She nodded. “I drove you away.”
They must never have told her the truth. As much as he hated to whine and complain, she deserved to know he had not been given much of a choice in leaving her. “No, Rothwell did that.”
She peered at his face. “What does my cousin have to do with us?”
“He took pains to send me back to my ship that night in quite a state. I was warned to stay away from you, by him and others since. Since Rothwell used his fists to do the explaining, I did not wait onshore long enough for your brothers to find me and deliver their own similar warnings.”
“Oh God.”
“Water under
the bridge,” he promised her, meaning every word. “We cannot remake the past, only our futures. Make love to me tonight?”
“I thought you would not ask my permission. That you would take me no matter what I said to oppose you if we were ever alone again.”
“I was a fool. I could never force you to do anything,” he whispered, stroking the fine hair around her temple. Allowing his love for Sally to expand and thrive. “Not even to forgive me.”
He wished she would, but for now having her in his arms, in his bed, was enough.
“Make me remember what we were like before, Felix.”
He drew her more tightly into his arms and held her close. “Gladly.”
She leaned her head against his chest and allowed him to loosen her gown. He eased it over her shoulder and kissed her skin. “I always loved this moment. Undressing you.”
“I preferred the ones after.”
“I remember that very well.” He smiled down upon her, loving her with every part of his soul. “I do not want you to be disappointed in me. Give me tonight, and we will see if reenactment matches our memories.”
He slid his hand down her back, squeezed her bottom, and jerked her hips forward. He was already hard and aching. He had always been like that around her. He rotated his hips a little, grinding her sex against his erection.
“Yes,” she whispered, fingers curling around his head.
Felix rushed to undress her fully, carefully laying aside her gown and underthings at the foot of the bed. When he turned back, she helped him to undress completely too, and they quietly lay down side by side again before they began to kiss.
The taste of her was the same as they moved into a rhythm of kissing and brushing against each other. They had done a lot in bed together in the past, arousing each other to the point of madness. Tonight was no different as he cupped her breasts and took one nipple into his mouth. He sucked and teased until she moaned, pulling him closer with one arm.
Her other fingers wrapped around his length and stroked him firmly, the way he had taught her to excite him years ago. She was, quite frighteningly, even better at arousing him than she had been before.
He switched breasts and lavished her with attention, doing his best to ignore the skill and enthusiasm of her hand.
He slowly moved his hand down, sliding over her curves until he reached her thighs. He brought one leg over his and then slowly teased his way between her legs. Sally sped the movement of her hand as he caressed the opening of her body. She was wet already and his finger slid inside her easily. She arched her back and gasped as he teased her with one finger before adding another, then he added a little twist to every thrust, making his thumb brush over her clitoris.
They curled closer together as they pleasured each other with their hands, and the present was not exactly as passionate as their past. All-consuming bliss surrounded them. A cannon could probably be fired and they would not miss a stroke.
Sally kissed him and did not stop until he was moments away from completion.
She clenched around his fingers, gasping his name as her body shuddered in the grip of her release.
Her grip eased a little, but all too soon she was rushing to bring him off. Sliding her hand up and down his length, brushing her thumb over the tip in a way that made him insane.
She cupped his balls.
Felix groped for the sheet beneath them, yanked it up just enough to cover the head, and spilled his seed into the cloth. He panted hard, lost in the wonder that was making love to Sally again.
God, he loved her. He had never stopped wishing for these stolen moments. Never stopped hoping that one day he would have a second chance to win her back.
After a moment, Sally snuggled into him. “Felix?”