Chapter 47: The Passion
Esmeralda could hardly believe the position she was in: The bedsheets beneath her and Claude on top of her. But this was where she wanted to be, whether it would last or not.
Their lips were together. It was a pleasant feeling, but they both wanted more.
Claude broke the kiss, raising himself above Esmeralda to look at her. They were both still clothed. Claude wanted to remedy that, but he was afraid to ask. The desire grew stronger as his eyes traveled up and down Esmeralda's form. He eventually let his hands move to her collar, barely grabbing it.
"May I?" Claude asked anxiously.
Esmeralda nodded.
Claude removed her shirt. Her bare torso trapped his eyes for a moment as he admired the shape of her body. His hands then moved to her skirt.
He looked at her, and again she nodded, so he peeled away her skirt.
They both froze.
Esmeralda felt slightly shaken. That seemed irrational after everything she'd been through with Claude. He'd seen her like this more than once before. They'd already been together intimately. But that felt like a lifetime ago. Everything felt new tonight. To Esmeralda, it felt as if this was the first time she'd been naked in front of a man. She felt vulnerable, but told herself that this was okay. Claude was important to her, and she trusted him. She was willing to share her body with him.
Claude gazed at her like he never had before. In all the times he'd seen her unclothed, he'd never stopped to fully appreciate her. Before he'd only wanted to use her, and she'd only given herself to him to suit her own physical urges. Now he adored her, and she welcomed him into the privacy of her body because she felt the same way about him.
She was gorgeous. Every inch of her skin was captivating to Claude. For years, he'd never imagined that such an attractive woman would be in front of him. It was difficult to believe. In fact, it felt wrong.
Claude thought of the evil he had previously done to Esmeralda. He'd had no concern for her will in the past. He'd forced her to marry him, and would have ravished her if circumstances hadn't stopped him. To have her now felt like the last thing he deserved.
"Claude?" Esmeralda asked, noticing his anxiety.
Claude looked into her eyes with concern.
"You want this?" He asked.
It was redundant. Esmeralda had already said she wanted this. But Claude needed to hear it again. He needed to be assured that he was doing nothing wrong, that he had her permission. Claude respected Esmeralda, and he wanted her to know that.
Esmeralda read his mind. She didn't care if this was redundant. If Claude needed to be more sure that she wanted this, she would confirm it.
"I want this." She told him.
Claude became calmer with those words. Esmeralda wanted this, so he would do his best to make it enjoyable for her.
"Tell me exactly what you want." He requested.
Esmeralda breathed a yearning breath.
"Touch me..." She begged. "All over..."
Claude slowly brought his hands to her skin, starting at her waist and going up toward her chest. He touched her breasts, causing her to let out a sigh of pleasure as his fingertips brushed over her nipples. Claude then grabbed her shoulders and lowered himself to her level, planting several kisses on her neck.
After a moment, he slightly rose and looked at her face.
"You are unbelievably beautiful." Claude praised.
With a blush, Esmeralda smiled.
She was taken aback by the compliment. She was accustomed to hearing good things about her appearance, but it never meant much. When men talked about her beauty, it was always because they found her sexually appealing. But this was different. Claude wasn't saying it out of lust. He thought she was beautiful for more reasons than that, which made it a kind of compliment that Esmeralda wasn't used to.
Claude started to kiss her chest. He closed his lips around one of her nipples and sucked on it while tracing his finger around the other one. Esmeralda started to moan at the sensation. The excitement of it sent warmth through her.
Claude moved down her body and hovered over her lower regions. He ran his hands over her legs and, after some hesitation, moved them slightly apart. He stretched a hand over the area between her legs, dragging one finger along her opening and feeling the wet fluids accumulating inside.
Esmeralda was breathing loudly, excited by the touch. She became even more excited as Claude rubbed her clit while kissing her thighs. She so wanted to feel him inside her.
He eventually came back up and kissed her lips. Esmeralda put one hand on his torso and grabbed the back of his head with the other, driving her fingers through his curly hair. She fiddled with the fabric of his tunic, which she yearned to take off.
The kiss ended and their eyes met.
"You're clothed." Esmeralda acknowledged.
"Would you like to change that?" Claude asked.
"Yes." Esmeralda replied.
They switched positions. Esmeralda was starting to grab Claude's tunic, but she stopped when she looked at his face. He looked even more nervous than she was.
"Are you okay?" Esmeralda asked.
Claude sighed.
"It is nothing." He assured. "Just my usual... Shame..."
Esmeralda frowned. She hadn't realized that Claude was still ashamed of his body, but that shouldn't have been surprising. He felt that way as a result of severe abuse, and that kind of trauma was not easy to move past.
However, Claude felt ridiculous for it. He didn't want to feel this shame anymore, but it had never stopped being hard for him to bare his skin, even though he'd learned to suppress his anxiety. Esmeralda had made it easier recently by complimenting his build, but he still struggled. He struggled even more now than he had during their first sexual encounters, during which his shame had been subdued by his anger. There was no anger in him now, and Claude was finding it more difficult than usual to suppress the feelings that rose in him.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Esmeralda reminded caringly.
Claude weakly nodded. He was aware of this, but still struggling to believe it.
"But... If it troubles you, we don't have to do this." Esmeralda assured.
"I want to." Claude insisted. "It will be alright. You have a way of making me feel better."
