Chapter 15

Killian's stomach growled as he stepped into the house, reminding him that he had hardly eaten anything today. But food was not on the top of his list right now. He wanted Emma. He wanted to fall into her arms and let her take away all the sorrows for a few hours. He needed her. He missed being enveloped by her heat, missed forgetting the world around them when their bodies joined.

He was already ascending the stairs, eager to join his wife in bed when his butler's voice stopped him.

"Your Grace?"

"Not now, Barnes." Killian turned around, trying to keep the annoyance he felt out of his voice as he stared down at his butler. "It has to wait until tomorrow."

"This can't wait until tomorrow, Sir."

Something in Barnes' voice made him step down into the hall again, dread coiling in his stomach as he saw the worried expression on his butler's face.

"I'm certain you want to know that Her Grace has left the house a few hours ago. Her destination was your estate, Sir. She'd reminded me of my duties as I refused to ready a carriage for her, but I sent Curtis with a note for you the moment she stepped into the carriage. He apparently didn't find you, though."

"What do you mean Emma left the house?" Killian snapped, fear and anger colliding inside of him. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Barnes replied, his back ramrod straight as he tried to explain the circumstances to Killian. "Mrs. Price informed me that she'd seen a woman talking to Her Grace in the gardens, but before she could send someone out there to tell the woman to leave the premises she'd already left on her own. When Her Grace asked to see me when she came in from the gardens she was clearly upset. I wanted to stop her, but she didn't want to stay, no matter what I said. So I readied the carriage for Henry and her, and sent Grove and Harris with her for protection."

It wouldn't help anyone if he barked at his butler, so Killian reigned in his temper and said in a calm voice, "Sent Mrs. Price to me immediately."

"Yes, Sir."

Killian had a growing suspicion who the woman might have been, he just needed the cook to tell him how the woman looked like to confirm it.

He had to wait until the morning to go after her, pushing Devil to his limits as they flew over the roads. Killian hadn't slept at all last night, fighting with the urge to seek out Milah and wring her neck. He almost gave in, but going after Emma was more important. He needed to make sure she was safe. Needed to know what lies Milah had told her that caused her to flee to the country without even talking to him first.

Dark clouds were billowing over the sky, and the wind was picking up; he just hoped it wouldn't start raining until he arrived at his estate. Muddy roads would slow them down considerably, but it was as if Devil sensed the urgency, not showing even one sign of fatigue the whole way. The stallion's body was slick with sweat when Killian reined him in as they finally reached the estate, and he clapped his hand against the stallion's neck, murmuring words of praise before he gave the reins over to a stable boy and rushed into the house.

His feet carried him towards the kitchen; he knew Mary Margaret would know where Emma was, and she didn't even act surprised as he burst into the room, only raising one eyebrow as he barked, "Where is my wife?"

"In the pavilion," Mary Margaret replied with a nonchalance that made Killian grit his teeth, but he didn't have the time to start an argument; he just swirled around and rushed out of the back door, the wind ripping the door out of his hand and slamming it shut behind him, the sound strangely satisfying.

"Of course," Killian growled as the gates of heaven opened up as he crossed the lawn, and the rain pelting down soaked through his clothes in seconds. Not that he cared. The anger that rolled off him in waves would probably dry them in no time.

He wondered if you could actually see steam coming out of his ears caused by the fury that coursed through him as he stepped into the pavilion, a faint feeling of satisfaction zipping through him when Emma's eyes fell on him and she gasped in surprise.

"Killian, what are you ..."

He didn't even give her the time to finish the question. He was too angry with her. "What did she tell you?"

Emma took a step back, her brows furrowing in confusion. But only for a moment, until she realized what he was talking about. Then she looked guilty, and hurt. Though her shoulders straightened as she met his gaze again, her voice only wavering slightly as she answered him, "That you went back to her. That I could never … that I'm not enough for you."

Emma's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, the sight squeezing his heart, and all the anger he'd felt about Emma leaving him without a word evaporated instantly. All he wanted to do now was pull her into his arms and assure her that Milah's words didn't hold one ounce of truth.

"Do you remember Pride and Prejudice?" Killian asked softly, stepping closer until he could reach up and cup Emma's cheek. He brushed his thumb over her mouth, felt the tremble of her lips under his finger as he continued, "Elizabeth believed the things Wickham told her about Darcy without listening to the other side of the story." Emma leaned into his touch, her eyes hopeful as she stared up at him. He felt her hands slip under his jacket as if she couldn't help herself and needed to touch him, and a smile pulled his lips up. Suddenly everything seemed so clear. It was time to erase any doubt in her mind. "You made the same mistake, love. You believed the viper, believed the man who is madly in love with you would betray you like that." Her eyes widened in surprise, her nails bit into his skin as she curled her hands against his stomach, and the words he wanted to tell her for so long came surprisingly easy now. "I love you, Emma. With all my heart."

