He groaned, threw back his head, and let himself take his release. It was rending and powerful and he was nearly dead with the pleasure of it.
“Yes,” he said five minutes later when he was finally able to speak again. “Yes, in a few more minutes, we’ll do it again.”
Between kisses, she said, “The candlelight is too dim for me to practice my eye lessons on you.”
“Trust me again, Sabrina. You don’t need any lessons.”
Her hand stroked down his back, over his flanks. “All right,” he said, and brought her over on top of him. He grinned up at her. “What do you say, wife? Do you want to be the one in control?”
“I don’t understand.”
When she did, she very much enjoyed herself. As did Phillip. When she was sprawled atop him, her face against his neck, breathing hard, she said, “Did I ride you well?”
“Oh yes, you did. I also like the way you bite me. It’s almost like my sweet old mare, she bites my shoulder, then smiles at me.”
“That’s ridiculous, a mare smile?”
“Yes, I found her moldering in a stable in Scotland last summer when Rohan and Susannah and I were there. She nipped me and smiled at me. I sent for her, as I promised her I would do. She’s been with me since last October. She neighs whenever I come near.”
“I met her. She didn’t seem to like me at all. She didn’t try to bite me.”
“I will try to talk her into accepting you.”
“Phillip, I’m glad I trusted you. That is really very nice, all those things you do.”
“Would you like to learn things to do to me?”
She came up on her elbows, her hair tumbling down on either side of her face, forming a curtain around their faces. Her eyes were sparkling. “Yes, oh, please. What?”
“Tomorrow. Tonight, now that I’ve pleasured you twice, I feel free to tell you that if you ever run away from me again, I’ll strangle you and throw your body into the River Ledlow. It’s an ugly muddy excuse for a river, but you’ll deserve it. Do you swear you’ll not run out on me again?”
“I swear. Shall I also swear not to throw things at you?”
He thought about that for a moment. “No, I’m learning how to move quickly. It’ll keep me on my toes, else I’ll get a plate or a lemon tart in my face.” He became suddenly serious again. He eased her onto her back, and came up on his elbow to look down at her. “You’re beautiful, Sabrina. You must accustom yourself to hearing that from me. But you want to know something else? You’re the woman God fashioned just for me. You’re precious. You mean more to me than the crenelated tower you and I will build together. I love you and I will love you until I cock up my toes. Will you accept my word? Will you accept me?”
She raised her hand to lightly stroke her fingers over his cheek. “I will thank God each night for bringing Trevor into the world.”
“Trevor? What’s this about?”
“If it weren’t for Trevor, I wouldn’t have met you. Well, if I had eventually met you in London, I doubt you would have given me a second glance.”
Phillip didn’t agree with her at all, but he smiled down at her, kissed her yet again, and said, “We will drink to Trevor on the morrow then. Can I pound the bastard into the ground again?”
“Perhaps, in the future. But we’ll do it together.”
Together, he thought. He’d never been part of a together before. It felt quite nice. He fell asleep with Sabrina pressed against him, the memory of her featherlight kisses on his chest deep in his dreams.
He jerked bolt upright in bed. He was wide awake. It was the middle of the night.
“Phillip? What’s the matter? Are you all right? Do you want me to trust you some more? I’d like that.”
“Yes, I would too, but now I want my gift that Rohan promised me. Do you know what it is? I forgot all about it. He said he’d give it to me if I pleased you.”
“I’ll tell him you pleased me. You’l
l get your gift.”
“I want a silly grin on your face when you tell him,” he said, getting out of bed. “The sillier the grin the more likely it is he’ll believe you.”