a similar message to Sonia, who was, undoubtedly, awaiting Elizabeth in the mistress’s chamber. With what dignity remained in his possession, Mr. Stevens hastened from the room.
Darcy carried his blushing bride to the bed and laid her upon it, reclaiming her mouth with a tenderness that sent delicious shivers through her body. Elizabeth deepened their kisses and coiled her fingers into his hair. She pressed herself against her husband’s strong body and felt his arousal grow even harder against her.
With a moan, Darcy buried his face in her neck and ran his tongue along her flesh while his hands busied themselves with her breasts. Through the silk of her gown, he felt her nipples become hard and took to rolling them between his fingers, eliciting a gasp and then a low moan from Elizabeth. Disentangling her fingers from his hair, she explored his upper body. When she reached his waist, she lingered there, caressing his waist and hips. Darcy rolled onto his back, bringing Elizabeth with him, and kissed her with feeling as she kilted her skirts above her knees and straddled him.
Darcy released her and ran his fingers over her stockinged legs with a featherlight touch until he reached her garters. Elizabeth arched back her neck, enjoying the sensation of his hands as they caressed her. He unfastened her garters and eased her silk stockings from her legs before continuing his exploration, onward to her hips and then to her derriere, which he massaged and kneaded as she rocked herself against him. Her breathing increased with each movement, and she felt deeply satisfied when she heard her husband’s gasp of pleasure.
Darcy’s hands slid upward along her back to the many intricate fastenings of her gown. Elizabeth leaned forward and claimed his mouth with hers, their tongues performing an intimate dance. Many, many minutes passed before he finally managed to undo the very last button, tugged gently at the delicate material, and freed his wife’s shoulders from the confines of her gown. His mouth descended to her newly exposed skin while his hands moved onward to release her breasts, and further still, until Elizabeth’s dress pooled around her hips. She helped him with her corset, chemise, and petticoats, and soon, Darcy beheld her in all her splendor as she sat astride him, her body glowing in the moonlight that filtered down upon them from the windows on either side of the bed.
He gasped at the sheer beauty of her, moved beyond words as he savored the sight of her curves and the passion in her eyes as she returned his intense gaze.
She leaned forward to work the knots of his cravat free, and then the buttons on his tailcoat, his waistcoat, and his shirt. Elizabeth eased the articles from her husband’s body, allowing her hands to linger upon his flesh, caressing the smooth plains that had been hidden from her sight. She swallowed and lowered her lips to his, teasing them apart with her tongue.
Darcy moaned against her as her hands blazed a path of fire from his shoulders all the way down his torso to his waist, stopping only when she reached the buttons on his trousers. Elizabeth took her time, releasing each one slowly, taking care to caress his straining erection with one hand as she worked each button free, making Darcy writhe beneath her. “Oh, God, Lizzy, yes,” he panted against her lips before recapturing her mouth in an ardent kiss.
Elizabeth’s heart quickened. It was the first time he had ever referred to her as simply “Lizzy,” and in such an intimate setting, it had an intense effect on her. She returned his passionate kisses, her desire for him flaring while both her hands worked to pull his trousers down his legs.
Darcy lifted her from his lap to remove them himself, as well as any other remaining articles of his clothing. When he returned to the bed and began to move toward her, she surprised him by pushing him back down so he could lie, once again, upon his back.
Starting with his neck and moving downward to his chest, Elizabeth began to cover his body with deep, sensual kisses. When she reached his abdomen, she felt him stiffen, though whether in anticipation or trepidation, she was not yet certain. She raised her head, hoping to gauge his wishes, and found him watching her intently, his eyes filled with desire, his breathing heavy and ragged. When she ran her tongue over her lips, she saw him swallow hard and close his eyes. When he opened them again, he silently formed her name.
