Chapter 17

Chapter 17

For Caroline, the evening had all but lost its sparkle. Gone was the comfort between her and her husband and she found it quite difficult not to blame Edward for it. Caroline was quiet as she allowed her husband to lead her to the carriage.

The carriage jostled as it carried the newlyweds through the darkened streets of London, the clattering of the horses' hooves against the cobblestones muffled by the thick velvet curtains drawn across the windows. Inside, Caroline and Sebastian sat close together, their thighs brushing against each other. Despite the awkwardness that had settled between them, Caroline felt her heart skip a beat every time she felt the warmth of her husband's thigh against her own.

It was after a long while that Sebastian cleared his throat, his fingers fiddling restlessly with the signet ring on his left hand. "Your friend, Mr. Pembroke," he said, his tone careful. "He seems… quite fond of you."

Caroline tensed at this and her heart gave a guilty lurch. Though she knew that she had not done—or said—anything untoward, she had still hoped to avoid this particular conversation. If not for any other reason, then simply because she found it needless.

"Edward and I have known each other since we were children," she said softly, careful to choose the right words. "We were always close—the best of friends, in fact. But… I must admit that he had hoped for something more to happen between us."

She glanced up at Sebastian, trying to gauge his reaction. His face was impassive, his eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the carriage window. "He is in love with you," he said flatly, stating it as a simple fact.

Caroline shook her head quickly, her brow furrowed earnestly. "It is most certainly not love," she insisted. "It is nothing but an infatuation, a passing fancy. Edward always did have a romantic streak and I do believe he is far more enamored by the idea of a childhood love story than he is with me as a person."

Sebastian's gaze cut back to her, sharp and penetrating. "I would not be so quick to write off his feelings," he said simply. "The way he looked at you was far more than an infatuated man. And he did offer to help you with whatever you needed."

Caroline's face flushed at this and she sighed, suddenly feeling quite exposed beneath the weight of his stare. "Even if that were true," she said stubbornly and lifted her chin, "It changes nothing. I am married to you and I have never viewed Edward as anything more than a dear friend. I never wanted to marry him."

Something flickered in his expression at this and Caroline looked at him curiously, a sudden boldness taking hold of her.

"What about you?" she asked suddenly and he looked at her with raised brows. "Were… were there other ladies you courted before Beatrice? Before you married me?"

Sebastian stilled at the sudden question, his expression guarded. For a long moment, he simply looked at her, searching her face as if gauging her reaction. Then he sighed, and shrugged before he looked right at her, his eyes meeting hers.

"Yes," he admitted, his voice low and rough. "I will not deny that there were other ladies. Dalliances, flirtations… But I must also say that none of them ever touched my heart. I have never felt for anyone what Lord Pembroke seems to feel for you."

Caroline frowned at this. "I still do not believe for a second that he loves me," she said simply and looked out of the window. Sebastian merely huffed at this, though he did offer her his arm again when the carriage came to a halt in front of their estate. Caroline shivered as she stepped from the carriage and Sebastian frowned, putting an arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer.

"You are freezing," he murmured, chafing her arm briskly with his hand. "Here, let me warm you."

Caroline hesitated for only a moment before melting into him, savoring the solid strength of his body, the heat of him seeping through the layers of her gown. She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in the clean, spicy scent of his cologne.

Sebastian's hand drifted lower, skimming down her back to settle at her waist. His fingers flexed, digging into the soft curve of her hip, and she felt a corresponding spark of desire flare low in her belly.

Slowly, tentatively, she lifted her face to his, her lips parting on a silent invitation. Sebastian's gaze dropped to her mouth, his eyes darkening with a hunger that sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine.

"Caroline," he rasped at last, his voice strained. "I… I want…"

But before he could finish, the door opened and a footman rushed towards them, wide-eyed. "My Lord, My Lady," he said through shivers. "I apologize for not meeting you sooner, I did not realize you were home…"

Sebastian flashed the younger man a smile and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to compose himself.

"Do not fret," he said simply and glanced at Caroline. "It is freezing," he repeated and jerked his head towards the manor. "I am sure the fire is already burning inside."

Caroline nodded quietly as she followed him inside. Despite the coldness of the evening, a fire was burning low in her belly.

They entered the house in silence, the only sound the soft tread of their feet on the polished floors. Sebastian escorted her up the grand staircase, his hand warm and steady on the small of her back. They came to a halt in front of her bedchamber.

