Epilogue

EPILOGUE

“ A re you sure it is all right to slip away like this?”

Aaron nodded, helping his wife into the carriage.

“They will be fine without us for a bit. Or they can even begin the wedding breakfast without us; I do not particularly care. all I am currently concerned with is getting a moment alone with my wife. I had to share your company with them, and now, I’m expected to go to long congratulatory breakfast with our friends and family? I am not waiting for a few more hours to have you in my arms.”

There was an underlying message of his intent in his words, and it caused a rush of heat in Selina’s cheeks.

“It is not as though I would have gone anywhere,” she said quietly as the carriage began to move, taking them toward the Crauford estate. “I am yours, Aaron. I assumed that would go without saying, seeing as we were only married moments ago.”

His eyes darkened, and he pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to the corner of her lips, trailing several more down her neck and nibbling a particular spot that pulled a startled gasp past her lips.

“I know that, wife. I am well aware of the meaning the ring on your finger carries. As such, I saw no problem taking my wife home to consummate our marriage,” he stated matter-of-factly.

His brazen behavior filled her with excitement, and she grinned, pressing closer to him as she fluttered her eyelashes at him, her tone sultry as she said, “As I recall, you never hesitated to do whatever you wished to me in the past.”

He stared at her, and his grip on her waist tightened slightly as he growled, “You cheeky minx. Do not tempt me to take you here and now. And you have no idea how many times I had to keep myself from taking your virtue, all those times you were flush against me. It might have not been obvious, but every ploy to seduce you often came back to bite me tenfold. You are dangerous for my health.”

She beamed up at him, her hand reaching up to caress the strong lines of his chin.

“That virtue is yours now. All of me now belongs to you to use however you like. You are my husband now, Aaron. You have no reason to hesitate or hold yourself back. I want to be yours in every sense of the word.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when his lips crashed onto hers, swallowing her gasps and moans as she melted into his grasp, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck. He somehow managed to get her into his lap, his stiffening manhood obvious beneath her bottom as he whispered into her ear,

“Tell me, wife. Do you still crave excitement? Are you still eager to be shown a new world? Are you willing to explore pleasures untold with me?”

She nodded feverishly, sighing as his hands caressed along her sides.

“I want… whatever you’ll g-give me. I want all that you want to share, everything you wish to teach me. You — you said you would keep wooing me. Surely you have no intention of stopping now that you have me,” she murmured, running her fingers through his hair.

“Absolutely not,” he replied, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. “If anything, I am going to increase my efforts. I am going to make it so no one else can live in your mind. No one but me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of having it otherwise. Not when you’re all I need,” Selina whispered, feeling lightheaded.

“Good.”

The carriage came to a stop in front of the Crauford estate, and Aaron let out a deep exhale.

“Finally,” he groaned, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her neck, inhaling the sweet floral scent that had haunted his dreams for nights on end. “My self-control was starting to go awry.”

For some reason, she had assumed he was exaggerating, but then, after she stepped out of the carriage, he lifted her into his arms to carry her inside their new home.

“Aaron!” she squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck quickly.

“I do not think you understand how hard it is for me right now, resisting every tempting part of you that is mine to claim. I am not wasting a second more,” he grumbled, ignoring the staff caught off guard by his presence.

Selina hid her face in his neck, both embarrassed and oh so filled with lust for this man who knew just how to get under her skin with a mere handful of words.

“Hurry up then,” she muttered as he carried her up the stairs toward where she believed was his private quarters. “Show me exactly how affected you are.”

The next thing she knew, she was pressed against a door, breathless as his mouth devoured hers in a deep kiss.

Aaron’s hands seemed to be everywhere at once. Tugging at her dress, tracing the curves of her body through the soft fabric, running through her hair, angling her chin just right, so his tongue could smoothly tangle with hers.

Her knees could barely hold her up as she felt her whole-body tremble, the heat of his skin already threatening to consume her.

