Chapter 4- With My Body I Thee Worship

In the future she'd look, back wishing she'd understood what lay ahead. If she had she would've never fought the impulse to run.

Six Years From Now

"Ahh! Oh!" Jude sobbed, clutching her cheek and holding it tightly.

She shut her eyes, the noise of his yelling ringing in her ear, pounding along with the sharp sting of the slap and the anguish that reverberated deep inside her heart.

"Please! Please think of your boys! Think about how you used to love me!" She begged, her chocolate brown eyes pooling with tears. "Think about how you used to touch me!'

A mere man would've seen anguish in the eyes of his wife as she pled, but a monster could see nothing but the miserable whims of his own rotted out, embittered soul.

"For better or worse." She reminded as he grabbed her arm, twisting it. She longed for the tenderness in his touch. "Isn't that en-ooow!" She cried out in terror as he pushed her angrily against the wall.

"No, no please!" She turned away, trying to cover her face. "Please!" She held her hands over her face as he slapped her.

"To love and to cherish in sickness and health to death do us part!" She cringed, feeling a punch: this time it was her ribs.

She kept her eyes closed so she wouldn't have to see her worst nightmare coming true, and to avoid the terrified gaze of her tiny sons who hid under the kitchen table.

"With my body I thee worship! Do you remember that Timothy?!" She sobbed, falling onto her knees, practically bowing at his feet as she curled up into a ball, sobbing as another blow stuck her face, and then another, and another and darkness.

….

Jude woke up to the sound of humming, feeling a gentle, familiar breath fall upon her lips before she even opened her eyes. Timothy leaned down, greeting her with a morning kiss. She closed her eyes and tilted her head, leaning into her new husband's embrace, locking her lips with his in a way that felt just right.

"Good morning wife." He whispered, kissing her nose gently as they parted.

"Mmm Timothy." She mumbled, still half asleep. "You were… that was…"

They'd done it: the day before they'd finally gone and gotten married. It was an intimate wedding; just the two of them and a judge but it had been lovely all the same, like something out of a fairy tale. Jude had given up imagining, years before, that anything could be like that. That someone would love her so much. But he did.

"Jude." He whispered her name into her mouth. She kept her eyes closed as Timothy sunk back into her lips, wanting her to know he couldn't get enough of her. "Judy Martin." He continued as she wrapped her arms around him.

After they'd made their vows, they'd gone out for dancing and an expensive dinner before retreating back to their garden for a moonlight picnic complete with champagne, strawberries and chocolate. Jude didn't like drinking so much, but decided to partake for the sake of celebration, it was, after all her wedding night. A night she had thought would never come.

Timothy began to kiss her once the bottle of champagne was almost empty. The clouds began to creep in, crowding out the moonlight overhead and with that the wind picked up. He brought her in close to him, wrapping the blanket they'd brought outside with them around her shoulders once she started to shiver.

"I love you." He whispered, caressing her cheek delicately in the palm of his hand.

"I love you more." She giggled into his mouth "You're my dream."

"Are you ready Jude? To go inside?" She thought he was eager but trying to be polite and found this adorable.

He was the one who was nervous but she simply nodded. He helped her onto her feet and kissed her again, finding that keeping his lips occupied with hers was key to tempering his angst. He loved the feel of her soft lips brushing gently against his and her breath warming the inside of his mouth. It made him feel so appreciated, so complete and he couldn't wait to be complete and totally whole with her.

The couple made their way inside, shutting the backdoor behind them as she first shed the blanket she'd had wrapped tightly around her. He ran his fingers through her hair and let it down part of the way. She smiled into his lips as she kissed him, untying the tie he'd warn and tossing it to the ground before going to work unbuttoning his shirt. She felt his heart pounding hard in his chest and laid her palm softly over it.

"It's alright sweetheart." She whispered, her breath tickling his lips. "It'll be wonderful I promise." She giggled when she felt his heart jolt at her words.

He walked backwards up the steps, fumbling with the buttons on the back of her beige silk dress as he kissed her. He'd never done this before and didn't know if he was going about it the right way. He worried she'd be disappointed with him, knowing that she'd certainly done this before. But she felt sure in his arms.

She tilted her head, pursuing him further as they climbed the stairs. She unfastened his belt then un-tucked his shirt from his slacks reaching down to unzip them. She pulled them off quickly causing him to trip, but he managed to step out of them, leaving them on the stairs along with his some of their other garments. In the morning, they'd find their clothes strewn all over the house.

He was shocked at first, his eyes widening when she started to undress him, but she pulled him back into her embrace before he could think much about it. He almost tripped, going backwards on the wooden stairs but she caught him by his shirt, keeping him from falling back. Jude returned to her work, running her fingers along his broad shoulders ever so slowly as she began to kiss his chest. In the hall she managed to pull of his shirt. They walked over it and she giggled into his mouth as they finally entered the bedroom.

"Don't worry sweet boy I can make you feel real good." She promised, running her fingers up and down his chest.

He grabbed her jaw, directing her lips back toward his, kissing her hard this time. He watched as her dress began to slide off her shoulders and pooled on the floor, his eyes widening in awe when he finally saw her whole and just for him. He didn't speak; he didn't dare to. He was afraid of doing this, of hurting her, of wasting the moment. He found himself smiling as she made her way back into his embrace once again; her touch put him at ease.

"J'adore mi rara avis." He whispered, knowing only she could've done this to him, inflicted such a huge turn in his life.

She kissed him lustily and he pushed her onto the bed…

"Did I make you feel real good?" She whispered huskily as he kissed her.

Jude blinked as the sun crept into the room and her new husband continued his lip lock. Timothy couldn't get the thoughts of the previous night out of his head, he was tantalized, intoxicated, bewitched even. He had understood that life with Jude would be different but would've never believed, before this that it would be a whole new world.

"Oh yes Mrs. Howard my love." She squealed at the mention of her new name. "You made me feel oh so wonderful. In fact I think you've opened my eyes." He panted, planting a kiss on her neck.

"Oh Timothy…" She cried. She'd never been with anyone so sweet, or so gentle before and it was the most sensual thing she'd ever experienced.

"I take thee." Timothy whispered, now nibbling on her soft silky skin. She moaned at his touch, still completely intoxicated by him as he was by her. "To be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward." She moaned again as his hands traced softly along her ribs and he continued to suck on her neck.

"Oooh!" She cried out. "My Timothy."

"For better for worse," he continued in between kisses, inching his way down toward her chest. "For richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. To love and to cherish."

"To love honor and obey." She added, craning her neck as he kissed back up to her jaw.

"Till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth. With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship." He whispered, tracing his hand gently along her rib, causing her to close her eyes. "With all thy other worldly goods I thee endow."

He pulled back and just looked into her in the eyes for a moment. She saw nothing but warmth and love there and her own heart started to melt.

"I love you Jude." He whispered. "So much… I didn't think I knew how to love this way, that it was possible. I promise to love and to cherish you all my days and with every move and every breath."

He paused, watching his new wife's eyes fill with tears. She spoke he got a chance to question her.

"With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship." She whispered, yanking him down toward her and beginning to kiss him once more.