Chapter 24

CHAPTER24

His voice sent a thrill coursing through her spine, tingling down to her toes. She felt the stirrings of a familiar ache in between her legs where he had touched her so intimately before.

She had always considered herself to be rather bold, quailing before no one, but now, she felt so small, and yet she was not diminished. Rather, she felt as if she was safely ensconced.

There was not a smidgen of doubt in her. This was what she wanted—Evan. All of him.

His face loomed over hers, his blue eyes so dark with desire that they were nearly black. In the dim candlelight, his visage was like that of a fallen angel—so beautiful and yet tinged with darkness.

"Would you like me to put out the candles?" he asked her softly.

She bit at her lower lip. "Is it necessary?"

After all, they had done rather intimate things with only the light of the moon in the shadows of the gazebo. Amy felt that he certainly would not need the light to, ah... find his way.

Evan laughed hoarsely at her hesitation. "No, dearest, it is not necessary, but I want to see all of you, and I cannot do it in total darkness."

Amy flushed at his words. It had been so long since she had stood totally naked before anybody, and for him to want to see all of her...well, it evoked something within her that made her unnaturally shy.

"I can put it out if it makes you uncomfortable," he suggested.

"But you said you—"

"Shh..." he murmured, halting her words by flicking his thumb lightly over her bottom lip. "It does not matter if I prefer the candlelight or not. What matters is that you are comfortable, my sweet, because I want to give you only pleasure tonight."

Only pleasure...

Amy swore her mind nearly went blank at the insinuation of all that Evan had in store for her. If it was anything like their time at the gazebo, she might truly expire from excessive bliss tonight.

He truly was a generous lover, so willing to concede down to the smallest details just to make sure she was all right. She had heard of how husbands would take what they considered their due from their wives with nary a thought for their comfort or pleasure. In return, the wives collected payment in the form of jewelry, frocks, and furs.

But Amy had no patience for fashionable fripperies, and Evan was proving to be so very different from the men of Society. Perhaps, they truly were well-matched in all aspects, for even their preferences seemed to run counter to what was expected of them.

"I think," she finally said softly, "that I would like to see you, too. And I would like to learn from this so that next time—"

He cut her off again with a deep, hungry kiss that had her moaning from beneath him, desperately aching for more.

"I am sorry for interrupting you," he apologized. "I could not help myself when you said that there would be a next time."

Amy flushed at that. Was she truly so obvious in her intentions? But then again, she had no plans of hiding herself from Evan when he made her feel so safe in his arms.

"Have you any idea how beautiful you are and how utterly rare?" he murmured reverently.

When he kissed her again, Amy surrendered freely to him. When she kissed him, she held nothing back, using all the knowledge she had gained from their previous kisses to drive him as mad.

Perhaps that is my sole purpose on this earth, she mused, to drive him mad…

Their tongues tangled in a heated battle for dominion, and just as Amy thought she was finally getting the upper hand, Evan dragged his lips from hers to trail a hot path to her ear. He nibbled on her earlobe, and she sighed, the sensation strangely sensual.

I did not know that my ear could feel like that...

Her hands dug into his shoulder, bunching the fabric of his shirt in her fists as he trailed lower still until he reached her neck. He kissed her gently, flicking his tongue on a sensitive spot that made her gasp, her eyes fluttering close.

"Evan..." she murmured.

He laughed, the sound deep and sensual. "Relax, my sweet. We are just getting started, and I plan on taking my time with you..."

Amy mewled in complaint at that. What did he mean by taking his time? Was the man going to dally about when every fiber of her being was calling out for his touch?

He tugged at her neckline, exposing her chest to the cool night air. For a moment, she reflexively moved to cover herself, but he held her wrists and pinned them on either side of her head.

"Do not ever hide yourself from me, Amy," he told her. "I intend to know you fully before the night is over."

He dragged his lips past her collarbone as he pressed open-mouthed kisses to the soft swelling of her heated flesh. He let go of her wrists as his hands came up to cup her breasts, gently kneading them. She felt his thumb flick over the tip of one, and she cried out, involuntarily arching into his touch.

More... dear God, don’t stop!

He continued to tease her breasts, and yet she felt like she could not have enough of his touch. She arched into him, softly urging him on like the shameless wanton she had become.

"Do you like that, my sweet?" he asked her.

"Oh, dear God in heaven, yes."

