“Sir Rylan will also be there to act as middleman.”
“What does that mean?”
“He will hold Vanquish and the slave during the contest so no one can back out of the wager when he has lost. There may be the odd spectator, but those are all the names of consequence.”
Branford kissed the top of my head and gripped me tighter for a moment.
“You need to sleep now,” he said. “It is late. You have had a very distressing day, and we will need to rise shortly after daybreak.”
I nodded and rested my head on the pillow beside him as he shifted and rolled over to face me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close before closing his eyes. As Branford fell into slumber, I realized this was the first time since the night we consummated our
marriage that he did not take me before sleep. As I lay my head against his chest, I felt strangely empty, and not just in the literal sense. It was some time before my mind allowed sleep to come to me, and then my sleep was far from restful. I kept waking, wondering and worrying about Branford’s fight in the morning and feeling horribly guilty about forcing him into such a situation. I remembered Parnell telling him he had nothing to prove and Branford’s look as he answered his cousin. He felt he had something to prove to me as if I wanted him to put himself in danger.
I did not. I never wanted him to consider engaging in a contest to help Janet. I only wanted to get her away from the horrible man who treated her so abusively. I looked up into Branford’s sleeping face, so quiet and peaceful. He hardly moved when he slept except to tighten his grip around me or to roll slowly from his back to his side. Even when I reached up to touch him, as I did now, he never stirred. I stroked my fingers over his forehead and jaw, smiling at his beauty.
Remembering we had not taken pleasure with each other the night before, I was also reminded of Branford’s words regarding what he would do if I had no nightdresses. I bit my lip softly as an idea came to me, and I slowly pulled away from my sleeping husband. His arm dropped to the bed as his face tightened in sleep. He did not stir any further, so I carefully stood, removed my nightdress entirely, and then lay down beside him again.
I had never felt so wanton as I brushed my hand over the light hair on his stomach, trailing my fingers lower until they reached the top of his sleep trousers. I knew something was a little different, for usually when I reached for him, I could feel the end of his flesh at the top of his trousers, yet it was not there. I glanced toward his face, but he remained asleep, so I slipped my fingers underneath the cloth and reached farther down.
When I discovered his male flesh with my hand, I was surprised at how soft and pliable it was and how easily my fingers could reach around it. When he still did not stir, I ran my fingers from the tip down to the base, back again, and then wrapped them all the way around.
Though the rest of my husband’s body did not awaken, this part of him did. I could feel it twitch and grow in my palm as I stroked him the way he had showed me in the meadow. Soon, I could no longer reach all the way around with my fingers as his flesh grew and pulsed in my hand.
With a low moan, Branford’s hips bucked up against me, and his arm grasped at my shoulders.
“Alexandra!” he exclaimed. “Wha-what are you…oh…God…”
I could not contain my smile as I heard his low moan and felt his fingers grip tightly onto my skin on the top part of my arm. His other hand reached for mine, holding my fingers around his and guiding my strokes. His breathing turned quickly to panting, and he murmured my name over and over again. After only a minute or so, he pulled my hand from him and gripped both of my arms as he dragged my body up his. He brought my mouth to his, and I felt his tongue reached out to me. I returned the gesture, running my tongue over his as he held my bare body against the warmth of his chest.
Quite awake now, Branford wrapped his arms around me and rolled until he was on top of me, pushing my legs apart quickly. He slid into me steadily with another loud groan and began his intoxicating rhythm inside of my body.
He found my breasts with his hands and held them up to his lips. His tongue caressed my nipples, and as he took the first in his mouth and sucked hard, I lifted my body up to his. I moaned softly and wrapped my fingers through his hair to hold him against me. He moved from one breast to the other, his licks and kisses moving in time with his gentle strokes.
I was completely captivated by him—his touch, the sight of his eyes, the smell of his skin as he labored to bring us both such pleasure. I felt my mouth turn up in a smile when I thought of how frightened I had been in my innocence and compared it to how I felt now, just a few short days later. I marveled in the feeling of his soft hair around my fingertips as he pulled away from my breasts and held himself above me and pushed slowly inside of me, holding himself up by his arms.
I traced the strong muscles of his arms and shoulders before trailing my fingertips over his chest. I felt his skin quiver slightly as I brushed over his nipples, and I wondered how it felt to him when I touched them. Feeling strangely bold for so early in the morning, I lifted myself off the bed just enough to place a kiss over one of them.
“Alexandra!” Branford sucked in a sharp breath, and I looked up to find his darkened stare. As I kept my gaze on his to further watch his expression, I reached out with my tongue and ran it over the small, flat nub. He closed his eyes and tightened his fingers against my sides. Branford moaned out loud as his hand reached for my hair and entwined the strands in his fingers. I kissed his nipple again and smiled to myself before wrapping both of my arms around his shoulders as he pressed his hips against mine, continuing his steady rhythm. Our lips met, and the taste of his tongue filled my mouth. He slid his hand between us, finding the spot above where we were joined and attending to it until I screamed out for him.
As my body dropped against the mattress, I felt his gentle but urgent touch all over my skin—from my breasts, to my shoulders and arms, back down to my sides, and over my thighs. His hand slipped around my hip and gripped my behind, pulling my hips to his as he brought forth his pleasure with a series of quick thrusts into my body. I felt his seed pour into me as he groaned loudly.
“Oh…Alexandra…my wife…” His head dropped to my shoulder, where he licked and sucked at my skin. It made me smile, for it was something he had done almost every time he had taken me. I had come to anticipate the feeling of his lips and tongue on my neck and the rough scratch of his jaw as it brushed across my skin.
Branford rose up on his elbows and he held my face in his hands, kissing my lips, my chin, and my jaw up to my ear. He moved down to suck at the skin of my neck again before rising up and looking into my face. His full smile bore down on me, and I felt heat rise to my face.
“And what reason accounts for this early display?” he asked quietly, causing my blush to deepen. He stroked my cheekbone with his thumb and tilted his head to one side, raising his eyebrows as he awaited my answer.
“We did not…you did not…last night…” My words were a garbled mess, and Branford’s smile widened.
“It was late, and we both needed our sleep.” He traced from my temple to my ear, pushing my hair away from my neck. “Did I disappoint you by not taking you in the evening?”
“No, you did not disappoint,” I answered, “but I did miss it.”
He stilled and looked down on me a moment before rolling to his side. I rolled with him, and he stroked the side of my face.
“I would not have expected such brazenness from you, Alexandra.” His eyes smiled at me. “It was quite enjoyable.”
I blushed again, naturally, and tucked my head against his shoulder so he would not see my embarrassment.