Page 56 of An Ill-Made Match

“You’re being nonsensical,” Eden objected, but she knew her voice lacked sternness.

“You fit here,” said Roland with conviction.

Eden forgot to breathe. What?

“The wicked faery,” said Roland. “Who lives in the black tower.”

From his tone of voice, she knew he was going to kiss her. And she did nothing to stop him, as he lowered his weight onto her and kissed her with an unhurried lasciviousness which made her cheeks burn. She shivered, realized this time, what his thrusting tongue was promising was in store for her.

“So beautiful,” he murmured. Which was a lie. “I want you.” Which was not a lie, she conceded, feeling him hard against her stomach, where he rubbed and moved sensuously against her. For some unfathomable reason, Roland Vawdrey desired her something fierce.

“Do you want me, Eden?” he muttered, lifting his head. As usual, she felt herself almost dazzled by the proximity of so much male beauty.

She couldn’t quite bring herself to answer, so instead she placed a hesitant hand against his shoulder blade. His molten gaze snapped to hers, and she saw him close his eyes as if savoring her touch. He couldn’t really like it that much, surely? Without giving herself pause to think, she stroked her hand slowly down his spine.

He gasped, his eyes flying wide. “Eden!”

“Was that not-?”

He gave a brief shake of his head, and swallowed. “Put your hands up over your head.”

“What?”

“Over your head and keep them there.”

“But why?” she asked, even as she complied.

“Because,” he murmured. “Your touch over-excites me.” It did? She pondered that piece of information. “You keep rushing me, when I want to linger.”

By touching him? She wanted to ask, but his actions were robbing her of breath. He’d pulled up her shift and was kissing all around her flat stomach. She was just taking a steadying breath, when his tongue darted unexpectedly into her belly button, making her gasp. “Roland!”

He glanced up. “If that shocked you,” he said richly. ”Then, what I’m going to do next will turn your hair white.”

Eden glanced down in alarm. He winked at her. He was joking. She relaxed in spite of herself. Then he kissed her between her legs. The same wicked kiss he had given her mouth. She gave a soundless shriek and tried to bounce up off the bed. He just used the momentum to get a firmer grip of her as she ineffectually flailed around. “R-Roland!” she squeaked as his brawny hands held her hips in a merciless grip, as he did inconceivable things with his tongue. Unable to watch, Eden closed her eyes with a whimper and gave herself up to the shuddering pleasure which had her arching her back and pressing into his mouth in an abandonment which shocked her to her core. Tears gushed from her eyes and she flattened her palms against the headboard, bracing herself against the onslaught of sensation. For a moment, she hovered agonizingly tense on the brink, before he tapped the tip of his tongue against part of her that throbbed, and she yelled out brokenly as he did it again, once, twice and on the third time she broke. And then it was a good thing he held her so tight, for her limbs were suddenly shaking and weak and she could do nothing but pant and sob and gaze up at the top of the wooden bed in speechless wonder. Through it all, Roland held her firmly, his mouth working between her legs, his circling tongue, drawing out the licentious pleasure until she lay still, her chest heaving and her breath ragged, her cheeks wet with tears.

“I can’t wait,” Roland said thickly, his hot breath still fluttering against her intimate parts. “Until you react like that for my cock.”

She was too wrung out to remonstrate with him over his lewd words. Instead she just groaned, as he hauled himself up onto his knees and crawled up her body, stripping off her shift. Now came the worse part, thought Eden with dread. Though she realized she’d have to suffer it without complaint now she was a wife. His manhood felt bigger than ever, as it pressed insistently against her. Roland looked somewhat pained himself, she noticed, as he settled between her legs. “This won’t last long,” he grunted. She hoped not. She stiffened as he probed her wetness there with his fingers and made an approving noise deep in his throat. Taking a deep breath, she passed her arms around his back. He swore. “Gods, I’m not- Let me inside first – I can’t…” Eden blinked up at his confused panic. Catching his desperation, she opened her legs wider as he fumbled and swore. And then he was there, where he wanted to be, pushing inside her, with an urgency that surprised her. He had been very careful with her last time, but this time, he thrust all the way in, making her gasp as she braced herself. To her surprise though, she took him without too much discomfort. Before she could wonder too much at this, he had given her his whole weight, pinned her to the mattress and was thrusting into her with a vigor he had not allowed himself before, murmuring disjointed words and groaning almost as if he were wounded.

“Roland?” she asked, half-alarmed, half- what? She scarcely knew. Only that she could barely catch her breath, and something about his wildness was strangely thrilling. She found she was pressing her thighs in hard against his hips, and holding her breath, her face hot, her chest heaving with the exertion.

His eyes locked to hers, when she spoke his name, and the expression there made her breath catch in her throat. She almost felt as if time halted and hung suspended for a moment, before Roland Vawdrey came apart completely in her arms, a heaving mass of muscle and sinew and seething lust.

In the aftermath, she held him close to her. He was breathing heavily and neither one of them spoke for several long moments.

Then Roland lifted his head. “One of these days…” he said not quite meeting her eye. “I’ll manage that part with a little more finesse.”

Really? wondered Eden, doubtfully. It was hard to imagine. And how could you even make such an act more dignified? It was so… base and primitive.

“You can do it now,” he said.

“Do what?” asked Eden mystified.

“Touch me.”

Eden’s mouth almost fell open. Why on earth would he want her to touch him now? “Oh,” she said lamely. She placed her hands uncertainly on his chest. He gave that low rumble, she was starting to realize was approval and dropped his head back onto the pillow beside hers, rolling onto his back, and taking her with him, so she lay half on top of him.

“More,” he said gruffly, his eyelids dropping down over his eyes.