Minnie responded, her heartbeat quickening against his.
He ran his hands over her body, feeling every dip and curve until they were both panting with desire. As he ran his hand down her legs, he hooked the hem of her night rail and began pulling it up until the fabric pooled about her waist. “I want to see you. All of you,” he said against her lips. She gave him a light push and for a brief moment, he worried she was pushing him away but the moment he rose, she grabbed the fabric and sent it sailing over her head. Then she lay back down, arms raised so that he had a full view of her naked body.
“Like this?” she asked, giving him an impish smile.
He swallowed, his eyes running down her slender frame his hand following close behind. “Like that.”
Her skin was velvety soft and so creamy in the moonlight, his mouth was dry and his throat clogged. She was perfection, with her perfect mounds for breasts, flat stomach, and small tapered waist. He slid his hand over her hip and then caught sight of the flaming hair that tapered off between her legs. He made a noise deep in his throat as his fingers brushed the curls and settled in her soft womanly flesh between her thighs.
She bucked against him and he pulled his fingers away, yanking off his own waist coat, cravat, and shirt.
He settled against her again, their skin coming together in the most satisfying way. His manhood throbbed. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her soft, waiting flesh, but he held back and began kissing a trail down her body instead. Her pleasure would come first.
As his mouth settled over her slit, Minnie gasped, clutching the blankets closer. She wasn’t cold. She’d never been hotter in her life but she needed to hold onto something as pleasure rocked through her, tensing all her muscles.
He set a steady pace with his mouth as he slowly inserted a finger in her channel. Her eyesight blurred as little noises of delight fell from her lips. She’d never imagined rapture like this and she started to beg for more. “Please. Tag. I want…don’t stop.”
She felt his smile as he increased the pace. “Never,” he said then drove his finger deeper inside her until she convulsed and then shattered.
As she slowly floated back down, she looked up at him with heavy eyes as he peeled the rest of his clothing off. Raising her arms toward him, she gave him a slow smile. “Come here.”
He didn’t hesitate. Lowering himself on top of her, his weight settled over her. She gasped in a breath. He was so hard and muscular and yet somehow, he felt like home. “Tag,” she whispered. “I love you so very much.”
“I love you too.” He kissed her as the tip of his manhood pressed to her opening. “Minnie, you’ve brought love to my life and I don’t know how to thank you for it but I’m going to try.”
She pulled back, shaking her head. “Just give me yourself. That’s enough.”
Slowly, he slid inside her. She tensed at the pain but held still. Minnie was not the sort to shy away from a bit of pain. However much it hurt, he was worth it. But she couldn’t help but cry out a bit as her maidenhead broke.
He stilled, smoothing back her hair and peppering kisses about her face. “I’m sorry, love. Thank you for such a beautiful gift.”
She leaned up and kissed him back. “You’re welcome. Is now the appropriate time to ask when our wedding will be?” Then she giggled. She’d meant it as a joke but he grimaced.
“I should have waited but I’ve already retrieved the special license. I think your family will object to a wedding tomorrow but I’m hoping for the next day.”
She stilled, looking up at him. “Tomorrow or the next day?” She held his face in her hands. “We’ll begin our life together in a day or two?”
“We’ve already begun,” he said as he slowly moved inside her. “You’re mine, Minnie.”
They didn’t say more as Tag slowly slid out of her body and then back in. Soon the pain diminished and only pleasure remained.
She didn’t need to say that yes, she was his. She showed him with every touch and kiss until her own body begged for release again. When she fell over the edge, he cried out her name, spasming above her.
She held him against her. She’d love this man forever.
Epilogue
Two days later…
Minnie stood in the garden only feet from where their blanket bed had been two nights prior. She kept grinning at the spot where Tag had held her in his arms until the wee hours of the night.
“Minnie,” he whispered leaning over. “We’re about to say our vows.”
She blushed, her cheeks surely as red as her hair. “I suppose I feel as though I already said them.”
He squeezed her hands. “That’s true.” Then he looked out over the small gathering of family and friends. “But they don’t know that, so do me a favor and look at me. Otherwise they might think I’m forcing you to the altar.”
A giggle nearly burst from her throat but she swallowed down. “Forced into marriage by a duke.”