Her emphatic declaration was met with a low chuckle before she felt his mouth close upon one rosy peak. When he sucked the stiff flesh into his mouth, her mind went blank save for the intense pleasure that seized her.

"Evan!" she gasped. "Evan, please..."

His other hand continued to tease her other breast as he laved and sucked at its twin. Meanwhile, his other hand wandered down the length of her body, boldly tracing the curve of her waist and the flare of her hips.

She vaguely felt the hem of her shift being dragged upwards, past her legs and her thighs. The shock of her intimate parts being exposed to the cold air combined with the attention Evan lavished on her chest caused her to shudder.

Was it possible to feel so many things all at once? Amy feared that she was going to go mad from her whole body being bombarded with all sorts of pleasurable sensations.

She voiced out a complaint when Evan pulled back, only to realize that he was pulling her shift over her head before carelessly discarding it to the side.

"My God, how can you be so beautiful?" he groaned, his eyes worshiping the length of her.

Amy was glad she had agreed to keep the candles burning, or she would never have seen how desire played out on his face. Evan might say that she was beautiful, but he was the most wondrous thing she had ever seen. Even Michelangelo’s David could not possibly compare to the work of art that was Evan Hatcher.

She had heard that the old Duke of Leonbridge had been a hard man—the kind of man that Amy herself would have disliked if she had the misfortune of meeting him, and yet he had managed to sire one Evan Hatcher, and for that, she acknowledged that the man had perhaps contributed a great deal to the world.

After all, a world without Evan would have been one of bleakness and despair.

He leaned in to kiss her again, and Amy coughed a little. He pulled back from her with the most endearing frown she had ever seen.

"Is something amiss?"

She pointed at his shirt. "You are still dressed."

Almost as soon as she said that she blushed fiercely. She did not mean to be so demanding, but she wanted to see him, too! It was not fair that she was lying on his bed naked as the day she came into the world while he was still fully dressed.

He smirked at her. "Would you like to help me out of my clothes?"

He was teasing her again. She reached out to do just that, but he was quicker than her. He quickly divested himself of his clothes. The moment her eyes landed on him, she felt that Michelangelo had missed out on the perfect model for his David.

But then again, she was not keen on sharing him with the rest of the world, so it was just as well.

Evan crawled back to her, kissing her softly, wiping out the train of thought that had begun to wound through her mind.

"Whatever it is you are thinking," he growled, "I only want you to think of us right now. Of this."

She gasped when she felt his finger slip in between her legs, searching out the place that ached so terribly. Evan took advantage and kissed her deeply, drinking her moans as his fingers began to move expertly on her flesh, stroking her in a way that made her go crazy with the pleasure he was drawing out from her.

Her eyes shut close as she felt the familiar stirrings of passion building up within her. Already, she had lost control of her body as she clung to him, her hips moving towards him as her breath came out in mewls and shallow gasps.

And then, just as she was about to rush headlong into the peak, she felt his hand stop. She let out a loud sound of complaint, but she only heard him chuckle in reply.

Her eyes flickered open just as she felt him parting her thighs as he knelt in between her legs. Shock coursed through her when she saw him lowering his face towards her most intimate flesh.

"Evan, what are you—"

The first stroke of his tongue had her crashing back to the bed.

The second drew out a shuddering moan from her.

Her hands fisted the bed covers as he began to kiss the center of her desire, his tongue boldly stroking her folds, darting in quick strokes in between gentle nips that had her moaning and gasping, writhing on the bed as his name spilled from her lips like a fervent prayer for something she could not name.

"Evan... oh Evan, please... please..."

But he was merciless even as she sobbed his name, until finally, with a loud cry, she exploded in a burst of light, cresting upon a wave of sheer carnal pleasure. Even then, he did not stop, urging her to ride wave after wave of that blinding, dazzling heat until she finally collapsed, breathless.

She felt him cover her body with his own, felt his lips raining soft kisses on her face. He called her beautiful, amazing—as if it was not him who brought her to heights that she had never thought were possible.

Amy opened her eyes to find Evan looking at her reverently.

"My sweet Amy, you are magnificent," he murmured.

As they lay there, she felt his hardness poking at her thigh, and she frowned. She was quite certain that up to her last climax, he had never taken his own pleasure of her body yet.

He had yet to make her truly his.

"Evan, I—what about you?"

He chuckled. "Have you become insatiable now, my dear? I would have you catch your breath before I steal it all over again."

