Erik's hands encircled Jade's waist, and he pulled her a little closer. As she watched the rise and fall of his chest, the heavy smell of burning candle wax intensified, and her legs started to wobble.
Stepping backwards, she stared through the growing haze at Erik.
"Jade…" she heard in the distance as she sat on the edge of the bed. Languidly, she looked up in his direction.
The next thing she knew, her cheek was pressed against the pillow and something was tugging at her back. When the gown was loosened, she took in a deep breath and the haze began to clear.
"I told that woman not to make this gown too tight," she heard a voice growl behind her, as strong hands moved the dress down her shoulders. Jade tried to turn her head to see the voice, and then felt her arms being pulled out of the dress, followed by cloth sliding down her hips.
"I must have gained too much weight," she said lightly with a snort of glee. Suddenly, everything was funny as a giddy bubble worked its way out of her throat, and the bed began to move. It felt like she was floating on the lake, with waves of darkness lapping against her.
"How much did you drink at the reception…" she heard Erik's voice ask, as if he was calling to her from the kitchen.
"Not too much," she replied drowsily. A minute later, she was asleep.
0000
When she awoke, Jade was in her petticoats lying under the covers in Erik's bed. It was cozy, and the velvet pillowcase against her cheek was incredibly soft. Only a few candles near the bed were lit. She was floating on an island of light in the darkness.
Yawning, she turned and stared at the darker spot that was the door to the hall, until the room came into focus. Then she reluctantly pulled off the warm covers, and padded across the thick carpet to the water closet in her room.
Later, she put on the green silk nightgown that was laid out on her bed. She threw on a robe, and sat in front of the vanity mirror as she combed out her hair.
Glancing at the door, she leaned towards the hall and strained to hear the sound of footsteps. Had Erik gone out?
Grimacing at the mirror, she thought, I passed out on my wedding night! It was embarrassing.
Over the last three nights she hadn't gotten enough sleep, especially last night when she'd been in the hotel with Mme. Giry. Plus, there was the sheer excitement of the wedding day that had worn her out. Raising her eyebrows, she stared at her eyes, looking for telltale dark circles that would indicate that she'd had too much alcohol at the reception. She hadn't meant to overdo it, but the waiter had regularly refilled the wine glasses with the very good vintage that Erik had provided. Perhaps she had inadvertently drunk more than she'd intended.
Staring at herself, she puzzled over her hair. Married women always braid their hair before going to bed, she mulled. She'd wondered about that. Were the activities in the bedroom that strenuous that loose hair was a hazard?
After carefully crisscrossing her locks into a neat, thick braid, Jade stared at her handiwork and contemplated what was to come next.
She did feel a little nervous about the wedding night, in spite of the fact that she'd spent the last three weeks daydreaming about being in Erik's arms. Since their engagement, he'd scarcely touched her except to kiss or caress her hands. She'd missed their previous intimacy.
So why do I feel this way?
The answer came to her with a pang of sadness. It will all change, she thought. Once she became a wife in the truest sense of the word, that part of her that had always been independent would be gone.
His needs will become my needs, and mine will have to disappear.
But wasn't that how it had always been for women?
Jade sat up very straight, and took a long, last look at herself. Then she walked to the other bedroom, and peeked around the door.
Erik was sitting in bed and reading a book. He was wearing a robe with his chest partially bared and with the rest of him beneath the covers.
He was waiting for her.
All of a sudden, she felt shy and awkward. Stepping back, she leaned against the wall with her hands on her belly, and thought of what she had been doing to herself over the last three weeks. Erik had instructed her on how to stretch the inner walls of her body in order to prepare for tonight.
But now she wanted to return to her room, and deal with all this on another day.
Playing with the rings on her finger, she stole another look at the tall man who was casually sitting on the bed. Erik was acting as if this was an average night in his home.
He was wearing his mask, as usual.
A thought flashed through her mind. Now that they were husband and wife, would he be removing it tonight?
Stifling a groan, she stepped back and shut her eyes. Please God, she prayed. Not tonight. It would be too much for one day—getting married, losing her virginity, and seeing Erik unmasked.
She breathed deeply for a minute to compose herself, and then entered the room.
Without looking at him, she moved to the bed and removed her robe, which she draped over a chair. Then she grabbed the blankets and prepared to slide into bed.
"Jade," she heard, as she bent over the covers. Slowly, she raised her head and looked up at him.
"Please come over here," Erik said casually as he patted the covers beside him. Mesmerized by his firm gaze, she walked around the bed and stood before him.
His eyes slowly traveled up and down her body, as his mouth opened with appreciation.
