Page 89 of Unseen

Watching him come undone was more pleasurable than I could have expected. Every brush of my fingers against his tip, every hurried swipe of my tongue as he inched closer to me, elicited moans from his mouth that set my blood alight. And the glee I felt at doing this to him, knowing I was doing this to him…

It was ecstasy.

“Oh fuck, Evie,” he groaned, and his movements became more feverish, his hips jerking rhythmically. I was soaked now, his arousal smoothing his strokes as it leaked more and more. He tangled a hand into my hair, his head thrown back, and I felt the tension take over his body. My nipples were hard, my own body now aching to be touched, to be held and stroked and fondled to my own release.

The first hot spurt of his seed lashed my chest, and then he roared out my name as I brought my mouth down on him.

I swallowed every last drop of him. His salty taste lined my throat, and it only made my own arousal and need more acute. I rubbed my thighs together, seeking some friction, some pleasure, some release.

Azriel took the spend that had landed on my skin, and rubbed it over my nipples. I moaned around him, releasing him with a pop of my lips, crying out as he pinched hard.

“So pretty and needy, aren’t you?” He murmured, panting and grinning down at me. “It is a shame that you are bleeding, I would so love to ravish you now.”

His fingers continued to lavish my nipples with attention, and I squirmed and writhed under him, desperate for more but knowing we should stop. The thought of a blood-soaked bed after making love made me heave suddenly, remembering how eagerly Acton had inspected the sheets themorning after our wedding night. His lecherous triumph that he had made his little bride bleed. I gasped, and shoved Azriel’s hands away.

“Oh god!” I cried, trying to turn away, and instantly his weight was off me, pressed to my back, his arms around me.

“Evie, it’s alright, I am here. I am here.”

“I’m sorry,” I whimpered, putting my hands to my face. “Oh, I am such a fool. I am so sorry.”

“Hush, now.” He stroked my hair, kissing the back of my neck, my shoulders. “No apologies, not after that.”

“I should not have bad memories when we are in bed together.”

Azriel snorted derisively. “Should the ground not be wet when it is raining?” He rolled me gently on to my back, and stroked a hand over my hair. “Memories come as they come.”

“What does it say that I am in bed with you but remembering your father?”

“It says that I should have beaten the old bastard to death the moment he tried to marry you.” Azriel kissed my temple, stroking a hand over my naked chest. “You deserve better memories, Evie. And I should very much like to be the man who makes them with you.”

I sighed as I gazed up at him. “For a man who insists he is not good, you certainly speak as though you are.”

Azriel’s eyes dropped from mine, and a smile tugged at his lips. “For you, beloved, I would try to be all manner of things I thought not possible. But only for you. That is my choice.” His eyes lifted back to mine. “I choose to try, for you. To be better, for you. To be deserving of the woman you are. I had no reason to choose better for myself, until I had you.”

I swallowed hard, wanting to say more, so much more, wanting to allow myself to believe that he meant it. I wanted to allow myself to trust him. But the fear of falling over that edge remained, and while I could feel that faint breeze, theone that had stirred that day when he had assaulted me in the bath and then held me like a lover, growing ever stronger, I was determined to keep it shut out. At least a little. Just a little. Enough to allow myself the belief that I still had my armour on.

Instead, I drew him down to me and kissed him. And the faint breeze simply grew stronger still.

24

A FATEFUL PROMISE

We settled into a strange sort of peace then, isolated within the walls in Linmere while the world warned us to stay away. Azriel went out to conduct his business, to meet with his associates, and to of course drag back all manner of gifts to keep me diverted.

The days grew colder, and the house began to prepare for Christmas. Mary and I decorated a delightful spruce, with red and gold baubles, and a truly admirable number of candles. It stood pride of place in the drawing room, and the entire house felt cheery and cosy. For the first time since I had stepped foot within its walls, Linmere felt like home.

But every time I gazed outside at the world that lay beyond the windows, uneasiness crept over me. I knew within myself that perhaps London would not be a welcoming home for us for much longer, and indeed the entirety of England did not seem to hold any promise of security. No matter where we went, we would still be Mr and Mrs Caine, married illicitly, a union shrouded in shame.

In the moments where I could push all the dread and anxiety about our situation aside, there was a certain bliss indiscovering each other as man and wife. Azriel insisted on sleeping in bed together, every night, something which positively flummoxed Mary. Too often the poor thing would be scampering away with a shriek, eyes covered as she had once again entered the room to discover a naked Azriel laid out in my bed.

Azriel, in his eternal black humour, simply laughed and claimed it to be good practice for when the young girl was wed.

And then there were those nights spent together.

I wondered about myself, had I received a more liberal upbringing, had I not grown up in a family that was quite so conservative, quite so secretive about marital relations, indeed what kind of woman I would have grown to become. Because now, living in the house with my husband, and no one else for company, I found myself turning into a woman I would not have recognised three months prior.

Azriel was a keen instructor, showing me all the ways the body could feel and bestow pleasure. Some nights he was gentle, showing me with calm words and soft caresses where and how to touch. He often had me touch myself, exploring my own body, bringing myself to orgasm as he watched on with open and wanting lust.

---