Protection (25 page)

Oh, how he’d missed the feel of her breasts filling his hands. The gentle curve perfectly
fit his palm, the velvety texture of her areola teased his fingers, and the tip grew
and hardened with his touch. As he ran his thumb in circles around one perfect nipple,
her breath came in soft pants.

“You’ve missed this, too, haven’t you?” He met her glittering green gaze, and Lisa
nodded.

Lowering his head, he nuzzled her with his cheek before brushing his lips across the
soft peak. After running his tongue over and around it several times, he drew it into
his mouth, unable to suppress a groan of satisfaction. Suckling, softly at first then
with increasing pressure, he growled possessively, revelling in both the sensation
and her cries of delight. Not wanting her other breast to feel neglected, he covered
it with his hand, shaping and moulding it before tweaking the nipple with his thumb
and forefinger.

Her body arched off the bed, and he smiled against her warmth before covering her
legs with one of his own. Rocking against her thigh, he sought relief for his aching
member, not that he expected to receive any for some time. With Lisa murmuring her
approval, he continued to make love to her breasts, kissing, tasting, teasing. Her
hands alternated between tangling in his hair and roaming his shoulders and back.
Twining her legs with his, she ran her feet up and down his shins and calves, moving
sinuously against him and making no secret of the enjoyment she received from his
touch, his caresses, his body.

It was a heady knowledge.

When her whimpers became cries of frustration, Nathaniel moved to do her bidding,
stroking his hands along the smooth skin of her thighs. They both shuddered when he
cupped the soft curls covering her sex, his fingers sliding between the slick folds.
While his mouth continued to tug and tease her nipples in turn, he slowly traced the
opening to her body with his fingers. Feeling her wet and wanting beneath his touch,
he gently entered her with his fingers, mimicking the action he would make when he
moved inside her. With her body trembling with need, Nathaniel wasted no time setting
up a rhythm of slow strokes while his thumb swirled in circles around the pleasure-inducing
bud hidden at the apex of her curls.

Lisa’s moans filled the air, as a rosy flush spread across her chest. While she held
him as if she had no intention of ever letting go, Nathaniel kept up the combined
assault of fingers and thumb on her sex and lips and tongue at her breasts. Her breath
quickened. Then with a gasp, she arched beneath him, her body freezing in place as
she hovered on the precipice. He stroked more quickly, smiling as she crested the
peak. Holding her close, he continued his intimate caresses while she rocked against
him, her cries of completion keeping time with the pulses squeezing his fingers. Only
when her body lay spent upon the bed did he cease his efforts, trailing a path with
his lips from her breasts to her mouth.

“Oh.” She sighed. “That was wonderful.”

Their gazes met, hers slumberous and temporarily satiated and his dark with yet-to-be-satisfied
desire.

“But I want you to feel it, too, Nathaniel . . . with
me . . .
inside
me.”

“So do I, sweetheart.”

Running her fingers down his back, she urged him closer for a kiss that began as a
soft nuzzling of lips but soon became heated with desire. To his surprise, he felt
her slide a hand down his torso, moving lower . . . and lower until she reached his
aching shaft. Her fingers encircled him, squeezing and stroking in the way he
had taught her.

“Lisa.” He groaned, and her gaze rose to his.

“It’s all right,” he said when she went to pull away. “I just need you to go slowly,
or I’ll be finished before we begin.” Holding still as she caressed him, Nathaniel
acclimatised himself to her touch, if such a thing were possible. Lifting up on one
elbow, she looked down at where her pale, slender fingers encircled his darker flesh.

“Oh my.” Her gaze met his before returning to view the evidence of her effect on his
body. He bore her scrutiny and touch for as long as he could before rolling them over
and nestling between her thighs. The feel of their bodies pressed together, skin to
skin along their entire lengths, was even better than he recalled.

“I love you.” Lisa smiled up at him. “So very much.”

“As I love you.”

He kissed her again, tenderly at first and then with a hunger that bordered on desperation.
To his relief, Lisa’s breath soon came in pants, her desire quickly rekindled. With
her hands stroking his back, she raised her thighs to hug his hips, opening herself
to him. It was the action of a woman confident in her body, sensual and experienced,
but as soon as she had done it, she froze. Lifting his head to meet her gaze, Nathaniel
could practically see the self-doubt rising within her.

Reassuring her the best way he knew how, he guided himself to her entrance and pressed
forward. Then, moving slowly for fear of hurting her, he joined their bodies. The
feel of her silk and velvet sheath encasing him pushed him right to the edge. Panting,
he rested on his elbows to keep his weight from pressing too heavily on her smaller
frame while he staved off his release. When he opened his eyes, he was pleased to
see the anxiety gone from hers.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?”

“For not making me feel ashamed of wanting you.”

“That’s cause for rejoicing, not shame.”

“Good.” She smiled and rocked her hips against him. “Because I want you so badly.
I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it feels to have you inside of me.”

“Nor I you, but I fear I won’t last very long.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ve got as long as you want . . . or need.”

Nathaniel smiled. His wife was an astonishing woman, but he had no intention of taking
advantage of her generosity in such a way. With his resolve to make this, what should
have been their first
time, both memorable and mutually satisfying, he began to slide slowly in and out
of her body, penetrating deeper as she gradually opened to him. With her hands resting
against his chest, she stared up at him while her hips moved in perfect counterpoint
to his. The feel of her skin sliding against his increased Nathaniel’s passion tenfold,
tingling shocks of pleasure racing down his spine and settling low in his groin.

