He unbuttoned her gown, continuing to kiss along the skin he exposed there, the silky fabric of her chemise. When he pushed the dress forward, she wiggled out of it and heard him let out a little groan.

She peeked over her shoulder as he cupped her hips, rubbing his hands over the fabric and her skin beneath, rocking her against him as he wordlessly looked at her.

“I’m never going to tire of seeing you like this, of touching you like this,” he growled, suddenly possessive and dark.

Her eyes widened. “You can’t promise that.”

He slowly turned her so she faced him again. He cupped her cheeks and met her stare. “Yes, yes I can. I can promise that because I know that it’s true. You will always be desired, Thomasina. I will always crave you and the only thing that will set me free is touching you. And watching you come. And feeling you around me and in my arms. Forever.”

Her heart thudded at that vow, spoken as seriously as the ones that had made her his wife had been. Only this one was more personal. And while it might not be the declaration of deepest love that she secretly wished for, it was certainly a step she hadn’t thought he would take and definitely not so soon.

Her hands shook as she lifted them to cover his. “And I will always set you free, Jasper. I will always welcome you.”

She lifted to him and he met her halfway. Their mouths collided again, this time not slow or gentle as they had begun. This time she felt his need, she felt his desire…she felt a hint of desperation that she didn’t fully understand. But she would take it. That hungry desire for her was something she would always take, even though she wanted more. But for now, it was what he gave and she had to be satisfied with that.

Jasper’s heart throbbed as he slid his fingers beneath the thin straps of Thomasina’s chemise and dragged it down her body in one smooth motion. There was nothing more powerful than unwrapping the gift that was her body. And it was a gift, just as she was a gift that had been unexpected in his life but was most definitely wanted.

He stepped back as the chemise pooled at her feet with her gown. She wore no drawers beneath, so she was naked now. Naked and achingly beautiful. He reached out to trace a hand along the curve of her breast. When he stroked over her nipple, she arched with a hiss of pleasure.

The smile that curved his lips was not something he could control. She did that to him, along with so many other things. He was beginning to forget what his life had been like before all that. It was certainly a sharp demarcation in his life. Before Thomasina and After Thomasina.