Chapter 17
ALEXANDER
TWO MONTHS LATER
Iwoke in the early morning, blinking my eyes open to the dawn breaking through the large windows.
Maddie had begged me to allow her to move the bed to the wall that faced the arched panes and remove the heavy draperies that covered the glass.
Although I felt it unneeded, I was unable to refuse, and now, I had to admit she was correct.
The view when we woke in the mornings was spectacular.
She loved to lie in our bed and see the stars and the sun.
Having spent so many years in a windowless room under the neglect of her father, I understood her longing.
The joy on her face as she stared outside brought a boon to my chest I could not explain but no longer denied.
Her happiness was now my happiness.
I turned my head slightly, smiling at the sight of my little wife asleep beside me.
Neither of us could fathom not being in the same bed every night.
She was a small bundle of warmth curled next to me, her hand resting on my heart, the heat of our bodies melding and comforting us.
The lace strap of her shift hung from her shoulder, the pearl of her creamy skin glimmering in the growing light.
She was peaceful and content in her repose, a slight smile on her face as she slumbered.
The feel of her beside me brought me great peace. A sense of belonging.
Another benefit of our sharing a bed was that her bad dreams no longer plagued her. She told me she felt safe for the first time in many years with me next to her, and I was determined she never feel unsafe again.
Reaching over, I stroked her cheek, smiling as she leaned into my caress even in her sleep.
I drifted my hand down to her stomach, feeling the slight swell of her belly under my fingers.
Knowing our child, my child, was growing inside her gave me a thrill I could not describe.
I cared not if it was a boy or a girl, only that it was ours.
A symbol of the love we shared. I had never thought of children that way before.
They were simply something I knew I had to do in order for my line to continue.
But with Maddie, the meaning of them, of family, had become so much more.
I was grateful the morning illness that had plagued her seemed to have passed.
She was tired, requiring naps at odd times of the day.
I often found her asleep over a book, even over her partially eaten luncheon.
Once while tending her garden, I discovered her asleep on the bench, her small bucket of flowers still clutched in her hand.
She hadn’t stirred as I carried her upstairs, settling her on the counterpane of our bed and watching her, feeling the love she stirred within me grow.
Every time I thought my heart could not possibly contain more love for her, it developed and expanded with more affection.
A small hand settled over mine, and I looked up, meeting her loving gaze. I was thrilled to see nothing but happiness and peace in her eyes as she smiled at me. None of the worry or trepidation lingered.
“Good morning, husband,” she whispered. “How fare you?”
I smiled, widening my fingers over her belly. “I am filled with joy, my love,” I replied. “How could I not be? Waking beside the most beautiful woman in the world, knowing she is carrying my babe? Recalling how they were created?”
Color flooded her cheeks, a soft rose blooming in the sun. “Sir, you are impertinent,” she scolded mildly.
I stroked my hand up her body, stopping to run my thumb around the stiffened nipple under the thin cotton of her shift, then cupped her face, bringing her mouth to mine.
Her lips were pillows of softness, her mouth a feast for my senses.
I kissed her until she was breathless, her hand gripping my hair as she made low, pleading sounds in her throat.
I dropped my face to her neck, swirling my tongue over the flesh.
“Would you have me any other way, wife?”
“No,” she gasped as I lowered my head to her breasts, sucking a nipple through the cotton and pleasuring the other with my fingers.
I loved that her pregnancy made her even more responsive, more vocal, and definitely needier than ever.
She had no qualms seeking me out in the day in my study, the garden, or even the stable.
The smile on her face told me everything I needed to know before I let her use me in any fashion she wished.
I enjoyed them all.
“Are you needing me again this morning, my sweet?” I whispered as I pulled down her shift, returning to her hard nipple and licking.
“Please, Alexander,” she moaned, arching her back.
“Tell me,” I demanded. I loved to hear her say it. To tell me what she wanted.
“Please fill me. Take me.” She paused. “I want to feel you inside me. Feel your cock.”
