Page 73 of Elizabeth Bennet Says Yes to Mr. Darcy

“More,” I murmured.

He pressed forward in small increments, stopping each time my breath caught. A sharper pain shot through me when he broke through the last barrier. I clenched my teeth.

He remained perfectly still.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not unbearable.”

“That’s not the praise I was hoping for.”

I laughed despite the discomfort. The movement changed the sensation, and he closed his eyes.

“Don’t laugh like that when I’m inside you.”

“Why?”

“Because your body tightens around me, and I’m still determined to behave properly.”

I became aware of him, entirely buried inside me, of the way our bodies were joined. The discomfort gradually diminished. I moved my hips slightly.

A low sound escaped him.

“Is it better?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He withdrew a little, then returned. The first thrust caused a dull burn. The next was less painful. He moved slowly, braced on his arms, his eyes fixed on my face.

I began to feel something else: a deep pressure, a warmth, the friction of his body against where I was still sensitive. I wrapped my legs around his hips.

“Faster?” I murmured.

His control cracked.

He kissed me and quickened slightly. His movements became fuller, still attentive but less cautious. The bed creaked softly. My breathing mingled with his. I felt the tension returning, different, more diffuse.

“Elizabeth, I won’t last much longer.”

“Then don’t.”

He buried his face in my neck. His thrusts lost their rhythm, then his body tensed. He spoke my name in a broken voice and remained deep inside me as tremors ran through him.

He stayed motionless for a moment, then lifted himself immediately, worried.

“Did I hurt you?”

“A little.”

His face tightened.

“But I also felt pleasure,” I added. “And I regret nothing.”

He withdrew carefully and lay down beside me. The dampness made me blush. He took a cloth he’d prepared near the bed and tended to me with a tenderness that made the intimacy even deeper.

Then he drew me back against his chest and pulled the covers over us.

“I love you,” he murmured into my hair.