“I want to feel you,” he muttered against her neck, his nimble fingers undoing the opening of her dress at her back. “I want to taste you. I need to prove to myself, once and for all, that having you here, in my arms, is better than my dreams could have predicted.”

“Do it,” she moaned, tugging at his jacket, heat unfurling in her stomach as he pulled away briefly to shrug off the article of clothing, tossing it aside as though it had offended him. “Do it all, Aaron. I want it all. I want you so much.”

He grunted and finally tugged her dress off, leaving her in only her undergarments. He froze as she reached for his cravat, standing obediently as his wife undid it and let it slip out of her fingers smoothly, his hands coming up to rest on her hips as she pressed closer to rid him of his shirt.

“I want to see you too. Do you know? After that day that we went hunting… I’ve longed to feel your skin against mine. I want to learn everything about you, Aaron. The stories behind every scar, every memory that gives you joy, every thought that has left you conflicted. Will you let me?” she asked, peering up at him through her lashes.

He shivered as her fingertips lightly brushed his skin while she slipped his shirt off his shoulders, and it filled her with no small joy to see that he was just as affected as she was.

“Whatever you want,” he declared hoarsely, his fingers curling around her chin to tilt her face back slightly as he kissed her softly. “Whatever you want, my love. I will give you that and more.”

Selina pressed little pecks to his cheeks and jaw, her fingers tracing the dips and grooves of his toned body.

“I want to worship you,” Aaron murmured, lifting her into his arms again and carrying her to the bed. “I want to commit every part of this to my memory. I want to make sure you feel every bit of my love. But —”

“I know,” she hushed him gently as he sat on the bed and held her, so she would straddle him. “I know that you also want to ravish me as well. I told you that I would gladly take whatever you give me.”

Selina could feel the tension beneath his skin and knew all too well how hard he was trying to stay in control.

“You can worship me anytime. With you, there is no chance of me not feeling loved, no matter what we do or how we do it. I just want you, my love,” she added gently, looking into his eyes.

That seemed to be the final push he needed, and he twisted around to drop her onto the bed. He had stripped her of her corset and chemise at some point, and now, she lay in his bed, mostly bare, except for her stockings and the necklace he had gifted her.

“You are so beautiful, my wife,” he groaned, lightly sinking his teeth into the juncture of her neck and shoulders, the action making her moan. “Immensely so.”

He kissed down her chest, sparing a moment to mouth at her breasts, sucking on a nipple as his hand caressed and groped the other. She arched into him, already so dizzy with want. There was an ache within her, flaring to life as he settled between her legs, trailing kisses over her thighs.

“Aaron, please,” she begged, curling her fingers into the sheets.

“Not yet,” he murmured, rising up to sit on his heels again. “I want us to share this, my love. Think of it as you wedding gift to me.”

Selina whined as the pressure that had been building up to deliver her right into the arms of pleasure began to disperse, but she quieted down soon after as Aaron began to undo the opening of his breeches.

Selina’s desire was met with a flash of nervousness as he revealed his member. It was just as manly as the rest of him, leaving her with an urge to either mount him or flee.

As perceptive as always, he kissed her gently, whispering softly.

“I’ll go slow. It will hurt at first but not for long. Trust me.”

“I do,” she mumbled in assurance as he held onto one of her hands.

With his free hand, he lined himself up to her entrance, his eyes not leaving hers as he slowly pressed inside. The pain was all she knew then, stretching, tearing, and aching as his manhood filled her up.

Then, the moment passed, leaving behind dull discomfort. Aaron leaned down, pressing kisses over the crown of her head, and she looked down, pleasure stirring up within her once more as she saw that they were joined together.

More, she wanted more.

“I — you can move now, my love,” she urged him, her tone breathless.

He pressed his lips to hers, imploring gently,

“Breathe, darling. You’re all right.”

Selina nodded, blinking as she realized her vision had grown blurry, causing tears to run down the corners of her eyes. Aaron kissed them away, and she ran a hand up his arm to rest on the nape of his neck, lightly gripping the hair there.

His kisses soothed her nerves, but they were set alight again as he pulled out of her almost completely and then plunged deep.

