Even as he spoke of it, I felt my stomach tighten as I remembered the feeling of his thumb as it rubbed against the center of my breast and how his touch made the muscles in my legs clench. I shifted slightly in his lap.
“You do remember,” Branford said with a chuckle. I could only nod and not actually hide since Branford’s hand still cupped my cheek. He showed me his crooked smile, and then his eyes grew serious. “What can I do? What can I do to convince you I won’t hurt you?”
I tried to look away, but he would have none of it.
We had spoken of starting again—of trying to be good to one another. How could I truly do that if I could not bring myself to trust him? As far as I knew, he had not spoken an untruth to me. In fact, he had been quite forthcoming when it came to information about himself. Whatever questions I had asked, he had answered. Though I certainly still feared his temper, his gentle, nightly touches had not caused me harm. They did quite the opposite, in fact. His touches had been very desirable, just as he had promised.
“It won’t…it won’t hurt?”
“I only wish to touch you tonight, my wife.” Branford’s eyes narrowed as his brow furrowed, his expression uncertain. When I looked at him, I was suddenly reminded of a small boy who would often visit Hadebrand, begging for scraps of food from the castle. Sometimes, when he was worried he might have asked for too much, he would get a similar look in his eyes—both afraid to ask and afraid not to ask all at the same time.
More than anything, Branford appeared quite young and boyish to me for a moment. As his eyes silently begged me to allow him to touch my body, I couldn’t help but smile just a little. His look made my spine tingle, at the same time making him appear much less frightening than he ever had before. I took a deep breath and nodded before turning in his lap to look upon him more directly.
“I believe you,” I said quietly, feeling my blush rise to my cheeks.
“You will permit me to touch you?” Branford’s eyes widened, and his hands moved to my hips. I felt his fingers grip slightly into my sides, and then he tugged at the fabric of my dress. “You’ll let me remove this from you…see you without it?”
“Yes,” I said as I nodded again. I glanced down for a moment, for the intensity of his gaze was too much. “You’ll be gentle?”
“Always,” Branford said through a breath of relief. “I promise you.”
“And tomorrow…when it’s the third night?” I chewed on my lip, wondering if I might actually faint again when the time came.
“I won’t hurt you,” Branford said, his voice pleading again. “I wouldn’t hurt anyone in such a way but especially not you. I swear I will make it perfect for you…as perfect as I know how.”
With a final nod and a deep breath, I released my lip from my teeth, leaned forward, and pressed my lips against my husband’s. I could feel his mouth turn up into a smile as he leaned back a bit in the chair, pulling me tenderly against him as I attempted to follow his movements and not break the kiss. I slid my hands up to his shoulders and leaned against them for balance. I felt Branford’s hands glide up my sides around to my back and then up to my shoulders and into my hair. I opened my mouth, reaching out to touch his lips with my tongue. Branford groaned softly but didn’t push back. For a few minutes, he stayed somewhat still as I kissed him.
We didn’t stop until I backed away, blinking a few times before I focused on his face again. Branford said nothing, but the glint in his eyes and slight smile told me how pleased he was. Feeling slightly emboldened, I let my fingers trace up the side of his neck, across his jaw, and finally settle on his moistened lips. I touched him softly, as he had touched my skin before, and I could feel his warm breath against my fingertips. With my other hand, I touched his cheek, followed the path of his eyebrows, and slipped down to the tip of his nose. His chest rose and fell with his breaths. He closed his eyes and gripped my hips as
I explored his beautiful face.
When I managed to have my fill, at least for the time being, I moved my hands back to his shoulders and tried to figure out a way to stop my ever-present blush from appearing. I must have failed, for he smiled brightly and traced my cheek with his fingers.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
“You’re welcome, Branford.”
“Would you mind if we forget the rest of the bathing?” Branford asked. I shook my head. “You could go ahead and get yourself dressed for bed. Your wardrobe should be adequate now, I hope.”
“It is.”
“There is a nightdress in there,” Branford said, his voice softening. “I’d like you to wear it.”
“Which one?”
“It has laces all the way up the front,” he replied.
“Oh.”
Branford released his grip, and I went to the wardrobe to find the dress he wanted me to wear. I had no trouble locating the one he meant, for not only did it lace up the front, the laces were obviously designed for their simplicity—especially in removal. The dress was blue, lightweight, and the laces did indeed go from the neckline all the way down to the waist. I pulled it over my head and then looked down at the open front with the ends of the laces in my hands. With the laces undone, Branford would be able to see the entire front of me, clear to the bottom of my stomach. My hands shook as I started to lace it from the bottom. Then I wondered if he wanted me to lace it at all or if the act would be fruitless since he would want it unlaced soon enough. I remembered earlier in the day when he had opened my dress and looked at me. He had started to touch me before he saw the mark on my shoulder and had stopped.
I finished with the laces, and with my feet bare against the cool wooden floor, I walked around the screen to face my husband. He looked from my eyes to my feet, then back up again, his smile growing as he took me in.
“You are extraordinarily beautiful,” he said. I felt the heat rise to my face. Branford walked up to me and placed his hand on my cheek and whispered. “Lovely.”
He pressed his lips to mine, and I opened my mouth as I felt his tongue touch me. He left his hand against my cheek as the other one reached for my waist and he pulled my body against his. He broke away soon, and then in one swift movement, he stooped down, wrapped his arms behind my back and legs, and then hoisted me up into his embrace.
Though he had done much the same in the arena after he had chosen me, I cried out in surprise and covered my mouth with my hand. Branford chuckled softly as he carried me to the bed and lay me on my back before crawling over the top of me. He kissed me again, gripping the side of my head as his tongue explored my mouth. He paused, slowed, and then stopped. His eyes remained closed as he took several deep breaths before opening them and smiling down at me.