Page 30 of Twelfth Night Sorcery (The Cambion Club #2)

Valance chuckled. “I would be happy to please you again later, if you are not satisfied. But if you don’t mind, I would like to take my turn first.”

“Yes, of course.” At this point, Honora would probably have agreed to anything he asked. “What do we do next?”

He crawled up the bed to rest beside her. “We have options. If you would like to be in control, I can lie down and put you on top of me. Then you would be able to move however you wanted—as fast, as slow, as deep, as hard. Would you prefer that?”

“No!” Honora felt certain of that. “I would have no idea what I was doing. I want you to show me what to do.”

He chuckled. “Yes, I know.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I could simply take you like this, lying beside you. That might be most comfortable for you.” He hesitated for a moment and added: “I am so much larger than you. You may think I am too heavy to lie on top of you.”

Honora ran a hand through his hair, fascinated by the texture. He kept it shorter than was fashionable, perhaps because it had a tendency to curl. But she had always liked his curls. Just now, she found them very distracting.

“Well?” he prompted.

She forced herself to focus. “I want you to do whatever you like best. I know so little about this. But I am sure you are not too heavy. I like how you are both soft and strong at the same time.” She ran a hand along his upper arm, feeling the muscle underneath the surface.

He was hers to touch, she thought wonderingly. Her husband.

“All right.” He reached down to nudge her legs open a little wider. Then he settled between her legs, propping himself up on his elbows as he rested above her. This gave her a good view of his face, which she liked. She stroked his cheek, exploring the texture of his stubble.

Now she felt him gently nudging his way into her—cunny?

Was that the word? For some reason, her mother had never taught her words for those parts of her body.

Whatever it was called, she felt as if it were being stretched beyond capacity.

There was a faint sting. Then there was just Valance, slowly sinking deeper into her body.

She buried her fingers in his hair again. “Is there something I should be doing?”

He lowered his head to kiss her before answering. “You can do whatever you want, darling. When I start moving, you can move with me, if you wish. I would like that. But you need not do anything you do not like.”

She wanted to ask what he meant by “moving,” but she did not have the opportunity, because he kissed her again, more deeply this time. Now Valance surrounded her. His tongue explored her mouth, his scent filled her lungs, his body rested above hers, and his firm shaft slowly slid in and out of her.

So that was what he meant by “moving.” She tried to move with him.

It would have been hard not to, because he seemed to be everywhere.

The very air she breathed was flavored with his presence.

This total immersion might have terrified her if she’d known and liked her husband any less.

All at once, she felt very glad they had been interrupted before they could complete that Twelfth Night tryst, just as she felt grateful that Valance, of all people, had been the one to run away with her.

Meanwhile, Valance kissed her eyes, her cheek, her ear, her neck. “Nora,” he murmured. “Sweet Nora.”

She shivered and clung to him more tightly. No one ever called her “Nora.” Her parents had always disliked that nickname. Perhaps she would not have liked it if anyone else had called her “Nora.” But when Valance said it? Yes, she liked that very much.

He paused in his loving. “Talk to me, darling. How does this feel?”

“Good. It feels good.” She did not refer to only the sensations between her legs, pleasant though those were. She liked all of this: the warmth, the closeness, the kisses. Even his scent. She sighed happily and kissed the place where his neck met his chest.

“I am glad to hear that,” he murmured. “And perhaps you will like this, too.” He turned onto his side, pulling her with him. Then he slid one hand in between their bodies so he could stroke the sensitive spot between her folds.

Honora gasped. “Oh, that’s clever!” She had not realized he could please her at the same time as he pleased himself.

Valance chuckled, a deep belly laugh she could feel as well as hear. “I must confess I have never been called clever in bed.”

“I meant it as a compliment!”

“I know that,” he assured her. “But you flatter me.” He returned to kissing her, but he kept up the motion of his hand, ratcheting up the tension higher and higher.

Please, Honora thought silently, please I need. . . Before she could recall the right words to describe what she needed, there it was again: the shivers of pleasure, the pulsing muscles, the relief afterwards as the tension left her body.

When her climax ended, Valance rolled them back into their original position. He began thrusting in earnest, with deep, hard strokes. His rhythm changed. Then he buried his face in her hair and grunted as he finished.

They lay together limply, bodies still entangled. Honora’s pounding heart began to slow, just as her sweaty body began to cool.

Valance broke the silence. “That went much better than I expected.”

Honora wondered what, exactly, he had expected. But for once, she was not interested in asking questions. She felt happy, satisfied, and thoroughly exhausted.

Valance moved away, coming to rest beside her. He turned on his side so he could face Honora. “Are you all right? Any discomfort?” He stroked her cheek with a feather-light touch.

“No discomfort,” she assured him. “I thought it was perfect. But I want to sleep now.”

He smiled. “Sleep sounds like a good idea. Do you want me to go back to my room?”

“No,” Honora replied. “I want you by my side.” So, they slept side by side together, like a proper married couple. She drifted to sleep with a smile still on her face.