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Even as she slowly drifted off to sleep, the last thought on her mind was the intimacy they had shared. How brazenly brave she had been through it all.

And now she felt no ounce of shame, only satisfaction.

She had bared herself to him, in her most vulnerable state, and he had rewarded her with more pleasure than she had thought possible.

It was the first ray of sunlight that woke William up the next morning. He could not help but smile as stared at his wife, sleeping soundly in his arms.

The curtain danced as it ushered in the morning breeze. He watched her sleep, as he simply could not take his eyes off her. She was curled up against him, her warm skin pressed to his. He had his arm draped over her so that he could feel her warm breath on it.

The sunlight filtered into the room, and the orangish glow lit up her face.

He planted a kiss on her forehead as he tried to memorize her face. He wished to remember her like this—warm, soft, and at peace. He instinctively pressed her to him, as though to protect her.

He could not help but wonder about the night before. He could not get the image of her face out of his head. How her lips had parted, inviting him in. How her body had trembled under the weight of the pleasure that racked her. How her eyes had devoured his body when she had first seen it.

Certainly, he could not forget how his body had responded to her. He could still feel her touch, soft and smooth as silk. Her body had moved in rhythm with his as though they were made for each other.

And when she had finally whispered his name, he totally submitted to her. Hearing her whisper his name while whimpering had unraveled him.

Even now, as he remembered, he could feel himself getting hard once again.

For a moment, he closed his eyes as the events of the previous night replayed in his mind. Her soft whimpers and the way her hips had bucked against his. He could still remember how her body had taken him, hesitant at first but ultimately welcoming. And the satisfied look on her face afterward…

As he opened his eyes, he finally admitted it to himself.

He was in love with this woman.Irrevocablyin love with her.

He finally welcomed the ache in his chest as he planted kisses across her shoulder. There was no use denying what he knew to be true.

Even though he had not said the words to her yet, he had expressed his love to her with his body. And he could only hope he could do it again and again for the rest of his life.

“Hmm,” he murmured as he sniffed her. She smelled heavenly.

At that moment, she stirred, wiggling her buttocks against him.

William swore under his breath, as he could feel his member rise to attention. He sighed in exasperation as he silently willed it to soften.

He saw her smile in her sleep, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

He knew he loved her because he wanted her to smile like that for the rest of her life. He wanted to protect her, even from himself.

A sudden wave of fear shot through him, and his heart lurched.

What if he ended up hurting her? After all, love had a way of hurting people.

He realized early that his mind was reeling, and therefore, he gathered his thoughts quickly.

He took a deep breath to compose himself.

His wife’s words from the previous night echoed in his mind. She had reassured him, and yet he could not ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head that whispered that he would hurt her.

He knew that he was in love with her, and maybe, for now, that was all that mattered.

He was now willing to put all the horrors of his past behind him. He had allowed his past to control him for far too long. He was finally done letting it deprive him of joy.

It was now time for him to live for his present… and for his future.

He glanced at her again.