Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

M orning sunlight filtered through the windows, bathing Oliver and Alexandra in a warm glow as they lay entangled in bed.

The linens were rumpled, blankets strewn all over the floor—they were the only witnesses to what happened last night.

Oliver woke up first. His body was still tender from the bruises he had sustained in the boxing match last night, and he knew what he would see if he looked at himself in the mirror. However, there were other, more delicious things that he wanted to look at.

At the moment, his focus was on his wife. It was his first time seeing her asleep, just as unguarded as she was last night. Her face was soft and peaceful, as if she had no worries in the world.

She was a virgin. He had seen the faint streak of blood on her thighs, which he’d wiped away with a damp cloth before they drifted off to sleep.

No man had claimed her before, and it made him feel guilty for suspecting her of betraying her vows. It also made him feel proud.

Alexandra was his, and he wanted her to know that he was hers.

Her eyes opened slowly, her lashes brushing her cheeks. They immediately met his, and a blush crept up her face. Oliver brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, wanting to see more of her.

“You’re a puzzle, Alexandra. Do you know that?” he murmured, smiling down at her as he propped himself up on his elbow.

“Oh? And would you still want to unravel me?” she asked teasingly.

He liked her that way. He liked her every way, especially last night.

“Tell me something, then. Something about you that I wouldn’t guess,” he urged, his fingers trailing down her arm.

Alexandra looked away for a moment, considering her answer. “My brother Julian. He… He was the one person who always understood me. When he was gone, I was unmoored, and Father only saw me as an object to barter.”

Oliver’s breath caught at the sadness in her voice. He had seen her fiery side, combative and stubborn. He’d even seen her happy side. But this side… it was raw.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. His fingers wrapped around her arm and squeezed comfortingly.

“Thank you, but it’s been years.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t feel sad about it.”

She gave him a small smile. “When I play the piano, I like to think that Julian is still with me. Both he and Mother.” Her voice was laden with grief, but her eyes had lit up when she gazed at him. “What about you? Is there anything you can tell me about you that nobody else knows?”

Oliver gazed at her, frowning. She too had lost her mother, though from what he’d gathered, she actually had a relationship with her, unlike him. And she’d lost her brother too, finding herself trapped with her bastard of a father.

Sometimes life took a lot more than it gave.

“Sometimes, I wonder,” he admitted, “if all of this—the title and the obligations that come with it—was meant for me. If my sister had not intervened, I would have been living in squalor, or the blackguards of Devil’s Draw would have murdered me.”

Alexandra studied him thoughtfully, chewing on her lower lip. All he wanted to do then was to kiss her lips again, press her into the mattress, and make love to her all morning—duties be damned.

“You have the command and authority of a leader, but you are also kind to the people who work for you. You are fair, Oliver. I might not have asked questions, but I’ve seen the way you treat your servants,” she said earnestly. “That being said, you are also the most infuriating man I know.”

Oliver laughed. He liked that the tension between them had dissipated. He realized just how at ease he was with his wife.

Imagine that.

A whole year had passed before he could finally say that.

The easy companionship remained even in their outings. They were no longer pretending. This was real.

And he hoped it would stay that way for good.

It was another ball. The old Alexandra would have pouted in private and seethed in public, while exchanging snide remarks with her husband. But that evening was different.

Oliver’s attention no longer strayed from her. She thought he was blatant the last time, but now he had thrown discretion to the wind. She no longer questioned his intense gaze. She longed for it. She reveled in it.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with glee even as he tried to suppress his smile.

When he offered her his arm, she took it enthusiastically. It now felt natural to stand beside him. There were no worries weighing her down as they danced and mingled with the ton .

Between dances, Oliver leaned in close, his lips grazing her ear. “I must admit that I rather enjoy this,” he whispered, making goosebumps rise on her sensitive skin.

“This?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Being here. Dancing with you. Being by your side,” he replied, his voice deeper, more intimate.

Now that they had become intimate, his words carried more weight. The hand on the small of her back no longer felt strange. It was meant to be there.

But as a J. Lewis composition played in the background, Alexandra felt her blood run cold. Nothing was quite as perfect as it seemed.

She still had her secret to keep and her father to save, even if the wastrel was not worth saving.

Alexandra lay on the bed, her chocolate-brown hair spread over the dark pillow. Oliver stood over her, his chest heaving. He was as naked as she was, his manhood hard and ready.

“Oliver, come here. Come to me,” she panted, her voice a sultry whisper that he did not recognize.

It sent shivers down his spine.

His eyes traced every curve of her body before he kneeled between her legs. He trailed his fingers over her inner thighs, smirking when she trembled under his touch.

His lips crashed against hers. As always, the kiss was desperate and hungry. Their tongues danced together, exploring each other. Tasting. Ravishing.

This time, he had other plans. He trailed kisses down her neck, softly nipping her skin as she squirmed beneath him. He held her hips as they bucked. Pride surged within him as he realized that she needed him as much as he needed her.

But he was not done yet. He licked down her chest, her nipples, her navel, and then, finally, he stopped at the juncture of her legs.

He looked up, seeking permission even as passion seemed to have overtaken him. She flushed and nodded, allowing him to slide one finger into her. The gasp that escaped her lips made him harder than he had ever been.

“Oh,” Alexandra breathed, her head lolling back and her hips moving to the rhythm of his finger.

Oliver added a second finger, stretching her gently while his thumb rubbed circles over her clit. He could tell that she was getting closer to her release as her hips bucked against his hand.

“Please,” she begged, her voice cracking with a need so intense. “Make me yours again.”

“Come here,” he growled as he lifted her over him.

His member sprang up, hard and throbbing. Alexandra watched it with wonder. She circled her fingers around it, marveling at its heat, length, and girth. Oliver helped her position herself above him, aligning his shaft with her core.

Slowly, she lowered herself onto his hard member, savoring the stretch. The feeling of being filled by her husband completely. She watched in awe as he disappeared inside her inch by inch.

Oliver moved his hands to her breasts, loving their weight in his palms. He kneaded the globes as she began to move over him.

“You feel incredible. Your heat. Your beauty,” he groaned. “The perfect fit.”

Alexandra could only moan her agreement as her movements became frantic. Oliver watched her beautiful face as she sought her release. He was exhilarated by the orchestra of heavy breathing and slapping flesh.

This was music.

Alexandra leaned down to kiss his lips. Their tongues tangled together, even as they continued to move as one. They had perfected their rhythm, his thrusts meeting hers.

“Yes, yes!” Alexandra cried out as she broke the kiss to arch her back.

He felt her body tense up and her core tighten around him, the ripples causing him to follow soon after.

Oliver held her hips as he spilled his seed deep inside her, shuddering with a grunt of triumph and pleasure. He had never felt like this with any other woman, as if his soul was bare while his body basked in the pleasure.

“You know, I didn’t think this was possible. Us. Like this,” he confessed after their breaths had evened out and she collapsed on his chest.

“Neither did I,” she admitted, her finger tracing the line of his jaw.

Oliver knew that he would do everything to keep it that way between them.