Chapter twenty-two: Between a man and a woman


"Oh God." Kate grips the edge of the bed for support. "I forgot about that."

"Kate," he steps towards her, his hand up in a feeble attempt at reassuring her that everything was under control. "I'm not going to f**k you."

Kate stares at him as if he's taken leave of his senses. "Then…what are we doing up here in your room?"

He glances at his watch. "It's 4:30. We've got 15 to 20 minutes to discuss what's going to happen and I think we'd both prefer to discuss this in private. Now, do you think your brother will ask for proof that we consummated our marriage?"

She nodded. "Yes, he probably will."

"If we were to say that we're going to consummate the marriage tonight, do you think that he'd be lenient and allow it?"

She shakes her head. "No, we'd be letting him know that our marriage wasn't fully legal and he wouldn't have to honor it. That would just give him the opportunity to end this marriage and believe me, he'd take it."

"Next option is that you call your father right now." She shakes her head. "Why?"

"He'll think the same way as my brother. In addition, I've betrayed him by marrying his enemy. I'll be lucky if he even speaks to me again. Third option?" He walks over to his nightstand drawer, pulls it open to reveal a small knife inside, which he then puts on top of the stand. Kate jumps up as he starts to roll up his sleeve. "Wait a minute, what are you doing?"

"I'm faking the blood on the sheets." He explains as he smirks at her. "Did you really think that I was going to put you through anything like that?"

"Don't, please!" Kate steps towards him, putting her hand atop of his. "That is…really, the sweetest, most selfless thing anyone's done for me. But…I don't want you to do that."

"Then what do you want me to do Kate?" he asks as he sets down the knife. "Because there aren't any other options."

Kate bites her lip and makes up her mind probably too quickly. Kate exhales and closes her eyes for a minute before turning and pulling back the covers. "I think that, you and I should just-

"No," Thomas immediately started protesting. "that is not happening Kate. You're still a virgin and-

"I'm well aware of that fact." She blushes hard.

He exhaled deeply. "Look, I don't want it to be fast. You deserve candles, flowers and-

"I'd rather you be alive, Thomas Shelby. I trust you." He shakes his head and she reaches for his hand. "I trust you. And regardless of how long or short it is, I trust you to make it as," she swallows hard. "painless and sweet as possible."

He reaches up and cups her face. "I don't want to do you like this Kate, I really don't." Kate places a hand on his waist, her heart pounding in her chest as he glanced downwards. "You deserve far better than what you're asking."

She bit her lips before asking him the question that had been burning her soul alive since she'd married him. "Thomas, I need to know this. Do we, want a real marriage?" he hesitated before asking. "I mean, I know things are awkward right now. But, do you want to work on this marriage with me and to try to become a real family?"

He nods as he holds her gaze. "Yes, I do."

"Then," heat fills her cheeks. "it's going to be alright. I know it will."

"Kate," He lets out a curse and sighs. "do you even want this?"

She bites her lips before nodding her head and whispering. "Yes…because we made a commitment to each other and, that commitment starts right now."

He studies her face very closely before nodding. "Alright." Her heart jumps in her chest as he shrugs out of his coat. "But after this, I won't touch you again. That is…unless you want me to."

"You can touch me, just…hold off on the sex, after this for a while." Kate smiles feebly. "You're a good man, Thomas Shelby."

"I'm really not." Kate starts to undo the sash on the dress. "A good man, wouldn't do this to you." He shrugged out of his coat and his gun holster quickly. She pulled off her dress and Thomas stopped her from removing her slip. "You can keep that on." He leans forward to kiss her, causing her heart rate to spike. "You're not ready for this, so," a deep kiss on her lips causes her to reach for his waist. "I'm going to give you as much privacy as I can."

With that, he cupped her neck in his hands and proceeded to kiss her frantically. Kate gripped a hold of his wrists and closed her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest as he backed her up against the bed. She went down before he had the chance to position her, breaking the kiss. He exhales, giving her a moment to get comfortable as he pulled his suspenders down and his shirt over his head. He inhaled deeply before getting onto the bed, carefully positioning her under him. "You alright?"

She nodded. "Yes. I trust you."