"Goodnight, Caroline," Sebastian murmured, bowing over her hand and brushing a chaste kiss across her knuckles. "Sleep well."

He turned at this, but a sudden boldness took hold of Caroline and she put a hand on his arm, her eyes searching his.

"Wait," she blurted, her heart pounding in her chest with the force of a drum. "Don't go. Please."

Sebastian froze at this and he looked down to face her, his eyes searching over her countenance while a myriad of emotions flickered across his face.

"Caroline," he said as understanding dawned in the place of confusion. "Are you certain? We… we do not have to, there is no rush…"

But she was already stepping closer, her hands sliding up his chest to curl around his neck, her body molding to his like it was always meant to be there.

"I am certain," she whispered fiercely before rising up on her toes to feather a kiss across his lips. "I want this, Sebastian. I want you. I am ready… I am ready to be your wife."

He made a low, guttural sound in the back of his throat and then his mouth was on hers, hot and demanding, his arms banding around her waist and crushing her to him. Caroline surrendered to the kiss, parting her lips under the onslaught of his passion, tangling her fingers in his hair.

They stumbled into the bedchamber together, hands groping and tugging at clothing, pausing every few steps to lose themselves in another drugging kiss. By the time they reached the bed, Caroline's hair was in disarray, her gown gaping open at the back where Sebastian had tugged impatiently at the laces.

Together, they fell onto the bed a tangle of limbs and half-discarded clothing. Sebastian's hands seemed to be everywhere at once, stroking and caressing, igniting sparks of pleasure wherever they touched.

He divested her of her gown with surprising skill, tossing it carelessly aside until she lay before him in nothing but her thin chemise and stockings. His gaze raked over her, hot and hungry, and Caroline felt herself flush under the weight of his desire.

"Beautiful," he murmured, tracing the curve of her breast with a reverent finger. "You truly are a marvel, Lady Casterbridge."

She reached for him, tugging impatiently at his shirt until he obliged her and pulled it over his head, baring the sleek muscles of his chest to her avid gaze. His form was more graceful, more rugged, more seductive than she could have imagined.

He groaned and lowered himself onto her, the heat and hardness of him pressing into the cradle of her hips. Caroline gasped at the unfamiliar sensation, her body instinctively arching up to meet his.

Sebastian captured her mouth in another searing kiss, his tongue delving deep as his hands roamed her body, stroking and teasing until she was writhing beneath him, desperate for more.

And then he was touching her intimately, his fingers delving into her wet heat, stroking and circling until she was panting and gasping, her hips rocking mindlessly against his hand.

"Sebastian," she moaned, her nails digging into his shoulders as the pleasure coiled tighter and tighter within her. "Please, I need…"

He silenced her with a kiss, his free hand coming up to tangle in her hair. "I know, darling," he rasped against her lips. "I know. Let go for me, Caroline. Let me see you fall apart."

His words were her undoing. With a sharp cry, she shattered, her body convulsing around his fingers as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over her. Sebastian held her through it, murmuring soft words of praise and encouragement, his touch gentling as she slowly floated back down to earth.

When she could finally breathe again, Caroline opened her eyes to find him watching her, his expression soft with wonder and awe. "That was…" she whispered, struggling to find the words. "I never knew it could be like that."

Sebastian smiled, tracing the curve of her cheek with a tender knuckle. "Oh, my sweet wife," he murmured. "There is far more than that."

She watched him apprehensively as he positioned his body over hers and he leaned his head forward, resting his brow against hers.

"I will take it slow," he whispered in her ear and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her mouth falling open in a silent gaps as he entered her in a smooth motion.

"Oh, Sebastian," she whispered, her brow furrowing at the strange invasion of her body. His hand moved to cup her face and his lips brushed against hers. Only once he saw that she'd gotten used to the intrusion did he start moving his hips—lifting them slowly before connecting their bodies once more.

Caroline was barely aware of her own hips moving to the rhythm he set, or her hands gripping at his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. His skin was warm against hers, and his hands were everywhere.

Caroline swallowed a moan when his lips met hers again, his tongue delving into her mouth as their hips moved together eagerly, chasing a release.

Her entire body stiffened when an unprecedented pleasure… sensations she'd never felt before took hold of her, a wave of ecstasy crashing over her as his movements sped up. A deep cry left her throat and then they collapsed together, their bodies still connected.

Caroline let out a satisfied sigh when he gathered her into his arms and she cuddled up against his bare chest.

This was where she wanted to be, she realized as their lips met in yet another kiss. Nowhere else.