I rose over her, staring down at her flushed cheeks.
Without a word, I grasped her shift, tearing it in half, exposing her to me.
Her large breasts were high, the nipples tight and begging for my mouth.
Her eyes were wide with desire. Need. Her breathing was rapid, and she clutched at the sheet, her hands fisting the material tightly.
My cock was rigid. Hard and aching for her.
Desperate to be inside her. But first, I needed her taste in my mouth.
I shifted, lifting her legs to my shoulders.
She cried out as I licked into her heat.
Latched on to her pearl and sucked it as I slid two fingers inside her.
She was wet and ready, her desire evident.
But I wanted to prolong the pleasure for her. To worship her a little more.
I worked my fingers in and out of her cunny’s tight grip, curling them as I probed deep.
Her soft sound of need spurred me on. The sweet taste of her was on my tongue, her bud swollen and demanding as I suckled harder.
Her fingers sifted through my hair, grasping handfuls and holding me where she wanted me.
She came with a cry, her body trembling beneath me from the force of her spend.
Withdrawing from her, I rose on my knees between her parted thighs. The glistening pink of her cunny beckoned. My cock was desperate to be inside her. I kissed my way over the gentle swell of her belly to her breasts, taking a nipple in my mouth.
She moaned again as I notched myself against her entrance, the sweet heat of her as my guide. I sank my cock into her, gliding easily through her velvet grip. She was soaked. Another pump of my hips, and I was fully seated. Her silken cunny wrapped around me, warm and perfect.
She began to undulate her hips beneath me, too eager, spurring me on.
I released her nipple and glanced up at her, giving her a slow, deliberate thrust. “Patience, Maddie mine.”
She tugged at my hair, the pull a delightful mix of pain and pleasure. “More. I need more.”
“Greedy darling.” I continued to move with agonizing torpidity, sinking deep and then withdrawing, only to sink inside her again.
I was tantalizing us both.
Maddie’s skin was flushed, her eyes glazed with passion, her lips full and parted. Her hair was a wild tangle on the pillow. She had never been more beautiful than this moment, filled with desire for me, a new life growing within her.
“Now,” she demanded.
And I obeyed, because I couldn’t last much longer myself.
She felt too good, and the urge to lose myself inside her was strong.
I thrust harder, faster, guiding her legs around me as I found the pace we both wanted.
When I dipped a hand between us and strummed over her pearl, she clamped down on my cock, crying out my name.
I moved, groaning, desperately on the edge, plunging into her slick heat one more time until white-hot bliss exploded within me.
I thrust deep and filled her with my seed as she held me tightly to her as she always did, our hearts beating fast.
I remained as I was until my breathing steadied and my wits returned, and then I rolled off her, gathering her up into my arms. She nestled into me with a sigh of contentment, and I pressed a kiss to her crown. “Ah, Maddie mine, what you do to me.”
“I like this part of marriage,” she mused, making me laugh.
“As do I.”
“Do all couples share this feeling?” she asked, curious.
I cleared my throat. “I think it depends. Not all couples have the connection we have built, my wife. Many marriages, especially those among the higher-ups, are matches that are made with lineage and connections in mind. Not love.”
“I would not like to do this with someone else.”
“And nor will you ever,” I growled.
She laughed, slapping my chest. “How can one enjoy it if there is no love?” she asked, looking at me.
I sat up with a sigh, leaning against the headboard, the wood feeling cold. I gazed down at her with a smile as I ran my knuckles over her cheek. “People, especially men, can perform with or without love.” I paused. “In fact, most men prefer it that way. It is simply a release.”
“And women?” she asked, pulling herself up into the same sitting position and drawing her legs to her chest.
Absently, I pulled up the covering so she didn’t get chilled. I chose my words carefully, reminding myself she was still so innocent in the ways of the world.
“Some women, yes. Others do it as their duty, with little pleasure.”
She was quiet for a moment. “How sad.”
“Yes, I imagine so.”
She turned her head, meeting my eyes. “And you?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Before me,” she explained. “Did you give your, ah, lovers pleasure?”