He managed a smile, and Esmeralda managed to smile back.
"Please don't stop." Claude begged.
Esmeralda hooked her fingers into his tunic and slowly slid it off of him, exposing his upper body. She touched his skin gently and looked into his eyes.
"Is this okay?" She asked.
Claude nodded and closed his eyes.
"Don't stop." He repeated.
Esmeralda took a moment to run her hands over his torso, then moved down his waist and dragged his pants off. She came to hover over his face and touched his cheek. Claude opened his eyes to look at her.
She lowered her lips to his. They kissed for a long moment, then Esmeralda moved down to Claude's neck, kissing it while she caressed his full, chiseled arms and shoulders. Claude let out a heavy breath. He enjoyed this.
Esmeralda started to touch his chest, feeling the tone of his muscles under his damaged skin. She kissed down his scar while Claude ran his fingers through her hair.
Claude couldn't believe his luck. Somehow, he'd found someone who was attracted to him, and who made him feel better about his abused body. At this moment he didn't think of his father's cruel words about his appearance, or how disgusting the scar made him feel. He only focused on the pleasant feeling of Esmeralda's touch.
She eventually touched his crotch. He wasn't fully erect, probably because his mood had been interfered with, but that could be helped. Esmeralda stroked him quickly, eliciting a moan. Claude felt like ages had passed since Esmeralda had touched him, and it felt even better now that she did it with more interest.
She stopped when he was hard. Claude then sat up and let her onto his lap. They saw the desire in each other's eyes and quickly leaned into a kiss. Their kisses had been slow and soft up until now. Now they stopped holding back and kissed more aggressively, each moving their hands around the other's body, becoming more excited with every passing second.
Esmeralda felt Claude's erection pressing into her. All of her urges strengthened. It was clear that Claude felt the same way, as they broke the kiss mutually.
"I really want you inside me." Esmeralda said pleadingly.
"As you wish." Claude said willingly.
He guided himself to her entrance and pushed into her. Esmeralda breathed an ecstatic sigh and began to move with him. Claude grabbed her hips and pulled her back and forth, watching as a look of extreme pleasure came over her face. Claude closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the feeling of her tight, wet walls around his shaft. He expressed his passion by kissing Esmeralda's chest and neck while he quickly thrusted into her. She moaned loudly.
Claude found pleasure in the plain sight of her face. He loved that she was enjoying this. It made this much better than the other times they'd had sex, when Claude had only pleased her out of obligation. Esmeralda was no longer an object to him. She was a wonderful person who deserved all the best things. It thrilled Claude to make her feel good.
They looked at each other affectionately, and soon the kissing resumed. They locked lips passionately, wrapping their arms tightly around each other.
After some time, Esmeralda convulsed. She laid her head on Claude's shoulder as her orgasm passed, and he pressed his hands tightly against her back.
He pulled out of her as soon as she relaxed, which was just in time. Claude was immediately drenched in a stream of ejaculate and started breathing in gasps.
Esmeralda was also catching her breath. She and Claude leaned on each other as they recovered from the exhaustion. After a minute they drew back from each other and made quiet eye contact. But neither of them said anything before Esmeralda was distracted by the sight of Claude's lap, wet with the evidence of their passion. Some of the fluid had landed on her own skin as well.
"I'm sorry." Claude said when he noticed it.
He wiped the fluid from Esmeralda's leg. Claude nearly cringed at himself. He'd successfully avoided a mess every time before, but this time he had been too excited to think about it. It was embarrassing. He hated to finish like this. It felt so uncouth.
"It's okay." Esmeralda assured.
There was no judgment in her voice, only curiosity. She thought back to the time when she'd first questioned this part of the process.
"You said..." Esmeralda started. "That... Inside... Causes pregnancy?"
"Yes." Claude confirmed. "Why?"
"It's just... Interesting." Esmeralda brushed off.
She had thoughts, but she wouldn't share them. Not now.
They looked at each other in silence. It seemed like something should be said, some acknowledgement of what they'd just done. Claude finally broke the silence.
"I enjoyed that very much." He shared. "It felt... Romantic."
He hoped that it wasn't a mistake to use that word. Claude knew that his relationship with Esmeralda wasn't a proper romance. But they certainly had romantic feelings for each other, and he could think of no better word to describe the nature of what had just taken place. He'd never felt closer to Esmeralda, physically or emotionally.
"It was." Esmeralda agreed. "And I enjoyed it too."
Claude was relieved. He was even more relieved when Esmeralda leaned into him once again. They kissed slowly, a significant change of pace from the energetic kiss they had just shared. But this one was just as likeable. It was pleasant in a calming way.
They decided on a bath to relax and clean up. In the past, taking a bath together would have immediately sounded like something sexual. But it wasn't. They cleaned themselves, and then Esmeralda lay against Claude's body, letting him hold her as they relaxed in the heat.
Later, they lay in bed together, not saying a word. They felt no need for words at this point. The position they were in seemed to do all of the talking.
They held each other securely. Esmeralda rested her head on the upper part of Claude's chest, just above where his scar ended.
It took a long time for them to fall asleep. They kept their eyes open as long as possible, not wanting to miss a second of each other.
They both felt something strong. They were afraid to say it, worried that this closeness wouldn't last. It felt too dangerous to say what they were feeling when the future was so uncertain. But they knew what it was.
It was love.
