He pressed forward with steady pressure, stopping when Jessica hissed and braced herself against him. She remained that way a while, and then softened slowly. When she was relaxed enough, he pushed in farther, but this time her fingers only stroked him.
When he was inside her all the way, he lowered himself to his forearms. “You are amazing.”
She smiled as he began to move. Her fingers tangled in his hair once more, and she closed her eyes. “This is lovely,” she whispered after a while. Her eyes opened slowly and locked on his. “I can feel you inside me. You’re exciting me again.”
Gideon groaned and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He moved his weight to one arm and pushed his fingers between them to tease her sex once more.
Jessica ground against them eagerly, and he let her drive their passion even higher.
“Stay with me. Don’t… Please,” Jessica begged as her back arched once more, and her body thrashed in the grip of a second release.
Gideon lost what was left of his control and muffled his groan against her skin. Panting hard, body hot and slick, he attempted to roll to his back so as not to crush Jessica while he caught his breath.
He might have succeeded if she’d released him.
As it was, Jessica followed him, draping herself loosely over his body, gasping for breath too.
He settled a hand behind her head, holding her against his chest as their mutual passion faded to a lovely memory.
After a moment, Jessica stirred. “Fanny was right.”
“What about now?”
“Making love is far better than talking about mushrooms with you.”
He started to laugh at her statement and had to grab a pillow to muffle his mirth when he couldn’t stop.
Jessica shifted, climbing over him, caged him with her arms and legs and wrenched the pillow from his grip. “Oh, you think talking about mushrooms with me is funny now, do you?”
He dragged one finger from her chin to the tip of her breast, relishing her small gasp as her sensitive nipple pebbled. “I do.”
Jessica pushed her breast harder against his hand. “I love our silly nonsense.”
“So do I. But this is not nonsense.” He drew a circle around the fullness of her breast. “We could still have a lot of fun in bed together even when we’re an old married couple.”
“Samuel mentioned that.”
He grasped her waist and moved her so she was sitting over his hips. “What else did your other instructors mention about making love?”
“That making love once will never be enough for me. I am a Westfall, and we are a passionate people.”
He cupped her sweet derriere in his hands and squeezed. “Then I’m the most fortunate of men to have been well and truly captivated.”
He tumbled her onto the mattress and turned her under him, eager to discover how adventurous in bed she might turn out to be. She seemed in no hurry to leave his bed, so he decided to make the most of his good fortune. As her legs wrapped around his hips and her hands slid down his back to his own rear, he shuddered in her grip.
“I’m so grateful you chose me, Jessica,” he whispered. “If you hadn’t demanded a kiss, I might never know I could be this happy.”
For an answer, Jessica dragged him down for more kisses that lasted until dawn lightened the room.
Chapter 18
Jessica tapped on the Stapleton study’s open door a little after nine the next morning and let herself in. Her father’s summons had brought her rushing downstairs as quickly as she could make herself presentable, hoping to hear Father was at last ready to be reasonable about Giddy. “You wanted to see me, Father?”
“Yes, come in. Come in.”
He waved her in urgently. Her father’s face was grave, and she was instantly on her guard when he shut the door behind her. “What’s the matter?”