Chapter Sixteen
Ava lay staring blindly at the canopy above her head, with Jerome’s weight pinning her to the bed, his face pressed into her neck as his breathing settled, and his heartbeat slowed to a heavy thump.
They were still joined, and the intimacy of what they had just shared, the beauty of it, brought tears to her eyes.
She was so full up with love she couldn’t contain it.
Everything she had ever hoped for or dreamed of had just come true in the most wonderful way.
All her expectations were exceeded. The pleasure she had experienced took her breath away.
The sensations as he slid inside her, stretching her, making her feel fulfilled and like a woman at last; the rapid thrusts that took her sensitized flesh again to the precipice of pleasure and over; the experience of feeling his pleasure inside her body, the warm quivering rush of his release—all this overwhelmed her with emotions she couldn’t contain.
Tears welled up and leaked out of the corners of her eyes. Tears of joy. She gasped on a sob and Jerome moved, lifting his head, a look of alarm on his face. He released her hands and touched her face, catching tears on his fingers.
“Ava! Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No! Not at all, it’s just so over—whelming!” she sobbed helplessly.
“Oh, sweetheart!” he disengaged their bodies gently, and rolling onto his side, he gathered her against his chest and kissed her hair and stroked her back.
“My darling Ava,” he murmured, and she sobbed a bit more into his chest, her cheek against the soft dark hairs that covered it. Her hands clutched him in comfort.
She sniffed, the sobs abating as the rush of emotion receded. “I’m just so happy,” she said with a sigh, nestling closer.
“So am I,” he said softly, squeezing her tighter, as if he would never let her go.
“Why did you wait so long?” she asked, raising her head and resting her chin on her hand, her other hand tracing patterns on his chest.
He looked at her with a helpless expression. “I don’t know, except that I thought you would be better off with another man.”
She jabbed him in the chest. “How could you think that? Why?”
“I thought I was too old for you.”
She shook her head and nuzzled her face into his chest and kissed it. “Never,” she said fiercely.
“I’ve known you since you were three, Ava. It seemed—wrong!”
She shook her head again. Then lifted her face, resting her chin on her curled fist on his chest. “Were you really going to marry the countess?”
He closed his eyes a moment and then opened them. “I thought you were going to marry Haldane. It really didn’t matter who I married after that. If you were happy that was all that counted.”
“But how could you think I would be happy to marry anyone but you?”
He shook his head. “I was an idiot.” He smiled tentatively. “Forgive me?”
She launched herself at him and kissed him. Smoothing the hair from his face—which was uncharacteristically disheveled and gave him a devilish air she rather liked—she said, “I think your idiocy requires some punishment before it can be forgiven. I cried myself sick for two days, you know.”
“I’m sorry,” his penitent expression made her heart turn over. “How can I make it up to you?”
She answered that by kissing him.
Some little while later, discovering his body had recovered sufficiently, she straddled his hips and boldly took him into her body, sliding down his length until she was fully seated, her eyes fixed on his as she did it.
She smiled in triumph. This position made her feel powerful, and he seemed happy to surrender the control to her as she began to move and pleasure herself on his body.
His hands cupped and squeezed her breasts, his fingers sending shots of pure delight to her groin as he played with her sensitive nipples.
She had discovered so much more that she hadn’t known before about her own body, and she was reveling in it.
She rode him hard, panting as she chased down her own pleasure, her breasts bouncing with the movement of her body, and he touched her between her legs to help her, his beautiful blue eyes blazing with desire and love.
The pleasure rose, and she closed her eyes at the last, flinging her head back and crying out with the wave of joy as it exploded in her body, sending tingling thrills down her legs and up her spine, to the crown of her head and the soles of her feet.
Panting, she collapsed forward on his chest, limp in the blissful aftermath.
His arms wrapped around her and held her against him, pressing kisses to her hair. She lifted her head and looked at him through slitted eyes, smiling in muzzy delight. “Oh, that was good!” she murmured.
He cupped her face. “You can take your pleasure of me anytime you please, my darling.” He kissed her, and she responded, giving him back kiss for kiss, and in moments, the passion flared in her again.
This time he took charge, rolling her under him and moving in her with deliberate desire. She lifted her legs and gloried in his taking of her as his mouth traced kisses down her neck, while her arms and legs hugged him close, drawing him into her body as if she never wanted to let him go.
“Ava—” He uttered her name with a low groan. “Oh God, Ava!” He came apart in her arms with a deep groan and convulsion of his body that thrilled her to her toes. She felt the rush of heat of his release deep within her and hugged him close with everything she had.
Mine! He’s mine at last!
He subsided on her slowly as the tremors receded and his breath, warm and damp, puffed against her neck.
“Was that good?” she asked softly, her hands tangled in his hair.
He raised his head, resting his weight on his elbows and smiled down at her, such a light of love in his eyes, her heart swelled and overflowed.
“Better than good, sweetheart.” He bent his head and kissed her gently.
“Wonderful.” He kissed her again. “Exquisite.” Another kiss. “Perfect. Like my wife.”
She glowed under this praise. “Oh Jerome!” She hugged him.
He gently disengaged their bodies and tucked her into his arms as they prepared to sleep. Nestling into his body she uttered a sigh of complete contentment and let sleep take her.
They made love again near dawn and fell asleep again until mid-morning.