I was shocked at her question, yet somehow proud of it as well.
“I tried.” I lifted her hand and kissed it.
“Sexual congress was empty before you, Maddie. A meaningless pleasure my body craved. No one ever touched my heart the way you have. With you, it means more. But yes, I wanted my lover to experience the same pleasure—I have never been selfish in that regard.”
“Good.”
“That’s all?” I teased. “You are not jealous?”
“Oh, terribly so,” she retorted. “I want to find any woman you had, ah, relations with and scratch her eyes out. But you married me and you say you love me. So I have won.”
“I do love you,” I retorted. “With all of my heart.” Then I grinned. “You don’t feel that you’ve won when I vex you,” I said with a wink, enjoying the conversation with her.
She smiled softly. “We don’t vex each other much.”
“No.”
“Have you ever loved before?” she asked.
That question caught me off guard, and I took a moment to gather my thoughts.
“When I was in my youth, I fancied myself in love. She was a young maid, and she was sweet and lovely. We grew close, and I wanted to marry her. Lift her out of the drudgery her life was.”
“What happened?” she asked gently.
“We were found out by my father. He was furious. Informed me that peers of the realm didn’t marry maids.
That she was simply using me for my wealth and title and I was an idiot.
I remember how frightened she appeared to be, how terrified her eyes were as he dragged her from me, sending her away.
The look in her eyes haunted me. The look in your eyes that night reminded me of that dread. ”
“Is that why you took me?”
“Yes,” I replied honestly. “I had seen that frightened expression before, and I refused to leave you to the life you had.” I sighed. “The look of terror in your eyes that night will never leave me. I strive to ensure you never appear thus again.”
She was silent for a moment, her gaze locked on mine.
“What occurred after?”
“My father and I argued, and he beat me. Locked me up in the attic for weeks on end.”
She grasped my hands. “Alexander,” she breathed. “How terrible.”
“Once I recovered, I searched for her. It was as if she had disappeared. I was beside myself, feeling as if I had let her down. Terrified that she was alone and what she was doing for employment. How she was caring for herself.”
“Did you find her?”
“It took a whole year, but I did.”
“And?” she prompted, as if I were telling her a fairy tale and she couldn’t wait for the ending.
“In this case, my father was right. When I found her, she was married to a blacksmith. Happy and with child. She had to recall who I was, then laughed off my concern and walked away. I realized then how little I had meant to her. She had been more concerned about losing her position in the household.”
“Oh, Alexander,” she murmured, stroking my jaw. “You must have been distraught.”
I shook my head as I recalled how I’d truly felt. “I felt foolish and angry that my father had been right. I swore never to put my heart in danger again.” I squeezed her hands. “Until you came into my life, my sweet, and changed all that.”
“Another maid,” she whispered.
“No,” I almost snarled. “You were never truly a maid. You were raised as a lady.”
“But not seen as such. Even if my father hadn’t reduced my life to that of a servant, I would only be a miss.”
I shook my head, not caring. “You are a lady now. My lady. My marchioness.” I smiled at her. “My beloved wife.”
She returned my smile, but I saw a touch of worry in it. I lifted our joined hands and kissed her knuckles. “The only woman I have ever truly loved. The only woman I will ever love.”
Her smile became bright again. “As I love you.”
Her stomach chose that moment to grumble, and I laughed. “I believe our child needs nourishment, my wife. Shall we go downstairs and see what Cook has made for you today?”
The domestics adored her, and my cook loved to spoil Maddie with treats and special meals. Now that she was feeling better, she loved breakfast and ate well most days.
“Yes,” she sighed happily. “I am hungry.”
“I have not upset you with my story?” I queried.
“No, Alexander. It is part of your life, and I want to know everything. I am sad to hear how your father treated you and of that woman’s careless disregard for your feelings, but I am pleased you told me.” She colored prettily again. “Especially since I know you love me as you do.”
I leaned forward and kissed her. “I do, my love. I do.”