“I wonder what else you might like,” he said after he pulled on her nipple with his teeth. “I’m looking forward to discovering all of it.”
Elizabeth saw the determined glint in his eyes and knew that the teasing was over. He started taking her hard, harder than he did at the inn, and she held on to his neck and shoulders, biting into his now naked skin to keep quiet but also to relieve some of the incredible tension that was mounting inside of her. When she finally reached her release, she sobbed into his mouth, and tears started running down her face.
“Yes, Elizabeth, yes, oh Lord,” her husband threw his head back and closed his eyes as he thrust into her one last time. She felt him jerking and spurting inside her, and she savoured the feeling, although she was still crying.
“Are you crying?” Colin asked a few moments later, horrified. “Have I hurt you?”
He kept running his hands over her body as if that would help him discover the wound he imagined he’d accidentally inflicted on her.
“No,” Lizzie protested, “I’m not hurt, or sad. I don’t know why I’m crying, to be frank,” she admitted, embarrassed.
“Are you being honest with me? Please. You shall tell me if I do anything that causes you pain, won’t you?”
The uncertainty and worry in his voice made her heart feel tender.
“I promise,” Lizzie said and hugged his waist as strongly as she could.
He stood stiffly at first, but then he relaxed and returned the hug. His chin was on top of her head, and she could hear his heart thundering in his chest as she pressed her cheek against it. She felt him kiss her hair, and she smiled. The seed leaking out of her was starting to feel wet and cold. She squirmed, and Colin let her go.
“I should clean up,” she said.
He looked her over one more time and smiled like the cat who got the cream.
“You really should.”
She gave him a reproachful look but couldn’t hide her own smile. He helped her pull her dress down and get down from the table. Her legs were wobbly again, since she was not used to keeping her legs in that position for longer periods of time.
“You know, I’ve never ridden a horse,” she told him.
Colin barked an incredulous laugh.
“Would you please explain why that comment just came to your mind?”
Elizabeth looked down as she tried (in vain) to smooth her dress a bit.
“I was just wondering whether ladies who ride have less difficulty keeping their legs apart.”
“Ladies would normally not sit astride, so riding or not, they wouldideallybe unused to keeping their legs open,” he said with an amused face.
“I say we are the ones who need to practice holding our legs open, and men can ride astride,” she said seriously as she exited the room, and smiled when she heard her husband’s merry laughter behind her.
*
That night, she heard a soft knock on the door leading to Colin’s room just as she was done braiding her hair. With inexplicable excitement tightening her stomach, she went to open it. It made no sense to her. They had just eaten dinner together two hours ago. Why was she so nervous?
“Good evening,” Talbot said haughtily, but she could tell that, underneath the bravado, he was nervous as well.
“Hello,” she replied clumsily and moved aside to let him enter.
Talbot looked around like it was his first time seeing that particular room. Elizabeth decided to be brave and got into bed. Her husband followed. They both blew out their candles, and then the fireplace was the only source of light in the room. Elizabeth felt Colin undoing her braid.
“I find it most upsetting that you were unable to unlace my dress so quickly earlier,” Lizzie said, emboldened by the dark.
Colin said nothing for a while.
“Are you jealous, wife?” he finally asked with a smile in his voice.
“Yes!” she said and got up on her elbows, turning to him.
