Many months ago, after our engagement ceremony, I’d made an offhand statement to Chevalier about wanting to spend our honeymoon in a little cottage in the middle of nowhere, playing house. I hadn’t thought it was possible for the king and queen of Rhodolite, so I’d forgotten it as soon as I said it.
But Chevalier hadn’t.
It was the little things like that which helped me adjust to the new physical aspect of our relationship.
No, we weren’t in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, but we were alone in a country chateau, and we only needed a few rooms, creating the illusion of a smaller space. And I got to enjoy the simple familiarity of making all our meals, too. That, along with the solitude, allowed me to relax as I worked to overcome a lifelong shyness where my body was concerned.
As far back as I could remember, I’d always hated others seeing me undressed, even my mother. When I became old enough to dress myself, I’d make her step outside, turn her back, or at least close her eyes before I’d change. So, the six weeks of bedrest following my abduction were their own kind of torture for me in that regard. Six weeks of complete helplessness. Six weeks of my doctor and Theresa tending to my every need. Six weeks of no privacy. And then, when I finally regained the ability to care for myself, I had to contend with the ugly scars covering most of my body.
After that, I only changed behind a locked door or a dressing screen, and I did as much as I could without Theresa’s help. Nobody, not even her, had seen me in anything less than my undergarments since the bedrest ended. And I rarely looked in the mirror until clothing hid every jagged reminder of that miserable dungeon and that horrible dagger.
The one I hated the most, the largest one, cut a diagonal line across my back from the top of my left hip to near the top of my right shoulder, so at least I couldn’t see it without the aid of two mirrors. But Chevalier could see it. Had seen it. Along with every other scar and every part of me. And although he clearly liked what he saw, I still felt an initial shame about the marks marring my skin, and even without them, it was embarrassing at first, letting him look at me. And it was embarrassing for me to look at him.
Although I liked what I saw, too.
His lean, muscular build spoke of the training that allowed him to dominate every opponent at sword fighting and reminded me of the fear I’d felt when we first met, the fear that he could snap me like a twig with very little effort. It had been a long time since I’d felt that, and I didn’t feel it now. He was as gentle and careful with me as he always had been. It was thrilling, more than anything, seeing and feeling the contrast of his larger size compared to my smaller frame, his power highlighting my weakness, his hard against my soft.
I liked it.
I liked the way he wouldn’t let me hide from him, the way his body fit with mine. I liked the feel of his kisses tracing my scars, the sound of his husky voice telling me I was beautiful. It was coming naturally, just not the way I expected. Not that I’d known what to expect. Maybe it was natural to linger in bed until breakfast became lunch, touching and cuddling with no regard for the time. Or to cook meals in my nightgown, because what was the point of getting dressed? Fending off his teasing and flirting over an open flame had been natural for a while, but giving in to burning desire and leaving the dishes in the sink was new.
And right. It felt so right, I reflected, studying my wedding ring under the late afternoon sunshine of that first day.
I lay on my stomach in bed, my arms crossed under my cheek, sunlight catching the thin sheen of sweat on my skin and reflecting from the diamond dove in the center of the gold band. I was no jewelry expert, but I knew it must have been extremely difficult to achieve that shape. The rhodolite garnets studding the circumference of the gold band were a more standard rounded shape and looked a bit like roses, I thought. I didn't have to ask to know Chevalier designed the ring. Intricate, elegant; a clear demonstration of how much he valued me without being ostentatious.
“That tickles,” I said, squirming a little when his wispy blonde hair brushed across my back just right.
He paused his kisses to chuckle and run a light finger along the right side of my waist, making me squirm more. “You’re very ticklish.”
“You would have known that already if you’d asked the Stotts children. Stop!” I giggled.
His hand slipped underneath me, resting between my stomach and the sheets as his lips resumed their lazy trail along that one long scar, heading toward my shoulder. “I’d rather learn all there is to know about my wife directly from the source,” he said between kisses, his voice lowering seductively. A shiver ran down my spine, the now-familiar sensation of heat pooling in my stomach returning as more and more of his body came into contact with mine.
“You like to say that, don’t you?” I mused. “‘My wife.’”
The fingers of his left hand brushed across my neck as he pushed my hair aside. “And you like to hear it.”
“Mm hm.” I sighed contentedly and closed my eyes. “But I don’t know what more there is for you to learn about me.”
“Neither do I.”