Selina gasped, tightening her grip on his hand while his free one found purchase on her hip, holding her in place to meet his every thrust.

“Darling,” Aaron groaned, sinking into the wet heat of her body, “you feel… so good.”

His pace became faster, drawing out whimpers and moans from her lips as she writhed beneath him, her skin flushed.

The pleasure was immeasurable, stealing every form of reasoning from her mind, leaving the desire for more.

“Do you feel good, Selina?” he asked huskily, smirking as a particularly rough thrust ripped a loud moan from her throat. “You fit perfectly on me. It’s as though you were made just for me. To be mine.”

She nodded, an incoherent babbling mess as he sped up once more, the obscene sounds of the flesh and heavy breathing filling the air around them.

Just as Selina had begun to feel her release approach, Aaron began to slow down, causing her to whine in complaint.

He chuckled, leaning down to kiss her, the dance of their tongues momentarily sating her. When he pulled back, he pulled his hand from hers, smiling apologetically when she made a noise of confusion.

“I just remembered something I’d told you before.” he explained, bracing his hands on her hips.

He sat back, somehow managing to pull her into his lap as he did so, ensuring that they remained connected.

“Do you remember? What I had said then about how a man could make you feel good?”

Clarity returned, along with his voice that felt as though it had come from forever ago, bringing back a memory she had fought to forget to no avail.

“He could steal your breath with a kiss. Keep you pliant and wanting more if he had you in his lap, so he could hold you close. He could touch you as he pleases — in ways you never expected to drive you out of your mind.”

“Aaron…” she uttered, unsure if it was meant to be a plea for mercy or for more.

“I promised, in front of our families and friends today, to take care of you. And I will. In every way I know how,” he mumbled, mouthing along her jaw.

And then he thrust up into her.

He filled her much deeper this way, filling her up so nicely she could swear she felt him everywhere.

His hands were firmly gripped on her hips, bringing her down to meet every rise of his hips, thrust for thrust.

Selina felt as though she was speared and stretched on him, the pleasure taking over her mind again, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, unable to hold back her cries.

She was quickly coming undone, and so was he, evident by the sheen of sweat covering his skin, the way his grip turned bruising, and how he kissed her as though he wanted to devour her whole.

“A-Aaron —”

“I know, love. Me too.”

Their pleasure was shared, perfectly taking and giving, and when the release came, it claimed them both. Selina threw her head back with a deep moan, body stiffening in her husband’s embrace as he buried his face on her neck, his grunt primal and low.

Their bodies shuddered as the waves of ecstasy washed over them, and then, they fell to the side, breathing heavily. Aaron pulled out of her and gathered her into his arms, burying his lips in her hair.

“My goodness,” Selina sighed, melting into his embrace.

“Such a glowing review. I’m honored,” Aaron teased.

“As you should be. I do not compliment just anyone, you know.”

Aaron chuckled, ducking in to steal a kiss.

“I love you,” he whispered as though he wanted no one else but her to hear it.

She smiled at him and pecked his lips.

“I would hope so, my dear. Seeing as you might have to carry me around for the rest of the day — including to our wedding breakfast.”

“Mmn,” he groaned, burying his face in her neck. “I do not wish to leave this bed. Not for another three days at least.”

The contentment she felt in her bones made it easy to understand where her husband came from.

“If you can pull yourself together for our wedding breakfast, I’ll let you keep me here for a week afterwards if you like,” she offered.

“Ha,” he snorted. “If I like.”

He was silent then he said, “Ten more minutes. Let me hold you for ten more minutes, and then we’ll go.”

Smiling to herself, she nodded. “Ten minutes then.”

Although she agreed, the soreness in her hips told her she might need more time to recover.

But the overwhelming love in her heart helped her burrow deeper into her husband’s arms and mumble sleepily.

“I love you, Aaron.”

Aaron’s lips pressed against her forehead, a lingering kiss relaying every facet of his feelings.

“I know, darling. I love you too.”

The End?