When he slid a finger inside of her, then another, the intrusion was both strange and exciting. Primrose might have been innocent in body and deed but not in knowledge. She knew he was doing what he could to prepare her for his possession. When just the thought of him pushing that hard length she could feel rubbing up against her thigh into her body dimmed a little of her hunger for him, she pushed it aside.
Only once, a married cousin had told her since she had just had her eighteenth birthday and could find herself headed to the altar at any moment. Lily had insisted that if the man knew what he was doing, it only hurt once and only for a short time. If the way his kisses and caresses were making her feel was any indication, Bened knew what he was doing and Primrose allowed her body full rein over her actions. Soon she was arching into his probing fingers, clutching at his shoulders as he kissed her, and feeling a desperate need stirring to full life inside her. She even murmured a faint protest when he took his skillful fingers away.
What took their place a short time later pulled her free of her blind desire for a heart-stopping moment. She fought against the urge to brace herself and tense but was not completely successful. Bened began to murmur soft words of encouragement and flattery against her throat and suddenly she felt a growing fear inside her wash away. She relaxed in his hold and her passion began to climb again.
Bened feared he was sweating all over her as he struggled to keep her calm. She had been all fire and need in his arms until he had actually begun to join their bodies. Then the fear of it had reared its ugly head. Having his gift react while in the middle of trying to bed a woman he had ached for, almost from the moment he met her, had the effect of dimming his own passion a bit but he now saw the good of it. She was all soft and welcoming in his arms again. He murmured an apology as he thrust through her maidenhead and she gasped with pain but even her pain faded quickly.
A heartbeat later that need to calm also faded. He felt his passion roar back to full life, freed from the restraint of his concern for her. He kissed her as he moved, determined to do his best to make her first time with a man memorable by giving her the gift of release. When he knew he would not last much longer, he slid his hand between their bodies and used his fingers to stroke her into joining him in passion’s fall from the heights.
Primrose was still trembling from the wave of pleasure that had swept over her. It had so stunned her that she had briefly feared she would faint. The strong body of the man who had so sweetly revealed passion’s secrets to her lay weakly against her, yet, even now, he thought to protect her from the weight of him, using his arms to hold him up so that he did not fully rest on top of her. She winced a little as he separated their bodies and all too quickly became aware of a faint soreness between her thighs.
Seeing the wince, Bened went and fetched a wet cloth to wash her with. He grinned as she blushed bright red when he did so. Rinsing out the cloth after cleaning himself off, he moved quickly to crawl back into bed and take her into his arms. He might not be ready to offer her any vows or promises but he would let her know that he was not going to just take what he needed and leave, that he had not only enjoyed what they had shared but was more than ready to keep on sharing it.
Once back in his arms, Primrose was no longer concerned about their nakedness, simply enjoyed the feel of their skin pressed close together. She knew she ought to care about the fact that she was now completely ruined but she did not. This was what she had wanted, and still believed that she would have always regretted it if she had not tasted it. She ignored the part of her that suffered a severe pang of disappointment over the lack of any declaration of love or promise of a future. That was not what she had been seeking.
“I would like nothing more than to spend the day here with you but we need to go have some food and get back on the road,” he said as he kissed her cheek.
“Aunty knows where we are.”
“Exactly. A part of me would like to hunt her down but I have no idea how many men she has at hand and that would leave you unprotected. It is why I have decided we are going to pay a visit to some family of mine and see if there are any of them who can join us. More eyes to keep a watch for the woman or her hirelings.”
“Are you certain they will help?”
“Very certain. It will all depend upon who is around or close at hand. Even if they cannot help me in the way I would like, they will help me in any way they can.” He brushed a kiss over her mouth and slowly sat up. “I truly would love to spend the day, or even a few days, right here, but we cannot risk it. And she is still hunting down your brother.”
Clutching the covers to her breasts, Primrose sat up. “I know. I am going to take a little time to send a post to Uncle George. I am sure that is where Simeon is headed and, if my brother is still unaware of what is on his trail or why, Uncle George can warn him when he gets there.”