“No—Rich—Oh—” The words came out broken and gaspy as Christiana collapsed back on the bed and twisted her head, her fingers pulling at the sheets so violently she feared she would rip them. That fear wasn’t enough to stop her tugging, however, as he did things to her Christiana had never even imagined.

Did all husbands do this? Was this what the marriage bed consisted of? Dear God, she’d been missing out on so much, Christiana thought dazedly, finding herself alternately grinding herself into his caress and still struggling to escape it. The depth of passion he was pulling from her was almost terrifying this time, perhaps because she didn’t have him to hold on to in this position and as much as her body responded, her mind was looking for an anchor in the storm.

There was no anchor to be had, however, and when he slid a finger inside her to join his tongue’s caresses, Christiana screeched and bucked like a wild thing, her body suddenly exploding as wave after hard wave of pleasure tried to pull her under.

Much to her relief, Richard moved up her body after that, crawling to cover her. Christiana immediately wrapped her arms around him, holding on for dear life as her body shivered and quaked beneath his. She groaned and held on even tighter when she felt him enter her, her legs instinctively wrapping around his hips, and her heels digging into his behind to urge him on as he began to build a new fire in her even before the last waves of the first had died. Spent as she was, all Christiana could manage at the start was to cling to him like seaweed, but as her excitement built anew, some of her energy returned and she began to move with him, shifting her hips to meet his thrusts, taking him as deep as she could manage.

While Christiana had been wholly uncertain she liked this part of the consummation when he’d entered her the first time, she now reveled in it, enjoying the way their bodies joined, how he filled her, how her body clung to him, trying to prevent his escape and then welcoming him back at each return. She thought they should do this all night and kept thinking that right up until they both found their release again, and even as she drifted off to sleep once more, satiated, spent and smiling.

Chapter Nine

Richard had been pacing Daniel ’s parlor for several minutes when the other man finally made his appearance. Before he could cry out the “Finally!” that was trembling on his lips, Woodrow rushed forward, saying, “What is it? What’s happened? My valet said you told him it was an emergency and urgent that you speak with me.”

Richard nodded. “Where is—” he paused to glance toward the still open door and then almost whispered, “—the you know what ”

Daniel came to a shuddering halt, his face going blank for a minute before he asked, “You mean—” he too paused to glance toward the door, and then whispered, “—the you know who?”