32. Chapter 32
thirty-two
J enny closed her eyes and leaned into her husband, holding on as if he might disappear.
Her husband. She still couldn’t get over the fact that he was hers.
She’d only just realized how lucky she was to have him.
David trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck.
Suddenly there were too many layers of clothing between them and they were inconveniently still in his family’s drawing room.
“I brought you something,” she whispered when his tongue settled into the hollow where her neck met her shoulder. Since she’d had to wait for her mother and sister, she’d had time to a make a quick stop last night before leaving Paris.
He drew back slowly but with interest. “What did you bring me?” His eyes flashed, searching hers.
“I…I never got you a wedding present.” She tugged loose the top buttons of her blouse. His interest increased when she reached inside her corset where she’d tucked the gift for safekeeping. “I should have. I’m sorry I didn’t,” she said, holding the little black velvet pouch out for him.
He grinned and sank down onto the nearby settee, drawing her down with him. Settling her on his lap, he stared at the drawstring bag in curiosity. “What is it?”
Afraid that he might reject it or not want it, she said, “You’ll have to open it and see. ”
His smile broadened even more, reminding her of the way she felt on her birthday when her mother and sisters presented their presents to her. They’d never been expensive but had always been thoughtful and appreciated.
His gaze flashed to hers and then back to the velvet sack. He took it hesitantly, holding it like it was precious. Untying the string, he tipped the contents out onto his palm. A single gold band winked up at them.
“A wedding ring,” she explained but immediately blushed.
One of the opera’s patrons owned a jewelry store and he’d been kind enough to help her select it.
“I know it’s not the done thing for men and you don’t have to wear it, but I wanted you to have it.
” He stared at it without looking at her and she couldn’t bear the silence.
“I do love you, David. I thought if you always have this, then you’ll always be reminded of my love…
. Like I said, you don’t have to wear it. ”
He let out a breath and dropped his forehead so it rested against hers. “I love it, Jenny. Why wouldn’t I wear it? I want everyone to know you’re mine. And I want to be yours.”
She pressed her mouth to his, laughing when he nibbled her bottom lip. “You are mine,” she murmured.
They both laughed and she took the ring from him and tilted it so he could read the engraving.
He gasped when he saw it hiding inside. “ Love, Jenny ,” he read.
She slid it onto his finger and brought it up to kiss it. “I’d marry you all over again.”
He stared at her fiercely until she finished and then drew her fully against him, kissing her until she couldn’t breathe.
“I can’t believe you didn’t finish the show,” he whispered when he pulled back .
“When my mother told me about Alfred, I nearly fell apart. I kept thinking of you here…alone…and it broke my heart. I knew I had to be with you as soon as I could possibly get here.”
He groaned and rose to his feet, holding her high against his chest as he did.
She squealed and held on tight as he stormed from the room. “Where are we going?”
“To my bed. I assume you’d prefer that to the settee.”
She giggled and kissed his neck. “I missed you.”
He groaned again. “Keep doing that and we won’t make it up the stairs.” But they were already halfway up as he took them two at a time.
“Then you’d better hurry.” She worked the buttons on his shirt until she could get her hands inside and the soft hair on his chest tickled her lips when she kissed him.
At the top of the stairs, he took her mouth in a deep, searching kiss, managing to keep one eye on his steps as he navigated them to the end of the hallway.
By the time they reached his door, she had his shirt completely unbuttoned, though not untucked, and was greedily exploring his chest. He fumbled with the doorknob and her legs slid free as he walked them inside and slammed the door behind him.
She pushed his coat along with his suspenders from his shoulders, needing to have nothing between them.
She needed his skin on hers, his body on hers.
He evidently felt the same way because his hands made quick work of her blouse.
It was barely off her shoulders before he left her to wiggle out of it and attacked her corset.
The very second the stiff garment fell away, his hands were filled with her breasts, his mouth seeking her out even through her chemise.
She tried to work the copious lacing beneath his ministrations, but it was too much for her, so she went for his trousers instead.
She’d barely made headway before he became frustrated with the barrier and tugged the linen chemise off over her head.
His arms went around her as he walked her back to the bed, kissing her all the way.
When her hips met the bed, he tugged at her drawers and they fell to the floor as if they existed solely to cater to his whims. She tried not to think of how often he’d divested a woman of her clothes.
