Where Dreams Begin(100)

They were married now, Holly thought in wonder, staring at her husband in the suspended silence, her fingers lacing tightly with his. Suddenly Rose's voice broke through the stillness, as the little girl apparently felt moved to add to the vicar's closing words. Her tone exactly mimicked his grave monotone. “And they lived happily ever after.”

Laughter rippled through the small gathering, and Zachary pressed a brief, hard kiss on Holly's smiling mouth.

The wedding supper that followed was a lighthearted affair, with music supplied by violinists and conversation seasoned by flowing bottles of expensive wine. Rose was allowed to sit at the adults' table for a short time. She was clearly dismayed when Maude appeared at the hour of eight to take her up to the nursery, but her protests were forestalled when Zachary murmured quietly to her and placed some small object in her hand. Exchanging a goodnight kiss with Holly, the child went happily upstairs with Maude.

“What did you give her?” Holly asked Zachary, and his black eyes glinted with mischief.

“Buttons.”

“Buttons,” she whispered in surprise. “From where?”

“One from my wedding coat and one from the back of your gown. Rose wanted them to commemorate the occasion.”

“You took a button from the back of my gown?” Holly whispered, casting him a shaming glance as she wondered how he had managed to accomplish the small feat without her notice.

“Be thankful I stopped at just one, my lady,” he advised.

Holly did not reply, her blush heightening as she reflected that she was anticipating their wedding night fully as much as he.

At last the long supper and the endless rounds of toasts came to a conclusion, and the men remained at the table to enjoy their port. Holly slipped upstairs to the bedroom adjoining Zachary's, and with Maude's help, she removed her wedding clothes. She changed into a nightgown made of fine, thin white cambric that had been intricately pleated and ruffled at the bodice and sleeves. Dismissing the servant with a smile of thanks, Holly brushed out her hair until it fell in long, loose locks over her shoulders.

It felt strange, to once again be waiting for a husband's conjugal visit—strange but wonderful. How fortunate she was to have been blessed with two loves in her life. Sitting at the dressing table, she bent her head to whisper a silent prayer of thankfulness.

Eventually the quiet click of the door interrupted the silence, and she glanced upward to find Zachary approaching her.

Slowly he removed his wedding coat and tossed it over the back of a chair. He came to her and settled his hands on her shoulders while their gazes met in the mirror. “No doubt I should have waited longer.” His fingers slid over her shining hair, then lightly touched the sides of her neck. Holly shivered pleasurably at the gentle brush of his fingertips. “But the more I thought of you up here…my sweet, pretty wife…the more impossible it became to stay away.” Continuing to stare at her reflection, Zachary carefully unfastened the little covered buttons at her throat, working down the long row until the cambric sagged loosely over her chest. His dark hands slipped beneath the thin fabric, their shadowy outline visible as he fondled the round shapes of her br**sts.

Holly's breathing deepened as she leaned against her chair. Her ni**les contracted from the sliding heat of his palms. He used his thumbs and forefingers to pull gently at the tips, until the sensation chased all the way down to her toes.

“Zachary,” she said unsteadily, “I love you.”

He knelt beside her chair and urged her forward, his mouth capturing the tip of one breast through the cambric and tugging urgently. She quivered, her hands coming to his head, and she rubbed her mouth over his thick black hair. Releasing her breast, Zachary smiled and cupped her small face between his palms. “Tell me,” he said, “do you still think that good wives pander to their husbands' desires but should never encourage them?”

“I'm sure I should think so,” she said ruefully.

“That's too bad,” he informed her, laughter shimmering in his eyes. “Because there's nothing I enjoy so much as watching you struggle with your improper desires.” He picked her up easily, and she curled her arms around his neck as he carried her to the bed. A few flickering candles illuminated the room with soft pools of light, causing Zachary's skin to gleam like bronze as he removed his clothing. He tugged Holly's gown to her hips, spreading kisses on each newly revealed inch of her body, then pulled it off completely. She turned toward him, gathering herself against him with a sound of mingled greed and pleasure that made him laugh softly. But his flaring amusement dimmed as she touched him, her hands inexpertly searching his shoulders and back and smoothing over the hard slopes of muscle. His chest moved in uneven breaths, and he pressed his face in her hair.

“Zachary,” she whispered near his ear, “teach me all the things you like. Tell me what you want. I'll do anything for you…anything.”

He lifted his head and looked into her warm, trusting brown eyes. His own expression became fierce with adoration, and he bent to take her mouth hungrily. Grasping her hand in his, he drew her fingers slowly over his body, lingering on the places that gave him pleasure, showing her ways to stroke and caress him that she had never imagined.

Murmuring hotly against her throat, he spread her thighs and slipped his fingers inside her, and kissed her stomach and navel and rested his thumb lightly on the peak hidden in the damp clustered curls between her legs. She strained upward with a smothered moan, and he circled his thumb once, twice, while his fingers flexed deeper inside her body. He bent his head over her loins and slid his tongue over her swollen flesh, and gnawed softly with his lips and the edge of his teeth, and her fingers went to the back of his neck in a frantic grasp.