And then he kissed her, pressing his lips on hers and kissing her with a ferocity that even surprised him. She gasped under the assault of his mouth, but her body pressed against his; clearly she didn't care that his clothes were soaking wet as her hips rocked against him. His cock sprang to attention in an instant, demanding of him to take her right here and there. But he was able to retain a modicum of sense, though it was a close call.

The rain had stopped when he lifted her into his arms and carried her back into the house. He prayed that no servants would have the audacity to step in his way, but fortunately no one tried to stop them and they reached their bedchamber without being held up.

He kicked the door shut with his foot, not letting Emma down until they stood in front of the bed. His hands were clumsy as he helped her out of her clothes while his mouth was glued to hers, their lips not parting until he needed to step back to pull her shift over her head. She was finally naked and Killian sighed as his hands closed around her perky breasts, his whole body zinging with want as she moaned when his fingers tugged at her erect nipples.

"My birthday isn't until Sunday, but can I have my birthday present already now?" Killian asked a little breathless while his fingers traveled down her stomach.

"I'm not your present," Emma breathed, another moan slipping over her lips as he parted her folds and slipped one finger into her welcoming heat.

"Then you can look at it as penance for leaving me without a word. Without hearing my side of the story." He let his finger slide in and out of her slowly, watching the myriad of expressions that flittered over her face for a few moments before he withdrew his finger and asked softly, "Do you trust me, Emma?"

She gave him the answer without hesitation. "Yes."

"Good." He pressed his lips on her forehead for a brief kiss before he pointed to the bed and told her with a firm voice, "Lay down on the bed, hands above your head, and keep them there."

She stared at him wide-eyed for a few seconds before she gulped hard and followed his instructions. He saw her pulse beat rapidly as she met his gaze, her body splayed out over the sheet, and lust coursed through his whole body, making his voice hoarse as he gave her another command, "Now spread your legs for me, love. Let me see how much you want me."

She obeyed immediately and Killian let his eyes roam over her body, drinking in her beauty, while he pulled off his wet clothes as fast as possible. He ruffled his fingers through his hair to remove the residual droplets of water still clinging to it, and then he joined Emma on the bed, lying down between her thighs.

He saw her chest heave with her erratic breathing out of the corner of his eyes, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the welcoming sight in front of him. Her pink folds, wet with her arousal.

"First I'm gonna feast on you until you scream my name."

Emma let out a whimper when he leaned forward and buried his face between her thighs, breathing in the sweet scent of her arousal greedily before letting himself taste it. He licked and sucked at her until she started to squirm, jabbing his tongue into her with sharp thrusts until she writhed against him, her hips arching away from the mattress as she pushed her core against his face as if she couldn't get enough of his tongue fucking her.

"Killian, please."

Her hips were gyrating against his mouth, but her hands still rested above her head, her fingers clenching and unclenching. She obviously needed him to make her come, and since she'd complied without even trying once to reach for him he decided he'd tortured her long enough. He pushed his arms against her legs, opening her up even wider for him and reached for her folds, pulling them apart with his fingers so that he could have easy access.

Leaning forward, he let his tongue slip into her again for a few thrusts, then he pulled out and lapped at the arousal coating her folds, then a flick over her clit, and back to fucking her with his tongue. She was moaning and gasping by now, his name tumbling over her lips every few seconds as he pushed her closer and closer. A shift of his hand to press his middle finger against her most sensitive spot, another jab of his tongue deep into her slick sheath and Emma exploded under his mouth. Her walls fluttered around his tongue as he kept going, pushing his tongue in and out of her until she sagged back into the mattress, completely spent.

He licked his lips when he pushed up, his cock pounding painfully, eager to thrust into her heat. He lowered himself slowly atop of her, saw the flicker of panic, and stopped immediately. He wasn't touching her anywhere, keeping himself up on his hands and knees, only hovering over her. But Emma's breath quickened again, and not with pleasure this time. She closed her eyes and turned her head, her hands started to tremble, and even though his cock was ready to explode he didn't make a move.

"Open your eyes, love." Killian kept his voice calm and soothing, but stayed where he was, waiting for her to look at him again. Her body practically vibrated with her inner struggle, but in the end his courageous wife won the fight and her jaw tightened for a brief moment before she forced herself to open her eyes again and look up at him. "You all right?" A quiver went through her, but her eyes didn't leave his. "It's me, Emma. It's me. I will never hurt you." The breath left her chest on a relieved sigh, and her body relaxed visibly, her hands flexing against the pillow and he whispered, "Touch me."

He kept completely still as her hands reached for his arms, her fingers tickling over his skin as she let them ghost up and over his shoulders, her fingers splaying out as she trailed her hands down over his chest, stopping shy of touching him where he yearned for her fingers the most.

