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She did open her eyes, but it was hard to keep them open as he slid slowly, inch by inch, inside her. She felt the sharp tear and whimpered as he finally claimed her as his, her body tensing at the intrusion, but he kissed her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear to ease her pain. When it finally subsided, she moved her hips to let him know.

He slid out of her and then back in, in one long, deep stroke that had her screaming out in pain and pleasure. He pulled her legs tighter around him and moved in and out of her in gloriously deep strokes that had her clawing at his shoulders and arms.

Everything her sisters had told her paled in comparison to what she was experiencing right now. There were no words to describe the beauty of seeing him atop her, feeling him inside her and the friction of their coupling. She felt whole and complete, and she knew then that she was completely his. If he denied her pleasure after that night, she wouldn’t be above begging.

She knew when he neared his release, as his thrusts grew harder and shallower, his grunts coming fast. She wasn’t too far behind him, as his fingers had started rubbing slow circles around her pearl.

“Louisa,” he groaned into her hair. “You’re so perfect.”

She felt the world explode about her into a million stars and was only vaguely aware of his hoarse shout before he collapsed on the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms.

Their breathing synchronized, and when they finally came down from their high, he pressed her to his chest, his fingers drawing lazy circles on her back.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked, his eyes still closed.

She couldn’t help but take him in when he looked so sated, with nary a line on his forehead. She smiled into his chest, happy that she had relieved some of his stress, and shook her head.

“You didn’t hurt me,” she answered. “I feel… good.”

He chuckled into her hair. “I would have worried if you didn’t.”

She felt him smile into her hair as exhaustion finally claimed her, the warmth of his body and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.

When she finally came to, it was to realize that she was alone in her chambers. A glance outside her window told her that it was still dark outside. She frowned, wondering why he had left.

Has he regretted what happened between us?

She sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case, or she would be very hurt, considering that she had fallen deeper in love with him after they had finally consummated their marriage.

Her face flushed as she remembered just how beautiful he had looked above her and how whole she had felt with him inside her.

She knew they had crossed a major bridge, and she was grateful for it, but she was well aware they were still a long way from fully trusting each other.

If he chose to be cold in the morning, she would respect the boundaries he put up and hope that with time, he would come to see that he, too, could enjoy happiness.

She sighed, turning onto her other side. She could only hope that with time, he would come to care deeply for her the way she had come to care for him.

Chapter Twenty-One

“Your Grace?” Percival heard Tobias’s voice call out to him.

He pushed back the memory he had been lost in since he had awoken and smiled at the man. “Forgive me, Tobias. I find myself sore and distracted this morning.”

Indeed, he had been since he woke up in a good mood—better than he had woken up in months—and he hadn’t had any nightmares.

He smiled again, remembering just how perfect his wife had been the night before, and couldn’t help the wave of desire that washed over him as he recalled her smooth, velvet softness. He had never felt anything like he did with her, and because he didn’t want her to be too sore, he had pushed down his desire when he had awoken in the middle of the night to leave her bed.

He knew she would be disappointed that he had left her again, but he couldn’t bring himself to frighten her with his night terrors.

“I can tell.” Tobias smiled. “Perhaps we can reschedule the meeting?”

“No, let us continue.” Percival waved his hand. “How are the repairs progressing, so far?”

“They started working on the east wing this morning, so we’ll see how quickly they finish.”

He nodded, happy that he could finally start repairing his home. He didn’t like how Louisa had almost gotten hurt the last time she had come looking for him. He wondered what she was doing now. Perhaps he would take a small break to see her in the drawing room later.

A knock sounded at the door, and he called, “Enter.”