Then she couldn’t think of anything at all because he fell to his knees before her and all but attacked her with his mouth.
She gasped and held him close as he kissed her deeply between her legs, his tongue lapping at her as if he’d spent the last days marching through a desert and was dying of thirst. She fell back on the mattress and gave in to the pleasure rising in her core. But then he left her just as abruptly.
He made short work of removing her boots and when she bent to remove her stockings, he said, “Leave them.”
She glanced up and his roguish smile had her blushing again.
He stepped out of his shoes and finished taking off his shirt as he did. His hands were on his trousers as he walked to a drawer and pulled out a familiar looking tin.
“I brought the diaphragm,” she said.
They both looked to the ambiguous piece of luggage set on the upholstered bench at the foot of the bed. Some very helpful servant, likely not the butler, must have put it there. His grin returned, his lips still glistening with her need.
“You planned ahead,” he said.
“I was hopeful.” She’d been terrified she’d lost him, but now she couldn’t imagine how she’d been so afraid. They were meant to be. If she hadn’t been so stubborn, she would have realized that much sooner.
He parted the bag and dug around until he pulled out the leather case. His eyes darted to hers across the short distance. “Shall I put it in place? ”
She felt herself blush again. “If you want.”
“Open your legs for me.”
It was a dare and she had no wish but to comply.
She set back against the plethora of pillows and spread her legs.
She knew she was glistening and wet, ready for him already, but a quick glance confirmed it.
His eyes were dark with need and intensity as he looked at her there as he approached her. Her body throbbed in response.
He climbed on the bed before her and set the case to the side as he touched her.
She bit her lip to stop another unseemly gasp.
She was already primed for him, but he didn’t seem to notice or care.
He worked the pad of his thumb over her clit and shifted to make room in his trousers for what was by now likely a very ready erection.
He paid it little mind and his thumb moved down to sink inside her in a naughty rhythm that had her rocking her hips.
“David, please. I can’t wait.”
Only then did his gaze meet hers again. “Neither can I,” he whispered.
He opened the case and moved over her, kissing her breast, her neck, and then her mouth as he found her opening.
He used his fingers to make certain she was truly ready and then expertly pushed the apparatus inside her, seating it perfectly after a moment.
She was so very wet for him that the entire process was easy and handled expeditiously.
Rising onto his knees, he made haste with the fastening of his trousers and pushed the fabric down his hips so his cock sprang free.
She felt herself go breathless at the sight. The gold stud winked in the lamplight. She reached out to touch the wetness on his tip. She’d never tire of him, of this. He jumped in her hand, as eager as she was. “Hurry,” she whispered.
He moved over her again and guided himself to her opening.
She ached already and shifted her hips to draw him in.
He made a harsh sound in his throat and pushed in farther.
It was almost too much too fast, but her body craved the pressure and fullness of him.
She reached for his hips and pulled him to her until he was seated as far as he would go.
He stayed like that for a while. The only sounds in the room were that of their breathing and their heartbeats…
or maybe that was merely her own heart pounding in her head.
It felt like it had been weeks and weeks since she’d last had him like this and that was too long.
Using the knee tucked under her thigh for leverage and an elbow, he rose a little to look down at her. “How is this?”
“Perfect.”
He gave her a soft smile and kissed her as he flexed his hips, sending her arching beneath him.
His thrusts started as short pumps meant to test her while they teased.
Her fingertips dug into his hips and buttocks, silently begging for more.
Finally, he couldn’t kiss her and give her the friction she needed.
His hand tangled in her hair, cupping the back of her head as he held her against him, giving her the long, deep thrusts that she craved.
He came almost all the way out, letting his piercing slide against that place inside her that was extra sensitive before sliding to the hilt again.
The angle even put pressure on her clit every time they came together.
It drove her mad until she was clinging to him and urging him to take her harder.
He obliged her, pumping against her relentlessly until wave after wave of pleasure crested over her. He was quick to follow, his hips losing their practiced rhythm and jerking against her until his own cry filled the air.
When he fell over her, she held him tight and wrapped her legs around him to keep him inside her. He rolled to his side to save her his weight and pulled back only enough to look at her. A gentle smile curved his lips and so much love shone in his eyes that she felt her own get teary.
“I love you, Jenny Dove,” he whispered.
“I love you, David. Forever and always.”