"Would you please undo your hair before coming to bed?" he asked with a seductive tone. He moved to the center of the bed and pulled the covers aside for her.
Gingerly, she sat on the edge of the bed with her back to him and reached for her hair. Erik's hands were there before hers and worked the tresses loose. He spread the hair across her shoulders, and then finished with a long, stroking motion along her back.
When she turned to him, he was lying in bed and gazing up at her with an intensity that made her flesh tingle. As she slid into bed, he reached over and pulled her to him. His arms wrapped around her, and he began to stroke her back with a soothing, repetitive motion. Sighing, she gradually relaxed under his touch.
He murmured into her ear, "There is no need to hurry. We have all night, my dear."
They lay together like that for some time with Erik's hands smoothly moving across her back. As she enjoyed his gentle touch, she was reminded of the rainy day months before when he'd suddenly appeared in the Arabian stallion's stall. His hands had moved across every part of the animal while she'd watched. At the time, she'd guessed that it had been done for her benefit—that he was showing her how he would touch her if she would allow it.
And now he was doing it to her—soothing away her fears.
How many other women has he done this with? She considered distantly. She didn't mind that he was experienced. It was good that one of them had some knowledge in this area. The sensations were bringing her closer to him as he coaxed her into a comfortable bliss.
Lying next to him, his scent was all around her. It was a good smell. There was the ever present odor of candle smoke, and the smell of soap. He must have bathed when I was sleeping, she thought. And beneath it all was Erik's scent—interesting, and unique. Jade could still remember Jean-Luc's scent—that of horses, the lake, and that special odor he'd get when he'd been kissing her for awhile. Erik 's was different. The only thing she could compare it to was the music that he played. It was as subtle and complicated as the man himself.
Pressing her nose to his chest, she inhaled, and brushed his smooth skin with her lips. Opening her mouth, she touched him with her tongue. He had a light, salty taste. It was nice. Tentatively, she tasted him again only this time with a little sucking grasp of her mouth. In response, his muscles quivered.
By then, she was feeling very relaxed and a little playful. He was here beside her. Why not explore?
Raising herself, she glanced at his face. He was watching her intently. Undaunted, Jade lowered her head and began to slowly glide her lips across his chest.
In her last few months with Jean-Luc, they had played this game in order to satisfy his growing hunger for her. Jean-Luc had limited his kissing to her throat, afraid to go further. When it was her turn, he had unbuttoned the top part of his shirt and laid on the grass as he offered himself to her. Jade had tasted him repeatedly, until he had finally stopped her with an intense embrace.
Now here was Erik. He was her husband and there was nothing to prevent her from doing this as long as she wished.
Erik's sculpted body had so many dips and curves, and all of it was new. With her head bent over him, Jade immersed herself in that little world, and meandered across the silky terrain using her lips and fingers. One moment it was her tongue that followed the edge of his muscles, and the next, the tip of her nose. It was a dance of a sort, and Erik's quivering responses with the little noises he was making was encouraging.
She found his nipple. Pressing the surrounding skin together between her fingers caused it to protrude, and she grasped it with her mouth. As she ran her tongue around that hard, little nub of tissue, she nuzzled the surrounding area with her nose. Then she settled in and bit it lightly while stroking it with her tongue, playing with its firmness. She was beginning to really enjoy herself in these new sensations when a sudden loud groan interrupted her concentration.
"Enough!" Erik cried as he flipped her onto her back.
Wide-eyed, Jade stared up at him as his smoldering eyes hovered above her face.
"Are you trying to drive me mad?" he growled just before his lips met hers.
Erik pressed into her with a crushing kiss. When he pulled back, she gasped for air, and looked up at his looming form. He gave her a moment to catch her breath, and then he was back again at her mouth only this time using his tongue on her. Pinning her to the bed with his body, he pushed his hand against her forehead and guided her chin up which allowed him to reach deeper into her mouth.
"There," he said when he was finished, as he stared down at her with elation.
Lying very still, she gazed up at him. His hair was a little mussed and his skin was glowing from the amber light of the candles. He was beautiful. She wanted to reach up and lay her hands on his chest. Instead, she waited and wondered what he would do next.
He lay beside her and stroked her curves with slow, firm movements. Drawing closer, his lips grazed her ear as he spoke.
"I have wanted to touch you since I first saw you in the stable," he crooned softly. Jade shivered at his honey tone, and at the thought of Erik suddenly grabbing her in the stable before she had come to know and trust him. That thought sent a thrill along her spine. Then he kissed her, and his hands become bolder, more insistent.
The warmth of his palms against her breasts when he cupped and handled them was wonderful. The more he touched them, the more sensitive they became. With each squeeze, a shot of pleasure sprang between her legs. The mounting tension there was making it hard for her to focus on his kisses.
