Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

O ctavia’s heart raced as Simon placed her on the edge of his bed and gently kissed her lips before pulling back.

A low fire crackled in the hearth, filling the air with a welcoming warmth that diminished the evening chill.

She allowed him to reach behind her back and untie the ribbons that held her dress in place. The fabric slipped from her shoulders, exposing her milky flesh in the dying light of the fire.

Placing his hands on her upper arms, Simon guided her up, kissing her deeply when she came to her feet.

“I want to hear how much you want me…” he whispered against her lips before kissing a path down her neck.

The fabric of her dress pooled at her feet, exposing her corset and chemise as she shivered with pleasure.

“I want you more than anything else… I need you to touch me.” Her voice was barely audible as he undid the loops of her corset, causing her breasts to spring free.

Gripping her chemise with both hands, she lifted the garment above her head and tossed it aside, allowing the Duke to drink in her naked form.

“God, you are beautiful…” Simon reached for her breast, gently kneading the flesh before taking her nipple into his mouth.

Soft moans of pleasure filled the air as his tongue worked the rosy bud, flicking back and forth at the same pace he’d used on her core. Placing her hands behind his head, she gently caressed his hair, tilting her head back as she sighed with pleasure.

Drawing back, the Duke smirked seductively at her before removing his shirt and breaches. The garments were tossed to the side, landing in a heap beside the bed.

Her pulse raced with desire when she saw his arousal in the flickering light of the fading fire.

She reached instinctively, but Simon stopped her, placing his hands over hers and guiding them back to her sides.

“Not yet, there is something else that I want to do with you first.” He ran the back of his fingers over her cheek, using his thumb to caress her bottom lip.

Her breathing deepened when he came closer and drew her into his arms, placing his hands firmly on her buttocks before lifting her onto the bed.

The softness of the sheets kissed her bare skin as he smiled down at her, drawing his fingers between her breasts.

“This will only hurt for a moment, but I promise to go slow.” He held her gaze, whispering before dipping his head and kissing her neck.

Waves of exhilaration engulfed her body as she shut her eyes and allowed him to explore her body. Tangling her fingers with his, she allowed him to place her hands beside her head on the sheets as he sucked on her nipples.

Taking his time, he teased her breast with his tongue, gently dragging her hard nipples between his teeth. Coming up straight, he placed his hands on her knees and parted her thighs, positioning himself with her legs on either side of his body.

Octavia gasped with surprise when he lifted her foot beside her head and kissed her ankle before working his way down and stopping at the back of her knee.

“I want you to close your eyes and take a breath. The pain will soon be replaced with pleasure…”

He lowered her leg back to the bed and touched her hips, holding her firmly in place as he lowered himself onto her body.

A sharp pain shot through her loins, creating a searing fire in the pit of her stomach when Simon began to move. The movements were painful at first, but the sensation was quickly replaced by one of pleasure.

Placing her hands on the back of his neck, she opened her eyes and looked into his, seeing the pleasure she felt in her loins mirrored on his face.

“Octavia…” Simon gasped through labored breaths, thrusting harder when she lifted her hips to meet his pace.

Her lips parted with pleasure, releasing the moans that filtered up from the pit of her stomach.

Reaching for hands once again, Simon laced his fingers between hers and picked up the pace, grunting with pleasure as they moved together as one.

Pleasure began to build between her thighs the faster he moved, spurring her on as she panted for more, whispering his name against his lips. “Simon…”

Feeling as if she were about to explode, Octavia watched as his face contorted with pleasure.

Crying out loud, Simon suddenly went rigid, his muscles contorting against hers as she also reached her climax. Moving swiftly, he withdrew from her and placed his hand between her thighs before placing one of his fingers in her core.

Darkness suddenly burst with light as she shut her eyes and rode the waves of pleasure, crying into the night when he fell against her body, moving his finger back and forth with his body angled to the side.

“Oh, Simon!”

Her breath stopped for a second as her face turned red, contorting with pleasure from the height of her orgasm.

Simon lay panting on her chest as she struggled to regain control of her breathing. In all the ways she had pictured the moment, nothing had ever come close to the pleasure she had experienced from his touch. She felt lighter than a feather with her body molded against his.