With a seductive smile, Elizabeth lowered her head, keeping her gaze fixed upon his face. When he felt the softness of her cheek graze his arousal, his body shuddered, his eyes closed, and a moan escaped from his lips. His moans became louder as he felt the tip of her tongue touch him tentatively. When her warm mouth finally encircled him, taking him in while the velvet of her tongue caressed his length, he lost all coherent thought, abandoning himself completely to the overwhelming sensations she was exciting in every fiber of his being.
It was not long before Darcy’s moans became cries of ecstasy. Overwrought with desire, he slowly opened his eyes to see Elizabeth’s curls, with so many tiny pearl hairpins intertwined throughout, outlined against his pale flesh as she moved over him. Suddenly, it was too much, and he called out for her in his urgency.
Before he reached his peak, however, Darcy suddenly disengaged himself from her mouth and, pulling her toward him, captured her lips with his in a fierce kiss that demanded her very essence. He ran his hands over her body, stroking her in all the ways he knew would bring her pleasure. His fingers soon found their way between her thighs, and as he began to massage her most sensitive flesh, she cried out for him. That cry and the exquisite wetness within her proved his undoing. Her body, as well as her voice, beckoned to him, and he could no longer resist the call of either.
Taking care not to be unduly rough with her, Darcy eased Elizabeth onto her back and covered her with his body. Between ragged breaths, he managed to pant, “Forgive me, my love, but I can wait no longer for you,” and in the next instant, buried himself deep within her, expelling a long, shuddering cry as he entered.
Elizabeth, too, could not help but sigh with pleasure and, as he began to move within her, wrapped her legs tightly around him, pulling him farther within her depths. She met his every thrust with raised hips, moving with him as though they were both one and the same. As the heat of their embrace began to build to an almost intolerable pitch, she could feel the delicious warmth coming. Her muscles tensed, and her back arched, and Darcy drove himself into her, ever deeper, ever faster, until they were both suddenly overtaken by earth-shattering waves of ecstasy.
So powerful was their joining, it took a long while before either was able to return from whence it was they had journeyed together. Fearing his weight was growing oppressive, Darcy rolled onto his side, taking Elizabeth with him without disengaging from her body. He held her securely and rested his forehead against hers, still struggling to regulate his rapid breathing. He kissed her deeply, entwining his fingers into her hair, disturbing the last few remaining hairpins that had chanced to survive their lovemaking. When he released her lips, he buried his face in her neck and let out a long, shuddering sigh as she stroked his cheek. “There is truly no woman like you, Elizabeth.”
Darcy raised his head, and Elizabeth gazed into his eyes, so full of his love for her, and could not help but smile. “So you have discovered,” she whispered. He kissed her again, tenderly, and they spent the rest of their wedding night engaged in numerous activities meant to reassure each other of their fervent devotion.
Needless to say, the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy did not rise at their usual early hour the following morning. Having been intimately engaged in passionate occupations throughout the course of the night, sleep had no claim on them until the very first rays of dawn began to show themselves through the windows. Nestled together in an intimate embrace, with Darcy’s chest pressed firmly against Elizabeth’s back, they finally allowed themselves to succumb to exhaustion.
Some time after nine o’clock, Darcy awoke, still cradling Elizabeth in his arms. He inhaled deeply of her scent, which permeated his pillow, his counterpane, his entire body. He found the sight of her, with her tousled mane of curls and her creamy skin, intoxicating, and, no longer able to resist the feel of her body snuggled against his, Darcy feathered gentle kisses upon the woman sleeping so soundly in his arms. After kissing, caressing, and stroking Elizabeth into a state of desire, he made her his own once more, spilling his seed into her as he gasped her name against the curve of her neck. Then they slept again. Every few hours they would awaken, teasing, tasting, making love to one another, sometimes with exquisite care, sometimes with wild abandon. Afterward, both would collapse, breathless, their limbs entangled and their bodies slick and heaving from taking their pleasure.
When they finally abandoned the comfort of their bed, it was well past the noon hour, and having eaten very little the night before, Darcy rang for a tray to be brought to them in their sitting room. This experience was a new one for Elizabeth, who, having never before spent a full night, an entire morning, and part of an afternoon,
