Chapter Twenty-Five

Back when Avalon was seventeen, his father arranged for him to visit a woman who, so he’d been told, was the best source of information a Crown Prince might need, in learning how to please a woman. At seventeen, Avalon hadn’t quite come into his arrogance. In fact, he remembered being a gawky teenager, all skinny arms, and legs, who almost climaxed on the spot the first time he’d seen Iris’s undergarments. She laughed. He got over being embarrassed and by the time he’d met Louisa, who Avalon intended to marry from the moment he saw her, he and Iris parted ways after enjoying a fun no-strings arrangement where she taught him all he needed to know to keep a prospective wife happy.

He and Louisa had never progressed beyond sweet kisses. She was a gentle born lady from a society family, and while Avalon desired her with every inch of his body, he knew any intimacy at all wouldn’t be possible until after their marriage vows had been said. After the carriage accident that stole both Louisa and his mother from him, Avalon never looked at anyone with desire again.

Until Jasper. There were none of the curves or softness Avalon remembered from his times with Iris before, but it wasn’t the curves Avalon was attracted to. It was the fun way Iris had been with him – her confidence and laughter. Jasper had a totally different personality from both Iris and Louisa, but he had an inner strength that stroked Avalon’s inner fires.

Passing a smirking Duncan, who was enjoying a late-night cigar on the deck, Avalon carried Jasper to his cabin, determined to get his husband warm before anything else. The night air held a chill, and he’d meant it when he said the water hadn’t been warm. Jasper was shivering by the time they made it inside the cabin, but he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave Avalon’s arms.

“Let’s find a couple of towels and get out of these wet clothes.” Yes, Avalon’s voice had deepened. Just the thought of Jasper’s bare skin… Avalon felt a shiver run right through his body that had nothing to do with the chill.

“Let me try something first,” Jasper tilted his head back, his eyes closed. Avalon felt the sensation of being warm and then suddenly he was both dry, and naked. And so was Jasper.

“Gods, Jasper. You’ll unman me in a single click.” Seeking Jasper’s lips with his own, Avalon stumbled a bit, but got them both on the bed, taking care to hold Jasper’s head as they landed on the mattress, making sure Jasper wasn’t squashed with his weight.

How could I have forgotten the pleasure of skin on skin? Jasper was flush against his front, their legs entangled, Avalon’s length finding a snug spot in the divot where Jasper’s hips met his groin. Avalon couldn’t help the thrust, holding Jasper’s butt with one hand to provide more pressure.

Jasper was moaning softly, their lips coming together time and time again. Jasper’s cock was firm against his abs, and Avalon was as aware of that as he was of Jasper’s hands gripping his biceps. But there was more. Avalon struggled to describe it, given how he was caught in the throes of lust and affection. But it was as if he was being embraced by something bigger than him.

“Jasper. Jasper.” Avalon moved away from Jasper’s lips, just a fraction. “Precious husband, what’s your magic doing?”

Jasper’s eyes widened and it was as if his whole body froze. “I don’t know. Holding you? Maybe? Is something wrong?”

“No. No. No, my precious husband.” Avalon smiled at Jasper’s puffy lips and flushed face. “Just a reminder that you are so much more than how you appear.”

He leaned in again, his lips seeking Jasper’s once more. Within seconds things had become heated again. There was so much of Jasper to appreciate. The strong fingers that gripped his arms as if afraid he would move away, the slender body that was both muscled yet covered in smooth soft skin. Jasper was an anomaly – a contradiction – and that made him fascinating in Avalon’s eyes. He was forced to stop the kissing as a moan erupted – Jasper was rocking against him sending tingles right down to Avalon’s toes.

“I’m going to…” he warned in a growl because it had literally been ten years since he’d last orgasmed, and his balls was letting him know that was far too long between sessions.

“Me… too.” Jasper muffled his mouth into Avalon’s neck as his body shuddered and froze. Warmth coated Avalon’s stomach causing his own balls to pulse in response. Avalon’s groan was long and low – conscious that the walls of his cabin weren’t thick – but in that moment Avalon sent a prayer of thanks to the Goddess of Magic and Steam, because he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the sensation of endorphins racing around his body. It was exhilarating, and yet Avalon was filled with affection as he heard a small snore.

It really had been a long day, he thought with a sigh, as he carefully laid his sleeping husband against the pillows, untangling their legs so he could find a washcloth. Cleaning them up, and covering them both with a blanket afterward, Avalon let his mind wander to the absent Louisa.

The only reason Avalon had abstained from intimacy in the years since her death was because he felt a promise made should be kept. From the moment Avalon had met his late fiancé, he’d been smitten. But now, so many years later, with his cabin still smelling faintly of the shared spillage, he smiled in the darkness. Cradling Jasper close he felt nothing but happiness and optimism for what was to come.

I know, my fair Louisa. You’re probably laughing at me right now, wherever you are. And yes, I know you would’ve loved my Jasper, too.