Page 25 of The Viscount Needs a Wife (All for Love #2)

“T hat isn’t quite what was supposed to happen,” he murmured into her breasts.

“Does it matter?” she asked, stroking his hair. God, I love him! The reality of it hit her hard.

He raised his head. “Not if you don’t mind, I suppose.”

“Why should I mind? I enjoyed it, too.”

“Did you come?”

“Not quite, but I was close when you stopped.”

He stroked a tangle of hair off her face. “Next time I’ll make sure you do. I might be a little less worked up and can last longer.”

“When we do it properly you mean?”

He flushed. “Yes, when we do it properly.”

He hesitated, and she said, “Go on.”

“It will likely hurt you a bit the first time.” He looks uncomfortable, bless him.

“That’s all right. I’m prepared for that.” She smiled to reassure him.

He swallowed. “I hurt Caro the first time. It took her a while to forgive me.”

“Well, you were both young, weren’t you?” She hid the fact that him talking about his wife at a moment such as this made her wince internally.

“Yes, damnably.” He rolled off her and sat up. “I’ll just get rid of these breeches and clean up a bit,” he said, picking his way across the debris-strewn floor. She watched him strip and wash. Then he brought her a cloth to wipe herself, too.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked, returning the cloth to the bowl and waving at the bottle of wine and glasses on the table.

“Yes, please,” she said, sitting up and banking the pillows behind her.

He uncorked the bottle and returned with two glasses.

She ran her eyes over all of him, now that he was naked, and liked what she saw.

His member was no longer engorged. It would be interesting to see what it looked like in that state.

It had certainly felt enormous and hard, pressed against her earlier.

It looked much less alarming at the moment.

His legs, like his forearms and chest, had hair on them.

He put the glasses down on the bedside table and climbed into bed beside her. Handing her a glass, he raised his in a toast. “To married life, my lady!”

She touched her glass to his and they both took a sip. He laid back against the pillows with a sigh, and she wondered in panic if he was regretting it.

“Why did you do it?” she asked, smoothing the soft cotton sheet with her left hand.

“What?”

“Marry me?”

“I thought I explained that. Lots of reasons.”

“Yes, but I would have thought, considering what happened, you wouldn’t want to marry again. Especially so soon...”

“Sarah told you about Caro, did she?” he said, looking a bit dour.

She nodded.

He shifted on the pillow to face her. “I actually like being married. I’ve been married most of my adult life.

I missed having someone to hug at night and get miffed at me across the teacups!

” he said with a whimsical smile. He looked down, the smile fading.

“I loved Caro. I had no idea—” He stopped, swallowing visibly.

She put out a hand to cover his, her heart torn by his obvious distress. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. After a moment he drank his wine and motioned to hers, which was still half full. “Do you want it?”

“Not right now,” she said surrendering it. He took it and set both glasses on the bedside table. Turning back to her, he took her in his arms and pulled her close against his chest.

With his face resting on the top of her head as she buried hers into his slightly scratchy chest, he said softly, “I’ll try to be a good husband to you Annis.

I want you to know you can rely on me. I’m the dependable sort by nature.

Not especially exciting or romantic, but dependable. I hope that counts for something.”

“It’s everything,” she said softly, blinking back tears and squeezing her arms round him.

“Good,” he said, clearing his throat. “And as for reasons,” he said, lifting her chin up, “the fact that I can’t keep my hands off your delectable body is certainly one.

I’ve become a ravenous wolf where you’re concerned, wife!

” He gave one of his delicious growls, pushing her back into the pillows and kissing her, the weight of his body coming down on her and his legs tangling with hers.

Annis wrapped her arms round his neck and reveled in his kisses as he showered them over her face and neck and bosom.

He made her feel so adored with the way he worshipped her breasts with such lascivious delight and wrapped her up in affection with hugs and kisses.

He was both wolf and lamb, going from affectionate playfulness to libidinous desire and back in the blink of an eye.

She kissed him back, shyly at first. She wasn’t used to showing physical affection, let alone desire, but he broke down all her barriers and made her feel safe to express all her stored-up affection.

He was at her breasts again and sending jolts of desire to the juncture of her legs with the delicious things he was doing with his mouth.

She moaned, arching her body and clutching at him, desperate for more.

He growled again— I love it when he does that!

—as he renewed his assault on her breasts.

After a bit he raised his head, his face pink with effort, his breathing rapid.

“Forgive my crudity, but I so want to fuck you. Will you allow me to prepare you to take me?”

She smiled, panting a little, shocked and thrilled by his blunt speech. “Of course.” She added awkwardly, “I want you, too.”

He groaned. “I’m so afraid of hurting you, but I want you fiercely. Please forgive me if I lose control.”

She swallowed, her body convulsing with a deep throb of desire and flood of wetness between her legs. “I doubt you will hurt me, and even if you do, it will be momentary, I’m sure. I—I am quite desperate for you Emrys. Please touch me, I want to feel you.”