Erik raised himself off of her, and swept her body with his eyes as one hand continued to slowly stroke her. His robe had fallen open, revealing most of his chest. Jade's gaze moved across it to the shadows below. As he had pressed into her, she had occasionally felt the hardness of his manhood rub against her. She had never seen a naked man, and now she was wondering what a man's organ looked like.
It would be inside of her soon enough. Why not take a look?
"Erik," she said softly. "Would you please lie down?"
Settling next to her, he watched her with expectation.
Jade untied his robe and pushed the cloth aside.
His organ was large and purplish. Compared to the rest of him it was swollen and engorged. So, this is what a man looks like when he's excited, she thought as her hands crept towards it. She touched it and it suddenly jerked.
"Don't," Erik gasped.
Surprised, her eyes darted to his. "Did that hurt?" she asked innocently.
He suddenly sat up and pulled her to him. Then he buried his face in her hair for a moment before speaking.
"If you touch me there, I won't be able to control myself," he said hoarsely.
She listened to his heart pounding and nodded. "I'll be careful," she said softly. Moving to his lips, she tugged at his lower one with hers.
"Please, Erik. Kiss me again."
As he kissed her deeply, she fell under his spell. It's Erik doing this, she thought as she lay in his arms. It aroused her. His soft caressing lips that inched along her throat, his warm breath, it was unbelievably exciting.
His hands were moving across her body, and pressing on her belly and the sides of her thighs. She squirmed from the pleasure. He reached under her and suddenly scooped up her bottom, pushed her belly against his, and firmly held her there. She gasped from the sudden rush of sensation, and gave him a startled look. He had an absolutely wicked smile on his face as he stared down at her for a moment, and said under his breath, "that is what you get my dear, for teasing me."
Teasing him? He was the one who was leading her on with his endless touching. She had thought it would be fast, the coupling. But he was stretching it out, and making the tension nearly unbearable.
As he rocked his hips against her, she felt his hardness poke her leg, and she gasped. Would it hurt when he entered her? Now that it was insistently pressing against her, it no longer felt like a part of him. It was more like an entity that had suddenly entered their marriage bed, and was growing between them.
Erik slowly pushed her legs apart. His warm hands slid between her thighs, and his fingers stroked her skin with a lingering touch that maddened her. After a few minutes of it, her breathing became ragged.
Lying on her back, and gritting her teeth, she felt helpless under his onslaught. She lifted her head, and stared at him as he crouched intently over her, seemingly motionless. He looked like a master craftsman focused on a delicate task, frozen in concentration. His hands had worked their way higher up her inner thighs until the tips of his fingers were at the inner lips of her cleft. Gently, they prodded the area and she held her breath.
There was a quick wriggling motion of his fingers and an electric spark shot up her body. Reflexively, she closed her legs and trapped his hand between them, causing his fingers to slide inside of her.
Moaning, her eyes darted to his, and he gave her a tight smile.
"It is fine, Jade. I just wanted to see if you were ready."
Ready? She thought with desperation. How much longer is he planning on torturing me?
Gently but firmly, Erik spread her legs and positioned himself between them.
When his stiff organ pushed against her opening and rubbed that moist part of her, it started a fire—an incredibly wet heat that moved up her body, and settled in the hollow of her throat where it throbbed. In turn, her heart began to pound as he continued to rub against her.
Biting her lip, she held back her need to cry out. This was immensely different than when she touched herself! His weight and silky skin against her belly added to the expanding feeling below as he slowly pushed into her. Each inch of his penetration stretched and filled her, creating a strange, new sensation. And, he was using his fingers—rubbing and stroking that exquisitely sensitive part of her, which was making her tremble.
As the pleasure escalated, she stared up at him. There was a riot of feelings on Erik's face—hunger, tenderness, and joy. He was like a god hovering above her and delivering ecstasy.
Shifting, he leaned on both his elbows, and thrust deeper into her. After a dozen or so thrusts, he took her head in his hand, and pressed her face to his neck as he continued with greater force.
"Kiss me, Jade," he groaned.
She did her best to comply but she was rapidly losing control of her body. Instead of a sensuous touch with lips and tongue she grasped his flesh with her mouth and hands. Erik cried out and intensified his thrusting.
Her release came hard and fast—a hot wave erupting from her center with throbbing spasms. Her muscles jerked and trembled in response to the rhythmic contractions inside of her. The room began to fade, and she heard a ragged moan outside of her. It seemed high up, beyond the room, somewhere in the world above. Her vision cleared, and she saw Erik's face twisted with the intensity of his release as he finished with the last of his thrusts. Then he stopped, and sank down upon her.
