The Heiress Bride - Catherine Coulter [127]
Colin jumped as a log rolled off, scattering embers out onto the hearth. He was pulled abruptly back from his memories of the afternoon with MacPherson. He hugged his wife closer as she said, nestling closer as she kissed her husband’s throat yet again, “Do you believe him, Colin?” She kissed him again. He tasted warm and salty and utterly wonderful. She could kiss him until she cocked up her toes.
“I don’t wish to speak of him anymore tonight.”
“But you let him go! I’m frightened!”
“You’ll be safe. He swore on his father’s name.”
“Ha! He is a little weasel, pretty but deadly.”
“Hush, Joan. I want to kiss you now.” He gently shifted her in his arms and brought his mouth to hers. He tasted of the sweet, darkly mysterious port he’d drunk with Ryder and Douglas after dinner. His mouth was firm and when his tongue came gently between her lips she felt a desire to lock her arms around his neck and never let him go. “That feels wonderful,” she said into his mouth. His tongue touched hers and she squirmed a bit.
He raised his head and looked at her. “I’ve missed you. Tonight, Joan, you’ll learn pleasure. Will you trust me and cease your babble about my being too large for you?”
“But you’re still as large as you were, Colin. That can’t change. I still don’t see how it can be at all wonderful for me when you have to come inside me.”
He just grinned down at her. “Trust me.”
“I suppose I must, since I want to see your beautiful face every day until I die. You’re very important to me, Colin. You must take good care of yourself. All right?”
“Yes, and I’ll also take good care of you.”
He kissed her again and yet again. He continued kissing her, lightly then more deeply, nipping at her lower lip, kissing her until she was gasping and pressing herself against him, her fingers wild in his hair and on his shoulders. He made no move to caress her breasts or touch her anywhere but her back and her arms. Kissing seemed to be the only thing on his mind. Sinjun was very happy about it, for about five minutes.
She wanted more. It was disconcerting, but she didn’t mind at all. She felt that tugging sensation low in her belly, a sort of burning that was intense yet still vague and indistinct, but she knew there had to be more and she wanted it. She vaguely remembered those feelings now, oh yes, she’d had them before, but they’d vanished when he’d hurt her. She grabbed his hand and pulled it to her stomach. She pressed his palm against her belly. “I feel very strange,” she said into his mouth, her breath warm, her voice hoarse. She began to kiss him wildly, without restraint, her hands in his hair, stroking his face and shoulders.
“Yes, I can feel that you do,” he said. His fingers didn’t move for the longest time, merely rested lightly on her stomach. But he continued to kiss her until she moaned into his mouth. Then his fingers slipped slowly downward. Sinjun sucked in her breath, waiting. She felt frantic, and very very warm. She felt as if there was something wonderful waiting for her, and it was close now, very close.
“Colin,” she said, and moaned into his mouth.
“What would you like now, Joan?”
CHAPTER
18
COLIN HAD A strategy and he had no intention of allowing himself to forget it or modify it. No, he had no intention of losing his control. No, tonight he was going to make his wife want him desperately, then he would see.
She was getting close and he was both delighted and immensely relieved.
He continued to kiss her. She was warm and soft and urgent and he wanted very much to cover her with his fingers, to ease inside of her, to feel her around him, to feel the softness and warmth of her. But he held off. No, let it build within her, this passion he would continue to inflame, until she was moaning with it, then yelling. He closed his eyes, trying to picture her face when her pleasure took her.
“I want—” she began, then touched