Reconciliation
Kate tossed and turned for what felt like hours. She had removed her dress, leaving it in a pile on the floor, and hastily donned her nightgown, before angrily pulling the pins from her elaborate up-do and throwing herself into bed.
It felt wrong to be lying here alone. She was used to feeling Anthony's arms around her, or having her head on his chest. Now all she could do was go over the irritation she felt at Anthony's childish behaviour, or think of the crushed look on his face when she asked him to leave.
Maybe she had been too harsh. Yes his reaction had been wrong, but she knew it came from a place of love and insecurity. As long as he understood that, and promised not to act like that again, she could forgive him and sleep in his arms, no?
Kate decided that her few hours of anger had been long enough, and she got up and pulled a robe over her nightdress before heading to the door which connected the married couple's bedchambers. She was surprised to find the viscount's room in total darkness, and the bed clearly un-slept in. She hesitated for a moment before leaving the room and heading down the corridor. She panicked a little at the thought he may have left, and maybe gone to find solace the way he used to, in a gentleman's club. Resolved to find him, she began her search.
It didn't take long before she saw the faint glow of candle light from under the door. It was Anthony's office - a large, comfortable room with oak furniture and a whole array of books and writings and things that Kate didn't understand. She had been in here a few times, to ask him something urgent or to read quietly, but generally she preferred to leave Anthony undisturbed while he worked. Given the early hour, she was surprised when she gently pushed the door open to find him bent low over the desk, quill in hand, squinting at some piece of legislation or other.
"You'll ruin your eyes you know", she said quietly.
"Kate," Anthony exclaimed, dropping the quill in surprise and looking up at her. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"I couldn't sleep," she whispered softly. "It turns out not being on good terms with you is unconducive to a peaceful night's rest. What are you doing never having gone to bed?"
"I didn't even bother trying," he replied, and Kate's heart nearly broke at the sight of his eyes gazing at her, full of sadness and undeniable love.
She quickly made her way to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He pulled her down onto his lap, and kissed her deeply. He tries to pour out his adoration and apology, pulling her body tight against his.
"I'm so sorry Kate," he murmured into her hair. "I acted like a brute. I promise to never again doubt your faithfulness, or behave like such an adolescent. Is there any way you can forgive me?"
"It's ok," Kate replied, running her fingers through his hair. "As long as you swear that in the future you will speak to me before making assumptions and ruining my night. I'm not happy about what happened, but I missed you too much in my bed to stay angry."
"I swear it won't happen again, my love," Anthony whispered, placing gentle kisses on her neck. "I feel terrible. All I want is your forgiveness, and for us to be ok again."
Kate pulled back slightly, and Anthony instinctively gripped her harder. He was worried, until he looked at her face and saw the devious smile forming on his wife's face. "Well my Lord," she started, "I think there is some way you can earn my forgiveness, if you're willing to try hard enough."
Anthony's eyes darkened, and he pushed Kate up off his lap, to place her gently on his desk. "Do you realise how much I missed you, even though it has only been a few hours?" he whispered, beginning to pull her robe off her shoulders. "Do you also realise how many times I have thought about taking you on this desk?"
Kate couldn't take it any more, grabbing him roughly by the hair at the top of his neck and bringing his mouth to hers in a passionate, all-consuming kiss. He looked nothing short of ravishing - eyes darkened with lust, hair already messed up by her fingers, his suit jacket and tie long-discarded, leaving him in only his shirt, which was untucked and half unbuttoned, showing his firm, toned chest beneath. She took the liberty of undoing the remaining buttons, and running her fingers gently down his abs and to the buckle of his trousers, where she could already feel his arousal.
Anthony's breath hitched in his throat at the feel of Kate's fingers. "As much as I would love to allow your fingers to explore further," he whispered, grabbing hold of her wrists and placing them behind her on the desk, causing her to push her chest out and throw her head back to look at him, "I have some forgiveness to earn, do I not?"
Kate smirked, bringing her hands to untie the front of her nightgown, allowing it to fall open and expose her hard, pointed nipples to Anthony's view. "If you insist, my Lord."
Anthony wasted no time dipping his head to take one nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it and grazing it with his teeth, before sucking harshly on it and releasing it with a soft pop. He looked at her, revelling in the fact that Kate was already lost in his actions. "Why have you stopped?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "You have a lot to make up for," she said, grabbing his head and moving it to her other breast.
Anthony chuckled, more than willing to placate her, repeating his actions on the second nipple whilst lightly grazing her calf with his finger tips. "Tell me what you want Kate," he whispered against her chest. "Whatever you want, say it and it's yours".
She pulled herself up on the desk so she could pull the nightgown over her head and fling it to some corner of the room. She then leisurely spread her legs and lay herself down over his paperwork, hair sprayed around her and an expectant look on her face. "I want you to kiss me," she whispered seductively, "here." Anthony followed her fingers with his eyes greedily.
She was surely his downfall - his salvation and his ruin wrapped into one. Her eyes teased him, her chest heaved with her arousal, and her fingers - they had moved to the apex of her thighs, and were rubbing soft circles on her bundle of nerves. When she removed them, and Anthony could see how they glistened in the candlelight with her juices, he thought he might explode. When she brought said fingers to her mouth and sucked on them leisurely, closing her eyes and moaning as she did so, he thought he might just die.
