, he was my husband and I didn't want to have any secrets from him. "Lady Denham had an interesting collection of books before she decided to take them all down. Alison and I found a certain book that taught us quite a bit."

He chuckled. "Did you? I might need to take a look at this book when we get home."

I sighed against his chest. "I like the sound of that. Home. When we return, Sanditon House will be our home, together."

He sighed too and brushed his hand across my hair. "I like the sound of it as well."

After a short nap curled up in each other's arms, we got up and scoured the kitchen for something to eat. Sidney went outside and collected all the wood he had chopped earlier and got the fire going again. I made some sandwiches and cut up some fruit while Sidney boiled a pot of water on the fire for some tea. We sat at the table, barely clothed, while we drank tea and sustained ourselves with food.

After we ate, we curled up on the bed together and sat comfortably in the quiet. He rested my head against his chest while his arms circled around me. His fingers gently traced lines along my arm. We were both still pretty tired after the sleepless night before.

"Sidney," I said getting his attention. I glanced up at his face and was sure he had nearly fallen asleep before I aroused him. "How many times have you visited that boarding house in London?"

"Charlotte!" I could sense how uncomfortable he was with the question. He pulled his arm out from around me and sat up against the headboard of the bed. "Why would you ask such a question?"

I sat up so I could look at him. "I want to know. Mrs. Harries seemed to know you well. You must have been a frequent visitor."

He sighed heavily and stared at my face with a pained expression. "What happened before you, is in the past. What matters is what happened once I met you. And I can tell you with great certainty, I never visited any gentlemen's establishment from the moment I met you?"

I thought back on when we first met on the cliff when he rode in on his open carriage. We had barely spoken, and he was quite rude to me. "The moment you met me?"

I smiled shyly. "Yes, well, new maid or not, I was… intrigued."

"Were you?" I grinned happily hearing this news.

"Quite."

I rested back against his chest and he again, wrapped his arms around me. "So was I." I didn't have to look at his face to know he was grinning from my reveal.

"Why do you want to know about this anyway?" he asked after a few moments of silence. I clearly had stirred some anger in him.

"I suppose I'm just curious if I'm enough."

"I don't understand your meaning," he said.

I sat up and glanced between his eyes and his chest, feeling timid even suggesting something. "Perhaps you had a favorite girl you saw at the boarding house who was more experienced and prettier than me. But as a harlot, you couldn't marry her with good standings. Perhaps you'll still wish to visit her even though we are married. Or perhaps you'll get bored with me and want something more exciting and adventurous."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and brushed his thumb across my cheek. "Are these the thoughts that go through your mind?" I felt uneasy and refused to look him in the eye. "Charlotte, I love you. I've never loved someone as much as I love you. I've never even cared about someone as much as I care about you. Girls in a brothel are there for pleasure, not for conversation or compatibility. I didn't frequent them, but I did go there from time to time usually with Babington and Crowe. I took what I needed and left. I never even knew their names. Crowe always said if you look at them, you'll begin to have feelings. I took those words to heart and tried to focus on something else. I don't do that with you. I want to be everything for you. I can't imagine ever being bored with you, either. I'm always going to want this. I'm always going to want you and only you."

My eyes misted with tears as he stared at me with intense eyes, making me believe every word he spoke. I leaned in and kissed him with force. I don't think he was expecting my forcefulness as he laughed against my mouth. I rose up and sat in his lap again, craving what we had done earlier. His hands rested against my hips as he began to suckle my breast and squeeze the other. I wanted him to know I would always try to be enough for him as I knew, wholeheartedly, he would always be enough for me.

The next day, we slept a lot and rested our muscles and bodies. I didn't realize how much strain making love put on the body. I wasn't complaining in the least and even with a sore body, I'd happily make love to him over and over again. But I was thankful for the time to rest.

I was awoken when I felt movement on the bed beside me. I had my back towards him and refused to open my eyes just yet, still hoping for a few moments longer of sleep. His hand rubbed against my arm and his lips traced across my shoulders and back, trying fervently to awaken me. I sighed and shuddered at his touch. "Charlotte," he whispered. "Wake up, my love."

I opened my eyes and rolled over to face him. "What is it?"

His lip rose in a half smile. "Come with me." He grabbed my hands and pulled me out of the bed. I wasn't thrilled about getting up, but I did. I threw on my robe and took Sidney's hand letting him lead me outside into the dark. Before we stepped outside, he motioned with his finger against his lips to be quiet. I was quite confused with what was going on, but I followed instructions and tried to be as quiet as possible. He stepped outside and led me out in front of him. The glow from the moon illuminated the trees and snow around us. Slowly, my eyes focused in on what Sidney had brought me outside for. Just steps from the porch was a large group of deer eating from patches of exposed grass beneath the snow. My breath hitched as I watched them get closer and closer to us. I wondered if this happened to be the same group of deer that frequented the Sanditon area.

"Their beautiful," I whispered. Sidney's arms wrapped around my waist from behind as we stood silently watching the group of deer together.

