Where Dreams Begin(101)

“Please,” she moaned, inflamed and ready, every muscle in her body tensing in anticipation. “Now, Zachary—”

But he rolled off of her and pulled her stiff limbs over his, and made her straddle his h*ps so that his erection rubbed into the place he had made so wet and hot. Understanding what he wanted, Holly reached down with trembling hands and pushed the taut length of him into place. She tried to sink down on him, but in her inexperience she could not find the proper angle. He guided her to lean deeper, until her br**sts swayed over his face. The hard shaft slid more easily then, and she gasped at the luscious invasion.

Rising upward on his elbows, Zachary caught one nipple in his mouth, and then the other, taking little stinging bites that caused her h*ps to jerk against his. Holly pressed herself on him urgently, then rose and did it again, finding a rhythm that caused his powerful legs to quiver beneath hers. He gritted his teeth and grabbed huge fistfuls of the bed linens, while sweat beaded on his face. He did not reach for her or guide her, only let her do as she wished, until the pleasure in her core surged in a great throbbing tide. Letting out a low cry, Holly ground herself against him, crushed her mouth on his, fused her body to his, while the fiery delight raced through her. Only then did he touch her, gripping her bu**ocks in his hands to pull her down even harder as his own passion exploded.

Holly rested against his shoulder for a long time afterward, occasionally reaching up to stroke his face with gentle fingertips. When Zachary's breathing returned to normal, he moved to blow out the candles, then returned to her arms. She didn't know whether they slept for minutes or hours, but she awakened in the darkness to feel his hands on her once more. He kissed her mouth and br**sts, while his coaxing hand teased the tender place between her thighs until she was ready for him again. She gave a little start as he rolled her to her stomach and wedged a pillow beneath her hips. “Trust me?” came his devilish whisper against her ear. She relaxed and offered a moan of encouragement, opening herself completely to whatever he desired. She felt his legs slide between hers, and he took her from behind, fitting himself deeply into her body. She wondered dizzily if this was immoral, if she should allow it, and then soon she didn't care. His long thrusts caused guttural cries to rise from her throat, and she felt his teeth gently score the back of her neck as his cl**ax followed hers.

They made love once more as dawn approached, every movement languid and dreamy, their mouths clinging in unbroken kisses as Zachary cradled her in his arms. “I never want to leave this bed,” she whispered to him, stretching beneath the stroke of his hand on her lower back.

“I'm afraid you'll have to, my lady. But from now on, there's always another night for us.”

She trailed her fingers through his chest hair, found the little point of nipple and rubbed it gently. “Zachary?”

“Yes, my love?”

“How often do you usually, er…that is, what do you prefer…”

Her attempts to phrase the question delicately seemed to entertain him. “How often would you prefer?” he parried, drawing a fingertip over her blushing cheek.

“Well, with George, I…that is, we…at least once a week.”

“Once a week,” he repeated, and beneath the laughter in his eyes there was a hot flicker that made her toes curl. “I'm afraid I'll require your wifely compliance a great deal more often than that, Lady Holly.”

In a rush of tingling embarrassment, Holly reflected that he was a man of strong appetites—she should not have been surprised by his rampantly sexual nature. And the prospect of sharing most of her nights with him was not exactly a hardship. “I've been taught my entire life to be moderate in all things,” she said. “And I have been…except when it comes to you.”

“Well, Lady Holly,” he murmured, his wide shoulders rising above hers, “I think that bodes well for our future. Don't you?” And he kissed her before she could answer.

Holly thought she had come to know and understand Zachary Bronson quite well after abiding beneath his roof for the better part of a Season. However, she soon discovered the vast difference between simply abiding with him and living as his wife. As the first month of their married life passed, she gradually became accustomed to sharing astonishing intimacy with him. She learned many things about Zachary: That although he could be callous or harsh toward those who displeased him, he was never completely without mercy. That he was not a religious man, nor was he particularly spiritual, yet he had a code of honor that led him to be unflinchingly honest. That he was embarrassed by open praise from others, and made light of the favors that he did for them.

Although Zachary tried mightily to conceal it, he possessed a vein of compassion that led him to be kind to those he perceived as vulnerable or weak. He drove hard bargains in his business dealings, but he slipped lavish tips to street sweepers and match girls, and secretly funded a multitude of reformist causes. When any of his charitable impulses were discovered, he disclaimed any good motives and pretended that everything he did was for purely mercenary reasons.

Perplexed by his behavior, Holly approached him in the library on a day he had chosen to work at home. “The pensions for your workers, and the new safety standards at your factories, and the workingmens' college you're funding,” she mused aloud, “these are all things you've done only because it will eventually bring you more profit?”