He turned on his heel and dragged the duvet and pillows to a spot by the fire. He surprised her, lifting her up into his arms and carrying her to the nest he’d made by the fire. Lowering them both, he kept her firmly on his lap.

“Swing your leg around here,” he murmured, kissing her shoulder gently.

Remi moved until she straddled his middle, her center pressed against the hardest part of his body. He nearly growled when she moved against him, gripping her thighs above the stockings when she finally settled.

“Better?” she asked.

“Much.” He slid a finger down the skin between her breasts with a teasing smirk. “But your chemise is in the way.”

“Then take it off,” she said, her voice tight with longing.

Ben didn’t hesitate. He grasped the hem and lifted it above her head, discarding it to the side. Dipping his head toward her chest, he closed his lips over the tip of her breast.

Remi jumped at the sensation, earning another groan as she rubbed against him. He rewarded her with a pinch to her other nipple, kneading the bud between his fingers as he continued his attention to the other. The pleasure was overwhelming but fleeting, for he moved away within a breath, leaving her wanting.

Ben watched her face as he eased back. “I want to taste more of you.”

Remi blushed. “Whatever do you mean?”

His hand splayed against the space between her shoulders, and his legs shifted as he moved her to lay on her back. She waited, breathless, as his fingers moved to the band of her underclothes. Her breath caught in her chest with every inch they moved down her skin. She throbbed between her legs as he stripped the final barrier between them away.

Ben bunched the fabric in one fist and brought it to his face.

“Ben!” Remi hissed.

“Gods,” he breathed, “you smell as sweet as you look. Now, come here so that I can taste you.”

She yelped as he lifted her hips and swung her legs over his shoulders. His face, propped squarely between her thighs, focused on her center. His warm breath met the damp skin, sending a shiver through her body, followed by another when lips and tongue enfolded her.

Remi gripped the blankets beneath her, twisting the sheet in her hands as he sucked and licked. Her thighs clamped against the sides of his head, encouraging him as he pushed her to her peak. She shook with her climax, sighing as the aftershocks of pleasure overtook her. Ben didn’t stop until she relaxed again, humming in his throat as he licked her one last time. When he pulled his face away, she could see herself on his lips. He grinned, the evidence of her pleasure coating his face.

“I can only imagine what it would feel like to have you quiver so desperately around me,” he growled, setting her down. “Would you like that?”

Remi swallowed and nodded weakly. “Yes.”

Without another word, he undid the button of his breeches. They fell past his hips, revealing his erection. Remi sucked in a breath as he leaned over her, capturing her lips in another kiss. Ben lowered himself between her legs, brushing against her already sensitive skin. Her mouth went dry.

“Please,” she moaned.

It was all that she needed to say.

Ben moved slowly, gentle as he pushed inside her. He set a slow pace at first, as though testing himself, but Remi arched up into him, meeting each thrust and he lost himself. He panted, moving his hips in tandem with her own, gripping her thighs as they moved together. She gave herself over to him completely. Flames of passion flared between them. Remi’s body shook with release once more, and she cried out his name as she shook from her toes to her fingertips. Ben moved faster, his own climax nearing; he pulled out of her, the warmth of his orgasm covering her womanhood and belly.

Everything was a blur as Ben disappeared, reappearing with a wet cloth. He took his time wiping her clean, his eyes warm and dark as he watched her. When he was done, he lay beside her, pulling her into his embrace. She felt his heart racing and lay against him, listening as his breathing slowed.

Finally, he spoke. “Have I done it, then? Have I proven myself to you?”

Remi lifted her eyes to meet his. “I could not doubt you now.”

He smiled genuinely and then brought his lips to hers. He kissed her deeply, cupping her face with one hand as he pulled her closer with the other. She lost herself in the kiss, in him, in the moment.

The last few days of pain receded, along with the embers of their discord, fading like the fire in the hearth. It was as if the notes, the hallucinations, and the loneliness that had been taking up space inside her since she’d married Edgar were scrubbed away. She felt cleansed by his touch. She didn’t need love to want what they’d done, though she was certain her heart was already there.

THE LEONES

REMI

Remi stretched her arms above her head, wriggling against the cool satin of Ben’s sheets. Her muscles thanked her for the stretch, aching in places that she hadn’t known existed. For the last few hours, she and Ben had been tangled up in one another. From the floor by the fire, where he’d been rough, to the bed where he’d stripped her down to nothing and taken his time, each experience was as different as it was pleasurable.

She curled her toes at the fresh memories.

“Ben?” she started, feeling bold as she rolled over to face him. The space where he’d been beside her was empty.

The room was dark, save for the glow of waning candles. Remi was stunned by the hour; it was later than she had realized. Without anything to cover herself, she wrapped the blanket around her body and tiptoed to the door. She pressed her ear to it first, picking up the sound of faint mumbling on the other side. Peeking out into the hallway, she spied Ben in just his trousers, holding a silver tray and speaking with Jacques. She could only see Jacques’s back, but Ben seemed focused, his lips moving quickly. There was an air of business about him.

I wonder what they’re discussing.

Whatever it was, it was a brief encounter. Ben and Jacques parted ways, and Remi stepped back to let him through.

“Awake already?” he asked, eyeing her bed sheet-wrapped frame as he shut the door. “A shame. I had planned to wake you myself.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” He breezed by to the table next to the bed and set it down. “Creatively, of course.”

She followed with her eyes, spying a simple plate with an assortment of cheese, bread, and fruit. In his other hand, he lifted a pitcher of water and poured them each a glass.

“Should I pretend to sleep, then?” Remi asked, taking the glass he offered.

He chuckled, slipping his legs under the duvet as he settled back into bed. “We have all night and morning to be creative. For now, I’m famished.”

Remi snuggled in closer to his side, clinging to the warmth of his body and relishing the comfort it brought.

Ben downed his water in three gulps and reached for the platter, placing it between them. He offered some to her before hungrily attacking the spread.

Remi chewed her slice of concorde gratefully. “Did something happen?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You were speaking with Jacques,” she said, inclining her head toward the door. “Was it important?”

“He reminded me that I have other responsibilities today,” Ben said, weighing his words carefully.

“Did he?”

“Yes.” Ben looked sheepish. “He knows that I have a certain proclivity for…staying in bed when there’s a woman with me.”

Remi blushed.