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She responded so easily to his touch that her moans of pleasure grew him even harder. He needed to be inside her, or his seed would spill before he had a chance to slip inside her and seal their vows.

What nearly pushed him over the edge was the look in her eyes when he slipped his arm under her waist and lifted her just enough to fit beneath him perfectly. Never had he seen such trust and caring as he did in her eyes. For a sheer moment, he almost stopped and moved off her, freeing her of a marriage she had known nothing about. But he didn’t. He did not want to let her go, not ever. She belonged to him always and he needed to make sure of that.

She felt his hesitancy and felt compelled to say, “If you do not want this?—”

Rage fired his passion at the thought of her slipping away from him and he plunged into her and cursed himself when she cried out in pain.

He stilled. “I hurt you.”

“Just a bit,” she said, biting at her lower lip.

Slayer wanted to pummel himself for hurting her. He had not intended for it to be like this for her first time. But then he had not intended to have feelings for her, feelings he had yet to come to understand.

He kissed her brow, her cheek, her lips. “I did not mean to hurt you.”

Sky knew it was the closest to an apology she would ever get from him, and it touched her heart.

She smiled softly. “It would hurt much more if you did not finish.”

A smile lightly touched the corners of his mouth. “You want me that much, wife?”

“More than I ever thought I would.”

“I want you more,” he said, surprising her as well as himself and showed her just how much.

Her moans filled the cottage as he moved within her slowly, rapidly, slowly again, then rapidly and growing ever stronger. She gripped his arms as if she feared he would slip away from her and held onto him as tightly as she could.

She cried out with pleasure and Slayer rested his cheek next to hers and whispered, “Let go and I will join you and be there to catch you.”

“Always?” she asked with a gasped breath.

“Always, wife,” he assured her.

Sky let go and plunged with her husband into exquisite pleasure, assured that his arms would always be there to catch her.

CHAPTER11

Slayer woke with a smile. He never ever recalled waking with a smile but after last night with his wife, he could not keep the smile off his face. It vanished fast when he realized he did not feel her beside him in bed.

“Bloody hell!”

He jumped out of bed and hurried into his garments. How was it that he did not feel her leaving the bed yet again? He raked his fingers through his hair as he glanced around once outside. Of course, she was nowhere in sight, but he knew where to find her. He hurried to the stream.

He heard her laughter, a full, hardy laugh, before he reached her, and he found his smile returning. He stopped to peer past the trees and bushes and watched her. She laughed at two squirrels scampering around her in play and she waved at them when they rushed off up a tree.

He was about to step forward when he saw movement in the bushes not far from his wife.

“I have food if you’re hungry,” he heard her say and he waited to see who she had spoken to.

His eyes went wide when a scrawny fox appeared and took cautious steps toward her.

“I have berries,” she said and scooped a handful from the basket beside her and held them out to the fox. “Come and enjoy. They are tasty.” She placed some on the ground.

The fox hurried forward and gobbled up the berries.

“Oh my, you are thin,” she said, looking over the animal with concern. “It appears that you injured your leg and that has left you unable to hunt while it heals. Though it does appear it is healing well.” She scooped up a bigger handful of berries from the basket. “Here you go. Eat as much as you like. I can pick more.”

The animals recognized her trusting and kind soul immediately and he had to admit he had felt it himself, even more so last night when they coupled. There was something about her innocent touch that was different. While her touch easily enflamed his passion it had also soothed something in him that left him feeling more complete, more satisfied than he had ever felt in his life.