Kire18

She closed the door quietly and turned the lock as though she feared the house would realize we wanted a moment alone. I stood back and appreciated the way she paused, listening for the slightest disruption.

I would not allow anyone or anything to pull me away from my new wife. Only hours had passed since I had last enjoyed the taste of her lips and the scent of her hair, but that now seemed like a lifetime.

Before Julia could speak, I caught her from behind and ran my hands up her hips and along her sides. I felt her inhale sharply, the quiver of her belly beneath my touch, the fullness of her perfect breasts through her day gown and camisole.

With my eyes closed, I leaned into her, enjoying the feel of her every curve. She held her breath once my fingers slid over the buttons to her dress. One by one, I unfastened each silk button, closed my lips over her delicate shoulder, and felt her reach back and stroke my face.

She needed no words to tell me how she felt. The softest sigh was enough, the urgency of her fingers knotted against my shirt, the look in her eyes when she glanced over her shoulder and watched me slowly undress her.

I pulled her into the center of the room and stalked around her, drinking in every detail of her beautiful form in the afternoon light. With her shoulders exposed and chemise spilling off her delicate frame, she turned her face away and reached for her braid.

"Allow me," I insisted as I came up behind her and kissed the side of her neck.

Her hair was like silk, and as I ran my fingers through her long locks and combed each strand out until it flowed down her bare back, she breathed faster, with greater urgency and need. She turned to face me and inhaled sharply as I accidentally pulled her hair.

"An accident," I whispered apologetically, afraid she would think I had hurt her on purpose. Too many times Louis had hurt her in intimate moments; I wanted our moments together filled with only passion.

She rested her hands on my shoulders, her pale, soft skin beneath my hands. "That was a good sort of pain," she said.

I searched her face, and narrowed my eyes. "A good pain?"

She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed me once on the lips, then lowered her gaze and focused on removing my waistcoat and lawn shirt.

"I don't know how to explain it," she whispered. Briefly she glanced up at me and pursed her lips. "The way you touch me, the way I know you want to be with me…the urgency…" She stopped speaking and swallowed hard. "I can feel your need and I know you would never hurt me intentionally. You cannot stop yourself—and I honestly don't want you to stop."

She blushed profusely and ran her hands down my chest to my belt. Slowly she grazed her nails along my flesh, sent a trace of fire through my nerves like I had never felt before.

Julia gazed up at me in silence and dragged her fingers down, her nails scraping harder, leaving behind the faintest lines as she drew circles along my flesh. Goosebumps rose along my arms and my breath hitched. She dragged her fingers over my abdomen, purposely avoiding my belt and everything below it.

She left me mesmerized by her touch, by the scrape of her nails, the sound of her skimming over my flesh.

An indescribable feeling passed through me, a hint of pain like seasoning over immense, tangible pleasure. I knew what she had meant—and I had never experienced anything like it before.

"Do you feel that?" she asked.

I nodded and ran my fingers through her hair and listened to her suck in a breath as I raked through her long locks.

"Do you enjoy it?" she asked cautiously.

"I do," I murmured.

I bent and closed my mouth over hers, cupped my hand at the back of her head and felt her kiss me harder. She moaned softly, her breasts smashed to my chest, her body straining, hips pressed to mine.

With my fingers tangled in her hair, I wanted her with such unmatched desire and felt the need to be as close to her as possible.

Fingers splayed, she wrapped her arms around me and pressed her hands against the middle of my back. A reminder of horrible, intense pain startled me and I started to pull away. There would never be pleasure felt along those old scars. With all of the reminders of my past, I was acutely aware of how I had earned them.

"Julia," I started, my eyes cast down, my voice weak and filled with shame.

"I love you," she said, exhaling against my lips. "Every part of you. No matter what."

She had a way of making me feel as though I belonged. Every touch, every glance, every kind word and soft smile made me feel as though I truly deserved her affection.

"Kiss me," she said breathlessly as she fit her lips to mine and guided my hand to her breast.

Her hips tilted forward, torso ground against mine. She pressed her fingers against flesh that had only known pain, and with each sigh and caress I felt as though beneath her touch I became a new person, recalled every reason I strived to be a better man.

With her arms wrapped around me, I fumbled with her skirt, which had not only buttons but also ties in the back that were impossible to undo. In my haste, I wrenched her to the side and she lost her balance.

She erupted in a fit of laughter as she fell into my arms. Together we crashed onto the end of the bed with such a loud thump I expected Alex, Lisette, Bessie, and Aria to race up the stairs in order to investigate. God forbid we awoke newborn babies. Madeline would surely never forgive me.

We both waited in wide-eyed silence for a long moment with me flat on my back and Julia draped over me. She kissed my shoulder, then lifted her head and looked me in the eye. Licking her lips, she removed my mask and smiled devilishly.

"Your turn," she said.

"I believe I attempted to take my turn and this is how we ended up," I reminded her.

She seemed amused by my words and climbed to her knees. With her hair draped over her shoulders, she knelt on the bed, allowing me a flawless view of a body any artist would beg to sketch or sculpt. From the hips down she was still obscured with a fashionable skirt and petticoats, but I could not resist the urge to explore her body fully.

Her breath hitched when I touched her not only with my hands but with my lips. I propped myself up on one elbow, kissed and suckled her, gently stroked her where her skirts fell, all the while murmuring how much I wanted her all to myself.

"Have me then," she whispered as she unbuttoned my trousers.

I swallowed hard and watched in silence as she touched me, grasped me first with her hands before gathering her skirts at her hips and swinging her leg over mine.

She took a shuddering breath and groaned softly as we were joined together. The mere sight of her was almost enough to undo me. I settled my hands on her hips and guided her gently, each sharp exhale of my breath met with a sharp intake of hers.

The bed creaked beneath our combined weight, fabric rustled with each hard, urgent thrust. I had never seen her in this way before, her hair glistening in the sunlight, her eyes closed and moist lips parted.

In her features, I saw how she felt for me—and how I would make her feel every time she was in my arms.

"Julia," I whispered as I managed to sit upright and hold her to me. With my face buried against her shoulder, hands tangled in her hair, we moved in perfect rhythm, our bodies and breaths as one.

She groaned louder in my ear, her fingernails digging into my shoulders, a knife's edge between pleasure and pain. She cupped my face in her hands, kissed my lips, and sat back.

The moment we were apart, I grabbed her by the hips and flipped her onto her back. She gasped in surprise and linked her hands at the back of my neck, drawing me to her once more. With an easy smile on her swollen lips, she ran her thumbs along my cheeks and down to my neck and shoulders, trailed a line along nerves that made me shiver.

She kissed me hard and I swept my hand beneath her, pulling her as close as possible.

I stroked my hand up and down her bare thighs, felt every inch of her quivering flesh before she whispered my name and wrapped her legs around my hips.

Her chest heaved against mine, her hands stroking the length of my back as I studied her face. I held her to me, planted kisses along her full lips, her flushed cheeks, and her soft throat.

"No one will ever have you but me," I said in her ear, claiming and reassuring her in one breath.

She moaned louder, begged me never to let go. The world disappeared and with it, all of my fears and sorrow. There was nothing else but my beautiful wife, the woman who could unravel me in an instant and also make me whole.

I would never need anything or anyone else as long as I had her. There in her arms, I was certain she was my life, for as long as I was allowed to live it.