“Caroline,” he said as understanding dawned in the place of confusion. “Are you certain? We… we do not have to, there is no rush…”
But she was already stepping closer, her hands sliding up his chest to curl around his neck, her body molding to his like it was always meant to be there.
“I am certain,” she whispered fiercely before rising up on her toes to feather a kiss across his lips. “I want this, Sebastian. I want you. I am ready… I am ready to be your wife.”
He made a low, guttural sound in the back of his throat and then his mouth was on hers, hot and demanding, his arms banding around her waist and crushing her to him. Caroline surrendered to the kiss, parting her lips under the onslaught of his passion, tangling her fingers in his hair.
They stumbled into the bedchamber together, hands groping and tugging at clothing, pausing every few steps to lose themselves in another drugging kiss. By the time they reached the bed, Caroline's hair was in disarray, her gown gaping open at the back where Sebastian had tugged impatiently at the laces.
Together, they fell onto the bed a tangle of limbs and half-discarded clothing. Sebastian's hands seemed to be everywhere at once, stroking and caressing, igniting sparks of pleasure wherever they touched.
He divested her of her gown with surprising skill, tossing it carelessly aside until she lay before him in nothing but her thinchemise and stockings. His gaze raked over her, hot and hungry, and Caroline felt herself flush under the weight of his desire.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, tracing the curve of her breast with a reverent finger. “You truly are a marvel, Lady Casterbridge.”
She reached for him, tugging impatiently at his shirt until he obliged her and pulled it over his head, baring the sleek muscles of his chest to her avid gaze. His form was more graceful, more rugged, more seductive than she could have imagined.
He groaned and lowered himself onto her, the heat and hardness of him pressing into the cradle of her hips. Caroline gasped at the unfamiliar sensation, her body instinctively arching up to meet his.
Sebastian captured her mouth in another searing kiss, his tongue delving deep as his hands roamed her body, stroking and teasing until she was writhing beneath him, desperate for more.
And then he was touching her intimately, his fingers delving into her wet heat, stroking and circling until she was panting and gasping, her hips rocking mindlessly against his hand.
“Sebastian,” she moaned, her nails digging into his shoulders as the pleasure coiled tighter and tighter within her. “Please, I need…”
He silenced her with a kiss, his free hand coming up to tangle in her hair. "I know, darling," he rasped against her lips. “I know. Let go for me, Caroline. Let me see you fall apart.”
His words were her undoing. With a sharp cry, she shattered, her body convulsing around his fingers as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over her. Sebastian held her through it, murmuring soft words of praise and encouragement, his touch gentling as she slowly floated back down to earth.
When she could finally breathe again, Caroline opened her eyes to find him watching her, his expression soft with wonder and awe. “That was…” she whispered, struggling to find the words. “I never knew it could be like that.”
Sebastian smiled, tracing the curve of her cheek with a tender knuckle. “Oh, my sweet wife,” he murmured. “There is far more than that.”
She watched him apprehensively as he positioned his body over hers and he leaned his head forward, resting his brow against hers.
“I will take it slow,” he whispered in her ear and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her mouth falling open in a silent gaps as he entered her in a smooth motion.
“Oh, Sebastian,” she whispered, her brow furrowing at the strange invasion of her body. His hand moved to cup her face and his lips brushed against hers. Only once he saw that she’d gotten used to the intrusion did he start moving his hips—lifting them slowly before connecting their bodies once more.
Caroline was barely aware of her own hips moving to the rhythm he set, or her hands gripping at his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. His skin was warm against hers, and his hands were everywhere.
Caroline swallowed a moan when his lips met hers again, his tongue delving into her mouth as their hips moved together eagerly, chasing a release.
Her entire body stiffened when an unprecedented pleasure… sensations she’d never felt before took hold of her, a wave of ecstasy crashing over her as his movements sped up. A deep cry left her throat and then they collapsed together, their bodies still connected.
Caroline let out a satisfied sigh when he gathered her into his arms and she cuddled up against his bare chest.
This was where she wanted to be, she realized as their lips met in yet another kiss. Nowhere else.
Chapter 18
It was Caroline who awoke first the next morning, just as the first rays of sun filtered through the curtains. For a few seconds she forgot where she was, but then she felt the warm body next to her and a contented sigh escaped her lips. Beside her, Sebastian slept on, his face relaxed and peaceful.
For a quiet moment, she just studied him, marveling at the way the morning light played across the planes and angles of his face, softening the usually stern lines. He looked younger, vulnerable in a way she had never seen before.
Almost of its own accord, her hand lifted to trace the curve of his cheek, the roughness of his stubble rasping against her palm. Sebastian's eyes fluttered open at her touch, hazy with sleep and something deeper, more primal.
“Good morning,” she whispered, a shy smile tugging at her lips.