Amy scoffed inwardly at that. As if the man had not stolen her breath over and over and over again. Truly, his stamina was a remarkable wonder.

She shifted from under him, feeling her inner thigh press against his male hardness, and saw his expression twist as if in pain.

"Are you all right? Did I hurt you?" she asked anxiously.

"No, my dear. Rather... I am doing my damnedest not to take you too soon and too fast."

Amy looked up at him in wonder, reaching out to cup the side of his face gently. "How could I have been so lucky to find you?" she asked him softly.

He groaned and shifted over her. She felt something poking in between her legs. It was Evan.

He pressed his knee in between her legs. "Open up for me, my sweet," he urged her softly. "Please, Amy."

No man would ever ask of his wife to be granted certain privileges to her body, but Evan was already seeking her permission and not taking her by force—even when it was becoming clear to her that he was exerting the most restraint.

How could she resist him when he was asking her so nicely?

But still, there was a strange nervousness coiling in the pit of her belly, so she kept her eyes on his as her hands reached up to his shoulders.

She felt him—hard, hot, and insistent—inching slowly towards her. She bit her bottom lip as he prodded at her opening, suddenly nervous. Suddenly shy.

She averted her gaze from him, hoping he would not see her faltering.

"My sweet, please do not look away from me," he told her hoarsely. "I want to see your eyes..."

Gingerly, she raised her eyes to him as he pushed into her. She gasped out loud, her eyes wide open in shock, but Evan was right there with her almost immediately, raining soft kisses on her sweat-drenched face, murmuring soft words of reassurance.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked her, concern marring his handsome features. "You feel so delicate. I feel like a brute..."

"No," she admitted. "It feels a little... strange, I must admit."

He laughed hoarsely at that. "Well, that is something I have never heard before, but it is much better than hurting you."

As he talked to her, he began to inch slowly into her. If she so much as winced even just the tiniest bit, he would stop. It felt interminably long before he finally managed to sink fully in her, sheathed to the hilt. Evan let out a soft groan, his muscles straining under her fingertips.

For her part, Amy felt the discomfort of something new, but at the same time, she felt complete. As if this was what she had been waiting for her entire life.

Slowly, he began to move within her in slow, shallow strokes. The discomfort she felt began to fade, and soon, she felt the familiar sense of pleasure building within her. However, this time, it felt so much more intense.

She released the tense hold her teeth had on her bottom lip, and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Evan seemed to take this as encouragement as he slowly began to lengthen his strokes before plunging deep within her in a rhythm that had her moving with him.

Together, they created a symphony of intermingled breaths and sighs, their bodies moving in an intricate dance that was as old as time itself.

Amy felt as if she was an instrument in the expert hands of a maestro with Evan drawing the most beautiful music from her.

"Evan..." she moaned as she felt the familiar sensations push her closer and closer to the edge. "It’s... oh, Evan..."

"It is all right, sweet one," he grunted, his hips snapping into hers. "I am right here with you. You can let go."

Amy was not quite sure what he meant by letting go, only that she felt like she was aflame, burning white hot. Any minute now, she felt like she was going to burst from all the wonderful sensations she was feeling—all of them both familiar and new.

But was this not exactly how she felt with Evan? Even if she thought she had him all figured out, he always managed to show her something new.

She closed her eyes shut, surrendering herself to the pleasure he was giving her and taking for himself. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she held onto him for dear life, and still, he continued to ride her onward until finally, she burst into brilliant blaze. His name left her lips in a triumphant cry as her body bowed off the bed.

Evan let out a low growl as he sank into her one last time, calling out her name hoarsely as she felt his warmth fill her.

Together, they laid there for a moment, finally joined. Evan dropped his head to her shoulder, his lips pressing a soft kiss to the bare skin. It was several moments later when he finally caught her up in his arms and rolled them over to the side.

He kissed her temple softly. "Rest well, my sweet," he murmured.

She let out a hoarse laugh. "How can I after all that?"

"If you are not tired after all that," he mimicked her in a low growl, "then perhaps I might not have done it right."

She flushed and ducked her head into his chest. "All right. Let me catch my breath for a bit now."

"Good," he smirked. "For we have a long night ahead of us."

It seemed that Evan was just as insatiable as she had become. In Amy’s opinion, that was a good thing.

Hopefully, it would carry on well into the future.