Bride for a Night(22)

Time stopped as he rode out the storm of sensations that assaulted him. Then, with a low groan, he wrapped his arms around her quivering body and rolled to the side, pressing her against his chest.

A silence filled the room, broken only by their heavy breathing as they both struggled to recover from the explosive coupling.

It is time to walk away, a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

He had bedded his wife, ensuring their marriage was consummated and sating the unfathomable desire that had plagued him. Why would he linger?

But even as the thought of leaving passed through his mind, he dismissed it.

The uncomfortable truth was that he was not sated.

Despite the shockingly intense orgasm, he could already feel himself growing hard, and when she wiggled against him in an attempt to untangle herself from his arms, he instinctively tightened his grasp and growled in her ear.

“Do not move.”

“My lord…Gabriel…” She tilted back her head, her eyes revealing her stunned bemusement at what had just occurred between them. “Surely we should discuss…”

“No discussion,” he interrupted. Damnation, the last thing he desired was to discuss the cruel irony that the female who had so recently trapped him into marriage was capable of undermining ten years of self-discipline. He wanted to drown in the sweet temptation of her body for the rest of the night and then forget this temporary bout of madness as if it had never happened. “There is only this…” He shoved his fingers into her satin hair, crushing her lips in a devouring kiss. “And this…” He slid his mouth down the line of her jaw and then along the curve of her neck. She whispered a soft moan, her eyes fluttering shut as he continued his downward exploration, using his teeth and tongue to rouse her untutored passion. “And this…” His lips closed around the tip of her nipple and all coherent thought ended.

CHAPTER FIVE



Carrick Park Estate in Devonshire, England

TALIA HAD NOT KNOWN what to expect when she’d left London to travel to Gabriel’s remote estate in Devonshire.

In truth, she had barely given thought to her destination as the carriage had rattled over the cobblestones in the early-morning light. How could she when her thoughts were consumed with Gabriel and the hours she had spent in his arms?

It had all been so…extraordinary.

From the moment he had burst into her private chambers like a madman until he had disappeared without so much as a word just before dawn, it had all seemed like a strange dream that she might wake from at any moment.

He had been so coldly dismissive after the brief ceremony, she had never dreamed he would return with the expectation of sharing a marriage bed. And certainly she could never have anticipated his passion that had swept her away on a tidal wave of pleasure.

So why had he come to her?

Had it truly been out of fear that her father would demand proof of their consummation like some medieval villain? It seemed ridiculous. And besides, his seduction had not felt like a duty.

Even now, a month after arriving at her new home, she still lay in bed at night, recalling each branding kiss and every skillful touch.

Not that his reasons truly mattered, she told herself for the hundredth time, giving a shake of her head as she strolled along the narrow dirt path that led from the thatched cottage to Carrick Park.

For all the hours he had devoted to pleasuring her into mindless abandon, he had been swift enough to walk away from her bed, not even bothering to make an appearance as she was loaded into the carriage and taken from his home.

His message was painfully clear.