Her heart pounded in her throat as Thomas carefully got on top of her, drawing her slip up to her waist. Embarrassment nearly smothered her as she reached behind her to brace herself against the wooden bed frame. He brings her undergarments down her legs and quickly inserts a finger inside of her. Against her will, she jumped as his finger hit her virgin barrier. "It's alright, you're alright." He leans forward to kiss her again and she brings her hand towards his shoulders. "If you tell me to stop, I will."

The coolness of the ring on her finger causes her to break the kiss. "Wait!" He instantly stops to look down at her. "I-I just need to know. The ring?" he looks confused. "Why'd you buy me this ring?"

"That's it?" he asks as she nods. He lets out an exhale before resumes pumping his finger inside her.

"Yes!" she lets out a moan and bucks her hips slightly as these unwanted feelings started to serge inside her.

"You need to know…now?" she lets out a keening cry as he slips a second finger inside of her. "F**k, you're tight."

"Oh God!" her voice rises slightly as he speeds up his pumps. He exhaled as she slaps the side of the bed in frustration between the emotions flowing over her and his hesitancy to answer such a question. "I need to know!"

"Because…we were at that point Kate." She stares up at him in surprise as he pumps harder and faster inside her. "I was planning on proposing to you." Those words made her heart surge in her chest as he leaned forward to kiss her. "Just not this soon."

With that, his lips closed over hers, causing her to moan. She felt slightly better now, knowing that he was planning to propose to her. But there were still so many unanswered questions, which she decided to put it out of her mind for the moment. Kate moved her hands to encircle his shoulders as she returned his kisses. Thomas let out a groan of pleasure as he responded to her letting her guard down. She could feel her body growing close and she broke the kiss, throwing her head back as she released her pleasure over Thomas's fingers.

She lay under him, feeling warmth and wetness as he withdrew his fingers from inside her. He kissed her neck, eliciting a moan from her. She heard him unzipping his trousers and inhaled mentally readied herself. She knew what was coming and even though she trusted him, she still felt scared. Not because that she was scared of what was going to happen. She was scared of what it symbolized. She wasn't an old maid anymore, she was going to be his wife and the mother to his children with the loss of her virtue. She felt the tip of him inside her folds and she inhaled, stiffening up for a second. Thomas hesitated and for one moment, she thought he was going to change his mind about this whole thing.

He looked at her and asked her one final time. "Kate, are you sure?"

She held his gaze as she placed her hands on his neck. "I'm sure."

He surged forward and caught her lips in a bruising kiss that caused her tightly grip onto his shoulders. With one quick, hard thrust, he took her virginity. She let out a cry of discomfort, clutching him tightly, and breathing through the sensation of him stretching and filling her. Thomas said something to her, in Romani. She wasn't sure what he was saying, but the tone was soothing. She exhaled in relief and closed her eyes, listening to him speak in Romani as he buries a kiss in her neck, causing her to moan.

"Kate?" he asks gently.

"I'm alright." She breathed softly in his ear as she stroked the top of her head with her fingers. "Thomas."

He kissed her a few more times before starting to move inside her. Kate exhales and relaxes somewhat, moving her hands to his forearms. He expertly coaxed her mouth open, resulting in a fiery, wet kiss that causes her to cling tighter to him. The pain was quickly being replaced by a mysterious, intense and pleasurable feeling. To her, it feels as if their bodies are a good fit, he feels right against her. She knows that she's his third wife, so she can't be sure what it is he's feeling, but he clearly knows what he's doing.

Again, that tense pressure begins building in her lower body, causing her to move her hips in an attempt to relieve the pressure. It began to build, causing her to whimper in frustration. "Thomas, please!" Thomas began moving harder within her as she brings her legs up around his waist, causing him to slide further inside her. "God!

"That's it, come on Kate." Thomas suddenly hits something deep inside her, causing her to let out a cry as her eyes fly open. He continued to hit that spot inside her, causing another sound to escape her lips. Every movement on his part causes her body to tingle and twitch as the tension inside her body builds before finally exploding throughout her. Kate throws her head back and lets out a gasping cry at the same moment; Thomas lets out a deep exhale and releases his seed inside her. "F**k!" She inhales sharply, closing her eyes as her body buzzes from the pleasure and attempts to understand what just happened to her.