His chest covered my back now, and his kisses changed direction, following the point of my shoulder to my neck. I lifted my stomach briefly to accommodate his right hand crossing under my stomach to the left side of my waist, and his left hand joined in his sensual caresses.
“But I’ll enjoy finding out,” he breathed into my ear.
I didn’t try to stop the moan that came with his teeth teasing my earlobe and his hands teasing the rest of me. He was as quick to pick up on the little things as ever—the places where I was most sensitive to his touch, the way he needed to touch me to elicit the greatest reaction, how to combine the work of his hands with his lips, tongue, and teeth to reduce me to a puddle of ecstasy. When he lifted himself up enough to roll me onto my back, I tugged him back down to me, meeting his hungry kisses with a fervor all my own.
The sunlight faded into starlight, and a late dinner lasted us until another late breakfast. We still hadn’t opened the bottle of wine.
“Am I allowed to clean?” I asked as I dried the last dish for whatever meal we’d just eaten. I couldn’t be bothered to check a clock. “Since we’re ‘playing house’?”
“No.” He took the towel from my hand and tossed it on the counter, and then he slid his hands around my waist, pulling me up against his bare torso. At his suggestion, I was wearing his shirt, which meant I could draw imaginary circles directly on his chest to tease him.
“But you don’t mind me changing the sheets and doing dishes?” I asked innocently.
“Those are necessities,” he said, catching my chin and forcing me to look up at his smirking lips and his mischievous crystal blue eyes. “Dusting is not.”
“Who said anything about dusting?” I continued, playing at naïvety.
He pushed me back against the counter and kissed me, and I wondered how far I could take this tease before he snapped. It was a stretch for me, and I wasn’t entirely comfortable doing it, but what was the worst that could happen?
I covered his mouth with my hand before he could kiss me again. “Well, I’ve already changed the sheets and done the dishes today, and I don’t feel like reading right now. What if we went for a walk? Do you realize we haven’t set foot outside since we got here? Spring is here, and it’s such a beautiful place. It’s a shame not to enjoy it.”
He took my wrist and dotted kisses across my fingers. “I am enjoying it,” he said, his eyes watching my face flush with each nibble. “Aren’t you?”
My heart was already pounding hard in my chest, but I took a deep breath and pulled my hand free, hugging him around the waist and resting my chin on his chest. “Very much, but I would like to explore outside a little.”
One corner of his lips turned up a little more. “Explore outside, hm?”
I knew that was where his mind would go. But I widened my eyes and pulled away from him, exclaiming, “That’s not what I meant!”
He took the bait, scooping me up and headed for the door.
“Chevalier!” I protested, giggling. “Put me down!”
He didn’t until we were outside. It was a beautifully bright, sunny day, the fresh air filled with the heavy scent of flowers in bloom. I broke free from him as soon as my feet hit the cobblestone and backed down the path, clasping my hands behind my back so the shirttails were free to flutter about my thighs in the light spring breeze. It was a bit chilly for this attire, or lack thereof, but the heat in his eyes promised I’d warm up soon enough.
“Where do you think you’re going, little dove?” he asked, following me step for step.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said airily. “Maybe I just need to get away from you for a little while.”
And then I took off running, leaving the path for the bright green spring grass, soft and cool beneath my bare feet. I didn’t make it far before Chevalier caught me, and then we were tumbling down a hill, laughing, until we came to a stop at the bottom.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I gasped, trying to catch my breath. He lay next to me, the sunlight turning his messy blonde hair gold and glistening on his bare chest as it rose and fell. I let my eyes wander, feeling the burn in my cheeks, and when I made it back up to his blue eyes, I saw him eyeing me unabashedly, too.
“You’re in an interesting mood today,” he commented. He stroked my flushed cheek with his finger, and I felt a shiver run down my spine, eagerly awaiting the moment he rolled over on top of me and kissed me hard.
“I really can’t believe I’m doing this,” I giggled.
Neither of us had seen the bank of heavy gray clouds looming in the distance. Not even the distant roll of thunder could bother us. We didn’t notice the wind picking up, or the sudden advance of the clouds. It was just us, alone in the world, and nothing else mattered.
Until icy cold raindrops interrupted our cuddling afterwards.
“Oh, no!” I squealed, already laughing again at the absurdity of the situation. Chevalier pulled me to my feet, and we ran back to the chateau, hand-in-hand through what was rapidly becoming a torrential downpour, completely soaked by the time we made it inside.