Turning his head to kiss the side of her breast, Simon spoke softly. “Does it still hurt?”

She shook her head and smiled before whispering a response. “No.”

The corner of his mouth hooked into a smile as he made his way up her body and propped himself up on an elbow.

“Good.”

Turning on her side, she continued to smile and looked into his eyes. The pearls and pins that had been holding her hair in place lay scattered across the sheet, and her hair fell in her face.

Tucking it behind her ear, Simon continued to smile at her with a contented look in his eyes that mirrored the feeling in her chest.

“As for your question from earlier… there aren’t any other men that I grew up with. Timothy Reed is the only man who was my friend, but I don’t think we will be socializing again after his behavior.” She smiled reassuringly at him as he moved the tips of his fingers over her face.

“Good,” he answered gruffly, moving his finger down to her chest and drawing circles on top of her breast.

“And you?” She questioned, hoping he wouldn’t be angry with her for being curious about his past.

The embers in the fire were just about dying when he ran his fingers over her hip, following the path with his eyes. “I do not have any female friends that I talk to at balls.”

Octavia smiled and pressed a kiss against his cheek, lingering for a moment as she breathed in the scent of his skin.

“No, I don’t mean friends. How many lovers have you had in the past?” Her heart fluttered in her chest despite the closeness of the moment.

Simon seemed to consider her words before placing his hand under her chin and angling her face toward his.

“I will not lie to you, Octavia, there were a few. But I will never shame you publicly as my parents did to each other. They flaunted their affairs about the ton as if they wanted to hurt each other…”

“And in doing so, they hurt you,” she finished his sentence for him and reached up to stroke his cheek.

“Yes.” Simon placed his hand over hers, shifting closer as he held her hand against his chest.

The subtle and rhythmic beating of his heart flowed through the tips of her fingers, reaching her chest. She hadn’t imagined herself ever being this close to Simon, not even in her wildest dreams. Now that she was lying in his bed, she realized just how much she had thought of him since their wedding. She didn’t care if he had lovers in the past. She wanted to be his last.

“Simon, what if I want this to last?” she asked him hesitantly, keeping her eyes fixed on their hands.

“What do you mean?” He sounded more than a little sleepy as he gripped her hands tighter.

“What you said to me on the night of our wedding. What if I don’t wish to take a lover? What if I want things to be like this forever, just you and me?” Her voice quivered slightly as she spoke, revealing the trembling that she felt in the pit of her stomach.

What if he rejected her and stated his intent to take a lover? She suddenly regretted her question as her mind raced with all of the possibilities. He prized discretion, but that didn’t mean that he never wanted to take a lover.

Tilting her face toward his, Cassin searched her eyes. “You do not have to take a lover if you do not wish. Things can continue between us, but this still does not mean that I wish to sire an heir. If you can accept things as they are now, then I promise to never stray from our marital bed.”

Her heart fluttered uncontrollably.

Children?

She hadn’t given the subject any thought. Did she even want them? Something in the depths of her soul prickled at the back of her mind. A motherly instinct that she hadn’t ever been aware of prickled at her thoughts.

He can change. He’s already beginning to change.

She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and let out a breath.

“Octavia, is that something you can agree to?” He lifted her chin once again and forced her to look into his eyes. “I can give you what you want, just not that.”

Swallowing hard, she thought of her life without him by her side. “I want you; I can’t say anything else right now, but I do know that I want you. I want us to continue learning about each other. Perhaps we could even travel after the honeymoon. I would like to see Scotland as your wife.”

Simon drew his thumb over her lips with a veiled expression in his eyes. “That can be arranged.”

She forced a smile before snuggling against his chest and allowing him to reposition her body when he turned on his back. Placing her ear against his chest, she listened to him drifting off to sleep with every rhythmic breath.

Would all of this be enough to keep her content at his side? The notion of him changing his mind still seemed like a possibility to her. He had changed so much since the day of their wedding, perhaps in time, he would change his mind about this.

She hadn’t even considered the concept since the night of their wedding, yet deep in her heart, she knew that she wanted his child.

Sleep crept in like a thief in the night as she drifted off into a cloud of endless possibilities.