Rolling over onto his side, he carried her with him and remained inside of her for a minute longer before his body gradually eased out of hers.
They lay together silently. The tender place between her legs was still aching from spent pleasure as she breathed quietly with her head on his chest.
After a minute, his hands gently spread across her body and stroked her lightly. Jade shivered, and pulled away a little. It was all too intense and her exhausted nerves couldn't handle any more sensation, at least not for a little while. Erik stopped, and pulled her closer to him. Cradling her in his arms, he pressed his face into her hair and began to sing.
It was an intimate song of joy and consummate tenderness. The soft tones pacified her nerves, and lulled her to sleep. Dreamily, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes, which gazed back at her with an unexpected youthfulness. She briefly stroked his face with her palm, and he pressed into it. Sighing, she returned to her spot on his chest.
Shutting her eyes, she fell asleep.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Erik held her in his arms until she slept. Then he carefully placed Jade onto her back, and gazed down at her.
He watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The nightgown was bunched above her hips revealing hair that formed a perfect, alluring V. He brushed it lightly with his fingers. Then gently, he tugged the garment down, and restored her modesty.
The jade green silk shone in the candlelight, and fell in folds around her delicate, soft breasts. He'd gotten a little carried away in his love making and had at times squeezed them, but she hadn't seemed to mind it. On the contrary, the more he touched them, the more she had trembled. His hands had excited her.
Lying back, he pulled her to him and held her close.
It had been amazingly easy. After all the years of anticipation and longing, of standing behind mirrors watching the denizens of his opera house enjoy what he could not have, it had come naturally to him, this act of love.
When she came to his room, he had watched her from the corner of his eye as she lingered just outside the door. Shy and doe-like, he had waited for her to come to him. Once she was there, standing at his side with that silk gown clinging to her curves, he had wanted her badly.
However, when she was in his arms, her sudden stiffness had warned him that his consuming needs were only half of what was between them. She needed to be comforted before they could begin.
So, he had restrained his hunger long enough to gentle her and gain her trust.
Sighing, Erik stroked her hair and looked down at her lithe form. She fit perfectly in his arms.
He smiled when he thought of how eagerly she had touched him. He had shut his eyes and given himself up to those encompassing sensations. In his imaginings, he had never dreamt that it could feel that wonderful.
Gazing at her, he was filled with awe. That she could give him so much physical pleasure while also filling his heart…
With that thought, his erection returned. Pressing her close to him, he ran his lips across her forehead. Was this what they would have for the rest of their lives—endless sessions of touching and delicious penetration?
He felt almost giddy with joy. She was his, to hold and to love. She had given herself willingly and wanted his touch. He was no longer alone.
As she slept in his arms, he listened to her quiet breathing and felt her softly moving against him. If only he could keep her here with him through the night! But it wasn't possible since he needed to sleep in order to be fresh for tomorrow.
Hours later, he lifted Jade up, and carried her to the other bedroom where he laid her in the bed. After tucking the covers around her, he sat by her for a few minutes and stroked her hair. Then he rose and returned to his room.
Once there, Erik locked his door, and stood before the mirror. Staring at his reflection, he meditated on how it would be between them.
Their life would be one of beauty and music. He would take her to the opera, and to any place in this great city that she desired. If Jade wished it, they would travel and discover the world together. He would cherish her curiosity, and see the world anew through her eyes.
And they would make love, as often as she would allow, losing themselves in that exquisite act.
Carefully, Erik removed the mask, and ran his finger across the right side of his face. As he studied the devastation, the softness vanished from his face, and a steely look entered his eyes. All of his plans were dependent on one thing—she must not see what was behind the mask.
Stretching out on the velvet sheets, he relived the night—her touch, Jade's green eyes wide from pleasure. The way she had looked up at him when he was inside of her, the look of adoration… He shut his eyes and smiled. Loving her was a drug, and he intended to partake of it over and over again.
He recalled her serene sweetness as she gazed at him before falling asleep. Her heart was big, and perhaps someday she would come to accept him without the mask.
But for now, his face would remain hidden.
A/N: M rating.
Today is the anniversary of this story. I posted the first chapter of Night to Day a year ago.
When I started this, it was on a whim after a few weeks of reading phanfiction on ffdotnet. I thought I'd be done with it in several months but it took off and took over.
I'm grateful for the support I've gotten for this story. Your reviews and PM's have been wonderful and have helped me become a better writer.
Thanks for reading and reviewing, and letting me know that you're enjoying this. A big thanks to my special readers who review nearly every chapter. Hugs and red roses to you.
nativedreamer