Ho boy.

I should have crouched, though that wouldn’t have been much better.

“Uh… hi,” I whispered.

At the sound of my voice, Frey blinked then he moved. Slowly, his big body shifted then he crawled on all fours into the bed as I stood still and watched without blinking.

There was something animal about that, the way he moved, the unhurried way he did it, his muscles bunching, the fact that he didn’t tear his eyes from my face.

It was animal, graceful, predatory… fascinating.

My mouth went dry and I totally forgot about talking him into just making out.

He dropped to a hip and said gently, “Come here, Finnie.”

For some reason, without hesitation, I went there. Falling to my knees when my toes hit bedclothes, I moved across the space, stopped two feet away and put my rump to my calves. Then my body stilled when his hand came up. It went to my hair and with a gentle tug, the ribbon was gone and my hair tumbled down.

Well, so much for that effort.

His hand curled warm around my neck.

“I wish to feel it all over me, wife,” he whispered.

Hmm.

I liked that.

“Okay,” I whispered back.

When I spoke, his eyes did what they did in the market that day, they got lazy and they smiled.

My belly dropped.

Wow.

His hand at my neck curled around to the back and his other hand came to my waist, fingertips only, gliding in, sliding back then I felt his whole hand then, pressing at the small of my back, he pulled me toward him slowly.

I kept my eyes glued to his as my breath started coming faster and my body started trembling – from fear, definitely, anxiety, you bet, and something else, absolutely.

As he pulled me closer, his hand at the small of my back wrapped around my waist, tugging me gently so I fell from my calves to my hip and thigh. Then I was pulled closer… my head tipping back… closer… his head dipping down… closer… then my eyes dropped to his mouth right before they drifted closed and he touched his lips to mine.

That was it. A gentle touch then he used his hands and his torso to push me until my back was to the bed, my head to the pillows and he settled at my side on his forearm, the hand that was at my neck sliding down my shoulder, my arm, in, over the lace and satin at my ribs, down, over my belly, curling at my waist, down, over my hip, all of this slow, all of this taking his time, all of this while his eyes watched.

That felt nice, even relaxing, but I was in no state to relax. The heat in his eyes and the expression on his face were both communicating to me in a way that made my skin heat. And his chest was right there, all of it, there was a lot of it, it was fantastic and I wanted to touch.

But I was terrified at the same time.

Still, he was touching me so I should get to touch him. And I wanted it so I lifted my hand and slowly moved it toward his chest as his hand slid back up to my belly then suddenly my hand was arrested in mid-air because his fingers had curled around my wrist.

My eyes went to his to see his on my hand.

Then they came to mine as he pulled my hand to the warm, sleek skin of his chest, pressing it flat as he leaned closer to me.

With his face a couple inches from mine, my hand pressed to his skin, he asked softly, “Why do you tremble, wife?”

I licked my lips. Then I whispered my admission, “I’m nervous, Frey.”

His lazy, heated eyes got lazier and more heated as he slid my hand up his chest, over his shoulder and around his neck, gently pulling my torso up with it then he left my hand there and his arm curved around my waist. He dropped down fully to his side in the bed as he turned me into his arms and his mouth came to within a breath of mine.

“I’ll be gentle, Finnie,” he whispered.

“Promise?” I asked.

His hand slid warm up my spine to tangle in my hair, making me tremble anew, and not with nerves, as it travelled along its path and he pressed into me.

“I would not hurt you, my winter bride.” He slid his nose along mine and I liked that, it was sweet, it was hot, it felt nice and my body softened under his. “Ever,” he growled to finish and that was when he finally kissed me.

There it was. His tongue in my mouth, that skill I remembered, it was all there but this time he was giving it to me, not using it to take from me. It was slow, it was about discovery, exploration, showing, telling, rewarding and I softened more, pressing closer as his hand moved light over my nightie, warm, not invasive, soothing at the same time heating.

And I was heating, slowly, very slowly, because that was all he did, building the warmth, stoking the fire. He had time and he was going to take it, so he did.

And I did too. Hesitant, I explored his thick, soft hair and the muscles of his shoulders and back. All the while I explored his mouth, his tongue, tasted his lips and he explored me.

I liked what I discovered. It was freaking fantastic.

Finally, his big hand roved over the cheek of my ass and feeling it, feeling him so hard and warm pressed against me, his mouth so generous, his skin so silky sleek, fire suddenly shot between my legs, my h*ps pressed into his and I made a soft noise in his mouth.

Frey broke our kiss but his lips still touched mine and his fingers cupped my ass. “My wife likes this,” he whispered.

“Yes,” I whispered back because it was true.

Unhurried, his fingers pulled the material of my nightie up and I stared in his eyes, my body warm and still, my mind focusing on everything all at once, the feel of him, the smell of him, his lips so close, his eyes so gorgeous, his eyelashes so thick, the room lit with candlelight, my lips feeling bruised, my mouth wanting his back, the brilliant feel of my br**sts pressed hard against his chest, the better feel of his hard c**k pressed against me – he finally got the material up and slowly, like he had all the time in the world, as I held my breath, his fingers slid back down inside my panties.

Fire seared through me.

Oh my God.

Why was that so, unbelievably, phenomenal?

I didn’t know. I didn’t care. I just knew I wanted more.

So the instant I felt him skin against skin, my eyes drifted closed, another noise escaped my throat, I pressed tight to him, everywhere I could get and slow was a memory.

His hand clenched my ass, his torso pushed my back to the bed, his mouth slammed down on mine, not slow, not making out, not generous but hot, wet, hungry and amazing.

He shoved a knee between my legs but he didn’t have to. I opened them and bent my knee, pressing the inside of my thigh to the side of his hip as I arched my back to connect with him, tightened my arms to pull him into me and I moaned into his mouth.