She bit her lip as Thomas exhaled deeply, his breath hot on her neck. She noticed he had been careful not to collapse on top of her, even if it was a bit of an effort for him. His lips lightly touched hers in a gentle kiss, breathing something in Romani as he studied her expression. He looked down at her, caressing her hair for a moment. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, yes I-I am."

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, running his gaze over her body. "Are you ok?"

She shook her head as she reached up and caressed his face. "You didn't hurt me Thomas. I'm alright."

He reached for her hand. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." He kisses her palm and she whispers. "We should get dressed though."

Thomas very carefully withdrew from her. She rolled over onto her side as he got out of the bed. She appreciated that he kept his back to her, giving her some privacy. She stood up; her legs shaking and she gripped ahold of the nightstand, regaining her balance. Thankfully, Thomas had his back to her and didn't notice this. After a moment, she knelt to pick up her knickers and carefully made her way to the bathroom. She was sore, but true to his word, he hadn't hurt her. After cleaning herself up, as she went to step into her undergarments, a glance down showed fresh blood spots. Kate groaned, she'd gotten her cycle. As if the day couldn't get any worse!


Thomas's stomach swirled in guilt as he rearranged his clothes. He didn't want to take Kate like that at all. He'd wanted to give her so much more than that. Then…that was the choice Kate had made. He had been perfectly willing to shed his own blood to keep her safe, but she didn't want that. Why, she made that decision was going to drive him insane for a long time.

He'd helped her through it as much as he could and she'd gone along with it. She was very receptive he noted, each little touch seemed to set her off. She even returned his kisses, held onto him and touched him. But then she was a virgin, so, everything was new. He smiled faintly, sex hadn't been too new to Grace and Lizzie. But Kate…his Kate…he knew that she'd be good because of the connection they shared. Christ, thinking about her warmth and tightness started to make him hard again. This time hadn't been perfect, but…maybe the next time it would be. They were married now. He had plenty of time to sleep with her, just now, she needed time to adjust. He was willing to give it to her.

He glanced at his watch. It was a few minutes past 5:00 now. He steps to the window and peers out. Sure enough as Kate predicted, there were six cars coming up the drive. He exhales and steps towards the bathroom. He coughs, letting her know that he's outside the bath. "Kate," he taps on the door with his knuckles. "your brother is here." Kate drops something, which causes him to smile. He loves her skittish nature. "You alright?"

"Yes! I'm ready." She clears her throat and steps outside of the restroom. She inhales as she brushes by him without looking up. "Shall we?"

Thomas exhales, he feels as if they've gone back to the beginning of their relationship. He follows after her, they're halfway down the stairs when he speaks. "Kate?" She turns towards him as he places his hand on the railing next to her. "Are you alright?"

She bites her lip but nods. "Yes." He doesn't believe her. She inhales and wipes her eyes. "I'm sorry, I really am-

"Did I hurt you?" he inquired. "F**k, I knew I shouldn't-

"It's not you, honest." She assured him. "You didn't hurt me. It's just, today's, it's been a bit much for me, it's been overwhelming. I can't break down now. A crying woman, isn't what you need right now."

He didn't know what to say to her, but he knew what she needed. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, which she instantly reciprocated. She inhales and exhales, he can feel the tension leave her shoulders. The tension hadn't really been present in her body, well at least until after he'd told her that he'd planned on proposing to her. That's when he felt her respond eagerly to him. Maybe she'd needed to be assured that there was love for her, on his part. He kisses her cheek, noting how she leans into the kiss. Yes, Kate had feelings for him. That's why she'd wanted to go through with consummating the marriage. If her feelings for him were as strong as he suspected, she'd have been willing to do anything to protect him.

"They're coming up the drive!" Arthur shouts from the library.

Kate clears her throat and pulls away. "We better get down the stairs."

He nods and hurries down the stairs, holding tightly onto her hand. "Ok, everyone except for Arthur in the living room."

"I'll get the door." She states.

Thomas shakes his head. "No."

"It has to be me. Anyone else will get shot on sight, no questions asked."

Thomas nods. "Still, I'm going to be there with you. You're my wife now. I'm here for you."

"Thank you Thomas." She inhales and opens the front door.

A gun is instantly pointed in her face, but fortunately, it's her brother holding the gun. "Kate?" He lowers it as he stares at her in shock before he demands angrily. "What the f**k are you doing here?"