“This reminds me of that time I got caught in the rain with Clavis and Luke,” I said, reaching up to brush the wet hair from Chevalier’s eyes.
He returned the favor by pushing the black, tangled curtain of my hair behind my ear. “You dare to think of other men right now?” he teased.
“Well, that was the first time I got caught in a rainstorm with anybody else,” I replied, hugging him around the waist. “Next time, I promise you’ll be the first person I think of.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” He gave me a wet kiss, chilled by raindrops, and then his eyes wandered down to the wet shirt plastered to my skin. “You need to get out of that.”
“And you need to get out of these,” I said, plucking the waistline of his pants. “How about we change, and then I’ll make us some hot cocoa and soup to warm us up? You can start a fire in the fireplace; we can cuddle under a nice warm blanket and listen to the rain together…”
His blue eyes sparkled mischievously. “It all sounds so tame, and yet you have this strange effect on me.” He leaned down to whisper in my ear: “What if I ravished you instead?”
“Chevalier!” I pulled away, blushing furiously. “This is like the kissing, isn’t it? You don’t have to make up for lost time. We have the rest of our lives together.”
“But I want to,” he said, his voice a low purr as he pulled me close again. “And I see no reason to stop myself.” His lips met mine again, hungry and eager, stealing the breath from me. “Don’t you agree?” he murmured.
Well, when he put it that way…
“Mm,” was all I could manage for a moment, but I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my chin on his chest again. “On one condition,” I added when the words returned.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Ivetta,” he growled.
“I married a dangerous man, didn’t I?” I asked teasingly.
He scooped me up again and carried me into the bathroom. My heart picked up speed when he sat on the edge of the tub and started the bathwater, one hand holding me securely on his lap. We hadn't bathed together before.
“What are your terms?” he asked, smirking.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. This was fine. And guaranteed to be fun. “Well, since you have the rest of today’s activities planned out, I get tomorrow,” I replied, casually undoing the top button of my shirt.
“And you intend to keep these plans from me until tomorrow, is that correct?” he asked, watching my hands.
I shrugged and moved on to the next button. “Of course. You wouldn’t want me to ruin the surprise, would you?”
He licked his lips. “No, I wouldn’t.” His heated gaze snapped back to my face with a wicked grin. “It would seem I don’t have to hold back anymore.”
My heart skipped a beat. “You’ve been holding back?” I asked, all the confidence I was trying to project hiding behind the familiar shyness.
“You are such a fragile little dove.” He touched his finger to the hollow at the base of my neck and trailed it down my skin, leaving sparks along the way. “And you were so frightened that first night.”
I wasn’t now. My heart was in danger of exploding from the frantic rhythm fueled by the raging fire within me, burning hotter with every word and touch, but that didn’t scare me. It made me want more.
“Well, you should know by now I’m not that fragile,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and letting him take care of the remaining buttons. “And I’m not scared anymore.”
“Do you trust me?” he asked, his blue eyes hot and dangerous.
“Yes.”
“You’ll regret that.” He pushed the shirt off my shoulders and down my arms, and then he pivoted suddenly, dropping me in a tub partially filled with cold water.
“Chevalier! You forgot the hot water!” I shrieked, sitting bolt upright and hugging my knees to my chest.
“Did I?” he asked teasingly, adjusting the knobs. “You must have distracted me.”
“Chevalier Michel—” I began in a threatening tone, although his pants joining the shirt on the floor created quite the distraction for me.
“Remember, I warned you,” he purred, lowering himself into the tub.
Theresa’s wedding gift was definitely coming into play tomorrow, I decided, and then I let all thoughts fade away as I took all the love he gave me and poured it back out to him.
The rain continued to fall outside, reduced to a light, steady tapping at the windows later, when Chevalier built a fire in the fireplace and I threw together a quick pot of soup. We ate on the sofa, watching in near silence the flames dancing and snapping in the hearth before us. Comfortable, content, and exhausted. After we finished eating, Chevalier lay across the sofa, his arms wrapping around my waist in an unspoken request, and I lay in front of him, my back snug against his chest. He pulled a blanket up over us and wrapped his arms securely around my waist, resting his chin above my head on our shared pillow, and I sighed and closed my eyes. Dishes could wait until tomorrow.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1S80hKZzR
