He moved to the other breast and then, gasping, sat up and worked the dress down to her hips. She helped as much as she could, wriggling up onto the bed, so that they both sighed relievedly as it tumbled to the floor. Then they both laughed.
Hestony helped with her petticoats, and then she was naked on the bed. Hal stared down at her.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “I have never seen anyone so beautiful.”
“Good,” she sighed. He laughed, and she giggled. She reached up as he bent down to kiss her, his hand squeezing her breast.
“You are still dressed,” she pointed out.
“Oh. Yes.” He grinned, suddenly red-cheeked. “I suppose I should change that.”
“Yes.”
He laughed and they both chuckled as he unfastened his buttons with record speed. Then, almost before she could prepare herself for the surprise, he was naked also.
She stared at him. This time, she could let her eyes linger on his body. She was amazed by the rise and fall of muscles, the narrow waist, the lean, hard shoulders. He was beautiful and she watched, while he blushed, suddenly shy.
“You’re not afraid?” he murmured.
“Not at all,” she assured him. She had noticed the proud manhood that jutted out in front, and oddly, she wasn’t disturbed by the sight. In fact, she felt a rising heat in her body that she would never have expected to feel.
“Good,” he murmured. He lay down beside her. He pressed his body against hers, stroking her hair as he looked into her eyes. Hestony looked up at him, trying to convey her longing for him. Gently, surprising herself, she pressed her lips to his.
He sighed and kissed her, and his body gently rolled onto hers, his knee pressing between hers. She gave a little gasp, but the heat that rushed through her own body as he lay against her was more than enough to allay her shock.
He leaned back, his eyes gazing into hers. “I want you so much,” he murmured.
She smiled up at him. “I want you, too.”
“You’re certain?” he sounded amazed and it made her want to smile.
“I am certain.”
“Good.”
He lay down again, his lips nuzzling her neck. She gasped as he moved and, slowly, gently, he entered her body.
It felt wonderful. If there was any pain involved – as she had feared there might be – it was over so fleetingly that it might as well never have been. Instead, her whole body was filled with such a wonderful satisfaction that she wondered how she’d lived without it. She sighed and he drew out and then pushed in again, and her body tingled with bliss.
“Oh, Hal,” she murmured.
He smiled down at her. His eyes were shining, and she could tell he felt exactly as she did. He withdrew and entered her again, and the motion touched something inside her that tingled and ached so sweetly that she moved, too, longing to feel it more-strongly.
He moved back and forth, back and forth, and their motions harmonized. The feeling built and grew, and she bit her lip, not sure if she wanted to contain it or let it lift her and carry her to wherever it was going. He was gasping, and it seemed as if he was feeling much the same way. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, loving the sounds he made. She could feel the feeling again, more insistent, building and growing inside her with every thrust that they made. It was building and growing…
She gasped as, suddenly, the feeling crashed through her with an ocean of bliss she never thought existed. It was so intense that it was almost painful, and she moaned aloud, clutching at Hal. He kissed her, a tender look in his eyes, and then, to her surprise, he gasped and shuddered as if the same feeling was in him, too.
He lay down, panting and sighing, and she reached for him, and he smiled and kissed her, eyes shining as if with tears. He stroked her hair.
“Oh, Hestony,” he murmured. “My love.”
She smiled and kissed him and felt her heart fill with warmth. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear.
Then she must have fallen asleep, for the next thing she knew it was light in the room. Gray, cold and rainy outside it might have been, but inside, Hal nestled against her and kissed her cheek. She had never felt so happy.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
A Message
Hal sat up in bed, not wanting to disturb Hestony. He looked around the room. He hadn’t been to Ellington Court for over a year. It was still the same as ever. Except that now, he was sleeping in the main room and Hestony was in bed beside him.
He glanced down at her, watching her breathe. She was so beautiful that it caught his breath. She lay sleeping, her eyes shut, lashes pressed to her cheeks. She looked like an angel.
They had transferred to Ellington Court the day after their wedding. Hal had been pleased to see that Hestony liked it here – especially the view from the upper room, where one could just see the sea, sparkling between hillsides.
“She’s so lovely,” he murmured under his breath. Her rapture, her joy…every expression filled him with wonder.
She stirred, drawing in a breath, and he lay back on the pillow, worried lest he’d woken her. She sighed and rolled over and reached for him and he thought his heart might break.
“Good morning, sweetness,” he whispered.
Her eyes fluttered open briefly, then closed. She held him close against her. “Good morning,” she murmured into his neck.
He stroked her gently, feeling his loins heat up with longing. They’d made love many times the previous day, but he was sure he’d never have enough. He kissed her, opening one eye to gauge the expression on her face.
She sighed and held him tight against her, and he felt her body move against his. The familiar sensation of desire raced through him and he drew her against him, kissing her lips and neck and face. He could feel the heat building up inside him and he longed for her. He gently eased her nightgown off her shoulder. He trembled as his fingers touched her bare skin. He wanted her with every part of him.
She sighed and rolled onto her side. He smiled and gently drew her nightgown down, loving the way she wriggled to help him. He touched her bare skin, feeling her breasts, round and warm, filling his hands.
Sitting up, he drew off his nightshirt with a single fluid movement and then wrapped his arms around her, entering her as they both lay on their sides. She gasped and giggled and moved against him. The feel of her warm, naked skin made his loins ache. He moved inside of her, gasping and sighing as the tension rose and built in his body, reaching a fever pitch of desperate longing that was almost painful.
He hovered on the edge for a moment or two, then collapsed into the bliss, sighing. He held her, glad to hear her gasp match his own. He was delighted that he could please her. She moved back and he held her in his arms, floating in a fog of bliss.