“Annis!” He reached for her mouth and kissed her. A devouring savage kiss that made her lose the last of her reserve and fling herself against him, undulating with pent-up desire, pressing her sex against his thigh with wanton abandon, anything to assuage the throbbing ache between her legs.

He shifted over her, moving to situate himself between her legs, and reaching down to stroke her swollen, wet flesh with his fingers, he pushed one and then rapidly two fingers inside her, and she groaned with the relief.

She had not known it was possible to ache with the desire to have something thrust inside her.

She remembered his talk of candlesticks and would have laughed if she weren’t so overwrought with longing.

His hard, hot cock poked into her belly. It was plenty huge now; she could feel it. Would it fit? His fingers were one thing, but that great stave?

He added another finger, sliding them in and out rapidly, his thumb tracing circles round the place she felt the most intense pleasure, she was nearly out of her skin with wanting.

He widened his fingers, stretching her, and she gasped at the pinch of discomfort.

He murmured something soothing against her neck and did it again, adding a fourth finger and pushing them deep.

She gasped, stiffening at the burn. He twisted his hand, turning it inside her, back and forth, then in and out.

His thumb returned to its teasing, and she pushed up into his touch with a moan. Discomfort or not, she wanted more.

“There, that should do it, I think” he said thickly, withdrawing his hand and fumbling between her legs. Then she felt the press of something hard and round against her entrance. He lifted his head and found her gaze with his. “Ready?”

She nodded, and he pressed forward with a slight grimace.

She felt a momentary resistance, a stinging tear, and he was suddenly inside.

He slid deep and stopped with a groan. Their bodies flush against one another.

He watched her face anxiously for her reaction and she smiled to reassure him.

She felt full and peculiar, a sort of achy pleasure-pain.

“All right?” he asked, hoarse and breathless.

She nodded and then found her voice. “Yes, it feels strangely pleasant.”

He huffed a laugh. “It feels more than pleasant to me. I shall have to do more if it is only pleasant.”

She shifted, bringing her legs up which eased her and made it feel better. He uttered one of his growly curses. “Fuck, Annis!”

“What? Is that wrong?” she asked anxiously freezing her position.

“No, on the contrary!”

“Oh good, it feels better for me.”

“Good! That’s good!” he panted. “Lift your knees up a little more.”

She did, and he slid a hand under her knee, holding her open in a way that ought to feel obscene but felt absolutely wonderful. He moved then, pulling almost out and back in again in a hard rush that made her moan.

“Does it hurt?”

“No!” she panted. “No, please, don’t stop.”

“I won’t. God, Annis, you feel so fucking good!

” He groaned and moved again, beginning to thrust in a way that jarred her frame and sent tendrils of pleasure chasing themselves through her body.

He moved his hand, pushing his arm under her knee and grasping her hip and thrust into her repeatedly with escalating, rapid strokes.

He closed his eyes and groaned again, then shifted his position once more and reached between them to touch her, rubbing his fingers rapidly over that sensitive spot. He was panting loudly by now and growling in his throat with each thrust.

His fingers were causing a maelstrom in her body. Between that and the deep thrusts stirring her from the inside, the rush of pleasure overtook her in a breathless wave, and she cried out, her body convulsing round his.

“Fuck, yes!” he bellowed, and she felt the heated burst within her as his member jerked and spilled his seed. She gasped for breath in the aftermath as he collapsed in a grunting, cursing heap on top of her.

“Annis. Annis,” he whispered against her neck. She stroked his back, her body lax and sated beneath him. “My dear, are you all right?” he asked, lifting his head.

She nodded, smiling. “Oh yes, Emrys, I am fine,” she said and kissed his nose.

He laughed and kissed hers back. “Thank God,” he groaned, extracting himself and rolling off her. “We will get better at it with practice, I promise you,” he said, flopping onto this back.

“It seemed pretty good to me,” she said mildly.

“Pretty good! Pretty good!” he expostulated in mock indignation. “I’ll have it known it can be a lot better than that!”

She laughed. “I’m only teasing. It was wonderful.” She rolled toward him and traced patterns on his chest.

He looked down and seized her hand and kissed it. “ You are wonderful,” he said softly. “Are you sore?”

She rubbed her thighs together feeling the moisture seeping out of her.

His seed. I could be with child soon..

. The thought made her heart skip a beat.

She had never thought she would have the chance to have children of her own.

She swallowed and said, “Not really. I just feel a bit swollen and very wet!”

“I’ll fetch you a cloth,” he said leaping out of bed and fetching the cloth for her before she could protest. His propensity to wait on her was as startling as his consideration between the sheets.

The governess was not used to such things.

Annis Fitzgerald, Lady Ashford, would have to get used to it, she supposed with a little sigh of contentment.