Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

T heodore walked into the manor, holding his wife's hand. It was later, and the hallways were lit by dim oil lamps that served only to lead the way through the house. Adeline would be asleep already, as would most of the household.

The Duke led Christine straight to the stairs, and they ascended together, neither of them talking. They strode down the hallway to the Duke's room and entered. He closed the door behind them, and it was only when he did that Christine let out her breath.

Her heart was filled with joy, but her mind was still trying to catch up. She had gone from not being in love with the Duke to loving him and not having it returned to being in love with the man who was in love with her. She knew it was good, but it would take some getting used to.

I do not have to pretend anymore.

The Duke turned from the door and stepped close to her again, taking her around the waist and pulling her body into his. He kissed her again after kissing her a dozen times in the coach on the way back to the manor.

"We should share this room," the Duke announced. "I will make preparations tomorrow to have your belongings moved in here, and we will not be apart again at night."

"Yes, I would like that," Christine said.

She did not have room yet for the happiness it would bring her, but she understood that it was a wonderful thing for them to do. They were in love, and they would be together in everything they did for the rest of their lives.

"Please say it to me again," Christine begged.

Theodore smiled. He placed a hand on her cheek and caressed it gently. "I love you."

"Mmm, I love you too," Christine moaned. "I shall never become tired of hearing that. You planned the perfect day for us."

"It is not over yet," Theodore said. "It is not over by a long shot."

He picked up Christine and took her to the bed, tossing her onto the soft mattress. Christine gasped and then giggled. She pushed herself back a little bit to get her feet fully on the bed, and then she looked up at the Duke, standing like a mighty oak at the foot of the bed.

Theodore stood there for a moment, looking Christine up and down. His gaze was a ray of sunshine that traveled up and down her body, bathing her in light. It started on her toes and worked its way up to the top of her head.

The Duke followed the warmth, reaching down to remove Christine's shoes and then stockings. He could have pulled them off by the toes, but he reached up to her thighs and pinned the fabric between his fingers, tickling the inside of her leg. When he pulled the stockings down, he made sure to run his fingers all the way down both legs.

"Oh, my goodness," Christine sighed. She could not believe how good it felt.

The previous time they had made love was magical, but Christine already knew it would be much better this time. She had discovered on the previous occasion that she was in love with him, and it had heightened the pleasure, but knowing that he was in love with her did so much more for her.

The bed creaked as the Duke knelt on it. The stockings had come down, but the dress had to go up. He took his time with her, not the frantic movements when they had made love against the wall. He took the hem of her dress and drew it up her legs. He stopped to kiss her knees before continuing to lift her dress. He stopped again to kiss the insides of her thighs, and then the dress moved over her sacred garden, exposing her to him.

"Mmm, please say it again," Christine murmured.

"I." A kiss to her left thigh. "Love." A kiss to the right. "You." A kiss between them.

Christine gasped and arched her back, moving at the tiny peck from the Duke. Then, the dress was on the move again, rising up over her stomach, then breasts, and Christine shifted her body to allow the Duke to remove the dress from her body completely.

Christine was naked, but she was not nervous. She could not wait for her husband to be inside her again, and they could make love while being in love. He brought his lips down to her again, kissing her gently, but the passion was growing in both of them. Christine could feel it in her chest and see it in his eyes.

"I need you," Christine told him. "I can't wait any longer."

"You will have to wait a moment more, my love," the Duke replied.

"Mmm, my love ," Christine echoed. "I love the sound of that."

The Duke leaned in again and kissed her gently, and she could smell his musk. The woodiness reminded her of their walks through the estate, and there was a fresh citrus aroma that was reminiscent of the tarts they had consumed after lunch earlier.

When he moved from her, Christine felt the coldness that lingered in the air.

"Please don't tarry," she begged. "I need your warmth."

"You shall have it," he replied.

Christine did not have time to lift her head to watch him undress before he was mounting her again, his unclothed body warming her far more than any blankets would. He snaked his way up her body, kissing her again and pressing his warm skin to hers.

She felt them become one as he lowered his body onto hers, his tight muscles complimenting her soft curves, and even before he entered her, it felt like he was inside her.

The kisses came again, but they were more frantic this time. With the shedding of his clothes, he had also shed any inhibitions holding him back. He pushed his lips to hers with force, and Christie let herself go. She wrapped her arms around him, digging her fingertips into his skin, and then she raked her nails down his back as he kissed her neck.

The Duke nibbled on her shoulder like a small animal, then became a large, fiercer animal as he pawed at her, roving his hands over her body to claim every inch of it.

"I am yours," Christine moaned.

"Yes, you are mine," he confirmed. "You are all mine."

"Then take me," she begged. "Make me feel our joy."

The Duke brought his lips close to her ear. "I love you," he whispered.

Goosebumps riddled her body, jumping up everywhere to be calmed by his hands as they passed over. She did not think anything could make her fill with more emotion than the words had invoked, but when he finally entered her, she was almost split in two with the river of feeling that coursed through her body.

Christine arched her back again, pushing her body up into the Duke's, thrusting his manhood deeper within her until he could enter her no more. Christine flopped back to the bed with the Duke atop her, impaling her with his rigid rod.

"Yes!" Christine gasped.

The Duke did not tarry. He lifted his rear and then plunged her depths. Christine moved her hands from his back to his rear, gripping him like a ball of crumpled paper she meant to toss into the fire. When he plunged her again, Christine helped, keeping a tight hold of his buttocks and pulling them toward her.

"Oh, yes!" she gasped.

It felt like a tree had been planted within her with every rhythmic stroke of his hips. His manhood was the trunk, and every time he entered her, branches, leaves, and flowers sprouted through her body. He thrust again, planting a tree in her moist garden. Then again and again and again.

Christine kept one hand on his rear and reached out with the other to grab a handful of sheets, squeezing both with ferocity. The Duke growled atop her, and Christine squeaked. He devoured her with his lips, taking her neck, cheeks, breast, and mouth.

Christine swam in an endless warm ocean, rocking up and down on the waves, peaking and then diving back down and then up again over and over, floating ever higher.

Then, a new warmth erupted inside her, and she felt him fill her. It sent her over the edge, and when she swelled upward again on the highest wave, she exploded with the climax that accompanied it.

Her body shook, almost moving the bed as she trembled and waited beneath him. Christine's lips found his, a boat in the storm, and they anchored her as much as they were able. She screamed and moaned and kissed him, her tongue licking at his and then a squeeze of his rear as he pulsed within her, and she had to move her head to the side to scream out as the orgasm racked her body.

And then silence except for the rising and falling waves that were her chest. She breathed deeply, in and out, relishing the touch of his body atop her.

"I don't have to pretend anymore," she gasped.

"What?" the Duke asked.

Christine smiled and then chuckled.

"No, nothing," she said, laughing again. "We are in love, and that is all that matters."