Chapter 13 #2
“I want you to marry me,” he blurted out, and held his breath for her answer.
Penny surprised herself by hesitating. She had only just now gained a few precious days of freedom for herself.
Freedom from the expectations that had weighed on her since she was a child.
Freedom from the constant scrutiny of hostile would-be relatives judging whether or not she was worthy of being a duchess.
Freedom to be herself, to decide what she wanted for herself going forward.
Then she looked down into Hugo's hopeful, beloved face. It was him she wanted. A life of adventure with him, not a staid existence of balls and musicales and Venetian breakfasts.
Every day with him would be a new adventure.
"Yes, Hugo," she said. "I will."
His face lit up, but he hesitated another moment as though he did not believe his good fortune. “You will?”
Penny reached out and held his face in her hands, feeling the slight scratch of his beard on her palms. She made her words into a solemn vow. “I will.”
She leaned down and kissed him, but the sweet promise quickly turned into passion as they fumbled with each other’s clothes, stopping occasionally to gaze at each other in bewildered wonder before working at buttons and hooks and strings.
He lay her down on the bed when they were both naked and lay beside her, propped up on his elbow to gaze down at her.
“What do you love most about me?” she asked, tracing her fingers along each plane of his face.
He paused to think. “Your spirit,” he said at last. “You never let anything stop you or get in your way.”
Dipping his head, he brushed her lips with hers. “And you? What do you... do you love about me?”
“Your freckles.” She could not help but laugh at his indignant expression.
“I do not have freckles.”
“You do.” She leaned up to kiss him on the temple. “Right here.” She brushed her finger across the bridge of his nose. “And here.”
He tilted his head down to her, and she kissed those freckles as well before brushing her hand across a spot just below his ribcage.
“You have some here as well,” she murmured. “In fact, you have so many freckles, it will take me years to count them all.”
“We will have years,” he said, and his kiss was a promise.
By the time she pulled away, they were both panting. She held a hand up, and he paused.
“Hugo, now that we are engaged, I want... I want to... ” She grimaced in frustration. “I don’t know how to ask.”
His brows knit as he puzzled it out, and then rose in shock. “Penny, do you mean... ?”
“Yes,” she said. “Show me everything.”
He swallowed hard. She was unable to resist trailing her fingers down his throat so she could see him shiver.
“If we do, Penny, there will be no breaking the engagement. You will belong to me, and I will never let you go.”
“Yes.” Nothing sounded more wonderful. “Yes, I want that. I want you.”
With a groan, he surrendered to her, sweeping her up into his kiss. He moved to rest his body atop hers, and she could not help but wince at the pressure on her joints.
Immediately, he pulled away and removed his weight from her. “Are you all right?”
She reached out for him. “Yes, I’m fine. Continue.”
He laughed and brushed a kiss across her lips. “There’s no need to cause you pain. Did you think there was only one way to do this?”
To her surprise, he guided her to lay cross-wise on the bed, her knees dangling off the edge of the mattress, and placed his own feet on the floor.
Hovering over her, he kissed her breathless, and began to work his way down.
Warm, soft lips skimmed her sensitive throat as his three-days beard lightly scratched her.
He had learned what she liked over the past few days and used all his knowledge to arouse her as he traveled lower and lower, calloused palms cradling her thighs as she spread them wide for him.
Her back arched as he swirled his tongue around one nipple and sucked it into his mouth until she moaned for him, stubble lightly scratching her skin.
His tongue teased at her navel, making her giggle, before going even lower.
He knelt at the side of the bed and she cried out as his tongue lapped at her most sensitive parts, back arching towards him.
His hands cupped her bottom, holding her steady as she writhed, eager for the pleasure that was so familiar to her now.
She clutched at his shoulders, nails biting in as she climaxed with a helpless cry.
“Open your eyes.”
With an effort, Penny obeyed. He stood in front of her, cock fully erect as he spread her legs further.
Her hand reached out to stroke him from root to tip and he groaned, his head falling forward to watch.
“Guide me in,” he said hoarsely. Penny complied, hand wrapping around him and bringing him to her entrance. She swallowed hard, already almost unbearably aroused as they both watched him sink into her inch by slow inch until their hips met.
“Are you all right?”
The stretch was uncomfortable, but not painful. He held still for a long moment, letting her body adjust.
She reached down to cover his hands with her own. “Yes. I need you.”