He turned her over. It didn’t him as long to explore every inch of her flawless beauty or to find the hidden sweet spots that made her gasp with exquisite ecstasy. She arched her back and offered the hollow of her throat as he buried himself in her femininity, feeling her sweetness trickle over his lips. She was warm and wet and simmered with heat. It made him hungry, hungrier than he had ever been before, and there was absolutely only one way he could calm the violent, bestial urges within his body.
After she had shuddered and trembled and her soft moans had faded into echoes, Rhys moved up her body once again. His hands found hers and pressed them to the bed. His vast weight crushed her and his lips burned. Their bodies shifted to accommodate each other, needing each other. She was soft and supple; he was strong and ardent. When their bodies came together and were as intimate as any two people could be, they both let out a terse moan. Their eyes widened at the feeling of these new sensations, and they were flooded with overwhelming bliss.
Rhys held her tightly. The urge was for him to rock with thunder, but she winced in pain and clutched at him tightly, begging him for mercy. He went gently, tenderly. He was a warrior, but there was no battle to fight here. There was no war to be won. There was only pleasure to be shared, love to be enjoyed. He went slow, enjoying every sweet moment of being with her for the first time, knowing in his heart that this same feeling would be experienced even when they made love for the hundredth time, for his love was pure. Their lips met and their tongues danced. Their bodies writhed together, and their hearts beat with the same rhythm. His breath was panting, terse. Her whimpering moans were music to his ears.
The rolling feelings inside were like a maelstrom. They burned deeply, scorched him from the inside. A wildfire swept away everything in his mind that was unclear. Nothing was left apart from his love for her. There was nothing in the world that meant anything except Caitlin. Just thinking about her name was enough to send him into a paroxysm of delight, but when he opened his eyes and looked down at her perfect body flushed with arousal, he was sent to another world. His hands moved all over her warm body, feeling this life that was being shared with him. They kissed deeply, as deeply as two people could ever kiss, becoming as intimate as any two people had ever been. Then he felt something uncontrollable rushing through his body.
He could feel it inside her as well. It was in the way her body was slick with sweat and how she breathed. She trembled and shuddered and dug her nails into him as she braced herself against the onrushing sensation of the orgasm. The movements of her body only inspired him. His muscles were tense and tight. He could feel everything inside him focused on the molten core of his body, pooling in one place before it burst out in an eruption that was loud, passionate, and explosive. He roared with all his might as he released himself into her, pressing her forehead against his. Their breath rushed out and swirled, becoming one, just as their bodies had been. It was a moment of pure and utter delight, and it left his body shaking. His head dipped and he stole a kiss, holding her for a moment as he tried to process the wild sensations that had just rocked his body.
He opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, but he could still make out her sweet smile.
“I love ye,” he whispered.
She giggled, her cheeks flushed with arousal. “I love ye tae, Rhys, my husband,” she replied, and proceeded to wrap her arms around him tightly. She kissed him more deeply to show her affection for him.
Eventually, their bodies separated and their chests heaved as they basked in the afterglow of sex. Far below them in the deepest part of the castle, they could hear that the party had continued, and for a moment Rhys wondered if anyone had heard them share their love, but then decided that it didn’t matter. He would have gone out and shouted it from the roof of the keep if he could have, for he was proud to have won the heart and soul of this magnificent woman.
She nestled into the crook of his arm. While he was overwhelmed with heat, he did not want to be apart from her. He caressed her soft skin and listened to her breathe heavily, being lulled into sleep, feeling fortunate that this was going to be the rest of his life. It was a blessing to know that he was going to go to sleep next to this woman every night and wake up with her—the first thing he saw not being the radiant sun, but her glorious beauty.
Except it wasn’t.
A dark cloud was on the horizon, a storm of death and bloodshed. The feelings of bliss only lasted a moment before he realized that soon enough this fragile world he had built for himself was going to be torn apart. With Caitlin’s home ravaged and her family killed, she would never be the same, could never love him as purely as she did at this moment. Not only would lives be lost, but his marriage would be too, and now that he had experienced a little of what married life could promise him, he
