At the peak, glittering light blinded her and she cried out. Such
fierce rapture. Such glory.
Such love.
Vaguely through the swirling storm of passion, she heard Sebastian’s deep groan. He shuddered and plunged deep, spilling liquid heat inside her. For a long moment, he held himself taut before he slumped over
her, his body heavy with satisfaction.
Alicia lay in a haze of physical sensation. So this was what a man’s possession could be. She’d been a wife for eleven years, yet she’d had no idea. No idea at all what she’d missed.
The air was redolent of their lovemaking. It was as if she breathed the memory of pleasure. She tightened her grip on Sebastian’s back, feeling the sinews flex as he settled himself against her without
withdrawing. She’d never felt so close to another person. For the first
time in her life, she felt whole.
The fire burned low, leaving the room in twilight. Alicia stared up at the ceiling, watching the shadows gather. Nothing could dull the glow she felt. She felt made anew. She felt capable of conquering the world. She felt tired and languorous and ready to sleep for a week. Maintaining the long pretense that she cared nothing for her husband had exhausted her, like a huge weight dragging behind her wherever she went.
Right now, she felt lighter than air. Free. Fulfilled.
With sudden desperation, her fingers dug into his back. Oh, dear heaven, don’t let fate take Sebastian away now that she’d discovered him again. Not now that she was finally woman enough to be his wife in every sense.
He’d undoubtedly wanted her when he’d taken her. Not even the most inexperienced woman could have assumed otherwise. But had Sebastian intended this night to be a last goodbye to an unhappy past? Or had they taken the first step in a long, joyful journey together?
***
Kinvarra gasped for breath, his heartbeat drumming wildly in his ears. An ocean of satisfaction flooded his body, even as he cursed himself for losing control. He’d planned to take his time, prepare Alicia, raise her
to peak after peak of ecstasy before he sought his own relief. But when he’d touched his wife’s naked body and read desire in her shining eyes, he hadn’t been able to hold back.
He’d been hungry, even hungrier than he’d been as an eager boy, although at least this time, praise the angels, she hadn’t closed away in fear. Instead she’d achieved her own delight in his arms. He’d felt the way she tightened, milking him, and he hadn’t mistaken her broken cry as she’d arched to take him deep in the final moments.
His big body still pressed her into the mattress. She must feel crushed, suffocated. He was a swine not to shift away.
But how sweet it was to lie here in the aftermath, to let his hands wander her silky skin, to listen to the soft music of her breathing, to rest
surrounded by Alicia.
Heaven couldn’t offer an eternity of bliss purer than this moment. Making love to his wife offered a profundity of experience he’d
never known. He’d grieve forever if this was the sum of happiness allotted to him. If he was to possess her only this once.
Tonight they’d moved from hostility through a brittle trust to a conflagration of rapture. But was this truce only a pause in ongoing warfare? Or could it form the foundations of a life together?
He prayed so, but years of futile yearning had taught him not to rely on the promise of happiness.
Just like that, reality descended. He and Alicia had enjoyed blazing pleasure tonight, but it didn’t answer the larger questions. He needed her commitment beyond one tumble between the sheets, no matter how earth-shaking that tumble was.
He’d wanted this woman since he’d first seen her. And as more than his lover, however powerful his desire. He wanted to know her as the other half of his spirit. He wanted to build a family with her. He wanted to grow old at her side. Nothing in ten years of separation had changed that.
But he was wise enough now to know that wanting wasn’t enough. He could probably compel her to return to him. After all, the law
was on his side. But for all his faults, he’d never been a bully. And he couldn’t bear to have her hating him again. He’d glimpsed something in her eyes tonight that had set his heart dancing. Although after being hurt for so long, it was impossible to be sure.
Could he face letting her go if she rose from this bed and announced she went back to London alone?
He might not be a bully, but the primitive who skulked inside him howled denial at the prospect of losing her again.