"Don't tell me I'm going to have to do this all by myself, dear husband," she teased, enjoying the look of complete wonderment on his face.
Anthony snapped into action at once, desperate to please. He resumed his seat at the desk, gripping Kate's thighs to pull her to the edge of the desk, and immediately burying his face in her sweet honey. He kissed the bundle of nerves gently, enjoying the way her hips immediately bucked upwards, before giving an experimental lick all the way up her slit.
"Mmm" Kate moaned, "don't tease me Anthony. It's too late for that."
"As you wish, my dear," Anthony replied, immediately getting to work. He fastened his lips around her bud and sucked harshly, hands holding her in place as she wriggled beneath his expert tongue. He licked and sucked until he felt her tense, her thighs shaking around him and hands gripping the desk for stability.
Anthony gazed up and met her eyes. "Come for me, my love," he whispered, gently slipping one finger into her wet opening. Kate shuddered and screamed, tugging at his shoulders. Anthony smiled, licking up her juices and feeling her body contort around him. He continued gently licking until her legs went limp, and her breathing slowed somewhat. He kissed the inside of her thighs, until Kate sat up and pulled his face to hers.
She kissed him deeply - Anthony had noticed she seemed to enjoy tasting the results of his actions, and he can't pretend he doesn't find it incredibly erotic. "Am I forgiven?" he whispered against her lips.
"Hmm," she replied sleepily, still caught in her post-orgasm bliss. "I suppose you did ok."
"Is that all?" he replied, fingers reaching down to toy with her slippery opening. "It feels like I did rather more than ok."
Her breathing started to quicken again. "Well," said Kate, reaching to unbuckle his trousers, "you can always try again if you want to be certain of my full forgiveness."
"As you wish, Lady Bridgerton", Anthony smirked, pushing his trousers off, so he was standing fully naked, his erection proud and pre-cum already leaking from his tip. He pulled her suddenly to her feet, arms wrapping around to steady her as he kissed her long and hard.
All of a sudden, she felt herself being turned, so she was facing the door, Anthony behind her, one hand gently toying with one of her nipples, the other returned to the wetness between her thighs. She pushed her head to the side so he could place kisses down the side of her throat.
"Do you trust me?" he whispered between kisses.
"With my life," she replied. He gently pushed her forward, so her breasts were pressed flat to the cold, hard wood of his desk. He moved her hair so it fell gracefully to one side of her, and gently rubbed her behind, which was now stuck appealingly in the air.
"You look so beautiful," he whispered, as he gently moved his throbbing member up and down her folds, gathering her juices before slowly pushing into her from behind. Anthony stopped to take a breath, trying to focus on the task at hand - Kate. He needed her to cum quickly, as he knew he wouldn't last long. It would be difficult - seeing her spread out, her smooth back over his work desk, and feeling how tight and wet and warm she was around him. This position felt deeper, and he could feel every time she tensed her muscles.
Having Kate in this position was one of his favourites, but he could never deny that he always worried about making her feel degraded. Anthony's trips to the whore houses had always ended in this position. He was never interested in seeing someone's face. With this position he got all the right sensations, could control exactly how hard and how fast he wanted, and barely even needed to acknowledge the woman's presence.
But now - he could sense her. Even when he closed his eyes, he knew exactly what she was thinking and feeling. And the way she was purring and moving her hips meant he needed to move now if he was going to earn that forgiveness.
He gripped her hips, and slowly started to move in and out. This was bliss, he thought, feeling her tense around her, hearing her moans, and seeing her hands grip her own hair in desperation. His pace gradually quickened; he was unable to stop himself, it felt so good and he thought he might explode if he didn't come soon. He reached forward, reaching for that bundle of nerves which had time and again proved to be his best friend, and rubbed slowly and steadily in small circles, knowing it would drive Kate wild.
He was correct - her moans increased in both volume and frequency, and she began to move her hips to meet his every thrust. "Anthony'" she gasped, her back arching involuntarily. "I'm coming."
He couldn't take it anymore. He placed his hand gently around her throat, pulling her up so she could turn her head and meet his lips with hers in a fiery kiss. His one hand held her steady as the other continued to play with her, their bodies joined in a beautiful rhythm, until she screamed, turning her head away to grip the desk and convulsing around him, and he joined her seconds later, leaning forward over her, hands covering hers on the desk, his seed spilling into her and down her thighs.
They remained like that for a while, breath slowly returning to normal, him placing light kisses across her shoulder blades. Eventually, he pulled out of her, using a nearby handkerchief to catch most of the mess they had made. He turned her around and placed her once again on the edge of the desk, pulling her legs apart to gently wipe up their bodily fluids.
"You," she whispered, placing another kiss on his mouth, "are most definitely forgiven."
He smiled, the genuine look of warmth and happiness catching Kate off guard for a moment. "I love you," he said simply. "And any time you want a repeat of that, I'll be happy to anger you again."
Kate rolled her eyes, moving off the desk to collect her discarded robe. "I love you too," she told him. "Now can you please come to bed so I can get some sleep in my husband's arms?"
"With pleasure, Lady Bridgerton."
As they left Anthony's office, he wondered vaguely whether he was ever going to be able to focus on his duties in that room again.