Her heart soared with love for him. To think he would be so generous towards her father, a man he didn’t even know, was incredible. And the gesture reinforced again how much he actually loved her. Ambrose Hartfield wasn’t a man to do anything by halves. When he was committed to something, he gave it everything.
She hoped the generosity was appreciated. But even if Papa refused it, sneering that he would never accept money from a common man, it didn’t matter. If her father did decide to fight them over their marriage, still insisting that she return to Surrey and marry Lord Stanton…well, that didn’t matter either. She knew that Ambrose would fight for her forever. And that she would fight just as ferociously for him.
“Thank you,” she whispered, overwhelmed. “I cannot express what that means to me.”
He started sponging her back again. “It is my pleasure. For I aim to worship you. Nothing is too much for you, Delia.” His voice grew huskier. “Let me show you how much I adore you.”
She bit her lip as she felt his hands snake around to her breasts, kneading them. Her nipples, already erect from exposure to the cold air after the warmth of the bath, hardened further. He twisted them slowly, sending sparks of exquisite pleasure through her flesh.
“I am getting in,” he whispered into her ear.
When he was in the bath behind her, he started the slow, agonising attention again. She felt his hand slip down between her legs, stroking her most intimate place.
“Yes,” he whispered into her ear as she arched against his wet, warm body. “Come to me, my darling. I want to feel and see your pleasure.”
It was building at a frantic pace. The new experience of being touched by him while in the warm water was electrifying. Her whole body felt alive as if it were about to explode. As if fireworks were nestling within her and about to be ignited.
Suddenly, she stiffened as wave after wave of the most incredible sensation shuddered through her body. Water sloshed out of the bath as he held her, quivering beneath his hand, riding out the tsunami.
She cried out, her voice echoing in the room. He bit her ear in passion as the last of the tremors swept through her body, leaving her limp in his arms.
She was still limp and shuddering with the aftershocks of her pleasure as she felt him slide into her as seamlessly as a glove. She gave another strangled gasp. She was so wet from the climax and the bath water that she felt no pain. There was only an incredible feeling of fullness within her, a joy that he was finally inside her, and they were joined at long last.
“Oh,” she cried, arching her back against him, widening her eyes in delighted astonishment.
He held her breasts firmly, whispering in her ear again. “Is it hurting you? Do you want me to stop?”
She shook her head, incredulous at the sensation. “No, please do notstop. It is the most beautiful feeling I have ever experienced.”
He kissed and nipped her ear in ferocious passion at her words, sliding deeper into her. He was so deep within her that she felt like he might disappear entirely. More water sloshed out of the bath as they moved together in a rhythm as old as time itself. He gripped her tighter, straining against her.
The aftershocks of her climax had changed, and now it was growing again, like a snake uncoiling ever so slightly after it had bitten. She arched her back again against him, wanting more of him, feeling like she couldn’t get enough of him.
He was moving faster within her now, at a dizzying pace. The sensations were growing stronger, overtaking her. She gripped both sides of the tub for support as a hot sweat broke over her body. She heard herself moaning as if from very far away.
Suddenly, he gripped her tighter still. He cried out in an almost agonising way. She felt him pouring himself into her. At the same time, the sensations within her own body rushed over her as if speeding through a long tunnel. She cried out as well as it hit an amazing peak, their cries of passion intermingling and echoing through the room.
She slumped against him, so languorous and weak that she couldn’t speak. He was panting hard. She felt slightly delirious. How could such an incredible feeling even exist?
Her heart started to slow down. She blinked, coming slowly back to earth. She realised there was more water on the floor than in the tub now. The floor was saturated.
“We may need a mop,” she whispered.
He laughed softly. “Do you want to be the mop lady? Just this once?”
She laughed with him. He reached out, tucking a hair behind her ear, kissing her shoulder. She turned slightly to look at his beloved face.
“That was the most unbelievable experience of my life,” he whispered, a dazed expression on his face. “I have never had such pleasure before. When I slid inside you, it was like I was finally home, Delia. You felt…so incredible.”
Her heart leapt. “I felt exactly the same way,” she whispered, reaching out to stroke his face gently. “As if I had been waiting for it my whole life. I never dreamt it would be so fulfilling. I wanted you like I have never wanted anything before.”
His face grew solemn. “I meant what I said. I am yours, body and soul. Forever.”
She gave a soft sigh, settling herself back against him again, closing her eyes in bliss. She was growing cold now that most of the bath water was lying on the floor, but she didn’t care. The exquisite pleasure of just lying with him in the home that they were going to make their own was overwhelming.
The long journey was finally over. She had found him. They had found each other. They had found true love. And nothing would ever be the same again.
She had left Lady Cordelia Pelham behind forever. The garb of that lady had never fit her properly anyway. She had shed them, like a snake shedding a skin, emerging clean and new. She was reborn through his love. More than ready for that new life to begin…with him.