His blood was pounding in his veins, and his cock jerked as the tip of her fingers brushed against him. He felt her arousal coating his cock as she lifted her hips a little, and he drew in a sharp breath, his balls tightening as he tried desperately not to come before even being inside of her.

"Killian?" He hadn't even realized that he'd closed his eyes until she said his name, and he snapped his eyes opened. She was looking up at him with so much trust in her eyes, and her fingers didn't stop caressing his skin what made it even more difficult to keep himself from pushing into her. One of her hands came up to his face, her fingers cupped his cheek, her voice barely audible as she breathed, "I'm ready when you are."

"You sure?" he asked, wondering if he could keep himself back if she'd say no. But she didn't say no, she just nodded.

Putting his weight on one hand, he reached for his cock, pushing it down to position it at her entrance. He hesitated for a brief moment, but Emma closed her fingers around his waist and pulled him forward. He slipped slowly into her, groaning loudly as her heat enveloped him inch by inch, as he kept pushing deeper into her until he was buried until the hilt.

He wanted to hold himself upright, didn't want to put too much weight on her, didn't want to crush her. But his arms were shaking with the strain, and the muscles in his ass and thighs were trembling with the effort to hold back.

"I won't break," she whispered, her nails scraping over his back, causing a shiver to run down his spine.

"Emma, I ..." He rocked slowly against her, forcing himself to only thrust shallowly in and out of her. "I can't … I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't."

"I want to be gentle with you. I don't want to ..."

"I don't want you to be gentle."

All the blood left his brain and rushed south, the need to pound into her mercilessly filled his balls to the bursting point. "God, love. I ..."

"I trust you."

Her soft spoken words were his undoing, his body taking what she asked of him, his thrusts becoming deeper and faster. But a part of his brain was still functioning despite the cloud of lust addling his mind and he kept the leash on, barely able to restrain the beast inside him as he quickened the pace of his thrusts even more.

But Emma obviously wasn't satisfied, her voice taking on a commanding tone as she cried out with each of his thrusts. "More. Harder. Faster."

He tried to resist her frantic demands but in the end he snapped. Though he forced his eyes to stay opened to watch her while he took her with deep and hard thrusts. He needed to watch for any signs that she didn't enjoy what he was doing to her.

But he saw none. Her head was thrown back, her eyes closed as moans and whimpers spilled over her lips while her hips met his with each thrust, and he fell forward on his elbows, her nails digging deep into his skin, leaving sharp points of pain behind as he slapped his hips against hers, pounding into her without any finesse.

He'd never let go off his control like this ever before, but Emma was spurring him on with mumbled words, and when he shifted atop of her so that he could hit her even deeper she let out a guttural moan, her body tensing under his for a moment before she groaned, "God, Killian. I'm coming … I'm ..."

Her walls contracted around him, her orgasm triggering his own and he snapped his hips forward one last time before letting go. Her walls were milking his cock dry, the force of his climax making him see stars, and he couldn't keep himself from crashing down on Emma afterwards, his heart beating so hard in his chest that he feared it might jump out of it any moment.

He was still struggling to come down from his high as he felt tremors run over Emma's body. He cursed loudly and pushed back, slipping out of her in an instant, fearing the worst. He'd wanted to help her overcome one of her last demons, but maybe it had been too soon. Maybe he'd pushed her into doing something she didn't want to do just yet.

He scrambled off her without meeting her eyes, wanting to slap himself silly. If he'd hurt her he would never forgive himself.

"This was ..." He looked up when he heard her whispered words, expecting fear and disgust on her face, but what he found took his breath away. Her eyes were glowing, a smile curling her mouth upwards as she met his gaze. "Indescribable."

A weight dropped from his shoulders, relief washing over him. He didn't hurt her, he didn't push her too soon. She looked completely sated and satisfied, and he shot her a lopsided smirk as she stretched herself like a cat, the smile still adorning her face.

"That good, huh?"

"Yes, that good."

Her satisfied smile warmed him all over, and he leaned down to give her a thorough kiss before slumping down beside her and pulling her into his arms. He should probably get up to clean himself up and bring Emma a towel, but he felt too tired to leave the bed just yet.

Emma curled up against him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder, and he decided to hold her in his arms like that just a little longer before getting up. But he'd obviously worn her out because moments later she relaxed against him and her breath evened out. He didn't want to wake her up by leaving the bed, so he just leaned to the side until he could reach the sheets to pull them up.

He was still smiling as he skimmed his fingers over her shimmering hair, knowing he had to let go off her eventually, if only briefly, to blow out the candles. But for now he just wanted to watch the candle light flickering over her relaxed features, wanted to revel in the feeling of having her in his arms.

He loved her so much.

A sharp pain came out of nowhere, hitting him square in the chest as he recalled their moment in the pavilion. He told her he loved her. He opened his heart to her, laid it down at her feet, laid himself completely bare. He told her he was madly in love with her and she didn't say it back.