Her eyes widened and her hands fell to his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh.
He pushed harder, her snugness enveloping him until sweat broke out on his forehead. It was instinctual to bury himself as deep and as hard as he could within her. It took everything he had to hold back and not to obey the overwhelming urges that bombarded him.
Her face puckered and doubt crept into her eyes when he persisted and she began to stretch around him. Then she winced and at that precise moment, he pushed through with one forceful stroke, seating himself inside her.
Her cry of pain was like a knife to his heart.
He went completely still, allowing her to adjust to his invasion. He kissed her face, her forehead, her eyes and nose, any part of her he could touch.
“Shhhh,” he crooned, even knowing she probably wouldn’t see what he said. “I’m sorry, so sorry. It will be over soon.”
He rested his forehead against hers and sucked in deep, steadying breaths as his body raged at him to take her, to possess her, to make her irrevocably his in the most primitive fashion possible.
After a moment she stirred beneath him, moving restlessly as if trying to alleviate the pressure between her legs.
He reared back so he could gauge her expression.
Her brow was still wrinkled with strain and he touched his finger to one of the lines, smoothing his finger across her forehead in a gentle manner.
“ ’Tis all right if I move now?” he asked. “I won’t move until you say me aye.”
“Maybe just a little,” she said hesitantly.
He smiled and then withdrew the barest of inches. It was the most exquisite torture imaginable. Buried inside her and yet unable to do more than move the tiniest amount.
“Did that hurt?”
She shook her head. “Nay.”
He could tell she wasn’t telling the truth, but she was making such an effort to hide her discomfort that he didn’t refute her denial.
“Move with me,” he said as he slid forward once more. “Wrap your legs around me. Hold me close, Eveline.”
It came out a hoarse plea that he knew she wouldn’t pick up on. He sounded desperate, not at all like the solitary warrior he’d been for so long. In that moment he was glad she couldn’t hear, because he didn’t like the vulnerability in his own voice.
Tentatively she wrapped her legs around his hips. He closed his eyes and her hands slid warmly over his chest and to his shoulders. There was nothing more pleasurable than her touch. He needed it. Desired it more than anything.
He began to thrust, tightening his jaw to maintain control. After only a moment he was already in danger of spending himself and he’d barely begun.
Determined to make it as pleasurable as possible for the both of them, he forced himself to maintain a steady rhythm, but when she reached up to touch his face in a silent plea and he saw the need in her eyes, he was lost.
Over and over he plunged into her velvety heat. His muscles strained with effort. His entire body tightened unbearably until he was sure something would break.
“Eveline, Eveline,” he whispered as he lost himself in the sweetness of her embrace.
Slowly he melted over her body, his flesh conforming to hers as they both struggled to catch their breath. She’d reached her woman’s pleasure a second time, but he couldn’t even say that had been his aim at the very end. He hadn’t been able to register anything but the mind-numbing explosion that had wracked his body.
Now he collected her in his arms and rolled, holding her close. Their bodies were still connected and he was content to remain a part of her for as long as possible.
As she lay quietly beside him, nestled into his embrace, he stroked her back, caressing and soothing her trembling body.
So this was what it was like to be completely at peace, body and soul. To find solace with a woman who was more than just a warm, willing body to lie with.
He hadn’t expected such a thing. Never would he have imagined feeling this way about the bride who had been forced upon him.
As he glanced down at her golden head, he couldn’t imagine it any other way. He didn’t want to imagine being without her.
CHAPTER 27
When Eveline awoke the next morning, sunlight was streaming through the window and right onto her face. She opened her eyes, then rapidly blinked and shut them again before turning her face away.
Who had pulled the furs aside?
She soon had her answer when the bed moved. Eveline’s eyes popped open again to see Rorie sitting on the very end, her eyes brimming with impatience.
“There you are,” she said. “You’ve been sleeping for ages. I didn’t think you’d ever awaken.”
Eveline blushed and made certain the furs stayed tightly arranged over her very naked body. The truth was she hadn’t been sleeping for ages at all. Graeme had kept her awake most of the night with his hands and his mouth … She shivered in remembered delight.
The first rays of sunshine had begun to peek over the horizon by the time she’d drifted off to sleep. Graeme had kissed her and then had risen to dress. He hadn’t bothered sleeping since he was due in the courtyard at dawn.
After the first time he’d made love to her, he’d insisted that she would be too sore for him to take her again, but that hadn’t stopped him from pleasuring her the entire night.
She’d achieved release so many times that when he’d finally eased from bed, she’d been asleep before he’d fully left the chamber.
Yawning, she clutched the furs tighter around her and struggled to sit up.
“Why are you here?” Eveline asked Rorie.