Page 54 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
He twisted, spasming, gripping her tightly. At the very same moment she cried out, bucking against him, as he felt her climax shudder through her. His own peaked, in a delirious paroxysm of pleasure. He felt the warm gush of liquid, shooting into her, filling her. With a final stroke, he collapsed on top of her, gripping her tightly.
It took a while for their breathing to regulate. He dozed against her chest for a moment, feeling as if he was wrapped in a warm cocoon. He fell to his side, taking her into his arms again, embracing her without speaking.
They didn’t speak, for a long time.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, staring at her. Her eyes were open, and they were dreamy. He reached out, trailing his fingers down the side of her face, worshipping her. It hardly seemed possible, but she looked even more beautiful than she had just moments before, when she had been at the peak of her pleasure.
“Are you happy, my love?” he whispered, into her hair, kissing her softly.
Her eyes filled with sudden tears. She gazed at him, almost overcome with emotion.
“It was beautiful,” she whispered, in a tremulous voice. “I never realised how beautiful it could be…”
A lump suddenly formed in his throat.
She took a deep breath. “That was the first time,” she whispered, her brown eyes large and solemn as she gazed at him. “The very first time, that we have ever made love.”
His heart started to beat faster. How was it possible that he could have slept beside her, for years, and never touched her?
She took another deep breath. “That is the reason why we have no children,” she said quietly, her eyes sad. “And it is the reason why I have been so hesitant to take things further with you since your accident, even though I know you have been wanting to.”
He shook his head, in disbelief. “I cannot fathom it,” he said slowly. “It felt so natural, and right, taking you in my arms. It felt like coming home.” He hesitated, overcome with emotion. “It felt like we had done this a thousand times before, and loved each other so well that we are two sides of the same coin…”
She gasped with pleasure, her bottom lip trembling. Tenderly, he reached out, touching it, feeling the softness of it.
She sighed. “I must tell you,” she said, her eyes shining with her tears. “I must tell you the circumstances of our marriage.” She hesitated. “I have wanted to many times before, but it was so very hard for me…”
He stared at her, waiting. He knew how difficult this was for her. Only now was he aware of how complex the situation between them had been.
“My mother was once very close to your own late mother,” she said slowly. “They were the very best of friends, and inseparable. My mother grew up in a village, close to Liverpool, you see, and it was only when she married my father that she moved to Coventry.” She paused. “They kept in contact by letters, and on a few occasions met again. Apparently, we met when were just small children, but I do not remember it.”
He nodded, encouragingly, but did not interrupt her. It seemed that Reuben had told the truth, at least about this part.
She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Their fondest wish was that we would marry one day. They even secretly betrothed us, although it was never legally binding, of course.” She hesitated. “I had no knowledge of it. My mother always talked about her dear friend, how much she loved her, and how sad she was when she passed away. Three years ago, she told me that she had written to you, telling you of the betrothal, that it was your mother’s dear wish that we would marry one day.”
She paused, her eyes cloudy as if she were very far away, in her memory and her mind.
“To my surprise, you responded,” she continued eventually. “You came to Coventry to meet me, and agreed to marry me. But we did not court. The next time that I saw you was on our wedding day. We were strangers to each other, James.” She hesitated. “I was a very shy young lady, and had spurned suitors. I thought that love was not for me, that I was simply incapable of playing the love game, too lacking in confidence. So, I decided to take it out of the equation. A marriage of duty and convenience…”
His heart flipped over in his chest. She sounded so unbearably sad as she talked. If only he could take her pain away.
“I do not know the reasons why you agreed to marry me,” she said, in a low, trembling voice. “I only know that you were immensely sad during our wedding, and have been so ever since. Before the accident, it was as if you lived in a cloud, separate from me. I knew that you were in pain, but you never confided in me as to what your troubles were.”
His heart twisted. He knew why he had been so sad, keeping her at a distance, now. The spectre of the portrait loomed in his mind. It seemed that Reuben had told the truth about everything. Hehadbeen in love with another woman, and it had coloured his whole life. He had not been able to move on from it.
“I am sorry for the way I treated you, before the accident,” he said slowly, taking her hand, gazing at her beseechingly. “Can we start over?”
She returned his gaze, her eyes wide, with pure joy.
“I do not remember how our marriage once was,” he said slowly. “But I want to leave it all behind, Adaline. I want our marriage to start now. From today.” He hesitated. “I have been falling in love with you ever since I awoke from my injury, and imagined that I must have always loved you. It is real, Adaline, and it is powerful. Can you trust in that love?”
She shuddered, with sudden, strong emotion, pressing her face into his side, for a long moment. He felt her shudder again, and abruptly, the wetness of her tears that she had been trying to hold back.
She pulled back, gazing at him, the tears still streaming down her cheeks.
“I have loved you from the moment that I first met you,” she said quietly. “I agreed to marry you out of duty, but it changed very quickly for me.” She hesitated. “The whole time that we have lived side by side, as man and wife, I have been longing for you to say those words to me. To see me, and love me, the way that I love you…”
He reached out, gently stroking her hair, so overcome with love for her, he couldn’t speak.