"I suppose I know why there's a hunting cabin here. Rather easy to hunt when the prey comes right up to your doorstep," Sidney said quietly against me ear. I stifled a laugh at his comment. We watched them for quite a while before going back inside and warming up by the fire and in the bed.

The following day, Sidney chopped more firewood while I watched and fully enjoyed the sight. From time to time, I would see him grin bashfully and shake his head like he wasn't sure why watching him chop wood had me so enthralled. But he didn't disappoint when he would put all his power into slicing through a piece of wood. I almost felt as if I would have the tingling sensation rush through me just from watching him chop wood. I had decided when we returned home, a block would be put up and firewood logs would be delivered to Sanditon House just so Sidney could continue to chop wood and I could watch.

In the evening, after our lovemaking, Sidney broke out a book he had packed away in his bag. I nestled close to him and listened to him read from a book of Heraclitus. Besides watching him chop wood, listening to him read was my new favorite activity. His voice was so soothing and peaceful. I couldn't get enough of him.

After a peaceful night's sleep, I woke up early. I turned in the bed and watched Sidney sleeping next to me. He was on his side, his arm lazily draped across me. I watched the rise and fall of his chest with his rhythmic breathing. I placed a hand against his bare chest and reveled in the feel of his heart beating. I could have laid there all day just watching him sleep, but my stomach was growling from hunger. I got up and rummaged through the basket of food we had brought with us. There wasn't much left, other than the end of a loaf of bread and some fruit. I was getting tired of sandwiches anyway. I looked around and found a small bucket with some root vegetables. The thought of a warm soup was enticing. I looked around and found a hunting rifle and knew exactly what I needed to do. I pulled out a dress from my bag and for the first time since arriving, actually put on clothing. It was just a simple gray dress over my shift and stays. I pulled on the full pelisse I brought with me and began to button it when Sidney woke up. He searched the bed with his hand before realizing I wasn't there. His eyes darted open with panic. He sat up when he saw me across the room buttoning my pelisse.

"Where are you going?" he wondered.

"We have eaten nothing but sandwiches and a few fruit and vegetables since we got here. We need something a bit more substantial. I'm going hunting."

A smile spread across his face before he whipped the blankets off of him and quickly started pulling on pants and a shirt. When we were both dressed, we walked out of the cabin hand in hand, going deeper and deeper into the trees, looking for anything.

We walked through the forest for most of the day and had conversations about what we might see, what I might make to eat, and about Heraclitus back home who should have come with us to be the hunting dog he was bred to be. Our stomachs growled with anticipation for something more than sandwiches.

In the distance, I noticed some pheasant walking along the ground. I put my hand out to stop Sidney from walking and crouched down to ready the gun for shooting. Sidney watched me with an amazed expression. I rose the gun and placed it in my line of sight, aiming with great precision. I pulled the trigger and in the distance the pheasants all scattered in the air. I rose to my feet and with a smile grabbed Sidney's hand while we made our way across the field to where I just shot. I wasn't entirely sure I had shot something, but I was hopeful. We searched the ground and sure enough, Sidney found the bird I had hit. He picked it up proudly and carried it while we made our way back to the cabin.

Once back in the warmth of the cabin, I had Sidney work at plucking the feathers from the bird outside, while I chopped some of the root vegetables and placed them in a pot. Once all the feathers were successfully plucked, I placed the bird in the pot and covered it with water before placing it above the fire.

"I'm not sure these feathers are ever going to leave me," Sidney complained, trying in vain to brush the feathers off of him.

I giggled and walked over to him, trying to help but realizing I wasn't doing much better than he was. "Perhaps you should just remove the clothing," I suggested with a playful grin. He rose an eyebrow but did exactly what I said, leaving his clothing in a heap on the floor.

While the food cooked, we worked up an appetite in bed. I wondered if when we returned to Sanditon House, if we would still be the same way. Would we be as carefree and open with each other, or would we once again be stiff and proper keeping up appearances. I hoped, at least while we were alone, we could still be like we were here. And perhaps we could visit this place often.

When the soup was done, I dished us both up a bowl and we sat at the table to eat. Sidney gave his appreciation for something other than sandwiches with his hums of delight. He ate three bowls of the soup before announcing he was so full and couldn't move. We went to bed with happy stomachs and bodies perfectly compatible with the other. He read from the book some more while we rested in the bed together.

"Do you think it'll always be like this?" I asked.

"Like what?"

"Wanting to be close to each other and longing to be in each other's arms? Feeling entirely comfortable with each other?"

He rubbed my arm and held me closer to him. "I truly hope so. I know I'll always want us to be like this."

I nestled into his side and closed my eyes, feeling entirely at peace. "I don't ever want to leave this place."

He sighed and brushed his fingers through my hair. "Neither do I."

Notes:

Honeymoon is now over. There will still be 2-3 more chapters with an epilogue. When this story is complete, I will write "And They Lived Happily Ever After" at the end.

I'm also working on a new modern story. I couldn't help myself and have already started to write it. I'm just trying to come up with the right title. I'm terrible with titles.