Holding off for as long as he could, Nathaniel groaned when Lisa’s body began to pulse
around him. Arching her back, she cried his name, a look of joy sweeping across her
delicate features—and he quickly withdrew. His climax was almost painful in its intensity,
his body shuddering as he held her close while she trembled in his arms. When he was
finally spent, he rolled onto his side, drawing Lisa with him and making sure to keep
the small towel he’d used to protect her from his seed between them.

“Nathaniel?” She rose up on one elbow after their breathing had returned to normal.
Not worrying about modesty, she let the sheet fall to her waist, and he was momentarily
distracted by the sight of her luscious breasts.

“Nathaniel,” she repeated, a hint of censure in her tone.

“
Hmm
?” He lifted his gaze to hers, smirking to show he wasn’t the least chastened.

“Why did you withdraw?” she asked, and his expression sobered.

His desire to wait to start a family had been strengthened by what he’d learned at
the charity home. He had been shocked to discover how many young women died as a result
of giving birth before their bodies were fully matured. While Lisa was nineteen, no
longer a child, her hips were still slender. Added to his concern was the knowledge
her mother had lost several babes, eventually succumbing to childbed fever after giving
birth to Lisa’s brother, the boy only surviving a few days. All things considered,
Nathaniel was in no
hurry to start a family, not when losing the wife he loved more than life itself was
a possible outcome.

Mirroring her position, he rose up on one elbow and brushed his fingers down her cheek.

“We discussed this, remember? I asked if you would mind waiting a while to have a
babe, and you agreed.”

“Yes, but you didn’t need to withdraw. I took care of things.”

“You
took care of things?”

“I used the sponge you gave me.” She bit her lip, her expression uncertain.

“You kept it. Why?”

He hadn’t meant to sound accusing, but Lisa sat up, clutching the sheet in front of
her.

“The same reason I kept the pictures I drew of you, of the two of us together, even
though I thought you were going to marry Lucinda.”

“To remember us by, of course. I just didn’t expect . . .” His words trailed off,
and Lisa moved farther away.

“You didn’t expect me to use the sponge now that I’m your wife not your mistress.”

“Well, no.”

Lisa dropped her head, and he was shocked to see her blinking, as if she was fighting
tears.

“Sweetheart.” He sat up and put an arm around her shoulder, drawing her stiff form
against his shoulder. “Please don’t be upset. You just took me by surprise. I didn’t
think you would be comfortable using such a method now that, well . . .”

“Now we both know I’m a lady, not a commoner.”

He nodded.

“I don’t see why not,” she said, a hint of defiance in her tone. “It works—at least,
it did in the past—and you don’t have to, you know.”

“You prefer it when I don’t withdraw?”

“Don’t you?”

“Well, of course, but I’ll make whatever sacrifices are necessary to keep you safe.”

“Safe?” Lisa frowned. “Safe from what?”

“A premature confinement. I want us to wait, not only to give us time together as
husband and wife before expanding our family, but until your body is fully
matured.”

“Nathaniel, I’m nineteen
.
I think my body is as mature as it is going to get,” she said flatly.

“I spoke with a doctor, several actually,” he admitted, and her brows rose. “The consensus
is waiting until a woman has passed her twentieth birthday by a year or two to conceive
reduces the risks involved with childbirth. I considered suggesting we postpone the
wedding, but I feared the King would use a prolonged delay to sway you to his will.”

“Sway
me?” Lisa raised her chin. “You think I am so easily diverted that my affections could
be transferred to another if we’d been forced to wait?”

Nathaniel barely restrained a snort. “No, of course not. You’re one of the most single-minded
young ladies I’ve ever met.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that I fully expect you to love me to the end of our days regardless of my lack
of tact.” He spread his hands by way of apology while wondering how this conversation
had so swiftly gotten out of hand.

“What I
meant
to say was I feared the King might find a way to force
you to his will if given the chance,” he said, hoping to mollify her with his explanation.
“I knew you weren’t averse to my using precautions, and in all honesty, I don’t think
I could have waited another day to make you mine . . . again.”

Lisa’s expression softened, her lips twitching with the hint of a smile.

“So you’re not offended
by my using the sponge?”

“Why would it offend me?” Nathaniel frowned. “I feared
you
might find the process distasteful. It’s not something gentlemen normally ask of their
wives.”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Well, maybe they should. I imagine it is a lot more reliable
at preventing conception than withdrawing at the last possible moment. Plus, it has
the added bonus of our not having to stop after the first time.”

Nathaniel couldn’t hide his shock. “You’d like to make love again . . . more than
once?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

Groaning, he ran his hand through his hair. What he wanted
and what was acceptable husbandly behaviour were two different things.

“That’s very kind of you, but it’s not necessary.” He smiled, hoping to reassure her.
“You’ve had a long day and need your rest.”

Lisa opened her mouth, but he silenced her with a kiss, as he highly doubted he could
resist a second offer. She really was too generous for her own good. Rising from the
bed, Nathaniel dealt with the towel and then quickly donned his nightshirt. Collecting
her gown from beside the bed, he looked up to find Lisa watching him.

“Was it not to your liking?” she asked. “Was I too forward?”

“No!” He sat beside her on the bed. “It was perfect, as are you. I just don’t want
you to think I expect more of you as my wife than is reasonable.”

“Reasonable.” She nodded slowly. “You said wives were cold, unfeeling, and took no
pleasure in marital relations.”

“Which just goes to prove how much of an idiot I can be.” He kissed the tip of her
nose. “But you need have no fear of my taking advantage of you or behaving inappropriately
as your husband.”

Lisa looked like she might argue again, so he pushed the gown into her hands.

“This doesn’t look comfortable for sleeping with all that lace. Would you rather I
collected one of your older gowns from your dressing room?”